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Go to sleep and it will go away
I didn't know, before watching the movie, that I am watching a monodrama. That would change my expectations from the movie, but the ways I saw it, it was too long and exhausting. Just a minor spoiler: the movie starts with a 5-minute sequence of a man walking through dark rooms and nothing happens. That might set the tone of suspense for some viewers, but one minute would be just fine.I couldn't really relate with the emotions of the main characters but i knew that his inner struggles would all go away if he just went to sleep. He would feel better in the morning. Finally, when the movie starts giving us another perspective, it all becomes more "entertaining" and somehow confusing. So at the end, I compliment the main actor for holding the entire movie on himself and offering us an interesting psychological study of the protagonist, but I can not recommend the movie to the general audience.
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Not easy being an actor
First, I have to say that I like the actor Yang Dong-geun all the way since „Wild Card (2003)”. Without him this movie would not be worth my time. He brings a little bit of his charisma to guide the young guy who dreams of becoming a movie star but first needs to do the proper lesson. Unfortunately, his acting here also doesn’t appear to be completely sincere so instead of levelling up the acting performance for the rest of the cast they all perform on a mid level.Actually the movie feels like a gag movie. I am not quite sure if the comedy is intentional or the movie makers wanted a drama, but somehow it wasn’t believable in any way. The positive is that the movie is short and an easy watch and it manages to show some difficulties of becoming an actor. I was actually dreaming of appearing in one of Korean movies but I was reminded here that this is not easy or fun work. A person needs to have some deeper motivation and vocation for acting profession. Music selection was good also.
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Where is Poirot?
The story of the film is not bad. From a simple beginning that did not promise much, the story became more and more complex with constant new plots and twists. Some actions of the protagonists were illogical to me, but I watched everything with interest until the end.The center of the film takes place in one courtroom with 8 characters, except for a few short scenes from the outside that serve as context. So the scene is limited and the actors had to do a lot of work there, and I can't say that I'm completely satisfied. A film like this requires really top-notch acting because the viewer has the task of reading between the lines, that is, following the gestures of the actors more than the words they say. So the actors did not have an easy job because they are constantly in the scene, but occasionally their emotions are clearly acted out.
This movie reminded me of three things:
1. Movies about detective Poirot who tries to solve the mystery of an unknown murderer by analysing a group of suspicious people, but here such a charismatic character was missing.
2. Social party games like Mafia where you have to bluff to win. The dialogues that the actors had are similar to the assurances of the players that they are or are not the mafia in the aforementioned game.
3. Theatrical performances. Since everything takes place in the same space and the action does not require many effects, I had the impression of watching a theater play through the screen.
Another minus for the film is the camera, which is either static, or has sudden cuts so we don't see the action, or shakes too much at times and looks unprofessional.
Anyway, the film has enough tension that I would recommend it to fans of the crime genre.
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Multiverse of emotions
Another Korean movie with two titles, one in English (Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors) which makes no sense to me and the other Korean (Oh! Soo Jung) which describes much better what kind of movie this is. Despite everything, I think it's hard to have the right expectations for this movie. It is an art film with a serious mature theme, made in black and white, centered around conversations between the main protagonists and long, awkward kisses. I found the film interesting to watch due to it being arranged like a mosaic so that every 5 minutes we have a temporal or dimensional jump in the story, so in the end we get the same story told in two versions and with different conflicting emotions so that in the end we don't know what is true and what is subjective, what is true and what a lie. Are men really in love with "poor" Soo Jung, is she even honest with them a bout her virginity? What actually happened? Which version of the film, if any, reveals the truth, or is it just different subjective perceptions.Although the film has some entertainment value, I found it uncomfortable and difficult to watch, especially because of the static and overly long kissing scenes. It was as if I had become a voyeur. It is still positive that the characters seem like real people and we can empathize with their emotions and concerns.
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Way of Life
This is one of my favorite Korean movies, and the English name "Nostalgia" fits it perfectly. The movie touched me on many levels. From a cinematic point of view, it is filled with many shots that show the beauty of ordinary life. The characters are real people, not great looking stars, and it feels like I'm watching my neighbors. The acting is deliberately a bit comical to bring us closer to the different personalities of the characters. At the center of the plot is music, which gives meaning and magic to life's experiences. Several songs can be heard in the film, each with its own message and beauty, from traditional songs to folk ballads. Because of the music and the personalities of the characters, I can watch this movie again and again and enjoy it.More than anything, the film shows an authentic life that many people run away from today, and therefore evokes nostalgia for the lost simplicity of life and community. We all want to be modern, successful, independent, everything should be perfect. But it doesn't have to be perfect, three chords on the guitar are enough for life to have meaning again.
And finally, my favorite verse from the movie: 인생은 함께 가는 사랑길, 혼자서 가기엔 외로워...
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Money isn't Everything
Real Movies show real Life, they give us a new perspective on our own experience or show us "what if" reality. This movie is called "Black Republic" to signalize the bad reality and perspective of the society, but i like the Korean title more "그들도 우리처럼" - They Are Also Like Us. This original title gives us more connections with the theme and the characters in the movie. I was wondering about many characters whose story wasn't developed in the movie but in all of them we see the dark shadow of their existence and struggle for dignity, justice, love, peace, but ultimately hope and better future. It happens so often, as we see in the movie, how people struggle to get money, but money is never the real purpose. People want something else, something meaningful.This is a movie from the past period of history and cinema, and therefore braver and more honest then new movies, pure in its depiction of the story, without unnecessary twists and turns, not trying to put comedy relief to make it more enjoyable or fun, not trying to put "the message" or worrying about offending the viewer with modern correctness, - just a simple but very impactful story. We mostly follow one man and try to understand him just by observing him and his interactions, so for me this movie was very intriguing and even meditative.
Don't despair in the darkness of today but look for a better tomorrow with hope.
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Victory in Life
I miss movies like this. The martial arts genre is the genre of my youth that I enjoyed the most. Movies of this type have moved into the genre of thrillers, bloody gore or superheroes, but they have never been as good, and that's why I was both surprised and delighted by how much I liked this movie. It reminds me of the golden age of Korean cinema, which for me was from 2005 to 2010 when I was watching Korean movies every day, and in a way this film also belongs to that time.Actually, I started watching the now movie because it wasn't on my "already seen list", but as soon as the movie switches to the youth of the main characters, I remembered that I had already seen it. I would even say that now, 10 years later, this movie is even better for me than when I watched it for the first time.
The film shows three friends who meet again in the ring after 25 years. The film briefly shows the days of their youth, but the main part of the film is the present time and these actors did the best job. I'm especially glad to see Hwang Jung-min, who is one of my favorite actors, and here he shows how skilled he is in fighting, and also in singing, since we hear his voice in the closing song of the film. The fight choreographies are very good, the story has enough plot and drama to justify the long duration. I have no complaints. A 10 for me.
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Smuggling is not for everybody
Another one of those Korean films that is impossible to place in a specific genre. The atmosphere is a comedy, and the plot is a thriller, with elements of action, drama, and adventure. The film is at times casual and relaxed, and at times bloody brutal, as if I am watching two movies at the same time. In my opinion, the comedic elements are misused and prevent the viewer from enjoying the seriousness, tension and twists in the plot. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and thus constantly makes the movie more and more interesting.The actors are very good and special praise and respect should be given to the female actors and stuntmen who spent a large part of the film diving underwater.
I also really like the choice of music. At times, the musical numbers seem forced as if they were selected on a jukebox, but I'll forgive that because I like the style of the music and even wish there was more of it. Actually, now after the movie I'm going to listen to some Korean trot and evergreens from the golden seventies.
And yes, one spoiler, at the end I even noticed some dolphins 😊
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What is the GOAT life
There is a saying: Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them. Well here in this short one hour comedy-romance-drama we have a student who wants to trick another student into love only to experience how love works in mysterious ways.We indeed live in a society that promotes success more than love and it is hard to just take your time with life. Underneath the silly premise of this drama there is an important message about life. Maybe we don’t need to submit ourselves to the system, maybe we should change the system with a better life.
I enjoyed this drama a lot, the actors were cute, the scenes were funny and emotional, the production on a high level and the message is great. Maybe a little cheesy at the moments but still so adorable, even for me as a 40 year old guy.
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All Actions have Consequences
This show started perfectly and it managed to stay fresh and interesting until the end. I couldn't stop thinking about it for two days until i finished it. I did took a break after every episode.The style is a little bit quirky and even though this is an action thriller with a hint of supernatural, it also had some comical moments. I was bothered with some unnecessary scenes like for example two short nude scenes, but the biggest issue is that in the second half of the series the main character, Lee Tang paradoxically only has 5 minutes of screen time per episode since the story expanded to other characters. So the drama loses/changes it's original identity. All in all this was an exciting watch with great characters and actors who gave them life.
A great small detail in the drama is a book "Crime and Punishment" which must have inspired the creators and, after finishing this drama, i feel a desire to read the book also.
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Everyone has a chance
I saw this movie by a chance so I would say that the director succeeded even though the main character in the movie tries to succeed with, what seems like a bad idea. He dreams of a blockbuster but insists of doing an erotic B-movie and is disappointed with constant failures. It is true that no achievement can be accomplished without failures. It is said that Thomas Edison produced 2000 bad lightbulbs before achieving success. So all those failures were necessary to discover a right way to do it. In this movie, a movie-director Seung Hoon fails at many steps but somehow he goes on and that is a good message.The movie also reminds us of the limitations a problems caused by to Covid. The acting could have been better. I was surprised to see some American people here. The jokes weren't very funny to me but I will remember the movie in positive light because i enjoyed the selection of songs played in the background a couple of times.
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There is a fish
Why does the synopsis reveal the entire plot of the movie? Luckily there is a fish in the movie that can be related to our main character, the mysterious woman Ji-soo who collects and examines garbage from other people, and this comparison is the most interesting thing about the movie.The idea to be able to know other people through their garbage is not bad but it is highly unrealistic from the perspective of this movie. The main character, Ji soo has only around 10 Folders but she documents every trash piece of every tenant?! If I knew someone with this kind of "hobby" I would surely think that this person is crazy although it could be a product of an introvert person who is interested in other people but is afraid to approach them directly. This is where we as viewers can sympathise with our main character and wish her to open up for the real human contact. The movie is good for what it is and it manages to emotionally connects us with the story and characters.
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those final punches
If you are on Twitter (X) you can see many instances where students dare to provoke teachers and even fight with them. This movie is, of course, a fictional story about something similar, a teacher who if provoked into fighting with a student. The story is quite simple but unexpected, and the resolution is well prepared and realized. There is action, comedy, drama, all mixed into a cute and yet brutal high school experience. Boy, I am so happy that i am not in high school anymore.This movie is not a super hero blockbuster, even though at one moment it seemed to be going into superhero direction. I am glad it didn't and that the women strength is depicted as realistically as possibile in the logic of the movie. Also, i just read here on the site that this is based on a webtoon and i must say that the movie gave me that vibe and reminded me on "Lookism" and "Moving". And yes, those final punches were straight from the comics.
.. 요 or should i say Meow!
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meet the members
I am writing this review while watching Tomorrow x Together Live Concert at Lollapalooza 2023, which is very energetic and exciting watch.as for the documentary, it did make me go and explore more about the band but i would say that it didn't have enough music. the director gave to every member a few minutes to say a few things which was good to meet the members and have a glimpse of what is on their mind. all in all this is a backstage footage of the band preparing for concerts and trying their best to overcome the challenges that can come like sickness, missing the moves, tiredness, pressure, etc... so i would say that this isnt as exciting as watching the concerts, for the real fans (MOAs) this is a great way to see what happens behind the stage and how the members are slowly growing as performers.
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even ghosts are lonely
Water Ghost aka Bottom of the Water is a mediocre horror movie. short enough to keep the interest and concentration but lacking in production quality and some inconsistent plot development. the legends of Korean Water Ghosts have a lot of potential but i don't see anything specially noteworthy here.Plus of the movie is atmospheric scenery and suspenseful music. it has many great shots, and i was surprised how good the trailer for the movie looks but the movie itself doesn't fulfil the expectations and the acting is not that great.
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