In a world with a rapidly aging population, this beautiful little gem tells the story of an ageing couple who find love and solace towards their twilight years. A compelling, thought-provoking and painfully realistic depiction of the elderly and their place among family and society, their endless efforts to find love and meaning in their lives. Fantastic performances from all four leads, especially from Ni Da Hong and his outstanding character, smooth directing and editing and impressive filming in a heart-warming as well as heart-breaking love story. Highly recommended.
The prequel of Kazama Kimichika's story before he became the legendary cold-blooded instructor of Kyojo series, while he was still an active police officer teaming up with young detectives and training them to become the best investigators, was not as intriguing and intense as its sequels, but it was definitely an entertaining, engaging watch. After all, Kimura Takuya - grey-haired or not - is a charismatic, talented actor that never fails to deliver. Time well-spent.
A tender, affectionate and realistic depiction about a girl's -with a slight cognitive disability- first love story. With a great photography of the beautiful snowy landscapes of Toyama prefecture and a subtle, convincing performance from Sato Miyuki, this is a heartwarming, bittersweet watch.
A quirky, absurd and fast-paced story about an office groundhog week, with all its members stuck in an endless time-loop. Though a bit confusing in the beginning, the cleverly written script, that partly unfolds all those members involvement and reactions, made this chaotic but unique approach an interesting, refreshing watch.
A nuanced, melancholic and bittersweet story of two childhood friends that meet again as adults, and all the 'what ifs' that could have changed their lives and their relationship. Full of yearning, lingering silences, looks, feelings and words left unspoken, this was a deeply moving, intimate and affectionate study on destiny and choices, time and distance, eloquently told, beautifully filmed and acted, with a mesmerizing Yoo Teo, that never fails to deliver. Time well-spent.
With a great cast and a hilariously absurd script with many parody elements and sneering social commentaries within, even themes like politics, elections, cheating and divorcing can be a fun to watch. All characters were flawed and did some very annoying/questionable things, but even so it was fun to watch them and even root for them - especially spoiled, slow-witted and horny Taishi, played beautifully by Matsuzaka Tori. It had some infuriating moments and some repetitiveness towards the end, but overall it was a light, entertaining story.
Beautifully filmed and acted, this is a sad, painful love story of two tormented souls. Many long length films could learn a lesson or two from this short but wholesome gem.
Unfortunately, it takes more than a promising script and a great cast to make a movie work well. Even though the premise of the main couple's story was intriguing and their screentime heartwarming and sweet, it came out as oversimplified, placing the characters in quite unrealistic situations and intentionally more tearjerking than needed, while all the side characters felt one-dimenstional and cringy. Kudos to Yamapi and Araki Yuko who did the best they could with the little they were given...
A dark, twisted story about gaslighting, mental and physical abuse, deception, manipulation, secrets and... lies. Impressive cinematography, coloring and editing created an exemplary creepy, eerie and unsettling atmosphere, making the plot twists and revelations more impressive than they actually were. Though the pacing became too slow towards the end, some flashbacks were confusing, and some subplots never had a closure, overall it was a well-done entertaining watch.
A precious hidden little gem! A short but wholesome slice of life drama about the relationships and dynamics, the character development and growth, as well as the daily challenges of an extended family of 2.5 generations, while tackling some serious social issues in the most sincere, subtle and delicate way. Matsuda Ryuhei did a splendid job depicting his hikikomori character and his interactions with his nephew and niece were the most touching, sweet and cute parts of this wonderful story. Highly recommended!
A high octane action neo-noir film, with impressive choreographed chasing and fighting scenes, in a simple but cleverly unfolded story. Tense and violent, but equally funny and entertaining in a beautifully balanced blend of thriller, action, splatter, melo, irony and comedy moments. Though the protagonist, talented rookie Kang Tae Joo did a great job as Marco, the real star and driving force of this film is undoubtedly Kim Seon Ho as the quirky, stylish, poised -and sociopathic- antihero Nobleman/Childe, lethally dangerous and hilariously ironic in the most unexpected way. I'd watch a spin-off with his own story anytime!
An intense, sad and dysfunctional love triangle with a twisted revelation. Elegantly atmospheric, full of erotism, jealousy, obsession, anguish and pain, this is a demanding slow-paced watch not for everyone. Young and breathtakingly beautiful Ishihara Satomi, though the most difficult to follow character, was a pleasure to the eyes and the star of this strange movie.
This short fast-paced thai drama was a surprisingly enjoyable addition to the supernatural/mystery genre. Though the storytelling could have been smoother, it was technically excellent and the cast did a good job portraying their characters. With an intriguing teaser for a possible 2nd season, this is something to look forward to.
An intriguing women-centered revenge story about mothers and daughters, and sismance, spiced with some caustic social commentaries on beauty standards, plastic surgery, school and work bullying, dysfunctional families and parental disregard, as well as the insecurities, obsessions, moral dilemmas, traumas and desperate actions derived from those and how they can impact a person’s life and mentality. Visuals and color palette are captivating, the pacing fast, the story tightly woven -though not too deep- and all the actresses portrayed their grey, twisted and flawed characters beautifully. It's dark, violent and intentionally shocking, with numerous triggering themes. But it also has some emotionally intense moments and some cleverly embedded black humor here and there. Overall, it is a very entertaining and binge-able watch, mainly due to its refreshingly unique concept of not letting us know where the story is going in each new episode.
An interesting addition to the supernatural mystery thriller genre, full of fascinating Korean folklore elements, a top-notch production and a charismatic cast. Though on the slow-paced side, not too gory or horrifying but with large doses of psychological suspense, it was a tense, gripping and beautifully built story of greed, revenge and redemption. And I have to admit that dark twisted roles fit Kim Tae Ri perfectly well!
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A compelling, thought-provoking and painfully realistic depiction of the elderly and their place among family and society, their endless efforts to find love and meaning in their lives.
Fantastic performances from all four leads, especially from Ni Da Hong and his outstanding character, smooth directing and editing and impressive filming in a heart-warming as well as heart-breaking love story.
Highly recommended.
After all, Kimura Takuya - grey-haired or not - is a charismatic, talented actor that never fails to deliver.
Time well-spent.
With a great photography of the beautiful snowy landscapes of Toyama prefecture and a subtle, convincing performance from Sato Miyuki, this is a heartwarming, bittersweet watch.
Though a bit confusing in the beginning, the cleverly written script, that partly unfolds all those members involvement and reactions, made this chaotic but unique approach an interesting, refreshing watch.
Full of yearning, lingering silences, looks, feelings and words left unspoken, this was a deeply moving, intimate and affectionate study on destiny and choices, time and distance, eloquently told, beautifully filmed and acted, with a mesmerizing Yoo Teo, that never fails to deliver.
Time well-spent.
All characters were flawed and did some very annoying/questionable things, but even so it was fun to watch them and even root for them - especially spoiled, slow-witted and horny Taishi, played beautifully by Matsuzaka Tori.
It had some infuriating moments and some repetitiveness towards the end, but overall it was a light, entertaining story.
Many long length films could learn a lesson or two from this short but wholesome gem.
Even though the premise of the main couple's story was intriguing and their screentime heartwarming and sweet, it came out as oversimplified, placing the characters in quite unrealistic situations and intentionally more tearjerking than needed, while all the side characters felt one-dimenstional and cringy.
Kudos to Yamapi and Araki Yuko who did the best they could with the little they were given...
Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better if I had watched its prequels first.
Impressive cinematography, coloring and editing created an exemplary creepy, eerie and unsettling atmosphere, making the plot twists and revelations more impressive than they actually were.
Though the pacing became too slow towards the end, some flashbacks were confusing, and some subplots never had a closure, overall it was a well-done entertaining watch.
A short but wholesome slice of life drama about the relationships and dynamics, the character development and growth, as well as the daily challenges of an extended family of 2.5 generations, while tackling some serious social issues in the most sincere, subtle and delicate way.
Matsuda Ryuhei did a splendid job depicting his hikikomori character and his interactions with his nephew and niece were the most touching, sweet and cute parts of this wonderful story.
Highly recommended!
Tense and violent, but equally funny and entertaining in a beautifully balanced blend of thriller, action, splatter, melo, irony and comedy moments.
Though the protagonist, talented rookie Kang Tae Joo did a great job as Marco, the real star and driving force of this film is undoubtedly Kim Seon Ho as the quirky, stylish, poised -and sociopathic- antihero Nobleman/Childe, lethally dangerous and hilariously ironic in the most unexpected way.
I'd watch a spin-off with his own story anytime!
Elegantly atmospheric, full of erotism, jealousy, obsession, anguish and pain, this is a demanding slow-paced watch not for everyone.
Young and breathtakingly beautiful Ishihara Satomi, though the most difficult to follow character, was a pleasure to the eyes and the star of this strange movie.
Though the storytelling could have been smoother, it was technically excellent and the cast did a good job portraying their characters.
With an intriguing teaser for a possible 2nd season, this is something to look forward to.
Visuals and color palette are captivating, the pacing fast, the story tightly woven -though not too deep- and all the actresses portrayed their grey, twisted and flawed characters beautifully.
It's dark, violent and intentionally shocking, with numerous triggering themes. But it also has some emotionally intense moments and some cleverly embedded black humor here and there.
Overall, it is a very entertaining and binge-able watch, mainly due to its refreshingly unique concept of not letting us know where the story is going in each new episode.
Though on the slow-paced side, not too gory or horrifying but with large doses of psychological suspense, it was a tense, gripping and beautifully built story of greed, revenge and redemption.
And I have to admit that dark twisted roles fit Kim Tae Ri perfectly well!