Reviews

Very Disney esque

I wouldn't say I liked it, but I wouldn't say I hated it also. It's just "eehh... it's aight" because I rarely watch Disney-esque movies anymore unless I'm forced by my sister or cousin.

The story was fine, but they really took their time on the childhood part, I was like "They are carefully setting up the story, huh?" it's not like fast-paced random flashes of scenes and then time skip to teenager. Once you get past that, it'll start rolling, but then again, once it got to the witch part, they kinda got stuck, In my opinion, the writer kinda overwritten that part, because they spent so much time in there, by the time that finished, the ML was like "Oh yeah, I forgot what my true goal was" and then resumed rolling the story. To be fair it kinda helped with ML's growth, but again that part was just too long for me because by the time we got to FL, she barely had any screentime for exploration, It was just like *snap* *snap* *snap* things started happening.

As for the characters, I don't know... no one really stood out to me, but they are all funny, I'll give them that. I guess, just to pick someone, probably the most memorable would be 'Yu yu' because of the things that she kept doing in order to satisfy her own desires, it looked horrible on paper, but they came out as funny moments on the movie, and to be honest, I was just here because of her actress 'Zhou Ye'. ML, 2nd FL, and the Witch had good dynamic; as for ML and FL, I didn't really feel the chemistry between them. That child actor for ML at the beginning was good despite his age. I was amazed.

The acting. I didn't really notice it until I got in deep, but it felt like I was watching a theatrical play, add some singing scenes, and then you got a western-like fairy tale movie. Like I said, this film is like Disney-esque. When I realized it, I was like "Yeah, I'm noticing it now, it feels like they are acting like they are in a theater" Now, I'm not implying that as bad, but it just felt like a change of pace for me.

So yeah... overall, it's aight. I would probably enjoy this when I was still into fairytale stuff.

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"I'm going to get revenge, I hope I see you later!"

The Brave Archer was Chang Cheh’s take on Legend of the Condors. This movie was the first of four following Kuo Tsing’s adventures. Chang was known for ushering in the more machismo and bloody era of kung fu so this film focusing on a romance was a rare departure for him.

This film moved hard and fast through the source material. It had the longest intro of any kung fu movie I’ve ever seen. Not only did it have the typical narration explaining the basic historical setting but also the different characters and which group they belonged to during the opening on a stage. As someone who has not read the book it was my first clue that this two-hour film was going to be packed with characters with little time to develop.

The story began with the classic tale of two babies separated and trained by different people, babies who were born to be blood brothers but who ended up on opposite sides. Alexander Fu Sheng played the “clumsy, slow” but good-hearted Kuo Tsing who was trained by the 7 Weirds. He runs afoul of the deadly Iron Corpse Mui Chiu Fung. Later he befriends Huang Yung dressed as a boy with romance soon to blossom. There were not one, but two battles for marriage scenarios, someone came back from the dead, a large snake played a role in Kuo’s development as did two other masters he made the acquaintance of.

Famous kung fu faces passed by in nearly every scene. Alexander Fu Sheng played a perfect not too bright hero. Tien Niu as Huang was a fiery companion for him. Five actors from the Five Deadly Venoms had special appearances. Ku Feng made for an entertaining 9 Fingered Beggar, and one of my favorites to see. Johnny Wang in silver lamé looked every inch a bad guy. Kara Hui had a short, but important role along with Dick Wei. Yu Hoi Lun played the female fighter so fierce with her lethal Skeleton Claw technique that most of the men in her path ran away. There were four female warriors and not a bare breast in sight, just competent women.

The fights were unimpressive. Most of them were kung fu posing and not very fast. At least Ku Feng knew how to keep them interesting with his acting. Yu Hoi Lun scared her opponents with her fierceness rather than lightning speed. Philip Kwok showed off his athleticism with his slightly mad master in an awful wig. Shaw Brothers didn’t scrimp on the sets where all the action took place, including Peach Blossom Island.

If you’ve watched one of the dramas based on Jin Yong’s books or read the books themselves, this will likely look like a highlight reel. If you don’t have any experience with either, like me, the characters are tough to keep up with. I had to make a cheat sheet to remember the different characters and factions involved as the action moved quickly from one group to another and then suddenly came to a dead stop. For a 1977 Shaw Brothers movie it looked good and for a Chang Cheh 1970’s kung fu film it was a more well-rounded story than many of his were.

10 March 2024

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A film worth watching - but maybe not for its plot

As has been an unfortunate theme in Be On Cloud's "KinnPorsche" and now "Man Suang", the plot suffers quite heavily from inconsistencies where everything else is absolutely excellent. I absolutely adored the dancing scenes and getting to immerse myself more in the culture of the country my mother grew up in. It feels like I get to connect with a part of myself that often ends up in the background given I don't live there and never have, only visited a handful of times. It was all portrayed very well; I loved the music, the detail of their training and the choreography. I just wish there had been more of it, since the Thai culture was what was the main focus of how this film was initially promoted.

I liked how the characters were written and performed, though their role in the story often made little sense. A lot of it was confusing, as was the pacing which would sometimes be too slow but sometimes so fast that it became impossible to keep up with what was happening and why. It's unfortunate, because I had very much looked forward to Man Suang, and it ended up falling flat because of these aspects. If one looks away from the plot entirely and just wants to watch this film for its portrayal of Thai culture from an age past, you've come to the right place. Set your expectations accordingly, and you'll have a wonderful time. For the most part, I did- but there were times where I couldn't ignore trying to make sense of the plot.

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THIS IS SO GOOD WTF

I am literally bawling my eyes out. WHY THE FUCK DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO WATCH THIS??????? Literally masterpiece. I am bawling my eyes out. I actually never cry while watching a movie but this just got me. To grow old with your lover and to die peacefully and live together in heaven ahhhhhhhhhhh my eyes is becoming a waterfall. The story is so good, so sweat and so beautiful. I will never forgive myself for putting this on hold for so long. At first I thought it would be some cheesy highschool bl but it was not at all. This is beautiful. JBL definitely knows how to punch your gut. I will always have high hopes for JBL. They really know how to give us Q U A L I T Y. literally one of the best jbl ever. If you haven't watched this go do it right NOW. Not even a request but a threat. Drop whatever you are doing a watch it NOW.

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Bigger dissapointement than expected

I was looking forward a k-drama shot in Europe. Yet let me tell you that you can see they don't know anything about the crountry where the action did take place.
For a while i thought this was 80' until a saw one of the caractere with some kind of ipad.
Let me remind you this the capital of Europe... so why does the last scenes at the airport looks like a small town train station ?
Also, in Belgium mainly Brussels, everything is always bilingual in French AND Dutch. So here, a bit more research would have helped and avoid casting a vilain with a very thick french accent (and not belgian) or police officier which can't even pronounce the name of the city !
But thumbs up to the korean actor taking on the advocate role , even thought i did not seem the most natural , its speach did sound like a foreign speaking french.
During the whole story there wasn't any "friendly" european, juste one bad encounter after an other one .Instead we got the stereotypical gangster (more russian mafia )


Regarding the plot :
The story touch a lot of topic without going into them or solutions to solve a situation did not make sense ( why pretenting to be chinese to get a job ? also you can get a job without any paper ?!!)
If they wanted to make a "social "interest film, they should have restricted the topics to the refugee theme (

Overall the film felt unrealistic and immature to me.

I rated the music because you have to but I didn’t pay attention to it honestly.

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A tale of resilience and patience

A film about illegal immigration, seeking refuge, and the right to live, ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ aims at showing us the grim reality of immigration and life as a nomad. Loh Kiwan, played by Song Joong-ki, is a young North Korean defector who is forced to enter Belgium in a desperate attempt to survive. Enduring harsh conditions as the Belgian government determines his fate, he meets Marie, a drug addict seeking refuge from her troubled reality. Their survival amid the odds serves as the basic premise of the film.
The film masterfully juxtaposes the main plotline with a secondary narrative involving Marie’s entanglement with nefarious elements. While this subplot adds depth to her character, it occasionally falters in its execution, with certain aspects feeling less compelling than others. While grappling with technical shortcomings, the film’s central message of hope and resilience shines through, leaving viewers with a profound sense of reflection and empathy for the struggles of refugees. My Name is Loh Kiwan stands as a testament to the power of love to transcend barriers and illuminate the darkest corners of the human experience.

My Rating : 7.5/10

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One of my top BLs of all time

I like shorts but I don't usually LOVE them; I'm unable to get fully invested in the characters or stories. Not the case with this one. After only 25 minutes or so, I felt like I'd known and loved all three characters all my life and was rooting like crazy for the two romantic leads. There was not a wasted second and yet it didn't feel rushed at all. Beautifully filmed; I could feel the heat, grass and sand, taste the apples, felt like I was right there. The acting was pitch-perfect and the chemistry was palpable.

Rewatch value is through the roof; not only is this a tender, satisfying story I want to revisit often, but the time commitment of less than half an hour makes that much more feasible than some of my other, much longer BLs that I'd like to find time to rewatch.

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I Will Never Forgive You For What You Did to JJ

So.... Spoiler-Free: Girl is "sick", dad packs her up to head to the abbey for "medicine", she meets a tiny albino boy. 12 years later, goes to abbey again, meets much taller and well-built albino boy. Tragic romance ensues.

Not much else to say except that the actors did their absolute best with the material and I'm proud of all of them. Where this movie lacks is in the story. Again spoiler-free, let's just say the adults are missing ALL the logic, and are just acting like they think essential oils are going to fix everything.

I still love and support you, JJ, and will do my best to see the good in this.

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A little too hopeless for me

I really like this movie, but not the ending, I honestly don't really understand why he had to kill in the end, I guess it's the only way to successfully run away, but I would've liked it if Yeon-gyu and the older brother had survived together, or that there was a twist where the killing was a set up so that they could all run away together. I mean I know the title is called "hopeless" but I thought there would be a more fulfilling ending, or at least some sort of twist. By joining the gang he really gained nothing, it would've been easier to just run away with Hyeon in the beginning if everyone was going to die at the end.

Also really loved the cast, the acting was top tier and I am a huge fan of Bibi's acting, she does so well in every role, and she did this one perfectly too.

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"Betting on yourself is true gambling"

13 Assassins managed to transcend the average samurai film not only with the political maneuverings but with a final hour that was explosive and thrilling. Two men on opposite sides had to decide if samurais serve their master or the people. The answer would be written in blood.

Doi Toshitsura, the Shogun’s senior advisor, is appalled at the atrocities committed by Lord Naritsuga against noble families and commoners alike. Rape, torture, murder, dismemberments—everyone was a plaything to him. The Shogun refused to have him step down fearing chaos while Doi recognized that the vengeful clans would likely revolt when Naritsuga joined the Shogun counsel. Doi needs a solution and his turns out to be Shimada Shinzaemon, a retired samurai who worked under the previous Shogun. Shinza’s eyes light up when given the chance to help the people and die a glorious death. Shinza puts together a team of 12 samurai, “nobodies” who have no titles, families, or affiliations. His goal is to kill the Caligula of Japan on the lord’s annual trip home. Shinza’s old school buddy who works for Naritsuga stands in his way. Cunning and connected, Hanbei will prove a clever foil to Shinza’s plans.

The first hour or so of the film saw the reasons for the team and the team pulling together and training. “There’s no fair play in battle!” On the way to their destination, Shinza’s group picks up an unlikely ally that resembled Toshiro Mifune’s mad samurai in The Seven Samurai. The final 45 minutes of the film showed Shinza’s and director Miike Takashi’s genius. I’ve watched a lot of action films and never have I seen the element they used to great effect in this film. As expected, there were buckets and buckets of blood spilled but for the most part it never turned truly gory. The battle was brutal, with Samurais utilizing whatever weapons were nearby.

Yakusho Koji as Shinzaemon was perfect. He conveyed the warrior’s desire to return to battle, his horror at the cruel lord’s actions, patience when a strategy called for waiting, and humor even in the face of death. And above all, he displayed the sense of honor a samurai should have, not only for the Shogun, but also for the people. Most of the other 11 samurai were difficult to discern between. I was able to familiarize myself with about six of them. I wish they’d spent more time developing them. Inagaki Goro gave Naritsuga a mad emperor vibe that only grew stronger as the blood began to flow. The cinematography encompassed not only the towns and interiors, but the dense Japanese mountains the samurais had to trek through. Some of the shots were breathtaking.

13 Assassins maintained the tension of Samurais going against the code in order to murder the second man in charge for a greater good. Not one of the 13, well, maybe one, thought they would walk away alive and all were ready to die for their cause. The last 45 minutes was utterly thrilling with the explosive action and wondering if the 13 would succeed and if any of them would survive. If you enjoy samurai films, you’ll find few better than this one.

9 March 2024

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Good buildups but there's a tone shift

Spectacular cinematography and insane acting performances, the horror element is effective with a good amount of reasoning behind the plot, though the way it turns out at the end might be a little anticlimactic for some. The third act takes a weird tone shift after all the amazing buildups that were done earlier, more specifically its resolution part was given a superpower treatment instead of supernatural ones. Still, the historical and geopolitical backstory had lots of details which are quite logical, and their quality suspense holds well enough to make this an excellent movie overall.

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Butterflies deserved better

Eagle’s Claws & the Butterfly Palm was a deeply disappointing kung fu flick. The only thing it had going for it were spinning butterfly shields with spikes on them. Who knew butterflies could be so deadly?

The defeated Mongol king along with his son and daughter are plotting how to return to power. In the opening minutes, the Mongol king wearing his lemur tails hat is assassinated, leaving the siblings in charge. The princess has magic powers and can control people with a secret butterfly potion and her flute. The last of the clans work together to bring down the deadly duo but become ensnared in the Butterfly clan’s plots. Three heroes-Mao, Eagle, and Lung plan to bring the Butterfly clan and Mongol princess down, but spend most of their time either in an abandoned temple or wandering around. Things are not looking up for the good guys.

When someone asked, “Who’s there?” when he entered a room, the answer should have been, “Who knows, it’s so d*mn dark in here!” Most of the fight scenes were filmed in the dark making it almost impossible to follow the action. Perhaps it was by design as the fight choreography was quite poor illustrated in the few well lit fights. Even with all the kung fu posing, many of the hits and kicks missed by a mile. Lo Lieh did a twist on his red hands from King Boxer, only this time with the butterfly palm. The sword work was also rudimentary, though the creative stuntmen tried to jazz it up with flipping over multiple railings or doing creative falls. The producers must have gotten a deal on buying trampolines in bulk. Characters leaped across the country and even rooms like giant bullfrogs.

The female lead known only as Lung’s daughter was extremely annoying both from the writing and acting. Everyone else seemed to be going through the motions as if they realized this film was a real stinker. Lo Lieh can usually perk up any movie, but looked like he wanted to fire his agent for getting him involved in the movie. Tsung Hua, Yu Tien Lung, Nancy Lau, Sun Chia Lin, and Lee Kwan were the only actors with significant lines, everyone else seemed to be a guest role. Maybe the others negotiated ways to stay off the screen for professional preservation. The story barely made sense and tried to use double crosses, secret identities, mind control, and treachery to spice things up. It didn’t help. Characters hopscotched around without any real purpose. A bad high school play would have been a step-up from this movie.

I normally save low scores like I gave this one for movies who delve into sexual exploitation. This film was just ridiculously bad. Bad script. Bad fights. Bad acting. Bad lighting. And lastly, hilariously bad costumes. I can even handle bad if the movie entertains me. Eagle’s Claws & the Butterfly Palm never took flight.

8 March 2024

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