Full on Ninja Mania
Pitting the lethal arts of Chinese Kung Fu and Japanese ninjitsu against each other in a battle for supremacy, Ninja in the Dragon's Den seemingly has everything you'd ever want out of a martial arts film and the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure, be it ridiculous stilt fighting, ninjas galore, demonic possession, the hero fighting the latter half of the movie in a pink outfit and female anatomy saving the day, this is undoubtedly a classic; a mixture of typical Jackie Chan-style comedy and hard-hitting ninja action, but unusually the two styles mix very well and the film, as a result, is great fun. This Hong Kong / Japanese co-production came about due to the explosion of ninja-mania in the early 80s, one that showcases the contrasting styles of its two cultures in plenty of no-holds-barred and hilarious action. For being Corey Yuen's directorial debut, he pretty much knocked it out of the park on his first go, despite the conventional storyline he manages to give the material a slightly unusual twist, a credit to his years as an action choreographer, offering up highly entertaining set pieces with an endearing vein of slapstick humour. Young Conan Lee and Hiroyuki Sanada are particularly well-rounded here, although Sanada eclipses Lee for most of the runtime, the film does a great job of exhibiting their respective skills. Playing as an offbeat tribute and parody of its own Ninjaspolitation sub-genre, it's hard not to love Ninja in the Dragon’s Den, an exhilarating action film that fully delivers for every second of its running time, the amazingly repetitive theme song certainly reinforces that.Was this review helpful to you?
This is an okay movie, simple and i love it.
Taiwan is one of country that can made a good movie about youthful, first love and reminiscing the good time when you are the in high school.The story is just so-so, anything special but that the things. I love how simple and ordinary movie it is especially when its comes to youthful theme.
And i love the song so much. Quite addictive lol
If you want to watched “some good feel” movie, this is for you.
Let’s reminisce the youthful that you have in your mind, along with the movie.
Well, i still recommend it though…
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freenbecky
here’s what i personally think. i think the story to this movie was actually amazing. the movie was good getting the main point across. freenbecky were great as always. the storyline jumped all over the place but that is the plot line with parallel universes. the english spoke didn’t flow very well and was still hard to understand from non-english speaking persons. i think the overall plot was good but the storyline could have been more set in stone with how the story was laid out, it made the movie feel sorta rushed. i think the ending also could have been better with a happier endingWas this review helpful to you?
one of the better zombie kdramas
i don't usually watch movies, but i needed more zombie kdrama content. a great short watch. high rewatchability.concept: loved it. it's more unique compared to other zombie kdramas. instead of a high school or a community, it's a lot smaller, but there's still so much story that is told.
execution: pretty good. ngl sometimes the social media/ig stuff was cringe, but hey... i'll take it.
pacing: good. no complaints, but i think that's bc i'm more used to critiquing shows.
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I'm not even mad at the ending
The premises to this movie sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a watch. And I must say that I was not disappointed. Sati got into an accident, and now he's got amnesia. The only way for him to remember anything is to take a picture the exact way the previous one was, and he would get a flash of memory from that said picture. It is through this that we see the relationship between Sati and his wife, Meta. It can be seen through these memories that it is not at all perfect. Trapped between them is their daughter, Namo, who despises her dad so much.The wife for many years had given her all to her marriage, but Sati did not appreciate it. So, I'm glad for the realistic ending where Sati wants them to be together as he says that he's not that old Sati, and he would not make those mistakes again. But for Meta, she does not want to go back to that. She has lived it—she remembers it. So, it's good that she is thinking about herself, and also she's putting herself first before her husband and family, as she previously did. While it may not have worked out for Sati and Meta, the relationship between father and daughter has, and at least Sati can be proud of this.
If I had seen this movie a few years ago, I would have actually thrown a tantrum as it was not the HEA ending. Now, I agree with this ending as it is the most suitable ending between the couple. I must say, what did annoy me a little was the amount of pictures being taken out throughout the movie. It got annoying after a while for me. I do understand the point of it, though, as it was a mechanism for the storyline to move forward.
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"Morals or money?"
If you ever wondered what would happen if you combined a yakuza film, a noir, and a spaghetti western, here’s the answer---A Colt Is My Passport. Murder, betrayal, and of course there was a dame involved. Pop the popcorn and kick up your feet for Nomura Takashi’s black and white crime flick.Kamimura and his driver, Shun, have been hired to take out the head of a yakuza family. After successfully completing his mission, the families decide it would be more financially beneficial to work together which means Kamimura and Shun have to be eliminated. The two fugitives hole up in a rundown hotel for truckers and make the acquaintance of Mina, an ex-yakuza moll. The port is crawling with gangsters searching for the partners which makes staying alive, much less escaping nearly impossible.
This was my first Shishido Jo film and I actually paused the film to see if he had been recovering from the mumps while filming this movie as his cheeks looked unnaturally swollen. Turns out he wanted to look different and had the work done. So, if he was happy with them, it wasn’t my business, though they could be distracting to look at initially.
Acts 1 and 3 were gripping. At the beginning Kamimura methodically worked his murderous magic, even taking time to listen to a bird sing. At the slam bang finish he once again contemplated perhaps the last moments of his life by watching a fly crawl around. The slow middle act lacked the intensity and compelling moments the other two contained.
“All that’s left for me is dust and the smell of men and gasoline.” Mina seemed to be there to witness Kamimura and Shun’s loyalty to each other, as well as to fall in love with Kamimura. Sadly, she jealously wished women could have the kind of friendships men had, giving false credence to the old myth that women’s friendships are shallow. Be that as it may, Kamimura and Shun were devoted to each other with the hitman working overtime to protect his friend, even tucking him at night.
With music reminiscent of Ennio Morricone’s, a dusty landfill standing in for the dust blown desert towns, and a man in black staring down a killer with guns blazing, the spaghetti western influence was obvious. Being obvious didn’t mean that it didn’t work, there were many powerful and captivating images. If you enjoy old Japanese crime films, this is one to try.
4 January 2025
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Life is worth living
Sweet Bean broke me a little bit but I understand it needed to do so in order to build me up again. This was yet another solid slice of life story from japanese cinema (they are experts on the genre) on how the we take for granted life.The film doesn't go anywhere the viewer isn't expecting. It’s a long process that, like Sweet Bean, requires more patience than most would be willing to give. Kawase takes her time crafting scenes, which she sets in the darkness just before dawn. By itself, it would make an excellent stand-alone short film. The arduous process of cooking an pays off when Sentaro’s new, improved dorayaki quickly become a lines-around-the-block success due to word of mouth. Which is also the catalyst for the film’s dramatic conflict.
Kawase depicts the passage of time with beautifully shot changes of season, bookending the film with the vivid cherry blossoms of Spring. When Sweet Bean is leisurely coasting along like this, one can easily get lost in its meditative pull.
I admit this film might not be for everybody, even I had a hard time with it but I am glad I stayed for the entirety of it.
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The second half becomes more thrilling as the plan to assassinate General Ito comes into fruition. It is packed with more action and suspense. There's a race against time to reach the general, while Japanese soldiers are riding on their coattails. One thing I loved is how they depicted the inner conflict of one of the characters. The film takes a nuanced approach to representing certain historical figures. General Itō Hirobumi is depicted as a complex individual rather than a one-dimensional villain. The movie even managed to mention some of his accomplishments. In contrast, the Japanese Army is depicted as cruel, inhumane, and barbaric.
The climax was intense. There was great use of sound editing and mixing to capture the thrill and suspense of the moment. Overall, this patriotic film is a great one time watch. I don't think I'll be watching again unless I'm a huge fan of war or historical films.
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This is not what you think!
if you’re thinking about watching this drama, I would definitely recommend having a box of tissues with you because it gets a little emotional although it looks like a comedy. I would definitely say that it made me cry at least two or three times. This is a fun show I would definitely recommend to watch with the family. It has a really good storyline to it, personally I loved the storyline! I love how in depth they go to show that this is important to them and that this is what they’re gonna do. This definitely has something to do with post trauma..?, bromance, and sports (specifically boxing). But I would definitely recommend watching this!Was this review helpful to you?
I don't often watch horror
Almost never do I voluntarily watch a movie in this genre, but Train to Busan is such an iconic film and I kept hearing about it so I thought why not. Along with the fact that it was the middle of the day and I watched it with a friend.I was not disappointed. The story telling, the character growth, the kindness of humanity, and the greed of humanity. Even now knowing the story and what happens to who, I don't think I will ever be able to watch this without crying at least once.
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don't trust the low rating
this movie was GREAT. i'm suspect to say because i love park haeil, but i was expecting nothing and ended enjoying so much. a must watch.the character develop in this was interesting. in the beginning you may have a total different idea that you'll have in the middle and in the end. i still don't like the fml so much. i understand she did all she did for her nation, but the ml had nothing to do with this in the first place
and i also think that what happened really changed the ML perspective somehow, in a really good way, because he started to see the system he was into.
i'm not so good writing in english, but, please, give a chance to this amazing film!
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From the gentleman's perspective
The plot on mdl summarizes the movie pretty well because it is that simple, the movie is what the summary says, that being said is it good? Well when it comes to my opinion I have a different review policy, there is media that you thoroughly enjoy and even sometimes rewind while playing that is entertainment at it's peak and there is something that you skip forward just to see where the story goes and sadly this is that. While the acting is pretty good and the main leads are extremely likable especially ML the plot is where the movie lacks, there is no comedy guys and for a good 7 minutes you will feel anger too, but the romance is honestly what made me finish the movie and that is where the movie is at it's best when it's just the main leads alone talking or sharing a moment. All in all an average watch with no rewatch value.Was this review helpful to you?
"An actor's revenge certainly is dramatic"
An Actor’s Revenge was actor Hasegawa’s 300th film and a remake of his 1935 film by the same name. Both life and the play were equally theatrical and equally theatrically shot. The gender bending characters made me wonder if life was just an extension of the kabuki play or if it was a progressive look at gender.Nakamura Yukinojo is a famous onnagata who stays in character on stage and off. At the age of seven, his parents killed themselves when a friend colluded with two powerful men to destroy his father’s company, leaving the family destitute. One of the conspirators, Sansai, the ex-magistrate of Nagasaki and his daughter Namiji attend Yukinojo’s play. Kawaguchiya, the perfidious employee and co-conspirator also is there. Namiji is the shogun’s concubine but falls hopelessly in love with Yukinojo, becoming ill when he refuses to meet with her. Fellow merchant Hiromiya is also revealed to be an accomplice as he takes an interest in Yukinojo. The actor plots to use innocent Namiji to bring the 3 men down. He's aided by a lookalike Robin Hood thief, Yamitaro.
The hardest hurdle to scale was actor Hasegawa Kazuo. He was 55 at the filming of this movie and playing a character in his 20’s. When much younger Namiji fell instantly in love and called him “beguilingly beautiful” did she see beyond his paunchy middle-aged appearance? The female thief Ohatsu who was criticized for being too masculine and had never loved a man also fell in love with Yukinojo. Perhaps because the actor was decidedly feminine? Meanwhile, Yukinojo and his troupe leader Kikunojo seemed to have a deeper than friendship relationship. The thief also played by Hasegawa had sworn off all relationships with women though he was intrigued by Ohatsu. Whether it was the intention or not, love appeared fluid, flowing as it willed irrespective of gender or appearance.
Yukinojo’s revenge was nothing exceptional, but satisfying. What made this film enjoyable for me were the creative filming techniques that made all of life a stage. Trees in the forest were obviously fake as Yukinojo was confronted by an old foe. Director Ichikawa used dramatic filming techniques with inky blackness and strategic spotlights. Though it could make the action difficult to follow, the style was intriguing. Yamitaro’s identical appearance was perplexing. At first, I though perhaps Yukinojo had a split personality, especially when Yamitaro commented personally on the actor’s actions. In the end, I guess he was just one more narrator. Ichikawa made use of the famous benshi, Tokugawa Musei, as the primary narrator for the film.
An Actor’s Revenge was an entertaining kabuki experience on the stage and off. Hasegawa’s age could be difficult to overcome, but I suppose age wasn’t important on the stage so it wasn’t important off the stage in this film either. More style than substance and your enjoyment will be whether that off-beat, at times humorous style appeals to you. The suspension of reality and theater acting could be hit and miss with me, in the end it was worth the ride.
4 January 2025
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Short and sweet movie
This is what I was looking for, the movie had everything in it . The screen time between the ML and FL was bit less and they could have shown bit of their development but its fine, the movie was short and sweet. I was really really impressed with Minju's acting. I hope she gets some good drama in future.Was this review helpful to you?
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Not a review but my thoughts
The movie is about how concept love, sex and marriage is different for different individuals. I have lot of qualms about the narrative decided, but need to praise lot of choices made as well. I am curious about how these characters will live, in future. Music, acting, direction and cinematography are all top notch. The abundance of sex scene somehow felt very organic and necessary.I am not sure what Ikka sees in Ryosuke and what's her future plan. I am not sure what's Ryosuke's plan either. All he does is cheat and lie, sometimes does some introspection on his behaviour and that's about it. Ikka is clearly ruining herself and him just like stated since she thinks sex was the problem and not the lies which he is feeding her. And she wants to keep doing this forever, like that will never explode on her face.
Other than the age gap (somewhat necessary for this story), the storyline in the bookstore felt very heartwarming. You can understand him to larger extent with their interaction, and I wish the ending was slightly better, because she is still 16 /17 and he is 30 in the end. She will 💯 leave him later when she matures and he will get hurt.
But the treatment of this frail story made the watch much enjoyable.
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