Reviews

Utterly disappointing

PILIkula tells a story of two best friends who lived together and sell stuff via FB live. Until a Banderswitch-esque choices were introduced to the MC and made him do something out of his will—in that scene was to kiss his best friend during a live.

Then, the MC went back to his hometown, leaving his best friend. And we're introduced to their clique which consists of a gay, a homophobic, and a spaced-out junkie (who doesn't really helps the story to progress).

Our MC is daze to label himself. Internalized homophobia crepts in, and Sotus-like bullshits about being gay is also present.

"We're not gays."

And then, back to live selling. MC's bestie and love interest received harsh and homophobic comments from the viewers, making him stop the live. MC, then confronted his bestie, clearing things about themselves. Are they gay? Confusion. Denial. Fear. Consuming our MC. (xoxad)

Another Bandersnatch moment—he chose to tell his feelings. Then, the gay bestie came to the rescue, saying it's not about labels, blah blah, with bland and underwhelming acting. Unconvincing. Cringe-worthy dialogues, and monologues of our MC telling himself he's not gay but he loves his best friend. So what should he do?

Love interest bestie cried without valid reasons, then his mother called, and finally answered it—resolving their beef.

Back to online selling again. Our MC, who lived miles away from his love interest, amid pandemic, surprises his bestie saying he knows what to call him: MINE. And so, they hug, facing the camera in front of the live viewers, they two reveals that they love each other.

The end.

I am proud of myself I finished this 30-minute film. Bold of me to continue a short film that seemed to be from the delusions of a 15 year old, novice Wattpad writer and a BL enjoyer/fetishizer. Sure, the production is okay. But that's just it: OKAY. They didn't even give the script and the story depth. It was shallow, uninspiring, and trying-hard.

They really tried to push the lecture on being GAY and how it works. It was meh. As a gay person, I wasn't even touched when they did that. I was holding back not to throw my cellphone because it was an utter BS.

Not only the acting, but the whole ass script is annoyingly cringey. My ear bleeds by listening to their arguments during the scene where their clique was playing an online game. The homophobic bestie spurts BS, and the gay bestie get mad. Long ass shallow argument follows.

There are some shows where the script is lacking but the acting and the storyline was fine. There are also with unskilled actors, but the script and storyline was interesting. But in this film everything was lacking.

OH, BUT IT WAS ONLY A SHORY FILM. WHY ARE YOU EXPECTING TOO MUCH?

Then, stop making a BL film.

Like, can we go back to the whole point of BL series (in PH context)? Isn't it for the public to finally understand the life of people who doesn't conform to the heteronormative concept of love? Isn't it about the struggles and status quo of those in the LGBTQ spectrum?

Why are we following the recipe Thailand follows? Are we producing BL contents for the sake of advocacy or for the sake of cishet gay fetishizers?

I don't know but tons of Pinoy BLs out there aren't even trying. Just put hot and handsome guys together, choose a trite story, then voila, a BL show. I don't understand when Gaya sa Pelikula and Gameboys are the forerunners of the industry yet the shows that follow them wasn't even near to their impact!

Well, the only good thing about this film is it ended.

Read More

Amusing movie with a hilarious ending!

If you have some time to kill, try this movie!

The movie is about a group of airline stewards and stewardess who work together, a particular flight to Germany, their "down" time on layover and the "eventful" trip back home!

Beautiful scenery in Germany, by the way!

After reaching the climax near the end, I had an absolutely "Laugh Out Loud" experience...

and I am not going to tell you what it was, either!

I would have rated it higher just for the ending, but some may not have the patience to make it all the way to what happened in the end.

The supposed onboard shots looked realistic, the cast worked together well enough to make you think that they were an actual airline crew that worked together for some time, with a look at innovative ways of handling 'problem" flyers, enough to give you occasional giggles and keep you watching until the end.

I never say anything about the music or cinematography unless I feel that something didn't fit well.

As a matter of fact, what happened to the married male member of the crew after he got home may have been more fun than the midair mishap...

Asiancrush presently offers it for free online.

Read More

Will ‘ Shoplifters’ Steal Your Heart?

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s films have long been held as masterful arts of work in themselves; profound, complex and subtly crafted-something that ‘ Shoplifters’ presented beautifully throughout its storyline.

Lily Franky takes on the role of Osamu; the head of the band-wagon group of rouges seemingly appear as a middle-aged husband alongside his middle-aged wife Shibata Nobuyu ( Ando Sakura), their two children teenager Shibata Aki ( Matsuoka Mayu) and their young son Shibata Shiota ( Jyutu Kairi) and granny Shibata Hatsue ( Kiki Kirin). However the house is filled with untold truths and secrets; Osamu gaining most of his profit from shoplifting by enlisting the help of Shiota, Nobuyu stealing things from clothes’ pockets during her laundry job, Aki being part of a peep show in order to make ends meet and Hatsue’s seperate past life and gambling addiction at the local pachinko machines in secret. Yet the family find themselves ineffably stuck in a rut when they come across Juri ( Sasaki Miyu); an abandoned and abused little girl who is quick to warm their hearts but with undeniable consequences towards their future.

The casting choices of the move were undeniably brilliant with each actor feeling masterfully placed like pieces on a chessboard by Kore-eda. Yet admittedly one of the most dynamic of the movie came through Kiki Kirin’s role as Shibata Hatsue; sadly her last role before her passing shortly afterwards.

It should come as no surprise rust Kore-da’s unlikely Palmes D’Or winner offered viewers a sociopolitical depiction upon the deep-rooted trauma of a family united under one roof, alongside the fear of poverty. The narrative of the film took no wasted-time with subtly painting the dysfunctions of modern Japanese society and hypocrisies as well as the audacious details of characters and how they’d e linked together.

Yet against the beauty of the film’s narrative there was an admitted flaw with ‘ Shoplifters’ and that came through the initial problem of pacing. The film is admittedly slow-burn and whilst necessary for building up the storyline as well as delivering its twist-ending, lacked a greater sense of momentum towards the plot and attention of viewers.

Nevertheless Ryûto Kondô’s cinematography highlights a stark depiction of more grounded issues of the film such as child abduction, abuse and abandonment against the surrealist fantasy -world of Kore-eda’s microcosm of a seemingly mysterious family. The OST is admittedly less memorable than other parts of the film but Kore-eda’s placed emphasis on visual aesthetics other auditory became evident in the final act of the film beautifully encased in snow; a final flurried blur between the fairytale and childlike world of the family’s insular bubble and the cold and harsh reality of the events that are unfolding also.

Kore-eda’s ‘ Shoplifters’ is undeniably a heartwarming, bittersweet and audacious film about family. The subtle narrative and character-build was masterfully depicted alongside the strong performances by the cast. Admittedly whilst the film could sometimes hit a rut with pacing, the movie’s themes and finale offered viewers with a deeply thoughtful and contemplative film.

Read More

‘Whispering Corridors’? More Like Talking Corridors…

In retrospect ‘ Whispering Corridors’ is an oddly anomaly of a film. Released the same year as its more critically-successful and spine-tingling Japanese counterpart ‘Ringu’( 1998) , Screenwriter and director Park Ki-Hyung had been pushing the idea of the movie for numerous years beforehand in order to compete with the rising success of Japanese horror “Yurei “ ( ghost) movies in the Asian-film industry. However ironically whilst ‘ Whispering Corridors’ was a domestic box-office hit the film was neither truly a “terrifying” or well-executed due to a consequence of its patchwork and baffling narrative.

The premise of the film revolves around a teacher at an all-girls school who after stumbling upon the bizarre death of a pupil at the school several years ago is mysteriously found dead the next morning in a seeming act of suicide. Gossip soon begins to spread around the school towards the building being haunted by a vengeful spirit which new intern Eun-young (Lee Mi-yeon) who is, in fact, an ex-pupil and friend of Jin-ju, takes it upon herself to investigate, and comes up not only against a murderous spirit, but more importantly against the corrupt practices of the school authorities.

The acting front of the film is admittedly satisfactory to say the least- its not bad per say and certainly decent enough to watch through scenes, but poorly-paced dialogue deliverances and delayed expression reaction rarely added vivid realism to these moments either.

The horror elements of ‘ Whispering Corridors’ often felt as though there were reluctantly added by Park Ki-Hyung. Of course they exist in theory throughout the film from the presence of the ghost and the urban legends but rarely did they lack two quintessential elements for a horror film; fear and suspense due to lacking build-up or connected points in the storyline . Consequently the overture of ‘ Whispering Corridors’ felt as though it was a parody of the horror genre; over-the-top screams, dark camera angles and the classic “ blood on the wall” lacking anything but dread as further “horror” scenes also seemed to suffer from a farcical existence in the movie also.

Instead ‘ Whispering Corridors’ often felt as though it was supposed to be a social critique - a message which was surprisingly highlighted substantially in the movie. Park Ki-Hung seemed to provide an inherently strong anti-authoritarian streak; openly speaking out against corporal punishment, the impossible strive for perfection and exam results as well as notable taboos in South-Korean popular culture such as lesbianism, assault and corruption.

However sadly rather than these more profound themes helping to tie down the loose ends of ‘ Whispering Corridors’ this instead spiralled a patchwork narrative to take root frontal stage of the film with sporadic-jumps between subplots, heavy dialogues and poor-editing resulting in the film’s pacing feeling tedious. The ending did little to serve a sense of completion or spine-tingling chills for viewers with the outcome feeling more anti-climatic than satiable.

Ki-Hyung’s hand at cinematography was admittedly dated in places through low-budget camera shots and egregious editing at times, but it is praiseworthy to note that Hyung did experiment a lot with early day filming - techniques into Korean cinema such as long shots, pan shots as well as fade sequences throughout the duration of the film ( which are all still widely used today in the South-Korean film industry.)

Overall Park Ki Hyung’s ‘ Whispering Corridors’ is the movie which would’ve arguably done better as a standalone social-commentary movie, than a marketed “horror-flick”. Whilst the movie did admittedly inspire future filmmakers through its box-office success and experiment with the early days of Korean horror in the film industry, the evident comparison between the poorly-paced and mind-numbing narrative with an absent scare factor against its more spine-tingling and suspenseful Japanese counterpart cannot help but come into effect afterwards

Read More

This one was only so-so. It really didn't click for me, not even Satoh Takeru as Koyuki could save it.

The thing is, except for Koyuki and his drummer friend, Saku, I kinda didn't like anyone in this movie much. Or not at all, really, especially the lead, Ryusuke. His arrogant behavior, his endless issues, the way he treated his band members and kept causing trouble without even apologizing, it honestly rankled. When a character gets punched and you cheer it's obvious that you and said character really didn't hit it off.

Also, I saw many people complain that Koyuki's singing voice was muted, that we never actually heard him sing, that we only ever saw people's reaction to hearing him sing but from what I understand, in the manga, his voice is mesmerizing, magical, angelic and whatnot and like the director said, no matter who would've sung the part, people would've been disappointed because the bar the manga set was so high. That's why I think it was wise to not even try to match the standard and just leave it to people's imagination.

But... yeah. Overall, I was disappointed. The movie was way too long (it's almost 2.5 hrs. long!), the writing was all over the place and the acting also left much to be desired.

Read More

this was bitter sweet - really really wish there was more, cause this was Really good. 1st off the actress playing Hikari is just beautiful - not in the conventional way, cause her looks r totally androgynous, from head to toe and that's what makes her unique - the more i looked at her, the beautifuller she became. heck felt i could look at her for hrs. she did a great job (looks aside).

from the start, the tactlessness of people was disturbing, considering how aware we all r of the different/diverse people existing on this planet. and the fact that, cause someone is not a carbon-copy of u, doesn't make them "less" or abnormal. so an innocent trivial request to use the restroom, shouldn't make people uneasy and yet it does. always reminding her that she isn't seen as "normal". and as this is the start, the tone is set and thus i goes from one moronic encounter to the next. where curiosity get's the better of a customer asking if she really is a man "...cause she got big hands." (like seriously). but Hikari keeps rising above. so little wonder the only place she really is comfortable in her own skin, is around other trans women and "their" pub.

as the plot is Hikari reuniting with old classmate Takashi an unrequited love from high school. business takes her to her hometown and as she feels ready to face him and "come out". she decides to agree to a meet-up, ironically the one to get the surprise is Hikari. as Takashi might have made the date, but the moron invites the whole class and u can only guess at how tactless that group of moron's was (considering it was an all boy's school). and again Hikari sufferers in silence, the tactless jokes and rude remarks, always smiling and ignoring - rising above...

so i needed a 'happily ever after' for Hikari. but i guess her walking tall, not letting small minded moron's get to her, is a positive end - loved this (yet need more) for sure a rewatch.

Read More

Short follow up to The Novelist

Overall: This is an 11 minute continuation of the story from The Novelist (aka Pornographer). Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked: (very minor spoilers)
- some sweet moments like the head on the shoulder at the end
- communication about the letters
- that kiss is no dead fish lip press haha
- the car seemed to match the pale pink of the cherry blossoms
- the ending song
- (neutral) they used the same music that is in The Novelist which is either a nice call back or recycling to save money...

Room For Improvement:
- the kick from the sister was unnecessary
- the intro music doesn't match the vibe of the show

Read More

Beautiful and un-cliche

It's been a long time since I enjoyed a serious movie this much; going into this I had been worried that it would be pretentious and boring, but that wasn't the case at all.

In fact, I felt like the plot never stopped moving, the story's pacing was great, and the movie actually took me by surprise in many scenes. I thought that something was going to happen and the movie was going to go the cliche route, but they didn't and instead I watched something that felt much more realistic and emotionally-charged, rather than needlessly dramatic.

We're given just enough information about every character and situation to make us emotionally invested — it really feels like we're given a intimate peek into the tensions between family members.

Cinematography was beautiful as well; overall, the tone of this movie is so nostalgic and warm. I was surprised that there were some parts that were truly funny, albeit a little bittersweet. I won't lie — it stressed me out a lot in many places, but that was partly due to my misplaced expectations. Go into this without any preconceived notions and you'll find yourself in love with it, I promise.

Read More

Slow burn, different

So this one was so different from the rest of the other Rurouni Kenshin movies; it was much more of a slow burn and less of an action flick, but it still fit perfectly into the franchise.

It was kind of odd watching this and already knowing everything because I had watched The Final before, but that didn't stop this from being any less enjoyable. I'm a sucker for these sort of tragic origin story romances, and this movie was no different.

I loved the chemistry between the two leads, and I loved how the plot played out with its small nuances and future references. There were a little less action scenes than I had wished for (the first two movies had the best fight scenes I'd ever scene) but I understand that that wasn't the focus of the movie.

Read More

Remarkable future Classic

This is a remarkable true story of a singer who had dedicated her life in bringing happiness to others through music. Her story was sad but very touching. The cinematography brought back nostalgic moments in HK and the reproduction of ambience within the concert hall packed with fans was very realistic. One could even feel one’s heart beating when she slowly appeared on stage as the fans cheered her on. Of course, credit must be given to the young actress Louise Wong who took on this complex role . She was brilliant as Anita. Apart from having almost identical look to Anita, she was able to bring Anita’s larger than life character back to life. Every word, every tear came from her soul and touched the deepest part of the audience. Even thinking about some of her scenes in the movie will bring back misty eyes. Such a powerful remarkable movie. Should be a contender for the best actress, best movie, best production and best cinematography awards.

Read More

Good depiction of second-chance love

This is the move version of Gu Man's book "Silent Separation".

Well acted, and well-depicted. The flashbacks to the original misunderstandings were clear and concise. The current-time situation was presented well, and ML did an outstanding job of portraying his frustration / desperation. I liked the love-rival side characters too -- both were realistic, and also stepped back when they realized they had no chance.

The movie is true to the original story (likely because Gu Man was also the screenwriter for the movie), and the movie is MUCH better than the 32-episode drama "My Sunshine" (2015). The drama was tedious, especially the over-long flashbacks, and changed important details.

Read More

So bad it's funny

The movie starts with a Chinese guy in black face... so badly done his chin falls off (yes, you read that right). During the movie, they manage to offend literally every demographic I can think of. Lots of scenes reminiscent of Looney Tunes. You have to pay attention because they skip forward frequently, and you're the one who has to work to figure out what the context is. ML did a good job with lots of surprise twists, and all the other characters fit 1D stereotypes so no surprises from them (they could have been Looney Tunes characters). You're never quite sure what's real, or what's going to come next. I enjoyed it, but likely won't rewatch unless I'm in the mood for something this crazy again.

Read More

Waste of a good concept

This movie suffers from the typical modern Chinese movie affliction : it lets the CGI take centre stage and ultimately the story suffers for it.

While the CGI is good, it has no story to tell. It is just eye candy and nothing more. What is more disheartening is that this movie had a great story concept. It would have been better to let the story lead and decide where and when CGI is needed to enhance the tale. As it is, the movie felt like a collection of scenes that showcases CGI magic that does little to better the story.

Without revealing too much detail and risking a spoiler, this movie is a re-imagining of the classic Chinese ghost story of Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Chaichen. However, I felt that it spent too much time with Po Songling (Jackie Chan) rather than to develop the relationship between Xiaoqian and Chaichen. The first third of the movie can be shortened as it spent too much time introducing Po Songling and Yan Fei; who is totally unnecessary as a character here.

Time would have been better spent to tell us more about the backstory of Xiaoqian and Chaichen which was reduced to an animated flashback segment lasting about 3 minutes.

The acting in the movie was so-so. Jackie Chan didn't look like he was giving his best. The rest of the cast were decent but the lead roles deserved so much more. Sad to say more time were dedicated to bringing in CGI characters like the pig demon and the thousand-hand demon than to develop the chemistry and/or conflict between Xiaoqian and Chaichen.

One can't help but to wonder how much better this movie could have been if enough care was given to tell a story rather than to showcase some CGI imagery.

Read More

A Mediocre Imitation of Something Greater

The potentially interesting (although not entirely original) premise for this movie is not done many favors by the actual content. The often impressive action and hints of the character development and progression of a better movie are muddled into mediocrity by confused writing, unlikeable protagonists, and a cliché villain plot with few tangible stakes. And that's not even mentioning the usually abhorrent visual effects. I'm not usually one to dock a show for it's cgi, but it really trivializes the content, even more than it already is.

And really, that's one of the biggest flaws with this movie. One of the core concepts of the premise is that the "Seven Masters" have obtained many mystical abilities through their mastery of martial arts, and that these abilities can be taught to those with enough Qi. But from the beginning, the tone is confused. Initially, the concept and abilities are trivialized, used nonchalantly and played off for comedy. But later on, they are glorified and something to be used with great caution and responsibility. The Seven Masters (although there are only five, somewhat funnily) are viewed as both stereotypical bickering old people and also martial arts masters worthy of great respect. Having this sort of duality is something that can be pulled off, but it's not done effectively here, and the two sides only seem to detract from the other.

By far the biggest asset to the movie is the action: as it should be, for a martial arts movie. The choreography and stunts are for the most part very well done and extremely dynamic. The only problem is the story that contains them. Having great actions scenes is good, but to make them really impactful, you need tangible stakes, rising tension, and emotional investment from the characters. These things are all attempted by the story, but each falls flat in its own way. The stakes are far too grandiose and unexplored to be meaningful to the audience, the tension is messed with when the comic relief starts to detract from the main story, and our characters are too numerous and too unexplored to develop much attachment from the viewer. Even between the two protagonists (in what was likely supposed to be a romance subplot) there is pretty much no chemistry, meaning no investment when fighting for the other.

What I hoped would be the saving grace, was the protagonists. My initial impression was a guy with little skill but a good heart and unshakable morals. However this notion is contradicted time and again as he whines about training, disrespects his teachers and the privacy of others, and even considers fleeing at crucial plot points. It feels like a weak imitation of Karate Kid in a place where there shouldn't be one (keep in mind we're talking about a karate *kid*, who complained once and was done, versus our adult protagonist who never shut up). In fact, the whole training montage was done poorly in my opinion. What's more, there's very little character development, and perhaps he even gets worse from where he starts as the movie progresses. Towards the beginning of the movie, he is obsessed with learning the "Palm Blast" move so he can get stronger. Of course, we expect that by the end that he'll learn that martial isn't about just being strong. Instead, he just learns the Palm Blast move and that's that. Cool...

In summary, let me say this. My drive to continue and complete this movie was singular: the catharsis of a previously weak (but likeable) protagonist learning to be strong and proving his enemies wrong. If you're looking for that, turn back now. If you're looking for a good story, turn back now. If your looking for good characters, turn back now. If you're looking for comedy, you might be satisfied initially, but the story gets more serious very quickly, so I'd say turn back now. And finally, if you're looking for some solid actions scenes... well, I mean, you'll get those, you'd just probably be better off finding them in a better movie. So with that, overall, I will recommend against watching this movie.

Read More