Completed
Violence Action
10 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 5.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

If anyone is hyped for this movie, lower your expections and maybe skip it

I watched this at a theater after reading the first 2 volumes of the manga.
I seemed like it would be rather easy to adapt without needing expensive CGI and set pieces etc. All it needs is a good lead and usual action movie stuff like people have making for decades. Making a decent 7/10 movie out of this should be in the bag and for some reason they failed it. Feels like they spent their entire budget on getting a big name actress. Hashimoto Kanna definitely has it in her make it work but she doesn't really match the character's vibe. Nobody expects her to pull the action scenes like Keanu Reeves but this was absymal. Cuts and camera work making the heavy lifting with unnecessary CGI teleporting scenes etc.

Writing is the only thing this movie is somewhat decent at. They managed to merge first few arcs in a rather episodic manga in a sensible manner. I didn't liked the addition of the romantic subplot but that is expected at this point.

Other characters were doing okay jobs with my only complaint being the Yakuza boss constantly making dad jokes have too much screen time and he is not a very impactful character let alone the main villain. Might be another big name actor they are trying to get bang for their buck.

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Completed
Life: Love on the Line (Director's Cut)
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Cute but Superficial

I was a bit underwhelmed by this movie and found it spread too thinly to really realise any depth. It suffered from trying to achieve too much in too little time. The film explored the familiar territory of trying to be and feel normal in a society that does not accept you as such, but without a unique angle to give it originality. The snippets of life and relationship at different stages that we were offered did not really allow me as a viewer to connect with either character and I didn’t feel much chemistry between the actors either.

The love story was sweet and cute but relied on a quirky and often hackneyed script that did not always give credibility to the emotions being expressed. There was little subtlety to be had from the direction and cinematography, which could have better utilised facial expressions and body language to convey the message and the mood instead of the bland and obvious spoken thoughts. I would strongly recommend “Old Fashion Cupcake” as a far superior watch for anyone who enjoys this type of genre and is looking for a more mature approach.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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Completed
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Revenge Scar
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

Review

Envy's original form looks just like in the manga and he looks great. They got the same actors as the first movie, I really like both of the films and there will be a third one eventually. It helps alot if you have read the manga ahead of time because that will fill in the gaps between the first movie and the second movie. The manga also fills in the gaps in the second movie as well since it compresses many volumes. The ost is forgettable to be honest, after watching the movie I can't remember anything about the music which is not good if you ask me since alotnof films have recognizable ost like Star Wars, etc. Scar looks great as well.

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Completed
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Revenge Scar
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Disappointing FX

LIKES:
Some of the casting is well done.
Music was suitable and didn’t over power the actors/actresses when they were speaking, but nothing stood out either.
It still has the cheesy moments like in the first movie.
I loved the panda of Lan Fan, too cute!
Costumes for the most part were accurate for the characters.

DISLIKES:
EDITING: CGI is very noticeable, same with green screen use and both are used way too much.
FX: For Armstrong, you can see where the scull cap ends, they didn’t blend the makeup well. Also the scar on SCAR is so badly done, to the point of being tacky. Some of the special effects for the alchemy (like Ed’s shafts of stone) were so badly done, they were a disaster.
DIRECTING: fight scenes could have been choreographed much better.
Also hated how/where they chose to end it. I understand that it’s a series of movies, but it should be able to stand alone too.

OVERALL:
It’s on par with the prequel movie, but I expected more in terms of graphics, FX and production considering the first film was in 2017 and it’s 2022 now. Even though I’m a fan of some of the actors, I won’t rewatch this and don’t recommend it to anyone who either watched the Fullmetal Alchemist anime or read the manga.

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Completed
Love and Leashes
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
If you are someone who read the title, has seen the promotional images and decided not to watch it because it you think its a Korean Fifty Shades interpretation, you are very wrong. Give this a watch. It is soo much better.

Funny, sweet and even a little cute - it is a very good movie. I'm also very impressed by the two main characters. I'm typically weary of kpop idols in dramas, and this one made me extra nervous as it had two of them in the main roles. But they are very good. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun musically, but I've never watched her in anything. I was so happily surprised.

This movie was very endearing with a good message at its heart. I'm such a sucker for a good romantic comedy and this satisfied. Highly recommended.

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Completed
Warning from Space
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.5
This review may contain spoilers
Japan's first color sci-fi movie made full use of the technicolor palette. One-eyed blue starfish aliens show up on Earth causing the natives to wonder if their actions are friendly or nefarious.

Warning from Space was both complex and quaint. You cannot take the science seriously---at all, but the story does bring forth a rather frightening threat which could end all life on Earth. Unlike the earlier Godzilla, who came to town stomping and shooting his atomic breath, in Warning from Space strange starfish aliens attempted to make contact but only caused panic. Determined to communicate with the Earthlings, the Parians were able to take human form to try and find a way to convince the local Tokyo scientists of a cosmic threat. A rogue planet, Planet R was headed straight for Earth and the only way to stop it was for all of Earth's nuclear weapons to be shot at it to either change its trajectory or blow it up. A simple enough idea but the World Council had to agree to it and they were unconvinced of aliens or a rogue planet. As the sky tinted red with temperatures and radiation rising, gigantic tidal waves and flooding appearing, the World Council agreed to using nuclear weapons to stop the impending doom. By now, everyone who could had gone underground as life on the surface was starting to cook. Would the nuclear weapons save Earth?

Warning from Space's sets and scenery were lush and vibrant. Great care was taken in creating this world. The aliens were simplistic, actors in blue starfish costumes, but this was 1956 and CGI didn't exist yet. They did remind me of Maggie Simpson in her starfish winter coat, or the Gorg from the cartoon movie Home (2015). Overall, the world building was quite effective. Miniatures were used for flooding and earthquake scenes, some better than others.

There were lessons about global and galactic cooperation, the use of nuclear weapons and the dangers of even more potent weapons. Though the movie is for 7+, scenes of animals dying on the surface could be disturbing.

Like I said, you can't take the science seriously, it was the 1950's with duck and cover nuclear bomb drills in real life. With that in mind, the ending and much of the middle didn't make sense. You have to put yourself in a simpler, less informed time.

The cast was rather large so most of the characters tended to come off as dry and ill-defined but the majority of the acting filled the bill. The story lagged at times, especially when the aliens inexplicably disappeared for a bit. Even with the detractions, the question of the Earth's fate as humans hid underground dealing with the fallout of the rogue planet hurtling ever closer did give it an edge.

Warning from Space had some intriguing concepts and beautiful cinematography for a 1956 film. Certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy old sci-fi movies, Japan's first color sci-fi might be one to try out.




8/20/22

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Completed
The Witch: Part 2. The Other One
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
tbh I'm not trying to find faults, but having a lot of characters in a movie is a considerable drawback. So I can guess that several parties from different countries are involved, but why keep mixing languages making it so messed up? The mandarin team should stick to mandarin, the English peeps should just continue to stick to that, of cuz maybe because their origin is the same (??). And trying to cover the story of all those side characters while ignoring the main characters and the object of all those peeps chasing....maybe they should stick to one story. There is a limit to what you can say within a 2-hour movie, why make it so messed up? But truly the only exciting thing is the fight scene at the end, but I feel they gave me a candy and then took it away before I can taste it. If you ask me The Witch Part 1 is waaaay better than Part 2.

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Completed
Forgotten
29 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 5.5

got my brain twisted

I don't have much to say about the story. Didn't expect it to be such a tragedy. There were tons of hints being hinted at the beginning of the movie. I was foolish enough not to realize it lol.
Acting wise is superb especially the leads. Welĺ, the most vital thing that stood out to me beside the acting is, the twist. I honestly think without the twist, this movie is just gonna be plain. Overall, I had a good time watching this. It's not the type of movie that would be easily forgotten cause the plot twist is strong. I don't enjoy rewatching movie with unpredictable twist cause the second time you watch it, it's never gonna be the same.

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Completed
Stay with Me
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

This movie is so realitic

As the one who ever had experience of long distance relationship i can relate to this movie so much 😭😭😭 the acting is so good, no need to ask for the chemistry bcs it is immaculate 🥲🫶 i love it so much. Xin yun lai really really makes my heart butterflies. And also renmin is soooooo pretttyyyyy. For those who experience the libg distance relationship will love it. But i wish they had a longers ending scene of them. I mean i want more happy scene of them without the distance. And i need more scene of the second couple 🤔 i dont know if this possible but a drama with this kind of plot will deffinetly my cup of tea, hope they remake this into drama

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Completed
My Blue Summer
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
Completed 2
Overall 4.5
Story 2.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

catch some zzz's instead of wasting your time

Wow. Wow. So that was super boring.

Prefacing this by saying I have not watched a single one of those limitless unrequited love remakes, so this story is fresh to me. I have to say, not a great way to be introduced to the world of “unrequited love”s.

First of all, what unrequited love? I sense no angst. I feel no desperation, no longing. This movie is practically void of any emotion. I felt none of the raw feelings, the nervous excitement and the crushing experiencing of liking someone afar watching this. To me, emotion is practically necessary to the formula of a nostalgic Chinese youth movie, and My Blue Summer is missing this essential ingredient, which makes it hard to care.

The characters are so bland, they taste like sawdust. I have no idea what kind of people luo zhi and sheng huai nan are from watching this movie. Especially luo zhi, she was so inconsistent; I couldn’t tell if she was supposed to be shy or fiery, cowardly or brave. Both leads were almost as one dimensional as lee jong suk in W. The acting was mediocre, which probably contributed to the horribly boring characterization.

Maybe their chemistry will save us! Nope. I don’t know what I expected, seeing as the characters were boring and the acting was meh, but there is no chemistry. Other than a few cute domestic moments, I was left wondering exactly what led these two together and why they were even together. What do they even like about each other? Who knows. I bet they don’t even know. Acting: kind of bad, writing: even worse.

The ending was so crappy I have to laugh. They stirred up so much drama only for about 0.01% of it to get resolved. I will say part of the reason is probably because they tried to fit a drama length story into a movie (if they’re going to keep adapting dramas into movies, please. Please cut. things. out. of. the story. I haven’t watched a single movie adaptation of a drama that went well). This also lent itself to a few other issues, namely an underdeveloped plot that basically went nowhere.

If you really have an hour and forty minute to spare, I suggest you take a nap.

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Completed
The Box
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 19, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

The slowest 1 hour and 34 minutes of my life

As a person who rarely skips any scene while watching a movie/ drama, I can't describe how frustrating it was for me to continue watching this. It felt like time wasn't moving at all. That's how much boring it was. I decided to watch it because of the tremendous amount of good reviews it received when it first came out but I had no idea how much biased those reviews were.

It had a good plot but the execution of the story was really really really bad. It was flat and boring. Nothing exciting happens here. Rather than a movie it felt like a promotion of Chanyeol's upcoming album or something.

This movie had good actors in it but only good acting can't save a movie...

Since it's a musical, all the songs were pretty good. But to be honest, none of the songs caught my attention.

If you have a lot of free time to waste in your life or if you are willing to watch a movie-length music video instead of a story, go ahead, watch it. Otherwise save your time and watch something else.

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Completed
You're So Precious to Me
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 19, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Very interesting story that will make you cry

I came upon this quite randomly and while seeing the main topic of this movie I decided to watch.
The main plot is about a young kid who is both blind and deaf and an adult agent who takes care of her after her mother's death.
The first thing which I was interested in was how blind and deaf people even live? How they communicate? How they perceive the world around them? And it was really interesting to see lot of my questions being answered.
The kid actor Jung Seo Yeon playing the small Eun Hye was so good. Her performance was really top. You could easily believe she is blind and deaf. Also the main male character was played very well by Jin Goo. Their chemistry was something extra, almost like they were father and daughter.
I think the movie is really heartwarming and it will surely make you cry and sometimes it's just too cute, especially when Eun Hye is smiling. The only negative thing I can see is that the story was quite quick and it didn't tell us how some things continued or were solved in the end.
Watch if you are interested in how blind and deaf people can live their daily lives and if you want something to warm your heart to the core.

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Completed
An Inspector Calls
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 19, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Watched for the cast, not for the play

As an adaptation of An Inspector Calls, it lacks the seriousness of their misdoings and critique of elite society where the concluding question for debate should probably be "who is responsible?"

But the question I was left with was "what on earth did I just watch? Was that deep fake Donnie Yen??"

It's been a while since I watched a goofy HK comedy, and this successfully made me laugh. I enjoyed the OTT performances of Louis Koo and Lam Ka Tung. The aesthetics and editing had a Wes Anderson vibe. All the cameos you would expect of a spring festival movie and play the game of spot Director Wong. I loved Teresa Mo's hair.

It wouldn't be out of place as part of a variety show or a school drama club performance, where nobody is taking it deadly seriously and probably neither should the audience. Get a social critique and literary fix from a different source. The message at the end be like "You've had your fun, now go study". Busted.

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Completed
Once upon a Time
2 people found this review helpful
by Yuki
Aug 19, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Worth a Try for its visuals :)

I personally found this movie to not be as bad as everyone claims it to be. Most of those who dislike this adaptation is due to comparing it to the drama. That aspect in itself doesn’t even make sense. It’s like you comparing a short story version to a novel, a 58 episode drama to a movie that’s about 1h and 45 min.

The story itself is really complicated so its really hard to have every detail in the movie. I felt they did ok with the story telling as I myself was able to understand the story expect perhaps the ending (also why they all look so tan in some of the scenes lol). If you want details I would recommend to just go watch the drama or read the novel then.

The story telling wise as I have said was ok and the big idea was still understandable. Side note (Small spoiler) there’s a part where it feature yang yangs awkward noodle making/ cooking lol. There was a lot of sweet moments though. Also Crystal’s fighting are as amazing as always (in china she’s well know for her Wuxia acting). Basically the movie is a highlight of the main plots of the story. It’s told in a way that when theres a portion that needs explaining it goes to a cut scene of what happen that lead up to scene and since the story talks about there 3 life/ reincarnation they give you pieces of each portion. You can then piece them together. For example, warning there will be a spoiler, theres a part where we see FL talking to a men frozen in ice then her master was almost thrown of the cliff then there was a cut scene showing why her master was frozen in the ice (showing he was frozen in the ice because his soul was shattered when sealing with the sword).

This movie gave me a Disney production vibe and the underwater scenes reminded me of Barbie in a Mermaid Tale. This movie was so aesthetically pleasing, from the visual to the ML and FL actor (both Yang Yang and Crystal Liu are some of the top best looking actors and they have very positive image in acting in historical shows as they particularly excel in this genre in china so this casting was really well done), to the voiceover, to every characters costumes and so much more. Each character’s design where made with thorough thoughts. (But Susu’s wedding outfit was not it lol, light spoiler that bright pink head piece ;-;)

There is some lacking in the acting but there something in them that makes you believe in the character they act. The little green guy is also kinda cute and through out the show he quite humorous (most of the joke are hard to understand for non Chinese speakers though). Each character made me see there emotions, I laughed and cried.

In conclusion I think you can give the movie a try don’t be affected by the over the top negative reviews. Don’t go into it with such strict expectations or else you will always be disappoint and as I said its a unfair comparison. If you are a hardcore fan of the drama then you can ignore what I said. We watch shows for entertainment nothing is perfect no?

I think the movie is a great preview of the this beautiful love story and if you’re intrigued you can then go on to watch the 58 episode drama.

Anyways everyone have there own preferences, I still believe this movie wasn’t bad at all. I would watch it again, and if you’re interested here’s a link to watch it with English subtitles: https://www.xiaoheimi.net/index.php/vod/play/id/20266/sid/1/nid/1.html

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Completed
The Witch: Part 2. The Other One
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 18, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

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i finally got the movie but subtitles are messed up.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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