Reviews

It's good, but nothing special.

As a foreword, 2gether is my first BL series that I watch and I love. I laughed, cried, crazed over the love story of Sarawat & Tine... Like many of the big fan of the series, I was expecting for something special.. But unfortunately, with all due respect, I have to answer my reaction at the ending of the movie was: "just it?"

About 90% of the story is (as expected) repackaged of mostly the first 9 episodes of 2gether the Series, along with some short scenes that weren't used in the original. Some scenes were timelined different than the series, which can raise some eyebrow but either way it doesn't bother. What made it different is the point of view. It was first Tine and then Sarawat that narrates their love story and personal feelings that were never been told on the series. This part gets to focus only between Sarawat and Tine, and how did they become boyfriends of each other (Remember that they become boyfriends at the beginning of episode 10, so almost every episode beyond that are skipped. Moreover, 'Still 2gether' sucks.)

Then the last 10% is the new scene and story that goes beyond the ending of Still 2gether. It's really nice to see almost all the cast come back in one; it was fun that they tell everyone is "still 2gether" even after many, many years; but the vague fate of the relationship between Sarawat and Tine itself that raises a little bitterness inside all the happiness and smile that they can offer. The trailer subtly hints and leads the viewers to think it's going to be a certain milestone on their relationship – it turned out to be just another sweet moment between Sarawat and Tine which is a little bit disappointing (but it's still cute either way).

I must honestly say, if you never watch 2gether, don't use this movie as a shortcut. All the fun and sad, ups and downs between Sarawat, Tine, and their universe definitely needs more context – if you choose to jump right into the movie you'll find..just two boys reminiscing their college love life??? All the visual and sound retouch were pretty hit on, but without better understanding between the roller coaster at the start of their love life is, the movie can bore you out. And it's better to scream when you're on the roller coaster, not when you're watching it.

The movie was pretty much designed as a little gift for 2gether fans, I suppose, but I think the gift were too small. It would be better if they dare enough to call for a big milestone, or maybe GMMTV can just make a movie with completely new scenes and canon. The original series were rated 9/10 for me, the sequel is 6/10, I give the movie 7/10.

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Thank you for such a wonderful movie.

Acting 10/10
Cast 10/10
Plot 9/10

I'm amazed at how the cinematography has matured since the first movie. Totally in love that they didn't focus much on the political side, because as I recall it wasn't really where the plot was in the original manga. But really I don't recall much from the 1999 movie (anime) I've watched before. But I can say for sure what they did here with Tomoe's character is superb.

So with that said, it's the same usual things since the first movie: Takeru Satoh's acting is just great. The action scenes always leave me wanting more. The camera work is splendid. The effects, script, and pacing are just what I'd want in this movie. I came here hungry and expecting for a good 2 hours and it did not disappoint.

If anything, the worst thing about this movie (and the series in general) is that I want MORE of Kenshin's story...(and fight scenes)

So to the director and writer: thank you for giving us a movie to remember. And this is just how I'd want a movie series to end. Somewhere at the peak.

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Beijing Rocks follows the lives of what amount to be poor, itinerant musicians hoping for their big break as long as they don't have to change who they are.

Daniel Wu played Michael, a wealthy Hong Kong musician, whose money came more from his father than any money he made in the Hong Kong Music industry. Awaiting trial on an assault charge he traveled to Beijing to learn Mandarin and finish a song he was working on. He quickly fell in with an underground rock band led by Road (Geng Le) and his free-spirited girlfriend Yang Ying (Shu Qi).

Beijing Rocks see-sawed between shots of vibrant, loud night scenes and ordinary daytime markets. The rockers went on a road trip or hole hopping where they traveled and then put up a tent to bring on the noise. Road was a character who could be hard to like. He was talented but sabotaged every shot the band got, cheated on his girlfriend and ran away at the sign of trouble. Shu Qi brought the thankless role of the devoted girlfriend to life and the movie lacked spark when she was not on the screen. At first glance she appeared to be a party girl, but Yang Ying's effervescence belied her darker thoughts. Michael, a fairly bland character, acted much like our window into the world Road and Yang Ying navigated that was on the thin boundary of poverty and fell into violence occasionally. The tipping point for Road and where his path slipped into melodrama was when he realized the record companies wanted obedient rockers who only acted rebellious, not actual independent minded rockers.

For me, the rock music, especially at the beginning was high school garage band at best. Near the end I actually enjoyed the song Good Night Beijing. Or maybe I had finally fallen into the rhythm of this quirky film.

Whether you think this movie rock and or rolls may be determined by how much you fall in love with Shu Qi and this flowing narrative of rebellious rockers.

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Bdsm!? That killed my curiosity!

When I first saw its trailer ..bdsm? OMG ! I was thinking what kind story they are going to put it in. The poster of the movie also gained my attraction where there were no usual dark colours but more lively colours .,and also the Jun in the posters. Now that I have seen the movie....I would like to say it's awesome.
As other bdsm ,here it's not toxic,but it is cute and sexy.

Story : the uniqueness of the movie itself is the bdsm . And I was thinking will the movie will be able to execute well and portray the bdsm as the viewer needs? Well... In my opinion the story is executed well ..and the director and writer has done a good job in it making it no boring. The main leads roles from colleagues to dom and sub was impressive. I really liked how the FL tried understand the ML's interest and also how she try to be the dom that she has never done. Frankly speaking I really don't know much about BDSM ,but from this movie I understood that BDSM movie can also be made in cute and comedic way .
This movie also contributed how bdsm can be bad too.. but they didn't go more in to that .( That's for the better, other wise the story's genre would have changed to thriller). And also how bdsm can affect realtionships too. I really liked how the main leads realtionship changed from colleagues to awkwardness and to awesome cute sexy bdsm scenes .Any way I liked the story. Even though the story was simple it was executed well.


Acting: both the main leads have done a good job in playing their characters.especailly Jun , he proved that he is a talented actor ,other than as an idol. Acting cute,playing dog and BD scenes showed his other side as an actor.comparing to his other dramas he done good job in this movie. Next ,the FL, seohyun ...,when I first saw her as cast I was thinking will she able to be a fit for this character? But I was wrong! She was the best casting. In the movie her cold eyes and character voiced that ' I m the master'. I could feel it! . The chemistry of the main leads was good. The part where they played the dog was really funny. I liked how they played the dom and sub .they have done good job in portraying their characters and it was suited for story.


Music : music? Honestly, I really didn't hear any music while watching this movie. Is it because I was too immersed in the movie?^_^


Re-watch value: I won't say It has good re-watch value.it is good for a one time entertainment.but for some they may can see it many time as needed.

Overall: overall the movie is good.the plot is interesting, I really liked how they added rom- com to bdsm instead of it becoming toxic. And also Jun playing the sub part ,showed that even though jihoo is perfect as from head to toe ,loved by everyone on outside, but inside he had a secret that was hidden that he likes feel to be crumbled and feel pain . So , this movie also shows that everybody is not perfect concept too ! Any way give it a try.. ..

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Perfect Action Comedy

Directors should take note of the good points of this film, because this is how you engage an audience. I feel like every age group will enjoy this. from my younger cousins to my grandfather, everyone in my family was laughing at loud at the comedy scenes and gripped at the acgion sequences.

I had no expectation going into this and didn't even plan to do a review but I just had to recommended this to y'all. This just shattered my favorite korean movie list!!

Story was engaging, we follow a family of 3 to their trip to Hawaii and how it went wrong. The shift from comedic to action was natural that you wouldn't even notice it. The film had 100mins in screen time but never onced was bored or checked the time remaining.

Characters, were perflectly balanced from our protagonists to antagonists. We had no idea what their intentions were at the beggining but it starts to unravel as it progresses. Acting, was also amazing for everybody, which I expected seeing how this film had a veteran lineup of actors/actresses. Also there's a cameo that you should look out for, where it actually moves the plot and not meaningless.

The thing that made me appreciate the movie is the con'ections of our leads and how it ties up all the loose ends and overall was a satisfactory film.

The action sequences, was suprising to say the least. Because when we think of action comedy, directors seem to focus on the comedy aspect. But here the action is as good and that is because of the amazing performance of the actors/actresses who worked hard for the role.

Ending, at first I was worried that this good of a film will be unable to finish strong but it did. Satisfactory and couldn't ask for a better ending.

Overall, you can watch this yourself, with family, with friends, etc. Because honestly speaking this is for everyone. I dont think anyone wouldn't enjoy this, because there's variety of genre that can be seen here. Furthermore it's a light watch so it's going to be a good mood booster!

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It was nice to watch Haruma Miura, he did great in this movie

That said, while watching I can't help but feel emotional despite the comedy. OK anyway before this review turns into a memorial on Haruma Miura, let me just rate some stuff:

cast 10/10
plot 5/10
fight scenes 10/10

THE GOOD:
I really liked the train fight scenes. It was well made. I'm biased to Oryo so thanks for the eye candy.
As usual like the first movie, the cast is top tier and it's an A-list cosplay movie (lol). The comedy is funny too. I really like Katsura and it was fun to have him show up with the usual shenanigans. And before I forget, Haruma Miura's acting deserves all the awards.

THE BAD:
Let me put a disclaimer that I'm not comparing this movie to the anime. But I guess I'm not really a fan of the serious parts of Gintama. So this movie isn't an exception. I felt the plot was kinda dragging, too. There was disconnect in some scenes (I'm not surprised as this isn't the first movie I've seen by the director). This movie was made with the intention of a next one, so IDK how to feel about that. I surely would like to see more of Oryo and Katsura 3D.

TLDR:
I recommend this movie to die-hard Gintama fans. If you like some slapstick comedy maybe you will find the humor in the movie to your liking too (the comedy wasn't bad).

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They should have just made a 1 ep special with the new stuff.

I love 2gether. It was the first of the modern thai BL series that i got into because of the pandemic. I say modern BL cause the first thai BL i got into was Love of Siam. Anyways, 2gether and still 2gether hold a special place in my heart. And after watching other BLs from around the world after 2gether, i've realized that there are far better quality BLs than 2gether, but again, Sarawat/Tine still had a special place in my heart.

So when they said a movie was in the works, i was hoping for a continuation of the story with a better budget and production akin to like Gameboys the movie or Hello Stranger the movie (both of which upped the production, story and everything from its original series). Unfortunately, 2gether the movie is 90% a recap of the series we already know, with footage from the series stitched together as a montage with new voice overs to give more context, and for 10% parts that were new was probably shot all on a single day.

I know the 2gether stans may seem like this sounds harsh but im just speaking honestly. This was utterly disappointing. It was like someone took the original source material and decided to make a fluffy fanfic epilogue/conclusion. I skimmed through the whole movie and watch the last bits and it felt unsatisfying. And this earned a Thai cinematic theater release? This just felt like a low effort cash grab. It felt almost like a slap in the face to the fans. They could have done a single ep special with just the new stuff and it would have achieved this conclusion just the same, if not better. Ill prob get flamed for this, but again, im just speaking honestly.

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This movie makes 50 Shades look dirty and depraved . . . oh . . I see . .

First of all, this movie is not as challenging to watch as you'd think even though the subject matter is BDSM. Yes, there are graphical scenes but they are not gross nor exploitative. The fact that both leads approached their relationship with open minds, set boundaries and formal consent left the viewer with a clear understanding that this is not about gratuitous violence nor evil purposes. This is BDSM done by the book, probably an university text book.

Otherwise, this is just a lovely contemporary office rom-com. The leads played their roles well and they have great chemistry. The CP fell in love organically and they went through the usual CP trials before confessing their love for each other in one of the best scenes in the drama. It was the level of care and consideration for each other that made this a surprisingly sweet love story, much more so than shows that heap on the artificial sweeteners without much appreciation of what love truly is. The BDSM was a plot device used with care. It was not done for shock value nor exploitation. There is also a streak of humour running through the show and it is not crude at all.

Pacing is steady and the plot moved along with little drag. The support cast is generally interesting but they don't distract you from the OTP. The production value is good with clever use of lighting and sets. They walked a fine line between erotic and sexy. They managed to give off a lot of sexy vibes while keeping their cloths on. That takes skilful direction and good acting.

The writing is very good and sensitive subjects are handled deftly. I particularly liked the way our CP turned the table on the naysayers. Always remember, the pen is mightier than the sword. ;)

All in all, an enjoyable rom-com (if you have nothing against BDSM) which managed to be sexy and pure at the same time. Not a bad combo if you can pull it off!

So, is this movie realistic? I don't think it was the intention of the movie creator to make this a reflection of reality. Just think of it as a romantic fantasy and try not to dream of collar and chains. ;)

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Nicely done Webtoon Adaptation

The film has greater character dynamics than the webtoon, actings are great, the way the story panned out was great, the emotions are great, very informative and a great representation for the community. The script and narration helped alot in explaining and educating the unconventional community to everyone. It wasn't too erotic but it wasn't too light either. It has the perfect blend for a romcom that managed to deal and express the actual message of the webtoon-movie.

Though some might find it too ambitious, It's still a step forward for the korean film industry and culture that is currently dealing in many sexist, misogynistic societal issues. Moreover, they emphasized the importance of mutual consent and respect throughout the whole film.

It's nice, you just have to understand the current situation in korea to appreciate it better.

It will also be good as a series to deep dive more into the community.

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A great story is told with Introductory to BDSM

I really enjoyed this movie! i was excited to see it when i first learned about it and it did not disappoint. Seohyun and Jun phenomenally execute their roles in this movie. I was intrigued how the movie was able to capture BDSM so passionately without going over explicit. I t was fresh and fun i had some great laughs and really felt the emotion of the characters, their excitement and arousal as the actors portrayed them. I was also touched on how the movie covered how people outside of the BDSM world react to the lifestyle & how those in it feel about how those outside and how they look at them. Not everywhere in the world is yet accepting of the lifestyle especially in Korea. It's nice to see this film come out so those who don't understand, want to understand or are just plain curious and what to see a fun rom com can see what it's about and learn about some Kink along the way.

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All we are searching for is someone to accept us for what we are.

Love and leashes, as the plot summary mentions, is a contract based DS relationship between two colleagues. As the leads try testing and bonding with punishments and leashes, somewhere down a touch of love begins, and hence it is love and leashes.

The show features the kinks which many have but are considered weird. Rather just ending it with the portrayal of how one with BDSM interests want their bedroom play to be, this movie steps further and tells how does one feel for being 'weird' and unacceptable cause of 'these' personal choices and also the relief they get after finding someone who understands them and that credit is all to the writer and maybe director.

From my POV, this movie has no motive other than entertainment. But all along the 2hours, the show really seemed engaging and certain scenes were acted really well. The K-Pop-Idols-Turned-Actors certainly did a good job. I finished it at 5AM and found myself skimming through just to watch the smiling sub. He's the cutest.

Would I rewatch it? Maybe when I want to see some light hearted comedy.

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