Reviews

cute if a bit simple

throughout the entire movie I kept feeling like something was missing? even through the pacing was pretty decent for a k BL, and I realized it's because the story felt a little.....thin? It's fine the way it is but I also kept feeling like there should've been more, idk it's odd to try to explain in a way that differs from other k BLs that may have similar story-related issues

even if the story felt too thin to hold up the series/movie, the characters are cute. the most important thing to me for k BLs is relationship development, and it was VERY cute to watch how the tsundere chef started to soften up, which naturally lead to the moment where you can see how guilty that made the flirty chef feel lmao

(I"m very bad with names sorry lol, but I trust that you'll know exactly who I'm talking about.)

Read More

the weird last-minute rushed conflict strikes once again

I actually....liked this despite its many....many, flaws idk. I think the characters really saved it for me.

the characters are likable/charming, the main leads had pretty good chemistry, I barely felt any awkwardness from them, and no dead fish kiss! congrats!

the two leads are also pretty cute together, so it's a shame that the rest of the movie is. all over the place. I saw a lot of people call the series "choppy" but I don't think it was that bad until the last 30 minutes or so. Not sure if that's just a personal taste thing or it flows better as a movie.

they really like leaving certain plot points just....dangling, probably because of time constraints, but it doesn't really work because they never give you enough hints to actually connect the dots yourself? there felt like a lot of those here but I think even those would've been more easily forgivable if not for that WEIRD last 20 minutes. I've been binging through a lot of korean BLs lately, and I've noticed that a lot of them have this weird, rushed conflict and then equally rushed resolution near the end ?? I think this happens with regular length kdramas too but it's noticeably worse since K BLs tend to have like...10-20 minute episodes....yeah.

but anyway, so the last minute conflict in itself isn't too weird for me, it just gets lumped in with the other common issues for me to expect when watching a K BL but it was REALLY incoherent here. Usually, I at least vaguely know what's going on even if I'm a little confused, but here, I went back to rewatch the last 20 minutes twice and was still confused. What the heck lol

It's a shame because if they stuck the landing, this could've been a weird but still really decent series, (a better ending wouldn't have fixed how the characters and the time itself sometimes seem to jump all over the place), and it had a promising start, but I guess that sentiment goes for a lot of K BLs tbh.

also this literally has nothing to do with the actual story or quality or whatever but I adored the fashion designer's outfits. he always looked quite cool and trendy and I loved it.

Read More

Derek Yee returned to direct the remake of Death Duel, the movie he starred in as a twenty-year-old in 1977.

Peter Ho starred as the tattooed face swordsman with only one challenger left to fight before he died. Kenny Lin followed the trope of the disgruntled swordsman who refused to fight any more, gaining the name Useless Chi. This is one of my least favorite tropes because the swordsman/fighter waits until innocents are killed before deciding to stand up and take care of business.

The Sword Master felt like an old school kung fu flick only with better special effects and grander scale fights. The sets and costumes were all beautiful and believable. The characters could have been fleshed out more but for a wuxia they accomplished what they needed to.

Norman Chu who was in the original made a return as a clan leader in this one. There weren’t any good or bad clans, they were all pretty disreputable making it hard to root for anyone except the innocent civilians.

The Sword Master was not the best of its kind but it was an entertaining wire-fu wuxia with quality fights, a little romance and a bittersweet bromance. Worth checking out for a fresh take on an old classic.

Read More

Tokyo, a city of culture…a capital of debauchery

Tokyo March is a film fragment and thus difficult to rate. Originally 75-100 minutes long it now clocks in at a scant 27 minutes.

After orphaned Michiyo was laid off from her factory job her uncle wanted her to become a “geisha” like her mother to help support the family. The translation geisha was probably incorrect as it seemed she needed no training and was expected to sleep with men as well as entertain rowdy crowds.

She met Fujimoto, his son Yoshiki and Yoshiki’s best friend, Sakuma, during their visits. Each of the men fell in love with her. Papa Fujimoto discovered a secret bordering on Greek tragedy that set off an emotional bomb in the group.

An early Japanese melodrama, with a relatively complete beginning, middle, and end the 27 minutes were a worthwhile watch to see the director’s take on social and gender issues. I would like to have seen the completed work to hopefully better understand the characters’ emotions and why they were as devoted as they appeared to be.

The acting was fine for the most part though there was some hammy overacting by a couple of actors. Instead of just dialogue printed there was also some narrative content though I don’t know if that was done by a later party. The original music was missing as well.

Tokyo March was a quick and entertaining watch. The opening scene is badly damaged but most of the rest is discernible.

Read More

stop what you're doing, watch this movie right now

this movie is a f****** anxiety inducing thrill ride.

the cast is amazing and some would later be casted in Parasite and Squid Game respectively. The story is just a little more complex than you're average heist movie, it's just what it needs to be. not too convoluted either. It than evolves into a cat and mouse type scenario, reminiscent of GOOD 80s action movies like Predator or Terminator. The story continues where most hollywood movies would call it quits and it elevates the story and character building so much.

where this movie really stands out is allowing it's characters to feel emotions it's really refreshing to see. The characters aren't reduced to super cool, always level-headed and stoic anti-heroes archetypes. but flawed human beings, quite a rare occurance int this kind of movie. (for example: Wrath of Man/Cash Truck 2021, Jason Statham)

the music is excellent, in one scene in particular, The sound of a car alarm echoing through a parking garage seamlessly transitions into the soundtrack, and you realize you were listing to the soundtrack all along.

I showed this to a few friends and they loved it, I even showed it to my dad who hates watching Asian movies and usually refuses my recommendations with some utterance about "the Squintys" (he can't help what he is) and he loved it too.

We need more movies like this, that will take us for a ride.
9/10

Read More

learn to laugh while crying

the story is about a group of north korean spies who are given a mission in south korea. my feelings after this show are sadness, anger and despair. but in the meanwhile I laughed a lot. perhaps do you need to understand why: the story is very funny, the situations are so awkward that you cannot help but laugh. but at the same time, being human and understanding the world as it is, you very much know that these kind of dramas does happens. it does. using humans as tools, it does happens. and it is very disturbing, and sad and infuriating.
it is easy to guess then that the movie was very well done. the cast is so good that you dive into the story at once.

I highly recommend even though I hate violence. I came to watch it after the drama "crash landing on you" and didn't regret the journey. watch it with friends as it is too sad and violent for a lovers or family gathering. have fun!

Read More

This is a Carter Wong vehicle about a young man who has to fight the 8 Masters as punishment for his father's misdeeds.

When Chu is younger he is taken to a Shaolin monastary to protect him from his father's enemies. While there his training and studies begin, and he grows into a skilled fighter. When he's older he goes back to the village to find his mother and to live in peace but once the 8 masters find out he's left the monastary. They all still want to fight and make him pay for his father's misdeeds. He adamantly refuses and takes beatings constantly.

Ultimately, he fights the 8 masters and learns that one is significant to him. The fight scenes were really good.

Read More

"They're Happy. We Were Right. They're Not Angry Anymore." NOT DONE PEOPLE!

This was such a cute little movie!

Kids should love this is Mommy or Daddy explain to them that the Gappa's family is just as important as the kid's family. It portrayed a strong 'family values' message during the entire movie.

Contary to popular belief, most kids and many adults enjoyed being entertained in the past, and even today, by movies like this, which didn't/don't cost an arm and a leg to get into at a movie theater.

I was 10 or 11 years old when this movie came out, and I would have probably pooped my pants had I seen this movie then...
however, I didn't watch it until yesterday.

Its plot virtually duplicates that of the 1961 British film 'Gorgo'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film)

This is a great film for pre-teens, plus it had a love story, and a lesson about the importance of 'family' as well.

...A time when model buidlings, toy tanks and the likes were used by the studios, and were destroyed without a major outlay of finances; but kids really didn't care, as long as the little girls screamed loudly at every sight of the 'monster'!

It also had a historical significance as well; I used to have models of the type aircraft used in this movie hanging from my bedroom ceiling during the time period covered here. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which was extensively deployed in the late 50s and early 60s as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War with Russia. The models used look exactly like that fighter that I had hanging from my bedroom ceiling!

The main cast Hiroshi Kurosaki (Tamio Kawachi ) and expedition photographer Itoko Koyanagi (lovely Yoko Yamamoto) act as if they were really a couple and both played the melodrama excellently, adding humor to the story line as they went.

The support cast also fulfill their roles very well, and assist the main ccast in the primary story as well.

Magazine owner Mr. Funazu provided a great villian, refusing to lete teh babby Gappa go even when he knew that the baby's parents were indestructable and unstoppable by the Japanese and American military.

Mashida (Kōji Wada) provides much comic relief throughout the movie, and wins my vote for best support cast member!

Special kudos to Hiroshita Atami and Takashi Konagaias as Gappa (male and bigger) gappa parent, and Ken Misugi and Shiro Tonami as Gappa (female) gappa parent.

ThIs movie, especially sent me into the past memories of my mind, when directors and actors could tell a story witout it costing an arm and a leg. That alone was worth watching this movie!

However, I stil canot find the name of the youg actress who played Mr.Funazu's daughter; after th eGappas her and the young native boy stole the movie!

More about the Gappa!
The Gappas (ガッパ Gappa) are a species of ancient monsters. Two adult Gappas, male (雄ガッパ Osu Gappa) and female (雌ガッパ Mesu Gappa), and their baby son first appear in the 1967 Nikkatsu kaiju film, Gappa.


Contents
Design
Origins
History
Showa era
Gappa
Abilities
Flight
Amphibiousness
Physical abilities
Radiant Heat Beam
Bioluminescence
Pearl-like substance
Electricity
Filmography
Gallery
Trivia
References
Comments

Design
All three of the Gappas share the same characteristics, as they are based on various reptiles and birds, such as eagles and hawks. Overall, they resemble enormous bipedal griffins. As exhibited in the two adults seen in the film, the species is sexually dimorphic. The female has a smaller head crest and has a flatter face compared to her mate. Their scales are triangle-shaped, and their eyelids are the reverse to that of humans. The Gappas' wings are unlike those of birds; they are actually evolved ribs.[1]

Origins
In ancient times, the Gappas would fight other monsters for survival. They were already present when Earth was still an interstellar cloud, suggesting that the Gappas originated in outer space.[1]

History
Showa era
Gappa
An expedition to Obelisk Island by Mr. Funazu uncovers a baby monster, who hatches from an egg near a sacred temple. The natives plead with the skeptical scientists not to take the baby away, lest it anger the baby's parents. Sure enough, they take the baby away, and soon, inside the caverns, its two parents rise from the underground waters beneath the volcano, destroying everything in their path. Saki, the only survivor, is rescued by an American navy fleet and brought back to Japan.

The parents storm across Japan, destroying all in their wake, but their assault ceases once they recover their baby. Mercifully, they relent and depart to return to Obelisk Island.

Abilities
Flight
The Gappas can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 6.[2]

Amphibiousness
The Gappas have a maximum underwater speed of 150 knots.[2]

Physical abilities
The Gappas have a destructive force of 2 million horsepower. The Gappas' wings can emit hurricane-force winds; they can also cause tsunamis or storm surges using this ability.[1][2]

Radiant Heat Beam
The adult Gappas can fire a 4,000-degree Celsius Radiant Heat Beam (放射熱光線 Hōshanetsu Kōsen)[2] from their mouths. This is described as being "comparable to a death ray" in the film, it can also burn or melt anything it makes contact with. This ability is also speculated in the film to make the Gappas immune to poisons.

Bioluminescence
The Gappas emit bioluminescence from their eyes, which appears blue-white underwater and yellow on land.

Pearl-like substance
The female Gappa possesses a pearl-like substance within her body, likely stored in her legs. This substance can cause humans to go blind.[1]

Electricity
The baby Gappa's body is electrified and causes electric arcs/sparks whenever metals are attached to its body. This may suggest that adult Gappas are also able to emit electricity.

Filmography
Gappa (1967)
Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo (2022) [toys]


Trivia
Stock footage of the adult Gappas appears in an episode of the British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, "Meltdown", where they are enormous wax-droids roaming the Prehistoric World section of an abandoned theme park. Though intimidated, the mechanoid Kryten quips "I can't believe how feeble and improbable those creatures were, sir. I've seen more convincing dinosaurs given away free with a packet of Wheaty-Flakes."

An anatomical illustration noted that Gappa could emit "heat wave beams" from their eyes.[3

Spookykiryu Gigan before he was gigan

Shadowthewolf432 When Rodan Finds the weed

Shadow gojira fan Godzilla + Kappa + Griffin + Rodan = Gappa

Just A GoJi FaN Why didn't they get a sequel :( they're really underrated.

Godzilla .Junior1000 This is my little brother's favourite kaiju

Shin evangelion When Gamera and other kaiju mated and then boom , Gappa was born

SKuLL cRaWLer The Gappas look like if iguanadons had wings

SkullIslandExplorer Are they inspired by the Kappa? They look pretty similar. (FYI: Kappa are water monsters of Japanese
folklore

Godzilla .Junior1000 they are

KING GHIDORAH 19 their heads look like turtles

MosuFan2005 They are very cool, but they are really really really underrated. :(

Read More

This was an absolute masterpiece

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did...but lord knows I did.

Before watching this drama I read some reviews and saw that it was bloody and grotesque.And it was....but only for the first 12-15 minuets of the movie. After that time passed it was like any American movie with blood being spilt for a gunshot wound but besides that it was fine.

Lee Jong Suk's acting was superb for the little time he was seen on screen. If you want to watch this movie for LJS....DON'T he's barely on screen and he spends the majority of the movie in handcuffs.....but his smirk and portrayal of a serial killer is well worth it.

All in all this movie was beautiful in a serial killer type of way.

Read More

Double Drive - Dragon Bonds

Let me get this out of the way, I'm know very little Japanese so watching this raw had its hiccups (also no spoilers here). But for what its worth, this movie was setup to more stand alone as the main character in the last two films (Fujita Rei) doesn't appear as much. I watched this film first before the others (main reason- Sato Ryuji) and for what it does, its good.

It does have its moments though (the cars. I like vehicles with a kick but it doesn't feel like they are truly in contact with the vehicles half of the time if that makes sense..?) but the story is interesting. The setup of stealing a car only for someone else to be tied in the trunk makes a great plot. If you want a good action/car film then this might be fun to watch. I've seen it a few times just because it has a charm that Sato Ryuji brings to whatever he touches (Fujita Rei as well) but if Sato Ryuji isn't your reason to watch then it might not be something for you as he's the main focus here (but could be a great introduction to him as well).

Read More

Its not a movie about adultery, it's about heartbreak

Writting this review after having rewatched it 5x times in the last 4 months since i found it in February 2022
I am not going to rave about how the good storytelling, cinematography and how transfixing the performances of the main cast is because every other reviewer here has preety much done it already, instead what few people talk about is the serene musical soundtrack of this movie(here's the Spotify link to the playlist https://open.spotify.com/album/00v7WAA1m1c0FZQ7BZEQBhsi=hkalEWI6QfiHpC04qUnLjQ&utm_source=native-share-menu). For me besides acting, directing, the instrumental themes were the real star of the show, like they elevated the viewing experience of almost all sceans they were put in to level 💯, the music painstakingly makes it a point to hit the fact home - 'all that we've adored is only going to last a few fleeting moments and in the end if we do not learn to let it go peacefully it will becomes a poking thorn, a source of constant ache for our heart'

Read More

A highly entertaining movie with action, suspense, politics and comedy

The story is clever and well written. The cinematography is beautiful. The cast is great in their respective roles. CGI is pretty decent. It draws its premise from the annals of the Joseon Dynasty. The movie takes inspiration from the legendary creature called "haetae" from Chinese and Korean mythology. If you look a bit deeper into the plot you will find that the movie is also a commentary on politics, powerplay and manipulation. The story keeps you engaged and guessing. I found myself genuinely rooting for the leads and the people on their side. Would be a loss to miss, especially if you like this genre. The chemistry between the cast is enjoyable and doesn't feel forced. The father-daughter relationship between Yun Kyum and Myung is portrayed beautifully. Overall the movie is a highly entertaining watch.

Read More

So much potential

DAMN!! This had so much potential but alas it did not live up to it.

The premise is excellent, the cast is great and the setting perfect, so why was this movie so meh??

The first 40 minutes of the movie were hands down some of the best tension setting I have ever watched but it all went downhill after that. The movie is meh b/c of the stupid actions by the police, the victim, the brother of one of the victims and random people on the street.

The best thing about this movie was the actors. Wi Ha Joon is excellent as the serial killer. I had only seen him in Squid Game and I liked him there but he played the psychotic murderer very well. I only wish we knew what his motivations were. I guess we get a glimpse of it when the old drunk at the police station questions his upbringing but I needed a little more information. The lead actress, Jin Ki Joo and the actress playing her mother were really good too. I haven't seen the FL in anything else either but I look forward too seeing something else.

Read More

Amazing

This is one of my favorite movies ever. I’ve never been a fan of war/battle movies so I came into it not really knowing much but the raw feeling and emotion I felt when watching this shook me. I only really watched it because Megan Fox is involved and I wanted to see how they would play out American characters in a Korean movie but it honestly changed my view on life and how much you should value it. I had never cried this hard before, even after the end, the thought of this movie would water my eyes. I would def recommend this drama but be warned its absolutely heartbreaking.

Read More

A Wonderful Tale of A Mother's Love

At first glance, I had absolutely no idea what this movie is about. I started watching thinking that it was just a normal story about a young girl trying to achieve her dreams of being a pianist.

How mistaken I was. Beneath the surface lies a wonderful tale of the depth of a mother's love for her child.

To be frank it's hard to write this review without giving out spoilers because even going a bit further into the film will pretty much end up spoiling it.

To some, this may be a simple run of the mill sob story but if you actually look at the relationship of the leads, you will understand why the twist towards the end of the film is actually much more touching and memorable than a generic sob story.

I've known of Ishihara satomi's popularity but I've only really watched a single drama of hers. She's really beautiful but her acting here made me understand why she's one of the most popular actresses in Japan.

Nagano Mei is a very talented up-and-coming actress and again, you can see why she's highly regarded thanks to her good acting here.

Kurumi Inagaki who plays little Miitan will be a star actress in the future (I hope). Her acting here is absolutely top-notch for a child actress.

Prepare some tissues. Perhaps at the end of the film you may want to give your Mum a big hug.

PS: my rating of 9 for rewatch value is mainly for those scenes of Miitan and her Mum (both child and adult Miitan).

Read More