Reviews

I was awake all the time watching this spectacular film!

OK- we, Chinese kids, know how Gods were created from our mom or grandparents in our childhood in the absence of the internet.

Watching several C-dramas on the Creation of Gods recently made me slightly interested in this mythology. Fei Xiang's recent interview in a S'pore tv channel actually sparked my curiosity when he said he had to train his body to look like a soldier warror instead of looking like an accountant in the scenes where he was required to show his topless chest!

Yes, I was curious to see his 'six-pack' body so I decided to watch this film.

The production is awesome although I am not a CGI fan.

Acting wise: Naran as Dai Ji was well chosen by the casting director. Da Ji in this film is dark and frightening in every scene. I just didn't know what she was going to do next ie. killing someone for fun or roasting her victim to stimulate her sexual desires.

Fei Xiang as a tyrant King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty is quite good. I remembered him as a pop star in the 80s but I was never a fan because I was too little at the time. I was outraged to see King Zhou being blinded by Da Ji and his willingness to kill his only heir. And, when he asked the four sons of the lords of the Shang Dynasties to kill their own fathers, the tyrant was doomed to hell.

Yes, he does have a six-pack! For a 62-year old man, his enthusiasm to aim for that shape is very impressive. Hats off to you, Fei Xiang.

Ji Fa and his father. I love this father-son relationship. Ji Fa was very intelligent for saving his father's life by proposing that the father should repent his treacherous intent. His father lived for another day unlike the other three lords who died by either being killed by his own son or committed suicide.

The immortal, Jiang Zi Ya and the two gods. I love these characters especially Jiang Zi Ya and his decisive actions. Na Za and the other God are excellent fighters who constantly save JZY because the latter had lost his immortal power once he returned to the mortal land.

Other supporting casts are doing a great job too.

Overall, it's entertaining especially for those who enjoyed the Lord of the Rings, not GoT though.

Watch it as the entertainment value is good value for money.

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It is the third film presented here by director Auraeus Solito and is completely different from his previous films. It starts with a long "chatty" scene, as if it were supposed to be a theater performance, the individual scenes are quite long, and I must admit that the booing, humiliation, machismo and sexism from the military environment never smelled good to me, because I hate it when "someone" has it in their hands too much, or if I should be commanded (not only in the army, but also in my job) by an even bigger idiot than I am.

Of course, the film raises questions and we have to answer them ourselves. The actors are "effortless" and I evaluate overall from the perspective of an East Asian viewer, because of course this movie has its own Pinoy perspective and dimension. Of the director's three films, I rate this one in third place.

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An absolutely exceptional film by Philippine standards (highly rated on ČSFD, MDL and IMDb) collected so many awards, victories for the creator and actors at film festivals and nominations (56 in total) that it is perhaps impossible to count in America (Santa Monica, Montreal, Park City and Toronto), Asia (Tokyo, Singapore, the awards of the Philippine Film Academy and three other Philippine organizations) and Europe (Turin, Berlin, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Tallinn and Amsterdam) and is atypical worldwide mainly because of the main story of a young man, indeed almost still a childhood gay. Reality shines through, from the beginning of the film in a documentary style (how the poorest sections of the population live by necessity in the suburbs of Manila), later added the component of a young policeman, with whom he and Maximo fall in love, and criminal plots and, above all, excellent acting performances by almost all of them, led by a not even fourteen-year-old ( at the time of filming) by Nathan Lopez.
This reality was evident in Maxim's family, where the brothers and father were played by typically well-chosen actors and the Manila policeman Victor followed closely behind them. The fact that gays sometimes twist more and put flowers in their hair is typical for East and South Asia and the whole of Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), in some countries gays unfortunately have no other option but to play "at woman" (as a tolerated third gender) rather than being despised.
So if I take away the Pinoy mannerisms, the technical shortcomings (sometimes the camera and the tinny, rather strong music component - for that I deducted two points for the music and processing), then for me satisfaction and I agree with the absolute superiority of all reviewers on all world servers, who rate the film very positively. Actually, if the processing was perfect in the "American" way, it wouldn't be the right Pinoy movie for me. Here on GT, in my opinion, the director's best film, closely followed by Boy (I) and then Esprit De Corps.

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"At the Louvre I saw the Black"

Kishibe Rohan takes his supernatural ability to read people like a book on the road to Paris. At the Louvre he will confront a relentless evil residing in a hidden painting. The story jumps back and forth in time with much of the story told in the past. Fair warning: If you have arachnophobia you will want to avoid this film at all costs.

Rohan is working on a new manga and after remembering a story about the blackest of blacks, so black it doesn’t reflect light and is in essence invisible, decides to hunt a painting down that uses the rare pigment. Death and spiders follow the path that takes him to an auction for a painting and then to the Louvre in search of the original.

The cinematography ranged from gauzy and ethereal, to elegant, to dark and foreboding. Discordant notes and chords accompanied the creepier facets of the film. The supernatural elements of Rohan’s gift and the cursed painting were well done, especially for someone who has neither read the manga nor watched the drama.

Takahashi Issei can always be counted on to give a layered performance even when wearing a headband designed for a manga character. He actually played two characters, giving them both separate personalities ranging from light to absolute darkness. Marie Iitoyo as Rohan’s editor seemed out of place with her childlike acting. Kimura Fumino matched the mood of the film as the haunted Nanase. The Louvre could almost be counted as a cast member with its lovely exhibits, own complex history, and gloomy, forgotten vaults.

The film felt like it might have been better served as a two-episode drama due to all of the backstories which took up a substantial amount of time. Both of the trips to the past felt overly long. Not having the compelling Issei on the screen also took away from the forward momentum of the story. Overall, it was a strange, creepy (crawly!) movie that did manage to integrate the past and the present connections to the sinister painting lurking in the shadowy corners of the Louvre.

10/25/23

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The movie was a good one with sound effects for the destruction and volcano eruption, but at the same time, the movie has some plot holes that I guess as a viewer will just have to fill in, like the first explosion, there was a warning of an aftershock, and massive destruction occurs, and while this was happening the leads are on separate places, but after that scene it was cut, and the ML was given a brief about going to the North to steal nukes and this was happening outside his house (i assume) since he looked up to (i assume again) his house where the FL is currently at. Also, I commend them for having strong mobile communication and internet after an 8 ritcher scale earthquake; come on! Really?! And yes, the movie is predictable except for the bromance. It was endearing to see two men from different backgrounds with different personalities get along and try to understand each other. This, I think, is what makes the movie watchable and the acting of the cast.

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Thanks to that one insta reel that made me watch this

What a movie! I was captivated by the aura of it by watching some clips and I'm glad I gave it a try. The story portrayed in this two hour fifteen minutes movie left me with so much emotions and thoughts. One thing I'd admit, the acting of both the leads was splendid. You could see the eyes talk, you could feel the sadness right through the screen. I was spoiled somewhere that ot didn't have a happy ending but I'm glad it wasn't the case. I'd not have the courage to move on otherwise. (I had to live through the college entrance trauma once again though.) Anyways, don't let anything or anyone stop you from watching this masterpiece. I know I'd rewatch it again and again.

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It's a very different movie.
He is completely different than most.
It is Thai, where the Thai branch of Buddhism predominates.
It is necessary to look at him from this point of view and not to evaluate only through the eyes of a Central European viewer. Why is the scene like that, why are the actors playing it like that, why is the film pensive, poignant almost from the beginning.
The content of the film is very well described on ČSFD, be sure to read it before watching the film.

When the viewer is able to put all this together, he cannot make a bad assessment. It is a film about images, about feelings, about LIFE. It is a film whose message will remain forever in my soul...

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Wow, that was a powerful experience!!

A completely unique subject, script, dramaturgy and what can be seen and felt most about this film is that it is significantly different from the cinematography of the yellow race and turns towards the perception of the viewer of the white race (style, plot, processing) and I cannot even evaluate more critically what remained Asian, Korean in the film, on the contrary, I honor it with all respect and humility.

A brilliant idea and perfectly executed by all means of film, the fact that the viewer actually feels a little bit during the process, what is reality and what is just a "role". And even though the film has a high rating on IMDb and ČSFD, I take it as the overall "artistic impression" comprehensively and exceptionally, and I don't look at the individual evaluation criteria.

I recommend it to all sensitive souls...

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A very depressing movie that will definitely not lift your mood. Here, the director plays the oldest of three more or less deranged brothers (the middle one constantly masturbates, the youngest abuses and bullies young female soldiers in the army), waiting for their father to return from prison, where he was imprisoned for the rape of a young schoolgirl. So squadra to watch...

Let yourself be surprised how it all turns out, but don't expect any romance. On the contrary. Violence, blood (the father of the last victim, a schoolgirl, enters the game), conflicts, destruction, depression, humiliation.
I was a bit more bothered by the stilted and affected theater acting this time, which is why a point down in the acting section. The processing was less believable, because where the situation absolutely required it, after "pulling down his pants" a miniature cricket appeared in a thicket of hair, while in two seconds he was already "loading" a drunk woman somewhere in the canal ...

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very tight, very well done

The whole story happens inside a fortress. The characters can only rely on their wits, their strength, their training and their sense of psychology. The psychological manipulating is well done and expresses the stressful situation and the dangers. every minute counts and every person must be carefuly handled. The plot is written as a comedy but it is not really. Many decisions are hard.

The acting is solid. The idea that we watch the story unfold in, more or less, real time, makes us feel the suspense and the risks.
The filming is quite theatrical and it is sucessful.

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Simple but Fun and Engaging Rivals/Friends to Lovers Tale

Look, I'm not going to lie. It's a simple plot. Boy meets girl. They instantly hit it off. Girl has boyfriend and they don't talk. They meet up again later down the line and it's like nothing happened. Except now theyre rivals pining for funding for their competing app start-ups. Add in some espionage hijinks and friendship messages, and you get a movie that's not entirely unlike what you may have watched when younger.

However, it was *very* engaging. How far would the espionage go? When would the gig get called off? Will they ever decide to just work together and create one app with both of their strengths combined? And somehow, every time I though we would hit such plot points, we didn't. I also loved how even some of the small things came full-circle by the end of the movie.

And then there were the budding romance scenes. Their balance of being rivals and being friends/mutual crushes was just excellently done. They really did forget they were rivals for a period there. They were just two people working towards their ideas and cheering each other on quietly. And the laser tag get-togethers? They had me grinning so much, lol.

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I can't believe it's the end

For this one I base this as my overall rating for the whole thing.



It's really a rollercoaster of emotions going through this franchise, I was scared cause I didn't wanna dedicate a lot of time to something I might regret or not like but I did not regret going at this one bit!

It's pretty obvious the intention of the director alongside with the cast is to bring out the best for the manga adaptation and for the viewers as well, they handled it with care and passion which I'm very thankful for that they didn't go the usual BL route that only focuses on making rushed and unexplained stories. Many of the things get explained as you went on and that's such a wonderful thing for viewers to experience, it's realistic cause you don't get to know things that fast which made me attached to the show. I love it so much, all of the characters were likeable, the story makes sense and the explicit scenes doesnt look like it's forced to be there or just to show but it's there to create more connections with the story and characters.

Thank you for this, I'm happy with this ending and now I can rest in peace with my Kijima and Kuzumi being together.

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Very short and leaves you hanging

I think it was on purpose for the next installment. It was short and at the end it makes you think, what does kijima actually feels deep inside? We never got to know but this short movie makes you curious on purpose on what his facial expression meant. Even when they are happy finally being together something is bother Kijima, Is he still yearning for kido while being with kuzumi or was it because he's still hurt with no confidence on taking this happiness he wants that kuzumi puts out for him or he's scared of hurting kuzumi. lots of possibilities only with that one facial expression, damn they are so good.

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Like a vinyl on a record player, his life was spinning on and on

SPOILERS, A LOT ACTUALLY SO READ IF U WANT TO
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Finally, after all we went through, a happy ending. It was all worth it.

Just like Kijima's first love that betrays him, the whole the pornographer series is his journey on finally healing and moving on it was a long adventure that had a lot of obstacles but even with a clear path, just like when he met Kuzumi accidentally, he wasn't facing forward, made excuses and even re-enacted his moments with other people (maybe cause he deeply missed KZ) but during this movie, is finally the time KZ showed how fed up he was, for once he didn't do things to please KJ, that was so sweet to make him taste his own medice!! Which resulted in KJ finding courage and went on face forward towards KZ and you don't know how even that little action made me so giggly and happy that he finally made a decision for himself and for KZ rather than keep making excuses which the akemi family helped him a lot with.

It made me question if he was still stuck on Kido which is his past. He may never be fully healed as something they experienced was something both cherishes, they filled each other's void during their weakest point and it was passionate which ended with KJ just accepting it and put it on the past and focusing on the future instead. It's quite bittersweet but it's the best, KD made decisions he cannot go back from and he must take responsibility of so I'm happy KJ is the one with the choice of letting go cause he was the one badly hurt and have nothing to lose.

It's quite nice that KZ wasn't so into KJ's past with KD. Although I would've loved it more if he knew about them, I just thought that the story of KJ and KD is only theirs and theirs and so is KZ and KJ's are theirs and theirs only as well.

KZ might've lowkey cheat on KJ by going to a bar but they weren't quite official that time and KZ was indeed young, KJ taught him a lot of erotic things then left him after their first time doing it, I'm not surprised that he wanted more and ended up finding an alternative way to get off just like KJ when he was young, him and KD kept on at it which you can see when KZ went to KJ, they went at it so darn fast lol it was still a mistake though which KZ felt embarrassed for and kept apologizing for and saying he won't do it ever again if KJ dislikes it.

I like the ending, I finally got to see them both smile and that just made me so freaking happy and refreshed! Finally able to rest in peace knowing they are finally together :')

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