Reviews

Very satisfying: but could have been more satisfying.

Few days ago, I was talking with my friend, how now-a-days, movies which could make you feel relaxed and satisfied were not being made. I really like those movies, where not much is happening but still something is happening, which shows you people just going on with life.
This was that kind of a movie. There was no over romanticisation of village life. Didn't try to show how good village life is, or how good the people living simple life are. 'It is what it is' - was the mood of the movie. Just eat, work, roam in nature, watch seasons change, eat again... wow. Just looking at it was so comforting.
Ryu Joon Yeol is fastly becoming my favorite actor. He never missed a beat. Kim Tae Ri is good. She is the main focus of movie, so she gets a good screen time. But Ryu Joon Yeol steals the show. And the way he does is so simple. Jin Ki Joo is okay. She doesn't get much space.

The only complaint was, 'the after' thing. The movie stops at the door. I was really left wanting for the closure. It could have been really really more satisfying. But we don't often get what we wish for.

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Not for philistines

Don't watch this film if you are a philistine (like me). Really, this film is only suitable for true arthouse cinephiles who can appreciate such a high form of art.../s. Jokes aside, this movie will probably only appeal to the 1% of people who can appreciate really "artsy fartsy" films. While my movie tastes lie in more "mainstream" film genres, I have watched (and enjoyed) plenty of arthouse films as well, but this film is just... not interesting, to put it plainly. It's set in present day China but shot in black and white, and the story isn't told in chronological order. None of these are bad things per se, it was just how it was all put together that resulted in a rather boring piece of work. And I'm sure that there are other black and white movies with non-linear narratives that manage to be entertaining. Nothing noteworthy seems to happen at all; if anything, it is more of a character study of a modern day Chinese woman drifting aimlessly through life. A documentary would have been more compelling (and educational).

A good film to me is one that tells a story, one that entertains people and makes them feel something. And the only thing I felt while watching this film was total boredom, so in the eyes of a philistine, it has failed.

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Tried to be risqué, but failed

The idea of a guy whose secretly into S&M finding a Master at his job could have been an interesting setup for a hot and steamy story about pleasure and pain, but this was just bad.

How it was discovered that the ML was into S&M was so contrived. Why would he have a submissive collar delivered to his job when he lives alone? The FL suddenly becoming curious about S&M and thus willing to be a Master seemed random, considering she’d never participated in or been curious about such behavior before. And though she was interested in the ML had only just met him.

The leads had no chemistry whatsoever, and the S&M scenes were tamed at best. The office storyline was boring and many of the scenes between the ML and FL were silly. The best thing about this was looking at Lee Jun-young’s pretty face. He’s an attractive guy who has talent. He can do drama and comedy well, but he could not elevate the material here. Neither could Seohyun, who is also a very good actress.

Going into this I knew that the chances of it being good was going to be a long shot because Korean dramas just don’t do well with risqué material or anything involving a couple being sexual with each other. However, I watched because I like the actors and thought the synopsis sounded interesting. Unfortunately this was a fail.

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My first inclination if you've found this movie page and are wondering whether to watch this movie is to say, "Run for your life!" or "Do not stop, do not pass go, put this directly into your NI list". But I will try to be slightly more objective than that because someone other than me may want to sit through this because they are a Shu Qi fan. Or perhaps a Vincent Zhao fan. Or you don't care how bad the acting and story are if you can watch some martial arts.

Let's start with the story. Vincent Zhao's character is banished to the fictional country of Lavernia (right next to Shirleenia) for saving a plane full of passengers from a high jacker. Ostensibly it's because he didn't follow orders, but I think it's because he emptied an entire magazine into the bad guy and still didn't kill him. Lavernia is a former part of the Soviet Union and there are people sent in chanting they want to return to the USSR. A Japanese cult leader is in town blowing things up and killing people left and right in his desire for a new world order. There's a boat load of Chinese refugees offshore that are starving to death. Oh, and the Minister of Defense is on the take and a gun runner and also in cahoots with the deadly cult leader. Throw into this mix, Shu Qi's character who fled China after being a witness to the violence and carnage in and around Tiananmen Square and is also Zhao's ex-girlfriend and you have one convoluted piece of work.

The propaganda is heavy handed in this film. Shu Qi's character is berated by Zhou's character and just about everybody else throughout the movie for leaving the homeland after witnessing people wounded and dying when the protesters were crushed.

Zhou is a good kicker, but his acting felt bland to me. Even at that it was much better than the rest of the male cast. Shu Qi didn't have much to do but play the pretty damsel in distress. Andrew Lin made the most of his crazed messianic villain. His character seemed especially impervious to bullets, especially after his initial capture when his rescuers sprayed the area with bullets attempting to take out his guards.

There were places in the movie so bad I was laughing but it was hard to keep it up as the ridiculousness of the scenes dragged on. Some of the fights were good, others relied heavily on wire-fu and defying the laws of gravity. I don't mind a little wire-fu outside of fantasy movies, but in a more reality-based story it seemed badly out of place.

The movie ended with an over-wrought climax that had me begging for the final credits. The most positive thing I can say is that the movie is mercifully only 90 minutes long.

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It's not all about horniness, it's mostly about the stigma

I was.... stunned. I've heard a lot of people talk about this movie, and the fact that it's a bit more intense than what you expect of a Korean movie. Even then, I didn't expect anything of this sort. Ofc it's still toned down a little, but it remains true to it's purpose and message.
Even if you aren't into BDSM, or anything of the sort, you still manage to keep some form of understanding for this movie. You even learn about the different dynamics, and what it's all about.
My favorite thing about the movie is the fact that it's not all about being horny, but mostly the social stigma around BDSM, especially when it's a woman dominating a man, and also the issues of some people with "fake" BDSM.
The directors and producers really managed to shed a good light on the community, even if I myself can't really say much about the representation, as I'm not personally a part of that community. It created understanding without dehumanizing those who are into BDSM.

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"Only The People Who Yearn Over The Death Of Their Loved Ones Can See Me"

Being a Religious Studies major, I am attracted to movies with the theme of "religion" or "heaven" or such in their titles, and I am rarely disappointed with them!

This movie is built around the topic of people who loses loved ones and have unsettled questions, problems or such with their loved one passing without closure...and writing letters trying to find closure.

First, the cinematography was excellent, and I loved the music as well; it seemed to perfectly match the scenes and mood . I also loved the way bright lights were used by the director for a fantastic effect in some scenes of this movie (if you watch the movie, notice how his play with bright light made the scenes look 'other wordly!). The locations made the ambiance of the movie so peaceful and conducive to the story.

The subject of 'lying to make others feel better' was also a major theme in this movie; if you have ever had a girlfriend (or boyfriend, for that matter, you know where I ma coming from!)...and what mother has not lied to their children to soothe over minor problems, injuries or bullying by others?

Also, add the theme of losing a loved one (which everyone has, or will!), with or without issues still left unsettled and with a good, simple but moving script, it is a winner in my book...

The movie also touched on making others feel better as being a medicine for those who have been done wrong; relieving them of their pain by helping others...something that millions of volunteers do every day around the world!

What also was nice is that the movie was simple yet still covered the main themes/topics of the movie fairly well; however, it needed more development in two places. Everything together made this movie captivating through and through!

In the film's beginning , Jo Ha Na (Han Hyo Joo) writes a letter and posts it to a special mailbox, whose mail is collected by the special postman, Shin Jae Joon (Kim Jae Joong). Some narration attempts to give you an idea of what is happening, but one of small problems of this movie is that it fails; more on this at the bottom of this review.

After meeting the special postman she starts working for him, and finds out that her 'problem' with her former, dead,, boyfriend are minor compared to the ones other people have with 'their' parted loved ones!.

After being offered a job to assist Jae Joon, she starts trying to help those with unsettled problems or such with their past loved ones...the little white "lies" that made the letter writers feel better was so touching; something which I have not seen in many movies before! This and encouragement from Jae Joon helps her forget her grudge with the now-dead former boyfriend, the subject of the letter she sent to Heaven early in the movie.

While doing this, she develops a 'crush' on Jae Joon, which (unfortunately) leads to other problems not easily as fixed as those of other people's.

Not many movies address the concept tackled here, and except for the American movie Jacob's Ladder (1990,) its remake which I have not seen and the under-rated Asian movie Roadkill (2019), very few movies even tackle the subject of 'Pergatory' or those left behind with still-pending issues with deceased loved ones, either..

However, Shin Jae Joon seems to have some brownie points coming his way through his interaction with Jo Ha Na ; briefly hinting at Pergatory-like kudos from this movie's 'god'.

Ha Na was the most expressive of the main cast, and whose crying and such went far in the authenticity of this movie.

This is the same actress that gave such an outstanding performance in Always (2011, her next movie). Her ability to express emotional; extremes are shown both in this and the next movie she made.

I have never seen Kim Jae Joong act before (in the All About Dong Bang series) so all I can say is that he did a pretty good job here.

Both main cast showed a range of emotions and they seemed to pull off being individuals genuinely interested in each other as bf/gf, through their . The support cast also did a great job, both performing their roles and supporting the main cast members in making the movie seem real; I especially liked Moon Gyo's wife (Yook Mi Ra) and her interaction with Ha na, and their trying to get her father-in-law to be less depressed..

Denying it a full "10"...

I felt that both the introduction and ending were rushed; I would liked to have seen more explanation about the "letters" and also the ending seemed a little rushed as well. All of a sudden, NO ONE could see the postman, and he even acted surprised when this happened in the coffee shop once it happened!

I would liked to have seen more development between the two main casts before falling in love A few more minutes would have accomplished both these points, IMHO.

I would like to see more movies tackle this subject and to have cast such as this movie to bring it to life, keep you captivated and leave you begging for more!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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They wanted an easy check, and so they gave you bi*ches crumbs

It's genuinely insulting that a 112 min clip show was called a "movie" and released in theaters: the BL equivalent of "let them eat cake".

I wasn't expecting much from this so-called "movie" but damn, even the new sequences were awfully uninspired. Forgetful, at best. Probably shot in one whole day. There was no intimacy or developing story whatsoever. BrightWin didn't even try. They showed up to murmur a few lines and collect a paycheck. It was a criminal disrespect to the show that built their flourishing careers.

The worst part about this "movie" isn't how it's not much of a movie at all. The real tragedy is that this glorified flashback episode wasn't universally criticized to the extent that the staff and crew issued a public apology. GMMTV should be bullied into never doing something like this ever again.

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SCAM !!

Ok, So I was so hyped up to watched the movie because of some scammed reviews...... But there's not a single piece of shit to be apppreciate as a dark theme !! They didn't went as dark as I expected..... The scenes weren't that so horrific or disturbing..... This is far of a psycho theme based story.....

There's not even enough amount of the psycho scenes..... They should have added some more scenes of Kim Gwang Il(Lee Jong Suk) and his background or psychology too... so that the audience could get a better connect of the character.

I appreciate the acting of casts but at the same time I detest the story and narration.

That's it.

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This is probably what being high feels like...

I wouldn't know but I really felt like I was either high on drugs or in those rom-com comas where the female lead dreams of falling in love with a hot guy. Except what I got was two hours of lucid nightmare full of violence, angst, and naked butts. There are at least 3 separate stories going on all at the same time that has somewhat of a connection but the writers have done a terrible job of making cohesive. I have a lot to say about this movie hence why I decided to write my first ever review for it.

If you expect a sweet, forbidden romance from the name and summary, you're in for a shock as I did. Do yourself a favor and look at the tag which I failed to do. Despite everything I said up to this point, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not because it had spectacular acting, storyline, or cinematography. In fact, it is utter nonsense and very dramatic at certain points. But they were done right in a way that sticks with your mind. I give it a 8 out of 10 just for how entertaining it was and that is what a movie should do right? I guess the appropriate term would be so bad that it's good. The fact this was my first exposure to the BL genre... and I still want to watch "Forbidden Love" (which I guess is in the same series) says a lot about me as a person.

Trying to make sense of the characters and why they do what they do is like solving a puzzle and while it does gradually gets solved, I don't know what to feel about the end result. Usually, experiences like this really make me dislike a show or a movie bc I feel as if my time was wasted. The opposite was true with this. I felt accomplished and weirdly satisfied. Every once in a while I like to look at the comment section and the other members of this secret, a mess of a fan club because that's what it exactly feels like having watched this movie.

I don't really remember much about the music tbh, which probably means they weren't that great but they weren't that bad either. I'm guessing they fit well into the scenes somehow. The quotes in between were really nice though and helped somewhat explain the story. Rewatch value is pretty low just because the beauty of it lies in the shock factor so knowing what is going to happen beforehand kind of ruins the surprise. It would be fun to watch it with someone whose never seen it before and see their reaction.

The only complaint I have is there were not enough romantic moments between the two leads, whose forbidden relationship as student and teacher was the only reason I even checked this movie out. Most of the screen time is taken up by the annoying and delusional Ichiyo who I could careless about. He's not someone to be pitied. Because of his actions, a lot of people got hurt and no excuses should be made for him just because of what happened to him.

Most Japanese movies/dramas, in general, are a trip but they really do a good job of getting you to feel for the characters amidst the over-the-top plot. Overall, Boys Love was a rollercoaster, a very confusing and bumpy one. But like rollercoasters, you won't forget the trill you just experienced. Once in a while, it just randomly creeps into my mind. I will probably remember it for the rest of my days and for that I appreciate it. It shouldn't work but somehow it does: a true enigma.

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Mature And Yet Not.

There is a lot of sex scenes, which give it the mature rating. However it seems almost childish how the director and production handled those graphic sex scenes. It was like watching a porno, but even a porn has better filming. The lighting was often terrible and the zooming in was unnecessary. This movie needed less graphic action of the actual intercourse. The kissing was gross; like a fish, eating your face. That's not sexy or seductive. I liked the concept of the story, but it wasn't well written either. For all the main characters, no one had any growth, which was disappointing. I don't really remember the music much, so it had no impact.

I did like how each character's story was revealed. The actors and actresses did the best they could with what they were given and told to do. The ending was okay too. If you're into kinky sex or watching rather than experiencing, this movie could be what you're looking for. I won't rewatch it.

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Fun, comedy, crime caper

Thanks to The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme & the University of Manchester I got to see this for free in the cinema.

I was not familiar with this series when going to watch it but I really enjoyed it. At first, I was a bit apprehensive knowing that it was based on a TV show, not having seen any of that thinking I may be a bit lost with the plot & character histories but it was easy to follow. Most of the characters are likeable or intriguing & the story was entertaining, funny & kept me interested through the whole runtime. Things started to go a bit wacky near the end but it was all good fun & I'd like to watch the show & the other movies now.

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The Touch is a slightly above average Hong Kong adventure film starring Michelle Yeoh. It was the first film from her production company and was directed by Peter Pau, the cinematographer from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2002).

I'll start with the bad so that I can end on a positive note. The pacing was off and the editing was choppy at times. Some of the young actors weren't very believable, especially the actor playing Michelle's younger brother. The CGI was bad, early video games bad, and in one particular scene no one seemed to be following the normal laws of gravity and physics. The conflict also ended too early.

Now, onto the good, or at least the better. Michelle Yeoh played a splendid acrobatic Indiana Jones, capable of dispatching evil doers with her fists, kicks, and seemingly magic scarf. The fight choreography wasn't the strongest, but she managed to bring the fight charisma regardless. The Big Bad, Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge!), played the villain without going completely over the top, which had to be difficult given the dialogue. Ben Chaplin did an adequate job as Michelle's ne're do well ex-lover who brought her the key to the holy missing relic she was in charge of. Dane Cook who played the Big Bad's useless brother gave some comic relief, which did seem out of place in a movie that more often than not played it straight. I'm back to sounding ambivalent again.

The scenery and sets were top notch and the OST fit beautifully. Overall, the look and sound of the film were quite good. It's unfortunate that the well-trod story wasn't pulled together better with consistency, coherency, better fight sequences, and better dialogue.

If you go into this movie with low expectations, you may find a diverting film. For me, a movie with Michelle Yeoh is never a waste of time.

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Religious Theme All Th e Way Through This Kim Ki Duk Masterpiece here!

This is the tenth movie written and directed by Kim Ki Duk...known for his "way out" movies and plot twists all through his films.
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Significance of the word "Samaritan":
A Samaritan in the Bible was a person from Samaria, a region north of Jerusalem. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan, or in their eyes, "false" religion.

The historian Josephus and Jewish tradition trace the origin of the Samaritans to the captivity of the northern kingdom under Assyria in 721 BCE. Jews of the northern part of the old kingdom intermarried with Assyrians after their captivity and produced the half-Jewish, half-Gentile Samaritan race. When the Jews accused Jesus of being a “Samaritan” in John 8:48, they were rudely suggesting that He was a half-breed, born of an unfaithful mother.

The Jews of Jerusalem wanted NOTHING to do with them!

However, Jesus told a parable of a man in need, portraying the Samaritan as the hero in the story, the only one who would help the person in need. This story of the "Good Samaritan" shocked his audience of the other, stuck-up Jews. The Protestant Jesus showed that His love must transcend all human boundaries of race, religion, nationality, economic class, and educational status.

With this brief explanation, you can undertand the title of this movie better.
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Girls Jae Young (Han Yeo Reum) and Yeo Jin (Kwak Ji Min) want to go to Europe; and without money, they must make it 'somehow'... therefore, Jae Young acts as a a "socail worker" and Yeo Jin schedules her "working" gigs with clients.

Everything is fine until Yeo Jin fails at her second half of her job (security) and Jae Young jumps from a hotel window to avoid arrest by the police.

Jae Young and Yeo Jin are very close, as in "kissing" and otherwise personal 'closeness', but Yeo Jin hates the businessmen whom 'work' with Jae Young; but she has to get the one business worker that Jae Young loved so much, (as she was dying in the hospital) she then is forced to take the plunge herself. Jae Young has said that she 'loved' the men she worked with, but I feel that she would never have left Yeo Jin for any of them, as she said to Yeo Jin earlier .

What follows is a kind of penance of Yeo Jin as she is returns all the money: however, I cannot decide if Yeo Jin is doing simple penance or simply regretting not helping in the "working" part of the business that they got themselves into. I am going to say a little of both!

I see so much in this movie that I have to watch it over and over, seeing more each time that I watch it. Kim Ki Duk combined so much in the three segments, especially in the first segment, setting up the relationship of the two friends and their differing opinion on the men they obtained money from.

Yeo Jin is thrown into turmoil over losing Jae Young, and she takes her notes and returns the money to the men who had paid Jae Young in the beginning. All of the men, if i remember right, have a catharsis of sorts after sleeping with Yeo Jin and having their money returned.

Another Ki Duk's movie plays on these same themes (maybe more, since I have not seen all of them yet!); Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring (2003, where Ki Duk plays the old monk).

I am pretty sure that Yeo Jin felt remorseful in her failure to protect Jae Young, and I believe to a lesser extent, for her not 'working' as hard as Jae Young in making the money they needed for their trip.

In the process of returning the money, Yeo Jon's father Yeong Ki (Lee Eol) catches her, as he is working a case where another young girl, possibly a under-aged prostitute, loses her life. Her father is already distraught over losing his wife, and senses that his daughter, for whatever reason, is about to become a homicide victim as well.

He starts following his daughter around after class, watching her see different men (not knowing her and Jae Young's former relationship with each man encountered.

I look upon his relationship with his daughter as with the father and daughter(s) in 'Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)' or ''The Gangster's Daughter (2017)' or even 'The Closet (2020)' a father who loses the wife/mother too early and has problems talking to his daughter; had he been able to think rationally, he could have asked her what she was doing with the men and not have taken his own personal vengeance on them!

I also believe that he called his police friends and turned himself in, knowing the last trip to his wife's grave, with Yeo Jon, would be his last for quite awhile.

The film's ending, with Yeo Jin desperately trying to catch up with her father in his car but spinning out after only one driving lesson is perfect, although I didn't at first. Both of their futures were changed by unanticipated turns f events.

I hope some young, free-thinking director in the future gets the two main cast members together again, and have him tell us what happened after years of prison for the father and years of isolation of his daughter, Yeo Jin...or did she find someone to trust and live happily with while 'daddy' was in prison?

I also liked Yeo Jin's dream just before the driving lesson, another example of Yeo Jin seeking forgiveness for what she allowed happen to jae Young! Again, I see more and more religious motifs every time I watch this movie.

There are 'images' in the film that also appear to point toward this as well, with under-aged prostitution and her father's self-serving justice being only the dressing for the more important underlying themes of redemption and penance.

As a Religious Studies major, I feel that is the reason that I fell in love wit this movie, from the first time i saw it!

The imagery (cinematography) is somewhat jagged but this adds to the story rather than detracting from it, and the music was fine for the scenes in which it was used.

The main cast members, the two girls at first and then Yeo Jin and her father in the last segments, acted perfectly, making their pairing in the segments play very well, with you believing the relationships as being real.

The support cast all did their parts as well, with their acting adding to the main story lines and making the main casts' work all the more believable.

My major complaint is that I would like for father and daughter to have talked, and possibly coe to some other conclusion.

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely, and watch for all the religious iconography in the film from start to finish!

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WARNING: I WILL TALK ABOUT MAJOR SPOILERS

To call this movie great is an understatement this is a work of art the twist of the story, the leads acting was amazing Timmy Xu and Qiao Xin were amazing here and yes i am fans of these two actors but that doesnt mean im biased the fact that both of them were screenwriters for this movie just further shows how talented these actors really are.

Another thing i love about this movie is the pacing of the story it never felt rushed or slow and dont get me started on how they easily switch from comedy to romance and their chemistry is undeniably amazing. this movie was cut, fluffy, romantic and so much more

The production and cinematography is another thing this movie shines in the scene where the timmy xu's and qiao xin's character were imagining that they were in the same bed was beautiful not just how it was shot but how the characters acted how they touched eachother even tho they werent actually touching together was major commitment from the actors and another scene that was great was the one shot where they let us see how their relationship was overtime and when their relationship started to crack until the point where they unfortunately broke up but thankfully that wasn't the last of their story

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