This review may contain spoilers
Fascinating with lots of room for interpretation
This was an interesting movie because although it had gay/bi themes, it wasn't entirely clear if the characters actually had those orientations. The story is about method acting, which if you don't know, it's a style of acting in which you try to become the character *even when you are not performing.* There's a lot of room for interpretation in this one.For example, we might wonder if Lee Jae Ha was homophobic, which is why he could not connect as well to his stage-character. Unlike most of his play works, he also doesn't write in his method acting journal, as if he is afraid to connect to his character. So can we interpret this as he is afraid of the gay feelings awakening in him? Is he just homophobic?
Young Woo on the other hand at one point says he's not gay, but he is only attracted to Lee Jae Ha, which we could interpret as him fully immersing himself in his role instead of being bisexual. However, it could also be that he is just demisexual towards men, and Lee Jae Ha happens to be someone he could connect to. So then was his kiss scene with Lee Jae Ha because he was method acting, or because he was actually attracted to Lee Jae Ha?
It's implied that Young Woo was secretly the better and more immersive actor. Another interpretation then is that Lee Jae Ha actually fell for Young Woo, while Young Woo was only method acting. Lee Jae Ha had a harder time making a distinction between the play and real life, while Young Woo seems to have a better understanding of those boundaries. At first we might wonder if Young Woo is the one who can't separate the play from reality once he sneaks into Lee Jae Ha's house in the end. He seems like he is hunting for Hee Won in the same way his character hunts for Claire. But when she's safe at the end, we realize Young Woo was in fact the better method actor, the one who could become his character off stage, while still maintaining the boundary between reality and fiction. He even arrogantly thinks of himself as better than Lee Jae Ha by the end. Lee Jae Ha thought he was mentoring Young Woo, but it was Young Woo who surpassed him.
The writer/director of the play says, "I named the play 'Unchained' because I think human love is individual. They're connected but the link can be broken." And then we get the following scene where both Young Woo and Lee Jae Ha seems to be sentimental about the play, and perhaps their feelings? Lee Jae Ha seems defeated, and he returns to his girlfriend (wife? can't remember), a woman who (from the beach scene) we might think is used to her boyfriend's infidelity through his method acting. And Young Woo's smile as he settles into the car is not that of an arrogant pupil overcoming his teacher. He seems disappointed that its over. Whether he is sad about the play ending, or his relationship with Lee Jae Ha ending, we aren't sure. Maybe both?
But if we think about that director's line again, "human love is individual. They're connect but the link can be broken." We might wonder, if we are supposed to interpret the story as the two had fall in love with each other, but once the play is over, so is their relationship, even if they still have feelings for each other. The play ends in a suicide-murder with Walter seemingly in love with both Claire and Singer. If the stories are meant to parallel each other, then we could interpret Lee Jae Ha was in love with both Hee Won and Young Woo. But, its also made clear that Young Woo has a better separation from fiction and reality, so we can't say for sure if Young Woo also felt the same way.
In my personal interpretation, I think Lee Jae Ha actually fell for Young Woo, and we are supposed to be unsure if Young Woo loved him back.
But what is the truth of the story? Lee Jae Ha was a homophobic actor who had trouble connecting to his character and was straight? Lee Jae Ha was a homophobic actor who had trouble connecting to his character as was bi? Young Woo immersed himself in his character, but never fell for Lee Jae Ha? Young Woo immersed himself in his character and actually had feelings for Lee Jae Ha? Did neither of them fall for each other? Was it one-sided? Did they both become infatuated with the other? When were the two method acting as their stage characters, and when were they being their true selves? So much is left unsaid that we can't really say for sure.
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Cute little melodrama that doesn't end right...
The setting, music, photography were all good for this time period and I enjoyed the feeling of actually being on a campus during the movie.However, the movie expects you to believe that this intelligent young lady, Yoon So Eun (Kim Ha Neul) is not going to fight for her love , Ji Dong Hee (Park Yong Woo), who she had written countless letters to during his mandatory military service.
It also wants you to believe that the young college student is going to go the rest of her life without a boyfriend, husband and/or lover! Had the ending not been so terrible, I would have given it a higher rating than what I did.
The characters of Yoon So Eun and Ji Dong Hee were believable, but didn't quite measure up to two individuals who knew they liked each other; that is the second reason it didn't really warrant a higher rating from me. The support character Seo Hyeon Ji (Ha Ji Won) was sidelined with a broken foot for the entire first two weeks of the movie; then steals her best friend's boyfriend...don't buy it!
The only bad performance was Heo Seon Mi ( Lee Seung Min) but since she only had two acting performances during the year 2000 (her first two acting stints then), I am not going to criticize her, except she was kind of an anti-girlfriend to the main male lead in the 2000 segment.
Also, another reviewer mentioned that he or she could not stand the way Kim Ha Neul played the young female lead during this movie: she acted as any young-girl-in-love does, going goo-goo-eyed every time her crush came into view, then acted like she was about to faint, hesitated before talking, blushing, grinning ear to ear and occasionally saying something stupid (like she was in the ham radio club when she was spotted by her crush there; she wasn't).
Also her total about-face would never have been done by someone that in love with a guy, without a fight, best friend or not as her rival!
Nor would someone that intelligent live for so many years by herself, without finding another love; she was too intelligent to do that!
WATCH VALUE: definitely: RE-WATCH VALUE: NONE, unless you want to study how not to end a movie!
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Good Story, Great Cast
The story of this film is quite interesting because at the beginning of the film, the audience is shown the POV of "Tabata Kaede" who thinks that his friend "Hisano Akiyoshi" is dead, but apparently "dead" what is meant is his personality where Akiyoshi left Kaede. The storyline in this film is also quite interesting like a puzzle, because at the beginning of the story the audience didn't see all of Kaede's POV, but slowly began to reveal the actual plot. maybe the plot in this film also happens a lot in the real world (?). In this film, Kaede's revenge against Akiyoshi is shown well, how Kaede has a very severe grudge against Moai to the point of wanting to destroy the organization she originally created. Akiyoshi's character's emotions are also conveyed very well in the climax scene of this film. My favorite scene is the climax scene in this film, when Akiyoshi and Kaede argue with each other 1 on 1 in a conference room (I still often replay that part because I think the climax scene is very well played by Sugisaki Hana and Yoshizawa Ryo, the emotions are very conveyed to the viewer).Cast in this film is very good, Sugisaki Hana as Akiyoshi has perfect acting and Yoshizawa Ryo's acting as Kaede is perfect playing a character who has a grudge and full of anger but on the other hand he is a pretty good character. I think so far Sugisaki Hana's films and dramas have never disappointed because she has very good acting skills. other supporting cast such as Shimizu Hiroya, Matsumoto Honoka, etc. are also very good at playing their respective characters.
Special mention for Nana Mori because of the perfect acting in this film, even though it is only a supporting character but the character played by Nana Mori is quite influential in the story. Somehow the cover on Netflix, even Nana Mori is not the main cast, but it doesn't matter because Nana Mori have very good at acting in this film.
I can't really comment on the music in this film because it's quite easy to listen to and fits the scene shown. But not the best music in a movie.
Verdict, the film is worth to watch because it has a unique plot (back to back) and also the plot is quite curious because of the POV that each MC has, as well as the use of Kaede's POV in this film is also interesting because from the beginning until almost the end of this film, viewer can be said as (Kaede Supporter), because everything that is shown is what Kaede thinks, but towards the climax everything starts to be answered one by one. Another special mention for Nana Mori's role in here, is quite good even though she is not MC but it really shows the relationship between Nishiyama Mizuki and Kaede + Akiyoshi characters.
N.B. Rewatch is highly recommended at the climax of this film, you won't know if you haven't seen it.
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Pro tip: don't look at the MDL cast section.Welcome to the Strange Circus, where nothing is as it seems to be...
The first quarter of the film portrays the visually disturbing sexual abuse of a school principle of his wife Sayuri and eventually her daughter Mitsuko too. Everything—starting from the school halls to the manor, transforms in its appearance and becomes horrendously red and bloodied or white emptiness as we start seeing the world from Mitsuko’s perspective.
At this point, while I’m wondering how long the movie will stretch this storyline, Sono Sion makes this strange circus stranger as we now realise that this is an erotic novel written by a female author Takeo, being read out by the editors. Amongst the editors is the young assistant Yuji.
As the plot goes on, Sono Sion makes it even more bizarre and everything becomes a lie.
“Strange Circus” was all over the genres. It was at times a mere psychological thriller, then a complex mystery and later, a melodramatic revenge plot. This is perhaps testimony to the brilliant complex layers that Sono Sion has skillfully crafted. As one perplexing twist occurs one after the other, much akin to an acrobat in a circus, do we realise how truly complex this maze is.
Quite worth the watch but recommended only to those who can stomach the grotesqueness.
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Fight it out
Crows Zero is centred around the Suzuran High School and it’s internal power struggle wherein the crown is determined by teenage hand-to-hand scuffles. Genji is one such “crow,” as the notorious students of Suzuran are called. He is the son of a yakuza and it is his ambition to be at the top of Suzuran’s hierarchy. On his very first day he challenges Serizawa, the crow who is almost at the very top of Suzuran.I went into the movie knowing that it would be chock full with action scenes and it was. The fighting scenes were quite exaggerated with characters dramatically spewing blood, spitting teeth and clashing against each other.
Such action movies have never been my thing but I wanted to try the movie which has spawned two sequels and a manga. Crows Zero had a lot of space for improvement. I for one do not want to spend 2 hours of my time watching hoardes of teenage boys fighting against each other with a mindless ambition. There was too much testosterone and too much blood and it wouldn’t be half so bad if there was a meaning to everything.
Loyalty and leadership were quite a central to the storyline but as the movie dragged on and stretched a storyline that would be more appropriate for a one hour movie into double of that, the message was lost and I was honestly just so bored.
There is a noticeable lack of female characters here and the few that you may spot are to serve as plot devices. The “damsel-in-distress softens badboy” trope was not just annoying but if felt out of place. The sub-textual love triangle between Tokio, Serizawa and Genji was a lot more entertaining to watch. ;)
Overall a watchable movie but I can’t rate it higher than a 5.5 nor am I motivated to watch the sequels.
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Short movie
This was a bit of disappointment, as they was so hype of to this movie on and trailer looked really promising.So if you read the synopsis, there's nothing left for you to watch, except the intimate moments and the hot actors, The 24 minutes story involves a college student and a man who meet in a basketball court and becomes affected to each other and end up in a relationship.
I literally don't what else to say about this movie as the 24 minute short movie was literally all summed up in the above, so it left no imagination to the one watching it, or expecting anyting drastic to come out of it.
What I Liked
- acting
- production value
- the scenes of physical intimacy
What I did not Like
- choppiness, starts with them yelling at one another, then a guy is in bed, then motorcycle riding, then basketball playing...like what is going on???
- unrealistic responses/conversations, who doesn't ask what a person does for a job, it's one of the first things you ask someone. Also, if someone tells you not to do something don't they normally give a reason or wouldn't you ask what their reason is?
- the lack of communication between the two.
Overall - it's still watchable because of the acting elements and the exploding intimate scenes. So go for it because even if you don't like it, a 24mins piece won't hurt you.
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Beautiful Truths In a BL
I love this as a stand alone in the series. If you can, watch the short prelude to this (its about 10 minutes) as its gives a little more of Haruhiko’s point of view. I wasn’t a fan of the other movies in the series. I like the characters in this part of the narrative better. I think they fit at a better part in Rio’s life. He even says that when his old lover (from Mood Indigo) briefly reenters and basically asks why they can’t work instead. Because they are too much alike. That simple. Their time has passed.There were some really deep thoughts in this movie that went beyond a typical BL. It really made me think. Why we are drawn to people we love, for instance. Its a thinking persons BL and just a really well written movie no matter what genre it calls itself. Its also sexy, romantic, and introspective. Well worth it if you can find a subbed version out there!
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A bit confusing but not bad
I really took a shot in the dark watching this simply because of the fact that it's a vampire movie and I can't say I'm all that disappointed.I think this movie gave Fluke the chance to act as something other than the sweet, innocent boy we know in UWMA and I think that really made the movie for me. I liked this take on the vampire trope especially the direction it went in for said vampire's lover. I'm not usually a fan of thrillers but the thriller aspects were palatable for me even as someone who generally finds that kind of thing boring. The ending was not unforeseeable and I kind of wish they had done something different but it didn't really change how much I enjoyed Wine's story and character arc.
Over all I can't really see myself rewatching this movie despite my positive feelings towards it. I'd recommend it to any vampire enthusiast but be warned that (like with many vampire shows/movies and thrillers) there may be some things triggering for some viewers so proceed with caution.
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This review may contain spoilers
Holy smokes, as far as Cobra whump goes, this movie was a real smorgasbord. He was kicked, beaten unconscious and kidnapped, tortured - like, they went surprisingly far with that! - and on top of that there was the emotional whump too because a big part of his gang turned against him, preferring to give in to Kuryu instead of standing up against them, his guilt over not saving Smokey, his helplessness over how to defeat Kuryu... Ah-mazing!But my favorite moments were when Cobra faced the big bads, first Yoshitatsu Zenshin who went all, "I like you. I'll remember your face!" and then later on Kurosaki Kimitatsu who even went as far as asking Cobra to join their side! Their meet-up in the underground garage at the end was *chef's kiss* I loved how Kurosaki was all, "You survived, after all!" and it actually looked like he didn't mind all that much that Kuryu was beaten because he really didn't seem to like the direction their company went in under Iemura and their henchmen.
Also, I loved how all the things from the drama and the previous movies actually came to a head and all the loose ends and all the hints dropped were connected. That was some real smart writing that showed that they put a lot of thought into the actual story!
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all over the place
i don't know what else to say beside what other reviews said, it's just messy. It has fairly good cinematography, i can see someone being attracted to this movie based on screencaps but.. chemistry or some kind of fluid character development between characters is nonexistent, there is no logic, effects were bad (but that was to be expected) and what bothered me a lot was the badly covered up wigs lol. Gotta say i had a good laugh at the very end though. And the ML also looks better without wigWas this review helpful to you?
Light, but not lightweight
The story tells the tale of two openly gay Korean friends, Haneul and Bongshik, and what happens over the course of a few months after Haneul breaks up with his partner of 3 years and moves in with his friend. Accordingly, the story does address several issues that most gay men could relate to, the most of which are very common themes, maybe too common, in other gay films. However, the screenwriter managed to keep it refreshing, by including jokes, puns and showing different aspects of the characters' lives. So, while I think some of the themes were already better discussed in other films, what makes this film stand out is how accurately it portrays human lives - sometimes full of conflicts and drama, sometimes light and fun, and sometimes a combination of them all.The acting is one of the strong points of the film, and in my opinion all actors played their characters perfectly and realistically.
I watched it during a film festival event, but I would watch it again probably as soon as it's released with English subtitles (if only just to screenshot the Chungha reference)
9/10
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A great idea, but something was missing.
It was a good short production with a great story. I absolutely loved the metaphor at the end. However, the show didn't feel as flushed out as I would have liked. Not because of the open ending (which I think had a good purpose and significance), but rather their relationship development. If it was a matter of time that kept the producers from making this a longer series, then they could have cut some of the basketball scene at the beginning and added a segment where we see them talking about themselves at a table or something. Because the majority of their scenes made them seem like they were a casual fling, but the seriousness at the end didn't match up.Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewing A Classic In Retrospect; Kore-eda’s Philosophical Experiment…
Looking back in retrospect ‘ After Life’ ( 1999) is one of those movies which few Asian film enthusiasts know about unless they’ve been told or stumbled upon it before. Admittedly it’s understandable as to why ‘ After Life’ is often buried in the past- it’s heavy-going and arguably slightly dated within its filming techniques and appearances, but there’s also something oddly distinctive about director Kore-eda's approach to the movie.
The premise is simple enough: what happens after death. However contrary to a heavenly or a hellish after place which exists in so many other religions, Kore-eda a takes a visionary approach to the afterlife where the dead stay in a house for a week and are given the choice to hold onto one memory out of all others to preserve as they enter the afterlife. Over the film’s duration length capturing just one week in this mystical plane, 22 recently deceased mortals visit the lodge each with their own stories to tell and problems to face.
Kore-eda recalled that during the screenwriting process he was inspired by the crucial importance of memories during the onset of his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, leading him to become curious about ideologies and views of individuals. This process led him to interview reportedly more than 500 individuals about their experiences and which are embellished throughout the film.
However whilst the storylines present interesting food for thought from a teenage girl who wants to relive her experiences at Disneyland ( before choosing something more personal after an epiphany), an old libertine who decided to choose a surprisingly sentimental memory and others choosing simple daily pleasures ( such as a bus ride) in different seasons, ‘ After Life’ often struggled to tackle these experiences in more sentimental depth. This is mainly because whilst there are many intriguing characters, there’s little time to actually give them screen time to be explored more thoroughly.
Throughout the duration of the move there are only three characters onscreen to be given dominant screen time; Ichiro Watanabe (Taketoshi Naito), a 70-year old businessman who died in the wake of an unsatisfactory life of menial work , and his afterlife guardians , Takashi Mochizuki (Arata) and Shiori Satonaka (Erika Oda). Whilst later revelations provide a climatic ( and then anti- climatic) revelation towards a shared link between Takashi and Watanabe, the build-up and resolution often lacked a more intriguing drive to viewers due to its slow pacing being intertwined with its shared other residents onscreen .
Of course this isn’t to bring down ‘ After Life’ entirely as in addition to its more philosophical and profound themes found in the storyline, Kore-eda is a masterful planner with the film’s cinematography also. Enlisting the talents of Yamazaki Yutaka ( who had previously won awards for his artistic filming in documentaries) through shooting on a 16 mm film as well as famous photographer Sukita Masayoshi in flashback sequences through a 8 mm, and 16 mm film in monochrome, ‘ After Life’ is visually memorable. Minimalistic filming techniques of snow, long empty halls and unoccupied rooms present a great contrast to the clever representation of the modern Japanese way station through limbo to the afterlife ; a reflection of the inescapable and fascinating mundane reality of the afterlife. Just as the rest of the film offers profound moments and should be counted by interpretation, the ending offers a reflective experience also.
So what is left to take from ‘ After Life’ ; is it a movie worth watching or is is overly dull and pretentious? ‘ After Life’ is a movie which even for the most erudite viewer is borderline mind-numbing at times with slow burn dialogue and cinematography dominating screen time. Of course this isn’t to say that the film is bad or unwatchable. Director Kore-eda’s imagination is reflected throughout the film’s palettes and concept, with poignancy reflected in each memory, as well as deeper questioning as revelations to come light. By far more intriguing food for thought than entertaining or exhilarating, ‘ After Life’ is not an easygoing movie and will likely not be to everyone’s personal tastes or likes. However those willing to delve into the film’s philosophical experiments and experience, will likely commend the film for being an intriguing piece of Japanese film history.
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This review may contain spoilers
I cried.............
I haven't been writing in a while but this film sets out just the right mood to write a review. Perhaps I’ll start to write reviews on series/dramas again because of this film (If you are wondering, yes, it’s THAT good).If you are reading this review because you are still contemplating whether or not to watch it, I suggest you to stop wasting your time and go ahead and watch it. My only regret is that I didn't watch this drama when it was first released.
To be honest, I had the intention of watching this movie because of the BL moments (which in my opinion, is very subtle and not as straight-forward as you’d expect it to be). But like I said, I have no regrets watching it because it just blew my mind away. The plot is very intriguing and interesting. It’s not a cliche at all. I had some predictions when I first watched the movie but sadly, none of my predictions were right (kudos to the director for keep on making surprises for the audience).
I am truly amazed by how the film portrays the character Se Jun, to the point that I pity him for getting caught in his obsession and uncontrollable desire. Most of his actions were accidental, driven by his anger, jealousy and lust. It wasn’t obviously stated but you can easily deduce that Se Jun really has a strong feeling towards Yoon Jae; he even bursted out at the end of the movie, not what I expected from the dependable Se Jun.
This movie is just sad (in a good way); it makes the audience start having a lot of what ifs and could have beens. It’s just so good that it made me want to know what would’ve happened if Yoon Jae picked up the calls or if Se Jun was being direct about his feelings. I just wished it had a happy ending, but then again, if that’s the case then it wouldn’t have left me in this state.
Believe me, it’d take weeks for me to completely move on and accept the ending. During that period, people would just have to bear with me telling about how good this film is and how it’s worth every minute of your time to give it a watch. I’d definitely recommend a rewatch (I might just be doing that in the nearest time to really get into the feelings of the characters).
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A slowly growing madness that engulfs you—
“A Page of Madness” is an artistic endeavor of 1926. Staying true to it’s title, it really is a page of madness.The story takes place inside an asylum. At first it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and everyone is just acting mad, but then you realise that slowly everyone is getting sucked into this madness. By the time realised that I was engrossed in the moving shades, the movie had almost come to a close and there was the final twist which established the fact that they were all quite mad.
I didn’t quite understand what they were trying to do but they were pushing something that was unconventional in the time that this was filmed. The movie was exceptionally artistically horrifying, it really plays with your mind sometimes. I was lost in the beautiful hypnotic dance that didn’t seem to belong to any sane realm.
If you’re wondering whether you should watch this movie then let me just say that it is quite a gift to be able to watch a creation from 1926 in this year (2021 for me), at 1080p resolution. So just go for it! It is more of a psychological horror and looks like something out of a painting.
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