Reviews

A perfect end to end off the series

After watching the series, moving directly into a movie was the right call. In the beginning the movie felt like just a tv movie. But as soon as they started adding in elements of the investigation and more background to the main reformed criminal, it felt more like a theatrical movie. That was the distinguishing reason why you could call this a movie rather then an extended special. This distinction is important now due to so many shows going to movie endings. There was just enough extra in this that the movie felt warranted as this was a extra complicated case meant to be taken in one go.

The story was a perfect way to end this series. After the first 3 people she helped all dealt with different aspects of criminal history, this movie dealt with the most appropriate unexplored side yet. This movie dealt with the failings of the institutions meant to help those in need: The police, the orphanages, the care workers and the lawyers. Which in contrast to the series was a very smart way to go. Zenkamono came full circle showing all the things capable of creating and sustaining the cycle of victim hood. Covering the failures of the people meant to help those in need was a strong subject that needed to be addressed in a story like this and in glad that they didn't just end up going with another story created by personal issues. As mentioned earlier this is the reason why they needed the extra time to properly represent the many ways in which things can fail.

Kasumi plays her part very strongly in this movie. After a point you can feel that she strongly recognizes what resonates with Kayo and her motivations. The movie finally fully explains what happened to drive Kayo to be a probation officer and how it affected her growing up. In the aftermath we also learn that she became estranged from her former love interest Shinji who has become a police officer due to the same incident she experienced. The contrast between these two greatly affected how they see criminals and rehabilitation. This differing of opinion is very much a reality in this world unfortunately. How others perceive criminals after they have returned to society are at odds with common morality. It's a devastating topic to be explored.

The movie does not shy away from showing scenes of child abuse and crooked cops. These were important in the discussion of how the world can be so cruel and unjust. This allowed for the story to show both sides of the morality. Nothing is ever black and white. The same could be said about our major criminal pair. They had reasonable vengeance expectations but as the movie reiterates, all this does is create more victims in a never ending cycle. The acting for the main brothers was sorta uneven however. They felt the least compelling out of all the characters. The youngest brother was a little too overly dramatic, creating a cartoonish like quality to his character. The main brother also was fairly mute with little body language I found, so it was hard to gauge his acting capability. He did deliver on his final scene however. This didn't overall affect how they were portrayed as abused humans. I just thought they needed a little balance.

Midori makes a return and finishes up her arc with Kayo in a beautiful way. I thought it was sweet that Midori is there to witness Kayo repent for her own crime of stealing a library book in the end. Showing Midori that Kayo isn't some perfect person either. That's just something that stuck with me.

Great overall movie where you don't need to watch the series necessarily but it definitely be more impactful understanding Midori's scenes.

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We make ourselves monstrosities, lest others look down on us

An hilarious horror comedy, satire.
In Dead Talents Society,, the afterlife, is a metaphor for Acting and Celebrity culture....right down to the use of the term Ghostress - as obsolete and out of date as the term Actress.

The premise: Your existence, after death, requires acknowledgement in life. The worst thing that can happen in this world is that you're no longer acknowledged so you literally disappear.

Your family's maintenance of your acknowledgements is one way, to continue existing. VERY VISIBLE haunting is another. Your cause of death is important. Ideally you want a "golden spoon death," for haunting power - "Suicide Due To Unrequited Love," being the absolute BEST! The catch is, in order to be visible to the living, you have to have a Haunting Licence (a metaphorical actors union card). To get one you have to pass an audition and pay the fees.

Taking the metaphor further, the more your haunting is 'viewed', the more viral it goes, the more you earn....to cover the costs of you licence. And your haunting is judged and categorised, and in the running for The Golden Haunt awards! 10/10 for the puntastic humour!

This is worth a view for its silliness, but with just enough pathos to make it endearing. It is NOT scary at any point, so horror avoiders can definitely watch.. it's a good example of how the music/sound sets the tone, as without it, it's all very much OTT make-up and back bends.

For a bit of silly self-torture, watch through the end credits for Makoto's song.

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Very forgettable.

Car salesman Chang-soo unwittingly becomes the test subject of a mysterious perfume that magically (complete with low-budget special effects) causes women to fall in love with him.

I'm here for Seol In-ah (Twinkling Watermelon, Business Proposal). She plays as Jo Ah-ra, the so called "Bus Goddess" by Chang-soo. Unfortunately, Seol In-ah could not save this movie, neither could the male lead.

Just zero chemistry sums of this show. Very superficial. Just not enough meaningful time dedicated to the romance, whether it's built on lies or not. Not very romantic or comedic when it's trying so hard to be. Watch something else.

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Meh

The Fists, the Kicks, and the Evils starred Bruce Leung in a Jackie Chan style film about a fighter whose fists were bigger than his brain. And probably smarter.

A gang of martial artists is terrorizing a town by demanding extortion money and shutting down martial arts schools by killing the masters. Ah Lang is a hot head who just wants to fight never thinking of the consequences. Because of his hubris three people dear to him are murdered. He asks a local farmer to teach him better techniques so that he can have his revenge.

Bruce Leung played the young fighter who acted and spoke before he thought. I find this type of character highly annoying and never did warm up to Ah Lang. When the lead character’s gross incompetence led to the deaths of those around him and then he self-righteously sought to avenge them, the first person to have been punished should have been him. Two of the villains played by Chan Lau and Lam Hak Ming were overexaggerated caricatures. Bolo played a third villain wearing a matching hairstyle with the Big Bad, Phillip Ko Fei. Chiang Cheng played Ah Lang’s third martial arts teacher and the only one to survive. There was the requisite training montage after the baddies handed Ah Lang his butt. The fights were all of the rhythmic dance kung fu style but faster than most from this time period. The final fight between Leung and Ko was the best. The imagery and dialogue centered on Ah Lang’s Crane style.

The only version I could find was badly cropped and dubbed. I could have used English subtitles for the English dubbing. Between the degraded sound issues and one dubber’s weird New York gangster accent I had trouble understanding them.

The Fists, the Kicks, and the Evils was more the Incompetent, the Boring, and the Needs to Keep His Trap Shut so that his friends and family wouldn’t have died. Not horrible, but not worth recommending either. Graded on a curve as always.

27 March 2025

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Surpreendente

Eu simplesmente não consigo acreditar no quanto adorei esse filme.

A Conviction of Marriage é um thriller psicológico fascinante sobre uma serial killer no corredor da morte que começa a receber visitas regulares de um homem determinado a se casar com ela.

A trama é repleta de reviravoltas e entrega um plot twist muito bom, mas o que realmente me impressionou foi a profundidade emocional da história.

Em apenas duas horas, o roteiro consegue desenvolver absurdamente bem tanto a protagonista quanto o homem interessado por ela, sem jamais parecer apressado ou raso. O drama tem substância, e a construção dos personagens é tão envolvente que, mesmo achando a protagonista insana à primeira vista, você se pega emocionalmente apegado a ela.

A cinematografia é um espetáculo à parte. A atmosfera do filme é tão intensa que te suga completamente para dentro desse thriller psicológico — você sente cada cena como se estivesse lá.

E o que dizer da atuação dos protagonistas? Simplesmente impecável. Eles entregam performances tão naturais e viscerais que você até esquece que está assistindo a um filme. Ela encarna perfeitamente a loucura e instabilidade da personagem, enquanto ele transmite um fascínio inquietante por ela.

Outro ponto alto é a forma como o filme usa flashbacks. Diferente de muitos thrillers, que às vezes abusam desse recurso de forma cansativa, aqui eles são bem explorados e inteligentemente encaixados. Cada cena te faz interpretar a história de uma maneira, só para, logo em seguida, vir outra cena que muda completamente sua percepção. É esse jogo psicológico que mantém o filme tão intrigante.

E mesmo com duas horas de duração, a sensação que fica é de que você acabou de sair de uma maratona de série, não por ser cansativo ou arrastado, mas porque há tantas camadas e tanta complexidade que o impacto é profundo.

Ah, e ainda tem uma cena pós-créditos que muda completamente a forma como enxergamos algumas partes da trama. Um detalhe que só reforça o quão bem amarrado o roteiro é.

Não espere um thriller recheado de violência gráfica. Aqui, o terror está na mente dos personagens. Mas se você gosta de um bom suspense psicológico com doses de romance e drama, A Conviction of Marriage é um filme que vale muito a pena.

Recomendo demais!

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PROMISE (BLOOD PLEDGE) IS BROKEN n SO R U READY FOR SOME HAUNTING ? Haha

Finally a Movie in this Franchise, where the Ghost's Death is due to Friendship. whereas in the other movies, Love is the reason behind the deaths!🤷🏻‍♀️

Movie Run Time is less, compared to other movies in this franchise n so PACING is RIGHT and GOOD here, without any content fillers, else would have been boring just like the first 3 movies .

Not a Psychological Horror, it's the Usual Horror Trope but with a lot of JUMP SCARES, horror lovers will love those .
n a lot of Girl LOUD SCREAMS 😂

****
Cinematography is different, the team had tried different lighting for different scenes, which is Good .

But the Haunting Ghost scenes are completely black, almost invisible. Maybe they wanted to create a horror effect with the ghost in complete darkness n then give a jump scare to the viewer, unfortunately almost nothing is visible in those scenes.
I came to know that there is a ghost in such scenes, only when I hear a girl screaming loudly 😂
(On top of this, the print that I watched is of poor quality )

****
Direction is Good.
Linear Narration, so there is no confusion in the story or in the Editing (unlike the first 3 movies, where u'll go crazy confused or irritated with the Narration n editing )

**** STORY:
Plot is Good n Interesting .

4 High School Girls took a Blood Pledge to die one night but only one dies n so the Ghost takes Revenge on the other two n haunts the third one, who is her bestie.

First 1 hour of the movie, it's all about the Blame Game - blaming each other for the death of the gal.

The next 30 mins is when the true events that happened, unfold and the other gals' reasons for the pledge and their stories are shown.

This transition from the Blame Game to unfolding the actual reasons for the death of the gal n the other gals' stories, is VERY SMOOTH.
Well Written .

Ghost to the three Girls: Our Promise (Blood pledge) is Broken n so be ready to my Haunting! 🤭

Lesson learnt:
If U can't Fulfill Something, Don't PROMISE Anything!
And if U Promise Something, Don't Break it at any cost !!

**** JUST SOME THOUGHTS:
1) Ghost killings in a religious place / Church, huh ? 🤔
It's a Catholic School setting here.
And one gal is killed by the ghost in church, in the end.
How can a ghost enter a religious place? (like shown in other horror movies, in general)

2) Out of 4 girls who made the blood pledge in the beginning, 3 had very strong personal reasons to commit suicide but the gal (main lead) who turned into a ghost, doesn't have any strong motive or reason 🤷🏻‍♀️

So in the end, her death (ghost's) has no meaning, no strong reason, apart from doing so for a friend!? :o :/
Just like that!? :o

I say, She maybe a True n a Great Friend but still, a Move Without Any Thought! :(
Or Should we rule this thought out as a Silly teenagers' mindset ?

She should have convinced her friend not to think of suicide, instead of she sacrificing herself for friend without any strong reason other than doing so for friendship n just to be with her close buddy even in death

Again here we are dealing with teenagers' story, shouldn't expect much from the plot and the writers, I guess .

But for another gal character (who is bothered about ranks and master key of school), she is ready to fake her death, manipulate another friend into suicide and murder another friend, even though being a teenager 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyways, a GOOD HORROR WATCH !

****
My Rating is 7.5 / 10

In this Franchise, Liked the First movie (my rating is 6.5) n this one Equally.

But gave an extra 1 rating here, just bcz of the Right Pacing here
n 1 rating less there, for wasted time n content filler there.

Story-wise, both are equally good and liked.

****
Check out my Reviews for other movies in this Franchise :)

Till now, in this franchise, Liked movies in the order:
4 > 5 = 1 > 3 > 2

My Rating for first 5 movies in this Franchise, out of 10:
6.5, 5.5, 6, 8, 7.5

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Super cute and fun movie to watch! *manga version has more in-depth details to their story!

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, it looked like a fun and typical romance J-movie I would enjoy watching. I recognized the main actor but hadn’t seen the main actress in anything so I looked forward to their collaboration. I watched the movie back in like Sept/Oct 2024 and just rewatched it recently. I have seen and read the comments about the actress’s cringey acting but I think it just adds more personality to her character especially since she fantasizes a lot lol. I also think it brought an “anime” feel to her character of being dramatic and exaggerative.

Anyways, this movie was very enjoyable and fulfilled my love for J-drama/movies. The second time round of watching it, I decided to read the manga version (not finished reading yet) and I definitely recommend reading that version because it has so much more in-depth cute and fun details about their relationship. Also, Ellie is more perverted in the manga lol. Like her tweets are so perverted and hilarious! One example- “The two of us at a lingerie shop <3 I asked him to pick one out, and he said, ‘If you ask me, I’ll choose one that’s easier to take off than to wear. Are you sure about that?’ <3 Let’s go for a G-string, then!”

For the most part, the movie version was 80% identical to the manga version based on what they showed. For example, in the manga-Omi regularly reads Ellie’s fantasizing tweets about him, Sara knows about Ellie’s twitter (Ellie told her about it), and the deep past between Omi and Aoba is revealed.

In another person’s review, they mentioned how they thought a drama production would’ve been better and I definitely agree! A drama would allow them to show more details about their relationship and display more things from the manga that the movie didn’t include!
This movie is a fun and cute watch especially if you enjoy the typical J-movies!

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Anything you can do, I can do better!

Heroes of the East aka Shaolin Challenges Ninja was a lighthearted Shaw Brothers production directed by Lau Kar Leung and starred Gordon Liu. The movie started out as a battle of the sexes over whose martial arts was better between a newly married couple and graduated to an understanding and respect for the different styles and weapons of martial arts in China and Japan.

Ho To resented his father for forcing an arranged marriage on him. His wealthy father who often worked in Japan arranged the marriage with a Japanese business partner. Once Ho saw how beautiful Kung Zi had become, he had a rapid change of heart. The way of love was not smooth as Kung Zi was dedicated to her martial arts practice and looked down on kung fu. Ho To believed karate was inferior to kung fu. The garden and furnishings took a beaten when the two quarreled with the servant Shou often literally stuck in the middle. When Kung Zi angrily returned to Japan, Ho To issued her a challenge. If she could beat him in any form of martial arts, he would admit he was wrong. Kung Zi’s life long friend, Takeno, saw the challenge and took it as an affront. His sensei gathered different masters and off to China they went in order to take up Ho To’s challenge!

Lau Kar Leung is one of, if not my favorite, martial arts director from this time period. His love for martial arts shown through in this film. Instead of stereotyping the Japanese as evil and painting the screen in blood, he respectfully showcased different skills from both countries. No one died, and there was only one tiny trickle of blood. The fights were quick, complex, and thoroughly entertaining whether using fists and kicks, swords, spears, or nunchaku. Lau also acted in the film as Beggar So, demonstrating the drunken style, magnificently I might add, to the young martial arts students.

Gordon Liu was his usual competent, fast self, even while wearing a horrible wig that must have been glued to his head. Kurata Yasuaki played the Japanese ninja who was in love with Ho’s wife. Due to their real life skills, he and Gordon were able to fight believably with Crane vs Crab techniques. The purple smoke and disguises weren’t really needed but were fun. I was happy to see Japanese actors and fighters cast instead of Chinese actors playing the Japanese roles. The only reason I wasn’t able to rate this an 8.0 was due to the character of Kung Zi. She was ridiculously destructive and entitled in the first hour of the film. She became more sympathetic in the second half and then pulled a ninja move by disappearing.

Despite proclaiming respect for each other’s skills, the film was a Chinese film so kung fu was shown as more elegant and effective. Ho was also accomplished with numerous weapons and different fight styles while the Japanese were relegated to only one form each. The Japanese also bent the rules to give themselves advantages. Nearly half of the film focused on fighting whether between husband and wife or Ho and the Japanese masters. Each of the fights was unique instead of regurgitating the same moves over and over as some films do. Gordon and Kurata in the same film with Lau’s choreography made this a must see film for me. I wish they’d done a better job writing for Mizuno Yuka in her Taming of the Shrew role, but she sold her fight scenes well. The movie has been restored and looked beautiful. For fans of the genre, it’s one to check out.

26 March 2025

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This movie broke me.

I don't know where to start this.

I love non-linear stories; the jumps in time that the plot does are what make this movie very engaging for me. Another thing I liked was the friendship between Makoto and Kida. Their friendship felt very realistic, and I will praise Kida's character a lot. He was a real friend, he stood by Makoto's side no matter what (not even when Makoto was talking about proposing to Yocchi, the woman Kida was in love with), and not even after Makoto disappeared from his life, he gave up on him; Kida entered a shady buisseness, with no possibility of getting out, just to be able to find his friend. His character was very selfless, many of the things he did were to help Makoto, and even his boss (I forgot his name) quickly caught that he barely did things for himself.

That scene of Kida watching the explosion from the window, with a heartbroken expression, destroyed me completely. I ugly cried the first time I watched this. Very recommended.

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The seduction scene between two very masculine men is one of the best in world queer cinema

Some love stories are written with poetry, and others are etched in pain. 'Bangkok Love Story' is not the typical romance that BL lover’s dream of... it's raw, confusing, and drenched in sadness and tragedy. Love isn't easy here. It's dangerous, fleeting, and the world refuses to let it exist in peace.
Set in the harshness of Bangkok's slums and the central area, which is full of neon lights and luxurious mansions, the film is violent, passionate, and deeply tragic.
The story follows Maek (Rattanaballang Tohssawat), a hitman, whose tragic past, a blind mother, and an HIV-positive brother named Mhok (Weeradit Srimalai), both homeless, led him to a life of murder. But he's a hired gun with a conscience: he'll only take the lives of people who lack innocence.
His latest assignment is to assassinate Ith (Chaiwat Thongsaeng), a young police informant who knows too much. But when Maek discovers that the man he's meant to kill is innocent and the man who wants him dead turns out to be a criminal, he refuses to do it: executing him goes against his complicated code of honor. After fleeing from his boss and being wounded while protecting Ith, the two men go into hiding together for a time, fearing death by those pursuing them. In a show of gratitude, Ith takes care of Maek during his convalescence.
The scenes in this part of the film are brimming with homoeroticism, as the two fugitives, usually naked to the waist (and very close to each other), constantly gaze at each other when the other isn't looking.
Masterfully executed in this first hour of the Thai gay romantic crime action drama, written, directed, and produced in 2007 by Poj Arnon, the viewer will enjoy a growing sexual tension that finally explodes when Iht rubs Maek's back while bathing the wounded man, unable to use his own hands. They gaze at each other, kiss, and suddenly find themselves engaged in a passionate sexual experience.
In these moments, Arnon expresses through images his power to explore the human heart in the face of danger, the discovery of sexuality, and extraordinary circumstances.
The photography of the seduction scene between these two very masculine men is among the best in global queer cinema of all time. Set on the rooftop of a nearly ruined building with the Bangkok skyline as a backdrop, it is passionate and sensual, with lush, romantic piano music.
But when it's all over, a confused Maek freaks out, demands that Iht leave and leave him alone, and pours water over himself to cleanse himself of what happened. Heartbroken, Iht returns to Sai (Chatcha Rujinanon), his fiancée, but is no longer interested in continuing the relationship with her.
The provocative story of a police informant and a murderer who fall in love then disintegrates before my eyes. The reason for this is that director Arnon falls into the worst clichés of a low-budget Hollywood tearjerker, with endless scenes of an elusive man struggling to accept his feelings for another man, who, while secretly yearning for revenge, hides from his beloved, but leaves signs that he is there to lure the other man back. And to top it all off, the magic of the piano music is transformed into pure, banal, repetitive artifice.
Still, 'Bangkok Love Story' should be praised: in addition to being a milestone for its portrayal of gay men on the Thai screen, something unusual for the time, since previous representations consisted mostly of stereotypical transvestites (or kathoey in their native language), the director continued a cinema that tackled taboo subjects in that Southeast Asian country at the beginning of the 20th century, just as he did with his previous films 'Go-Six' (2000), which portrayed a love triangle between a man and two women (one of them sexually ambiguous), and 'Cheerleader Queens' (2003), which featured transvestite teenagers who aspire to be cheerleaders. Also noteworthy is the almost poetic cinematography and the beautiful full-color photography, which makes excellent use of the locations, the panoramic views of the buildings, and the cityscapes of the Thai capital to tell us this story that begins as an act of mercy and becomes a story of forbidden love, caught between survival and desire.
Moreover, the film is steeped in Thai culture, making it a very exotic cinematic experience. If you doubt it, ask yourself: how many movies have you seen where there is a shootout in a Buddha statue warehouse?
In addition to its well-crafted erotic scenes, the film explores the raw, uncontrived reality of the situation faced by thousands of homeless people and AIDS sufferers in Thailand. It also addresses cruel situations, such as the abuse and rape of a child, and how this event changes the victim's destiny.
Chaiwat Thongsaeng and Rattanaballang Tohssawat do a great job, portraying believable characters with explosive chemistry that sparks audience interest.
Maek is the best-designed character, with a past that serves as the basis not only for the kind of life he leads, but also for his enormous emotional burden, which prevents him from getting close to anyone.

YOU MAY LIKE TO KNOW

When developing the script, the director used names with specific meanings. Maek means Cloud; Iht means Stone; Mhok means Fog; and Sai means Sand.
The film had serious difficulties getting released. During the pre-production process in 2006, the Royal Thai Police objected to the original script, as Iht's character was a police officer who eventually admitted his homosexuality and fell in love with a murderer.
As a result, the director was forced to rewrite the script to make Iht's character and the elements establishing his connection to the Thai police force more vague and ambiguous, in order to pass the scrutiny of the Censor Board, which included members of the Royal Thai Police.
During filming, the actor playing Iht requested that the cameras be used at different angles so he wouldn't have to kiss his co-star, but Arnon explained the importance of realistic kissing.
Ultimately, Chaiwat Thongsaeng accepted the role of Iht, claiming that he was motivated only by the challenge and hoping the film would make him famous. He even told the press that the experience of kissing another man seemed disgusting at first, but he managed to do it by pretending to kiss his girlfriend.
For his part, Rattanaballang Tohssawat declared that it was "an honor" to play a gay man.
Upon its release, the film, which was very popular and grossed a lot at the box office, received mixed reviews, partly because it was considered overly melodramatic. Other positive reviews hailed it as Thailand's most daring gay-themed film. It won Best Film at the Brussels Independent Film Festival.

IN SUMMARY
'Bangkok Love Story' is a fusion of 'Brokeback Mountain' (on a conceptual and cultural level, but not on an artistic level) and an action thriller set in the Thai capital, but with less emotional complexity, more male tearjerkers, and excessive gunplay.
Although it aspires to be an innovative queer film, it leans toward exaggerated masculine tropes and borrows the color palette from Kar-Wai Wong's dreamy melancholy, but without fully capturing the emotional nuance.

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