Reviews

Trigger warnings for suicide and very stylized eye trauma.

I am not very familiar with the source material, either the web novel or drama. I watched some of the drama but only enough to know it wasn't for me.

The production design of this movie, specifically in terms of practical sets and costumes was pretty solid. The decision to put every actor and actress in miles of chiffon is one I agree with. From what I've read this is a director who is best known as a cinematographer and I think that carries through in terms of direction.

Where the movie falls apart for me is in terms of plot and narrative.

Without a Wikipedia plot summary, I'm not sure I could've followed along with this movie. There is a lot of information crammed into 2 hours, which while admirable is perhaps not advisable. These characters have lived thousands of years worth of plot relevant suffering and giving us a cliff notes version of those years is a good way to give your audience narrative whiplash.

The overall performances are fine.The rest of the movie is, in a word fine. l have never seen a more beautiful movie that I did not care about.

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Sluggish Justice 4 de Korean Corruption

A police woman & de kidnapper play a game of cat and mouse; dat's nothing new. De movie is abt corruption within de highest ranks & even if de heroine thinks dat dis can't be glossed over & go unpunished nowadays, de audience will probably doubt that. What's good is how de revelations constantly change de characters' interactions, though.

VERDICT _ Even though de tension is mainly created through de conversations & de danger in which de hostages are in, there are also some action scenes. Laudably, these don't drag on & fit well in2 de rest of de movie, even though we are clearly not dealing wid an action movie.

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A surprisingly decent watch!

I won't lie, I wasn't planning on watching this movie; the whole step siblings' love thing seemed so weird... But I really like Mori Nana so I decided to give it a chance. And honestly, I kinda liked what I saw. I won't lie, the two step siblings falling in love was still weird but the movie was actually quite pleasant. The story, if not special, was fun and really fluffy. The romance between the two leads was really cute. There were quite a few comedic moments that I loved and Minato's narration was hilarious! I loved how supportive all the characters were! I would definitely recommend Liar x Liar if you want a relaxing and romantic movie to pass the time.

What I enjoyed the most was the acting because Mori Nana really carried this entire film. Her acting was so heartfelt and her expressions, body language and mannerisms were just so damn adorable & genuine. She deserves to be the romantic lead in more dramas and movies, and I hope she gets more roles like in this the future. I wasn't too impressed with the ML tbh. His acting seemed very wooden and he had little chemistry with the FL. I was more taken with Koseki Yuta - his acting was great and, as usual, he had amazing chemistry with Mori Nana and I honestly shipped them more than the main couple. He is another person who deserves more main roles. I also liked Mayu Hotta's scenes and I wish there was more of them!

Next, this movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The cinematography and lighting was very good, as can be expected from a Japanese film and I kept wanting to take screenshots every few seconds! The OST was also very pretty to listen - I particularly liked the rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in D, even if it is a bit cliche to use it in romantic content.

All in all, I would rate this movie around 8.0/10.

P.S. If I got a cent for every time I watched a movie or drama where two stepsiblings fell in love, I'd have $0.02. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

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A solid low -budget film

In the tired and true method of confined spaces for cramped spending ,The Basement is a good but all be it tried and trued story. Centered on a family trapped between ground in their basement as nuclear arsenal rain from the sky, the less than happy family must confront their issues to survive. Anchored by believable and reasonably engaging performance, the cold and dingy basement is given new life by the conflicts, quarrelling and depressing odds. A father otherwise absent from his family along his sharp mouthed teenage daughter and wife are forced together by horrific circumstance and ironically to heal.

Conceptually we've seen these stories a hundred times over and fundamentally The Basement is reinventing no wheel. Yet, it most certainly justifies it's existence with surprisingly engaging characters aided by their performers. None big enough it seems to even appear on MDL's own ratings but nonetheless deserving of praise.
Obviously a low budget affair the show joins the Saw 1 school of chaining it's contents in a small space with the goal of survival. Though thankful for this cast, the option of disarming is one they would have asked for regarding their external circumstances.
Overall the show delivers exactly what you think it will but nowhere near as annoying by the books as you'd think it would.

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Kakeru, u deserve all de love & happiness in de world

doppelgangers in a parallel world...Friendship...fantasy.... love.....cinematography - I loved dis movie in all aspects!

VERDICT _ It was an amazing watch. Still can't believe its a 2015 movie!! De chosen casts completed de realness of de movie! Dey are really good actors who perfectly portrayed their respective roles.

Lessons from de story- B true 2 urself - Regrets from de past may haunt u in de present, that’s a way 2 live ur life purposely 2day.- Don’t keep everything 2urself, instead learn 2 release de pain - Value de people who sees u as a family -People come & go, those who stayed are worth 2 keep- It’s okay 2 cry & express yourself.
Lucky Naho!!! Both Sawa and Kakeru are eye-candies!

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Cloning, de meaning of being human, ethical ramifications of eternal life & slick genre action

Wen has making artificial life ever been a good idea? u'd think scientists would have learnt dis lesson by now.BUT IT WOULD NOT B IF their creation has de angelic doe-eyed face of actor Park Bo-gum. Let's b honest, if u could make an artificial human wid those good looks, u’d be crazy not 2!

Gong & Park make a good match in dis road trip movie & get 2 shine in emotional scenes as well as action sequences.Seobok is an odd hybrid of a movie. Half of it is character drama and philosophical musings about mortality. The other half is high-octane action with gunfights and psychic powers.

VERDICT _ An enjoyable journey & as long as u don’t have too high of an expectation, I think u’ll have a decent time.
De movie had great visuals & effects, & I really enjoyed some of de cinematic shots it had. Certain scenes were beautifully shot & mesmerizing, & some were even frightening @ times as well, in a good way.

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Madness + Speed & Race

Dis movie’s got de high speed car chases dat often lead 2 intense & messy crashes, well-choreographed street fights, & bloody punches 2 de teeth. If u came here 4 action, u won’t be disappointed… u just might find de 1st hour of de movie a little dull. An avid viewer would find dat the second half wasn't a waste of time or de repetition of de story dat was already told as some critics claimed.

Viewers are thrust into heart-racing action, den brought back down 2 reality & dare I say boredom in de very next scene. It felt as though de action scenes never really came 2 their climax, & dis could b said of de ending too. It would b wrong 2 say dat de conclusion of de narrative is anti-climactic, bcz it came 2 a quick finish wid no loose ends, but we didn’t get 2 see Jung Jae Chul really experience his defeat, & de police commissioner was all but forgotten long b4 de ending.

VERDICT _ procedural plot, slow pace and misguided ending. P.S loved the acting of Ryu Jun‑yeol....

https://dramacool.pe/hit-and-run-squad-episode-1.html

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wished for a "happy ending" - jokes on me. if Close-Knit left me sad idk what i feel now, just know i'ma carry this depressed feeling for a while. this aint for the faint hearted. this was a rude awakening, considering i was looking forward to something along the lines of Close-Knit - which in comparison is light and has more positive heartwarming scenes - this is gritty, dark and raw from start to finish (which ironically is positive - kinda). even if there were light spots, they were overshadow by the melancholy character's.

must admit didn't like Nagisa at first, got that she was suffering too much, to notice the other's pain, let alone help. that's why their first meeting wasn't heartwarming. and even made me hate Nagisa, cause Ichika was a blameless, defenseless victim that wasn't any better off then Nagisa - she for sure didn't deserved the treatment she got from her. so thinking that she would find a safe-haven with him/her and seeing how abrasive Nagisa was towards an abused child was angering. even their getting closer wasn't a slow burn, it was stagnant - the breaking point where Nagisa "got" that Ichika was a kindred soul, suffering as she was, was after the whole "private room" incident - outing the fact Ichika was doing it so she could afford the dance lessons. Nagisa seeing her break-down and self-hurting, bringing home that just cause she looks fine doesn't mean that she is. that broke down the wall Nagisa built around her heart.

the rest sadly goes from bad to worse - cause Nagisa thinks she needs to change (physically) in order to be a worth parent - while Ichika doesn't care - she just needs to be loved and cared for. if this point would've been driven home, maybe Nagisa wouldn't have done what she did - letting things spiral downwards to that sad freakin end.

wont say this was perfect as there were bits that i didn't get cause Ichika's character relied a lot on facial expression's - well not even that, so guessing when there was no dialogue or even facial expression's from her - ur left wondering what does it really mean. and not even go to mention Rin, another poor soul aish this movie did my heart in 😶 great acting and story but aish a one off

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It's just a fairy tale.

While The Yin-Yang: Dream of Eternity gave the impression of mystery, understatement, danger and there was a mystical note somewhere in the background, this production seemed purely entertaining, such a fairy-tale.
Arena, fighting monsters and of course the standard defense of the world against evil actually resembles Star Wars, more of an American production for children and teenagers.
Acting did not make any impression on me, because acting roles did not require it. Well played, no fireworks. But I was curious to see how Chu Xiao, known to me as the reserved, silent Chang An from Blood Romance, would play in this movie. Here he showed a different face. A bit of the flashy, pugnacious Yuan Bo Ya. Complete change of "emploi" (fran). And that's positive.
Obviously the computer graphics are amazing, the music is well chosen, but otherwise the movie is not memorable and I won't be watching it again.

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Wanna watch a movie which is both Chinese & Korean?

three-country collaboration - Cliche Plot -set in Shanghai and Sicily- not worth it

In de first half of de film, de viewer is left really confused about de entire plot & really not being able 2 empathize wid de heartbreak dat the female lead is supposedly going through.De movie is pretty painless, wid de formula livened up by shifting the perspective from one character to another at the halfway point, triggering some revelations.

VERDICT _ Centred on the difficulty of saying goodbye to loved ones, the film is at its best (and occasionally moving) when being simple and unaffected, avoiding generic gushiness.

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A pretty easy-breezy watch

An omnibus sort of story, exploring the love, struggles and foibles of four different couples at varying stages of their relationship, as they approach the cusp of a new year.

Loved all de couples ...most fav were - Rae-hwan & Oh-wol ; Ji-ho and Hyo-young, dey were funny, and the danger around Hyo-young provided the best chance for the couple to foster a strong emotional bond between them as they faced the problem together.

VERDICT _ Everything’s pretty & breezy. As can b expected of a feel-good year-end movie, everything’s polished & easy on de eyes. This film made me want to go to Argentina, go see a rooftop band at night, go 2de Paralympics games at least once, become a little closer 2 my family and start a relationship that has an unusual beginning.

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Skip the Last Minute or so and It's a Great Short Film

Short, but captivating!


STORY:

Kit is a tea leaf fortune teller who is waiting at a cafe for his friend August. When August arrives, he asks for his romantic fortune to be read. This sparks a heart-to-heart conversation between the two.

The story isn't too complex. It's just two friends sitting in a cafe talking about one friend's love life. We're not given any back story on the character, but it's through their dialogue that we learn their relationship with each other. Even then, the dialogue doesn't give us the full story. We can only make assumptions based on what they say. It's as if we, the audience, is sitting down at the same cafe listening in on their conversation. It's through their conversation that we learn they are friends. That August has a lot of admirers. And that Kit and August have shared a drunken kiss and it's eating Kit up inside. We learn all of this as they literally sit at a table and talk.

Trying not to spoil the film, I will say that the film is amazing for being able to pack as much drama as they did without getting preachy in their dialogue. Most films will have monologues that explain everything, but here, all the audience can do is guess about everything. The film does great in bringing out the personalities of each character as they sit and chat. August, being more expressive, moves around a lot in his seat as he cracks jokes. Kit, on the other hand, doesn't move much, preferring to just stare and react to August. We get to see the dynamic of the two through all of this subtle movements.

With only 30 minutes, there is a lot that we learn about Kit and August, but it's the last few minutes of the film that throws the audience for a ride. I would have given this film a 10 out of 10, if it wasn't for the ending. While the ending isn't terrible, it is a cliff hanger. Until the film makers give us a sequel the lower rating still stands.


PRODUCTION/ACTING:
(Since I went to film school, I might talk about some things that you might not have noticed, but I definitely did!)

The actors give amazing performances, but it is stunted by the highly stylized cinematography. I've read more than a few reviews saying the cinematography was amazing, but I beg to differ. The cinematography is highly stylized and beautiful, but it took away from the acting. The background lighting was a little over-exposed creating a beautiful effect, but we couldn't see half of the actor's face. In this type of film where there are no big movements or action, the audience can only rely on the dialogue and the actor's gestures and facial expressions. With the lighting they had, while beautiful to look at, we couldn't see half of the actor's face therefore it was difficult to pick up on some of the actor's expressions. I personally had a hard time seeing most of Kit's expressions since his character is more stoic than August.

Also, the mostly static, single camera was horrific. Again, the audience needs to see the actor's expressions. We also need to be visually stimulated in order to not get bored of the one setting story. The film makers tried to make the film visually stimulating with the lighting and the camera occasionally zooming into the actors. The result was the audience not being able to see more than half of the actor's facial expressions. Most of the film was a medium shot of both actors. We could occasionally see a slightly closer shot of the two, but it's clear that the camera was static and just zoomed in on the two. Towards the climax of the film, the camera starts doing this "V" like style of zooming where the single camera zooms into one actor's face, pans out to a medium shot of the two actors, then zooms into the second actor. It was difficult to watch. We barely got to see any actor's face in full. It was always cut off by the lighting and the camera angle made it difficult to see the actor's full face.

Lastly, the jump cuts! There were so many jump cuts! With the static, single camera style of cinematography the film makers were doing, the best would have been the entire film being shot in one take. However, 30 minute long one takes are very difficult to do. The film makers were able to hide the jump cuts by showing us the "close ups" of the actors, but occasionally there would be a jump cut with the same shot. It's only a split second, so many people may not have noticed, but it was very obvious if you paid attention. Also the random jump cuts into the tea pot was annoying and unnecessary.


OVERALL:

Love Advisor is a beautiful short film if you're okay with a single setting and lots of dialogue. The story was beautiful and the cinematography is highly stylized and beautiful (if you didn't go to film school.)

I hope the film makers will give us a sequel, or I will forever skip the last minute of the film.

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Simple love story

I like it. Its soft, without complicated plot and just funny. Some crazy moments, some flashbacks that compose the love of the couple.

PLOT - simple but not brilliant. I like the story of the two and the way that a cop can choose, wisely in my point of view, love over work...

ACTING - wonderful performance by the cast, specially the ML and FL.

SOUNDTRACK - it was ok but not memorable

REWATCH - it is nice but to rewatch it... I prefer a thousand times seeing MY P.S. PARTNER!!!!!

Overall I like it. The ending could be better but it end as I wanted, with happiness and laughter. It's light and a good way of spending almost 2 hours.

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Hilarious Action Movie

I really had fun watching this movie from start till the very end. Plot is not unique nor it has any unexpected twists but is actually delivers what should comedy action movie deliver. From one side ridiculous situations that main leads find themselves in, from other, quality fight scenes. (and they were actually reloading guns and not passing through 100 gangsters with 6 bullets as we see in most of the movies)
The most hilarious are the ways male lead finds solutions for the situations that this spy game got him into. And, generally, I really enjoyed the acting of Kim Young Kwang.
Overall I would really recommend watching this movies if you feel bored and want to laugh out loud.

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Confusing story

I unintentionally watch this movie in 2021 (after all drama of So-min and its pop-out) and I re-watch it after I finished with a lot of confusion “with some explain”. But for me, I have a different point of view from previous explanations

*SPOILERS*
As the SHAMA and the HWAN mentioned, the way HYE-JOONG said in the beginning (also late end) that she "killed" someone. For me, it was not a "physically kill" but it was about "MENTAL kill". She killed HWAN in her memory and he is completely lost in her mind since 4-year-old.

1st, the time-life I figured out that “Present” is 2014
2nd – they are siblings and I believe the – imagination bed scene was just put there for movie promotion. 01:21:48 - 01:22:13 Bed scene with empty Fish-tank switch into a full tank, then JOONG woke up with empty-tank and asked herself this dream or not. And the fact that she cants not know which is real or not.

From the past
- 21-March 89. 01:34:36 SOO-RYUN began her work, then she had an affair with JOONG‘s Dad while JOONG’s Mom could not stand by herself.
- 28-March 90. 01:13:28 HWAN said it was his birthday and the calendar in 1990. He also mentioned that he’s afraid of being FORGOTTEN than dying.
- in late 1990. 01:35:40 – 01:37:01 , In HWAN’s room, SOO-RYUN asked JOONG to take care of HWAN, without her. Which means she was forced to leave as Soo Ryun’s Mom at 37:14 “your baby was taken away again?”
(+1)The rabbit was clean, then it moved to the scene they thrown the clean rabbit with baby HWAN, I think, buried him alive.
SOO-RYUN tried to kill 4-year JOONG – for revenge, but she can’t when JOONG said HWAN's name in her dream (& she loved JOONG). Then she hung herself, left the Pink- Bundle – which hold by her crazy-mom after her death.

1991. 01:28:41 : JOONG’s Mom asked “Are you STILL missing her?” after he refused to hug due to painting. Then, JOONG’s Mom, & grandma, the old concierge death.
28-March-1991: Her dad suicided on returning from France. (it could be 91 or 92 due to the left-diary of JOONG Dad 14:43 )

Until March 2014 - at 07:28 (also at 01:19:44 ) - Calendar is March/ Horse year – 2014
JOONG woke up and made breakfast for AUNT, she got hurt but she told “FOR SOMEONE I LOVE” as she was told by SOO-RYUN at 01:29:25. (after SOO-RYUN got hurt, JOONG took a knife, the camera move back, there is nothing left there, no SOO-RYUN, no cutting board….its not real)
17:47 While the SHAMA talked about a talisman that kills soul, and she said to AUNT “without your mom knowing” (AUNT’s Mom – JOONG‘s Grandmother) and there was another talisman from the one who stared or witnessed the ill-fated circle – Grandma again, well, she also sat there and heard it too.
JOONG just came to Wonderland and couldn’t realize which real or dream, due to her memory, she only dreams about dying which led to blood, anything else.
After all, she remembered HWAN, who was “mentally killed/ deleted” by her memory.
In the end, and once again “GOT HURT FOR OUR LOVE”, HWAN pushed her and opened the talisman to seal him and his mom, to save her life. Then both baby HWAN and SOO-RYUN smiled just like forgive.

(+2)… However, I still have another theory, that when SOO-RYUN was forced to leave. JOONG took care of HWAN.
As she did before 01:53:40 (HWAN cried and was saved by dad). JOONG feed him candy or something like flowers 01:32:56 - she put something in her mouth , and unlucky, JOONG's Mom ignored and Dad came late.
JOONG did kill HWAN by mistake (I don’t think she used a knife due to the clean rabbit).
Which led to HWAN need her remembered him to resurrect to the next life, if not, have to kill JOONG. So HWAN did the same as I mentioned above.

And in 2015, the HWAN picture was blown out by the wind, which is in the song as “the wind, the spirit’s love…my spirit always with her”. For me, it is just a reminder that even HWAN is dead, he is still with her, and She also remembers about him.
“I will always watch over you because I love you deeply in my heart” (sign-language Dad & JOONG & HWAN knew).

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