Reviews

I expected way better

The directorial debut of Shinji Higuchi, Lorelei very quickly sinks into ridiculous territory despite the promising initial set-up. Sadly, for all the inspiration it can take from Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot, the humanisation and exploration into the psyche of the submarine crew was not one of them; so much of the film flounders around with nonsensical political undertones that I've seen people criticise Takashi Yamazaki for, yet it's one full display here. Glorifying suicidal charges and glossing over human experimentation as if it were a trivial matter. So much of Higuchi's talent and style isn't here, often coating everything in a horrendous digital sheen; the direction is okay at best but honestly, it could have been anyone else behind the camera, let alone Higuchi. The acting is easily one of the better aspects with everyone turning in solid performances, however, the cast is given so little to work with that all their characters end up as one-dimensional cutouts. The music by Naoki Satō is passable but far from his best work and the less said about the incredibly rough CG effects, the better. I really wanted to like Lorelei going in, but the dubious political alignments and underwhelming filmmaking stamped out any form of entertainment I could have gotten from this, I expected far better.

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And That’s The Thing About Illicit Affairs

Where to begin? Right after watching the film, I find that I’m left speechless for a number of reasons. I’m always iffy towards anything that involves cheating since that’s a touchy subject and a difficult one to tackle. What convinced me was the actors, shallow as it may be, and the confrontation scene between Kris Aquino and Claudine Barretto. Now, I’m glad to have watched this movie.

Real quick: this does include minor spoilers. They're nothing big, though.

The production of the film is great. Clearly. Everyone knew what they were doing: the casting, the shooting, the story—all of it was remarkable. It was a fun film to make. Plus, I loved the rules! The film made me want to get the book to read the source material. The direction and the film’s editing too made the experience so much better.

What made me rate this movie ten stars was the theme. We all know that cheating is morally wrong. It makes for a messy situation and a lot of people get hurt in the thick of it. People cheat for different reasons: they fell in love, they wanted sex, they wanted some fun, etc. Of course, that doesn’t make it right in society’s eyes. Nothing ever does because it is a breach of trust and it shatters love.

This movie tells the tales of five women who are all mistresses. Georgia Torres (Kris Aquino) is regarded as the perfect mistress because of her beliefs and rules. Chloe Zamora (Claudine Barretto) is Georgia’s opposite. Charley Mariquit (Cheena Crab) is the richest of the five women as her partner is a business magnate. Stella Garcia (Iza Calzado), the only one he truly loved (SIX reference, anyone?). And finally, Ina Del Prado, the youngest of the group.

I thought the film’s themes would boil down to: “It’s wrong, so leave when you can.” But it wasn’t just that. Like love, the themes represent a complex circumstance. On the one hand, Chloe will end up believing their affair partners will never love them and choose them. On the other, the antithesis of Chloe’s belief is Stella. Stella proves that it isn’t a linear path. The path is as messy as the lives they willingly chose. Stella and Ambet Villoria (Tirso Cruz III) prove that love can exist in such a clandestine relationship; that the partner can choose his mistress.

Love is beautiful and complex. We wouldn’t be chasing the thrill of it if it wasn’t.

The other wonderful theme they addressed was…well, to put it simply, to entirely love someone with all that you are and how it’s not a bad thing. Constantly, I’ve read about how women who want to become housewives are judged or loving someone ‘too much’ is bad. Too much in anything can sound bad but with love, it’s choosing to love someone past your capacity because it’s unconditional and limitless. There’s no shame in that. There’s no shame in loving even when your glass is overflowing.

Throughout the film, we see that some mistresses aren’t happy with being second best. They want more—they want to be chosen, they want to be number one. And that’s the thing about illicit affairs: unless you are one of the exceptions, you never will be chosen.

That’s what Rule #10 is for: If all else fails, leave them. That’s the other major theme that the film teaches the audience. People sign up for pain and loss when they enter an affair but it doesn’t always have to be that way. It tells you that even if it’s hard, if it doesn’t make you happy, leave. And I love that the film shows you that happiness and love wait at the end of every road.

This film probably got a ton of flak for what it was about. “It promotes cheating!” or whatever argument other people made. But if you peel back the layers, you’ll see a lesson that begs to be heard by those who need to hear it.

I suppose another thing the movie brings light to is the problem of the Philippines regarding annulment and divorce. I don’t mean to become political in a review but this is a significant problem. The marriages of the men in the film have failed. They have become trapped in the prison that their marriages had become. This wouldn’t be a problem if divorce was possible here.

This one, I’m certain of: Philippine society also faces the problem of its people being arrogant, of its people hating failure, of its people prioritising their family, of its people fulfilling a promise they made in front of God as their witness, so they choose to keep going even if it’s become poison to them. I won’t sit here and talk about how it’s right because even if it’s the values taught to us since childhood, the values can become a double-edged sword at the right moment. It can turn into a pointed blade that can slowly kill a person’s happiness and resolve.

I tip my hat to the cast and crew, to the director and executives of Etiquette for Mistresses. At a surface-level glance, it does look like it romanticises and glorifies the experience and life of a mistress. The truth is, it’s a commentary on society and for that, my praise is theirs.

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Trash movie

Watch this for our main lead, NuNew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong & Zee Pruk Panich. Well this movie what happen when u rush to grab any script just for the sake of both actor can be on the same screen again. 1 word only.... TRASH

The only good thing is the chemistry of the lead, NuNew & Zee. The other just trash after trash... From the trash plot, to the trash thriller or horror, even the trash of the ghost make up. Haha....

I'm out of word to describe how trash this movie... One supposed to be quite good story, is what the impression i get from the summary, they make it so trashy just to make NuNew & Zee to be on the same screen again...

Overall just skip this movie. Although only about 1 hr, but i already feel i waste my time... Hope for better future project for NuNew & Zee....

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Great movie, more intense than expected!

I kinda think this is a porno?! There were crazy intense sex scenes that I did not expect to see in a movie. Surprisingly, I did enjoy every bit of the movie very much and do plan to rewatch (yep!). I decided not to give it a 10 because there were torture/rape/captivity and I'm not too sure if it was necessary for the story, given that he is a "doctor." I just can't comprehend why he would choose "that way" to heal a sick/fragile person. It was a bit much but then I enjoyed the steamy sex scenes that eventually led to love and connection. In other words, sex helped them become each other's saviors. The special part of the story (to me) was that both of them were suicidal and they both needed a distraction and SEX was the answer. According to the story, sexual desires/pleasures would help them forget and move on. I think the ending was beautifully done. They found each other and the reason to live again!

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A cult film only but not that good...

The beggining was really good. Then it starts being boring. I hate the MC, he is even more naive than most MCs in shonen as to say. He does nothing except whimping in his scenes so...
For the movie's duration, I felt like we could have more characters' backgrounds explained and character development. Ofc we had some, but it was not sufficient. I still need an explanation of what's going on in between noriko and the teacher. I have an idea but it's something shady and I prefer ignore it.

The only plotwist in this would be when kawada found out how to escape together.

Not sure if I'mma watch the Requiem because for the first part of the movie I was excited to find a site on which to go watch it since it is considered a cult movie (that even inspired hunger games) everyone keeps talking abt and I was really disappointed.

It's a go for a one time watching but I surely won't give it a high rewatch value.

Though shoutout to the stunts choreographers and the actors as well. They did a great job on this aspect. For that time especially !

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AMAZING

this movie is soooo good, it’s so sad how it’s based on a true story, I cried every second. How can 3 early teenage boys the shared the same hospital room all pass away. it was super heart breaking to see the girl and Yangyang friendship grow and how she was always on his side. The last 20 minutes of the movie had me crying rivers, lake and oceans at midnight, my eyes are red and swollen. Another heart breaking moment is when they thought he recovered but he ended up falling sick and worse. in the end with the help of doctors, nurses, family, friends, classmates, teachers, principals and even others, though Yang Yang left us he still managed to succeed his dream, 100% credit to the little girl.

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a fun watch

it’s my second time watching this movie, I really like it. Saw that on Netflix while searching for something to watch and I remembered seeing this and I liked it, so I watched again.

It has good actors and characters. I watched it maybe 2 years ago, i haven’t watched that many Kdramas back then and didn’t know many actors but now it was interesting to recognize the actors. I think the fighting scenes and cinematography are good. I like the plot and the music too.

I think it’s a pretty entertaining and a fun watch, I laugh a lot and I love the crew. The side romance is cute too + a good ending.

The scene that kills me the most is definitely when that guy finds the gold, the penguin slaps him, he slaps him back and the penguin slaps him again. I don’t know if I was just tired and laughing at anything tonight, but I laugh so hard at this scene and I watched it 3 times.

I’m a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and feel like there isn’t a lot of pirates movies, so I definitely enjoyed this. Just saw that there is a prequel and it’s on Viki so I can watch too. It’s not related, but doesn’t matter. It has Kim Nam Gil, so I definitely have to watch it.

I recommend this movie

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this pedo rapist even made a drama about father having sex with his step daughter ( 12 year girl
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"What are you packing? A toy gun?"

Outrage Beyond is the second in the Outrage trilogy featuring director Beat Takeshi as the ominous yakuza Otomo. In this installment Detective Kataoka is called in to use his connections with the different families to diffuse the Sanno family’s power after they assassinate a police officer.

When the Sanno family kills a cop and begins pulling the strings of different politicians, Detective Kataoka goes to work whispering into the ears of disgruntled executives in the Sanno family. The new Sanno head has been ignoring the seniority system and pinching pennies while filling his own coffers. The rival Hanabishi family is reluctant to start a war even with the rumor that Kato killed his previous boss in order to be promoted. Kataoka pulls out his hidden ace when he has former yakuza boss, Otomo, paroled early from prison. So far everyone had been fairly civil in their expensive suits, but made the mistake of going on the offensive with Otomo. It’s all fun and games until someone pulls out the power tools for a good old fashioned gang interrogation.

This film was more about chess moves than gang violence. Like politics, yakuza alliances make strange bed fellows. Both friends and enemies alike betrayed each other. That’s not to say in the final third of the movie that the bodies didn’t start piling up, because they did. As the families went to war, the police sat back and watched. The acting was fairly average for a crime film. Kohinata Fumiyo made for a smarmy and conniving cop who was a little too close to the families. Matsushige Yutaka, Midnight Diner’s hot dog loving yakuza, played the straight laced cop appalled by Kataoka’s deadly methods. Beat Takeshi gave Otomo a world weariness for the yakuza with principles and who was also handy with a power drill. The plot while predictable was interesting though it did tend to drag when the negotiations and puffed chest scenes went on too long.

Outrage Beyond brought plenty of double-crosses, satisfying comeuppances, and even finger mutilation. The big moral of the story is if you want to keep your job as the head of the family, don’t cheap out and not provide a meal for your officers, a well fed exec is a less deadly exec. If you enjoy gangster movies and don’t mind more talking than usual in your crime families, Outrage Beyond is one to give a try.

16 February 2024

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A take on how meddling with the past is never smart

A compelling take on grief; if we had the chance to bring a dead loved one back to life, we all would without even thinking of the consequences it would bring. Though the movie uses a very direct approach when it comes to what the costs would be (it’s a movie, it has to be entertaining so…), I believe that what it is trying to convey is very much out there on the open; dealing with the loss of a loved one is something you have no other choice but to learn how to do and that the sorrow that comes with it should drive you to hold on to the relationships you have with the living.
You can always trust Korean thrillers to have as many plot twists as they can and this movie sure does not disappoint in that accord. It honestly depends a lot on your own personal taste, but at no point did I find myself bored or wondering how much of the movie was still left. The pace in the beginning is a little off but it’s understandable because it’s only supposed to be the premise and the rest of the movie needs the time to feel as high-tension as it did. I do think that it would not be as interesting on a second watch, but I can’t say that without actually watching it a second time.
The cinematography is not bad but it’s ordinary; some play with the color hues, nothing unforgettable. I also don’t have much to say about the acting; none of the performances will remain in my memory as striking but the two main actresses did a good job either way. The script is one of the things done really well in my opinion, there were no lines that felt out of place or that seemed wrong. As for the most memorable scene in the movie, for me it will be the one of Seo-yeon and her dad in the car.
Many people have already pointed this out, but the last seconds of this movie pretty much ruined it. The ending where everything cycles back to the beginning and it’s just Seo-yeon and her mother but no longer estranged, was the perfect ending. Should’ve turned off my laptop then.

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So many issues, grotesque but somewhat entertaining in a confusing way.

This horror movie is such a mixed bag for me. It has some gripping and really WTF moments...But it failed on many elements. Indeed, in terms of horror, unfortunately, I was never really frightened. I often cringed and was quite appalled by some scenes...But the visual effects are quite bad and the acting is also very limited, which is problematic for the horror to properly work.

The main issue is that some characters are part of a theatre club doing grotesque and gruesome pieces, so they do "fake horrific scenes" BUT the real horror situations seems to be put at the same level...You cannot be really scared therefore because everything feel unreal due to the context in which the characters evolve. If they had a bigger budget to make the horror part frightening enough and different enough from the theatric club part, that would have worked so much better...

Regarding the acting, it got a bit better in the second half but most of the actors were average at best. Some were saying their lines in such an unconvincing way that it was comical. Some were clearly under-acting (instead of over-acting) which is an error because it did not match the craziness of the plot.

Regarding the story, it is a bit of shame that they did not lean more into characterization for the main protagonists. It makes it super difficult to care for whatever was happening to them. I think they were too many to be properly developped given the length of the movie. The adults roles were pretty limited and boring but there was a lot of interesting aspects relating to the students. It could have made a fascinating series expanding on each of the characters with all their kinks and unhealthy relationships.

I would not recommend this movie because I am very ambivalent about my feelings about it. It is objectively bad on so many aspects but still it is so WTF that it might be worth a watch (?). It is super gruesome and graphic, so if you are squimmish, it is definitely not for you. The scare level is not really there because of the acting and context in which the characters evolve make everything pretty unconvicing.

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Overhyped?

This movie is about the character development of the main character, Le Yin, portrayed by Jia Ling. It brings a good message about determination and perseverance, but overall, lacks plot as it's main selling point is Jia Ling's weight loss transformation of 50kg, which is amazing, but should not be the center of a movie, in my personal opinion.

As a fan of Jia Ling, I expected some laughs and comedy, but if that's what you were anticipating, it's severely lacking, aside from a couple of jokes.

Overall, I cannot understand the hype around it: there's not much of a storyline and that's what a movie needs. It's quite disappointing; they are all capable actors and actresses, especially Yang Zi.

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