Reviews

a movie ahead of its time

i tried to watch this movie a few years back but got piled up with uni work. picking this back up was a good thing. besides the hilarious moments, there were hard-hitting scenes that fully grips your emotions.

a part of me is happy that an lgbtq+ movie like this remarkably shows the deeply rooted feelings and struggles of internal homophobia. even though the real world is slowly becoming progressive, we can't deny there's still a long way to go. the wounds from words and abuse that lgbtq+ community face is very much present to this day.

min soo and hyo jin both deserve their lives free from discrimination. what i loved from this movie is seeing them standing up against the world and telling them, "if you can love, why can't we?" i liked kim dong yoon's performance during those powerfully emotional scenes. he truly knows how to deliver. hyo jin's scenes with min soo were fun to watch and the serious parts were done well.

what i was a bit bitter about was that i wanted to see more of hyo jin and seo yung. it's already a rarity to see a lesbian couple so i was bummed to not get much of an insight into their relationship. i mean, c'mon they're also main characters so why didn't we see enough of them? however, i do appreciate the actresses for playing their roles well though they didn't get enough screentime. despite it all, the ending does make up for it

one more aspect of this that i side-eyed was that there were gay characters that seemed to be stereotypes. even then, despite the acting being a bit over the top at times, g voice had a lot of comedic moments.

overall, this was a movie that aims to not only make you laugh but also open your eyes. with a great balance of comedy and seriousness, i'm not ashamed to recommend it.

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Love isn't always fair

What choice do we make when faced with fears? To run away or to stay, to fight for what you have the right to have and/or to live?

K and Cream decide to keep a status quo in their relationship despite a more than brotherly love for fear of hurting each other, for fear of losing themselves, for fear of losing the other and for the famous for you own good. But in the end what did they gain? Nothing except misery and loneliness.

It's a fairly classic melodrama with its share of sad moments, unknowns and angst. As a bonus if you feel the urge to get angry at characters for missing the main sauce to any relationship in a decent story "communication" then go for it.

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Watch alone. Watch conscious.

*A little bit of spoiler alert*

I just finished watching the movie and I won't say it is a "happy ending" because somehow it is not. It is a "twisted ending".
If people definition of happy ending is they ended up together than yeah, I give it to you, it is a happy ending, but is it?
He (Yoda Ryoji) saved him (Katsuragi Makoto) from the will and craze for killing himself, yes.
But did Makoto make Ryoji forget his past lover, not really, that is what the last scene is about, he said he is Alive. How many times will Makoto have to remind Ryoji that he is not his past lover, how many times will the trauma come back to him? Saving a person does not mean they are living, they are just alive.

(A simple example of that is when you are having a horrible day and someone, anyone comes to you and asks how you are, most of the time we don't answer that we are fine, we say we are alive or surviving.)
So they ended up alive and together but not necessarily happy.
Physical pleasure is not everything, they have a life to live, Ryoji has a hospital to go back to and Makoto has a job that he lost, he has to continue living somehow. How many things will they have to mend besides their souls?
But what makes it really twisted is that they will either have to die together or they are going to end up taking their own lives after the other dies.
They bound themselves so deeply that it is either alive together or dead together. It is twisted because they are literally bound to each other's heart.


The movie is great, I was hooked and deeply in. It is a great story/plot.
I enjoyed it and the actors, omg, they deserve an award for that.
If you have triggers tho, do not watch it.

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The beauty of everyday work and the value of the process

Shot on 16mm, "Small, Slow but Steady" has a texture that lends life and nostalgia to the tape, and fills Keiko's long training sequences with meaning.

STORY
We dive into the daily actions of Keiko, a recently turned professional boxer who works as a maid in a hotel to pay her bills.
Keiko has already won 2 of her fights, but suddenly she begins to feel exhausted, not only physically but emotionally and mentally, and this added to external events such as her trainer's illness and the closure of the boxing club mean that Keiko cannot bear more. We realize the great weight that our resilient Keiko has carried alone all this time while we see fights without an audience and people afraid to make physical contact in the streets.
In addition, the film makes an important social comment as well, since like all boxing classics it is shocking to see our champion leave the ring after enduring tremendous punches in the face and go to make a rich man's bed in a 5-star hotel, as well as worrying about not being able to afford a new gym far from home, etc.

ACTING AND SOUNDTRACK

Kishii Yukino and Miura Tomokazu have exceptional chemistry that will make you want to break down in tears many times, especially in a beautiful sequence in front of a mirror.
The protagonist has one of the most beautifully expressive faces I have ever seen, and I think that contributes enormously to telling this story where the only soundtrack is the sound of the streets outside, the sound of punches with boxing gloves. and a faint tune hummed by Keiko's brother.

OVERALL
In short, "Small, Slow but Steady" is a must-see film that beautifully portrays the inner journey of a woman isolated (sonically and emotionally) from the rest. And it is also a reflection on the psychological weight of social distancing, the value of hard work carried out every day and the importance of deep respect even for the rival.

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This is a movie about Mei, a closed-off loner girl, and about Yamato, the most popular boy at her school who falls for her after she kicks him down the stairs, mistaking him for a pervert.

It's also a movie about bullying. Mei was a victim of it in elementary school and Yamato didn't stop others from bullying his best friend, also in elementary school, for which he feels guilty to this day.

It's also a movie about gossip and the damage it can easily cause. There's gossip about Mei, the ugly duckling who nabbed the most popular boy, and there's gossip about Yamato because all the girls want him and most guys hate him for it, even some of his friends, and envy turns people ugly.

Mei considers herself ugly and she doesn't understand why Yamato would date someone like her. Yamato doesn't understand why Mei would think like that when she's so cute and strong and she makes him smile.

What I love about this movie is that Yamato dated before and he kissed many girls and he slept with some of them - but he doesn't consider it something to be ashamed of. Yes, it happened and it's a part of him but it's not bad or wrong. He's always kind to everyone, even to his exes, and he treats them sweetly and cares about them and he has no regrets.

I also love that Yamato doesn't really give Mei a reason to be jealous, he doesn't cheat on her, it never even crosses his mind. Yes, he's nice to other girls but they're simply his friends and he never feels even slightly tempted to cheat. All the conflict stems from Mei feeling insecure about being his girlfriend - until she doesn't.

Overall, this is really sweet. I love the whole "Why me?" vs. "Why not you?"

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Why did it feel like a comedy?

Something about pathetic people thinking they are "all that" makes me laugh. I don’t think I ever laughed so much watching a film focused on so much murder, blood, gore and all the other awful things you can think of.

While I was rather entertained watching, this was not enough content for an over 2 hours movie, especially since this had less depth than a puddle. And there was some good potential, don’t get me wrong. Better writing could make it into some solid psychological thriller.

The thing I enjoyed the most about the movie was how amazingly sloppy Bayu was in ALL aspects of his life. Nomura Shuhei was not much better, but some practice made him deal with issues just slightly better.

The performances were good. Kitamura Kazuki’s english delivery was so exaggerated, it added to how hilarious the whole movie was. Loved Oka Antara and his portrayal of Bayu.

I did like some directing choices, especially the opening kill and the plastic bag shots. The last scene gave me a low budget bollywood, and it was the cherry on top I needed.

Overall, I had fun, I would have liked it more if it was shorter by at least 20 minutes.

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It's Bittersweet..

Beautiful cliché movie, you will rewatch the movie when a feeling of fluttering is needed... We all need those feeling every now and than...it's simple yet intriguing at the same time. That"if only" will take your mind while watching it first time and after that it will grow up to you.. A story which will take you to peak and pull down swiftly.. Tender and Heartbreaking... but you will never want to heal that broken heart, contraindicating

a ode for that

and in between the shade of that spade a story died
and in between the shade of that spade characters cried
and in between the shade of that spade music chimed that last good bye
-@spitefry

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A Nostalgic Air and Familiar Faces

This was such a cute film about friendship. It had this air of nostalgia to it that really found a way to touch my heart, even as we breezed through plot developments. The characters were admittedly pretty flat: the protective one, the resourceful one, the romantic one. But that turned out okay, because the focus wasn't on who the characters were, or what they were going through separately, but rather on the unconditional friendship that they shared with each other. And the ending was just so heartwarming.

All 3 of these actresses have made quite a name for themselves, and I think fans of Thai dramas would really like seeing their familiar faces in such a piece.

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Zhao Hua looks so like Wang Talu )!

An interesting story about revenge, in the spirit of chinese fantasy) At first, things move very quickly , not as usually in Chinese series or movies , and a little incomprehensibly, but then it becomes interesting. Zhao Hua Wei looks like Talu Wang)) the whole movie I compared how Talu would play this role ahah they are very similar in acting too ... but the actor played well, with feeling))
the story not ordinary bc u curious a half movie , which side will take Hu Fei ,and i was surprised that at the end he played smart to quarrel enemies among themselves )
the end of the story don't really the end so I think the story should have a continuation.. i hope )) will cool if it were made into a series )

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This movie is up there with TLT2 (the Neo Hou/Cheng Yi outing) as my favorite DMBJ thingy. No silly het romance of an unnecessary insert (I'm looking at you, Providence), just good old tentacles and Bromance - with the B being very silent.

Till this movie, Heihua did nothing for me. It didn't ring any bells, it left me cold and shrugging on the outskirts of this fandom. But Ji Chen and Ji Xiaobing as Hei Xiazi and Xiao Hua, respectively, did A Thing(TM) to my perception of this pairing. Like... wow.

This movie was everything I hoped for. Yeah, yeah, grave robbing (sorta), tentacled Cthulhu wannabe, that was all nice and whatnot. But the relationship between Hei Xiazi and Xiao Hua? That was perfection pure.

Like...

- when Xiao Hua first came to Hei Xiazi and Hei Xiazi learned why Xiao Hua was headed into the jungle - and then he stole Xiao Hua's ugly statuette and threw it into the pond to protect him.
- when Hei Xiazi paid the armed wannabe bandits to let Xiao Hua's expedition pass but he placed himself right next to Xiao Hua, just in case, to protect him from bullets.
- when Hei Xiazi was told that the cops found a dead body and he feared that it was Xiao Hua, remembering his words, "Are you not afraid that we will all die?"
- when Hei Xiazi immediately packed his things and ran to Xiao Hua's rescue.
- when Hei Xiazi realized that Xiao Hua was poisoned - well, the rest of the expedition too but them folks could just keel over and die for all he cared - and kept on checking on Xiao Hua for the rest of the movie every time Xiao Hua was sick or dizzy - Hei Xiazi's Look(TM) when he saw the insect sores on Xiao Hua's arm!
- when Hei Xiazi decided to open the sarcophagus, not really caring what was inside, just so Wannabe Cthulhu would stop killing Xiao Hua.
- when Wannabe Cthulhu smacked Xiao Hua off the platform and Hei Xiazi screamed with rage!
- when it looked like they might die after all and Hei Xiazi simply lay down next to Xiao Hua, fully intending to just expire together with him right then and there.
- when they escaped through the river and at some point, Hei Xiazi let his young fellow of a friend go, despite the boy being knocked out, to drag Xiao Hua up.
- when Hei Xiazi's young friend told him, "Why don't you go with [Xiao Hua]? He obviously cares about you a lot."
- when they then ran off together, doing unseemly things in Russia.

This movie just pushed all the right buttons when it came to whump. There wasn't just a lot of hurt, there was so much care on both sides. It's the most lasting impression of mine after watching this movie: they CARED for each other. They cared so much. You could truly feel the depth of affection they had for each other. Smitten, I was smitten!

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I do not recommend to those who can not stand the harsh scenes to watch

Really heart breaking story!

Although this story left an impression on my heart so far and caused me severe depression and deep sadness, it is one of the best films I have ever seen!

The children's performance really impressed me to the point that I was touched!

What made me sad the most is that the story is based on a true story!!!
I feel sorry and sad for those innocent, pure-hearted children who suffered from those black-hearted lunatics who lack human instinct and compassion.

I hope that they have recovered from this deep pain caused by these fools and I pray to God to take revenge on those aggressors and restore the rights of the children

God is the only one of the just in His judgment, and I am very certain that God gives grace to the wrongdoers and does not neglect.

Well, looks like I've fallen in love with a new actor, Gong Yoo, although he's in his forties, but it looks like he's still in his twenties.

Oh my God I'm going to put him among my favorite actors

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kim taeri with guns is may favorite genre

Entertainment at its best! All cast did really well portray those characters. I want to watch it again with sister cuz for sure she would love this.

What I really love the most is the comedic timing in those unexpected times. It is a classic I fear... that I am okay with that cliffhanger at the end?!?!?!?

Maybe I will re watch this many times before the second movie comes out. I really enjoyed it and now I need kim taeri to act in small screens again! ( A kdrama I mean.) I got news that she has one next year omg I am very excited.

This review is turning into a fan-bias, so I'll just stop it here.

Definitely recommended, so watch it. <3

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Came for the creepy kids. Stayed for the emo drama.

I love creepy kids and emo drama, so this movie has a lot of elements that I loved. The downside is that the story is pretty standard for a supernatural mystery, and drags unnecessarily at times. I never even heard of this movie before it popped up on Shudder, but based on good reviews on that site I was immediately intrigued. Although I didn't love "The Closet" as much as I thought I would I can see why others may have liked it more. I've seen so many creepy kids and haunted house movies that the tropes in this were at times way too familiar and predictable. I still appreciated the themes around how we treat and see children and Heo Yool was phenomenal as Yi Na, which kept me engaged from the start.

Heo Yool is the standout but the entire cast is good, including Ha Jung Won as Sang Won, the depressed and overwhelmed dad of Yi Na. I definitely empathized with his character but he was so low-key at times that certain situations didn't feel as heightened as they could have been. Despite many good performances, not many seemed memorable, but there is a great cameo from Park Sung Woong who I thought was perfectly disturbing. I think maybe trying to play things more real and subtly just made the pace feel slower. Also, some of the lightly comedic moments didn't help the mood and felt pretty "meh".

Would I watch this again? I think I would. I'm curious about what details I may have missed. The story gets super explanatory in the middle, which wasn't very engaging the first time watching, but maybe knowing the ending would make some of those parts more interesting.

Overall, "The Closet" is way more haunting and tragic than scary, The ending and its message are what make this movie memorable. In a lot of ways, this is a very basic creepy-kid-haunted-house-ghost-with-a-grudge-story that delivers what is expected. It has a few clever and intense scenes and some great disturbing imagery, but it was never intense enough to actually make me scared. If you think of it more as a supernatural melodrama about a father and daughter's relationship after a tragedy you may be able to enjoy this drama more than if you expect a true horror movie. Yes, the story could have been more concise and I didn't feel as emotionally connected as I could have, but it is still a movie worth watching for fans of this genre. I'm glad I found out about this movie. I wasn't moved to tears but I was moved.

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