Reviews

A Beloved Classic, Butchered by Bad CGI and Atrocious Script

Quite possibly the worst adaptations of a beloved series I’ve ever seen. The movie felt like a disjointed string of scenes barely held together by a flimsy plot. I showed up for Xiao Zhan, but not even his presence could save this mess.

The CGI was completely overdone—to the point where everything looked fake and took me right out of the story. The wuxia scenes, which should’ve been a highlight, were horribly choreographed and lacked any sense of realism or impact.

And don’t even get me started on Huang Rong. Her character was reduced to being utterly useless, and the styling choices for her were just… bad.

If there was one saving grace, it was the actress who played Hua Jing. She brought some much-needed depth and presence to an otherwise forgettable film.

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A nice feel good escapism movie that's at the top of my re watch list

Since it's a movie, it's hard to say much about it without giving anything important away. I've re watched this a few times already & will probably re watch it every 2 years or so. I gave it a 10, which is very rare for me. [I think I've only given that score out 3 or 4 times!]
I like the setting. The sunny beach vibe sets the tone. The story is not complicated or melodramtic. The leads are good. The ending is good. I'm sorry for the generic comments, but I really liked it & more information would just spoil it for you. Normally I love to give out spoilers, but this is a breezy light feel good movie that deals wit a difficult issue, but doesn't deep dive.

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A rather "miracle" idealistic, rather than realistic story of restoration to public opinion

The main character is bossy & rude.As you learn more about her you see her good qualities, but it's no excuse for her overbearing attitude. She & lead guy are equally arrogant but when tested their good qualities shine through. The lesser character's stories create a sober atmosphere . In the end, motives are revealed & status is restored. So this is a rather "miracle" idealistic, rather than realistic story. non Asians ; need to be familiar with just how powerful public opinion & sentiment is to understand & appreciate just how miraculous it is for a k-pop idol ,or famous person in S.Korea, to be restored to good public opinion & career once they have been tarnished by scandal , ostracized & shunned .

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Fast pased, gripping story with A-Ha moments and surprising twists.

The story has no linear telling, so there are some twists, because the actual fact get´s only later revealed. That´s common practice in this kind of movies, and nothing new. The movie is also no original story, it´s been done many times. But it´s fast pased, gripping, griddy and bloody. If you´re a fan of cop and gangster stories, you definitly going to enjoy this movie! The action is well executed and not unrealistic at all.
Story: Not original, but there are twists I very liked, the first time I watched it. 8/10
Acting/Cast: Very good actors. I discovered Yim Si Wan through this movie. 10/10
Music: fitting 9/10
Rewatch Value: watched it three times till now 10/10
Overall: 9,5/10

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Constant Dirty language +"frank" discussions .Romance doesn't work.-meh- happy ending

I keep wanting to see Lee Seung Gi in great roles, but so far I have yet to see him in a drama that is better than My girlfriend is a 9 tailed fox .
He plays nice push over who crushes on a harsh overbearing potty mouthed celebrity childhood friend (who has a married boyfriend). You're set up to believe they both fail at love because they are meant to be together. He cooks, cleans, picks her up when she's drunk. It was not great because it really came across that he might like being used/abused . When he puts his feelings forward & she has had her eyes opened to how great a guy he is - her whole personality changes (Wasn't the whole point that nice guy loved her just the way she was ?)
Constant Dirty language & the "frank" discussions make it too uncomfortable to be a romance. Kissless-meh- happy ending

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"Looks like a good time" Looks can be deceiving

Danger Stalks Near was a 1957 comedy featuring Takamine Hideko as a beleaguered wife, daughter-in-law, mother, sister, and target of a robbery. The little village where she lived, and her house in particular, was the epicenter of greed and selfishness.

Yuriko is taking care of her sick child and a stingy, melodramatic mother-in-law. Her day begins with a renter burning a tatami leading her to evict the self-absorbed young woman. The doorbell continues to ring as relatives, friends, and repairmen insisted upon her attention. Most of the seemingly endless line of people turn out to have ulterior motives. The local newspaper had announced her husband as the winner of a prize in a contest leading everyone to want a cut of the booty. Relatives and other interested parties also greatly desire Grandma’s “secret” stash of wealth. Including the three knife-wielding thieves staked out on a hill not so patiently waiting for their chance to rob the family.

This film had the potential to be really funny and probably has been for other viewers. I just found the non-stop entitled behavior stressful and exhausting. Despite Yuriko seeing through the greedy relatives and sundry court of jesters, I felt sorry for the put upon daughter-in-law and sister. I halfway expected her to snap and burn the house to the ground as the grand finale. Her sister Sakura relentlessly badgered her for money. The MIL continually heaped complaints and demands on Yuriko, threatening to sell the house and move into a nursing home as a bludgeoning weapon whenever Yuriko stood up to her. Even the old woman’s son was ready for her to kick the bucket or fall off her shoes and die. There was a subplot involving a standoff between the evicted renter and the new renter which included their significant others. Then, of course, there were the weapon carrying thieves willing to kill anyone in the house for Grandma’s stash. Yuriko was having a challenging day which with this lot was likely an everyday occurrence.

Danger Stalks Near had entertaining moments, especially as the crooks grew more and more impatient with the revolving door of visitors to the small house. “What is this? A holiday or something?” And Takamine Hideko nailed the part of the woman trying to get through the day and fend off selfish guests. At least the robbers were honest from the start, they intended to steal from the family outright instead of swindling or cajoling it as the other guests not so subtly tried.

29 June 2025

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Faithful Adaptation, Acting Could Have Been Better

As a fan of the manga prior to watching this, I appreciate the accuracy and how they covered the entire story. The music was a little bit generic, but nice. The weakest part of the film was Takeo's actor—he was pretty bad... but the strongest part was Sawa's actress, her performance was perfect for the role, it felt like the comic character had come to life. I felt emotional watching this because the manga emotionally resonated with me a lot when I was younger, I just wish Kasuga's actor had been different! Also, I thought that Aya's actor and arc could have been a bit better, too, but all of the scenes with Sawa were golden and her actress carried the film.

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The Ethics of Aesthetics: Misbehavior and the Limits of Subtext

Wow, okay. Well. To start, Misbehavior is not a bad film. But it’s also not particularly good. It falls squarely in that frustrating middle space. A story with potential, a mood with bite, and just enough talent on screen to keep you watching… but not enough follow-through to leave any lasting impression.

The premise alone is already a lot to chew on: two female teachers. A senior contract instructor and a newly hired full-time one become entangled in a tense, jealous rivalry over their male high school student. There’s a sexual component. Possibly romantic, although the emotional dynamics are so shallow and confused that it's hard to tell if the film is aiming for erotic tension, predatory power play, or just general mess. Either way, the setup is deeply ethically questionable. But strangely, that’s not the biggest problem here.

Uncomfortable or controversial subject matter can work when it’s handled with nuance and clarity of purpose. Misbehavior doesn’t have that. The film seems more interested in aesthetic discomfort than actual character or thematic development. It wants to be unsettling, but it doesn’t seem to know why. It gestures at taboos, at institutional power imbalances, at buried rage, but only ever in half-measures.

Let’s talk pacing. The first half is slow and vaguely tense. Like the story is winding a spring, waiting to snap. But the second half unravels way too quickly. Critical plot points come in rapid succession without emotional buildup or payoff. It’s jarring, not in an intentional, disorienting way, but more like a writer realizing they’re running out of time and speed-running the climax. By the time the credits roll, you’re still trying to process a shift that didn’t feel earned.

Kim Ha-neul is the saving grace here. Her portrayal of Park Hyo-joo is unnervingly restrained. A woman so tightly wound, so completely at the mercy of her own internalized failure, that even her most violent moments feel like they’re happening from a place of quiet, hollow inevitability. You can see the years of professional frustration, emotional suppression, and self-loathing living just beneath the surface. It’s a nuanced performance trapped in a script that doesn’t give her nearly enough to work with. She deserved a better vehicle.

Lee Won-geun’s character (Shin Jae-ha) is less a person and more a plot device. Painted to be manipulative, but we all know he’s the real victim here. The second teacher, played by Yoo In-young, is equally underwritten, which is a shame because the bones of a compelling rivalry are there. Instead, we get cardboard motivations and stiff confrontations.

One thing I will give the film: it resists the urge to offer a character to "root" for. Everyone here is flawed in different, unappealing ways. It’s the kind of story where you’re not meant to pick sides so much as watch the trainwreck unfold. I usually appreciate that.. narratives where everyone’s just as damaged as the next person, and you’re forced to sit in the discomfort of it all. But even that quality starts to wear thin when the characters are this emotionally undercooked.

The film is painted with a lot of big themes: gendered power dynamics, academic hierarchy, social invisibility, the ways institutions suppress and warp women’s agency. These are all rich, worthy subjects. But Misbehavior handles them like set dressing. You can see the intention in certain scenes. A passing line about job insecurity, a glance during a faculty meeting, the subtle difference in how the school treats the two women… but none of it is interrogated in any meaningful way.

Visually, the film works very well. It’s cold, sparse, and tonally cohesive. The sterile setting of the school complements the emotional emptiness of the characters. There's a kind of quiet, aching bleakness to the whole thing that’s effective in moments. But you can only ride on mood and minimalism for so long before you start to wonder if anything’s actually happening.

Final thoughts? Misbehavior could have been a disturbing, layered portrait of female rage, institutional failure, and manipulative relationships. It had the atmosphere, the actors, and the potential. But it stops just short of doing anything meaningful with them. What’s left is a film that looks serious, acts serious, but never quite earns its seriousness.

Would I recommend it? Only if you're in the mood for a morally ambiguous slow-burn that leaves you mildly frustrated. Otherwise, you’re not missing much.

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Love it

It's late here and I should be in bed but here I am writing this review.

I loved the movie and it's been a while since I've seen my baby Raul on screen so i was I was a bit excited.
But what surprised me the most was Tao and Ano, tbh I didn't check the cast, I just saw Raul and I was instantly on board, but Tao was amazing, her character is my favourite and I wish she had some kind of happy end despite being a side character. As for Ano, just seeing her is enough for me to smile ❣️ she is the cutest ever.

Now the story is based on manga which is why we can't expect anything to make sense, nevertheless I found it interesting, it's always fun to watch Japanese highschool romance every now and then ~

The cast was so good!! A full list of young talents some of them are my favourites it was fun to watch them all together, some characters also were very funny, Raul's reactions and facial expressions were on point and very adorable, my cutie baby Raul is so grown up now still he is as cute and lovely as he ever was.

It's one of those very light, silly and totally crazy type of movies that you can watch after a heavy drama/movie to freshen up.

Just don't expect too much, just sit there and enjoy the ride.

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A person I want to be

At first, I didn’t like Hong Sang-soo’s movies because I didn’t understand them, but now I enjoy them—even though I still don’t quite understand them. His films seem as if he simply invents a character and tells the actors to improvise a conversation while the camera is rolling. Yet, each of his movies gives us a chance to pause and reflect on life, while giving us the sensation that we’re sitting and chatting with the characters.

In that sense, while watching this movie, I was immersed in the conversations and the theme. At times, it felt strange to watch people do unusual things, but it also felt authentic. They are people who are free to live in their own way while also supporting each other. A few beautiful scenes by the river serve as a frame in which the director and actors create their art. Especially interesting was the dynamic between students and teachers, as each seeks inspiration from the other: the teachers from the life they have lived, and the students from the life they wish to live.

I think I owe this movie my poem about THE PERSON I WANT TO BE, so here it is:

In the echoes of my memory
I see that person,
the person I want to be,
the person I lost.

Through the eyes of faith
I see who I should be,
or who I truly am,
or maybe just the reflection of my dreams.

In the weariness of daily life
I don't know what to hope for,
or if there is more of me,
a potential that could be achieved.

So my wish is simply
to live near the river,
to feel the water,
and remind myself that I am real.

P.S. Here are all the Hong Sang-soo movies I’ve seen so far: Right Now, Wrong Then / Ha Ha Ha / Woman on the Beach / Grass / Yourself and Yours / The Novelist's Film / Oki’s Movie / Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors / The Woman Who Ran / The Day He Arrives / A Traveler's Needs / In Another Country / Woman Is the Future of Man

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An Unraveling of Identity and Obsession on Stage and Off

What drew me into Method wasn’t the promise of a romantic slow burn. It was the casting. The film centers around Yongwoo, a member of a popular boy group, and Jaeha, a seasoned stage veteran with decades of gravitas under his belt. It’s a curious pairing at first glance. Youth and idol fame clashing with age and theatrical prestige. That tension alone was reason enough to watch. What I didn’t expect was to be pulled into a psychological drama that defies genre expectations and left me questioning where the character ended and the performance began.

One of the most immediate things that sets Method apart is its chemistry. It didn’t feel rushed, superficial, or shoehorned in for fanservice. It crafts an almost unsettling tension. Every glance, every line read in rehearsal feels loaded. At times tender, at others unnerving. The chemistry between Yongwoo and Jaeha is electric, but not in a romanticized way. It’s raw, uncomfortable, and, most crucially, earned.

The dynamic between the two characters is built on an intentional imbalance. Jaeha doesn’t take Yongwoo seriously.. and why should he? Yongwoo enters the world of theater as a detached idol with no passion for the play they're rehearsing. Jaeha is a man who has bled for his craft, and he sees Yongwoo as little more than a shallow pretty face. That perception begins to shift as Yongwoo becomes entranced. Not just by Jaeha as a person, but by Jaeha’s unwavering devotion to acting. The first screenplay read-through scene is burned into my memory.

It’s reductive to call Method just a BL. If anything, it weaponizes the genre’s conventions to lure viewers in, only to dismantle them scene by scene. This isn’t a love story. It’s a tragic character study about obsession, artistic dissolution, and the dangers of identity blurring between role and reality.

Jaeha doesn’t fall in love, he falls into his character. Walter consumes him. He withers under the weight of his own method acting, and in doing so, drags Yongwoo down with him. But Yongwoo’s downfall is more chaotic. He doesn’t become someone else; he loses himself in Jaeha. His affection metastasizes into fixation. It culminates in a harrowing moment where he breaks into Jaeha’s home and stands silently over him and his wife as they sleep. There's no romantic justification, no tragic poetry.. just a haunting display of emotional possession.

There’s no love here, only consumption. The kind that gnaws away at your sense of self until all that’s left is the performance.

What makes Method remarkable is its refusal to play to expectations. It’s not romantic, but it is intimate. It’s not erotic, but it simmers with tension. And above all, it’s an exploration of what happens when the line between who we are and who we pretend to be collapses entirely.

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Love was never there

The movie is psychologically phenomenal.
It is horror — but not in the way you might expect.
The most horrifying part isn’t gore or violence — it’s the realism of the characters.

Wine is a deeply lonely character.
He clings to anyone who fills that void.
If someone says they love him, he simply mirrors it — not because he truly loves them, but because he doesn’t know how to.
Love, to him, is whatever makes the loneliness stop — even briefly.

The men around him ,Tee and Boy are no better.
They take advantage of Wine’s need for affection.
And Wine lets them, because even if it's hollow, they still say they love him.
Nobody sees him as a person.
Only a body, a vessel for their desires.

Even Night — the quietest of them all — isn't a perfect contrast.
He’s passive. Emotionally distant.
His mere existence in Wine’s space is enough for Wine to cling to him too.
It’s not about connection — it’s about survival.

The story is devastating in a right way.
And the ending broke me.

The final scene — with Wine clinging to the guitar in jail — says everything about who he is.
Still waiting. Still holding on.
Still believing someone might come back for him if he just stays there long enough.

Sorry for spoiling but movie is damn good, not enough people appreciate it.

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