Reviews

It is not a fictional movie. It is a propaganda movie with many well-known actors/actresses.

"My Youth and I" is a film divided into three units: "Banner," "Seeing," and "Searching," focusing on the Great Northern Wilderness, the Great Western Development, and the youthful blood stories of the new era.

It has a bunch of well-known actors and actresses in each unit, and the gist of the story is focused on the sacrifices of pioneers in different areas and how they make a difference in ordinary people's lives. It is another propaganda of typical Chinese movies or dramas to elevate China's power and changes over the past 30-40 years.

It is an okay movie but not that entertaining. I am giving it a 5.0 rating.

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Woohoo... So long not watch Jackie Chan movie at my local movie theater... And I enjoy every moment of it... Haha...

Heart warming story about the struggle stunt-man and his family. Sometimes from our screen we often forgot the one who work behind the screen, especially the stunt-man for our actor/ess.

The story revolve around Luo Zhi Long (ZL) & his family. Story begin with ZL & his horse having problem about ownership, that problem make ZL has to contact his long detached daughter. After that finally their journey to win the case begin & also rekindle their relationship. While at the same time ZL himself finally start again his stunt-man job together with his horse.

Really like in the end how he finally realized how important family are. And how to appreciate the relationship with his family. And how to choose what's more important between his pride or the safety of his own & his family (the horse. Haha...). And at the very end we can see that loyal animal is not only dog but also horse, or maybe just basically any animal that we take care with our full heart.

Through out the drama I also thought, what it feel for Jackie Chan himself...? Is it like slap in his own face....? I think ZL relationship with his daughter quite like his own relationship with his son in the real life. Is he also mend his own relationship with his family like ZL did with his daughter...?

What interesting: We can see many many clip from Jackie Chan old movie & his own stunt. Haha... Seeing that clip really make me nostalgic & want to re-watch his old movie.... :D

What missing from this drama:
Unfortunately this movie missing 1 point in my opinion. It's gonna be more perfect if the last movie that his friend talk about movie for appreciate stunt-man really comes to the screen. But anyhow without this it's also perfect for the story, cause this actually not really focus in that aspect too...

Overall this really good movie to be watch for....

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A sensitive and true ode to adolescence and twinhood

As the world is on the verge of tipping over into the twenty-first century, with all the irrational fears aroused by the transition to the year 2000, two twin sisters who until then have lived in unfailing complicity and the sharing of all aspects of their daily life, will also see their universe turned upside down.
With their parents going through a divorce, Yu and Mee are sent to their grandmother's house in northeast Thailand where they reunite with a classmate, Marc, with whom they both fall in love. Torn between the affection that the two sisters have for each other and their love for this boy, the two twins live their first experiences as individuals and teenagers.
Initiatory rite of passage from childhood to adolescence, of passing from a close-knit couple to two complicit but free individuals, this film transcribes with great sensitivity and accuracy the heartbreak specific to the twins, torn between a close relationship and a emerging natural need for self-affirmation.

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"It's easy to cause a problem, but it's difficult to handle one"

Director Zhang Yi Mou and Gong Li explored the opulent and violent lifestyle of gangsters in the 1930's in Shanghai Triad. The film had many of Zhang's trademarks-lush cinematography, stylish sets and costumes, and moody lighting. He also made subtle criticisms of political power structures without directly criticizing the current regime.

Gong Li was gorgeous, expertly styled with luxurious dresses and bold makeup and hair, far removed from her dressed down performances in other Zhang Yi Mou films like Ju Dou. She played Bijou, the old triad boss' mistress. She was the Queen of Shanghai and the queen of this film as well. Most scenes focused on her because the men and the camera could not stay far away from her charismatic aura.

Yet it is not through her eyes we view this story. A fourteen-year-old boy comes to Shanghai to work with his uncle who is one of Boss Tang's men. By virtue of being a Tang, Shuisheng is deemed worthy of being given a job. On his first day he witnesses a drug deal and a murder. His Uncle Lui assigns him to serve the temperamental and cold Bijou. Shuisheng is completely out of his element having never seen a lighter or phone before. The triad has many unwritten rules for behavior that he must learn fast.

Shuisheng rarely speaks yet through his expressive and innocent eyes we are witness to his fear, horror, and contempt for the people around him. Boss Tang believes that a woman's worst problem is not worth his time but a man's smallest one is. Bijou is as much a slave as Shuisheng, regardless of how well dressed and pampered she is.

By Shuisheng's fourth day in Shanghai he is already fleeing the city with the Boss and Bijou after an assassination attempt on the boss' life. They travel to a remote island and are served by a widow, Chihua, and her nine-year-old daughter, Ajiao. At first Bijou does nothing but whine about being bored. Soon she and Shuisheng settle in with the widow and Bijou reveals that she had once been a poor country bumpkin, too. Disturbingly, Boss Tang and his trusted cousin both see in Ajiao, a replacement for the aging Bijou.

Much like Curse of the Golden Flower, by day 7 there would be far fewer people boarding the boat home. Powerful men, regardless of their title or era, tend to be ruthless to those who have shown disloyalty or are no longer of any use. They don't share power or show mercy.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The cinematography was stunning and not even Zhang's best in my opinion. Shanghai was shown in bright garish light and colors. The island with regular people on it, unaware of the danger around them, were shown in soft muted colors and light. Only Bijou's vivid red lips and flashy clothes stood out in the gentle setting. Gentle setting until it wasn't.

Gangsters were not shown in a romantic way. They were shown as the violent criminals that they were. Bijou could be brash and unlikeable, a country bumpkin who had clawed her way into a more lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately, she was not cunning or lucky, both of which you needed to be to survive and move ahead in the vicious world she lived in. She still had a heart and a conscience which were not the necessary weapons needed to be a triad boss' moll. Shuisheng's innocence was irrevocably destroyed with his survival and soul hanging by a thread. As in other of Zhang's films, there was no fighting the one in power, it was a futile and fatal task.

Shanghai Triad was bleak and relentless, allowing only brief moments of sunshine through the darkness. With the exception of Shuisheng, who was a moldable ball of clay, there was no one to truly cheer for. Nearly every character had a menacing plan. I found the story gripping but also emotionally exhausting. Gong Li's sensual and intense performance was one of her most compelling and a persuasive reason to watch the film. As much as her performance glowed, the film's glimpse into the cruel criminal world though beautifully acted and filmed was about as appealing as the corpses left behind by Boss Tang. For me, this is a film worth watching but I would not have the heart to watch a second time.

5/2/23

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A kid learning to act

I really liked this short because it shows clearly and in a beautiful (and painful) way how a gay kid comes to discover his feelings, all without needing a long time for everything to unfold. I also really liked the choice of making Chul Soo part of an acting class - I believe it delivers a powerful parallelism.
I'm keeping this review vague when it comes to the plot because, as a short movie, I believe it can't be said much without spoiling almost everything. All I want to say is that it hits very hard, and it might hit much harder if one had a similar experience as a queer child. The entire movie feels so plausible that I wouldn't be surprised if this was based on a true story.
The acting was incredibly good. I had no expectations since the main actors are all children, but Nam Hyeong-Jung delivered an amazing performance. The piano pieces of the OST also match the different scenes very well.

I recommend watching if you have the chance!

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A mess and a half

Don't watch it please save your time ?
It felt like one of those old queer movies you watched when you're a kid bcs there's no other representation out there.
The story was all over the place, it felt really out of touch, it couldn't really portray the character's feelings like i had no idea what any of them were thinking of or feeling most of the movie.
I'm not gonna blame the girlie for anything bcs she was just in an awkward situation, she's a kid she can't control who she likes but i am gonna blame whoever made the movie, her character in the movie felt like a filler and the fact that she didn't add anything to the story and it felt like they just wanted to add a girl into the Mix to make it interesting.

And the book about the trans ppl at the beginning was so confusing???? And they didn't elaborate at all like looked at the movie description again bcs i rlly thought it was gonna be a trans rep moment

This movie was just a mess, after watching your heart engraved herein i wanted to watch another angst taiwanese movie but this is the least gay feeling gay movie they could've made, it felt like they knew nothing about gay dudes.

*Spoilers*
/////and when he slept with him at the end what even was that like you're rlly not gonna explain anything about that like he rlly likes the girlie and by the looks of it he only like him as a friend then why the hell would they add that, it felt like they just wanted to show them fucking like okay if it was a ploy thing for him and he was in love w both of them then okay they should've shown that better and if it was an internalized homophobia thing then they should've also explained that better!!
And my third theory is he knew he liked him so he was just doing that for him but idk you don't kiss yr bro passionately just bcs you don't wanna lose him.

And the older gay dude approaching the young gay dude to sleep w him after his heart got broken cliche
boohoo i wanted to claw my eyes out////

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enjoyed this, won't say it was perfect. but it was fun & don't get anyone trying to compare this to Bullet Train, John Wick, Hitman's Bodyguard, Kingsman etc... cause this wasn't trying to be those movies.

what i really loved here was the personal relationships between the character's. even though this tagged action, everyone (who's criticizing this) seemed to forget this also a drama. i loved those aspects of this movie. the mother daughter dynamic was spot on, great acting by all, but Jeon Do Yeon is really talented, have seen her in quite a few movies, so versatile. also loved the new young cast, the intern & the daughter - their story was also very relatable n engaging (in the intern case even less of a story and yet very endearing character IMHO).

i aint into action movies, so don't care for the fight choreography, but even i noticed that it wasn't that mind-blowing (not that there weren't entertaining fight scenes) but on a whole, it was nothing out of the ordinary. and here i think the trailer did a disservice to the movie, selling it as the actions movies i mentioned above.

also there's NO incest to speak off, yeah Min Hee crazy n very possessive of her brother (& lacking a back story, got no way to back my thoughts) but from my POV, Min Kyu didn't treat his sister as anything by a needy, spoilt child - he suffered n indulged her, didn't lust after her! the one he truly loved was Gil Bok Soon. from the 1st moment they met, he was hooked, that's why he did everything he did - for her, until the end in-spite of her going against his instruction's (what she did to his sister) he still didn't want to kill her (basically letting her win).
it wasn't perfect & i can be nitpicky, find potholes but on a whole this was a fun watch. i would rewatch this just for the fun off it anytime...

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Heartwarming + Action

I’ve no doubt on Jackie Chan movies, most of his being the best in the industry…but acting with the horse almost the main lead here I was doubtful at first if he managed to pull it thru and yes again he didn’t fail us audience!

Watched it just two days ago in the cinema and ended up using my serviette tissue for my popcorn (luckily I ate 2/3 of it while waiting for screening to begin, else too busy focusing to eat!) eating to wipe my tears and blow my nose (okay I did it discreetly…lol) it’s really touching and didn’t expect it to be so touching.

Jackie’s fighting styles are my all-time favorite and together with the horse (I must admit I’ve seen some hard kick-ass scenes are done with CGI which anyone will notice if they stayed behind for credit roll—Jackie’s way of production to share BTS clips—it will show but it doesn’t stop me from being amaze with the choreography of the fights) it was superbly done and the bonding between him and the horse is strongly portrayed. Many moments whereby his closeness with his horse and unwillingness to give him away seems so real that makes my heart cry.

Jackie’s character as a father with his daugther was wonderful…at first it doesn’t occur to me it will have such good fatherly chemistry (probably bcos knowing his real life story of estrange relationship with his real son) but he did nail the character well and to some extent his determination and relentless professionalism to make his stuntman career work for himself & his stunt team and also hoping to concurrently make his family ties work does seem to be his real life story (yea and after watching only I read somewhere some content it’s about his life story as well).

Appreciate how the editing includes some of Jackie’s other great movie production works clips and BTS into this movie…(some may say it’s just reproductions of his past works to insert into here but hey how many actors who have such strong foundation in stuntmanship yet also having so much great movie clips to share…hence such good works should really share) and watching it again (yes i rewatch many times during his many interviews last time) does makes me teary how a person can challenge his own limits to this extent, enduring the pain and yet still carrying on.

Jackie Chan isn’t any younger (I’ve watched him since I was a kid as he was my late father’s favourite actor) and reckon if possible it’s best to watch this in cinema as a form of support to the diminishing production of action movie in the industry…and it’s much better audio and focus in dark cinema to get into the atmosphere as not to waste the opportunity to see and feel how good this movie is… : ))

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Delicate portrayal of Love and Friendship

What happens when 2 friends start living apart in their own life full of struggles and hardships, with a lot of dreams and ambitions to be fulfilled. Soulmate manages to tell the story of this friendship that changes or develops the characters over the course of their lives. The beautiful chemistry of a great bond is elegantly displayed by Kim Da Mi and Jeon So Nee.

In essence, the film focuses on the story of the characters' personal journeys and transition from adolescence to adulthood. The movie captures beautiful stills of Jeju Island and the nostalgic BGM makes it more pleasant to watch.

My Rating : 7/10

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My heart can't handle this......

I never write official reviews about anything but I had to come to this ASAP (tears still in my eyes) to talk about this.

First, the plot was cliche but cute! The love triangle(?), between Kim Yoojung, Byeon Wooseok, and Park Jungwoon characters was cute but I also feel like it was random. Not out of place random but just odd? in a cute way? I enjoyed the bickering between Bora and Hyunjin though, that was super funny, and playful and kept the mood light. The acting in the movie was amazing, I absolutely love Kim Yoojung's acting, she's iconic always.

*Spoiler below*



IF THEY DON'T STOP ENDING SOMETHING GREAT WITH A DEVASTATING ENDING..... I'M NOT GOING TO STOP WATCHING BUT DAMN MY HEART IS. F R A G I L E! That was a plot twist I was not expecting NOR DID I ASK FOR IT! 2521 broke me, but they just didn't work out. THIS THOUGH?!?! UNCALLED FOR. WONDERFUL MOVIE. UNCALLED FOR.

So I say, if you want a romcom that will have you kicking your feet, blushing, giggling, laughing, and then crying your eyes out because your heart WAS NOT ready, this is the movie for you. It's overall an amazing movie!

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The sound of madness

A Page of Madness blurred the lines between sanity and insanity, fantasy and reality and wrapped it all up in a surreal box with a demented bow. A silent movie from 1926 with no intertitles, it could make trying to comprehend the mad hatter's box of discord challenging, yet with stellar performances and an absorbing experimental vibe it is worth making the effort.

Director Kawabata was short on money but long on imagination. With the help of the actors who painted sets, took pay cuts, and slept on the floor he was able to finish the film. Due to only having 8 lights to work with, the walls were painted silver to reflect as much light as possible, which also gave the film an otherworldly appearance. Thought lost for nearly 50 years, Kawabata found a copy in 1971. He set new music to it and re-released it. The film is now shorter than the original. While I don't know what scenes are missing, the story seemed fairly complete. There has been debate whether originally a narrator guided the story for the audience or not. I have to admit I would have liked more clarity with the conversations between the father and daughter.

It does help to understand the framing for the story. A retired sailor is working at an asylum as a janitor because his wife is a patient there. When he was away, their child drown, sending his wife's mind down a slippery slope until she was sent to the asylum. It's unclear whether he stays close by due to a sense of loyalty, love, or guilt. Their surviving daughter is engaged to be married and comes to visit her mother. Afterwards the janitor determines to break his wife out of the facility. Whether the reason is he fears his daughter's in-laws would object to the marriage if they found out her mother had been committed or because he can't bear to see his wife behind bars is not spelled out.

The film begins with an elegant dancer on an elaborate stage with a giant spinning ball behind her. Momentarily we discover the stage and costume are all in her mind as she swirls faster and faster to the rhythms of a torrential rainstorm. Kawabata used nearly every camera trick available to him to display the chaotic spirit of the patients' troubled minds. Overlays, sped up frames, side-by-side, upside down shots, elongated faces, and twirling fades, nothing was left out of his bag of tricks. The actors took over where the director left off as they laid bare a wide range of disturbed emotions---vacant stares, mumbling, hysterical laughter, frenzied behavior, and angry outbursts. The combination of film skills and acting made for a fantastical experience as current behavior, memories, hallucinations, self-deception, dreams, and fantasies cut back and forth, eventually blurring the lines between time, reason and madness.

The janitor who was our guide began to show his own mental cracks leaving you wondering if he was real or one of the ghostly figures in the hall and garden. Or was his sanity slowly giving way to madness as well? The inmates appeared to share their delusions on occasion, begging the question…what is real? The patients seemed to see the dancer in her elaborate costume as she entertained them. The object of one of the janitor's violent fantasies bowed to him at the end of the movie as if he was indeed the man's son-in-law just as in the delusion. Objective and subjective views of reality crashed into each other and became inexorably tangled with each passing minute.

Watching the film, I had to wonder about mental institutions at the beginning of the 20th century. How much did isolation, boredom, low expectations, and no real therapy magnify the problems patients were experiencing? Human interactions were kept to a minimum. History shows that many people ended up institutionalized for being different or suffering from depression, postpartum issues, or in the case of women-being difficult.

Circles and round objects were utilized visually several times-the giant spinning ball in the dance sequence, the wife's focal point button, spinning tires, and spinning film frames. Like the twirling circles, sanity and insanity rapidly rotated until illusion and reality overlapped for the fragile yet resilient human psyche and spirit. When the wife refused to leave the security of her barred home, she showed that the mind can be a far more powerful prison than a physical cage.

Like the story itself, I found the film fascinating and infuriating, deceptively simple yet enigmatic. Built around strong performances and creative storytelling, Kawabata's strange experiment succeeded for me.

5/1/23

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a raw and authentic portrayal of coming of age and personal growth.

control tower is a film that explores themes of coming of age, personal growth, and relationships, which are common themes in many feature films. however, what sets control tower apart is its honest and realistic portrayal of these themes. the film captures the complexities and challenges of growing up with a raw and authentic sensibility, which may be why you find it more relatable than other films.

mizuho's character is nuanced and multifaceted, and her complexity is one of the films strengths. her introspective nature and stoic demeanor hide a deep well of emotion, which is gradually revealed as the film progresses. her struggles with her identity and her conflicted feelings towards her family are portrayed with sensitivity and nuance, making her a relatable and sympathetic character.

kakeru's character is presented as someone who is struggling to find his place in the world and to connect with others. he feels alienated from his peers, leading him to act out and engage in reckless behavior. hence the need for music, it helps him escape these struggles. however, as the film progresses, we see kakeru grow and mature, as he learns to confront his issues and make meaningful connections with those around him.

overall, its is a unique and memorable film that stands out for its honest and relatable portrayal of coming of age and personal growth. while there are other films that deal with similar themes, the film captures the complexities and challenges of growing up with a raw and authentic sensibility that makes it a compelling and thought-provoking viewing experience.

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Great buildup with a bit too much overexplaining.

How much you will feel the thrills and how much you will enjoy this movie depends on how fast you will guess the plot. The later you figure out the puzzle pieces, the better. For me, it was around an hour into the story, and after I understood what’s going on, it was a bit too predictable.

Still, the movie was for sure well crafted. Perfect pacing, with well written characters and outstanding performance from the cast. A bit of red herring and vague storytelling that helped create the suspense. Even after you figure out what’s coming, it’s still enjoyable. You start to pay more attention to details, dialogues and interactions between characters to see if they all support your theory.

It’s a psychological thriller that truly masterfully builds the layers of the plot and characters’ state. It’s a bit heavy on the explanation at the end, going the “tell not show” and not “show don’t tell” way. I believe the audience is smart enough to make sense of the clues and hints they have seen without the director literally showing what happened and why.

The best aspect of Anchor? Performances. I’m a massive fan of Shin Ha Kyun, and he did not disappoint in this project either. He delivers the lines and expressions with such an ease, you truly believe the character is a real person. Chun Woo Hee did most of the heavy lifting, being the central part of the story, and she aced the role. It was not an easy task to complete, and yet she made it in a phenomenal fashion.

Overall, a nice watch that did not feel long even though the run time almost hit the 2 hours mark. While the charm of it fizzles the moment you figure out the plot, it’s still a great movie with a good amount of twists and turns.

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entertaining but some things that could've been better

Overall, this movie was an entertaining watch.

It's very obvious that the horror plot is actually just setting the scene for the bonds of friendship that are made between the main characters. About halfway through the movie, it started to focus on how they were working together as a team to meet their endgoal as opposed to really focusing on the horror aspect. I love anything where characters become unlikely friends, so I enjoyed that aspect of the movie.

Another good thing that I enjoyed were the effects. I always appreciate when movies put in the effort to make good practical effects. The giant doll monster was great.

Things that could've been better:
- I was quite literally screaming at my TV at the end when the main character could've literally just put the head in coffin and ended the whole thing instead of sitting there watching the love interest get eaten. It only happened so she could have an unrealistic last stand against the monster.
- They could have explored the backstory of the Body Search game in general. Who is the entity who is killing the children? What do they want? Is it possible to stop it? That might be something to explore if they decided to film a sequel. I feel like the story was too big to fit into one movie, I think they could've done a better job of making it into a series and hitting all of those questions while still keeping the friendship and team building aspects of the story.

I will say that the post-credits scene caught me off guard and made me question everything. I currently have no theories but am enjoying reading everyone else's theories online.

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TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE FIRST YING YANG MASTER DREAM OF ETERNITY!

This is one good but not as good as the first one (Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity) and I'm waiting for Long Ye (Jessie Li) to come back because at the end of the first movie, she was still breathing and it seems like she's going to appear in here. This is a completely different movie compared to the first one.

VISUALS:
The visuals are great but not as majestic as the first one. The first movie was so cool it feels like you're watching a Marvel movie. It really is because they copied the portal spell from Doctor Strange making them sued by Marvel. That's why it was cut early in the cinemas in China. This time they made different teleportation spells (because of the Marvel/Doctor Strange issue. It was not as cool as the first Ying Yang Master.

CHARACTERS:
There are no characters from the first movie. They change the whole character. I've waited for Bo Ya (Deng Lun) to appear because he's one of the main characters of the first YYM. Their teamwork was awesome, I miss that. There are new cute CGI characters. I love the cute little demon ❤️

ACTION
There is not so much action here. It really felt like they rely on visuals which were really disappointing (compared to the first one) The story was ok. Everything was just fine.

OVERALL: If you haven't watched the first YYM I can recommend you this. Watch this first and then watch Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity because those movies have different stories but the same main character Qingming (Mark Chao) But if you already watch the first YYM, this can satisfy you. It has fine visuals and of course, it's about Qingming--the Ying Yang Master.

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