Reviews

This is the kind of sequel from a BL that I like. Not much drama, a lot of lovey-dovey scenes, even if the plot isn't so great (which a lot of sequels or continuations are known for). These continuations are fundamentally for fan service – just so the fans have a satisfying overall quench from a great series.

Not a lot of people would like this if they aren't fans of the couple. Because this was probably mainly done for the supporters of the fandom.

These are the kinds of BL movies that I like. They may be not as unique nor full of twists and turns but just feel good, cute scenes and satisfying endings.

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The Hopes and Dreams of those who Dedicate their Lives to their Sports.

Directed by famed Hong Kong Director Peter Chan and led by experienced powerhouses Gong Li (Coach Lang Ping), Huang Bo (Coach Cheng Zhong He) and Wu Gang (Coach Yuan Wei Min), “Leap” details the rise and fall and the rise again of China’s Women Volleyball team. This movie is well-produced and beautifully performed by not just these actors, but a younger supporting cast and a few of the professional athletes and Olympians themselves.

Growing up, I was a fan of the 1980s China Women’s Volleyball team and watched many of these matches on TV with my family. I don’t watch them anymore but “Leap” brought back many memories and might have re-ignited my passion again. The high rating of this movie is very subjective but I also believe it's an amazing movie as well.

Even though the movie is about China’s Women Volleyball team and star player and coach, Lang Ping, one could argue this could be a story about any country, any sport and any athlete. The hard work, sacrifice and dedication portrayed here can be reflected in any professional athlete’s journey. What's different was China’s closed door policy for so many years. When they reopened, they had a lot of catch up to do. The rise of the volleyball team gave China hope that they could be as good as the rest of the world. There’s a quote towards the end of the drama by Coach Lang Ping about why China places so much importance on winning these matches. Look out for that quote.

The movie clocked in at about 2 hours and 15 minutes, but the pace is good and with no drag. “Leap” is full of emotions, excitement, plus quiet and deep conversations between two old friends, Lang Ping and Cheng Zhong He, supporting and encouraging each other. The use of music is excellent in conveying different emotions of the scenes. There is the usual cheering and exciting music at sporting events, but I was especially impressed when they used a violin score for one of the championship matches. The silence at the end of the biggest match let viewers soak in what just happened on their own, while watching quiet scenes of people cheering and celebrating. The ending theme, "River of Life" (生命之河), sung by Faye Wong and Na Ying is beautiful.

As I haven’t been following the sport in years, I did not know the outcome of the 2016 Rio Olympics. All the matches were exciting and it was great to see athletes participate in the movie and act as themselves. Their involvement contributes to the authenticity of the movie, and it must be a well-written movie for athletes to be willing to join in on the fun. According to Wikipedia, 10 out of 12 athletes from the China 2016 Rio Olympics squad appeared as themselves. The cast also includes players and coaches from Japan, USA, Thailand, Brazil, etc.

My favorite scene is the last scene. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but it involves a phone call made by Lang Ping to Cheng Zhong He. It’s the perfect ending and a perfect description of their friendship, hopes and dreams.


Completed: 12/10/2022

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Just as good as the series!!

The movie/series: Both had a great storyline and script. The cast was great and did a great job with their characters. The cinematograph and graphics were awesome.

The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a cohesive movie version. There are a few scenes that were edited differently (same footage put in a different order) and some scene placements were changed. There were also a few scenes deleted or cut short, I’m assuming due to timing purposes. There was one scene that was cut short that I wished they kept completely in. However, all of the changes did not impact the quality of the series in anyway. I enjoyed the added bloopers and behind the scenes footage at the end of the movie.

Before I continue, it’s important to know an individual’s definition of added scenes. My definition is when the director adds scenes that were deleted due to timing restraints or when additional scenes was film after the original production has ended to add more meaning. A good example of this is “Life-Love on the Line”. Because of this, I do not count the bloopers and behind the scenes footage seen after the movie. I did not notice any added scenes the first time watching the movie. However, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything and watched the series and movie at the same time (split screen). What can I say, I wanted to be thorough. I only saw two added scenes almost 2 hours into the movie. The truth is it really does not matter if you notice the additional scenes or not because they don’t really add anything to the movie. Don’t worry about it and just enjoy the movie. Yes, it's almost 3 hours long but it's worth it.

Random Notes:

I personally preferred the English subtitles for the series over the ones in the movie.

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This movie was on my mind for WEEKS after watching it

I don't think there are enough words to describe how amazingly produced this movie was. It felt like you were watching someone's life. The actors perfectly executed this role and did what needed to be done to make the movie as impactful as it was. There are a lot of heavy topics covered in this movie but I feel like this isn't just a "coming to age" movie. It is so much more. The relationships between people, good and bad, are shown instead of told and they feel so real! The grievances the character experience really do help and it shows the shortcomings of society and social media as well. It highlighted a particular part of youth and the issues handled without making it seem childish. They handed actual real-life issues and couldn't rely on the adults around them because they mentally couldn't and wouldn't know how to handle the situation properly. I love this movie with my whole heart and I would do anything just to watch it again. Please do give it a watch. I promise it is worth your time.

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I lived an alternative life for a bit under two hours :)

Lately, it's been really hard to find something interesting to watch. Simply nothing seemed to make me live the story for real. That was, of course, before getting to this movie. While I can't say it's the best ever or something so exaggerated, it was a really good movie. For some reason I simply went with the story without the impulse to predict everything, which is new for me. I could just allow myself to be surprised and live every emotion.

SPOILER!

Yes, it did break my heart and it took me a while to get emotionally better, but that simply proves it was good. It left a mark, it didn't just pass; it was the kind of story that stays with you.
I, for one, adore tragedies especially because of this lasting impact and also because they represent life more honestly than the "happy ever after". If you don't mind a sad twist, it will definitely be your type of movie.
It still hurts my heart to think about it, but I love that it could do that. I missed this feeling!

P.S.: I NEVER rewatch what i saw. Giving it an 8 for rewatch value proves its good enough to see again. It would be as if I was looking back on memories.

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Weirdly Entertaining, Touching and Violent

It's Japanese, so you know this is going to be an unique movie. "Diner" is weird, fun, touching and colorful. I had no expectation coming into watching this but was just prepared for anything Japanese and over-the-top. I was surprised to see that this is an adaptation of a novel and not from a manga or anime.

Awesome acting, cosplay-like costumes and larger than life personalities - this movie has a little bit of everything to cater to a wide and open-minded audience. Be warned that there's blood and violence, but also delicious-looking food and desserts.

I feel for Skin and his story. And was surprised to find out the secret of the Bom's special souffle for him. I want to know more about other character's backstory but there's not enough time.


Completed: 12/10/2022

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Incestuous?

I watched this, partially b/c I like Xu Kai and Zhao Lu Si, but also b/c I was hoping it would NOT actually be the incestuous story the description made it out to be. From the get-go, they had 15 year-old brother Jun Xi looking at his little sister like he was (romantically) in love with her. And that was BEFORE any of the characters realized she was switched at birth. Like, what the actual crap? Are we going for a Jaime-Cersei vibe here? It is so weird to have a young teenage boy be in love with his sister. And it's not much better to have them fall in love when they're adults, after the truth has been revealed and they've been apart for some years. I mean, it's still very incestuous feeling; they grew up believing they were brother and sister! And then I was thinking (hoping), maybe it's one-sided and she'll reject him as soon as she realizes, but nope. Her little kiss on the clear plastic/glass while he was sleeping next to his painting made it clear that wasn't the case.

Reading through other reviews / comments, it seems like a lot of people were confused at the end as to who she married. I don't know why. People are also calling Xu Kai the male lead. Looking at the poster will clear both of those up right away (and if looking at the poster doesn't clear up who the main ML is, then just look at the cast list - Xu Kai is the second male listed.) The poster clearly shows Xu Kai off to the side while Zhao Lu Si and Jiao Rui in an embrace about to kiss. Plus, the wedding scene showed Han Tai (Xu Kai) walking her down the aisle, but he was essentially playing the role of a father in a Western wedding, handing her off to the groom, who was Jun Xi (Jiao Rui). Chinese weddings have adopted some things from Western weddings, but even when they've adopted certain customs, they often do them differently than we do. I think it's pretty clear she married the brother and then died, hence him walking alone through the tunnel.

Anyway, I gave this a 6, mostly because I know the actors are good actors and the production quality and music were OK, but the brother-sister love thing is just too weird for it to get any higher rating than that.

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well, you get what it says ;)

so, I got to find this comparably older movie from 2014, because I lately finally watched 'because this is my first life' - yes, real life is crappy these days for many and a friend highly recommended this drama as one with the perfect 'everything is good, poeple are good and all will be fine in the end' dramas - so I watched - and - saw Lee Min-ki for the first time.

I liked him in that drama, but not exclsuively because I (really) liked this specific drama, but because I really liked his vibe, which is rather edgy and dark in a restrained way. Even in that friendly role and unintended.
I thought that all the time, and I really enjoyed that although the script writers tried hard, he just never looked like the typical babyface , unrealistically nice and 'no intentions' guy, but instead very classically manly.
So, I checked what else he has done, and seeing the 'emperor' movie in the list plus seeing Park Sung-woong in it too, I checked further.

The description said dark, classical gangster flick, lots of blood, brutal, and adult content.
So firstly, for all those complaining here: please read the description first. If you don't like this kind of content don't watch it instead of complaining afterwards.
But now, to the movie finally:

Movie:

So, I expceted a certain setting but I was utterly surprised after only five minutes in. Yes, there is lots of blood, knives, rather nice cinematography with the flickering lights in the dark. And then there is real adult content? In a Korean movie? Real passion, real kisses, and - you know, - the real stuff, like poeple really do it at times? A woman making the real sounds, not that fake high pitched mouse squeeking stuff? I almost fell off my chair, - in a Korean movie? I really did not expect that and found it to be a nice surprise for a change.

That said, the rest is also what the description said - it's a noir gangster movie set in Busan, ( if you speak Korean it's nice hearing the actors speaking with that accent as in this gangster setting, this accent gives the right vibe)
it has all the cliches, games and betting, brothels, gangster bosses in big cars and expensive suits, lots of minions willingly going into rather unrealistic knife fights with lots of bloody action.
The music seems fitting as it felt a little dated, almost 80s like with that synthi-sound. ( so seemed Lee Min-kis hairdo with that perm, but also this fitted that role)

The whole movie seems just like a glimpse into this kind of gangster world, which, in the end, is a shark tank, the one on top always has to fear to be killed so another one can take his place.
It's all about money and yes, women who, in these settings ( and that sadly is realistic) are nothing but convenience used and abused and trying to survive somehow.

And no, it's just not the movie where you start with feministic ideas, it's simply the truth for many women in many countries who for whatever reason, find themselves in such (or way worse) life settings. I found the actress played that part convincing, having to do things she hates, using what means she can, always being threatened, and of course being sad and unhappy.
Still she at least finds short passion with Lee Hwan, they transport that first moment immediate (almost animal-) attraction feeling very convincingly. And no, there is no happy end for neither of them, in such settings there is no place for happy endings, at least that was realistic.

As for unrealistic parts: the knife scenes where nicely coreographed but far from reality. Even further from reality is the idea that a lanky ex baseball player like Lee Hwan suddenly has self defense abilities topping the best gangsters, him being outnumbered by 15 large blokes with knives and he takes them all down - yeah, no way of course, but, again, typical for these kind of movies.
There was dialouge, yes, cliche dialogue, but good enough to watch the whole movie. ( and this goes SO much worse, and in newer productions, please go watch 2022 'project wolf hunting' if you want the worst ;)

Result:

knowing what I will probably get I enjoyed this, and watched the whole movie without fast forwarding (which I did many times with actions flicks worse that this)

I was impressed by Lee Min-ki, as he can convincingly play that cruel, cold, psycho guy with a death stare one might still feel drawn to .
As I said he gives off that very reserved and restrained vibe, but there is some little dark intensity underneath, (also in interviews) which I find rather appealing and interesting in a very classical, manly way. I meanwhile saw another drama with him ('liberation notes') with yet another completely different acting vibe, so he for sure can play very versatile roles, and is obviously brave enough to simply not be yet another polished 'little boy' actor.

So, if you can just enjoy these kind of movies - brain off, - with all the typical stuff, gangsters, fights, dark vibes, - give it a go.
It's not brilliant, nothing for your intellect, it's just what it is and says to be and for that comparably enjoyable.

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You have to play the hand that's dealt...all the way...

There Was A Father is an Ozu film made during WWII. The film calls for personal sacrifice from its characters yet also shows the price to be paid for it. While well made, I can honestly say, I’m not sure whether I liked it or the message within. For over a decade a father uses his sense of duty to work, and only work, to not live with his son even when it no longer serves their relationship or his son’s future.

Ozu regular Ryu Chishu played the lead role as the father, Shuhei. Shuhei was an esteemed teacher, but when a student dies on a school outing, he accepts responsibility, even though no one blames him, and leaves teaching. He takes his son to his hometown and enrolls him in a boarding school. While the father is looking for work this sounds perfectly understandable, however, when the father finds a job in Tokyo it becomes less clear why he doesn’t take his son to Tokyo with him. The time between visits grows further and further apart. Each parting is devastating for the son who is admonished by his father when he releases his heartbreak by crying.

When the son has graduated from college and begun teaching, he tells his father when they visit a hot springs inn, that he wants to quit his job and move to Tokyo to be with his father. His father admonishes him for letting his feelings get in the way of the work that was given to him. “The happiness that you acquire after going through hardship and joy, will be everlasting.” You have to not be selfish and let go of the self.

For the father, all there was in his life was work. Though he initially worked for his son to have a better life, he also worked for his own sense of duty. I have tried to determine if this was propaganda or simply a way of life. Some Ozu enthusiasts say yes, others say no. For me it felt like it was a man who abandoned not only the teaching profession, but his own son, when he failed to live up to his own personal standards. There did seem to be propaganda inserted in places when it came to the single focus on diligent work as dignity at the loss of familial ties if necessary. “At a time like this, we must all do our part.” The father proclaims that life is better when working as hard as one can. That should be enough.

In this film, despite the father’s excuses as to why they could not live together it was obvious the two loved each other. The son adored his father and hopelessly waited for the day they could be together even as a grown man. Before the father’s death, Shuhei made sure his son would have a good wife, arranging a marriage with the daughter of an old friend.

Ozu used parallel scenes, fishing scenes and train scenes that brought the story full circle. His trains seem to always point the way home, even after death. The fishing scenes as the two cast and moved in synchronization, showed the two at one with nature even if they were not of one mind. And as he often did, Ozu explored life through a parent and child. Here he seemed to be looking at the nature of sacrifice, duty and responsibility and the familial loss that came about through them. Or perhaps he was working out his own childhood as his father had gone to work in Tokyo to make a living for his family, leaving Ozu and his mother behind. Whatever the case, I struggled to understand why the father refused to have his son with him, even after the goals had been met. Unlike other Ozu films, the director left it up to the audience to decide instead of leaving bread crumbs for us to follow, or perhaps the notion was a common one at the time and didn’t need to be explained. Or finally, perhaps Ozu made a film that the censors would approve of while subtly criticizing the political structure and its societal price to be paid. Maybe I’m looking too deeply to find meaning in this film.

Regardless of the meaning behind the father’s actions, Ryu gave a superb performance as the father stubbornly adhering to his sense of duty. Ozu’s transitions didn’t always seem as smooth as in his other films, but that could also have been that there were censorship cuts made after the war. I feel like I write this in all my reviews of his films—his teapot showed up and had its usual closeup which always brings me great joy.

This would probably not be a good introduction to Ozu’s films for most people. It is a slow slice of life with a difficult message. The best scenes were when the father and son were together, sadly like their relationship it wasn’t often enough.

12/9/22

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Light hearted without losing "Love Destiny's touch".

I'm not that great at writing reviews, but as Love Destiny (season 1) is my favorite and most rewatched lakorn yet, I felt like I had to give it a review from the point of view of someone who loves the franchise, the actors and mainly saw it for that reason.
Going into this I was expecting to find that Love Destiny touch that made me fall in love with season one, and despite the movie having very different feels from the series, i was still able to find that.
The movie is light hearted, it has many funny scenes which i appreciated, the costumes and production were amazing, and it had the right amount of mentions to their past lives.

First off I have to mention our two main character's personalities, for convenience i'll just call them bella and pope (the actors' names) because otherwise there'd be too many names to mention.
Pope's character in this one was refreshingly different from the series! He was very bright, definitely more modern, not only in the way he looks but specifically his demeanor, expressions, even the way he interacts with others seems new to me as opposed to the more stoic Pope that we've seen in season1, he knew what he wanted and went for it, he was super funny while maintaining his sweet/caring nature towards Bella, it was a nice change seeing him smile so often and it's definitely something that i would appreciate if it was incorporated into the actual sequel of love destiny (prom likit).
As for Bella's character, I'd say that a lot changed in her as well when compared to the series, for starters in this one she was a lady from the beginning of her life, she was accustomed to the ways of living of her time, and she didn't need anyone to guide her, as a result she looks much more confident and smart, but she has also maintained that curious nature that she has in the series.
I loved the new character, Methus, as well. They formed a nice trio and had a cute bond until the end, i liked how they worked together.
The time-travel plot was well structured, I enjoyed it quite a lot and by the end i was already very invested in it.

In general this movie is a great watch for anyone, but if you're like me and fell in love with the series first, then i'm sure you will at least enjoy this movie. Of course, you have to take into account that this isn't a follow up to what happened in the series, these are different lifetimes, a different period, so you should also see it with an open mind to the changes you'll notice.
Pope and Bella's chemistry is still the best in my opinion, and I felt super nostalgic when watching this, so I can't give it less than a 10.

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Over The Past Ten Hours..

This film is the perfect example of what sets pieces from Japan apart from Westerns, Kdramas, etc. A delicate,heavy story woven by it’s magical Ost, sharp camera language, and effortlessly masterful performances. No where else will you have a similar style in similar executions. The heaviest of topics leading to self reflections that you’re not aware of until it ends.

The Last 10 Years leaves more questions than answers, and not for the film itself. After finishing the film i spent the past 10 hours falling in and out of sleep to the Ost on repeat and tears drawn to the rhythm. Why do such different situations and occurrences hit so close to home? What’s so similar in my own life that has me so empathetic of these characters? Why am I, a grown man, waking up 3 in the morning with puffy eyes over a movie? For fucks sake do i have to check if i wet the bed as well? Are all of these emotions simply the film or realizations from watching it?

I’m usually not a fan of the typical pacing dramas and films from japan, and it’s quite rare to spot one that steps outside of that norm and delivers a deliberate, smooth flow throughout. Especially considering the time restriction of films, taking your time to give more impact towards the climax will always have my upmost respect. Mix that with realistic dialogue,compelling performances, and a subtle melo tone and you got a work from japan at it’s very peak. THIS is what I watch these works for. THIS is what I can’t get anywhere else and feel the same uplifting overtones of a very dark, depressing story.

A slight flaw i find with almost any decent movie, especially ones this good, is that there’s always something more i want to see but not given. Some more fleshed out development instead of the bright, fluffy montages we received of our leads’ bond getting closer would’ve sufficed. Alas, the more you give me and the better it is, the more i want. There’s a very thin line of Perfect between the large margins of “Draggy” and “Not Enough” , this falls in the latter for me.

Films like this, in my opinion, are must watches not only nationally but internationally as well. Such heavy topics delivered in such an impactful way that teaches us things we never considered before needs the recognition. This level of quality is rare to come by. First love is rare to come across. Life itself is such a blessing that is rarely cherished amongst many of us the way it should be. Death is seen too much as this inevitable outcome that some unfortunately succumb to sooner than others. We sometimes empathize for selfish reasons. Some may want to end it all with no concerns of how it effects the people around them. Life can be this seemingly endless journey to a singular destination one wants to rush towards from unfortunate hands dealt, or it could be the journey itself as you cherish a blessing others aren’t given , with those around you through thick and thin that you’ve been lucky to have been dealt.

The Last Ten Years makes use of depressing desires to accentuate the appreciation and beauty of life and finding your own happiness in it. A masterful artwork i hope receives the attention and praise it deserves down the line.

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It was more of a Melodrama

Jung Woo Sung was what got me to watch this film, along with the leading lady, whom I also like her in dramas. This is really a Melodrama, with exaggerated slow-paced scenes to create the somberness of one with a loss of memory and trying to learn about who they are.

I came in thinking this was going to be a love film, but it was more sad than uplifting. Cinematography is beautiful through the film, enough to keep you watching. Also, the acting is really good all around.

This is worth the watch if you want to watch a more mature storyline, than all the feel-good films that are out there these days. Feels more relatable and probable, which makes this worth to watch.

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Bride for Rent drags out a number of tropes and scatters them about the drama. If you don’t look too deeply it’s a sweet romcom. Dig a little deeper and it unearths one of the more dangerous romantic tropes.

Rocco is turning 25 and under the impression he will receive his trust from his grandmother. He’s a jerk to the women he dates and dictatorial to his buddies whom he has gone into business with. Grandma has been watching and throws a marriage clause into the trust. Regardless of the money he will come into none of his ex-girlfriends will marry him because of the way he had treated them. Along comes impoverished actress Rocky and he hires her to pretend to be married to him.

There’s a reason Rocky doesn’t make much money acting, she’s simply not very good. I’m not sure if that was in the script or a flaw on the real actress’ part. Grandma insists on a church wedding and Rocky balks. Grandma takes her aside and tells her it will be a fake church wedding but she needs Rocco to grow up and learn to love and trust again and be kind again and Rocky is just the person to teach him. At this point the forced cohabitation high jinks begin.

I was able to play along with the jerky playboy wanting to put one over on grandma so that he’d get his money. I had a harder time with the concept of a man being completely changed by a woman. Too many women believe that tired trope and have butted their bloody head against a wall trying to make an unkind man kind.

Most of the cast were capable enough actors with the exception of the female lead. When she was calm she was a pleasure to watch. Too often she came across like she’d had too much coffee with too much sugar and artificial colors.

As long as you don’t fall like Rocky did for the “you can fix a jerky playboy” trope and can look over her overly enthusiastic performance it’s almost watchable. Even the actor who played Rocco looked liked he would rather be somewhere else on several occasions.

12/8/22

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A wild ride

Totally enjoyed this over the top spoof of a spy story.
The two leads play off each other well and the humour is fast and often slapstick. Not too be taken seriously, however, the fight scenes are very entertaining and despite a high body count it is not a gore fest.
The humour is not sophisticated and is often accompanied by a sight gag. I felt engaged and liked their characters.

The FL, Yoo Da Hee, played by Lee Sun Bin is suitably ernest and despite her small stature is quite fearless and brave. The ML, Woo Su Han played by Kim Young Kwang is, seemingly, naive and focussed on money but ends up with a surprising background that saves the story. I like this couples sparring remarks and later support and protection.

There is a Mission2: Possible in the offing so I will be waiting.....

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