Reviews

Excellent Movie

As someone who never read the book (honestly, I didn't even know there was a book to begin with), I really enjoyed this movie!

One night, I was looking for a movie to watch while I did my routine nightly walk on the treadmill and stumbled across this movie on iQiyi. I will start off by saying I had zero expectations and boy, did this movie exceed my expectations!

I felt the most important thing to mention is that there was a background story, and an ending that will tie up all the loose strings nicely. All of your questions will be answered (well, most of them anyway) and you will walk away extremely satisfied with the ending, which is something I can't say about a lot of movies lol.

I've never seen the main actor or actress before but I thought they were both extremely well-casted and were excellent in their roles. The main actor reminds me of Ron Ng (an actor from HK). The lead roles both had amazing control of their facial expressions and I could tell what emotions they were feeling in the scene just by looking at their face. The action/fight scenes were all really well-done too. I'll be on the lookout for more dramas and movies from these two, that's for sure!

Overall, I would highly, highly recommend this movie!! It won't disappoint and the story will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Read More

"If you don't change it yourself, one day it'll change you"

The only things special about Special ID were Donnie Yen and the bone crunching fights. The story retread most of the gangster clichés and struggled to be consistent.

Donnie Yen played Chen Zi Long, a deep undercover police officer. He's ready to go back to active duty but as always he's required to do one more job. He's trying to bring down Boss Xiong (Ngai Sing) but along comes his old buddy Sunny (Andy On) who has acquired his own gang and gone bonkers evil. Then much to his chagrin he's partnered with a mainland cop, Fang Jing (Jing Tian). Throw in a super tight relationship with his mom that takes up a lot of air time and Chen is afraid that he is close to having his cover blown which would put his mama in danger.

Special ID started out as a gritty gangland drama but then seemed to lose focus. The relationship between Chen and Fang seemed especially confusing as it went back and forth trying to decide if it was going to be a buddy cop adventure or a romance or antagonistic work friends. Without explanation, a lot of time was invested in Chen's relationship with his mother. The movie had a real identity crisis that never quite resolved itself. Thankfully, plot is not the priority in a movie like this. Donnie went all out for his fight choreography. His fight with Ken Lo was brutal and showed that Ken still has it, watch for him to go into the splits! As often happens, one fight multiplied and the next thing you know Donnie was fighting a knife wielding gang. His final fight with Andy mixed in some MMA grappling along with his martial arts, mostly it was a vicious no holds barred fight to the death. Bruce Law's car chase choreography was brilliant. While Fang Jing seemed out of place at times, the car chase with her and Sunny wrestling inside and outside a Land Rover at full speed was death defying and amazingly shot.

Donnie did an excellent job as the battle weary undercover cop, even when his character was passively dragged from one place to the next. Andy's Sunny wasn't very well drawn but he made for a serviceable Baddie. Jing Tian seemed far too slight to be the badass she was supposed to play, but made the most of the female sidekick role with all it's cringey dialogue. It was good to see old timer Ken Lo showing off some of his Muy Thai and Taekwondo moves early in the movie.

As I stated, there wasn't anything creative or consistent about the story but that's not usually the draw to a Donnie Yen movie anyway. The fights were deliciously creative and consistently good showing that Donnie is a master at what he does best. I just wish the story had been stronger so that I could have rated this higher.



9/4/22

Read More

train to busan but on a plane?

Emergency Declaration is part political thriller and part disaster film, both of which are done good enough. Essentially it took it's time before moving into our main plot, which is good because it became easier seeing the different circumstances of our leads.

People in my local theater are either the most emotionless people in the world or weren't actually watching, I was jumping out my sit on the suspense scenes and crying on the sad ones.

It's a show of the human nature, how we react to situations that are life or death, and where true humanity stands out, that there are people out there willing to sacrifice themselves in the face of death. also how we should appreciate our loved ones, one moment they might be there but can be gone in an instant, we should make every moment count.

there's a whole bunch of political nonsense throughout that cuts off the suspense at times, especially prominent in the latter half of the film. it was good when we we're looking for where to land, desires of each country fighting but too much off it had me almost asleep.

this film when does good it's extremely good, but also when it does bad it's extremely bad.

This was an extremely stacked cast lineup with veterans Song Kang Ho and Lee Byung Hun to top stars Kim Nam Gil and Park Hae Joon, however nobody delivered a better performance than Im SIwan, more on this later.

(MINOR SPOILERS)
The film was a mirror of the COVID19 pandemic we are experiencing took to another, extreme level. it reflects how in the early stages, people that tested positive are divided and shunned by the mass, even blaming an entire race or continent for it, these moral ambiguities we're heavily present here.

Killing off our main antagonist less than half way into the film was gutsy but In a way made sense, but that extra angst knowing he'd still be alive along with the commotion in the latter half would have made this a much more suspenseful ride. despite the limited screen time and getting killed off, Im Siwan in his villain role was crazy good and terrifying, add that to his lovely features, it made the character soooo creepy.

Ending for me felt force and gave twists just for the sake for it, my tears during the farewell scenes felt like I was robbed off it and that cliche ending was the culprit.

(END OF SPOILER)


unfortunate how this ended so weak, could have easily been the best 2022 korean film. to answer my headline, though it has quite the similarities, I personally think the thrill and suspense of the 2 films are from different sources.

Read More

Bittersweet love story beautifully told in a movie

The ML was in his forte not only playing a footloose and carefree teenager falling in love but a desirable and seductive male gisaeng. Watching him dance to entertain his clients made me wish I was there in person!

Costumes, props and sets were realistic and transported you back in time to Joseon. Scenery was gorgeous as well and it was a visual feast for the eyes. Story was pretty simple so you could focus on the romance and had its trademark Korean touch of a bittersweet ending with a little twist.

A good watch when you don’t have the time to invest in a multi-episode drama and want a little romance fix with a tinge of sadness. Pom Rak Khun is my takeaway from this movie.

Read More

Goryeo meets Futuristic UFOs

I was super excited for this movie since the casting of KTR, RJY & KWB was announced. Dang, those three in one movie! So going into it, I was shook when more and more famous faces kept popping up! I think almost every single actor was familiar lol.

It's a futuristic alien sci-fi fantasy meets comical ancient martial arts xianxia/wuxia, with good CGI. Who should watch it? Fans of the genres, or those who like comical action-filled movies, or people looking to watch something light-hearted on a movie night. So Jisub, Kim Taeri Ryu Jun Yeol, Yeom Jung Ah, Jo Woojin and more are all great here and especially Kim Woo Bin was very entertaining. If you're their fan, definitely consider watching. There are some fresh colorful characters and lots of action.

Personally, a couple tiny hiccups & how it could be improved. Sometimes there's a lot happening simultaneously which could get confusing for some people. I rewatched to understand everything better. Then the colorful characters could have become more relatable if their inner conflict was communicated- say with close up shots at tense moments. Because these are all great actors and they would take it to the next level. Instead the audience was more of a spectator watching their actions happen rather than being invested in their choices. It's normal for the genre though, I know, I've watched similar movies , comedy is the vibe, therefore it's not a big concern.

Loved the flying jeep. KWB's roles were fun. He and RJY should keep their long-ish locks lol they look great. Can watch KTR any day. Liked the cats and the pair of Taoists. There were some unique things and characters that made it fresh, and I loved the concept of time.

Read More

"I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good." 'Faust'-Goethe

To watch Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal it would help to have a working knowledge of the Chinese legend of Zhong Kui. Which I didn't. And this movie tended to enter facts not in evidence which could make a confusing viewing for a novice. In the end it didn't matter too much because the storyline was thin. Very thin.

First off, I'll drop two things on the table about me and this movie. First, I am a Chen Kun fan and watched this mainly for him. Second, the CGI in this movie was terrible, slow, shoddy, cheap video game quality for the most part. And there was a lot of it, overwhelming any story the writers might have wanted to tell. As much as I love Chen Kun, even he couldn't save this movie from the weight of the CGI department.

Every thousand years demons can reincarnate into a human, god, or back to a demon depending on their moral checklist hidden within the Dark Crystal, which can also hold the 7 spirits of people. Chen as Zhong Kui steals the Dark Crystal for Zhang Daoxian (Winston Chao), a low level god tasked with keeping the realms from erupting into chaos. With his magic bat fan Zhong can turn into an enormous demon with the power to vanquish other demons. After the theft of the Dark Crystal, several female demons come calling to try and steal it back. Low and behold one of the them is Snow Girl (the gorgeous Li Bing Bing), Zhong's old lover. This causes a crisis for both of them which is further complicated when Zhong learns more of his origin story. Something I've learned from watching Cdramas, not all demons are bad and not everyone from the heavenly realm is good. The social hierarchy and ambitions therein exist in all the realms.

This could have been a beautiful, tragic love story. Unlike many Chinese movies, this one had the steamiest scenes I've seen, which could be attributed more to the chemistry between Chen and Li than any skinship. The filmmakers instead over-relied on flashbacks and their CGI creations to carry the movie which resulted in an emotionless, colorful mess. Chen, Li, and Chao did their best with the limitations constricting them. Most of the secondary characters were largely forgettable.

Even with the bad CGI, if the filmmakers had trusted their stars and developed their characters better this could have been a far more entertaining and moving film.



9/3/22

Read More

I am surprised by how completely floored I was by this movie. I tend to not like stories centered around bullying, as a former victim of bullying myself, but something about this movie really compelled me. That “something” is likely the two leads, who give absolutely amazing performances. I’ve never seen these two actors in anything else but wow, they seem super talented. There’s a scene at one point towards the end with no dialogue, just the two of them looking at each other, and it’s one of the best scenes in the movie. The story is also very compelling, because while the world is against them, these two youths are able to find strength and comfort in each other. The movie highlights the failings of the adults and cops to successfully intervene in these bullying cases. The cinematography is stunning in this movie as well and the editing is great. I wasn’t able to take my eyes off the screen. If you’re sensitive about bullying this might be a difficult watch but I think it is a really good film.

Read More

❤️君が落とした青空❤️

This is the first movie I watch with Fukumoto Riko. This movie is about two students Miyu and Shuya who high school students, they are dating for two years now and have made a promise that noone matter what happens they will watch a movie on the first day of each month. Miyu sees a dream about Shuya every morning, that he dies after their date to the movies...
One day shuya cancels their date and Miyu gets suspicious because shuya is acting weird. He seems like he is hiding something She panics but when she wakes up she finds herself on the morning of the accident.
Miyu keeps waking up on the day when Shuya got into an accident..
Shuya makes sure he tells miyu his feelings, this is a true love story I really liked this movie❤️

Read More

One hell of a ride

This is a start of something new. A new franchise? Maybe?

The movie was action-packed and ver entertaining. It has no boring storylines. And every character was very well woven in one tapestry.

Actors were perfectly picked. Kim Woo Bin portrayed each character very well. Hope he comes back in the sequel. Kim Tae Ri is the new sci-fi movie queen and Ryu Joon Yeol in his element. I love the funny yet very charismatic character or Mu Reok.

The story was unique and my expectations for this movie was even exceeded.

I recommend this movie. I’ll be waiting for the sequel.

Read More

This is a standard story of the teacher as saviour of those wayward youths. It's really well done even if it's completely cliche but Donnie Yen is outstanding; as is the fantastic young cast as well. I liked too that it was about forgiveness and overcoming your own hangups and demons. I liked Yu Kang the villian here as well. You never how something you do can affect someone's whole life!

I am such a sucker for these kinds of feel good movies and I cried on a few scenes. Like when Glady's had the car race with her father. I was also glad her father and honestly, all the parentals turned out to be loving/caring human beings even the alchoholic father of the twins. I bawled my eyes out when one of the twins was struggling and felt like he couldnt turn to anyone (trying not to spoil anything) those scenes really broke my heart.

Overall, a really enjoyable film. The music was pretty good too! Im probably biased re the music it was mostly american music that I was familiar with.

Read More

Both Korean original and Japanese remake are great. I like JPN remake little better.

I watched both movies and both are made great, however, this remake made me cry lot more than original Korean version. I felt more inner emotions of main leads in this movie. I think it’s because actings were maybe better?

ML actor Ryusei was much better in acting than FL lead in this remake. Her acting was little inexperienced to me and she wasn’t convincing to me compare to Ryusei. His eyes, body language and face expressions were amazing.

It’s little slow in the beginning, but this remake will make you cry at the same time it gives you heartwarming. I definitely recommend watching it.

Read More