Reviews

I cried but its my favorite Taiwan (asia) movie.

Well i dont know if i was going through a lot in my life when I watched this, but i cried. I guess im gonna spoiling a little bit, maybe, but the ended got me, like they could've been together for years, but due to a little misunderstanding they couldn't.

Maybe im a little cheesy when it comes to watching movies and dramas, but I really like how the story got developed (until they lost years for not being clear about their feelings, but at the end, i guess it was a happy ending) i mean, im a big fan for the plot enemies to friends to lovers and even if they weren't enemies at all at the beginning, I guess they weren't friends so this dinamic got me waiting for the moment where they would be aware of their feelings.

Anyways, if yout are thinking of either watch it or not, it must be a completely GO FOR THE MOVIE. If you are a dumb romcom fan you must do it.

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More loopholey but still a great follow up to the series

I guess a series as great as SOOD was just really hard to top but the movie made a valiant effort. They gave Junjie such a fake mustache. The time loop just barely makes sense. Given that this is just a little over one hour, some scenes that can clarify were probably cut out. Still, the movie effectively made me wish again for that happy ending for Ziwei and YuXuan. Though this can be watched as a stand alone, knowing what happened in the series made me root for them more. I just have to say that the people who made this really knows how to deliver that emotional punch, they make you think that all is good then BAAM and show you the reality of emptiness and longing. Also, Alice Ko once again was pretty good in the 2014 scenes. Without words, I already knew YunRu was in YuXuan's body just by the way she spoke slowly and lowered her eyes. I am also glad they showed Quansheng more. In the series, I felt pretty bad for him, he only experienced harsh rejection so that he tried to kill himself. He then became a body host for ZiWei then died in a plane crash, without a chance to be happy. But in the movie, he was able to find love, even if it didn't last. All in all, though I want more from the movie, I am quite satisfied in the closure it gave the characters.

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Worth your time if you are into fantasy mystery

I am curious as to the 6.5 rating for this movie. The start wasn't that great but by halfway through, i have laughed and screamed already.
It is a mystery, with humor. The sidekick cracked me up, the mystery got me glued, and the gruesomeness is left foe the viewers to imagine so it is toned down.
It is well balanced comedy, suspense and mystery.
I enjoyed it and I hope you will give it a chance.
I am not familiar with the artists here but they all worked harmoniously in portraying their characters. Production did marvelous with the 1920-1930s set and props. The wardobe is fitting the era. And although it is a bit bland, it worked well for the scenes.
I urge you to watch while end credit is running.
The ending will be nothing you would expect. There will be scenes while credit is running.

Also, this is the sequel to The Great Illusion movie. You might want to watch that too.

Rewatch value - if I get invited by friends to watch it again or if i recommend this for weekend night movie, I definitely wont hesitate to watch it again..

My opinion, this is a pretty good movie to watch alone or with group of friends.
I watched this IN iQIYI. I AM A PAID SUBSCRIBER BUT IT IS UNDER FREE MOVIES.

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Director Yuen Woo Ping gathered his family together to make The Miracle Fighters---a combination of kung fu, magic, and slapstick comedy. While it was fun to watch the Yuens and Bryan “Beardy” Leung, the story was a bit of a mess and dragged badly in the middle.

Kao Hsiung’s wife is killed because of their mixed marriage-a Han and a Manchu. In order to escape execution and a dangerous sorcerer, he takes the royal son as hostage. When the boy is inadvertently killed, Kao is distraught. He later takes in an orphan named Shu Gut and raises him. The royal sorcerer eventually catches up with Kao and hopes to use the now grown boy to impersonate the prince. Things don’t go to plan for anyone and Shu finds himself with two old sorcerers. The Old Man and the Old Woman have few peers with magic, but bicker constantly even resorting to dividing their property with painted red rocks. They agree to train Shu so that he can defeat the evil sorcerer and be free from his threat.

Yuen Yat Choh had spent most of his career in bit parts. He was adequate in the role of Shu Gat but he was a better fighter than actor. Yuen Cheung Yan was funny in his role of the Old Woman who could fight and make you see double. Yuen Shun Yee as Sorcerer Bat provided the menacing force needed to give the story some movement. At the sorcerers’ altar, Woo Ping honored the late Yuen patriarch Simon Yuen, with a large painting of him from his role in Drunken Master. Bryan Leung made for a spry Old Man with more than a few tricks up his sleeves.

The fights mixed with magic were cuckoo crazy and everyone of the Yuens and Leung could be counted on to do their part to sell the moves. Shu had to not only fight other sorcerers but also a giant wooden stick man that looked straight out of Angry Birds. The problem was when no one was fighting. The slapstick shenanigans wore thin quickly for me. It was like they knew where they wanted the story to end up, with a magic free-for-all, but didn’t create a compelling, coherent story to get there. At 100 minutes, the movie ran ten minutes longer than many other kung fu flicks and those extra ten minutes of bickering sorcerers was not spellbinding. If you enjoy slapstick kung fu and want to know if you should watch this, my Magic 8 Ball says, “without a doubt”. If you don’t care for slapstick and long sequences between action bother you, *shake, shake*, the magic ball reads, “my sources say no” or at best, “reply hazy, try again later.” The Miracle Fighters had entertaining parts to it, especially when the Yuens leaned into their strengths. I only wished they had done more of what they do best because more miraculous fists and kicks would have done the trick.

10/14/23

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It will make you cry?

Movie was awesome I would definitely watch again👍😊❤️
My whole family watched it we all loved it wold recommend for any age as long a blood dose not bother you one of the best zombie movies ever I usually don’t watch movies but I could watch this movie a million times and not get tired of it …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… sorry lol had to have 500 characters

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Eternally Mine

My Beautiful Man: Eternal serves as a solid continuation and conclusion to the story of Hira and Kiyoi. It gave a more introspective view into Kiyoi as a character and also allowed Hira to bloom and grow. By the end, though there is still that master/servant undertone to their relationship, it feels like they understand each other better and are on more even footing. The cinematography mixes grounding tones with more ethereal ones that suit the characters and story. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable and sweet.

The movie is a pretty direct continuation of Season 2. Very little if any time has passed between the two. Kiyoi is still working on his drama and Hira is working as an assistant to Noguchi. There's a decent amount of focus on the two of them, on where their relationship is going and how it's changed over time and also how, despite those changes, some things never change. We're also allowed a glimpse into Kiyoi's thoughts, giving a better understanding of him as a person and his feelings for Hira. Hira continues to battle with his self-confidence and giving voice to what he wants, to be the only one who photographs Kiyoi. There's also the sweet friendship between Kiyoi and Anna which, while not explored too deeply, was still an aspect that I appreciated. Kiyoi being kidnapped by Shitara was something that I think most were anticipating, if not quite to that degree, then certainly expecting something to happen. It, combined with Anna's scandal, allowed the movie to explore a little more the dangers of social media and the frenzy and damage it can cause as well as the dangers of idolizing those in the entertainment industry to an unhealthy degree. Hira explains it very succinctly when he states, "Once you start imposing your will on her, you are no longer her fan."

I appreciated the growing equality between Kiyoi and Hira. As I stated previously, there is still very much that master/servant bond between them, but it grows to feel less of an obstacle to their love and more just a part of who they are and they accept that. Hira's subservience does lead to a few more understandings with Kiyoi, but it seems that overall Kiyoi has become accustomed to it and finds it less objectionable. Through Noguchi he comes to understand Hira a bit better as well as misunderstanding him again, but that scene does show that he wants to know and understand Hira. Kiyoi's kidnapping allowed Hira to show that he was still the Hira who had defended Kiyoi in high school. He was willing to kill or be killed protecting him. But what that scene also highlighted was that Hira's need is not one sided, Kiyoi needs him just as much, even if he doesn't express it as much. I liked that Anna was brought back. I appreciated her strength of character and the friendship that she had developed with Kiyoi. The way they could talk to each other easily was very sweet and wholesome. I also appreciated that she knew what she wanted. She wanted both to be with Kiriya and be an actress. The fact that she didn't shrink away from stating such and that she wasn't willing to give up either was refreshing.

Hagiwara has been fantastic as Hira from Season 1. His eyes are deeply expressive and he brought so much to the character of Hira. The scene where Anna calls him to tell him about Kiyoi is a testament to his acting skills. The change wrought in him is simultaneously subtle and dramatic, because no one messes with his Kiyoi. Yagi has steadily improved over both seasons and again in the movie. His acting style feels more nuanced and natural and he was more expressive with both his face and eyes. That growth really helped to give more depth to the character of Kiyoi.

The cinematography was gorgeous. There are some truly stunning scenes. Again, that scene where Hira gets the call, I loved the lighting change. It gave a whole other dimension to the scene. I also generally liked the music choices. Particularly the song used when Shitara and Hira were fighting, it was unconventional, but also worked very well. The ending with them at the school was really lovely. The way they incorporated the flash backs with the present was well done and simultaneously sweet and entertaining.

My Beautiful Man: Eternal is not perfect. It sometimes feels a bit cluttered with plot lines and there are a few holes, but ultimately I found that none of that really affected my enjoyment of it. It wrapped up Hira and Kioyi's story fairly neatly with the promise that, despite the uncertainty of the future, they will remain together. If you've watched Season 1 and 2 of My Beautiful Man, I think you'll enjoy this conclusion. And if you haven't, there's enough background given that you don't strictly need to have seen the first two seasons. You'll just have missed out on the a lot of the character growth and more details on how the two came together. This will certainly be a movie that I'll come back to in the future.

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A small rest ahead of the long TBW list.

There is not much to say about this movie. It is a typical revenge story with no plot twists, no sudden events here and there.

To sum it up, a ballerina befriends a badass girl (JJS) which is the main character in this movie. Some things happened to the ballerina and JJS needs to avenge her. She will try, did she succeed? Watch the movie, i'm not going to spoil you lol. The bad guy is KJH, i like him so no comment on his wonderful sexy acting lol.

The only phrase that got stuck with me from the whole movie is "My face and My Lamborghini", like the vibes were weird and funny at the same time.

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Does true love exist?

That's the whole premise of the movie. The deities bet if it exists or not by cursing a random human child.

Sangui is adorable and you just want all the good things to happen to him but the poor guy is cursed and only trouble finds him. He wants to find his first love but he is scared because he thinks she thinks he is a freak so he first wants to break the curse.

On his journey, he meets this weird girl obsessed with wanting to find a cursed prince and becoming a princess. I genuinely though she might kill him at some point while she tries to break the curse. She took the break part quite literally. I liked how they resolved this, it was cute.

Then he meets a witch but she is not actually a witch, she just can't sleep. I loved their friendship and the way they helped each other. He helped her sleep and heal and she showed him his curse is not that bad.
Regret is also a curse. I loved that line.
Her story is beautifully heartbreaking.

I like how everything is connected in this movie with lines we might not notice immediately.

The whole movie has a soothing and warm vibe. The music is beautiful and fairytale like. I can't explain how much I like music in this movie.

This is not a romance movie, it's a movie about healing and finding yourself.

Overall, I recommend it. It's cute.

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Fantastic, the (red) thread - in every respect.

I have been reading only positive critiques about “Thread of Lies” all over the place. It just took a while before I could see the KMovie for myself. Basically, all the praise has already been said. Nonetheless! The story, which is sad in itself, is told, staged and acted in just such a wonderfully clever way! Despite the seriousness of its topic, the basic attitude is positive and light. The complex and complicated underlying social and emotional mechanisms are so sensitively identified and processed, I can't help but find words of praise for "Thread of Lies" myself, too! Absolutely worth seeing! The characters, their motives and backgrounds, their conflicting feelings, the gray in the shadow, the light in the darkness, everything comes across as multidimensional authenticity.

The older sister sets out to find out the actual reasons for the suicide of her younger, 14-year-old sister. We with her. There are traces – Suspicion. Culprit. Fault. Shame. As far as the eye can see... ...including the look in the mirror. Yet, it is not the index finger being raised. Rather, there is a hand, valiantly reaching out. Powerful!
It is not about accusation and blame or justification and defense. It is like it is. It was what it was. Recognizing THAT for what it is. Not sugarcoating it. No excuses. Recognizing each individual’s own contribution to some tragedy. It's all about this. To learn something out of it? In the best case!

In this KDrama, bullying (or mobbing) comes without bloody beatings and physical violence. Rather, it is the psychological, manipulative, nastily hidden, difficult-to-understand social-emotional mechanisms that are elaborated in an extremely sensitive, comprehensible way. A girl is forced into inner isolation at an age when the peer group actually becomes more important than family. Friendship, dependence, abuse - the boundaries are not yet so clear. When it comes to that, the young are still 'children' – perhaps with high ideals already, but still without lived friendship-experience. Friendship is a word with deep meaning, a powerful concept. It is related to high hopes and yearnings. It is needed, in order to survive in this world.
In contrast, there are parents who know better and still duck away. There are bullying victims who somehow survived. Also parents, who are absorbed in their own world. And in the middle of it all, a young girl says goodbye to this world. Decided and definite. Yet at the same time hesitant, too. Desperate after all. Helpless. A 14-year-old says goodbye to a world in which the only one, who knew about how she truly felt, was a stranger...

The complex story is processed in a non-linear manner. Compact and yet differentiated. The tragedy of the unspectacular is intensified by a rather subtly developed arc suspension. Touching, but not told in an overly emotional way. And what can I say... the story unfolds in such a true to life manner that you can't even be angry with the venomous perpetrator. At least not as much as you would like...

Fantastic, the (red) thread - in every respect.


PS:
The story is based on the novel “Elegant Lies” by Kim Ryeo-ryeong in 2009. Actually, the film production had a rather low budget and its initial difficulties to get started, as the topic is considered highly sensitive, especially in South Korea. The KMovie, however, gave the lie to the doubters. The response was enormous and consistently positive.

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Lovely Slice-Of-Life Epilogue.

General spoiler only at bottom of review.
Cute and sweet, slice-of-life epilogue to the series. It's simple and light and I found myself smiling a lot. It’s a nice and very satisfying end cap to the series story. I wouldn't recommend it unless you've seen the series first, otherwise you'll be missing the emotional foundation of the main couple's bond. The secondary couple were less annoying to me in the movie (and didn't get much screen time, which I was fine with).

I appreciated how Adachi and Kurosawa learned to communicate better with each other and started to approach things in their lives as a team.

The lead actors are so good with their eyes and facial expressions. Everything is 100% believable until there's close romantic physical touch, then it feels ever so slightly stiff. Even so, there are some nice hugs and the way they look at each other holds so much emotion.

The cinematography is nice but the music is not memorable.

GENERAL SPOILERS.
The introduction to the families was a nice blend of realism and fantasy. Some realistic tensions were brought up, but then were resolved fairly quickly, which kept the overall tone of the movie bright. The family members with concerns showed a lingering internal worry even as they made efforts to be accepting, which I thought was a nice, more realistic touch than doing a 180 in 5 min.

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It's called forbidden zone for a reason

I watched this randomly, it's not bad. It's actually entertaining but I didn't like it. I didn't like the main character and I didn't like the story but I still watched the whole thing and I think it's decent.

The CGI is great and the fight scenes are interesting.

The main character is weak at the beginning and then suddenly he is over powered at the end.

There's this one scene where they try to stop the rock with swords and it reminds me of the scene in Guardians of the Galaxy where they try to stop the ship with the net made of robots. It kinda looked like that and it was funny for no reason.

It's a typical story, the main character is special but he doesn't see it until all of his friends die. I'm not joking all of them die (except one and you will know immediately who that one is). I actually started playing a game Who is going to die next? while I was watching. I managed to guess every time. Yay for me, nay for the characters.

My favorite character was the villain, the black haired one. I hate how he didn't get his cool moment and power at the end. I get the point, he was greedy and that destroyed him but I still wanted to see him kick the main characters ass.

The main character is as interesting as a broom. His power never works when someone is dying and at the end he annoyed me with how happy he was that he defeated the villain. I know, I'm slandering him a lot but I don't care. I don't like him.

Overall, it's meh. Watch it and you might (not) like it.

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Varan was a patchwork monster of a movie. Production was originally for a 3-part co-produced limited television series. When the American production company involved fell apart, Toho decided to make it into a feature movie. With a shoestring budget, filmed in black and white for television (no color sets yet!), and utilizing stock Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again! footage, Varan struggled to cut an identity of his own.

Siberian butterflies are discovered in a remote Japanese mountain village which causes a research professor to send two of his scholars to investigate. What they find is something far bigger. When they don’t return, a new team is dispatched. The team berates the local villagers who worship the mountain god Baradagi, calling them superstitious. Before the village priest can say, “don’t get so cocky city boy,” the superstition comes to life and begins terrorizing the team and villagers. The monster dubbed Varan flies off, meaning Tokyo may once again be in the sights of a cranky Kaiju.

Varan had real potential. Like Triphibious, he could walk on land, live under the water, and fly in the air. The costume was cool and Nakajima Haruo who brought many a Kaiju to life, including Gojira, knew how to make a monster movie. His assistant, Tezuka Katsumi, was also given credit. The story let the big monster down, with Varan often treading water or sitting on the bottom of the bay which didn’t feel very threatening. More time was given to the ships, planes, and tanks than Varan. Many of those scenes were from Godzilla Raids Again, especially the tanks at the airport firefight. The editing wasn’t as seamless as you would expect from a Honda movie but given the circumstances, he did the best with what he had. Ifukube Akira wrote the music and it had the commanding monster marches he was known for. The writers did come up with a creative way to dispatch the One Movie Wonder though it’s said Nakajima suffered burns from it during the filming.

This is where I need to bring up the American version. It features Myron Healey and only uses 15 minutes of the original film with a different story about desalinization attached. You might find it billed as Varan the Unbelievable.

Varan felt too much like a re-tread of Gojira and this Kaiju needed his own unique story. Big G can do many things but he can’t fly, okay only that one time. For fans of guys in rubber suits Kaiju films, it is one to check out to see what Honda Ishiro could do when handed a mess of movie ingredients. As always, I grade these old niche movies on a curve.

10/13/23

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