Perfect type of a mess.
The movie fits just right into the “so bad it’s good” category - with elements and plot that could last for at least 3 separate movies, it makes for a perfect late night brainless entertainment.While the first 25 minutes are rather dull, following typical ghost and cursed storylines we have seen in hundreds of movies, the moment the ghost hunters duo shows up, that's when magic and crack happens.
There is no logic in this film - none. It’s impossible to make sense of the 80% of scenes and dialogues. They drop random supernatural lingo and we as the viewers need to just accept it all makes sense.
The acting was surprisingly not bad - improved with every minute. Honestly, delivering some of the lines in a serious matter seems like a miracle to me.
Production was… C class at best and that’s one of the fun and charming aspects of the movie. It’s made for people who can enjoy cringe and poor effects.
Overall, what an acid trip it was.
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A bit basic, but still fairly entertaining.
There was nothing truly wrong about the movie, but nothing stood out in a positive way either.What starts as a comedy, ventures into more sad territory closer to the end. We know how Koreans are - nothing is just a comedy. I must say, I actually really like where the plot went and the given conclusion, I just hoped it would be set up better and more hints have been given.
On the comedy side - I did not really laugh once. Maybe smiled a few times, but that’s it. The jokes were just really mediocre and they did not take full advantage of the scenario they created.
The acting was good, especially from Han Seung Yeon who is able to deliver both the comedy (even if limited by the script) and drama.
Overall, it's light, short and fun enough to watch and not feel like you wasted time.
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It’s nothing groundbreaking or amazing, but it’s for sure an entertaining watch with some unexpected plot developments. The characters seemed like your typical university students which added some realism to a rather unrealistic, but enjoyable story.
I for sure liked the performances and was surprised to see some well known faces in the roles of Professor Choi and Professor Yeo.
It seems like a good watch for people who are not too good with horrors. It has some creepy moments, but there is also enough mystery and plot to get invested and focus on that. It’s also relatively short, so you won’t get exhausted watching it.
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What’s the most surprising is how aesthetically pleasing the movie was. Loved all the aerial shots. I also liked the leading shots that showed the surroundings and not actually what was happening. Build that tension!
That said, one scene was painfully gross. Gross, but I also could not stop laughing about it.
Overall, a solid short horror. Quality of directing and editing. Would recommend.
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Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs
2 people found this review helpful
Wishing Stairs tells a story of two best friends, Jin Sung and So Hee, and the rivalry born between them because of the upcoming competition. The movie effectively made me question if the events presented to me have any supernatural origin or are the result of the feelings of guilt in Jin Sung and obsession Hye ju displayed towards So Hee. Sadly, the director and writer straightforwardly answered said question by the end of the movie, instead of leaving me, as a viewer, with the possibility of self interpretation.
The structure of the story is simple and extremely easy to follow. The linear storytelling without countless flashbacks to the past events makes it a good, digestible horror flick that does not require much brain power to understand.
The performance from the main cast and the production value were truly good. The director knew the limits of what she could achieve in that time, and did not overuse cheap and not well made CGI or special effects for jump scares.
Overall, I would recommend it if someone wants to watch a fun, simple story that answers all the questions and truly guides you through the plot and events happening.
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Train to Busan with dogs.
They did not even try to make it original. It had the same framework as Train to Busan, that including the copy paste father-daughter relationship, but no heart and execution the former movie had.It's honestly sad this is one of the last projects from Lee Sun Kyun. Maybe if it was my first monster disaster movie,I would enjoy it more. Sadly, in the sea of other similar movies, it does not stand out on any level. The writing is mediocre, which leds to mediocre performances (there is a limit to how much acting can improve poorly written characters). The CGI was decent during some shots, and bad in others. The ending completely lacked any impact - be it in emotional or entertaining value. What's worst? It completely lacked dynamic. Everything was gray, covered in mist and they did not utilized the place at all.
Anything good? There were a few fun scenes that made me chuckle. That's probably it.
Overall, it's just painfully mediocre and I do not understand how so many well known actors agreed to star in it.
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To leave a record, or to leave a memory? This is up to your decision.
Underdog story will never disappoint a sentimental folk like me. Surprisingly touching, taking into consideration we never get that deep into the backstory of any of the characters. Still managed to make me cry.What Dream did best was presenting unique and fun characters and milking everything they could from all of the different dynamics they presented with each other. Hong Dae and So Min's fake positive attitude and sarcastic comments behind the scenes were amazing. Bum Su having the delulu rivalry against Hong Dae made me laugh more than once. Hyo Bong and Eun Hye were adorable with their sweet and caring family bond. The production had good bricks and they built a solid home out of it.
The thing that I was the most afraid of was the potential negative portrayal of the homelessness - it’s easy to fall into stereotypes while making a movie that centers around it. With the variety of different stories, they did a fairly good job showing that it is not a simple issue, and sometimes your economic situation is not the result of your wrong actions. Sometimes a tragedy happens when you are young and you have no means to support yourself. Sometimes bad people use your kindness. And sometimes you do something bad and have to face the negative consequences.
The performances were amazing - not surprising looking at the cast. There is something about Park Seo Joon’s image, that even when he plays what seems like an asshole, you still like him. I was honestly quite surprised with Lee Hyun Woo and how much he was able to transform his whole demeanor to fit Kim In Sun. The same year he played Bo Gyum in A Good Day to Be a Dog - these two characters could not be less similar to each other, yet he molded himself to fit them both perfectly.
At the end of the day, it’s just a fun and entertaining watch. The comedy fits my taste perfectly, the moving scenes were placed in just the right moments to touch me, the ending was heartwarming. It’s a feel-good movie about the underdog with exaggerated characters and positive impact.
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Don’t get me wrong though, I was still rather entertained. In a little bit over two hours One Line was able to present a rather well built underdog story, adding a redemption arc closer to the end. Min Jae? Not exactly a likable character at first. Or in the middle. Somehow they were able to pull off 180, and make me care for him by the end.
Sadly, movies centering around con artists are as good as the chemistry and bond between the members and the last heist they do, and here the movie failed. Honestly speaking, from the whole team, the only two characters that had a fun and interesting dynamic going on screen were Min Jae and Gi Tae. All the rest just showed up with little built up for the team work, even though most of the was just that - creating a setup for the last case.
I would say, the last 40 minutes of the movie were the best - that’s when the characters started to truly work together and I could sense they were on board with the plan. That said, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. They did not show enough of the preparation for the big scam, so it kind of happened before I was able to comprehend what was going on. Especially since before that, the pacing was rather slow.
Acting was good. I’d say Im Si Wan did what he could with this role, but his baby face slightly did not fit how the character was presenting himself in the 2nd half. Lee Dong Hwi did a great job, I wanted to punch him in the face whenever they showed him on screen.
Overall, if the movie was about 30 minutes shorter it would flow better, and the imbalance between the setup and the last case would be less evident. It’s not like it’s a deep psychological drama - it’s a con artist movie with rather one dimensional characters and predictable plot. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s that.
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The pacing was all over the place. Finishing last episode, I was truly confused when they even fell in love with each other. I don’t know why, but it worked for me. Even the “over the top” 2nd lead baking his cakes for 80% of his screen time - it was just ridiculous, and it worked. Rather than poor directing skills, it felt more like a style that the director and writer purposely went for. Which might be just my delulu thinking, but the facts stay the same - I enjoyed it, whenever it was intentional or an accident.
What I truly appreciated were the interaction of the main characters with supporting ones - it added slight realism to this unrealistic scenario. The teacher-student dynamics were especially fun to watch.
I truly enjoyed the acting. Shin Yong Seok as a naive, innocent and nice Seol Won made me laugh with his antics and persistent behavior. Im Sung Kyun’s more serious scenes impressed me the most. Acting silly on screen is one thing, but the few lines that had more of a sincere feel to them were delivered just the right way.
Editing and overall production quality was on par with other K-BLs - be slightly higher.
Overall, it was strange? But the type of strange that I enjoy. I was not sure what I was watching, but I was on board. Im Sung Kyun being quite an eye candy with some nice acting skills helped a lot.
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Here’s the thing - some episodes were amazingly funny, with entertaining games. Some - not so much. A lot depended on the cast of trainees for specific episodes, the good chemistry was the key for viewers enjoyment. You need a few social butterflies and extroverts with more media experience to keep it interesting.
The themes for the episodes also played a big role in how much I enjoyed my watch. Haunted house with a mystery plot line is far more interesting than looking for snacks and eating them. Adding a spy or a team that was supposed to ruin the games also adds to the value.
One thing that I appreciated was the editing team. The perfectly used and placed memes were gold, and made already funny jokes, even more hilarious.
Overall: fun watch for big fans of YWY S3, probably mediocre for anyone else.
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The plot is fairly simple, though the non linear way of telling it may confuse some. We jump through plot lines for different characters, but they are not set in chronological order. Why was that stylistic choice made? Will never know.
What were the highlights of the movie? Voldemort in the belly of a young girl, the worst "possession" acting on the planet, weirdly timed jump scares that made me chuckle more than once.
Funny, how I just finished this movie, but I can barely remember any scene... I guess that sums it up.
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The story is nothing special, but it's like peeping through the keyhole into the life of a questionable couple. The casual, or even comedic tone kept through most of the movie made the ending that much more intense. It was a nice twist to a rather obvious story.
I'd say the use of the spider in the end was quite telling and a nice symbolism of the current situation of the female character.
Overall, it's nothing special, but it was nice. I never have any high expectations for short horror movies, and this was just entertaining and nicely done. I could not ask for more.
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The idea was quite interesting. Married couple, driven by their greed and the need to be accepted by the family of the husband, kills an innocent child in a ritual that will make the woman bear her own kid, followed by all the consequences of such a horrible act. There were so many amazing ways this story could have been presented and shot, and yet the writer and director decided to go with the worst of them all. I gave the story 4 only because of the huge potential I had seen and all the countless ways this movie could have gone in my head after I finished it.
The movie is filled with bad editing, random, seizure inducing sequences of "scary pictures", side characters and plot lines that are not explored enough or at all. The acting itself is also questionable. Except for a few supporting characters, it was not a natural and convincing one.
The characters were extremely frustrating too. Seo Ni is shown as this mother figure for Bin and good parenting role, but she also neglects her own younger sister numerous times. Cheol Woong's role is pointless. The whole detective role means nothing to the plot, he is not part of Bin's story and almost never shares the screen with the main cast.
Yoo Rin at the beginning was introduced as this rebellious teen that lies to her sister to go clubbing, but that part was never explored too. If they made Seo Ni find out about it at some point, it could be the perfect reason for the lack of trust she had when Yoo Rin mentioned Bin is weird.
Seo Ni's husband is even more of a mess. Why they introduced the sub-plot line of him having hots for Yoo Rin was beyond me, since it NEVER led to anything. The more I think about it, the more of a mess this movie is.
There was also one thing that bothered me extremely. They cast T-ara’s member and then have a whole scene of Hyomin and other members dancing in the club to roly poly. It right away took me out of the movie. Normally it's hard enough to forget the idol image of the actor/actress that is also a singer, but when you promote it in a movie too, it kills the character they are playing. For me, from that moment, she was not Yoo Rin but simply Hyomin.
Overall, don't waste your time.
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Gwan Hee being the source of entertainment for all.
This was easily the best season of the show. All the changes made in terms of production were spot on - from how the Inferno works, how many times they were going to Paradise, the casting of contestants, the MCs. Great combination for the entertaining watch.For the cast, you might hate Gwan Hee, you might love Gwan Hee, but it's undeniable he took the girls, the MCs and all of us on a rollercoaster journey of emotions. His whole arc presents like a kdrama plot with decent character development. This old, yet I truly believe he is a child at heart (and maybe the brain lol). Easily emotionally moved, not knowing himself well, egocentric (at times I truly thought it's not like he deliberately was ignoring what others might feel, he simply could not understand and comprehend any other than his own point of view). And yes... I could not hate him. I was frustrated to the core, but he still won my heart.
Realistically speaking, the only truly good guy and the right choice was Choi Min Woo. The most mature, the most honest and straightforward, but in a pleasant manner. Did not pay that much attention to him at first, but by the end, I just wanted him to be happy.
For the girl, two that I ended up loving were Yun Hajeong and Yu Sieun. Hajeong was just a ball of positive energy and amazing humor. Personally, I enjoyed her interactions and relationships/friendships with all contestants. On the other hand Yu Sieun had this good and pure image that felt natural and peaceful. Could just had to root for her.
There were some contestants I could not vibe with by the end: Hanbin, Jinseok and Gyuri. I just honestly have no idea what Hanbin was doing there (I mean I know, the show is great for self-promotion), Jinseok just confused me a lot closer to the end and Gyuri was legit scary.
Another great aspect of the show was the addition of Dex as one of the MCs. He blended perfectly with the previous ones, creating fun chemistry on screen. He also added a new perspective of someone who himself was part of the previous season and knew how it might affect the participants.
Overall, loved it. First season was fun, because it was something new for me. Second was a complete mess, and this one is juts entertaining blessing.
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The plot is rather mediocre - it’s the same old hunting story we have seen thousands of times. What makes the movie great is how it presents, the overall tone and great pacing. While you know where the plot goes early on, you might still be interested in how it will be shown.
Bea Alonzo acts as a driven counselor, who makes her mission to help students in any way she is capable of. The mix of fear and concern she presented in many scenes was done in a believable way. Overall, the acting of the whole cast ranged from good to great, and I had no major issues with it.
Sadly, the movie loses some points from the over the top jump scares that they drop left and right, whenever they are needed or not. The movie would be far more frightening without them. Rather than flashing scary faces on screen, holding the shot still with eerie background elements would elevate the suspense and anticipation, in the process giving a better payoff.
Overall, goodish horror. Nothing outstanding, but for sure enjoyable.
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