I am so glad I managed to finish this one. Although it wasn't completely a disaster but lakorns full of cute things all the time don't appeal to me. It became super repetitive and boring. I loved Boy and the little girl though, they had more chemistry than him and Bella.
Not so bad overall but it's definitely not for me.
I admit that I watched this film for Yoo Ji Tae, I really love that actor but I still prefer him in Psycho roles :D
The film itself wasn't that bad. This is one of the fewest times where I didn't actually mind mature scenes. Probably because they were too connected to the plot but at any rate, that wasn't my main concern with the film. I felt like the director cheated his way through and didn't know how to finish the whole thing. Yeah, open endings can be cool but not when the whole film depends on it. There were lots of plotholes as well.
This was one heck of a hot film though and not only one but two of Yoo Ji Tae were there!
This film cracked me up LOL One of the better Asian comedies I ever saw and it's such a fresh air of the usual Korean cinema. "Move and you will burn" Hahahaha
Miike never (as NEVER) ceases to please me, in gore material that is. That director is so sadist, so crazy and so crative with gory films that I love him so much for it.
I read some people comparing this to Robocop but it's really not that. It was a cheap production and not at the same level as Ichi or the Dead or Alive trilogy but it was enjoyable. Love me some badass, blood-splashing Miike!
Not a slap/kiss that's up to my taste. Not brutal enough Hahaha
But serious now, Pepper and Ann's chemistry was total crap and Ann is such an annoying actress, I don't want to see her in anything ever again. Talk about blacklisting from first encounter!
This drama had so much potential but I think the screenwriter handled the plot in the very wrong way. It was unbearably slow and the episodic pattern didn't help at all, actually it made things even worse. The final fact reveal ruined everything that the drama built in the first 4 episodes, that was so wrong. I also didn't feel that great revenge feel I usually get from similar dramas. However, it still remain as a watchable dark revenge tale for the lovers of the theme.
Kurosawa Kiyoshi's directing style impressed me though. However, great actors like Koizumi, Aoi, Ikewaki and Ando didn't manage to shine as much as their talents allow them to.
Just Wow! This must be one of the better friendship films I've ever seen. It was so deep and so penetrating. The male friendship between four individuals was tested countless of time, it was truly great to watch and follow their destinies and connect to their feelings. The great characterization, plot and directing doesn't imply that this was produced 13 years ago, this definitely survived time.
That was an interesting thriller, it wasn't that extraordinary but the different type of killer was surely worth it. I don't believe the film's main focus was the mystery element, it wouldn't be a simple type of thriller if that was the case. I am certain that they wanted to pull the audience attention towards the characters' interactions and emotions instead.
Song Kang Ho ahjussi's character wasn't as penetrating as usual but his acting and screen presence is always one heck of a pleasure, just seeing him on screen makes me so comfortable. Lee Na Young was a bit lacking compared to previous roles I saw her in. But the girl is good, I will probably watch more of her.
I spent a long time thinking this was another horror film that I wouldn't actually like but after finally giving it a try, I realized that it was different in a good way. I don't usually appreciate monster horror films but the relationships they set within The Host's characters were veyr tight and deep to follow. I didn't completely love it though, it wasn't that impressive but it was pretty much enjoyable.
This was star-studded film: Song Kang Ho ahjussi, the amazing Bae Do Na and Park Hae Il who's growing on me with each role he plays.
Brutal, crazy, gripping, intense, shocking, thrilling, and bloody as hell. That's Takashi Miike for you!
You know, I can devorate all of Miike's gory psycho films in one go if I want to but I always leave them aside to entertain me for the longest time. This was a very enjoyable piece or at least the second half was. The first part was very slow to my taste, I know it was used to build the tension for the final showdown but it definitely deduct points. If the whole thing was like the massacre, I would've gave this an easy shameless 9/10.
I found myself unconsiously smiling at the bloody brutal events, Miike always manages to make me laugh with his gory productions. It's not my weird sick personality, his dark humour is priceless.
And heck yeah, I want that part two!
Just another super weird Japanese film, that left me feeling so awkward. I don't know where the heck do they come up with such plots and how the heck mega huge critically acclaimed stars like Asano Tadanobu and Yamada Takayuki sign up for it. Waisting great talents on such a film while better plot are given to idol actors is beyond me.
The film wasn't totally off, I believe the message it was trying to convey didn't come out right. I still didn't regret it though. My favourite actors again *sigh*
This was actually pretty cool, better than I expected it to be. At first, I was wondering how the hell are they going to make the eccentric Oda Nobunaga into a woman but they managed to do that. I officially announce that Amami Yuki is the best cross-dresser I ever saw, even her tone, the way she walks or talks sounded like a male. That's how cross-dressing is supposed to be. You don't have to wonder if the characters are blind to not notice that she's a woman. That defines the caliber of an actress, Amami is a beautiful actress who managed to become so manly.
Other than that, I liked how they followed history in its closest details except the cross-dressing and falling in love parts. It was too long, a film per episode (2 hours) but it was worth it. I think this could've been better if they rushed few things.
I found this really fun in the first part, I was even overlooking the stupid hideous acting but ever since the wicked sister stepped into the drama, I didn't find any single enjoyment whatsoever. Things became repetitive, crazy and not so fun anymore.
The whole Ni drama ruined it for me, they took it to the predictable over the top lakorn way of portraying the Nang Rai. That killed it for me despite the good feelings I got from the first part.
I am surprised at those who considered this a disturbing watch. It was heavy and deep but not disturbing per say; I think I am used to much worse graphic and physical violence that this doesn’t come out any special. At any rate, I believe the fact that the film is based on true events makes it even more appealing and with deeper impact. It was a powerful film indeed; Gong Yoo and those child actors were amazing, their performance was penetrating.
LOL that was such a weird film in a good way. From the first scene, you would predict that this is not a normal film at all. It was somewhat funny and unusual, those special effects and action scenes in video games' style were actually appealing. Overall, nothing was stricking but this was a pleasant watch indeed.
Lee Jung Jae ahjussi can actually become a hilarious actor! I couldn't resist his pairing with the charming talented Kim Ok Bin. They were so cool together :D
That was one surreal chilling film. Although I found it quite flawed to be considered a good horror/thriller but the set up and the general permise didn't fail me at all. Even the ending didn't come out as surprising and as disappointing like all the opinions stated. This type of film needed a mind-boggling final.
Song Kang Ho ahjussi nailed it so badly in here, his character was a very complexed one and he excelled at showing all of its sides. His combination with Yoo Ji Tae was priceless, their chemistry on screen and complicated relationship got me at many times. Park Hee Soon dark voice ahjussi was just a sweet bonus!
Hey Miike, what the heck was that buddy? I was caught by surprise. Forget about Ichi the Killer, the Dead or Alive trilogy or anything you think about comparing this film to Miike's previous works, this was nothing like it. And this comes from someone who saw about 17 Miike pictures so I am perfectly aware of how bizzare, strange, violent and over the top he can be.
I completely hate mature content and perverted scenes, how about porn? The fact that it came with a somewhat meaningful plot makes it more tolerable but it was an uncomfortable perverted watch for my taste.
Miike definitely exaggerated the manner of telling the story of a broken perverted family saved by an unknown visitor. Some themes are absolutely a no-go for me, forget about the crappy artisitic value; I am firmly close-minded about some things and I like that.
But as usual, I found myself laughing at some scenes, he always manages to make me laugh through his dark humour.
I know I didn't actually like this film and when it ended I thought "You can't really unsee a film now, can you?" But if I was given the chance to go back, I would've watched it anyway. Because Miike has that strange cinematic ability to take you by surprise even when you think you know him so well and because this confirmed how much I love his criminal insanity even if I don't always agree with the way he shows it.
Disemberment, extreme torture scenes, mutilation, a pool of blood and many other brutal splatter gore elements. It's just an extreme gory film for the sake of gore. Horror splatter gore genre is well-exploited these years but I wish they would make more effort by trying to insert a plot in between.
Being a fan of the extreme bloody cinema, I just had to watch this and I kind of liked it. The torturing scenes and acting level were spot on but I just can't like this any further; even with my sick taste I don't appreciate spending the whole running time on brutal torture scenes alone, there needs to be plot and character developments to make me love a gory picture.
The effects were well-done but I must admit that I was disappointed in something. Since the main protagonist is a doctor, I thought that the torturing scenes would be more specific and different. Like driving the human body to its limits (although he did it at some points), cutting neat chirurgical cuts near a vital artery then severing each small vein, artery and nerve one by one. Trying to get the brain out of the nose or some things along those lines. Because most of what he did can be done by a normal person except the healing part. Being a doctor gave him more advantage of torturing his victims in an extreme special way. Not that this much wasn't sick enough but they should've gave the character the chance to make use of its detailed knowledge of the human body.
Anyway, it was a good watch. I can see why it was banned from few countries but it's not that extraordinary. Gore for the sake of gore productions don't really leave a big impact on me. It's just the impulse of the moment. Definitely not recommendable for everyone though.
Kodomo Keisatsu was...too generic.
Although I can handle episodic investigation dramas so well; this one overdid it. About four or five scenes repeated each episodes with the same reactions, it became irritating after a while. Although I like Kichise, her character was annoyingly useless.
I still liked the idea of making kids as investigators but the plot wasn't well executed. The acting was troublesome the majority of time but most of the little kids did the trick. I don't regret watching it but I blame the way producers handled this one.
Although it's marked as Comedy/Romance; this is not a rom-com (I am personally glad for that), it's more like a funny film with some "cliché" values. But man did Satoshi nailed his character, he always does that but this time he was especially pretty good.
The film itself wasn't exactly a big deal, I always thought that Satoshi's wasting his talent on average scripts.
Not so bad overall but it's definitely not for me.
The film itself wasn't that bad. This is one of the fewest times where I didn't actually mind mature scenes. Probably because they were too connected to the plot but at any rate, that wasn't my main concern with the film. I felt like the director cheated his way through and didn't know how to finish the whole thing. Yeah, open endings can be cool but not when the whole film depends on it. There were lots of plotholes as well.
This was one heck of a hot film though and not only one but two of Yoo Ji Tae were there!
I read some people comparing this to Robocop but it's really not that. It was a cheap production and not at the same level as Ichi or the Dead or Alive trilogy but it was enjoyable. Love me some badass, blood-splashing Miike!
But serious now, Pepper and Ann's chemistry was total crap and Ann is such an annoying actress, I don't want to see her in anything ever again. Talk about blacklisting from first encounter!
Kurosawa Kiyoshi's directing style impressed me though. However, great actors like Koizumi, Aoi, Ikewaki and Ando didn't manage to shine as much as their talents allow them to.
Song Kang Ho ahjussi's character wasn't as penetrating as usual but his acting and screen presence is always one heck of a pleasure, just seeing him on screen makes me so comfortable. Lee Na Young was a bit lacking compared to previous roles I saw her in. But the girl is good, I will probably watch more of her.
This was star-studded film: Song Kang Ho ahjussi, the amazing Bae Do Na and Park Hae Il who's growing on me with each role he plays.
Brutal, crazy, gripping, intense, shocking, thrilling, and bloody as hell. That's Takashi Miike for you!
You know, I can devorate all of Miike's gory psycho films in one go if I want to but I always leave them aside to entertain me for the longest time. This was a very enjoyable piece or at least the second half was. The first part was very slow to my taste, I know it was used to build the tension for the final showdown but it definitely deduct points. If the whole thing was like the massacre, I would've gave this an easy shameless 9/10.
I found myself unconsiously smiling at the bloody brutal events, Miike always manages to make me laugh with his gory productions. It's not my weird sick personality, his dark humour is priceless.
And heck yeah, I want that part two!
The film wasn't totally off, I believe the message it was trying to convey didn't come out right. I still didn't regret it though. My favourite actors again *sigh*
Other than that, I liked how they followed history in its closest details except the cross-dressing and falling in love parts. It was too long, a film per episode (2 hours) but it was worth it. I think this could've been better if they rushed few things.
The whole Ni drama ruined it for me, they took it to the predictable over the top lakorn way of portraying the Nang Rai. That killed it for me despite the good feelings I got from the first part.
Lee Jung Jae ahjussi can actually become a hilarious actor! I couldn't resist his pairing with the charming talented Kim Ok Bin. They were so cool together :D
Song Kang Ho ahjussi nailed it so badly in here, his character was a very complexed one and he excelled at showing all of its sides. His combination with Yoo Ji Tae was priceless, their chemistry on screen and complicated relationship got me at many times. Park Hee Soon dark voice ahjussi was just a sweet bonus!
I completely hate mature content and perverted scenes, how about porn? The fact that it came with a somewhat meaningful plot makes it more tolerable but it was an uncomfortable perverted watch for my taste.
Miike definitely exaggerated the manner of telling the story of a broken perverted family saved by an unknown visitor. Some themes are absolutely a no-go for me, forget about the crappy artisitic value; I am firmly close-minded about some things and I like that.
But as usual, I found myself laughing at some scenes, he always manages to make me laugh through his dark humour.
I know I didn't actually like this film and when it ended I thought "You can't really unsee a film now, can you?" But if I was given the chance to go back, I would've watched it anyway. Because Miike has that strange cinematic ability to take you by surprise even when you think you know him so well and because this confirmed how much I love his criminal insanity even if I don't always agree with the way he shows it.
Being a fan of the extreme bloody cinema, I just had to watch this and I kind of liked it. The torturing scenes and acting level were spot on but I just can't like this any further; even with my sick taste I don't appreciate spending the whole running time on brutal torture scenes alone, there needs to be plot and character developments to make me love a gory picture.
The effects were well-done but I must admit that I was disappointed in something. Since the main protagonist is a doctor, I thought that the torturing scenes would be more specific and different. Like driving the human body to its limits (although he did it at some points), cutting neat chirurgical cuts near a vital artery then severing each small vein, artery and nerve one by one. Trying to get the brain out of the nose or some things along those lines. Because most of what he did can be done by a normal person except the healing part. Being a doctor gave him more advantage of torturing his victims in an extreme special way. Not that this much wasn't sick enough but they should've gave the character the chance to make use of its detailed knowledge of the human body.
Anyway, it was a good watch. I can see why it was banned from few countries but it's not that extraordinary. Gore for the sake of gore productions don't really leave a big impact on me. It's just the impulse of the moment. Definitely not recommendable for everyone though.
Although I can handle episodic investigation dramas so well; this one overdid it. About four or five scenes repeated each episodes with the same reactions, it became irritating after a while. Although I like Kichise, her character was annoyingly useless.
I still liked the idea of making kids as investigators but the plot wasn't well executed. The acting was troublesome the majority of time but most of the little kids did the trick. I don't regret watching it but I blame the way producers handled this one.
The film itself wasn't exactly a big deal, I always thought that Satoshi's wasting his talent on average scripts.