Reviews

A recipe for pasta is simple at first glance, but it all depends on the seasoning, the addition of sauces, the quality of the ingredients to make the dish delicious. Some recipes bring back fond memories, others are forgotten as quickly as they were consumed.

Through the evocation of their common past or the glimpse of their current life, we feel that they have managed to preserve their good moments. I also felt the unsaid things, the affection that shines through, the care for each other and I think that maybe there is a possibility for them. Maybe the recipe at the time wasn't elaborate enough, or maybe it wasn't just right for the 20-year-olds they were.

Note: there is no predefined recipe for making a relationship work, each person finds the right fit in their own way to make it work.

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Simple, Gorgeous, Real, and Inspiring

Simple and gorgeous, while simultaneously showing several issues facing same-sex couples. In it, we meet a strong-willed bibliophile who just wants to be treated fairly, and her partner who is still struggling with being closeted and internalized homophobia in the face of prejudice and micro-aggressions. My heart hurt for her when she said that she wasn't allowed to be upset because "lesbians shouldn't walk in the sun."

I love how our two female leads balance each other out, providing each other unbridled joy and courage as they move forward in life. To the point where they truly are able to shake things off, not because they're scared to be upset, but because they have each other's backs.

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This is a fairly good movie. I liked the beginning the most. The first 50 minutes of the film really keep you on the edge of your seat and the entiity is really scary. The jump scares were good and we get the traditional contortionist movements from the ghost/killer that Japanese horror movies are known for. I thought the last 30 minutes were not that great but overall the ending madeup for it.

The cast is excellent. I genuinely liked all the actors and the characters they portrayed. I liked the developing friendships of the characters too. The friendship aspect of the movie takes this a notch above the traditional teen horror movie tropes. I also liked loneliness as a theme here. .

All in all I recommend watching at least once. That end credit scene is quite interesting; I may have to rewatch in a few months too see if I notice anything differently.

3/5/23

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strange but calm

The movie didn't leave a huge impact on me nor is it very memorable. I don't recall the small details even right after watching nor do I feel like there was ever a climactic moment of the journey (if there is one). The events that take place within the plot are incredibly subtle, even up till the last few moments. There doesn't seem to be an end resolve either, it just IS. This review probably doesn't make sense however, the film itself has it's own color and it's own vibe that is consistent throughout. I think that's one of it's strengths that kept me watching. Although it's incredibly slow and anticlimactic, there's something about the calmness that draws me in.

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The drunk, the cat, and the hammer

Near the end of Chia Ling's movie career, she starred in No One Can Touch Her. For a 1970's kung fu flick, she gave a nuanced performance as a grieving and vengeful daughter suffering from blindness after a brutal attack. Never giving up, she began practicing drunken kung fu and even kitty kung fu.

Chin Lin's father was murdered in front of her by a curious menagerie of bandits. She was blinded and became known as Brother Blind. Drinking copious amounts of mostly stolen alcohol, she and her only friend, a young boy with a sling shot, roam around as she continues to practice her kung fu. Along the way she is reunited with the man who had wanted to marry her and still does and becomes friends with a woman named Wong Mei Gwan (Sun Chia Lin). Also in town is a buffoon of a police inspector and a large man who does manual labor known as Brother Mallett. The Inspector takes an interest in Brother Mallett and soon the big guy is unknowingly practicing the Hammer Hand. The 14 bandits and 2 giants break up a wedding and the fighting and betrayals go to a new level.

The fights were plentiful in this movie, especially the last third of the film. These were fairly typical 70's strike, block, and lock fights. The final fights were more creative using a variety of weapons, even an opium pipe and a cat. Chia Ling did a good job with the drunken fist style and cat style (house, not tiger), so drunken cat style? She appeared to be the most athletic of the lot with Chin Kang, also one of the choreographers, right along with her. Her fight using two swords against a nameless bandit was the most fluid of all the fights. Chin Kang tended to play a lot of baddies so it was pleasing to see him in a more heroic role. With 13 or 14 bandits and 2 giants, there were a lot of opportunities for fights and not a lot of opportunity for character development. Despite her limited screen time due to the large cast, Chia Ling gave a rather complex performance for a 1970's kung fu movie. Director/Writer Ting Shan Hsi also wrote the script for one of my favorite old female led kung fu movies, Come Drink with Me and you can see his writing style shining through here.


Even with the solemn theme, there was plenty of levity, often focusing on Inspector Buffoon and Brother Mallett. Turns out the goofy inspector wasn't wrong about being smart and a kung fu genius. There's a nice little twist at the end even though most people will see it coming. NOCTH wasn't great cinema but it kept my attention and gave me a few laughs and fun fights to watch, I don't ask for much else from martial arts films from this era. I would only recommend for old kung fu movie buffs and Chia Ling fans. As always, I rate these niche, low budget movies on a curve.

3/5/23

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Short film or Intro looking for a drama?

This really, really short film is just like a really good intro that to any C-drama, the type that spoils the plot so you should probably skip it to watch the 50 episode drama instead... With pretty fluffy cinematography, music and flowers...

But since it is a GL, chances are this is all we get, a teaser of romance between a tea picking girl and a wounded master... longing, and less exchange of words than I can count on my fingers.

What we got was however sweet, decently performed and did incorporate quite a lot for having so little time and words. Above all it will only take 5 minutes of your time to watch it, so if you have read all these words in this review you might as well go watch it... so off with you, go watch and enjoy ;)

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hot gimmick? more like hot mess.

note- contains incest and toxic relationships. It is very choppy when it comes to both storyline and cinematography. Any character development just isn't explored. The soundtrack is laughable and I wonder how anyone can take this film seriously. The ending was dramatic but everything in between was confusing with many plot holes. My only praise goes to the actors (as they were actually quite good and managed to stay in character whilst filming some questionable scenes) and the person in charge of lighting ( the constant dark blue tint did add to the atmosphere of the setting).

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THIS FILM WAS TRAGIC

Upon reading other peoples reviews, I had to ponder whether they were all in the right headspace. This film was an absolutely horrific watch, in fact I shed literal tears. Many of these reviews skip over the horrifying events that occur within the film, for example, the main character kissing her Brother. Biologically related or not, this is still a form of incest and SHOULD NOT BE OVER LOOKED. Beyond this, the cinematography was choppy and confusing, with lots of fast swivels thayt made my head hurt. Plus, the forms of "love" shown within the film were mainly ridiculously toxic and harmful to show on TV when there were no consequences for this behaviour.
Furthermore, all of the characters were INSUFFERABLE in which they made horrible decisions while acting as though they had a moral high ground.

Overall, for your own sanity DO NOT WATCH THIS unless you plan to watch with your friends for a laugh as I did. Even then, the scene where she offered herself up to her "Brother" still caused genuine tears to leak from my eyes.

And for anyone who genuinely enjoyed this film, please seek therapy and/or help.

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A girls love dorama. But again, does it worth?

This was pretty much average. It started okay but soon turned out to be 'meh'.
There was no chemistry between the characters (except maybe between the pair of friends: the main heroine and the short-haired girl. Sorry, I am writing this review right after watching this dorama but I don´t even remember their names anymore).

The tomboy-like senior was lifeless (was I watching a human or a doll?). I understand they chose her because of the Romeo role she would take, but her character kinda of spoiled the whole experience, which is a shame cause otherwise this dorama had potential for a bit more.

As for the ending, it was not happy nor sad; maybe bittersweet? But in general I would say the ending was kinda of okay-ish - you know when you finished watching something and then "oh, is that it? Well, okay". It was in general an "empty" dorama? If I can put it like that.

The scenes I could say I enjoyed most were those of the girl taking the role of the director. We don´t know what was on her mind (although we could have an overall idea), so those scenes were bringing a bit of suspense/tension to the dorama.

I don´t think this dorama is 'The Realistic Dorama'. In my opinion it´s nothing special. The "Romeo and Juliet" idea is not new, and it´s used here and then as an excuse for girls love / shoujo-ai. I believe the charm of this dorama is the setting, which is in (middle/high)school.

CONCLUSION: If you are just looking for a simple girls love / shoujo-ai to enjoy without having to think much and don´t minding the lack of story/plot, then this might please you. Otherwise this dorama is 'skippable'.

PS.: I might sound a bit harsh/crude here, but this is just a straightforward way of conveying my opinion without beating around the bush xD
PS2.: Please, consider just the overall score. Although story and music weren´t memorable at all, so instead of choosing a low random score, I decided to choose 1.

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How to integrate into the 'solar system' of life when we are all on our own planet ? ...

A very poignant movie ... it starts off with humour but quickly takes a deep dive into the sad and often desperate lives of the lost, lonely, struggling and abused. These life experiences can leave us feeling like we are alone on our own planet in some dark and obscure part of the universe. One of the characters ... a client of Chihiro ... said we are all on another planet ... separate from each other. And yet ... does it always have to be that way? I think this movie both agrees and challenges that notion.

Chihiro seems to be a magnet to members of the community that have been marginalised by their struggles etc ... people who are alone on their own 'planet'. Chihiro, a 'marginalised' person herself, brings these people together with her unique sense of playfulness, honesty, kindness and non-judgemental acceptance of people just the way they are ... even though she herself seems to feel an emptiness, that she is 'not from this planet' and separate from 'her kind of people'. It really is a skill to break down the 'interplanatary' barriers, but she does it. I wonder if kindness and understanding and acceptance have a lot to do with that ... it is worth thinking about.

Having connected this disparate group of people with each other, they find their grounding and moments of joy ... and from that place, reach out to embrace and strengthen others. It really is a wonderful catalytical reaction on a human scale, with Chihiro as the catalyst ... and just like a 'catalyst', she herself seems 'unmoved' by the process that has brought them together and uplifted everyone up from the darkness. Chihiro then moves on and disappears out of their lives into another set of lives ... a bit like a cool refreshing breeze ... here one moment and gone the next ...

The last scene of Chihiro gazing off in the distances is moving ... it seems that Chihiro was affected by the process afterall, their seemed to be a 'spark' of life in her gaze ... a thread of connection forming with the world around her ... the gap of separation slowly narrowing. If you are feeling like you are on another planet ... this might be a nice movie to watch ... "you're wonderful just as you are regardless of what planet you come from" ... and at some point ... you, yourself may come to realise and feel that to your core.

I really liked the cinematography ... all those outdoor shots were just beautiful ... the sunshine, the abandoned places ... all really added to the vibe of the story. I enjoyed the actors too ... Arimura Kasumi did a marvellous job bringing out that those difficult human emotions ... Shimada Tetta was so believable as a 'latch key' kid.

The movie was well done, heavy going sometimes, but deeply moving.

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Reinventing yourself

This was a sweet movie about getting up again after you fall (or when someone trips you). The FL has had some career difficulties and changed careers from singer to radio show host. When the radio show begins to have difficulties, you think that the poor girl is living under a black cloud. I really liked her personality, even with everything she'd been through, she maintained an open and positive attitude. People around her liked her and were rooting for her.

A new producer comes on board and challenges her, and she remains her spunky self. Sparks fly, but I would not call this movie a romance. That's not the focus. This is more a movie about staying true to yourself, having support of good friends and family, rising beyond your troubles, and going after your dreams.

There are some very touching stories of people that come on the radio to share thoughts with the ones they love. I cried more than once, I'll have to admit.

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Who Am I?

Sakra is an overly ambitious attempt to adapt Qiao Feng's arc from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龙八部), my favorite Jin Yong novel. This is a tall task and inevitably has resulted in an overly condensed adaptation that misses the spirit of the original works. It is carried by the fact that it is such a beloved story that most viewers can fill in the gaps.

Qiao Feng, the magnetic chief of the Beggar Sect is accused of dastardly crimes and outed as being of Khitan descent at a time of conflict between Song and Liao (Khitan). He is evicted from his sect and the entire wulin (martial world) turns against him. As he seeks to clear his name, he encounters Ahzu, a minion in the powerful Murong household. He risks his life to save hers and discovers that like himself, she is also on a Who Am I? quest to figure out her origins. The narrative takes on too much between the rushed and unconvincing romance, solving murders and disentangling both their back stories. The ending is confusing with hurried character introductions to pave the way for a sequel that deals with the mastermind reveal and final arcs of Qiao Feng's story. This hurried rendition makes Qiao Feng little more than a one dimensional, lean mean fighting machine. It is a pity because Qiao Feng is Jin Yong's most powerful, complex and misunderstood male character.

Qiao Feng is the ultimate master of Jin Yong's epic 18 Dragons Subduing Palm martial arts technique, which employs inner energy and is used in most of Qiao Feng's fight scenes. The action scenes are almost ridiculously bombastic - Qiao Feng pulverising an entire horde of martial arts with his amazing energy blasts; gravity defying roof leaping and up close and lethal hand-to-hand combat or swordplay. Qiao Feng's showdown with the entire wulin is the most thrilling action sequence but it comes a bit too early in the movie. It is both incredulous and stupendous to see one man take on so many. I truly feared for Qiao Feng's life but what was more terrifying was the hypocrisy and cowardice of wulin. They basically cancelled a brother-in-arms who stared down death alongside them multiple times and ganged-up on him to try to kill him! I didn't enjoy the final fight scene as much - while splendidly choreographed and thrilling, it veered too far into the territory of wildly exaggerated almost superpower like flying leaps and from a distance qi energy strikes.

I watched the Cantonese dubbed version because to me, Qiao Feng will always be Kiu Fung and Jin Yong's famous lines always sound so diminished and lacking in vehemence and intensity in Mandarin. I think this is a great watch for the action scenes alone. I rate it 7/10.

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Great gaming movie with a sweet love story

This is such an enjoyable movie. The storyline is interesting and romantic.
Character wise:
Both ML (Crown Prince) and 2ML (Prince NIng) are fierce and cunning characters. FL (Crown Princes) is a modern woman who accidentally logs into the VR game “Metaverse Romance” as another player.
Unable to logout she must find her own way to survive until the bug is fixed - setting in motion a string of events and unlocking a hidden mission.
Acting wise this is great, I have seen most of the main cast in other productions and they are rather skilled.
So, if you love a game-themed movie with both excitement and romance, this is definitely well worth watching.

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Fujio and Crew Never Disappoint

LIKES:
CAST: as always our favourite characters are back in action! I loved the new additions.
PLOT: yes this is more of an action and street fighter movie, but the theme of never giving up and friendship, is always prevalent in this series.
PRODUCTION: Some shaky camera moments and some fighting choreography was off, but still well done.
OST: fit the situations and was better than most.
FX: Their fight wounds looked realistic and didn't disappear the next day, like in some dramas and movies.

DISLIKE:
WRITING: the bad guy, wasn't as dark and dangerous as he should've been made. Also a lot of this movie had undertones or even concept taken from Crows Zero (1 & 2). The biggest parallel being Fujio and Crows Zero's Genji.
EDITING: the flashback Fujio has of Murayama, they used a clip that showed lines in it like it came off an old reel movie camera, instead of using the original clip. Also some parts were a bit choppy, like scenes were cut out, that might have originally been in it.
ACTING: some of it wasn't the greatest, but they have improved a lot.

OVERALL:
I loved this and how it was tied to High & Low The Worst. I will be watching this a few times. I like this genre of high school fighting. This goes very well with the whole High & Low Franchise. I do recommend it for everyone (eye candy is everywhere and a guy for any taste). I hope they make more movies or series like this one.

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Warning: Convoluted plot may cause dizziness

Gordon Liu stars in The Drunken Monk (the more common title), which is a misleading title. He's not a monk and rarely practices the drunken fist. If that's confusing, it's okay, because much about this movie is confusing. Perhaps it should have been called Drunken Writer for the dizzying way the story is told.

The story is not told in chronological order so here is the gist of it. Lau Chung was saved from drowning when a gang that had killed his parents threw him into a lake. During his beggar times he discovers a drunk hermit who practices drunken fist kung fu. The hermit teaches Lau the Five Shaolin Animal Styles and Drunken Fist. No one trains like Gordon Liu and Lau uses everything he does to enhance his kung fu. When he's trained and ready for revenge, he kidnaps Ying Ying, the Big Bad's daughter, to draw out his enemy. Things do not go according to plan with Ying Ying or her father. As these things happen, Ying Ying and Lau fall in love with each other and leave her torn between her lover and her duty to her father. A one-handed fighter is also wanting vengeance on Eagle Han's Big Bad Wong Kin Chung in retribution for the loss of his right hand but as much as they might focus on this guy, this is Lau's revenge story.

The story goes back and forth, motivations change, terrible editing makes it hard to follow at times, basically, the story may make you feel like you've been on a bender if you try to make too much sense out of it. The ending may have you going, "what?!" At least it did for me. Usually I'm a fan of Gordon Liu's fighting and he's as fast as ever with this one demonstrating a number of kung fu styles. One scene done in slow-mo was fascinating not in the way they might have intended, as Gordon goes to kick the extra, the extra can be seen jumping backwards before the kick is supposed to land. While his drunken master was more convincing doing drunken kung fu, maybe because he was supposed to always be drunk, Gordon's drunken style wasn't as…drunken. There were moments in his fight with Eagle Han where it almost seemed as if they were kung fu dance posing. I kept waiting for them to cue some disco music. Gordon had some good fights and there's no denying he's fast, these fights just didn't seem to measure up to his usual standard.

The film was shot in Korea with a number of Korean actors and extras. It was interesting seeing the different faces rather than the usual Hong Kong and Taiwanese crews. And the scenery in South Korea was also beautiful. It's a film worth seeking out if you are a Gordon Liu fan, enjoy his training montages, or simply like old martial arts movies, but be forewarned it should come with a label that watching it could make you feel tipsy.

3/4/23

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