This review may contain spoilers
Hong Kong and Teresa Teng's songs - Perfect combo
When they showed Tesera Teng and her songs in the end, I cried a bit. She was the reason I discovered this movie. I think her songs were also a great inspiration to this movie. Basically they even used the name of a Teresa Teng's song for the title: "甜蜜蜜" (Tian Mi Mi) and used some other songs throughout the movie. I'm pretty sure most of her fans would watch it.I always love to see Hong Kong's life in the 80s and 90s, and it's interesting to view it in a story about Chinese people coming to Hong Kong for a better life during that era. Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai's perfomances were amazing, as expected. Even though I didn't really sympathize with the leads' romance, I'm glad they ended up with each other. Let cheaters be together. Xiao Ting deserved to be with a better man who loved and cherished her wholeheartedly.
My only issue with this movie is that: Why did this have to be a cheating love story? Why didn't they just let them be single lonely souls who found each other in a big city?
I guess AIDS was a big issue in the 1990s era. It was also mentioned in a few old Hong Kong films that I've watched. I remember it was also a big issue in the 2000s. People used to be so scared of it. Now I think the fear of it has lessened but we have new serious issues to fear of.
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Action-packed but lack character depth
Blades of the Guardians, starring Wu Jing, with special appearances from Jet Li, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and others, along with direction and fight choreography by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping, has all the classic wuxia elements one could hope for. Adapted from the manhua and donghua of the same name, the film follows Do Ma (Wu Jing), a bounty hunter whose mission goes terribly wrong. After killing a governor, he sets off a chain of events that pulls him into a web of danger and conspiracy.Set largely in the desert, the film delivers sweeping landscapes, thrilling horse chases, and layers of political intrigue. The action sequences are fast-paced and expertly choreographed, showcasing the martial arts pedigree behind the film.
Yet, while Blades of the Guardians is undeniably action-packed, it misses some of the core elements that made classic wuxia films true cinematic masterpieces and cult favorites.
Even in desert-themed wuxia films like Dragon Inn, New Dragon Gate Inn, and Ashes of Time, the desert becomes an important metaphor within the narrative. The characters’ journeys are explored through the framework of the jianghu, where ideals of heroism are questioned and personal values, loyalty, and patriotism are constantly tested.
What these films offer is more than exhilarating action; they use the martial world as a lens to explore the complexities of human nature. Blades of the Guardians, despite its impressive choreography and strong visual style, lacks the emotional depth, poetic storytelling, and philosophical weight that gave the great wuxia films of the past their enduring legacy.
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Very Cute, Very Short
I am afraid there is not much to say. Two high school students being in love and courageous enough to show their feeling for the first time. It is very cute and very short. The camerawork is nice, the dialogue is fine. I have never seen an elastic tie as a part of a uniform, so I learnt a new thing.Was this review helpful to you?
Will teach you to avoid drugs / clubs. Artistically, zero, American movie with Korean actors.
The movie itself is just an american-style movie with Korean actors, lots of "action" and gory violence without much if any character development. The movie is useful AS A DOCUMENTARY, and SOCIAL COMMENTARY of what we created as a society... what happens with the poor, what it means to use drugs or go to clubs. It was filmed in 2010, so the situation is WORSE today.**** THE MOVIE SHOULD SCARE EVERY CHILD TEENAGER ADULT AND PARENT TO STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS, CLUBS, BAD NEIGHBORHOODS, AND/OR POVERTY ***
bc if you dont , then you get sucked into this kind of world, which exists bc of the rotten and selfish nature of our societies.
The story is so simple - a broken, silent, isolated, lone, poker faced man changes enough to somewhat befriend a child, and changes just enough to step outside of his pawnshop to go on a killing rampage to save the child. ML has just a few seconds of real acting at the very end scene, the rest is a fake poker face. The little girl has some meaningful lines. So artistically as a story, this movie is near ZERO.
Although it is true that the child had to be saved asap and there was not too many options since the police is ... ineffective at best.... still.... the killing rampage was a gory bloody violence for almost the entire movie. It promotes using violence to solve violence. A very corny idea.
Well ... this movie is supposedly a super good movie but ... it is ... trashy FLASHY shocking. It is just shocking the audience instead of teaching anything.
The main actor is behind all that hair and basically does NOT act... for second half, he cuts his hair but always - he is more or less poker faced... and his acting is fake so many times while poker faced... it is clear he knows he is faking it.... The only real acting scene was the very last one when he says bye to the little girl - he can SMILE for real, and that is natural to him... and then the emotion and crying - that was real acting ..... and the rest of the movie was almost all fake.
And we never see him work out stuff emotionally inside him, it is about revenge and finding his friend... ok but ... that's not it. That is what american movies do.
But he looks like a skinny fashion model... And ... plastic surgery lips? Is this the start of that ugly trend....??? at least back then he was not pale. Now actors look like white ghosts.
In this drama, the star actor is the little girl.
Well - the movie does teach something - avoid clubs, drugs, etc :)
The message is good, that a man would do anything to save someone
but the plot etc is just ... all "special effects" without real content. Like an american movie, lots of fights and gangs and low life, shocking the audience with what really happens in the crime world.
But in terms of PLOT as CONTENT as character growth etc
and in terms of what kdramas are really for - good instructions for daily life for ordinary ppl -
well... this fails.
It is just a SHOCKER
an american movie made in Korea, with a super skinny actor, everything a copy of american style, really . Even the music was in English and western style.
so why is this actor so famous and why is this movie one of the best... is still unknown. Is it bc he kinda popularized western style... ?
I wasted 2 hrs to watch this, plus 2 hrs to come back from puking after watching all the violence, bc I wanted to see WHY it is so popular and really .... I wasted the time watching scenes from hell. The movie has no content, only fights and blood baths, and yeah a tiny bit of love between ppl. But 98% of this movie is just GORY VIOLENCE.
It was grueling to watch this drama bc it is just a blood bath and torture. And I already knew what all that stuff happens and I did not really want to SEE HOW EXACTLY IT HAPPENS,
however, the time is not entirely wasted, at least the movie deepened my knowledge, like the grandma who sets ppl up to be kidnapped, using kids for eyes, using kids to deliver drugs, make drugs, cash credit cards, etc So now I am armed with more knowledge to WARN PPL to stay away from what is shown in this movie. And a lot more protective of children. It is terrifying what happens if a child goes missing. Also, if their parent is incapable and/or missing.
Via this drama we people from the brighter side of the life got to see what happens in bad neighborhoods, in poverty, and in night life, and the message is clear - STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
But the message is even deeper - this is a SOCIAL COMMENTARY OF WHAT WE CREATED AS A SOCIETY.
The value of this movie is a social commentary of what happens with the poor, and what it means to use drugs and to go to clubs.... .
THE MOVIE SHOULD SCARE EVERY CHILD TEENAGER ADULT AND PARENT TO STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS AND CLUBS AND POVERTY AND BAD NEIGHBORHOODS
bc if you dont , then you get sucked into this kind of world, which exists bc of the rotten and selfish nature of our societies.
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Just watch 2gether...
What's even the point of this movie ? It's the series resumed with ten minutes more of content and nothing else. If you did NOT watch 2gether, then feel free to look at it, because you won't be missing anything from the series.If you watched the series though, don't bother yourself with the one hour, just go to the end, and watch the missing scenes.
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oks
“Some people only realize your worth once you're gone” ambot bay pero inana jud na. idk whats the meaning behind sa inani na saying pero tinood jud ni. mag sad boi effect dayon in the end sa iyahang gibuhat tas mag regrets and what ifs na para bang mababago pa niya? og gibuhat nalang diay to niyia mga what ifs tung naa pas aya? bogo jud ah samoka.but ig its a win-win situation sad kay nabayaran man sad si aya just to give company kay sid pero ang kalain lang is, si aya is nagkadevelop nag feelings kay sid. but on the other hand, si sid kay ang naa ras utok kay “kwarta kwarta kwarta” he’s aware like fully aware na he has deep feelings for aya but gina resist niya iyahang feelings bc ma pride siya na tao.
aya doesn’t deserve him.
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1
1"The devil loves to play the angel"
Detective vs Sleuths aka Demon Hunter was a frenetic carnival ride strewn with dead bodies, mental illness, and revenge. It proved the old adage to be true, “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.”Lee Jun is a disgraced ex-detective who sees and hears things that other people do not. His motto is, “Whoever battles monsters should ensure that he does not become one.”* A dead man reveals a sinister plot to Jun. With each death comes a clue pointing to the next one-all cases of Jun’s that lacked the evidence to prove guilt. A very pregnant inspector, Chan Yee, becomes caught up in Jun’s madness all while her department is convinced he is actually mad and may be the criminal perpetrator.
Jun was considered a Chosen Sleuth before he broke down. But in this film, the question of who was the sleuth and who was the psychopath, became deeply entwined. A team of murderous avengers calling themselves The Chosen Sleuths hunted down the suspects in Jun’s notes, meting out their own form of justice. The Hong Kong police were often shown as ineffectual and quick to jump to conclusions leading to tragic results. Jun’s manic episodes and connections to the cases eroded any confidence in his abilities and innocence.
DvS moved fast and erratically with a large cast. When cops were killed and everyone cried, I had no idea who they were talking about. The bad guys had at least three huge vans of deadly avengers. The camera bounced around as much as the cast did. A few breathers for the audience to process the information being rapidly dumped minute-to-minute would have been nice. Most annoyingly, the Cantonese dubbing was terrible for several characters.
Lau Ching Wan was excellent as the brilliant, if very unstable, Lee Jun. Once I learned how to keep my balance on this topsy-turvy rollercoaster, it became more bearable and thrilling. The grand finale was a grossly over the top explosion that threw everything it could at the screen to be memorable. In some ways it succeeded, while still not managing to feel convincing. A wild, hallucinogenic, and violent film with numerous red herrings, Detective vs Sleuths dizzily stumbled about as it sought to discover who was the sleuth and who was the psychopath. Sometimes, both things can be true.
16 June 2026
*Quote Note: "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil”.
Trigger Warnings: Countless deaths by knives, guns, and fire. The bodies really stacked up in this one. One torture scene.
Slightly spoilery maternity note: Perhaps Chan Yee’s baby was the real demon. No umbilical chord? Yeah, that’s creepy.
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A great live-action and a must watch to any Higashimura Akiko-sensei fan
Honestly, this was a perfect version of the manga.If you are not a fan of Higashimura Akiko-sensei, I don't know why you would want to watch this movie, as it is just a biography of her time as a student.
The acting is great, as to be expected from the calibre of the main cast.
I wish this were a drama instead of a movie, just because I wanted a complete adaptation of the manga.
But if you've ever wondered how the creator of Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Musume, and many other works got started, this is for you!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing and unnecessarily hard to understand.
This movie is basically just a thriller, not horror or even a mystery. You need to pay really close attention to what the characters say, otherwise you'll have no idea what's going on.1. The movie only explains the reason the main character is scared of water one time. If you miss it, you'll probably never find out why.
2. The senior who shows up to help her only explains who he is about five minutes into the movie. So once again, if you weren't paying attention, you won't know who he is or why he's there until the last 15 minutes.
3. When it's revealed that the senior is actually dead, the main character decides to go into the forest by herself instead of telling her friends what's going on (and remember, she's terrified of water and doesn't even know the area). Like... what????
4. And then there's the old lady. Nobody thinks about her at any point after her first appearance. Not even the paranormal YouTuber, who somehow knows all about rituals and spiritual stuff, but when it comes to the stone monument, she suddenly has no clue about it. Very convenient for the plot.
5. The movie has several moments that are perfectly set up for a jump scare, but it completely fumbles every single one of them. There's a scene where they discover the senior is dead, and the camera zooms in on the protagonist while everything behind her is completely dark, only for half a face to appear and that's it. Then there's another scene where several heads emerge from the water and the manager (the older brother) gets startled, and when the specter finally appears, it doesn't make a sound. So the scare falls completely flat. Another time, the senior is placing stones on the monument, and when he turns around, he transforms into the specter and starts chasing them. Once again, it's a silent jump scare with no scream, no loud noise, nothing. And that's basically what happens every time the movie sets up a scare—they ruin it horribly.
6. Why does the water specter even exist? Well, once again, if you weren't paying attention, you'll never know, because it's only mentioned once. The pond was built on top of a cemetery. One of the staff members says this at one point and that's pretty much the only explanation you get. As for the old lady's daughter, you're basically left to figure it out yourself. All we know is that she died in the pond and now lures people into building those stone monuments.
7. And finally, it feels like the director just couldn't be bothered. There are basically no flashbacks to explain anything. We never see how the protagonist almost drowned. We don't know much about her relationship with the guy who comes looking for her. We learn almost nothing about the old lady's daughter or how the old lady ended up performing sacrifices. We never find out how the senior or his wife died either.
On top of that, the movie is completely inconsistent about how technology works. Sometimes phones and other devices work just fine, other times they don't. For example, we see the specter cut off phone calls at one point. If that's the case, then why doesn't it interrupt the call where the protagonist learns that the senior died in a hospital? The answer is simple: because the plot needed that information to get through. It's convenient for the movie, so it happens.
8. The ending is hard to understand for a lot of reasons, mainly because the ghost creates illusions, so you never really know if what you're seeing is real or not. Keeping that in mind, you can pretty much come up with whatever ending you want since everything could just be an illusion. For anyone who didn't get the ending, Gi Tae doesn't actually manage to save the main character when she drowns trying to grab the paddle. The ghost makes him think he saved her, then traps him in an illusion where they're back at work. It takes her appearance and tricks him into walking toward the water, which is what we see at the end. The whole movie was basically an illusion, including all the horror and fear.
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I was not as blown away as I expected
I originally wanted to give this a 9/10, but looking at my ratings in the different categories, that would be unfaithful to the movie. It had a similar vibe to Parasite and Monster, both of which throw you around with new revelations, so that was what I expected, but I wasn't thrown around nearly as much as I thought. I was only startled at the turning point between part 1 and part 2, the rest wasn't as revolutionary (tho learning what "reading" meant was certainly unsettling and shocking, but not in the way I'm talking about here). So I think my disappointment was affecting how I wanted to rate it.- Taboo topics
I love the exploration of taboo topics, especially how it's done so casually. Or, casually in the sense that it's not portrayed as something wrong or extraordinary, it's just presented to you, there's no one on-screen who can't understand it or are prejudiced, and you are just left to make up your own mind about it. It's not casual in how the movie deals with it, it's delved quite thoroughly into lol.
- Cinematography
I love the house, and I love the camera work, costumes, frames, weather – everything; the visuals are impeccable. I also love comparing part 1 and part 2 in style and cinematography, which is also why I think the rewatch value should be so high.
And, while not cinematography, the audio and sensory part need a mention. Whenever the characters experience something mainly sensory, the audio is amplified and the camera focuses, giving you little else to look at. It's sort of eerie, but also drags you into the movie. The movie somehow retains its sense of class and dignity despite some of these scenes being borderline gross.
- Characters
I'm a sucker for fleshed out characters, and this is lovely. I especially love how the uncle is exactly the same in the end as in the beginning. Everything he does is so predictable to his character and a perfect embodiment of his values. Like how he rejects his Korean heritage, and insists on being as Japanese or British as he can. Everything he does can be traced back to that or the other major thing I won't spoil.
The lady Hideko is also a character I love, especially how the actress, scriptwriter and director all cooperate to make her as baby-like as possible. Especially in the bath the resemblance is striking.
All the characters are caricatures of their biggest flaws, yet still refuse to see their own shortcomings, and no one brings them to their attention. I love it.
- Humour
The humour here seems so effortless, that I sometimes wondered if it was even intended to be funny or if I'm just weird. It also feels so out of place, which makes anything 10x funnier. Kim Tae-ri is of course also naturally funny lol, she was a great casting choice.
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The film's pace is too fast.
Honestly, I don't like zombie movies where the zombies spread too quickly. It's just so illogical. So far, in my opinion, the best zombie dramas are still Kingdom and Happiness. The idea of this film is very good, but i think if given a good storyline and a more natural spread of the virus this movie would be really cool.Was this review helpful to you?
Beware your Messiah
A decent fantasy horror with strong religious and occult themes. Actually, it leans more toward occult horror than traditional religious storytelling, which reminded me of the acclaimed films like The Wailing and Exhuma. This movie doesn’t have as much charisma as those two as it mixes a lot of elements and feels a bit all over the place at times. Still, it manages to direct everything together toward its main purpose, and fans of this genre won’t be disappointed.As the movie progressed, I became more and more engaged. I’d say the finale was the best part, even though I would have preferred a different ending. The acting is also better than in most horror films, and even the supporting characters effectively carried the creepy atmosphere throughout.
There’s a lot to discuss about the themes and story, but to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that the film draws from various religious traditions, including Shamanism, Shintoism, and Christianity. It explores the extremes of blind belief and how entire communities can descend into superstitious and dangerous cults. This can be read as a critique of religion, but it also echoes Jesus’ warning that many false messiahs will appear — so beware if you seek a messiah/savior somewhere else.
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#thismeanssomethingtome
this being a movie about- female friendships
- platonic connection
- soulmates = your best friend
i thought this movie did a great job of putting the girls and their relationship at the forefront. ik alot of people were annoyed because it was about a female friendship that got shaken up by a man but i actually loved that they included him. it didn't actually end up being about him or about his relationship with either lead, it was about their friendship at the end of the day. a movie about female friendship, decentering relationships, and that your soulmate can be someone you have a platonic but insane emotional connection to is sosososo beautiful to me
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A Visually Striking Film with Untapped Potential
If this had been a drama like the original story, I would have dropped it. But because it was a movie, I found it easier to take in and digest. I initially gave it a chance because it stars Chen Duling, and I thought the visuals were beautiful. Some of the scenes between Chen Duling and Mao Zijun were exquisite, and I would have loved to see their storyline—and his backstory—further explored. I found them to be the most interesting aspect of the film.However, everything else fell short for me. Strangely, even though it was only an hour-and-a-half feature, the execution and pacing felt off. The narrative was choppy and didn’t flow smoothly, which made it feel underdeveloped despite its potential.
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How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies
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Best movie i have ever seeeeen!!!
First of all this movie is an absolute masterpiece. I never write these review like the one i am writing right now but this is the first movie that has made me cry like a baby. I was literally sobbing nonstop for like last half an hour of the movie. As someone who has lost someone close to them i could feel myself in the place of M. This is like a 0 regret movie. What i mean is when you loose someone it comes with regrets like i could have done this and that. But seeing M by her side the whole time made me less burdened about my regret with my own life. And i hope that i can also love my grandmother like he did and spend more time with her and love her more and make her feel heard and loved .Was this review helpful to you?
