Reviews

.

What I liked:
1. Cinematography
2. Acting
3. Both of the mains learning dances from each other
4. The dance together at the ending was just peak
5. The difference between the two mains' vibes and dancing that confirms the phrase "opposites attract" perfect without being too much

What I didn't like:
1. I think there's some unasnwered questions between the mains
2. ML looks kinda creepy like Jigsaw
3. Didn't quite understand ML's past and why is he like that currently
4. The sudden invitation to dance in front of everyone at the ending without even having a proper talk about what they are and the fact that they haven't spoke for a while, all that and still smiling in the dance like nothing happened
5. That obsessive girl who originally dances with ML, something about her obsess just doesn't click for me

Read More

"Stories from the past you want to hear hide in the future"

Father to Son was another slow, meditative work by Hsiao Ya Chuan. Packed with colorful characters denied real life by shockingly short interludes, the film hinted at a deeper story that it could not fulfill. Yet there were still points to recommend from this film about fathers and sons and their complex life cycles.

Van Pao Te/Ah Te is a sixty-year-old owner of a hardware store and has made a name for himself with his inventions. He and his wife aren’t close but he helps her campaign for a local office once run by her mother. His son, Fan Ta Chi, is gifted at coding and assists his dad with their business. One day while working in a hospital, Ah Te is seized with pain. An old schoolmate who is a doctor witnesses it and gives him an exam. The results regarding his pancreas are not promising. As Ah Te contemplates his future, the past bids him to call. His father had abandoned the family and moved to Japan when Ah Te was 10, never to be heard from again. Ah Te and Ta Chi take a business trip to Japan and then go in search of his father. Meanwhile, a young man from Hong Kong who is close to Ta Chi’s age visits Ah Te’s old flame.

Father and son relationships can be complicated especially when the primary source of demonstrating love was simply not walking out. Ah Te was a man of few words and fewer visible emotions though the scars from his childhood ran deep. Determined to not make the same mistakes, he sought to give his son an exit ramp from feeling obligated to stay and support his parents. Huang Chung Kun gave a quietly intense performance of a man grappling with a future receding from him and a past overcoming him. Fu Meng Po crafted a son who had come to understand his father’s sacrifice and faults, while gently caring for Ah Te as the illness chipped away at his health.

The cinematography and scene compositions were lovely. Several crucial incidents occurred during the time between 1987-1988. As I’m not a scholar of Taiwanese history, I’ll let better informed viewers seek out the symbolism. Circulation or cycles did play out in the film and it wasn’t hard to see how Ah Te sought to break the cycle his father created, yet still inadvertently may have effectuated his own offshoot of estrangement. The laundress’ niece, Nico, blew into town much in the way Yu Chin had years ago and Ta Chi was attracted to her as his father had been to Yu Chin. The film was slice of life slow with sparse dialogue and I would have loved to have gotten to know several characters and their stories better. My biggest complaint was that past events were intriguing and wished Hsiao had filled in more of their background. My other complaint was the ending which felt out of place in this glacially paced, yet life affirming film.

Father to Son wasn’t a reconciliation film, more like revelatory film. Questions to some answers remained an enigma, and the individual had to discover meaning out of the mist of memory, critical absences, and a flawed life lived with the best of intentions. Each generation had to work to break out of unhealthy cycles even as their eyes were opened to answers that must be experienced to be understood.

16 July 2026

Trigger warnings: Smoking. Brief nudity-both male and female in two different scenes. Vomiting.

Read More

Short and sweet

I liked this movie well enough. I don't typically go for movies, but I didn't feel like starting a whole series so this was able to perfectly scratch my BL itch. This is my first time watching ZeeNunew in a BL and I thought they were very sweet. A lot of the comments on the cut version complain about the relationship building to be very abrupt, but I think for the uncut version it was fine considering it's only a two hour movie. I think my only complaint is that I wish it had been scarier lol, it started off pretty strong, but then kind of weakened at the end. Overall though I enjoyed it, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't horrible either. A decent watch for anyone wanting to watch a horror BL.
As an aside, that bed they were sleeping on was gorgeously carved, I kept ogling it every time it came into frame.

General info for anyone wanting to know:
• Is it NSFW/spicy? No, this movie is very SFW. The most nudity we get is ZeeNunew taking their shirts off.
• Is there violence/gore? A little bit, not anything to stress about though. Nunew's character gets injured multiple times throughout the movie via accidents/ghost shenanigans and there's a small fight scene at the end of the movie.
• Is it scary? Not really. The movie has a couple jump scares, but it's more eerie and has an unsettling ambience rather than being actually scary.
• Is there singing? It's a ZeeNunew, of course there's singing.

Read More

Yi Yi is a film you can watch once, or twice—or five times

At the heart of the film is NJ, the father of a typical Taiwanese family, who finds himself overwhelmed by a cascade of problems familiar to many men in their forties. His wife is struggling emotionally, his mother-in-law has fallen into a coma, his teenage daughter is experiencing first love, and his young son, Yang-Yang, continually invites those around him to see life from unexpected perspectives. It is no coincidence that Yang-Yang appears on most of the film’s posters. Through the boy’s words and actions, Edward Yang conveys the film’s deepest wisdom and central ideas. In Yang-Yang’s relationship with the world—and the world’s relationship with him—we find a profound vision of an existence that is sincere, open, and free from prejudice.

Edward Yang constructs his narrative from every thread that contributes to the protagonist’s crisis, creating a film in which virtually every character could be considered the main character. At times, this makes the film feel demanding, even overwhelming, as its ensemble cast can seem almost too expansive. But this complexity is precisely what gives the film its extraordinary realism.

Yi Yi is a film you can watch once, or twice—or five times. With each viewing, you are likely to discover something new: a memory of first love, an encounter with a long-buried past, a difficult teacher from your school days, or one of those moments when moving forward seemed impossible. Or perhaps you will simply be touched by the film’s quiet melancholy, as gentle as a cool October breeze brushing against your face, stirring memories of something deeply cherished.

Read More

The film quietly suggests that death is not an ending, but the beginning of something new

With the gentle, lyrical sound of the cello as its backdrop, Yōjirō Takita's Departures tells the story of Daigo, a Japanese cellist left without work or a means of supporting himself after the dissolution of his orchestra, which had failed to attract audiences largely indifferent to classical music.
Then, in one of life's unexpected twists, fate leads the unsuspecting Daigo to a funeral home. Its wise and compassionate owner has transformed the ritual of preparing the deceased for burial into a refined art form, and he hires the timid former musician—who has never even seen a dead body—as his assistant almost on the spot.
The film quietly suggests that death is not an ending, but the beginning of something new. This idea is conveyed through scenes in which Daigo gently washes the bodies of the deceased, carefully wraps them, delicately applies makeup to their closed eyes, and dresses them in beautiful garments. He prepares them not simply for burial, but for a graceful passage into another existence—as though they were brides entering a new chapter of life in magnificent wedding gowns.
Apart from its subject matter, the film's style of storytelling deserves special praise. First, its pacing is remarkably calm and unhurried. Long, meticulously composed shots allow the audience to absorb every detail of the encoffining ritual: every movement of the hands, every careful stroke of the brush carries meaning. Watching these scenes, one feels less like a distant observer behind a television or computer screen and more like a silent participant standing among the grieving relatives, witnessing the final preparation of their loved ones for the infinite journey beyond.

Read More

This story don't make sense tbh, like the plot was so random even on a normal HK comedy standard. But if you're willing to turn off you're logical thinking and just enjoy the comedy for a good laugh, you're in for some wacky fun.

This movie was the only few movies where you can see Xie Miao as a child actor role, and it amazed me to know that this movie, alongside 2 movies with Jet Li and one with Chow Yun Fatt had been made within the span of the same year despite being released separately. For that reason, I didn't really mind how this movie's plot don't really make sense because the scenes with young Xie Miao had been fun and very cute. And you can already notice how Miao had been getting better at acting since New Legend of Shaolin (and his performance for that was already good despite still being a novice actor), like he already able to perform a comedic scenes aside from stoic role he played as Hong Manting.

Ng Man Tat as always was so funny, that even with the weird and random plotline as this movie, he can still make people laugh with his comedic act.

Watching this old movie now, almost 30 years later was an interesting experience. Like you can look at Xie Miao 's performance and recognize some traits of him that still remains until now. Like yeah, you can just stare at that little boy and see how much that boy had grown so much now.

Read More

"Go forward with a clear heart like the blue sky"

This Happy Life was a propaganda film that felt like it drew from the much later films Mary Poppins (1964) and Chocolat (2000). Naruse Mikio wove a magical tale of a family who moved into a small community and spread their creative brand of happiness.

During WWII a small town’s citizens grumble about everyday annoyances. The barrel maker’s hammering gets on people’s nerves. The clock repairman’s clocks won't synchronize. Spouses argue and snipe at each other and nearly everyone is generally cranky. The Soma family moves in and the consensus is that the newcomers are weird. As Soma and his daughters spread their optimism, kindness, and lessons in frugality, a warm change begins to creep over the prickly residents.

This film was a lesson in I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. And reframing events to put a positive spin on them. Don’t throw those potato peels away—when fried they are a German delicacy. An egg was the embodiment of chicken breasts and filling. Water puddles became a scene of anthropomorphized dancing raindrops. Anything was possible if you put your mind to it. Even the annoying drumming of the barrel maker became the rhythm for an uplifting song.

Given that the film was released in 1944 the writing was on the wall for the Japanese military. This film encouraged people to keep their spirits up, let nothing go to waste, and do what they could to help their country and community. It wasn't overtly patriotic and militaristic, much of the film’s message would have been apropos to the Great Depression or any time of hardship. Except the part about having children to support the population dwindling due to the war.

I enjoy films where an outsider comes to town and gives the people a new perspective on life and helps to heal old wounds and attitudes. (See Chocolat above). While Naruse could be heavy handed at times the film succeeded in encouraging the townsfolk to find the joy around them using a large dose of imagination and gentle humor.

15 July 2026

Read More

You got exactly what you wanted, at the cost of everything you've ever known

No one in the house 89 deserved the ending they had, be it sad or be it happy .

For a film that has such good visuals, the plot sucks; it could have been better. Also I am someone who can't turn off my brain while watching the movie, so better scripts always fascinate me. It itches my brain to think about how the whole plot felt so dumb and every terrible thing that happened could've been avoided.. its like the characters were just there for the sake of it but not really connecting with ANYTHING. literally no backstory of them .The ending was Not a good idea
It took TOO late for her to protect herself


Cinematography and top-notch acting by all cast!! The scene where the main leads lay together on a stretcher??? Peak peak acting without any dialogues , the male lead made me his fan with this specific scene .
The 2ml ( is he really the 2ml) they tried to give some touch of love triangle but it was more like a platonic trio and a couple.
I liked how Pran wanted to give her a choice to run or stay in the first half, and then in the second half he wanted her to choose him , like ehhhh? that's NOT how choice works

Read More

Undeserved Backlash

Many viewers are criticizing this movie because they believe it portrays a teacher-student dynamic that involves grooming, but I completely disagree.

I researched what the director, writers, and actresses have said about the characters' pasts, and none of them have ever mentioned this. Based on what is actually shown in the film, there is never any explicit age gap established between the two main leads. Even in the flashbacks, they look roughly the same age.

I suspect people are assuming there is a teacher-student relationship simply because of one flashback scene set inside a classroom. This rumor is unfounded, and it is frustrating to see it ruin the movie's overall rating.

Read More

A very good final entry to the OUaTiC film series.

I was kinda surprised that no one bothered to write any reviews for this movie, cos I can never get tired of rewatching this movie over and over again.

Just as one thought there would be no more continuation to the OUaTiC series since the disaster of the fifth, we got another one, which is set in western America. And to make it better, Jet Li has returned to reprise his role as Wong Feihong alongside Rosamund Kwan and Hung Yanyan as Siu Kwan and Ah Chat. Ah So is also in this movie, which made sense... since he would be a reason why a new PCL branch could be placed in America anyway. Also, for once, Leung Foon was not included in the returning cast and I'm very glad about it. Because I felt that Leung Foon was only in the past movies just to act silly and be a perv, which may stem from the setting when Yuen Biao was playing him.

I could barely recall how happy I used to be as a child when I heard that Jet LI would be reprising his Wong Feihong role. It's always a pleasure to watch him on screen with Rosamund Kwan and I had fun watching this movie. So this time, Feihong, Siu Kwan and Ah Chat head to America to visit Ah So... and in the middle of it, they met with a cowboy named Billy. Somehow, afterwards, the convoy was attacked by a group of Red Indians and the trio ended up falling into the river before they got separated. Siu Kwan and Ah Chat were soon rescued by Chinese miners at the fort town nearby, but Feihong ended up losing his memory and was taken in by a different Indian tribe.

Got to say it was really fun watching this movie. It was really amusing to see Feihong trying to practice his English in what Jet Li would often refer to as his Limited English Company mode, and to see his interaction with the Indians and later the other Americans at the fort town. And it was a nice homage to the past movies as Ah Chat tried to trigger Feihong's memories by posing as two of Feihong's past enemies, though it was never explained how he knew about them.

Something that I like to point out here is how different Jet Li's portrayal of Wong Feihong was compared to Vincent Zhou's. And you can clearly see it from how Feihong was shown in this movie, where, while he was still amnesiac and living with the Indian tribe, a daughter of the tribal chief had taken a liking to him. And Feihong treated her as nicely and politely as he possibly could while remaining clueless about the latter's affection. He also behaved the same way to Siu Kwan and got angry when she suddenly took back Feihong's ring, not knowing its significance. Cos back then Siu Kwan was a stranger to him and the chief's daughter was his benefactor. But Feihong never act too flirty to the daughter even while amnesiac, which was a stark difference with how Vincent's Feihong acts towards Lady Miao and 14th aunt.

Also, when he regained his memories, Feihong still had his awkward moments in trying to show his feelings towards Siu Kwan, but he still does try his best to care for his fiancée. This was something that was missing in Vincent's portrayal, and what was endearing about Feihong's and Siu Kwan's relationship. I also love the budding friendship Ah Chat had with Billy despite the language barrier. And I love the running jokes about Feihong's long speeches.

Read More

Murayama's Departure was beautiful

Instead of the main story and new main characters in this movie, I found myself more invested in Murayama's departure story from Oya High School, along with the story of Housen Academy's leader Ueda Sachio, and Todoroki.

This movie still had great fights and good music. I think the main story is done pretty well. I still liked it, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it were an independent movie, not a sequel from the High & Low franchise. It didn't touch me so much as the original High&Low story, with the original characters. I think one of the reasons would be that the plot was very similar to the previous series and movies, which I'm already so familiar with. Besides, it didn't give the same vibe as I had expected. What I loved the most from the High&Low saga, besides great action scenes and distinct theme songs created for each gang, was strong brotherhood, and found family vibe and unique street vibe. It felt like the gangs in S.W.O.R.D district were fighting for something important to them. As it was mentioned throughout the series, the gangs used their fists to protect their friends, brothers, family, women, and also the whole district from big yakuza corporations and corrupt government officials.

In this movie, besides the story of trying to bring back a friend who was choosing the wrong path due to misfortune, which was basically the main theme of the High&Low franchise, the new main characters' purpose is just to constantly pick fights with different rivals to prove their strength and power. It's pretty understandable to me too, as most of them are teenagers and I guess perhaps that's a normal attitude of boys at that age. What confused me a bit was that I felt like they were trying to normalize that attitude and made those young boys look like they were heroes. I actually disliked some new students in Oya High School, but luckily they were not the main characters and didn't have much screen time.

As I have mentioned above, the spotlight of this movie for me was Murayama's departure from Oya High School and his journey into adulthood. Despite Murayama's little screen time, I loved every moment he appeared, including his second fight scene with Todoroki, his wise words given towards the junior students in Oya High School, him at his part-time job, his appearance with his iconic truck, the final big fight against the bad guys in the area, and his iconic line before every fight. It was really nice to see how humble and polite Murayama became at work, in the world outside Oya High School. He was gradually changing and learning to be accept new challenges in life other than being the leader of Oya High School. His departure from Oya High School was inevitable and necessary for his own growth. He was ready for a new chapter in life. I'm happy for him, and glad that I was able to witness his last moments in Oya High School.

I also loved the way Murayama was trying to call Cobra for an advice and for a casual talk, like between close friends. It was another beautiful scene to me. Until now, my top favorite individual fight scene in the whole High&Low saga was still the solo fight between Cobra and Murayama from the first series. I'm so happy to see how far they had become.

My other favorite parts in this movie belong to Housen Academy's leader Ueda Sachio. Shison Jun is one of my favorite actors and he was so cool in this movie, from his look, facial expressions, actions, to his badass fight scenes. Everything was perfect. I wish he had more screen time. He seemed to be an interesting character that I would love to learn more about, and his relationship with our main character Fujio was pretty interesting too. I guess they would become good friends in the future.

Oh, Tettsu and Chiharu appeared again in this movie. This time they appeared together in one scene. They were still a comedic duo as always. It would be nice if Dan could be there too. By the way, Tettsu had a new hairstyle again, which was also nice, but I still loved his dreadlocks style the most.

Read More

Interesting concept but messy execution - "Imperfect Communication indeed"

Colony offers a new concept that is quite intriguing at the start, especially with its biomedical setup. However, it overall lacks proper execution. Many character arcs are left unfinished or have highly unsatisfying endings. For example, Ji Chang-wook and Go Soo's characters becoming infected isn't the issue itself; the problem is that once they are infected, they are never mentioned or talked about again. This makes their roles feel like filler.Despite this, the film has notable highlights and subtle details. Koo Kyo-hwan smiling at Jun Ji-hyun each time his point—"the problem with humans is imperfect communication"—is proven is an excellent touch. The way he smirks when someone betrays her and human greed takes over their humanity is a great, understated detail. Overall, it is a good film to watch once, but except for Jun Ji-hyun and Koo Kyo-hwan, no other characters are explored, leaving the story feeling unfinished.

Read More