This review may contain spoilers
Love does mean saying you are sorry
The synopsis for Romang sounded romantic, bittersweet, and heartwarming. Before I watched this movie I read comment after comment about how it made people ugly cry. This movie made me angrier than it did sad. And I found it more bitter than sweet. More heartbreaking than heartwarming. It might be more apt to say it's about a family that in their response to a tragedy years ago, lost the ability to love and laugh and became locked into a terrible dysfunctional cycle.The father was a taxi driver who was cold, angry, selfish and unapologetic. The mother worked as a hairdresser out of their home, usually on the roof, and either absent-mindedly or passive-aggressively neglected to do the things her husband expected and demanded. Their son who lived with them along with his wife and daughter couldn't hold down a job. The home bristled with resentment and lost dreams.
When the mother was diagnosed with dementia, the little family initially exploded. By the time the movie caught up with the synopsis, I was beyond caring about any of them. Also, at that point, it stretched credulity in the way dementia was portrayed, or at least compared with the experiences in my extended family. The emotional U-turn of the father nearly gave me whiplash.
A seasoned cast gave admirable performances full of emotion and pathos. The OST was beautiful as well. For me, the uneven writing let me down right to the bitter end. I'm all for a good tear jerker or even a melancholy slice of life, somehow this one managed to miss all the right steps for me by abruptly changing mood and not giving good reasons for characters' changing behaviors unrelated to their diseases And contrary to what Ali MacGraw said in Love Story (1970-"Love means never having to say you are sorry"), love does mean saying you're sorry.
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This movie is fast food
The premise of this movie is very simple. East vs. West - whose food can truly be considered best? One of the many East-West dichotomy movies to come out in recent years with the main goal of proving that Eastern culture is just as good or in some aspects superior to Western culture.So let's get the biggest problem with this movie out of the way first: The writing is absolutely atrocious. So much so that I genuinely had to pause the movie more than once to take a second to take in just how badly written those scenes were. Did anyone try to read this script out loud before subjecting the poor cast to this? It reads as if the writers had about two days to put together one of the most generic, over-the-top and cheesy cooking rivalry movies I've ever seen.
The main two actors are really doing their most to turn this into something, anything at all, but not even the admittedly charming rivalry/ friendship between the two main cooks can save this script from its sheer stupidity.
The worst offenders by far are the flashback scenes that get sprinkled in here and there that are also accompanied by some of the most generic violin pieces that give me "googled royalty free sad music" energy.
But with all that being said, despite the massive script problems and the lacklustre everything else, this movie is extremely entertaining. I wasn't bored once while watching it. The movie gets you to genuinely root for the protagonist, admittedly by using cheap and lazy bad guy stereotypes instead of genuine character development, but it does its job.
The cinematography is also at some points genuinely beautiful. I'm pretty sure half the movie's budget was used up only on the orgasmic food porn scenes that make up about half the movie. They're gorgeous to look at.
This and the charming performance of the main actors make rescue this movie from being simply shit and catapult it into "terrible but I can't stop watching" territory. So basically, this is the McDonald's Combo Meal of movies.
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The ancient tongues have claimed that silence is just another form of violence. This must have been true with this film. The Wayward Cloud is almost free with dialogues in which most of it only comes from the occasional Chinese musicals and background or surrounding noises. The two main characters haven't really spoken words to each other. Though, despite the quietness of their words or famished communication, their innermost selves are violent with hunger and desire. They quench their thirst for water with (kinky) watermelons, just like how society quenches their thirst for connection and intimacy with pornography.
I guess, one of the biggest lies the society has succumbed to was believing that pleasure completely equates to joy or happiness. But how can you find an eternity in the temporary? Thus, instead of dwelling in total paradise, it's just the zone of a wayward cloud: glimpses of occasional pleasures that come and go without one's integral control and sometimes even against their expected outcomes.
Do they desire each other or do they only desire something that will fill the lonely gaps in their souls? She realized she really never knew him at all. He could never realize whether he wanted her or not. He refused her advances because he cannot differentiate love and lust anymore. The only time he truly expressed his complete and questionable desire for her was during the filming of his work at that ending scene. His work has clouded his discernment for what is truly personal to him. Just like a cycle from condensation to precipitation to evaporation back to condensation and so on, their life has become the stability of a dull and bleak, yet, directionless routine instead of the stability of continuous elevation going far beyond the clouds.
The film was also, in a way, absurd. In spite of its apt and dismal void, I could not help but to express laughter almost at the entirety of the film. I guess, The Wayward Cloud is truly an absurd comedy as emphasized greatly by the characters' disposition at that final shot: their dazed confusion, the meaninglessness of it all, and their wrath for their own void and ignorance.
P. S. The film somewhat reminded me of Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express. In spite of its occasional comedy, we cannot be oblivious to its yearning pineapples, the quirky girl and sad boi/f-boi desiring attention and connection, the apartments longing for their own warmer home. But, at least, the busy streets of Chungking Express give you permission to dream (♪♪♪Ca-li-for-nia Drea-min'♪♪♪).
P. P. S. This is my first Tsai Ming-liang film and I just learned that this shouldn't be the right order. Though, I don't think it would really matter that much.
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A very beautiful one of a kind movie
It is one of those unique movies which are hard to come by but leaves you wanting more when you finish. It is a very very very beautiful movie, both cinematically and emotion wise. The movie gives off a earthly feeling with it's 1980s setting in a village. Coupled with the beautiful sceneries with the amazing lighting I was literally mesmerized. If you like unique movies full of emotions, then this is a great movie to watch.I don't want to praise the movie so much that it gets the expectations too high. But for my sake, I want to praise the movie some more .
This drama has a nice plot to it. And the execution of the plot was so good that it left me speechless for a moment. Don't get me wrong, the plot isn't too deep or that amazing, but the way they progresses the plot and the way it makes the viewer change their view on the whole movie is the amazing part.
After watching so many movies and dramas, these days I don't really find any new characters that I truly find memorable. But I think I will remember Bo-Kyung. I hope when you - the reader - watch the drama, find Bo-Kyung as beautiful as I find her. The actress Lee Soo Kyung seemed natural in this character and made the movie so much more better. I love it.
There was some romance to it as all k-movies have, but it wasn't overbearing and had a fresh feel to it.
If you are contemplating whether to watch this movie or not then you should give it a try. I found it very beautiful, maybe you will too.
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An Okay Watch
Off the bat, I felt that Okami (the Delinquent) and Kota (the Policeman) had more chemistry than the main duo, Kako (JK) and Kota.I agree with earlier published reviews that the element of disbelief does make this movie outlandish to the point of disinterest and banality. Outlandish movies, no matter how wild, will have their in world logic. Sadly doesn't apply in "P to JK". This movie felt like a prequel and sequel conflated together. The main pair settling their mutual attraction could have been better fleshed out rather than skimped on for an extra story or background exposition. It would have made for a solid movie about "P to JK", rather than "P to JK to tomodachi".
The dilution is at the expense of the wonderful cast such as Kamenashi Kazuya (Kota), Tsuchiya Tao (Kako) who are sought after and known for their series and movies. Overall not outstanding, but not too bad to the extent of the cast, the acting and the visual of the movie. The plot? You're better off watching something else.
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Addictive Watch
Layered story of the regrets and lessons learnt when one errs early on in life. Briefly the movie follows two story lines of reconciliation and remorse.Superb performance and method acting by Nagayama and Ikuta Toma, it truly does feel like you're watching a documentary with this cast and their raw, honest emotions. For a movie that takes the time to depict each character's journey, it's sequenced well as you anticipate the next scene and you're kept at the edge of your seat.
Although it can get a little convoluted, it's not to the point of confusion and encourages deeper focus and rewatch by the viewer. Furthermore, the movie covers heavy themes that can only be told over the course of several scenes, so re-watching is a guarantee for My Friend "A"!
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Fun and pretty to watch
Another potentially great movie dragged down by a annoyingly written lead... If it was not for that this would definitely have gotten a 9.5. The story is nothing new really but it is well executed, fun to watch and keeps the viewers guessing right till the end.Lee Jong Suks character is lovable, well written fun, gorgeous from start to finish so I have no complaints what so ever about him while Seo In Guks character is portrayed as an annoying gluttonous airhead a role he does well and is not his fault but does drag down the score. However he does go thru some development and becomes a cute lovable puppy by the end of the drama.
Best part of this drama is the suspense, the friendship, the countless scenes of swimming men... and well Seo In Guk and Lee Jong Suk do make a great looking team (if I am to be superficial).
The side characters all play their roles well, and there are many familiar faces making you go oh there is that guy... Including a very young Nam Da Reum doing what he does best (playing a younger version of someone).
All in all definitely worth watching.
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simple and warm movie kind of feeling
The plot wasn't anything heavy or hard to understand it was really straightforward and simple, which i like. I personally didn't expect the plot twist, so it was interesting to watch. The love story of rahee and joonkyung was cute and pure although i wished they showed more about them. This movie doesn't have huge progress like character development or something, all the characters are kind hearted and is willing to help everyone and i think that's one of the charms of this movie too. Maybe some would call this boring? but i really enjoyed it. Oh, and on the acting part, the actors did a great job! especially Park Jungmin on his emotional scene it was brought out so well. I also really like how this movie was about people living in the countryside where neighbours would rush out to help their fellow neighbours when in needed of help, i found it really wholesome. Overall i'd say this is a great movie, if i was bored and feel like watching a movie, this would be one of my top choices.Was this review helpful to you?
Body over talent!?
We can say that the objective of the movie was like a 5 stars (although some stuffs on the moovie were like "I wish she don't loved him that much"...)This movie is kinda old but explains so well the life that we live now . People using like a fake porfil or filters to not show their faces when they are not just a face or much more than a body.
In a overall I reallly liked this movie.
I really wish the world to change. And is sad that doesn´t exists more movies about issues like this one.
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Annoying male lead otherwise great
This movie is really cute, it has a lot of good lines, a pretty good message and amazing acting from a very young Park Bo Young.The kid is just adorable but the male lead was a self centered annoying #"#"¤"¤"4 that got on my nerves more than necessary for the story to be good.
But oh what an adorable kid as a lead and kids in the kindergarten, spreading sunshine and smiles on the screen...
Park Bo Young shows great range here, she is a cool, outspoken, funny and delivers everything one could ask for, considering she was only 18 when this was released that is pretty cool, talking about pretty sensitive subjects as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
All in all a decent watch, and do stay for the credits, to see a nice finishing touch... and just so you know: "Single mothers have dreams too"
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Feels like an oldie but a goodie...
This movie has this whole rebel without a cause feel to it (not that I have actually seen that) but there is this whole old movie feel to this, by old I mean like 70s and not the 80s it is supposed to represent with disco, bell pants and perms to die for (without the perms). It takes a while to get used to the dialect in this movie but the dialog is fun the acting great and the plot pretty humorous yet maybe a bit slow.Lee Jong Suk plays this so called playboy, ok he is kind of e jerk at first but it is all explained and he does develop a whole lot so I forgive him... He also has this whole gender reverse theme to him being a bit of a whose compared to Park Bo Young's role who is this fierce gang leader who can kill you with a look as well as her fists,.. Bad to the bone throughout the whole movie on the outside, yet is a fluffy marshmallow when it comes to the man she loves... just kidding she is pretty fierce thru and thru and only has a few moments of sensitivity but not enough to e a marshmallow, and yes she rocks this role.
While some parts may be a bit draggy, the ending made up for it, so all in all an enjoyable watch for those who can enjoy some nostalgic moments... like seeing a walkman and a swiss army knife and such songs as Nothing's gonna stop us now...
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A one time watch
Positive points -1.the visuals in this film was really good.2. The acting of whole cast was also great.
3.the story was good because when you see the movie you will get some small questions time to time. Which made it bit intresting.
Negative
1.background music was really dull if it could have been good then i think it would have. Been a really good watch.
2. Character development was lacking it is one of the main thing you should have in such movies.
Overall-its a good one time watch. I dont think mostly people will get bored while watching it and it is a fast paced movie.so it will be a good film for you if you have not seen films of this genre.
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A Beautiful Feel Good Film
Movies like this not release so often.You must feel this, Undoubtedly one of the best feel good film which i experienced in recent time, With a unique story and a very interesting screenplay the writer of the great Be With you done it again here.The story happening in the late 80's, jung kyung is a college student from a small village. The people of his village struggling every day because of lack of transportation facility. The only way they have was to travel through the train, but infact they don't have a railway station, so no train will stop there and they have to walk around every day through the rail from the previous station, there is no road way, because of that they have to face some difficulties, especially they have to pass through a tunnel in their journey after that tunnel there was also a bridge, and its very dangerous to walk through that bridge, because they can't predict when a train will pass through that bridge, especially some unannounced freight trains.
To find a solution for this they want a train station in their villages, So he (jung kyung) started writing letters to the President regarding this matter, sound funny right..?, an ordinary guy who has nothing is trying get attention from president definitely looks weird, But the movie has so much things to say. The emotions that delivers was exceptional and your eyes probably will filled after some point. Lim yoona is taking the female lead role, there were some beautiful moments between them. Also the relationship between he and his late sister also one of the highlight
Its a must watch and am highly recommend you to watch
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Miracle come in moments
Ride away felt very refreshing, beautiful and light. There was nothing creative or special flavor on it. Even it didn't really passed to average I will say I appreciated the whole aesthetic of the show it felt quite realistic.Overall It was an Okay Romantic Movie with bittersweet on it. I will recommend it only if you are in the mood for Melancholic or Nostalgic Theme.
Acting: Honestly I got more attracted with their eyes more than anything. Their acting is good enough for this kind of Movie.
I'm not disappointed with the ending.
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The movie's anti-hero is his own worst enemy!
A corrupt government official blackmails the anti-hero Atsushi Wakizaka (Katsuo Nakamura) into watching over his suitcase full of embezzled cash while the official serves a mandatory 5-year jail sentence.Atsushi had fallen in love with Shoko (Mariko Kaga) his student, and murders the man who raped her, after the rapist returns to blackmail the parents to protect Shoko's "honor/marriage-ability"...with Shoko's parents' permission, he follows the rapist on a train and kills him there.
The two problems that develop are that Atsushi was seen by a corrupt, embezzling government official throwing the rapist's body off the train where he was killed and the government official forces Atsushi to keep a suitcase-full of money that he took from Japan's Agricultural dept, knowing he will only get 5 years in prison when he is caught, and also Shoko is betrothed by her parents and marries another man.
Atsushi goes into daydreaming of Shoko running away with him, seeing her come to his house or apartment, which he shares with his 'bought" women; the time he dreams of her showing up at his house and her declaring that she would rather be dead than return to her rich husband drives Atsushi to throw all caution to the wind, and he decides to spend the millions in cash and let the imprisoned government official kill him once he is released after serving time.
What follows is a descent into debauchery by Atsushi , picking up woman after woman who reminds him of his lost student Shoko, and paying them millions to them allowing him to do whatever he wants with them. The problem is that they are giving their money to others: the Japanese Yakusu, to a husband who allows his wife to be used by Atsushi, or the last one who seeks out other "johns" during the day when Atsushi is not using her...
You had to think about what the director, famed Nagisa Ōshima (the reason I watched this movie in the first place), in a movie he made before IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES.
I have decided that he was trying to convey that:
"Love cannot be bought" and (as others have said), greed was prevalent in post-WW II Japan, and (unfortunately), today as well.
The money and his wild spending of it leads to more and more trouble for Atsushi; and perhaps what is sadder still, is that everyone is willing to sell their souls or body to him...for the money; even Shoko, his true love and who actually does come to him when he is out of money, is willing to give her body to him in order to save her husband's cash-starved cosmetics company.
Without planning or any foresight, Atsushi wanders from one woman to the next, not finding what he really wants. He is after all, his own worst enemy: thinking that money can buy happiness, and he also always opens his mouth at the wrong times, not knowing when to shut up!
He cannot keep his mouth shut about how he came about his money, making everyone a possible snitch to turn him in, and he also tries to offer more and more money to get what he wants from the women he chooses. His mouth also got him into trouble with Mari's pimp. played by the late Akiji Kobayashi, who found out about the money from being in prison with the corrupt government official, not knowing that Atsushi is the man he is looking for!
Atsushi runs his mouth to Maris' pimp about the missing money; had he been able to keep quiet, he would have been safe and free of the worry of the corrupt official's return. He even tells Shoko his secret (during the one time that she actually returned to him), which ultimately gets him arrested for the murder of Shoko's rapist.. She, his long lost crush, is the cause of his arrest at the end.
I found the movie to be quite convincing about the immoral situation in Japan, or any other place in today's society, and am saddened by Atsushi's lack of morality, common sense and naivete!
The cinematography of Pleasures of the Flesh is good, in my opinion; but I had to watch the movie twice to realize the Japanese music, which I was unfamiliar with, was actually used as a segue between scenes. I especially loved the use of black and white and gray to impart the mood of the different parts in this movie!
I would recommend this movie to anyone, especially fans of the late director Nagisa Ōshima, as this movie also questions the social constraints of his native Japan during his life.
RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!
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