Reviews

The classic relationship: one of the members of the couple dominates and the other is dominated

Produced by Lu Po Wen and Li Yun Ming, the director and producer of the three parts of 'Ghost Boyfriend', 'River Knows Fish Heart' revolves around the romance of two high school students Situ Xiao Yu (Chinese name that translates such as "Little Fish"), a rich young man who runs away from home and pursues his dream of being a musician, and An He (literally "River"), a musical genius who is experiencing composer's block.
Written and directed by Lv Bowen, the romantic, musical and youth drama with an LGBT+ theme addresses topics such as campus life, coexistence, coming of age, obsession and the power difference in a relationship in which one of one member of the couple dominates and the other is dominated.
The two enthusiastic music lovers with parental problems, played by Zhen Jia Jian and Meng Yue Chen, respectively, decide to live together after meeting at the school to which Xiao Yu has transferred after leaving his parents' home.
As they organize their lives to participate in the musical competition, a subtle and elusive feeling arises between the two of them. However, the day before the event, Xiao Yu disappears, leaving An He in an embarrassing situation, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
Despite their different personalities, between the athletic Xiao Yu with a cold smile, mysterious eyes and bad boy vibe, and the bright student with a tender, innocent and childish look An He, love arises. When Xiao Yu sees their relationship threatened, he explains his actions as follows: "I'm just a little fish in the river. It's just my human nature to protect my habitat from being invaded."
Needing to move after disagreements with his father, Xiao Yi enters the house and, above all, An He's life. Soon the visitor will leave the living room couch and take up space on the shy teenager's bed, despite the fact that he repeatedly rejects his seductive but dominant roommate.
Using old school kinky and problematic tropes such as dominant boy and dominated boy, 'River Knows Fish Heart' touches on themes of communication, consent and self-acceptance.
The film enters 'Addicted' territory, only this time with the muscular, seme athlete who falls madly in love with the tender, nerdy uke and decides to take charge of his life and protect him even from his mother, who has never heard his son sing or play. the piano or the guitar.
The character of Zheng Jia Jian is not innocent at all: with his 185 centimeters of height, an athletic and slightly bossy body, on the other hand he has plenty of inspiring vibes that find resonance in a contemporary youth who feels identified by making them dream. Furthermore, his dominant traits and the way he penetrates An He's life until he breaks him really makes the viewer want to be in the position of the dominated boy.
Lovers of the genre will enjoy the most daring scene in 'River Knows Fish Heart', in which we can see how Xiao Yu forces his roommate to kiss him in the bathroom, erotically whispering: "I want to possess every inch of your skin." Even more sensual is that the film offers us scenes of hot kisses and tender and very well-done sexual interactions.
An He's cold, reserved, and even hostile demeanor soon transforms into that of someone warm, sensitive, and friendly. He is a tsundere in all the rules. For his part, the seme Xiao Yu is very aggressive; so the dynamic between the two directly enters another territory, dubcon or "dubious consent", since consent on An He's part is not completely absent, but the situation has certain elements that in real life could be interpreted as a rape.
The relationship between An He and Xiao Yu is the classic blouse and pants combination. Or put another way, it exposes the nature of 'yin and yang' style. When the two energies complement and balance each other is when they achieve a harmonious and happy relationship.
In order to bring to life this cliché story of a bad boy who overpowers the innocent high school student, the director summons two idols admired by the younger generation in China: Meng Yue Chen and Zhen Jia Jian.
Both actors were born to play this type of cute young men who make up the ideal couple for fans who enjoy gay romance.
The first is a musician, Dai dance dancer and actor who in the world of acting became known precisely with this film, but has subsequently participated in the dramas 'Capture Love', 'In Your Heart', the documentary ' Capture Love Special', always playing queer characters, and the film 'Yin Yuan', among other works.
'River Knows Fish Heart' is a film in which Men Yue Chen can, in addition to demonstrating his histrionic qualities, expose his skills as a singer and musician: he plays the acoustic guitar and lets us hear his beautiful and well-pitched voice.
After the premiere of 'River Knows Fish Heart', Meng Yue Chen becomes an Internet phenomenon and is considered by the public to be China's new (gay) girlfriend for his tender look, his fair skin and his beautiful features.
The passionate and moving acting skills of Zhen Jia Jian, who among the youth audience of his country has earned the title of being the personification of attractive and sexy, allows us to remember him for playing Cheng Yue in 'Love Is Not Easy to Have' or Xiao Jie in the drama 'French Love', both with LGBT+ themes.
Audiences will find it difficult to forget two other lines said by his character: "I feel like my dream is not important because I found someone more important than my dream," referring to having left behind his passion for music after finding the love of his life in Little An He, or "This river doesn't need that fish, but without it there isn't much fun."
At the same time, the film also marks the debut of Han Jing Cheng in the role of Wang Zheng. The viewer will remember him for being the protagonist of the films 'Ghost Boyfriend 2' and 'Love Is Not Easy to Have', and the drama series 'Capture Lover', all with LGBT+ themes.
Due to the success of the film, after playing Xiao Yi, Zheng Jia Jian then manages to play another homosexual character in 'Love is not Easy to Have', another famous Chinese film, in which these last two actors will join. Along with Han Jing Cheng, Zheng Jia Jian plays another gay couple with a lot of chemistry and visual beauty that steals sighs from Chinese and international audiences.
According to the director, to represent this story much more clearly, he tried to demonstrate the connection between love and dreams by making the protagonists experience the contradictory mentality of their characters, expecting them to carry out the shyness of teenage romance.

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A film that tells us about unrequited love

Jhih Wei and Yi De are two best friends who dream of always being close to each other. While the first studies at the university, the second plans to follow in his footsteps and enter the same house of higher education the following year to become his junior.
One weekend night, Jhih Wei sleeps in Yi De's bed. The next morning, as Yi De prepares to go out to meet his girlfriend, Jhih Wei thinks that he would really like not to go home yet. .
And everything could be as young people dream, but a secret comes between the two: Jhih Wei is in love with his friend who is not only heterosexual, but also has a girlfriend named Yu Wen (Andrey Fong) whom he loves madly. , causing him to choose to hide his feelings.
Starring Mike Lee as Jhih Wei and Li-Hsin Chien as Yi De, 'Not Going Home Yet' (晚歸), also known as 'WAn Gui, Wan Kuei' (晚归), is a drama romantic Taiwanese LGBT+ theme that tells us about unrequited love.
Here the trick is played by our heads... In love, Jhih Wei's brain instinctively looks for any sign of reciprocity in the other person to keep the flame alive... and he is able to see authentic declarations of love where there is only companionship, kindness and politeness, such as giving you a body massage, asking you to give you the towel you forgot to take with you to the bathroom, or inviting you to spend a night out in your company.
Produced, edited, written and directed by Alan Chen, the film, which is only 15 minutes long, exposes Jhih Wei's suffering over his unrequited crush. Sharing time and doing things with Yi De is making Jhih Wei suffer. Have you finally accepted the situation that your friend is straight and he is gay and nothing will ever happen between the two? Have you understood that it makes no sense to continue feeding and fantasizing about that impossible love?
Alan Chen also manages with his work as a set designer to convey to the viewer the sadness and pessimism that surrounds the main protagonist towards the end of the short film. After Jhih Wei accepts his friend's invitation to go to dinner at a restaurant after meeting his girlfriend, Jhih Wei will reject the dinner when he finds out that Yu Wen will join them, and alone, on his scooter, he will travel the streets. streets of Taipei on the way home. Belle Cheng, the director of photography, delivers beautiful interior and exterior images, both day and night.
The film does not reveal to us if Jhih Wei wants to maintain the friendship or, as happens with breakups, he needs some time to manage to be able to see Yi De as a friend again.

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Exorcism for me and you

I came to this movie after watching the "Exuma" and I can say that between these two movies there are many similarities in both the atmosphere and the structure of the movie. Although this is a short movie, it is divided into chapters whose names are written over the screen in English, Korean and Chinese language. The difference is that here it is about demonic possession, and in "Exhuma" it is about the dead who have not found their peace. Also, similarly, the center of the action is on the characters, so here the deacon who participates in the exorcism is even more important then the act of exorcism itself.

I really liked the movie. It is quite intense and scary, but also comforting in a way. I personally participated in two exorcisms, and I never wanted to do them again because, to be honest, I am afraid of darkness and evil. That's why this movie has a good message. We all have bad experiences and dark areas of our life, but if we want to live in the light, we cannot run away from the darkness, we must face it and overcome it. Therefore, we all need some kind of exorcism, some sort of cleansing and liberation.

PS. If you want to know the whole story of this short movie watch "The Priests" (2015).

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Hit and miss

The movie was an interesting watch, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. While it was definitely weird, quirky, and campy, the humor and storyline could have been better fleshed out. Having watched the Chinese adaptation of the movie, I know the potential for hilarity and absurdity that this type of movie can offer, and unfortunately, this version of the movie didn't quite live up to that standard. Nonetheless, the movie did have its moments and the villain's plan was intriguing, despite not being explored in much detail. I'm looking forward to a potential sequel and seeing how the story develops.

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disappointing

Exhuma promised spine-chilling horror but delivered predictable scares and a lackluster plot. Despite its atmospheric cinematography, the film relies too heavily on clichés and fails to innovate within the genre. Jump scares feel telegraphed, and the central mystery lacks depth, leaving viewers unsatisfied. While the cast delivers solid performances, they're stifled by a script that fails to engage
Visually, "Exhuma" delivers in spades, with atmospheric cinematography and expertly crafted set pieces that serve to heighten the sense of impending doom. From dimly lit corridors to decrepit graveyards, every location exudes an aura of malevolence, inviting viewers to lose themselves in the film's sinister world.However, where "Exhuma" truly falters is in its execution of scares and plot development. Despite the best efforts of the cast and crew, including standout performances from the lead actors, the film struggles to deliver genuine moments of terror. Jump scares are telegraphed well in advance, robbing them of their intended impact, while the central mystery lacks the complexity and depth needed to sustain interest. Ultimately, Exhuma falls short of my expectations.

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Overhyped movie?

This movie is good, one of the overhyped movie this year it considered as one of the top grossing movie this year maybe because of the castibg. I don't understand why it is talked about its not one of the best thrilling movies that I saw its just a typical ritual movie the story is very common.
The movie is not that bad its just a common story not that scary at all. The casting is great, they got the best actors in this film and they really did their best. The cinematography is great they got the best shots. It was nicely done.
Kim go Eun did a great job, she really nailed as a shaman, she really did the shaman chant excellently. I really love his acting here.
Lee Do Hyun is really given that his a good actor but he also did his exceptional acting skills in this film. But what caught my attention is that he looks hotter in this film.
Overall the movie is great and common, not worhy for an award.

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"I may be a bad man but I can be sincere"

Walk Cheerfully was the second of Ozu Yasujiro’s crime films from the 1930’s. Before he endlessly contemplated how modernization affected the traditional family, he directed this film about a gangster who fell in love with a good woman and turned his life upside-down.

Kenji the Knife and his crime buddy Senko work together to steal wallets and blackmail people. Kenji is involved with a hard-hearted dame named Chieko. One day he sees a beautiful woman picking up a diamond ring in a store. As fate would have it afterwards, he almost literally runs into her and her sister in his car and gives them a lift. From then on he is completely smitten with Yasue while his friends think he is playing her for her money. Yasue has her own problems at work as a typist due to a pervy boss who thinks she would jump at the chance to be with him. Her mother advises against her quitting as she is the sole breadwinner in their little family. Kenji and Yasue begin to see each other until Chieko tells her what he does for a living. Kenji has to decide if he loves Yasue enough to go the straight and narrow for her.

This early Ozu film would be hard to peg as one of his. The simplest reason was that he was not the screenwriter for this film as he was for his more famous films. His directorial style was unlike his post WWII films, too. There was a great deal of movement as he hadn’t solidified his filming from the mat style. He was still in his filming feet stage as there were at least three scenes with people’s shoes. While each frame was well composed the sets reflected Kenji’s grittier lifestyle in lieu of the picturesque compositions he would use later. People talked more naturally instead of staring head on toward the camera. There were still the geometrically inspired shots and loving attention to everyday objects. This film had a light comedic touch often shown through the gangsters walking and dancing in sync.

I enjoyed this film more than Dragnet Girl which revolved around a gangster falling in love with a good traditional woman, too. Like that film, Yasue wore traditional clothes and the gangster moll wore western attire. Takada Minoru was suave as the gangster wooing Kawasaki Hiroko’s Yasue. Yoshitani Hisao as Kenji’s friend Senko had a comfortable chemistry with Takada. The buddies supported each other in their life new goals while a third crime partner as well as the moll couldn’t let go of the criminal way of life or Kenji. Sakamoto Takeshi who appeared in several Ozu films through the years portrayed Yasue’s lecherous boss.

For a silent film, Walk Cheerfully was an easy watch as the story was straightforward. A bad boy falls in love with a good girl. He changes his way of life for her and must decide when things get tough whether to fall back into his old ways. The intertitles made the story comprehensible and the actors gave thoughtful performances that clearly showed their emotions without overacting. While there were a few slow areas, overall the film was an enjoyable watch.

28 April 2024

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shorter movie that focuses on bullying and discrimnation

Overall: although it's very low budget, I gave them points for trying to address serious real world problems in about 43 minutes. Aired on YouTube https://youtu.be/p3vl7la7-oA?si=OVtJfstzAUw1aF55

Content Warnings: near suicide, sexual assault, bullying including physical bullying, cyberbullying, non con picture taking/sharing, unwanted public outing, held against will, manipulation, violence/punch, homophobia

What I Liked
- the scene of them eating ice cream
- addressing issues like homophobia, marriage inequality, bullying
- friend called out the teacher and the bullies
- supportive parents

Room For Improvement
- they shouldn't have had the friend do that if they wanted the viewer to want two characters together
- bleeping the Thai swear words was distracting, they likely would have been fine with not bleeping them on YouTube
- not translating text messages
- subtitles, though I didn't really take off points for this because at least they added something
- an open ending with the m/m romance aspect

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Story: A collection of erotic shorts about men fantasizing about other men in uniforms.

Acting: No better than amateur porn stars.

Music: Maybe the sound of beeping horns can even lull you to sleep.

Rewatch Value: Not bored enough to do so again.

Overall Impression: This feature is actually just glorified porn trying to pass as avant-garde film. The stream of consciousness monologuing may impart some life truths that may seem profound, but they are overly gratuitous. I will not totally give this a zero though, but maybe an F for F-fort.

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Umm...

Actually, I initially couldn't bear to continue this movie. At first, the female lead's character was so bad as that is one of the people I disdain the most. The peer pressure, gaslighting, etc., she did make me uncomfortable. So, I dropped it. Then, for some reason, I picked it up again.

I thought that the "Professor" would date her after she turned 18, a legal age. However, I was proved wrong lol. But then, I tried to understand him. He probably thought he didn't have much longer to live, so he pushed it. Otherwise, he couldn't contain his feelings, but as an adult who is 18 years older, he should have been rational. But then again, regardless of his reasons, I wished that he hadn't given the girl any hope, or maybe he could, but he should have firmly rejected her, considering his situation, their age gap, and her still being a minor. She might have experienced awful things at a young age which caused her to mature way too early, but that's the more reason.

I don't know what occurred that made him suddenly kiss her and take one closer step into the relationship as she even got into his house. Still, I was disappointed.

Though I'm glad that the female lead had character development, for some reason, it felt too sudden. I can understand why she cut off her previous relations, but not in a way that she suddenly became soft-hearted. For me, there should have been an additional drive that changed her step-by-step. Anyway, as for the acting, I don't know, I think it lacks a little.

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As if you actually live in the manga

Disclaimer: I read the mangas, years and years ago
Story-wise.
All I can say is that, I would like to see these casts in a series. It was just too short for me who read all the manga, even up to Angel Hearts. But the blend of one part of the full storyline with the other part as it creates a cohesive story is quite nicely done. 90/100
Characters.
They portrayed the characters with almost perfect scores. The costumes, cars, apartment, even Ryo's way of standing, the way he moves and all of his quirky anecdotes are very much displayed there. Kaori's and Saeko's characters also almost fully fleshed out as well. Can't be too perfect though since we can't have a 200t hammer swinging all around every time, but the denim jacket is spot on for Kaori. Attention to details are 98/100

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone that have interest in a funny action drama movie. Perhaps, similar to Jackie Chan's movies.

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An exploration of the growing drag culture within Taiwan's queer landscape

The 2021 short film 'Best Sisters Forever' revolves around the elegant Xue Rong / "Snow" (Heng-Chi Kuo) and the fun and frivolous A Du / "Cavon" (Soda Voyu), two gay "sisters" best friends, who after having a heated discussion about issues of promiscuity, end up distancing themselves from each other.
A tragic event allows the reunion of the two "sisters" a decade later. Knowing that their days together are numbered, the couple embarks on an adventure in hopes of recapturing lost opportunities and creating happy memories. Along the way, they make important discoveries about life, love, friendship, and family. Promises are kept and a long lost dream comes true.
The year after releasing 'Your Name Engraved Herein', a film shortlisted for four awards at the 57th Golden Horse Awards 2020, Liu Kuang Hui (Patrick Liu) offers in 'Best Sisters Forever' an authentic vision of the drag sisterhood in that Asian island.
Associated with GagaOOLala, the Taiwanese director explores the growing drag culture within Taiwan's queer landscape, and reflects on questions of identity, empowerment, bonds and brotherhood within the flamboyant Taiwanese community.
To this end, the film features original performances by some of Taiwan's most famous drag queens at Taipei's most iconic LGBT venue, the historic Red House in Ximending District.
"What has always fascinated me is this special sense of bond or brotherhood that exists between members of the gay community but is rarely talked about or discussed in the mainstream. "So, this is where I wanted to play with this idea of ​​'sisterhood' and create a story around it specifically in the context of drag," Liu says when premiering the work.
With the intention of visualizing 'drag' and brotherhood within the community, Liu calls on two of the most important actors in the Taiwanese entertainment industry: Heng-Chi Kuo and Soda Voyu.
The first is a singer, director and composer who makes his official screen debut as an actor in this film. In addition to acting, Heng-Chi Kuo performs the main theme of the film: "Don't Rub Salt on the Wound", a song composed in 1999 for A-Mei, the singer considered a gay icon and defender of Taiwanese indigenous and LGBT+ rights throughout the Mandarin-speaking world.
For his part, Soda Voyu is an outstanding actor, winner of the Golden Bell Award, with an extensive filmography, which includes the film 'Tale of the Lost Boys', from 2017, the drama 'Magic Showdown', from that same year, 'iHero 2' and 'Your Name Engraved Herein'.
Thanks to 'Best Friends Forever', both actors play drag characters in a film for the first time, an experience that both together describe as "very entertaining but challenging, a special project that was worth pursuing, especially for its deep cause and the "so necessary drag defense."
Best Sisters Forever is the third installment of GagaOOLala's 2021 anthology 'Queer Up The Volume', a collection of original queer stories, each with their own title track and music video, aiming to portray the different facets of the community. contemporary queer.
The Queer Up The Volume project also includes other titles, such as the second season of GagaOOLala's successful Thai-Taiwanese BL co-production series, 'Call It What You Want 2', by Anusorn Soisa-ngim (Aam); 'Light', from director Adiamond Lee and starring Jed Chung, Max Liu and Ding Ning; the Taiwanese BL drama 'Dark Blue and Moonlight', and 'Fragrance of the First Flower', the lesbian miniseries by director Angel Teng (Bao Bao), winner of the first prize of the GagaOOLala Pitching Sessions 2020.

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