Kate

Bumpy road with not so smooth storytelling.

Copycat Killer is for sure not anything groundbreaking, but it has its charm thanks to the 90’ set up and great performances.

It’s best to watch it without trying to figure it all out. If you start to pay too much attention to the plot and certain details, you’ll start to get more and more frustrated. Yes, it’s the case of poorly done detective work and letting the killer get away a few too many times before the final face off. If you just go with the flow, it’s a rather entertaining watch and game of wits from people who don't really have that much wits in the first place.

Honestly speaking, I truly enjoyed the first 3 and last 3 episodes, but the middle part was just not well constructed and, at least for me, it failed to connect the initial set up to the given conclusion. All the revelations made sense, but they never truly felt earned. I also wished we had more background on the mastermind, more information and explanation for his motives. They spent a lot of time developing things that by the end did not matter as much as the vital aspect that were left underdeveloped.

Copycat Kill in a not so subtle way delivers a message about the biased portrayal of victims in media and the negative consequences of chasing after topics, disregarding feelings of people who are involved. While the message was clear, even that felt a bit wishy-washy in the presentation.

Best aspect of the drama? Undoubtedly the performances. Chris Wu aced the role of the justice driven, hardworking prosecutor with a tragic past. The raw emotions and vulnerability he delivered on screen amazed me quite a few times. That was truly a one man story. Technically speaking there were 7 main characters, but by the end of the show, everyone seemed like a supporting character for Guo Xiao Qi’s journey.

Personally, I loved the production quality. Great and detailed set designs, beautiful use of lighting, smooth editing and transitions between scenes. The 90’ aesthetics were presented in a realistic way without making the show look dated. The few gore scenes had perfectly done makeup and practical effects. It's not over the top graphic just to shock the audience, but it also does not shy away from the reality of the gruesome crime.

Overall, a nice watch. Nothing thrilling enough that would make you binge watch in one sitting, but something that might make you want to watch an episode every few days.

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The initial hesitation and resignation I felt when I started watching, turned into interest and excitement by the end. I mean, I did not think a group of annoying and obnoxious teens that are basically asking to be killed could make a fun watch - I was wrong.

Somehow, I slowly got invested. I honestly didn’t care who would survive, I just wanted a few dead, and after each vote I got more and more anxious and annoyed - what if they will survive? Not really caring about these kids is actually a good thing. This movie is not made to awaken empathy in viewers, it’s not deep, and does not serve as social commentary. You are here for the thrills of who will die and who will survive the mind games.

What I also liked about this story is how we saw both the participants and the operators' perspective. Personally, I think it made the movie more digestible.

Acting was good. I don’t think it needed strong performances. Asakura Fuyuna was probably my favorite.

Overall, surprisingly fun, building the tension and thrills as it goes with a great ending that actually made me appreciate it even more.

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Being brave does not mean not being afraid...

It means doing what's right despite your fears. Great message for a movie that obviously has kids as their target audience. And for kids I would for sure recommend it.

It was painfully cheesy, especially the ending. The messages were literally slapped into my face, no ambiguity, no need to dwell on them more. The power of love, care, friendship, bravery, apology, reconciliation - everything kids should be learning about, you have it here.

Watanabe Kei is honestly a great character - usure and scared, but willing to learn and improve if it means helping others and saving his younger brother. He is not a perfect hero, he is a normal kid that other children can relate to. What helps is also an amazing performance from Terada Kokoro - this child knows how to scream and has actually great comedic and dramatic skills.

Production was nice, typical for fantasy movies for younger audiences, focused on the practical makeup and costumes with CGI just as an addition slapped on top.

Overall, while I obviously was not in mind of the creators when they made it, I still had a great time and even cried by the end. As cheesy as it was, it’s a nice and simple story that can teach kids some life lessons.

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Another nonsensical movie for the win.

The most surprising thing is: it was not that bad at the beginning. I would even call it decent. I went into it thinking “piranhaconda”, but got an opening of a not bad disaster movie. The joy did not last though, and it turned into a full on laughter about all the absurdities.

Trying to find logic and realism would be harder than finding Wally with blindfold on. Truly nothing made sense. The villain was comical, the physics did not work, the crocodile had some magical powers to do all the stunts he did. Most characters had a negative will to live too. As brainless as it was, I did have fun watching.

My favorite part was when the crocodile was running wild and everyone on set was looking everywhere, but the crocodile. Obviously they did not even use a toy electric car to give the actors indication where the animal is supposed to be at any given scene - unintentional comedy goals.

Have to say though, while the CGI was not great, it was actually better than many Chinese wuxia shows I have seen. Easier to make it decent with all the dark sets - you can care less about the details. Still, surprised with the not awful quality.

Overall, it’s a good fun watch with a group of friends. You can place bets on who will die first too, or who will survive till the end.

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Vast improvement in storytelling compared to previous movies.

I always had exactly the same issue with Whispering Corridors - they always try to make the audience question if the events happening are the result of supernatural or not, but they also always dump over the top spooky stuff in the last 15 minutes. Here, the pacing and storytelling was more gradual and the ending actually gave a solid answer to the events happening.

For sure my favorite installment. You still need to pay more attention than while watching other horror movies to get the story and not get confused by anything, but it is possible to truly understand everything, and that’s something I cannot say about all Whispering Corridors films. The Humming was simply a solid plot with good storytelling.

It does tackle some triggering issues (TW in the comment under spoiler), but it’s not explicit - they set it so everyone knows what happened, but they don’t slap you in the face with scenes you would rather not see. Can’t say the same about gore - while nothing bothered me (I’m not exactly easily grossed out), there is some blood, there are some mutilated bodies. Nothing too intense, but better know about it before picking up the movie. Especially since the previous Whispering Corridors movies were not exactly known for bloody content.

I liked the acting a lot. A lot of characters were rather basic, but Kim Seo Hyung as Noh Eun Hee delivered a perfect performance. Well presented gradual transition of where the characters started and where it ended.

Production wise it was a well made horror, honestly nothing spectacular. Two semi-jumpscares bothered me, because they were painfully unnecessary and cheap. Glad we did not get more of it.

Overall, that’s the Whispering Corridor movie I would recommend with no regrets. You can skip all the rest.

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Love the sismance, hate the dad.

One thing for sure - the dad in this movie will not win the award for the best father. While the sismance between the three sisters was amazing, I kept getting slightly frustrated every time they mentioned the dad, and how little reaction everyone had with the fact he had basically 3 different families in 3 different countries.

Hsia Ru Shu? A saint. The way she just took everything in, did not really complain much, never freaked out or yelled at anyone - is this emotionally detached reaction even possible in real life? It’s not that she did not care, just just accepted everything, as if it’s normal. Maybe it just shows her attitude towards her father at the beginning of the movie - she had such little expectations, even a big news like that did nothing to faze her.

That said, I did love her interaction and bond with the other two sisters. I loved how fast they clicked, and more realistic and emotional reactions from any of them would make it far less enjoyable. As long as I did not try to dive deep into their current situation, and just enjoyed what was happening on screen - it’s quite a well paced and moving journey.

The one thing I disliked about the show were the countless excuses made for the dad. I had no issue with him being a questionable parent, my issue was the fact they tried to make him look like a good, but misunderstood one - which was not true. The framing matters, and I hated it here.

One of the best parts of the movie? How visually beautiful it was. I am one that appreciates nice shots a lot. I’m willing to watch a bad movie, as long as it’s beautifully done. This had both good writing and amazing filming.

Performance wise, I especially enjoyed Sammi Cheng and Megan Lai. Their emotional delivery, even though quite different, just worked so well with who the characters they were playing are.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. There is not much plot, and the whole movie focuses on forming relationships, grieving, reconnecting with people in your life and letting go of past misunderstandings and regrets.

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Why did it feel like a comedy?

Something about pathetic people thinking they are "all that" makes me laugh. I don’t think I ever laughed so much watching a film focused on so much murder, blood, gore and all the other awful things you can think of.

While I was rather entertained watching, this was not enough content for an over 2 hours movie, especially since this had less depth than a puddle. And there was some good potential, don’t get me wrong. Better writing could make it into some solid psychological thriller.

The thing I enjoyed the most about the movie was how amazingly sloppy Bayu was in ALL aspects of his life. Nomura Shuhei was not much better, but some practice made him deal with issues just slightly better.

The performances were good. Kitamura Kazuki’s english delivery was so exaggerated, it added to how hilarious the whole movie was. Loved Oka Antara and his portrayal of Bayu.

I did like some directing choices, especially the opening kill and the plastic bag shots. The last scene gave me a low budget bollywood, and it was the cherry on top I needed.

Overall, I had fun, I would have liked it more if it was shorter by at least 20 minutes.

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Comedy on point, messages and plot - not so much.

The comedy in this show is so good that even someone who is not that into the genre will appreciate it (I’m talking about myself here). The jokes always made sense in the presented situations, were driven from the characters’ personality and the cast never failed to deliver them in the most amusing way.

These are the highlights of the show - comedy, performance and the chemistry between Satoh Takeru and Watabe Atsuro as the bickering son and father. Honestly speaking, the show did not need more to be amazing. That’s why the “evil threat that lurks in the shadows waiting for the last fight off” Kaizuka Takehisa truly lowered the quality of the show.

This guy had nothing to offer as a character - the motivation was weakly explained, how resourceful he was made no sense, his plans were ridiculous and the big finale with him in the ast episodes was not set up in a proper way, feeling painfully disconnected from the rest of the show.

The main villain was not the only aspect that felt disconnected, so were the episodes. At times they started in weird places and I had to check if I skipped an episode or something. The show honestly did not flow too well.

There was also the issue of questionable messages in some episodes. I am sorry, but we should truly move on from using "I can only offer you money" as an excuse for bad parenting and dads who are never home.

Do I care though? Not really. I went in for the comedy and that aspect was truly aced. I could not ask for more. Shimao Akimura was such an eccentric character, whatever he did seemed like a comedy goal.

Overall, great comedy with (at best) mediocre cases and an awful villain.

Ps. That intro song is amazing.

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So much entertainment and fun in one movie.

When a movie starts with a demon making some good points, you know it’s gonna be a hell(a) ride. I almost cried from laughing while watching.

So much of this was just ridiculous and funny. The characters had no brains and it made the movie even better. The dialogues between some characters were truly gold. I honestly want a spinoff with the two priests arguing about exorcism and Satan.

The only good things about the movie were the visuals and acting. And by visuals, just the practical makeup, because the design was more or less any other possession/zombie stuff. Honestly, what’s with Korea and zombies and possessed folks looking the same?

The plot? Extremely predictable - same old possession story. They took it a bit further, casting no mediocre demon though.

There were so many overwhelming moments (for various reasons) I truly had the time of my life watching. It’s been a long time since I laughed so bad watching horror. It was exactly what I needed. Metamorphosis would be an amazing buddy watch.

Overall - great watch for fellow atheists to have some fun. No idea how scary it would be for people who believe.

Ps. Described some highlights in a comment below under a spoiler.

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Kingdom’s older brother with cheeky Hyun Bin.

Quite an enjoyable tale. One that you know the ending of from the beginning, but you still enjoy the journey itself. Nothing too deep, too complex - nothing that requires much brain power. Perfect for a fun evening.

Since I saw Kingdom first, this zombie in a historical setting did not feel as groundbreaking as it actually was. Giving credit where credit is due, even though I was personally spoiled with this fun mix of genres with Kingdom.

Except for that refreshing mix though, the movie does not really serve any innovative ideas. Stereotypical characters following the arcs we all are familiar with from other stories. It’s not exactly a bad thing - the movie is obviously made as an entertaining historical action flick and it delivers in that aspect perfectly.

The thing I had complicated feelings about was the villain and especially the moment that led to their downfall - it was both anticlimactic, leaving me with “that’s it?” feeling, but also surprisingly fitting based on how he was built from the start. Quite some time before the movie finishes we know, he won’t win - no matter what. Keeping him in the story was, from that moment, quite pointless.

I enjoyed most performances, but the one that caught my attention the most was Han Ji Eun - great emotional delivery, both when she was in the spotlight, but also during the action scenes, where she was more of a background.

While I don’t really remember the majority of the soundtrack, the instrumental that played during the big finale was amazing and perfectly fitting the scene and the great fighting choreographies.

Overall, I had fun. Could have been slightly shorter, could do with a better villain.

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Long story short - failed casting and awful directing/editing.

While I love each and every cast member as individual, the casting crew did not do enough screening and interviews with them, otherwise we would not get this mess. It's important to cast people with different ideal types and romantic expectations to give the show more variety of interactions. We did not get it here. It was one man and one woman story with 6 "supporting characters".

All that could still be saved if there was some kind of directing involved - forcing the cast members to go on dates with different people. Asking them to pick someone they have not been on date with yet, or random dates, or making contestant pick dates for each other.

Still, the first half of the show was great and I'm actually far more interested in watching After Signal than I was finishing Heart Signal 4.

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A simple story executed in an almost perfect way.

There are countless romantic comedies showing how opposites attract. The opposite gives as the comedy bits, while the attraction leads us into the land of love and romance. Even though the opposites here were truly extreme, unexpectedly they worked well together. As a viewer, I could slowly observe how strict and perfectionist Lu Jin and free-spirited and messy Gu Sheng Nan start to adapt to each others' ways, and go from hate to love in such a fun and exciting manner.

The thing I loved the most about this movie was Zhou Dong Yu acting - it's so amazingly raw. All the emotions seemed so real, rich and clear. Not one scream seemed fake, not one tear forced, not one laugh insincere. Not to mention, she presented probably THE BEST acting drunk scene in the history of cinema. If someone told me she was actually taking some shots here and there in the middle of filming the scene, I would believe them.

The movie is quite honestly beautifully shot. Some scenes were stunning - adding emotional value to what was happening on the screen. Some had fun and exciting filters and effects added, which exaggerated the comedy just the right way. It was just smart and well planned: where and what to use to enhance the vision of the director and writer.

Any complaints? There was exactly one scene where I was completely not connected and not convinced by Ming Xi acting. Zhou Dong Yu was slaying on her end and Ming Xi's performance just felt flat in comparison. What's more, even though I appreciated how they took the time for the leads to make this bond over food before they had a chance to actually confront each other face to face, I wish the movie was about 15 to 20 minutes longer. This way we could get a bit more story behind how, why and when they started to have feelings for each other, especially on Lu Jin's side.

Overall, it was a truly funny movie, with great acting, amazing scenography and cinematography. The characters, even though extremely exaggerated in their character traits, were still believable. I laughed a lot, I cried a few times and I enjoyed myself throughout the whole watch.

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Tips on how not to construct your story - killing the vibe.

All I needed was more linear storytelling and I would be sold. If they paced the tension well and built up the story, by the finale I would be jumping from excitement. Sadly, the weird jumping between the plot lines and cutting off the hype with weirdly placed cliff hangers borderline ruined the show for me.

I definitely did like all the separate plotlines, but the way they were presented was honestly harming the amount of focus and attachment I had to the story and the characters. The moment I was invested they switched to a different character’s story and it made me frustrated and want to just skip whatever new plot they were presenting to get closure from the one I was watching so far. Does it all present a cohesive picture by the end? Sure. Was it the best way to present the plot? Not for me.

What this drama has: fun action scenes, characters you want to root for, good chemistry between actors, solid variety of backgrounds and motivations, easy to follow plot, great performances.

What it does not have: real meaningful message, interesting villains, good CGI, balance between the characters and plots.

Surprisingly with a rather detailed plot and world building, fun characters, stellar cast I do not really have that much to say about this drama? Weirdly it felt rather empty. The characters I was the most interested in and felt like they had the most potential (Frank and Lee Gang Hun) did not get enough screen time which was also a bummer.

Also, me the whole show: so like… where the fuck is Kim Du Sik?
The writer truly shot themselves in the foot with this one. Creating a character that is presented as unstoppable, best of the best to then keep them behind the scenes and never truly use their full potential. Probably the biggest disappointment.

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Let me fix it for you: The Bad Mother.

This is such a mid show I am amazed how many people recommended for me to watch it. The only actually truly good aspect of it were the performances.

Long story short we have a bad abusive mother having a second chance to abuse her son again after he gets into an accident. From limiting food, socially isolating, emotional and physical abuse, to literally wanting to get your mentally 7 years old son to get married and have kids (this was such a “low-key” moment in the drama, but for me it was so gross) - her trash actions had no boundaries. All explained by her “good intentions”. And sure, if the story was about her using her second chance to fix the mistakes she made the first time, I would be fine with the title. But she did not, she willingly made exactly the same mistakes and abused her son in similar fashions the second time around too - blessed with her good intentions.

Just make the show psychological drama, rename it as “The Bad Mother” and it would actually be a good show about the consequences of abuse and how much of an impact it can have on a person even in their adulthood. Because there is nothing wholesome about that parent-son relationship and the fact ML felt guilty about everything that happened is wild for me. He needs therapy. Like most MLs in kdramas.

I enjoyed the village and interactions between everyone living there, but even that aspect brought nothing new nor innovative - pick any slice of life set in the countryside and you will get exactly the same content, but without all the anger and frustration that comes from the main plot.

The aspect of the show I liked the most? Friendship between Mi Joo and Sam Sik. Their scenes were easily my favorite and they actually had fun, wholesome and upbeat chemistry going on.

About the crime plot - it was good when it lasted. It started and ended the show. Now that I think about it, it’s like watching 2 completely different dramas. The whole middle part does not really connect that well with the beginning and the ending - be it by themes or tone. Still, the investigation storyline was better than the “mother-son relationship” plot. If I had to pick, I’d say episode 13 was my favorite and yes, it had the least interactions between Young Soon and Kang Ho.

As I said at the beginning of the review - the only truly great things were the performances. Ra Mi Ran aced the awful self-victimizing egocentric mother and Choi Kang Ho delivered solid acting be it as a confident and scheming prosecutor, or confused and cheerful child. I don’t think I have even one complaint about the cast.

The production value was exactly what you expect from mainstream kdrama. They have a really well polished specific flavor to them. They all blend together and have little to no lasting effect on the viewers. They look generic pretty.

Standout soundtrack - Andy Love’s Home and Dry.

Overall, if it was not for the recommendation challenge I would probably not finish it. It does not really have unique takes or plots. And the themes we know are not especially well presented.

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Teacher turned uncle turned love interest?

That’s the crack show. The low key straight version of Midnight Museum and I liked it a lot. Even if I was extremely entertained watching, I cannot pretend like it’s some fine piece of cinema. It could have been - with a better paced story, more episodes and someone to review the writing a bit.

The premise is exactly what a supernatural horror loving fan would eat up - black magic and unfortunate events. What’s great is - they actually did try to make it spooky and managed quite a few times. It was far less silly scooby doo than I thought it would be. I appreciated how they tried to hold the tension instead of just relying on jump scares.

What made the spooky vibes work so well was the editing. Some transitions were so nice and smooth I was genuinely impressed. Editing and directing did the heavy lifting in this project for sure.

On the other hand, the writing was… juvenile? I think that's a fitting description. I actually have far more hope for season 2. This was just a quick introduction to what can potentially be a great story. As much as I love Win and Prim as an on screen duo, this character pairing was just… a misunderstanding. Dude be pretending to be her teacher, then her uncle, while also flirting with her when nobody's watching and I’m just sitting here confused about my existence, because my brain does not compute what I’m seeing.

I did enjoy both as individual characters. Ajin and his fake ass clumsy persona, when in fact he is this hot tattooed black magic wielder. Fa who is so smart, yet desperately wanting excitement and purpose in her life. Great. Yet something about their dynamics was off putting. Rather than being excited to see them on screen for the potential low-key romance, I was excited to see how much of a clownery their next interaction will be.

I want to be perfectly clear though - I did have A LOT of fun while watching the show. It’s a perfect short binge watch material. I could not stop myself from starting the next episode. And with that hype I will be patiently waiting for season 2.

It's only 7.5/10, but it's not:
I'm disappointed and expected more 7.5
It's the: holy shit that was a lot of fun even if many things did not make sense 7.5.

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