Reviews

A Nostalgic Air and Familiar Faces

This was such a cute film about friendship. It had this air of nostalgia to it that really found a way to touch my heart, even as we breezed through plot developments. The characters were admittedly pretty flat: the protective one, the resourceful one, the romantic one. But that turned out okay, because the focus wasn't on who the characters were, or what they were going through separately, but rather on the unconditional friendship that they shared with each other. And the ending was just so heartwarming.

All 3 of these actresses have made quite a name for themselves, and I think fans of Thai dramas would really like seeing their familiar faces in such a piece.

Read More

Zhao Hua looks so like Wang Talu )!

An interesting story about revenge, in the spirit of chinese fantasy) At first, things move very quickly , not as usually in Chinese series or movies , and a little incomprehensibly, but then it becomes interesting. Zhao Hua Wei looks like Talu Wang)) the whole movie I compared how Talu would play this role ahah they are very similar in acting too ... but the actor played well, with feeling))
the story not ordinary bc u curious a half movie , which side will take Hu Fei ,and i was surprised that at the end he played smart to quarrel enemies among themselves )
the end of the story don't really the end so I think the story should have a continuation.. i hope )) will cool if it were made into a series )

Read More

This movie is up there with TLT2 (the Neo Hou/Cheng Yi outing) as my favorite DMBJ thingy. No silly het romance of an unnecessary insert (I'm looking at you, Providence), just good old tentacles and Bromance - with the B being very silent.

Till this movie, Heihua did nothing for me. It didn't ring any bells, it left me cold and shrugging on the outskirts of this fandom. But Ji Chen and Ji Xiaobing as Hei Xiazi and Xiao Hua, respectively, did A Thing(TM) to my perception of this pairing. Like... wow.

This movie was everything I hoped for. Yeah, yeah, grave robbing (sorta), tentacled Cthulhu wannabe, that was all nice and whatnot. But the relationship between Hei Xiazi and Xiao Hua? That was perfection pure.

Like...

- when Xiao Hua first came to Hei Xiazi and Hei Xiazi learned why Xiao Hua was headed into the jungle - and then he stole Xiao Hua's ugly statuette and threw it into the pond to protect him.
- when Hei Xiazi paid the armed wannabe bandits to let Xiao Hua's expedition pass but he placed himself right next to Xiao Hua, just in case, to protect him from bullets.
- when Hei Xiazi was told that the cops found a dead body and he feared that it was Xiao Hua, remembering his words, "Are you not afraid that we will all die?"
- when Hei Xiazi immediately packed his things and ran to Xiao Hua's rescue.
- when Hei Xiazi realized that Xiao Hua was poisoned - well, the rest of the expedition too but them folks could just keel over and die for all he cared - and kept on checking on Xiao Hua for the rest of the movie every time Xiao Hua was sick or dizzy - Hei Xiazi's Look(TM) when he saw the insect sores on Xiao Hua's arm!
- when Hei Xiazi decided to open the sarcophagus, not really caring what was inside, just so Wannabe Cthulhu would stop killing Xiao Hua.
- when Wannabe Cthulhu smacked Xiao Hua off the platform and Hei Xiazi screamed with rage!
- when it looked like they might die after all and Hei Xiazi simply lay down next to Xiao Hua, fully intending to just expire together with him right then and there.
- when they escaped through the river and at some point, Hei Xiazi let his young fellow of a friend go, despite the boy being knocked out, to drag Xiao Hua up.
- when Hei Xiazi's young friend told him, "Why don't you go with [Xiao Hua]? He obviously cares about you a lot."
- when they then ran off together, doing unseemly things in Russia.

This movie just pushed all the right buttons when it came to whump. There wasn't just a lot of hurt, there was so much care on both sides. It's the most lasting impression of mine after watching this movie: they CARED for each other. They cared so much. You could truly feel the depth of affection they had for each other. Smitten, I was smitten!

Read More

kim taeri with guns is may favorite genre

Entertainment at its best! All cast did really well portray those characters. I want to watch it again with sister cuz for sure she would love this.

What I really love the most is the comedic timing in those unexpected times. It is a classic I fear... that I am okay with that cliffhanger at the end?!?!?!?

Maybe I will re watch this many times before the second movie comes out. I really enjoyed it and now I need kim taeri to act in small screens again! ( A kdrama I mean.) I got news that she has one next year omg I am very excited.

This review is turning into a fan-bias, so I'll just stop it here.

Definitely recommended, so watch it. <3

Read More

Came for the creepy kids. Stayed for the emo drama.

I love creepy kids and emo drama, so this movie has a lot of elements that I loved. The downside is that the story is pretty standard for a supernatural mystery, and drags unnecessarily at times. I never even heard of this movie before it popped up on Shudder, but based on good reviews on that site I was immediately intrigued. Although I didn't love "The Closet" as much as I thought I would I can see why others may have liked it more. I've seen so many creepy kids and haunted house movies that the tropes in this were at times way too familiar and predictable. I still appreciated the themes around how we treat and see children and Heo Yool was phenomenal as Yi Na, which kept me engaged from the start.

Heo Yool is the standout but the entire cast is good, including Ha Jung Won as Sang Won, the depressed and overwhelmed dad of Yi Na. I definitely empathized with his character but he was so low-key at times that certain situations didn't feel as heightened as they could have been. Despite many good performances, not many seemed memorable, but there is a great cameo from Park Sung Woong who I thought was perfectly disturbing. I think maybe trying to play things more real and subtly just made the pace feel slower. Also, some of the lightly comedic moments didn't help the mood and felt pretty "meh".

Would I watch this again? I think I would. I'm curious about what details I may have missed. The story gets super explanatory in the middle, which wasn't very engaging the first time watching, but maybe knowing the ending would make some of those parts more interesting.

Overall, "The Closet" is way more haunting and tragic than scary, The ending and its message are what make this movie memorable. In a lot of ways, this is a very basic creepy-kid-haunted-house-ghost-with-a-grudge-story that delivers what is expected. It has a few clever and intense scenes and some great disturbing imagery, but it was never intense enough to actually make me scared. If you think of it more as a supernatural melodrama about a father and daughter's relationship after a tragedy you may be able to enjoy this drama more than if you expect a true horror movie. Yes, the story could have been more concise and I didn't feel as emotionally connected as I could have, but it is still a movie worth watching for fans of this genre. I'm glad I found out about this movie. I wasn't moved to tears but I was moved.

Read More

War-movie with sligt romance

This is an ok movie. The storyline isn’t exactly new but it is somewhat entertaining.
Character wise we have these two generals (one of them is also a princess) of opposing armies that are strong and good at military strategies. One day the princess takes the general as a hostage in order to stop the killing of soldiers on both sides. They end up falling in love and decide to work together towards a peaceful future for both their countries.
Acting wise this is sadly only mediocre. Perhaps because a lot of money was put into costumes and fight-scenes. The acting on most parts is stiff and it’s hard to get a feel of the chemistry between the leads. It’s not bad enough to ruin the show but it could have been much better if the viewers had a chance to get invested in the story.
Anyway, if you have some time to waste and like a movie that’s mostly action and a bit romance, this is an ok watch.

Read More

Are you better off with him or without him?

In this film, Director Naruse took the viewer behind the scenes of two performers, delving into their professional and personal lives. Jurio and Toyo had been together since training under her mother and must now decide whether to marry and continue on or break up the act.

This was a difficult film for me to rate so I will simply list some pros and cons.

Cons:
Jiro was an egotistical jerk who constantly criticized Toyo's shamisen playing but never reflected critically on his own performance.
Toyo was told repeatedly that as the woman it was her duty to capitulate to Jiro's demands.
If you don't enjoy or have a background in these types of performances, they can be less than enthralling and there are plenty of them. On the converse side if you enjoy them, you are in for a real treat!
There is a lot of bickering between the main couple

Pros:
Toyo rarely capitulated and often defended herself well against Jiro's barbs standing up to him and their manager.
This was a love triangle with real stakes, there was no foregone conclusion who Toyo would eventually end up with.
Toyo truly loved performing and struggled with whether to give it up in an era when being married and continuing to work were not always compatible. I liked that she wasn't ready to jump on the marriage train simply because it was expected of her. She was also willing to do what was necessary once she made up her mind.

As much as I've enjoyed other Naruse films, I can't say that l enjoyed this one. I never liked Jiro, he was self-absorbed and felt the world revolved around him and his "talent". I sympathized with Toyo's plight, especially during the times she was living in. Jiro may have gotten some comeuppance which led to a modicum of personal growth, but it still wasn't enough for me to care about him. I kept wanting to tell Toyo, "Run girl, run for your life!"

The performances were well done, Hasegawa Kazuo and Yamada Isuzu, here in their youth showed why they would go on to have lengthy careers. If you are a fan of either, enjoy the shamisen, a creative love triangle, or are a Naruse fan, this is a film worth checking out. It may not have been captivating, but it had some entertaining moments.


11/5/22

Read More

Well yeah?

Story:
To be honest I didn't knew what was going on most of the time. The fact that couldn't tell two actors apart wasn't helping either but that is my fault. I liked the overal story of the introvert in an popular family even though I think that could have been a bigger part of the plot.

Acting/Casting: As I mentioned I confused two characters all the time but that's my fault. Other then that it was solid acting nothing really outstanding but not bad either:3

Music: Didn't really noticeable but that means it ain't bad^^

Rewatch Value: In general I'm not a person who rewatches whole Series or Movies rather than someone who rewachtes special scenes but there aren't any outstanding ones but in general I wouldn't hate to watch it whole again:)

Read More

MY HEART

This was so beautiful. Some people complained that it is too short which I agree and disagree on. On one side I wish it would be longer too because damn that was so good on the other side the length of it was enough to tell the story. It wasn't to short. One could understood the story without much trouble. The actors did a good job and the scenes were beautifully shot. For me the music was the weakest link because it didn't stand out very much but that means it wasn't bad either :3
The 18+ scenes are explicit sometimes, so if you ain't someone who likes this stuff just skip then and keep in mind they happened!
I like that Shuo apologizes in the end, normally the "dominant" male leads are to incompetent to do so but he isn't which ist nice!
Light turn around was nice too! I like that he didn't get back to prostitution after he left.

Read More

what it teach

it's good show to watch, I have watched it more than once, it teach me alot and that's a good thing, I hope it teach others as well 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌

Read More

can't sleep? watch this

this was disappointing...
i came here to have my heart shattered but i almost fell asleep instead

the idea is interesting and the story of eun hae and jae shik could've been brought to life if the writer was sure where they were going with for this movie. for over an hour long, i was told nothing much about the characters and the progression of the story was random. certain scenes felt unnecessary and did not make any difference to the story.

the only redeeming factor was eun hae. those interactions she had with jae shik were heartwarming and i couldn't help but be glued to the screen during those moments. the child that played eun hae will surely have a bright future as she knows how to deliever a powerful performance.

other than a few "awww"s, there wasn't really much to this movie that kept me engaged.

Read More

I. AM. TRAUMATIZED.

I have one thing to say and one thing only: watch at your own risk because trust me the river of tears that will flow out of your eyes will be inexplicable.
...okay so I just realized that my review has to be longer than 500 words so let me actually give you a constructive opinion on this without spoiling anything.
This was definitely a 'journey' type of movie where you feel like you are a part of the character's life as you watch them grow and learn and become the best version of themselves possible. It will pull at you heartstrings and do you dirty in the most unimaginable ways possible. But it's definitely wrong for me to hate on this movie just because it made me cry a little (a lot) which is why I am only going to appreciate the happy movements and convince myself that there was nothing that made me cry (*lies*) but I guess we move. As my mother always says, "it's just a fictional character" (that made me cry a gallon of tears, yes)

Anyways, to whoever has already watched this movie and is currently reading this review as a response to withdrawal symptoms: stay strong<3

Read More