heartwarming comedy loaded with cuteness
Absolutely enjoyed this movie. While there isn’t much to it, the simplicity about family, dogs and love is just captivating.It is such an easy watch, we laughed, we gushed, we cried. Cha Taehyun and Yoo Yeon Seok were amazing. Their bond feels so real, their banter feels like something I would have with my own sibling and their care for each other as well. Human actors aside - the puppers!!!!! It isn’t like Hachiko or 10 Promises to My Dog. If you don’t like watching sad dog movies, this is for you.
11/10 watch if you love dogs. Probably a 8.5/10 or 8/10 if not.
Was this review helpful to you?
Entertaining action sci-fi movie, not surprising and flawed but does the job
This movie takes place in a dystopic world as we follow a crew of misfits working as "space sweepers", therefore literally cleaning junk floating dangerously around various orbit stations. The story in itself is not that innovative for the sci-fi and action genre, the peaks and valleys of the script are quite similar to what's already been done but I still found it quite compelling even if not surprising.I have two main complains regarding the scenario. One being that I found the nanobot technology used too much as a magical tool able to fix a lot of things but not supported by a lot of well constructed storytelling. The way it is used seems rather random and only there to move the plot along than really making a lot of sense. The other flaw being the writing regarding the antagonist who is totally written as a cartoonish villain with very surfaced-level motivations rather than some nuanced character that could bring some deepness to the film.
Regarding the cast, they are some ups and downs as well. I liked a lot the main cast playing the space sweepers team (especially Tiger Park and Buds) as well as "Dorothy". Other than that, I have more mixed feelings regarding the performance of the actors playing the secondary characters (in particular the foreigners). It was mostly average: for some, I even noticed that the language in which they were playing was not their native one (but the script was implying it was), so it gave a really strange vibe to the dialogs which sounded unnatural.
The production value was pretty high: I found the spaceships scenes really nice looking and the visual effects regarding the robots and the technology looked really good overall. The soundtrack was alright but did not make a lasting impression on me.
I would recommend this movie to people looking for an entertaining sci-fi movie. If you enjoy shows like "The Mandalorian" or movies like "Star Wars" or "The Guardians of the galaxy", you might like it (even though you will for sure not be surprised by anything if you have seen / read a lot of similar stuff).
Was this review helpful to you?
WANG YIBO is One And Only
One and Only is about enthusiasm & dreams of Young boy who is pursuing his passionate dreams while going through difficulties and life hardships.
The story is very simple and easy to understand (unlike Hidden Blade which is art-house film)
Some netizens think that due to this is YIBO’s core and genre so that he can act really well naturally in movie. **But I would like to point out that Chen Shuo and YIBO’s characters are totally different personalities, nature, attitudes. Only loving dances and chasing street dance is the same in between them.
Yibo have to overcome his strong superior rich aura & personality. Because Chen shuo is simple, honest, poor, patient, very humble boy in movie.
So that Yibo shapes this character because this is character Yibo plays as. Yibo is actor so he is acting out Chen shuo diligently.
He makes everyone believes that he is acting in true colours in that role he plays.
It is an actor’s ability to make others believe in what he acts in. ****
There are some heart warming moments after movie is finished, most of Young children came out and danced with credits in front of seatings during releasing in china This make me so moving and enthusiasm and youthful energy.
Even the person who never watches hip-hop(street dance) & doesn’t know the rules of street dance competition, you can understand the last 20 min competition part easily.
Many years later, many people will remember that there was such a street dance movie in 🇨🇳 ,& many people will fall in love with street dance because of this movie.
Before this movie is produced and during Street dance of China shows (SDC), One of bboy said and posted, who witnessed the positive change brought abt by Yibo, that “The street dance circle has never been like this. May be a few years or decades later, when we talk about the development history of domestic street dance, the turning point will be Wang Yibo ”
Was this review helpful to you?
Two childhood friends reunite after 20 years
I remember one day in May this year when I was browsing through Letterboxd and suddenly, one poster caught my attention. It said Past Lives and after I watched the trailer, I knew I needed to watch it. Unfortunately, one thing interrupted my excitement and it was the fact that it would be released in July, which was two long (boring?) months away :(Today was finally The Day I was waiting for. I couldn't sleep, didn't have hunger, had no motivation to do anything, only wanted to watch Past Lives. So I went with Mom to the second local cinema in my city, which isn't exactly the classic big cinema with multiple screening rooms and a bar with popcorn and other stuff (this has only two screening rooms, a little bar with (mostly alcoholic) drinks). The tickets are like the small pieces of paper in old cinemas. When you sit there it feels like you are sitting in a movie club with movie fans and not with random people, after the end of a movie when you see that everyone still sits in their seats and watch the credits is something so nice that it always warms my heart (in my opinion I think the credits are part of a movie which should be watched as well because by doing so you honor the film and the people who worked on it). I personally like this cinema more than the bigger one that we have here, they do movie marathons, they screen movies that are not in the big cinemas (old or not well-known titles by not well-known directors) and many other nice things ♥
I know I should not say this because it's quite a lazy sentence that won't tell you anything, but everything in this movie was perfect! The ost – it was a big part of the movie, it would be weird without it. The story – it's just a simple story about love which is nice to see after the films I watched. The characters sometimes just stare at each other and it is worth hundreds of words. The cinematography – aesthetic and pleasant to watch like wow every shot was amazing. You feel like you are there with the characters - that is such a great feeling when movies can do this magic ^^ (I was in NY in person and even on the same street eeeee, sorry I needed to flex a little haha) And the Actors – Greta Lee and Teo Yoo were awesome I was already familiar with both of them.
It got me at the end, I couldn't hold the feelings anymore ㅜ-ㅜ
My new comfort movie.
Watched twice already, thinking to watch it for the third time :D
Can't wait to see Song's second movie Materialists (current name) ^^
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"I'm a drifter, the man from Tokyo"
If you want a good example of a highly stylized film, Tokyo Drifter fits the bill. With its vibrant Crayon coloring, stagey architecture, and jazzy theme song sung and whistled by various characters throughout the film, it's more of a hypnotic experience than yakuza story.When Tetsu and his boss Kurata attempt to go straight, the Otsuka gang works to bring them down by ruining a real estate deal Kurata is orchestrating. Three murders later, Tetsu is forced to go on the run or drift until the heat is off. Otsuka's hitman "The Viper" is always close on his tail. Tetsu evades him across Japan with the help of "Shootin' Star," another drifter who warns him that Kurata may betray him. One character observes, "It's hard to handle a man like that once he gets good and mad." Director Suzuki rewarded the audience with Tetsu finally becoming the hurricane he was renowned for being. The film ends predictably in Tokyo for predictable reasons, but the trip there made the ride worthwhile.
Suzuki edited the film in such a way that there were times I wasn't sure what happened. He could make it challenging to keep up, especially in the snowy battles in northern Japan or during a dreamlike fight on a snowy train track. You never knew what to expect, there was even a bar room brawl, of course in a Western bar because no one brawls like Brits and Americans. Though the film supplied plenty of fist fights, gun fights, even sword fights, none of the fights were particularly convincing. The final scene was orchestrated like models doing a shoot, color coordinated with the set's architectural pieces. The gun fight more a dance than a struggle for survival.
Aside from the use of vibrant colors, the lighting could be surreal and contrary to the rules of nature. The sets may have been stylish but also appeared flimsy, especially when someone bumped into a wall causing it to shake. There were gorgeous travelogue shots of Japan as Tetsu drifted through them. But it always came back to the bright neon lights of the seedy side of Tokyo. The film felt quintessentially 1960's in manic mood and color.
While the film could bounce around-the betrayals, alliances, and creative storytelling never let the momentum slow down. Tokyo Drifter is a surreal yakuza experience, but one that is worthwhile if you like arthouse films or those films a little on the vividly strange side.
8/8/23
Was this review helpful to you?
Horror movie lacking in suspense, thrills, characters development and logic
This horror movie did not impress me at all. The story could have been interesting but somewhat felt lacking in terms of suspense, thrills and characters development. The pacing was not good and the film managed to catch my attention only in its last third.I was a bit frustrated by the time we got to the bottom of the story because of the lack of logic in some of the actions of the main character: some choices she made did not necessarily make sense given her psyche and the mental health issue from which she is suffering. Similarly, I did not find the romantic aspect engaging nor convincing in the context of the story. The redeeming quality of the script comes from the way it showcased that once again the scariest thing is the human nature.
Acting-wise, I'm quite neutral regarding the actors performance: they were not bad but I did not find them memorable in any way in their roles. I usually like a lot Park Min Young and she did a suitable job here but was not helped by the filmmaking and the scenario.
In terms of production, the jump scares were almost all a miss for me and I did not find the film scary and dark enough despite it being labelled in the horror genre. Some (if not most) of the visual effects were outdated and quite bad.
I would not recommend this to people unless you like Park Min Young and want to see her in something quite different. This film deals a lot with animal cruelty and can therefore be triggering. The statement at the end of the movie, explaining that "no cat were hurt during the filmmaking" was a big relief because of the awful treatments of the animals in some scenes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Original story quite fascinating but odd pacing and ending
I really enjoyed the concept and the scenario, it is quite innovative and leave for sure a lasting impression on the viewer. I did not found the story super well-paced and the ending felt a bit too rushed though. I think the movie could have been a bit longer to better flesh out the ending and the message of the film.The ensemble cast was pretty good. More specifically, I really enjoyed Rain performance, with his goofy, cool but also more crazy and mad sides. Im Soo Jung did also a great job in her very particular and erratic role. It is a bit of a shame that despite the quite good acting, I did not find myself emotionally invested in the characters. It might be linked to the script, but I felt more like a "cold" external observer trying to understand what was happening rather than candidly rooting for any of the protagonists.
I quite enjoyed the directing choices to represent the various mental illnesses faced in the mental hospital. There are quite a bit of memorable scenes and the cinematography for some of them was really cool. Even so, the visual FX regarding some of the cyborg aspects did not age very well, it is still impactful for sure but a bit cringy at the same time. The music did not really stand out to me, except one specific song with some yodelling.
I would recommend this to people that enjoy movies by acclaimed director Park Chan Wook. It is not the most well-known of his filmography but it is worth a watch for its interesting concept. Strangely enough, even though both pieces are very different from another, it made me think somewhat to "Squid Game" as a comparable recommendation.
Was this review helpful to you?
Quite loose adaptation disappointing in some aspects
I have read the manga quite a few years ago and was curious to see its movie adaptation. I remember quite enjoying it at the time despite some flaws in its writing. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed by the film.Story-wise, it is a quite loose adaptation -which make sense as a 14 volumes manga cannot be encompassed fully by a less than 2 hours movie. However, despite the shortcuts taken by the script, I still found the plot rather confusing as if the writer was trying to put too much into it. They try to make it sensible but I found it difficult to follow and it was also a bit all over the place in its pacing.
Acting-wise, I like a lot Tsuchiya Tao but I would not say that I found her role when playing "a genius actress" totally believable. The part was clearly not easy and she did an honourable job (as well as the other female lead Yoshine Kyoko), but still something did not click for me in the performance. The acting got definitely better in the last third of the movie with a pretty compelling last narrative arc allowing the actresses to be more intense.
Production-wise, I liked a lot some of the decors around the theatre plays. I also truly enjoyed the set up and making of the dramatic scenes. I am much less convinced with how the main "fantastical" element was portrayed with the lipstick and its implication. I found also the "ugliness" of Kasane and her outside appearance totally downplayed. I had already some nit-picking regarding that specific point with the manga, and the movie made it even far less convincing...
I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless you really like one of the main actresses or if you enjoyed the manga and are curious to see its adaptation.
Was this review helpful to you?
이상하게 귀여운 영화. 내가 제일 좋아하는 박찬욱 영화 중 하나.
"Please, steal my sympathy. Like Thursday."화려한 영상미와 캐스팅은 차치하고라도 두 정신병원 환자가 각자의 독특한 소통 방식을 찾아가는 이야기는 마치 내가 한번 다시 세상을 발견한 것 같은 느낌을 준다. 분위기가 유치하고 성숙해서 소중하다.
"I didn't come with an instruction manual or a label on me anywhere. I still don't know what my purpose is. What was I made for?"
I was only 2 y.o. when this movie was released. To this day I have no idea what was I made for, but at least I know what a great time it is to be alive.
주목적은 핵폭탕이 되는 거 아니라 행복하게 사는 것이다.
Yesterday was 78 years since the bombing of Hiroshima, and we as individuals should not succumb to self-destructive behavior, we should not become our own nuclear bombs, and we as humanity must not destroy. We all should live, love, and help people around us become happier like Il Soon helped Yeong Goon.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Learning to let the music pour out of you
Tale of a Raindrop is a coming of age story about Michiru, a young woman who is on the cusp of graduating from college, and who must confront ghosts from the past and challenges from the present in order to let the music within her pour out.The movie opens with Michiru stating like a mantra:
"A lot has happened in the past few days. My best friend passed away. A man told me he loves me. I met my sister that I had never met before, and she is gone. And now I'm standing by a snowing beach. I came here to meet my father. I'm going to graduate college next month, and I will start working for a broadcast company. This is the story of my youth."
Chapter 1: Like Music Pouring Out from the World
Michiru was raised by a single mother, never knowing her father. One day she received a letter from an unknown younger sister. Sayuri had also been abandoned by him. She told of things their father liked, especially a book titled "Snowflake". It was a story of a snowflake who fell in love with a raindrop, but when it begat another raindrop the snowflake dissipated. At the theater where she worked a strange young man who loved silent movies mumbled nervously that he loved her. The mumbler took her to a concert in the park which entailed a friend who played the violin. Michiru watched in amazement as the mumbler and violinist danced to the music in their own joyful world.
Chapter 2: Like Music Pouring Out of Her
Michiru finally met up with her sister Sayuri, a high schooler who had turned to prostitution to earn money for herself and to support her older boyfriend's drug habit. The two sisters lived together, seemingly happy for a while, but Sayuri was bitterly disappointed to find that despite sharing an absentee father, Michiru wasn't miserable and hadn't been forced to live as harsh a life as she had. Before she left, Sayuri gave Michiru a letter from their father's old friend. Though Sayuri rejected her older sister, a special gift set her free to dance to her own music.
In anticipation that he would lead to her father, Michiru tracked down the old friend who turned out to be her age. Through him she discovered the lonely and sad life her father had lived. Afterward, as she walked along the snowy beach we returned to where the movie began with her stating her mantra over and over. The music grew louder as Michiru made peace with the past-the losses, the grief, guilt, anger, pain, and betrayals and found the music within. She realized who she was and that person was not reliant on who her father had been. As she began her new life, like the blooming cherry blossoms, she emerged from her dormancy, forgiving and refusing to carry the baggage of the past.
Chapter 3: Like Music Pouring Out from Me
"The world silently crawled inside me. I cannot stay here any longer…I will never stop dancing under the rainbow."
Tale of a Raindrop was an almost whimsical look at a young woman beginning new chapters of discovery in her life and coming to terms with losses along the way. Through her relationships, she learned how people were able to find the music in themselves in order to dance joyfully. There were times it fell into overly precious territory, almost pretentiousness, but then righted itself, as Michiru confronted the past and present. Rainbows cannot form without raindrops, and Michiru found her place in the world as a beautiful raindrop.
8/7/23
Was this review helpful to you?
such an interesting and well-studied movie!
South Korean CGI technology has been develop so much, even tho i watch it in 2D, i think i'll bring my family to watch in 4DX this weekend! the storyline is good, understandable, well studied, n realistically (touching, emotional, funny) n ofc this movie has top tier acting of the casts, but for the foreign casts still a lil stiff, but it doesn't matter.so, overall this movie is so good! i'm pretty sure you will regret if you don't watch this movie at the cinemas.
because it's WORTH TO WATCH AT THE CINEMAS WITH YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, OR LOVER!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
A Live-Action Marvel: Thrilling, Indescribable, and Unbelievable!
This Live-Action adaptation is an absolute thrill ride, leaving me speechless with its incredible execution! The plot is masterfully crafted, flawlessly preserving every detail of the main anime, even in movie format. I was hooked from start to finish, and the way the story unfolds on the big screen is truly amazing.The characters come to life with such depth and authenticity, thanks to the excellent crafting of their personalities and development. They truly feel like the beloved anime characters we know and adore.
One aspect that blew me away was the attention to detail in the costumes. They are so exquisite and true to the original anime that it feels like we've stepped into an entirely new and breathtaking world. It's hard to believe it's not an entirely new movie, given how well everything is recreated.
The fighting scenes deserve a special mention, as they are nothing short of awe-inspiring. They flow seamlessly within the storyline, never feeling forced or overwhelming. I was able to follow every move effortlessly, which made the action all the more immersive and thrilling.
I can't stop praising this Live-Action marvel; it's a dream come true for any fan. The thrilling action, captivating plot, and awe-inspiring costumes combine to create an indescribable cinematic experience.
If you're a fan of the original anime or just love an action-packed, visually stunning film, don't miss out on this incredible adventure. It's a Live-Action masterpiece that deserves all the praise it receives and more!
Please note: This marks only the beginning of an epic five-movie series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Broken dreams and second chances
In this film about broken dreams and second chances, a professional football player finds himself in a difficult position due to a mix of bad decisions and bad luck. He also has no real support system in his mother (who is on the run for scamming people) and his agency wants him to quit the sport to become a celebrity.Is in this moment of his life that to rehabilitate his image he is forced to become the coach of a football team conformed by homeless men that will compete on a charity tournament.
Reluctantly, he learns the reasons why these men found themselves living in the streets. Addiction, bad decisions, abandonment, grief, among other motives. What they all have in common is that through this tournament they are looking to become a better version of themselves.
To record every moment of their journey, a documentary director (deep in student debt and stress) needs to find the right angle to have this film be a success for her and them.
It’s through teamwork and sharing their problems, that this team of odd men out find -perhaps for the first time in their lives- a real support system and even a family.
Dream is a solid comedy with really touching moments that brought some tears to my eyes. The film tries to shed some light on current social issues in South Korea through the housing problem these men are going through.
Park Seo Joon gives a good performance going from disheartened to finding a new dream and people to fight for. His chemistry with IU is hilarious to watch as they play entirely platonic teammates throwing jabs at each other, even long after they start to get along.
IU’s character as the documentary director who is forced to believe in herself into success is both fun and oh, so real.
The heart of the film, however, is Heo Joon Seok, whose character never lost hope and fought from beginning to end so the team could achieve their dream. The rest of the actors bring some emotions though the respective stories that makes the comedy more grounded.
Overall, I enjoyed this film.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
An enjoyable ending
The review is based only on the events of the film. I feel the responsibility to point this out because the manga is on going, which means the story might take a turn to any possible direction in the future.I finally got the chance to watch this film this week, a very nice and neat conclusion to the world of competitive karuta. For those who need a little reminding, the story follows Chihaya and her friends as a team trying to win the national high school competition and, for some of them, even dream of becoming professionals. But the films also tells us about their personal struggles, sometimes on actual lines of dialogue and, other times, through out the poems been read in the karuta competitions.
The film choose to make a time jump between the second film and the third, putting the last installment of the trilogy on Chihaya’s senior year of high school. She’s only have one goal in her life: becoming the Queen of karuta but now teachers and even friends are taking different routes in life, choosing professions and paths in which they won’t be able to talk together as the tight-knit group they become, so she needs to start thinking what else lays beyond karuta.
On this point, I feel the story failed and achieved something at the same time. It was nice to see Chihaya think of things beyond her karuta bubble with the film didn’t developed properly. I like she kept her goal of becoming Queen until the very end, because at her core that’s who she truly is, but at the same time I didn’t get to see her spend enough time thinking of life outside the sport.
Other professional karuta players are shown to have their own personal and professional lives outside the competitions, so I guess I would have like to see Chihaya be a little more motivated or explicit on what other thing she might want to pursue. Whatever it tis, I’m sure it would have been with the same savage passion she has for everything she loves.
Meanwhile, Taichi finally reached a boiling point. I guess it’s fair to say Taichi has been competing his entire life: against Arata but most importantly against his own insecurities. Taichi’s biggest roadblock has always been himself, by putting others before him to a point of whatever he wants becomes irrelevant in his own life. When he first started playing karuta again, in freshman year of high school, he didn’t do it for himself. He did it for Chihaya, and unlike her his development about what he wishes to do in the future beyond the world of competitive karuta was properly developed.
Taichi finally loses to the pressure and feels forced to leave the karuta team. It’s a nice call back as to the same reasons why Arata quitted karuta in the first film. Back then, Arata lost all motivation when his grandfather had died. He was the reason why Arata started and continue to play the game and with him home he needed two films to find a reason to do it for himself.
The same thing can be said about Chihayara. She’s always played for her, a point the film makes perfectly, and because of that she’s able to support her teammates, show respect to her opponents and inspire her juniors.
If you ask me, the third film in this trilogy is Taichi’s film. It’s the conclusion to his journey and the answer his been looking for since day one. The card choice at the end, where he’s putting all his feelings out in the open, is him finally stepping forward and withholding nothing.
As for the love triangle, I would rather concentrate on the personal story of our three main characters. I believe this story is so popular because of the everyday and common struggles the characters go through that resonate with people, and not because of a love triangle.
Chihaya’s answer remained true to herself, as mentioned before, because she’s never really thought of anything beyond the karuta world. Of course, Arata put himself out there, in all the ways possible, because Arata never doubts himself once he has set his eyes on the prize. And, of course Taichi is the last man standing next to Chihaya because that’s also part of who he is.
That said, of course, I have a team I’m rooting for and personally I believe the story told in this film serve for the benefit of one team rather the other. But to get a real and final answer about Chihaya’s feelings, we will have to keep on reading the manga.
Kudos, to the amazing supporting cast who it’s as wonderful as always. Making the smallest moments incredibly funny and heart warming, even sometimes stealing the entire show from the leads. Thank you!
Was this review helpful to you?
In addition the film questions whether people are capable of change, as well as whether we can change people’s impressions of us.
Chung’s unforgettable family drama promises both to devastate and uplift audiences in any country where this masterpiece stands a chance at being released.
Was this review helpful to you?
