Reviews

"You can't be a sentimental swordsman!"

The Sentimental Swordsman was a “whodunit” mystery regarding a terrifying assassin called the Plum Blossom Bandit. Despite dressing in a pink ninja costume and throwing poison darts in the shape of flowers, this baddie left a host of bodies in their wake. Based on a story by Gu Long, the film was packed with characters and red herrings.

Little Flying Dagger Li is headed home with his faithful servant having been away for ten years. His sword brother, Long Xiao Yun, had saved his life during a battle with the Plum Blossom Bandit (PBB) so Li gave him his girl and his property as payment leaving afterwards. Now, the PBB has returned and Li is duty bound to bring him down. On the way he befriends a traveling swordsman, Ah Fei. Not long after returning to the area, fights break out over a golden vest that is impervious to PBB’s darts. Li is framed as the PBB with all the local clans coming after him. He stays to clear his name but his life is in constant danger from revenge seekers and the PBB.

The opening scenes and many other outdoor scenes were a stunning icy vista of snow and frozen lakes. The sound stage sets attempted to match the frosted world. Not to worry there were plenty of breakaway sets for bodies to jump or be thrown through! The pace rarely slowed down enough for the characters or audience to catch their breath.

Ti Lung was perfectly cast as the sentimental swordsman though I will argue with Li’s view that he could abandon his fiancé to another man and she’d be cool with it. Derek Yee appeared to be a stand in for the no longer available David Chiang given that his dress and character were similar to the ones Chiang played opposite Ti. Ching Li was the woman no man could deny and seeking vengeance on the PBB. Ku Feng was the blindly hypocritical clan leader who’d lost his son to the PBB. Norman Chu made an appearance as the Iron Flute whose little brother was murdered by the PBB and who also jumped to conclusions. And stiff upper lip Yueh Hua played the BFF Xiao Yun. Yuen Wah made a brief appearance as the love-struck swordsman Long Sheng.

The fight sequences were actually pretty good given that most of them were sword fights with a little hand to hand thrown in on occasion. With several acrobatic scenes you could see where the stunt doubles jumped in to lend an assist. As a Shaw Brothers movie, the characters were duty bound to use creative weaponry as well. The Poison Kid’s clan employed a variety of poisonous reptiles, big bugs, and amphibians, but they weren’t the only ones doling out poisonous treats. Thankfully, the bodies piled up without the spewing blood and flying limbs you’d see in a Chang Cheh flick.

The Sentimental Swordsman was overstuffed with characters and revenge plots, but they were easy to follow. Due to the casting, I knew immediately who the PBB was going to be. It took Li a little longer to read the writing on the wall. He could be very sentimental.

1 March 2026
Triggers: Snakes, frogs, giant centipede, big spider.

Read More

Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy is a creative and odd fantasy movie. It is very different from what I usually watch, but I still really enjoyed it! While the beginning was a bit confusing and excessive, it swiftly became better and better and I ended up very enthralled! My only other complaint is that the CGI in some parts of the movie looked weird and felt off, but otherwise the movie was produced well.

JISOO JISOO JISOO! Tbh I watched the movie because of her and Ahn Hyo Seop. While I now see why she gets critized for her acting, I still enjoyed it pretty much. I'm looking forward to Boyfriend on Demand so much!

I also need to say that the dokkaebi was so cute and it was really nice seeing their moment with Kim Dok Ja!

Note: I haven't read the web novel but I want to do it now.

I truly recommend the movie if you want some action and a break from your usual life!

Read More

'The Finicky Maestro Can't Help But Fall for the Feral Pianist, Paris Film no 2

'Nodame Cantabile: The Movie II' concludes the live-action version of Nodame Cantabile. I wanted to really love it, but it fell short of what I had expected.

Remember how film 1 sets up this movie? She feels Chiaki is so far away and she needs to rise up.

In film 2, she is going in that direction, but she sabotages herself and thus does not reach her potential.

To be fair, since this centres on Nodame, the comedy and some of the slapstick comedy are back. If that is what you're here for, something that somewhat resembles the TV series, this is for you.

Overall, it's still a good watch, but don't expect this to have the same impact as the ending of the TV series and film 1. Nodame Cantabile presents Chiaki as someone rising, but Nodame has potential, but she may or may not choose to actualise.

Read More

Moving

Using shots and subtle character development, the story Pavane moved my heart ever so subtly and would have had me thinking for days if I had let it. Observation of the human condition, curiously done. However, it did leave a lot to be desired. A lot of moments were left hanging, leaving the viewer to wonder what it even meant and what was going on in that moment. There were a few scenes I thought were sort of displaced or disjointed, trying too hard to be edgy or in an attempt at unnecessary shock value, I'm not so sure. However, there was a humanness about it that I cannot dismiss.

I would have given it an 8, but I was truly moved at the end of it. The extra .5 is a point for sentimentality, well done. I was left surprised and melancholy by the end, which is interesting because I hadn't thought the movie had done enough to make me feel that much for the characters, though they were interesting and curious. But lo and behold, I ended up feeling more than I thought I would and having more thoughts than I thought it would evoke. The what-ifs and suddenness of the situation left me reeling. So, I think it should be watched without knowing how it ends or without a lot of spoilers about it.

The depiction of how life inevitably moves on after loss is heartbreaking, but realistic and even a little happy in the sense that it's a happy thing that others find the strength to live again, anyway. If I had known how it would end, then I may not have been so melancholy and appreciative about the way I feel about it. There's something about youth that I think odd movies like this capture well. The characters remind me of characters from a John Green book. Full of sometimes warm, but mostly unreasonable and uncanny energy. I was an odd child and experienced life in strong colours when I was younger, and so for me, depictions like this are very human indeed.

Read More

"I'll check the shark fins"

Johnnie To’s Exiled was a thrill a minute ride with four gangster friends + 1 exiled ex-gangster friend who had to choose between triad loyalty to the boss or to each other. Throw in a wife and new baby making the stakes even higher.

Wo left the gang years ago after an assassination attempt on the boss. He came back to Macau with his wife and new baby where four old friends are waiting on him. Two are determined to protect him and the other two are assigned to kill him. After a gun fight in his apartment which led to moving furniture and dinner, friendship won out but that left them all in a precarious position with not just one gang, but two.

This is one of those films that I rated on the genre as well as the film itself. The gangster genre can be a lot of lather, rinse, and repeat with double crosses and triple crosses. I was pleased that the friends’ bond was stronger than their triad bond. Of course, that meant copious amounts of blood and flying lead and bodies. The cinematography, music, and lighting were all well above average. The acting was perfect for the characters. Anthony Wong reined in his scenery chewing abilities as did Francis Ng while still making their characters edgy, unique, and decidedly human. Roy Cheung with his gorgeous long hair and Lam Suet made for loyal backseat friends. Given their profession, all of the characters had made acquaintances with Death and found the gallows’ humor in their strange situations.

Wo’s wife played by Josie Ho had an important role to play as did Ellen Chan’s “Hooker.” Simon Yam came to life as the ruthless crime boss. Benz Hui’s retiring cop showed up occasionally to inject humor into scenes and explain why the police never swarmed the buildings being torn apart by gunfire and littered with dead bodies. A Red Bull product placement might have been the best commercial for it ever as that can definitely proved it had wings. The fight choreography was often highly stylized and at other times straight forward yet always highly effective.

I loved the look and feel of the film but it was the friendships that sold me. I had no illusions about how this film would end but still cheered when Ng closed the door. If you enjoy bloody buddy adventures and a different approach to a gangster flick this might be one to try. Probably an 8.0 but I enjoyed it to the end so I gave it an 8.5.

28 February 2026
Trigger warnings: Sexual content, brief nudity, graphic operating scene, lots of blood and violence.

Read More

A warm - hearted coming of age movie

My rating: 10/10

This was such a beautiful, well-told story. Heartwarming and touching from start to finish. Park Se-ri and Han Yun-seok were great together, and the build-up of their romance felt very believable—slow, natural, and full of those awkward, sweet teen moments that make you smile. It's a perfect feel-good coming-of-age romance that captures the innocence and excitement of first love. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys lighthearted, uplifting stories with genuine emotional depth. I would watch it again in a heartbeat; it was that good.
Spoilers

What a great guy Han Yun-seok turned out to be! Even as he started developing real feelings for Park Se-ri, he still helped her in her quest to win over Kim Hyeon. He loved her enough to want her happiness, even if it meant with someone else—and you could see how much it hurt him deep down. Park Se-ri was so much fun and full of sunshine; that's exactly why all her friends adored her, and she pulled Han Yun-seok right into her little spot of light when he needed it most. But she needed him too—because, as he said, he loved her however she looked, curls and all. And that guy she crushed on so hard, Kim Hyeon? I think if Park Se-ri had still had those strong feelings for him by the end, he would have dated her. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy too. Sometimes it is refreshing when there are no super villains and no-one gets their hearts crushed. That is true of this one and it keeps it very light and refreshing.

Read More

Are Koreans allergic to happy endings?

I swear this is like the third Korean movie I’ve chosen to watch and all of them ended either tragically or with death 🤣

I would’ve been sad and crying over the ending of this movie but it was just all too predictable and I knew one of them was going to die-

Is it genuinely impossible for Koreans to make a happy ending movie lol?

Besides that, I think the movie was absolutely beautifully shot and the premise was good too. Nothing too extraordinary but it had good humor and I liked the relationship between all characters.
Loved seeing the the FL accept her grievance and no over the top crying scenes where its all hootin and hollerin, above all, I love how Yohan survived his attempt and made his journey into something beautiful to commemorate his best friends.
Out of all tragic death trope endings I’ve been seeing lately, this one was refreshing and didn’t feel heavy at all to the point where it just ruins your day lol. Lovely movie! Sad that it had to end that way though.

Read More

My Feb Recommendation Challenge

Watched this for my Recommendation Challenge from 𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓. Let’s talk movie…

The story spans ten years, beginning in 2005. Lu Qinyang (QY) is a "problem student" who falls head-over-heels for the top-tier student Ling Yiyao (YY). He famously confesses his love to her in front of the entire school, promising to give her a happy life and marry her one day.

As they move into adulthood, the "purity" of their high school romance hits the brick wall of adult reality. QY takes on dangerous and grueling construction jobs to save money to ‘fit’ for YY, while YY stays by his side despite her mother’s disapproval and better offers from wealthier suitors.

They were desperate to be together, they struggled against the harsh reality, and after all was said and done, is the love that they have still the same?

That's pretty much the story without giving any more spoilers.

This movie really portrays the harsh reality when love alone is not enough for relationships & building the future together. Qu Chu Xiao & Zhang Jing Yi, played their characters beautifully, I can feel their bitterness in the harsh reality.

I don't like the ending, but that’s really real life, when not all the story ends with a happy ending… :(

Overall I quite happy can watch this movie…. Just prepare your tissue when you want to watch this one...

Read More

Easily forgettable...

I think Bow Then Kiss is the type of movie clearly aimed at a much younger audience. The story felt very shallow, and unfortunately, so did the acting. It lacked emotional depth, and I never felt fully invested in the characters or their journey.
The so-called “chemistry” between the two leads just wasn’t there for me. There was maybe one single scene where I could feel a spark, one moment that almost worked but one scene can’t carry or redeem an entire film. Chemistry isn’t something you can force; it either builds naturally throughout the story or it doesn’t. And here, it simply didn’t.
Maybe if I were 13 years old, I would have absolutely loved this movie. It has that innocent, soft-romance vibe that can feel magical when you’re younger. But watching it now, it felt more surface-level than sincere. It wasn’t terrible, just forgettable.

Read More