Reviews

Really fun movie

The first scene got me thinking that this movie was made by a man for men. You know, bikini clad women in some action, guns, blood, the usual.

I wanted to change the channel but then, the fight scenes started and I was hooked. I decided to stay and let's say I had a great time!

I don't care if this was made for men or not but I enjoyed this movie. Badass girls sticking together, and will literally die for each other is one of my favorites. It might not be Hollywood but the fight scenes were okay!

It's got some dry humor deliveries I love and the girls are really so sweet. I was just watching totally spies yesterday so I was kind of getting that vibe.

Overall, it's a fun movie. There's a bitter part but you'll get over it before you know. Definitely going to rewatch when I have the time.

If you're fond of women centric movies then this is for you.

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It is a mediocre Xianxia movie with bad plot and stupid cliffhanger

Jade Dynasty, started by Xiao Zhan, Li Qin, and Meng Mei Qi, is a mediocre historical Xianxia movie with an interesting plot but not a good ending.

The beginning explains how he got to the heavenly realm, but the ending does not explain how he got the demonic blood in his DNA. The ending has a cliffhanger, and stupid for them to let him go knowing that he can be potentially bad.

For a 2019 movie, I expected better CGI. I would rate it as a C-rated movie and give it a 6.0 rating. MarcusHere, a Youtuber recommended it, so I checked it out since it started Xiao Zhan. I was not impressed because the plot is so stupid.

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Where's the story?

I was expecting a lot for this movie but., I was
just disappointed. If you really focus you'll find that there is no storyline. It's just about a female killer who is the top of her company who manages contracts killing, then one day she is the one to be killed. I was imagining that trying to kill booksoon would've been more thrilling and would have given scenes where they are tracking her, making groups to chase her,...etc.. but no, in one scene "the trying to kill book soon" is gone.
I think this movie is overrated
Sorry for those who liked it. It's just my opinion

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"Gossip is a fearful thing"

When I watched Ruan Ling Yu in The Goddess I was mesmerized by her performance. It was honestly one of the best performances by an actress I had seen in a long time. Discovering that she had taken her own life at such a young age was crushing. Center Stage was a strange amalgam of documentary and movie about her captivating and tragic life.

In one of her best performances, the ethereal Maggie Cheung played Ruan. During an interview she stated she could understand how Ruan must have felt finally going from secondary "wall flower" roles to having serious roles offered to her. Maggie had plenty of ditzy female characters on her resume before this film and afterwards would go on to star in such films as In the Mood for Love and Hero. In much the same way Ruan had suffered from gossip, Maggie also understood the vicious nature of gossip about actors' personal lives

The set-up of the film did not work for me. Ruan was a gifted actress with a sad, yet fascinating life. The back-and-forth between re-enactment and interviews and behind the scenes shots destroyed the rhythm of the story. It was very distracting when the film cut from a disturbing scene straight to an interview with a 90-year-old who knew Ruan. Some of the interviews and speculations did not line up with the timeframe of the story as it was laid out which could make the following scenes confusing. Due to the film's structure, I was always aware that people were acting and it destroyed my emotional connection to what was happening on screen. For me, it would have been far better if they'd shown the interviews after the film along with the behind-the-scenes shots. Having the director yell that he could see Maggie breathing and then show them reshooting the scene and then presenting what was supposed to be a sorrowful funeral felt emotionally false.

When the movie had longer stretches of showing Ruan's story instead of people telling us her story, it was much more meaningful. But just as the joyful or sorrowful moods would crescendo, there would be a startling halt and a cut to the documentary.

Ruan Ling Yu was a stunning actress who lived a tumultuous life, having had three different lovers who contributed to some if not most of her problems. Two of the men were married with multiple mistresses and her first love was an inveterate gambler and womanizer. They cost her dearly financially and personally. Because of the constant tonal shifts in the film there would be no catharsis for the viewer at the end as the gossipy papers and people wrought devastation on her life pushing her into a corner, she saw only one way out of. By the time of the funeral scene, it felt more like a sterile documentary with high-end re-enactments one might find on television.

What kept my attention was Maggie's performance and her insightful interviews. The film also had clips and images from Ruan's films no longer available. I found the business aspects of the film informative, more so when they let the characters show the business dealings instead of the documentary telling about them. There were so many sides of this complicated woman to explore which were not touched on, such as---Why did she always choose cruel, unavailable men? Much of the action took place when Japan had invaded Manchuria causing political and financial upheavals which were barely touched upon.

When Ruan starred in New Women, based on a real actress who had been hounded by the press and committed suicide, it exposed an unflattering and malodorous side of the press. Instead of self-reflection and changing of their ways or going after the men in the film or the studio, they turned on her and hunted her relentlessly, plastering what they wanted to about her private life in their rags. I felt the film let me down with explaining the ex-lover's story and how he was legally tied to her. Born a wealthy man, his family disapproved of Ruan, the reason he gave for not marrying her. He burned through his money gambling, then turned to Ruan to support him. When she tired of dealing with him, she broke it off. They had never been married and yet he sued her for support and later for adultery. The last lawsuit seemed to be the final straw for her along with the cruel gossip.

The film's stuttering style failed to affect me emotionally. Which is a shame because I have been quite curious about this talented woman. Ruan Ling Yu's life was more dramatic and heartbreaking than most of her films. Though Ruan had a couple of female friends, an adopted daughter, and at least one lover at any given time, she seemed utterly alone and vulnerable. She was no match against the power of the poisoned pen and wagging tongues in combination with her devious ex at the young age of 24 or 25, especially during a time of crisis for her country. Dying at the pinnacle of her career caused Ruan Ling Yu to become a screen legend. In her suicide note she wrote that she was not afraid of death. "My only fear is the malicious gossip." Nearly one hundred years later too many young entertainers are still dying because of malicious gossip. Gossip truly is a fearful thing.

5/9/23

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When perfect acting meets imperfect plot... it leaves a strong but short-lived impression

A touching story, but the script comes out lacking when put together with such superb acting.

It'll start by saying that this movie is not family-friendly. I would watch it with adult friends and siblings, but I wouldn't show it to my parents or underage kids. Too much cussing, suggestive scenes, morally questionable actions, etc.

Besides that, the trailer and the movie don't match. The trailer makes it look like it's all fun and games but that's not the case. It's heart-breaking actually, even if there are a couple funny scenes.

I did quite enjoy this movie though.
It's about reconciliation, sacrifice, closure, hope.
The actors did such an amazing job bringing out their characters and making them real. As the audience you become so attached to the main characters you can't help but feel what they feel and suffer alongside them (...I cried).

However, it's definitely not perfect. It has flawed pacing, a lacking plot and a somewhat rushed ending.
I won't go into details or give out spoilers, but I can't help thinking that with such phenomenal casting they could've polished the story itself quite some more.

To sum it up, after going up and down on an emotional rollercoaster... in the end it's a forgettable movie.
This might sound harsh but this movie doesn't bring anything new to the table. The tragic situation that gets revealed past the half-way-point was so predictable it almost became bland and, worse, it took attention away from what should be the main focus of the plot instead of adding to it. Also, the different plot pieces don't quite fit. There are a lot of typical tropes, but the main problem is really the lack of a clear objective on the scriptwriter's part.

I won't spoil it, but I'll leave you, who is going to watch or has watched this movie, with a question to wonder about: what made the older brother change?

...Will/Do you perhaps see what I mean?
I think you'll find that's the fatal flaw in this movie... What it does is make it seem that, ultimately, what caused him to change was an external factor rather than something that came out from within him after an inner struggle. External factors should remain as mere triggers, and change should come from a difficult choice. Otherwise things don't add up, it doesn't feel earned but lacklustre instead... They had the ingredients to do that in "My Annoying Brother". It's a pity.

Still, I think it's worth it to watch this movie.

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Tender, Charming, Funny, and Altogether Moving

The Best Film prize that this won in the Hong Kong Film Awards was entirely deserved, as was every word of praise it received in the Western Press. It's fresh, original, and sincere, while also imparting a terrific sense of the grittiness of a street kid's life in 90's Hong Kong. Best of all, it has real heart. The characters were conceived with a feeling so true that it translates to the viewer in ways at once tender, charming, funny and, alas, sad.

For instance, the male lead's love for the pretty, pixie, teenage girl is adorable since he says all the goofy things to court her that we'd imagine a sweet, yet word-addled, high school dropout saying to his crush (eg, he looks at her manicure the first time he asks her out, and defiantly says, "Who do you think you are, Madonna?"). Yet we no sooner laugh at his clumsy pickup line than we're aching for him as he struggles to come up with cash for her life-or-death kidney surgery. The stakes are high, and this is signaled in a standout scene of the 2 teens -- each deep in the throes of first love -- joyously kissing in a cemetery.

I was equally touched watching the lead take care of a large, but slow-witted, boy whose family had abandoned him. There's a tenderness in how the small, skinny, clever lead cares for his big, dumb sidekick that's just beautiful. Indeed, it has echoes of Lenny and George from "Of Mice and Men." And without giving spoilers I can say that this film, like that novel, kicks you in the stomach at the end. But the journey toward that ending is well worth it because the emotions are earned, and nothing felt false or contrived.

"Made In Hong Kong," was completed for a mere $80,000, but had me more emotionally invested than any $200,000,000 Hollywood Blockbuster where each star's individual paycheck is fifty times that of this film's entire budget. Indeed, the actors in this were all virtually unknown novices. Which makes it all the more impressive that they put in such ace performances evoking their characters' innocence, confusion, and love for each other.

Lastly, do not be fooled by the small number of viewers, nor the low rating on this MDL page. MDL is a new site wherein people rarely visit pages for movies made over 5 years ago, and this was made 25 years ago. For a truer measure of this film's quality just google the professional critical reviews and you'll find it was highly regarded both at home in Hong Kong, and internationally.

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A tribute to youth and Hello!Project

Even though I would not recommend this movie to anyone who isn't familiar with Hello!Project idols, this is a must-watch for all fans of the said music collective. Not only is H!P music and contents are heavily featured in the movie, it also reflects the passage of time as the releases and events of H!P also move along with the lives of the characters. Underneath the basis of just a group of idol fans spending time together, the film becomes a story of the bond between a group of people who represented each other's "good old days."
With no lovers, no money, and no future, these idol-devoted group of men are viewed as perverted "geeks" by others, but the film portrayed them as normal humans going through lives together. Beyond just sharing a common interest, these people also form friendships as individuals and still remain around each other's lives even when their interest for H!P has slowly fade away with time. However, the music of Hello!Project still remained a precious part of their memories. It shows how powerful and lovely it is that a common interest can connect people and resonates so deeply in their lives.
Despite most of the characters being well over in their adulthood throughout the film, those days when they were together bonding over idols were considered their "youth". This proves that the time that is called "youth" is not about age at all, but rather the time people look back as the days they were having the most fun. Even if life moves on, it is always a time where everyone can look back fondly on.

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an hour and a half of boredom and pokerface

Ooh, i wait this movie for a long time. The principal reason i wanted to watch it because the two protagonist of this movie, in 2018 were one of the couple in the drama Youth ( the multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little). Let's start by saying that apart from the story that is boring, banal, withouth anything original (was to be expected) one of the biggest problem is the acting . The ML actiong is terrible, he is in pokerface for an hour and a half without any emotion because of this he looks like a big porcelain doll ( I'm not criticizing his physical appearance only his bad acting) . He is not just expressionless but also how he moves, how he performs certain actions ( there is a scene in which he wakes up in the morning , is extremely fake and unrealistic ). if you really are a fan of Cyc and you want to see him, please stay away from this movie rather go and look at his photos on his weibo (he's definitely more expressive).

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Lovesickness At Its Finest.

I began this as a filler to watch Luo Yunxi in a normal piece of entertainment where he isn't spitting blood or in pain. And holy... I will not recommend this movie to anyone. Perhaps its directed particularly to a certain audience who have actually gone through such emotional turmoil, but unfortunately, I do not fall into that category.

Fang Fang, who has always had a long crush on her childhood friend Guo Yang, decides to pursue him regardless of what awaits. She gets a whole makeover after her Gaokao and finally gets together with him... Only to discover that she had grown excessively obsessed about him.

Boy... the girl Fang Fang was downright scary. The whole movie is told from her point of view, which slightly made me sympathize with her actions, but as a whole, she suffered from such a severe case of lovesickness that it made me glad that I had never been in love. Even the breakdowns in their relationship were never "real", but more due to the female lead's inability to communicate and her wild expectations.
Guo Yang was the regular popular music guy who liked her, but he was also someone who liked to put peoples' priorities over himself and genuinely enjoyed spending time with his friends. We don't see almost anything from his point of view, so I can't speak much about his character.

The lead actors were excellent, though. Well... they managed to give the "kids" vibes really well.
Music was almost non-existent, except for Guo Yang singing and a few mellow piano tunes sprinkled here and there. But, it fits the lonely theme of the story.

On a side note, I was surprised by some of the "Not for Children" scenes. Did not expect to see that in a Chinese Movie.

Overall, a skippable watch.

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Just got done watching this movie, I think first and foremost I can just sum it up in one word, wow. At first I was a bit hesitant in the first half of the movie but after it gets closer to the end things start to make a lot more sense and things connect in ways that are super satisfying. I think at most I can say that one would just have to watch it to understand the twists that happen in the movie that make it truly an emotional journey. A story about friends that are super close throughout most of their years and develop their own lives whilst maintaining said friendship. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to feel something and would even recommend it to anyone just wanting to watch a good movie. I give the movie a 9.5/10 because I think there are some aspects that could have been a bit better but it was near perfection in my opinion.

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Whenever I see a major bullying themed series, I always immediately stay away from it. Iam not a fan of the genre as a whole because I often felt it was predictable in the manner in which the lead will want to get revenge and that is the main story line.
let me tell you that this is different, it is a breath of fresh air in this genre. Firstly, I loved the attention to detail the cast and the writers paid in this film, the cinematic experience as a whole was good because it had realistic color grading, that honestly did a lot of justice towards the film. Secondly the lighting, this was one of those details that simply carried the emotions of the film, in the manner in which the director maintains the melancholic feel of the movie.
A comment on each lead character:
female lead:
She had an extreme sense of wanting to survive and leave her old life behind, she wanted to escape and there was only one way to succeed. I loved the way she steadfast in her belief to see Beijing. All her actions are driven by her burning desire to escape her life.
Male lead:
The appearance of the female lead sort of gives ml something meaningful and worthwhile to live for, something to care about
and this allows the audience to see to what extent he is willing to go for his newly found sense of belonging.

Now I am by the part that I would say is the groundbreaking factor of this film, the chemistry between the leads, the way in which you felt their emotion and the way in which you understood their love yet neither of them ever said it out loud.
Yes, this is the kind of love I absolutely love.
The best part was the overall theme of protection and survival, they both were similar yet so different. Both abandoned in their own way. Him always being behind her was such a clever idea not just because of the plot but also because of the theme, she found peace knowing he was always behind her, and he found someone he wanted to protect more than himself.
This film showed me that even with no words said we can all feel, I cried so hard throughout this film because of subtle and delicate their love was yet it was just as passionate and strong.

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"It's only human to pretend nothing is wrong"

Director Naruse Mikio dissected a lifeless marriage without really digging into the reasons for the spouses' lack of fulfillment. Both lamented internally that they had no idea what their spouse was thinking and neither had the courage to ask. They were living in a Groundhog Day where every day was exactly the same and neither knew how to break out of the cycle of misery.

Toichi is a salaryman who never moves up and doesn't seem particularly interested in further success. In order to make ends meet, he and his wife rent out rooms in their house to an array of eclectic tenants. His wife, Mihoko, also sews/knits to earn extra money. While Toichi doesn't care whether the tenants pay their rent on time Mihoko is more practical. They bring in enough money for the basics but don't seem to ever leave their small living area. Married for ten years, they have no children and apparently no disposable money for attending movies, plays, concerts, or even going to restaurants. Mihoko's world resides in their cramped living quarters. Only the gossip from the artist who lives across the hall and the feuding couple upstairs brings any entertainment into her life. For Toichi and Mihoko, they have nothing to divert themselves or share together, they have only each other and neither has made the effort to reach the other emotionally.

Toichi is approached by Sagara, a young secretary in his office, to attend an art gallery. They have coffee and spend time together before she returns to Osaka to live with her family. On a business trip to Osaka with his boss, Toichi seeks out Sagara only to find she has a young son. They end up spending the night at an inn. Sagara is not only drawn to Toichi's looks but also the security he could bring. Whether Toichi was really in love with her or in love with the idea of a different life lived was difficult to tell. Mohoko was aware he was seeing Sagara and puts her foot down. Even his father-in-law visits him to discover his intentions. Whether Toichi would divorce his wife or simply have Sagara as a mistress was never revealed.

The film did show women either working or seeking a way to make a living on their own. One of the tenants supported her unemployed husband and mother-in-law by working as a bar hostess. Sagara intended to open a dress shop with a friend partly funded by an uncle. Mohoko could not fathom a way to be financially independent and at her age she would be unlikely to find a new mate. While much was brought up about women becoming independent by opening a shop, that move requires capital and a lot of luck. Perhaps that type of endeavor was too risky for Mohoko who would be left without a safety net.

Toichi held the power in the relationship. Men still dominated the workforce at the time and Toichi could always find a younger wife. Female characters constantly rhapsodized what a fine catch he was. It was also brought up that Mohoko wasn't a very good cook, didn't apply her makeup correctly, was old-fashioned, and too cranky. Her husband must be involved with someone else because she wasn't a good enough wife. Toichi worked, ate, and went to bed, scarcely acknowledging his wife's existence and leaving much of the job of being a landlord up to her. Despite the fact that he was in the wrong having an affair, with Mohoko clearly in distress, at no time did he ever show a modicum of sympathy or concern for her. In matters of the heart and in financial matters, he rarely displayed any valor. And while much was made about male pride, Mohoko asked what about her female pride and why did everyone want her to apologize and turn a blind eye to Toichi's affair.

Naruse didn't seem to take sides in this cynical view of marriage though attitudes toward Mohoko certainly reflected the times. Of the three marriages shown, one ended in divorce, and another one in suicide. Toichi cheerfully imagined that they could both have fresh starts with a divorce. Mohoko felt trapped, knowing her husband no longer loved her and that she no longer trusted him, but unable to move on alone with no financial security. Even with divorce becoming more acceptable there were societal norms that she was unwilling to step outside of which would relegate her to a loveless marriage.

By the close of the film, Toichi and Mohoko were inhabiting a silent world, going through the motions, miserable but unable to find any hope for a better life. " Wife" ended where it began, only in a worse version of a day repeating itself with the people involved still unaware and unable to remedy their unhappy situation. Though there were moments of comedy supplied by supporting characters, the film was a dark, bleak look at married life with few sympathetic characters.

5/8/23

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