Reviews

Gallows humour gives this some shine

Honestly, Gezhi Town is pretty stock-standard fare when it comes to Chinese war films. Or perhaps it's harder to stand out at the moment, given the impressive number of Chinese-produced WWII blockbusters to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat.

Obviously, from a commercial perspective, the creators have played their cards well by casting Xiao Zhan as our long-suffering protagonist, Mo Dexian. He delivers a solid performance, though nothing overly remarkable. The same can be said for the rest of the cast.

For me, the highlight of Gezhi Town is the use of gallows humour. There's a little sprinkled at the beginning, but it doesn't really come into play until halfway through when the action is at full swing. This is what gives the film a bit of sparkle. Otherwise, it's the usual fight-against-the-odds playbook – which is all well and good – just nothing particularly special.

This film also gets some brownie points for having very believable characters. It's easy for war films to reduce people to cardboard cutouts, but Gezhi Town employs humour to show the clumsy human-ness of goodies and baddies alike.

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Needs a sequel immediately.

If you're a chronic BL watcher for NC alone, this is not for you.

Holy shit?
I had high hopes because of the tiktok edits, and guess what? IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT AT ALL!!!!!!!

The acting was exceptional—nothing was cringey or unbelievable.
The dancing? Amazing+++++
The romance? No words.

This was honestly the first movie I've enjoyed to the point of rating it 10/10 in YEARS. In fact, i'd rate it 100/10, if I could.

The script writers, production team, and producers have shown me two things with this film.
1) They love dance.
2) They love GAY. ~And what I mean by that is, the care, respect, and detail put into this movie, the scenes, the acting, the dialogue—I couldn't have asked for a more perfect end product.

And with that semi-open ending, GIVE ME THE SECOND MOVIE, IMMEDIATELY.

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Angel & Grim Reaper

If you’re obsessed with professional dancing, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you will probably be head over heels for this one, way more than I was. Don’t get me wrong, the movie isn’t bad by any stretch. In fact, it’s pretty damn impressive. They dive deep into the nitty-gritty of dance techniques, the ins and outs of the competitive ballroom world and how that high-stakes environment messes with the people caught up in it. I was honestly blown away by how authentic it felt. But if I’m being real, the romance in this was way too slow of a waltz for my taste.

The story centers on two men: Sugiki and Suzuki. These guys are internationally ranked competitive dancers, but they’ve never gone head-to-head because they dominate in different styles. Sugiki is all about Standard Ballroom, while Suzuki slays in Latin Dance. Still, they have got this long-standing rivalry that keeps them hyper-aware of each other. Then, out of nowhere, Sugiki throws a wild proposition: they train each other in their respective styles and take on the 10DANCE. For those not in the know, that’s an event combining all five Standard Ballroom dances and all five Latin Dances. In competition, they dance with their female partners but during practice, it’s mostly just the two of them and that’s where things get interesting. There’s this undercurrent of competitive flirtation that simmers beneath every step and turn they take together. It’s hot, no doubt but it’s also frustratingly understated for a hopeless romantic like me.

I will say, the actors absolutely killed it. Their movements are mesmerizing. When Sugiki and Suzuki train together, you can feel the tension through the screen. Their bodies move with such precision and passion, it’s almost erotic without even trying to be. The way Sugiki’s Standard style clashes with Suzuki’s hip-rolling Latin flair is pure art. I mean the chemistry between them is off the charts. The actors nailed every single detail.

The production quality is also top-notch. The cinematography captures every angle of the dances with such grace and the music has the perfect heartbeat to every scene, whether it’s a slow tango or a fast-paced cha-cha. Honestly, the movie is a feast for the eyes and ears. I can see why so many people would fall in love with it, especially if you’re into the technical side of things or just appreciate a beautifully crafted film.

But here’s where I’m gonna be brutally honest: I wanted more romance, damn it! From the trailer, I got the vibe that this would be a love story but I’d say romance was maybe 20% of the movie. I get it, the title and premise say “dance first,” and they executed that part flawlessly. I’m not saying they did anything wrong; it’s just not what I expected and that’s on me for hyping up the love angle in my head. If dance is your jam, you will probably eat this up and ask for seconds.

And well...the ending...I hate to say it, but it was such a letdown. Without giving spoilers, I’ll just say it felt kind of empty. I wanted a bigger payoff, something to make my heart race or at least leave me satisfied. Instead, it just kinda fizzled out.

So, bottom line: this movie is amazing in its own right. It’s artistic, beautifully made and the actors are phenomenal. If you are into dance or just appreciate a visually stunning film, you have got every reason to love this. I’m just a sucker for romance and I felt a bit shortchanged on that front. Plus, that flat ending didn’t help. Still, I would say give it a shot. It’s worth watching for the talent and passion on display. Just don’t go in expecting a full-blown love story like I did or you might walk away a little disappointed too.

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style, elegance, tension, passion, love...

First, I have to say, I can't imagine how much training the actors had to do to get to this level of dancing. Watching them dance is mesmerizing. Two humans meet through passion. Two humans contrary to each other share a bond which grows over time.

"Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole" - "So close and yet so far" are the two sentences describing the story in a heartbeat.

This being a Netflix production, I don't have to tell you that the cinematography, lighting, music, atmosphere are top notch. Both MLs are just incredible. Even in the slow scenes there is not a moment I was bored... The story has a rhythm just as dancing does. And for most things you see, I can't express how it moved me. Suffice to say, it's something different, something not seen yet, something incredible and something we should be happy to experience. This movie is a "must watch" in my book!

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The modern day socio economic classification portrayed in a way that will take your breath away

Portraying the struggles of the people who comes at the very last row of social classes, this movie is dark and would make you pause and think. The cinematography, direction and acting of this movie is definitely phenomenal. The twists and turns were unexpected. The way higher status people will dismiss that lower to them with something as insignificant as "bad smell" portrays how those with money are never concerned about anything but themselves. How easy it is for them kick out someone, find a replacement. How those who live desperate life would do anything to get the bare minimum while those with everything are never satisfied with anything. The gut wrenching progression of the plot definitely made it a movie made like never before.

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Watch this for the MDL challenge. In the end, this one the movie that manage make me breathless when I watch it……

Let's begin our review…

The film is based on the real-life miracle landing of Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 on May 14, 2018. During the flight from Chongqing to Lhasa, the cockpit windshield shattered at an altitude of nearly 30,000 feet, causing explosive decompression and extreme cold.

Maintaining an extraordinarily cool head, the captain, Liu Chuanjian successfully landed the plane at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport with no fatalities among the 119 passengers and 9 crew members.

Director Andrew Lau turns this true story into a heart-pounding, adrenaline-fuelled high-altitude blockbuster that will literally leave you breathless.
The kind of movie that doesn’t just show tension, it makes you *feel* it in your chest.

I am amazed with how calm the pilot & flight attendants were during the crisis. Especially the head flight attendant, she really did manage to keep her calm & composure even with all the panic passengers.

I was amazed by how composed the pilots and flight attendants stayed during the crisis. Especially the head flight attendant—her strength and professionalism stood out. Even with panicked passengers screaming around her, she kept her composure and did her job flawlessly.

This movie truly made me breathless during the most intense scenes. If you were sitting next to me, you’d find me gripping your hand during those moments…

If you love films that pump adrenaline straight into your veins—if you want to feel every second of danger, courage, and human willpower—and keep your heart racing, this is definitely one you need to watch.

I highly recommend it.

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Trying to see a point, any point...but it is escaping me

Well, let me write this while I am waiting for the last 4 minutes to finish. They better be the best last 4 minutes of any movie ever made..for this review to take another turn.

I am also wondering why have I wasted other 157 min.

What was entertaining here?

Plot, where?

I truly have no idea what I have watched.

Absolute waste of time. I cannot even call it pointless violence or glorification of torture/fetish or psychological consequence of trauma... because there was no thread connecting on any level.

A skip.

Thanks for reading.

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When Justice Breaks, the Mind Speaks in Extremes

Murderer Report (2025) is not a comfortable film, nor does it intend to be. It is a work that forces the viewer to confront what society often prefers to ignore: moral erosion, unresolved pain, and the fragility of the systems we call justice. Beneath the surface of a psychological thriller lies a far deeper meditation on responsibility, guilt, and the limits of human reparation.

One of the film’s most powerful pillars is the figure of the doctor—a character who resists any simplistic division between good and evil and instead inhabits a morally complex, deeply human space. His cause does not arise from impulse or empty cruelty, but from an accumulation of silence, negligence, and wounds that were never acknowledged. From a psychological and psychiatric perspective, his behavior can be understood as the extreme manifestation of chronic trauma: when pain is not heard, the psyche seeks desperate ways to give it meaning.

The film does not superficially justify his actions, yet it contextualizes them with an honesty that is deeply unsettling. And it is precisely there that a strong, almost unavoidable support for his cause emerges—not for the violence itself, but for the cry that precedes it. Murderer Report poses a disturbing but necessary question: what happens when the system fails repeatedly, and justice ceases to be a refuge, becoming instead a broken promise?

From a psychiatric standpoint, several characters display clear signs of emotional dissociation, internalized guilt, and extreme defense mechanisms. The journalist, for instance, embodies the conflict between professional ethics and a dangerous fascination with the abyss; her gradual emotional destabilization reveals how prolonged exposure to horror can erode even those who believe themselves to be mere observers. The doctor, in contrast, represents a mind that has already crossed that threshold—a psyche that has rationalized pain as method, not out of cruelty, but out of moral exhaustion.

The boundary between justice and revenge is portrayed as dangerously thin. The film suggests that both are born from the same place—the desire for balance—but diverge the moment society decides whom it listens to and whom it silences. When there is no reparation, revenge disguises itself as justice; when there is no justice, revenge becomes the last possible language.

Visually restrained and narratively tense, Murderer Report avoids excess and opts for an oppressive, almost clinical atmosphere that reinforces its psychological reading. Every dialogue carries weight, every silence accuses. There are no clear heroes or absolute villains—only fractured human beings attempting to make sense of the irreversible.

Ultimately, this is not a film about crime, but about consequences. About what happens when pain is archived, when victims become statistics, and when those who once sought to heal are later branded as monsters. Murderer Report unsettles because it offers no easy answers, but that is precisely its value: it reminds us that true violence often begins long before the final act, in collective indifference.

It is a work that demands to be viewed with critical empathy, with an open mind, and with the courage to accept that sometimes the line between order and chaos does not reside in the criminal—but in the system that created him.

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Rated 9 up until the final episode. The story is emotional and desperate and beautiful, but the ending is shit. They have feelings for each other, but Dong Hui leaves for Seoul despite originally planning to go to a local college because he has feelings for Ho Tae and is scared due to internalized homophobia. They never admit their feelings for each other. They’re apart for years. The ending sees Dong Hui returning, and they see each other again. We don’t see them speak, so who knows if they become friends or more this time around. Why would anything be different this time around if they were too afraid to admit their feelings the first time around? Disappointing.

Boundary crossing: Dong Hui asks Ho Tae to move aside but he blocks him in instead. Dong Hui grabs Ho Tae to prevent him from walking away.

Consent issues: Ho Tae asks Dong Hui for a kiss. He pins his wrists down and doesn’t allow him to move. Dong Hui does not respond with a yes or no. Ho Tae moves in for a kiss and it starts consensually. Dong Hui breaks the kiss, Ho Tae goes in for more, and Dong Hui has to forcibly push him off to get him to stop.

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What I needed.

This movie has nothing special going on, it’s an “everyday” life setting. You won’t find angst, frustration or over the top reactions. This is the simple farm life of a widow but this movie came to me at the right time because it’s exactly that simple storytelling that I was looking for.

I was at first looking for the 2018 version (I didn’t know this 1980 version existed). A kind person on here sent me the link to both versions and I watched both, that’s how good I enjoyed the movie. I started with the 1980 version and it’s my favorite of the two, it has more depth. Thank you for sending me both links!

What I enjoyed:

I enjoyed that my brain was not overstimulated with exaggerated editing. The actors looked like normal people living on the farm, they looked human. Humans with normal voices, pores, emotions on their faces, no excessive makeup, dirt etc…It was good to not see excessive and unnatural lighting, perfection in everything that we now have been forced to accept when it comes to visual entertainment.

I was reminded what great acting skills are. The story itself is simple but the actors pull you in thanks to their skills. The realness is what kept me engaged. I don’t know how to put into words why this movie touched me the way it did but I will simply say that it’s the “realness” of everything in it. It was a nice break from all the superficial entertainment.

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It's okay, you're exactly where you need to be in this moment

I've never watched something so relatable for the life you have when you're 25 and lost, but still fighting, you just don't know towards what and this may exasperate you and haunt you each day.
It felt static on the surface and you'd probably have to be in a specific place or have lived through it for it to touch the right points. For me, it felt so incredibly enchanting in its simplicity and turmoil.
While ending on a presumably high note, not in the way that everything is happy (and let's be honest probably IRL the romantic interest would turn bad/disappointing), but just with this warm reassurance that at least what was to be discarded was finally said and got out of the heart, it got me in tears.
The moment of confession, tackled and on the back of the tongue for the whole movie, at each meeting with the friend, was so raw, simple and hit close to home that my tears started rolling out, right when Haruka's character looked into the camera and said those encouraging words that I think so many people of my age need to be told so badly in these harsh times we live in. It's really lucky for the few of us who are able to work after all. Even more lucky it's for the ones who can share their lives with their friends.
Oh, I need a physical hug after this, but I still feel much lighter than before I watched it.

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