Reviews

A breath of fresh air

The Time That Remains feels like a breath of fresh air for Filipino cinema - a slow, haunting mix of folklore, gothic romance, and visual poetry. Instead of going for cheap scares or loud horror beats, the film leans into atmosphere and emotion. It takes the aswang myth and treats it with sincerity, giving it depth, history, and a sense of tragic humanity.

At its core is the love between Lilia and Matias - messy, painful, and unbelievably tender. Their relationship feels less like a standard romance and more like two wounded souls choosing each other despite everything: time, faith, violence, and the ugliness of the world. The film never shies away from the brutality Lilia endures, and those scenes hurt because they’re meant to. They show how much she’s suffered, yet how fiercely she’s still capable of loving. Matias, with all his centuries and mysteries, meets her with devotion that borders on mythic. Their love isn’t about “forever” - it’s about the moments they save each other, even knowing those moments can’t last.

Visually, the movie is stunning. Every frame feels intentional: shadow-heavy, quiet, almost sacred. The sound design, the lighting, the stillness - it all creates a hypnotic rhythm that makes the story feel both intimate and otherworldly.

If anything, you end the movie wishing it had even more time to explore its themes - immortality, guilt, memory, the weight of love. But even as it is, The Time That Remains stands out as one of the most visually striking and emotionally resonant Filipino films in recent years. It proves that our folklore can be more than horror fodder - it can be the foundation for a love story that lingers long after the credits roll.

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A disgusting masterpiece that you only watch once

I went into this k-movie blind because I saw comments saying they wouldn't recommend it to anyone, and that it left them sick or ruined. I, of course, wanted to see for myself.

Now, I advice that you please read the trigger warnings first as this movie does deal with very triggering and traumatic events. It's not as graphic, but it will still leave a lasting effect if you're not in the right head space.

When you start the movie, it's a bit overwhelming. Depending on if you went in blind or not, you're going to be a bit lost. All you'll know is Il-Woo has a twin brother who was found dead and the three alleged perpetrators are in the juvenile detention center Il-Woo got sent to. And then from there, the story starts to gradually unfold, and you realize just how absolutely sick and twisted everything is.

The storyline is honestly really nice. I enjoy it's uniqueness. The acting was especially exceptional, especially Jin Young's role as the autistic brother. It's not easy acting out a role that includes a disability or neurodivergency and getting as accurate as he did. He really deserves his flowers because he was the main show for the whole movie.

The plot twist was... Definitely a plot twist. It had me shocked and honestly sick when they played the flashbacks. But I wish they had built up a bit more on the tension and climax, because it was just suddenly.. Dropped. It didn't feel as shocking as I wanted it to be. But it was still really good.

I wouldn't really recommend this. It was good, yes, and if you're a type of person who likes dark movies and dramas, then by all means. But for a casual watcher, I would not recommend it. Even though it was not as graphic as I thought it'd be, it was still really disturbing and the topics being portrayed and discussed were honestly a bit hard to sit through.

'A Christmas Carol' wasn't as jolly as the name suggests. No, it wasn't jolly at ALL. It was a brother who came to 'avenge' his twin brother by dealing with the culprits while simultaneously still beating himself up and partially blaming himself for the outcome of his twin brother's death.

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Well, that has some issues

I watched this with some hopes, as the rating and reviews are most positive here, but oh boy, was I disappointed.
The start of the story is a little bit too sweet, but I'm all right with that, I like some comfort watch and it was really fine. The pacing was a little bit rushed at some points and slowed down in others, but still - livable. The actors were fine and they were really good at their job - bravo for the casting team.

Here my praises end.

A minor complaint I have is about Yuki - we don't really have his perspective and overall he seems to be one-dimentional, but likeable character.

My main issue, however, is the story. While I can understand internalized homophobia, pressure from the toxic mother and her expectations, I cannot justify Akira's behaviour. After years together he leaves Yuki for the pursuit of a "normal life". There's no discussion, no communication, just a statement "let's break up". Furthermore, he uses some poor girl to force himself into this "norm", marries her and not so long afterwards realizes that he in fact still loves his ex. This leads to a divorce, followed by a search for Yuki. The fact, that Akira finds him in Alaska is unrealistic, but I'd overlook it for the dramatics if it wasn't so overall toxic. Yuki forgives Akira on the spot, and call me a worse man, but I wouldn't be able to do it. I wouldn't want to do it. It paints Yuki as somebody who either has no self-respect or is naive to the point of stupidity.
The end is sweet and happy, with some teary moments, but it doesn't make up for the main plot point. I've finished watching this story with a little bit of pity for Yuki and a deep distaste for the story and Akira.

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Why so ambiguous

You know when you start a thought provoking book or series and you started connecting the dots to reach the final conclusion or see the bigger picture... this was meant to be one of those movies but apparently they hid too many puzzle parts that you don't know what is the picture you are trying to see.

I loved this short movie, however, I don't know why did they made it so ambiguous, what's so secretive about it, would a small hint here and there hurts??

Also I see everyone keep writing their take on SungKyu while all the mystery IMO revolves around SungWoo, he isn't a simple gay guy, there is something about his identity that would "chase his BF away if known" I don't think a family secret would need this much seriousness.

It could be but how would I know for sure? That's the problem with this movie, if you are an overthinker then my dear you will suffer trying to make sense of it all.

It's pretty clear story on the outside but the more you look into the details aka hints that the director thought needed to be shown in this micro 21 mins only movie, the more confused you get, like young SungWoo photo in a karate/taekwondo uniform and the trophy. The conversation between SungWoo and his BF before they breakup and so on...

My take on all that -which gave me peace - the dysfunctional family needed a child, and SungKyu needed a stable home away from his past, as the father has hinted that his group of friends he used to hang around them are probably in trouble, he played his role fitting in to all of the family needs, the dad wanted peace for his wife, the mother got her child back, and SungWoo got the person that won't ever leave him like his father or his brother.

What I wanted to know is, SungKyu past he's been running from, SungWoo secret, and how did SungKyu knew about SungWoo sexuality ...

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In another life, I'll choose you again

I loved it, it's so sweet and lovely.

It's a simple love story about choices, if you choose the right person, you will do that again and again no matter how your story ends nor how painful it gets, because that's what true love is.

It's bittersweet end makes it even more perfect and heartwarming, I love the whole cast they were great, and their performance was nice.

The ML was soooo adorable, the fact that he at 28 is exactly the same as 18 is sliiiiiightly odd, I'd prefer a different hair style of any significant changes because it kinda has to be the same actor as this matter is significant for the story, but I'd appreciate aby type of change to distinguish the difference between him in both ages.

But, it's totally unnecessary and doesn't change the fact that this was spectacular and very enjoyable
Highly recommended ~~

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Unhinged

Don't get me wrong, I knew what I was going to watch. It's just that instead of a movie about BDSM, they just made it into a manga inspired soft porn with dubious consent and bizarre behaviors from most of the people involved.
If anything, I'm guessing the manga they were inspired by to make this movie is a hentai manga. So that would explain a lot of weird and unhinged moment's, I just think that for adaptation they could've at least tried making it more logical.

So much unhinged moment's that would never happen IRL, and you can only meet in that type of movies and mangas.
Like when Kaoru's mom gave his sex toys to a neighbor girl to hide them from him. In a paper bag for that matter, at this point she could've used a plastic see-through bag… Hello? Aren't you even ashamed of giving a paper bag full of your son's sex toys to a neighbor? Like that is just so wild.

Or Nana trying on the “clothes”, without knowing where it was or if it was used by anybody! Who in their right mind would do that. I guess you could say, that since he doesn't have a girlfriend it's probably clean and unused, but what if he likes to wear stuff like this himself and don't wash it afterward? Or worse? Like girl, please, think about it before doing something like that!
As well as Kaoru blackmailing Nana into submission. That is disgusting and while I could see an argument of “well she did come back for more” and well the only thing I can say to this is: OF COURSE she did! Because you are watching a porn that has nothing to do with reality, and none of this bullshit would've ever happened in the real life.

The consent is dubious in this as well as Kaoru being an absolute disgusting creep. The way he's behaving is absolutely atrocious, no one who actually participate in any kind of BDSM relationship will ever act this way. Disregarding of what she wants and thinks and just bluntly pressuring her into doing things she isn't comfortable with, nobody is doing that unless they agreed upon that prior to action.

Overall, I think I'm just isn't one of those people it was made for, and that's why I see it to be so problematic…

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There is experience and then there is EXPERIENCE!

I'm late to the party, but somehow this movie popped up on my suggestion list unprompted. I'm glad that it happened. I'm years late, but who's counting. ;)

If you just take the subject matter on face value, you might think the movie will be sentimental, maudlin and full of self-pity. There are elements of each yet the sum is far greater.

The start of the movie is almost like a mirror on the reality of many disabled person. They felt like they are invisible, protected by their friends/family, struggling to establish an identity. In this case, the plights of our FL is even more intense as her mother is super protective and her manga drawing talent has been subsumed by her collaborator.

While trying to break free of her one dimensional existence, she tries her hands on drawing hentai. Her initial submission was rejected because (cough) she has no relevant experience. While her concept and drawings are good, her intimate scenes are obviously illusionary. The editor kindly suggest that she should seek some (cough) experience before submitting again.

We watch as she took the advice to heart. She tries to discover her sexuality, and to a larger extent, her place in the world. What she wanted the most is to reconnect with her estranged father.

I'm not going to spoil the movie. You really need to experience it first hand. It is not an action packed story, but the plots move along at a steady pace.

There are lots of new experiences for her to take in. She encountered some shady people, but they are all decent folks. They live in the margins, but they won't take advantage of her. Is that realistic?

As if to test her determination, the FL and her impromptu helper traveled overseas. It is not easy and she went to locales with questionable infrastructures. Let's call it movie magic. Ask no questions, chingu.

In terms of acting, it is solid efforts from all involved. The star of the show is obviously the FL. If the main protagonist faces challenges, our RL actor have to climb mountains. Kudos to her and the production for making it happen.

I can ramble on, but seeing this came out in 2019, it is diminishing return.

In the end, this is a good, heartfelt movie. The sensitive subjects are handled well. There is no grandstanding nor shaming. It was a normal human story except the lead is extraordinary. Enjoy!

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Worth watching for the end result

Every show about bullies Should come with a TRIPLE WARNING about the level of predatory evil and violence depicted. Are there animals like this as living examples of the perps in this movie? While I shudder to think the devil has spawned such human beings, history proves they do exist. Therefore, watch at your own emotional and psychological peril. Viewer, know yourself!

The bullying behavior is unfiltered, so this has no entertainment value for normal people. And even the retribution favor is dialed back (thankfully). A difficult watch but our leading lady actress does an amazing job as always. And the head bully (Lee Jun Young) did too good a job in his role. Very frightening. I have zero desire to rewatch this. But it was worth while.

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One of the first tomboyish cross-dressing Asian films

I finally found and watched this classic movie!

It was hilarious. Leslie Cheung was so perfect, Carina Lau was gorgeous and Anita Yuen was so cute and funny. She really looked like a handsome boy in this movie. It always feels great to go back to the 90s and experience the vibe, the life there. It was also fun to see idol culture in Hong Kong at that time through this movie. I always feel like we no longer live in the same world any more nowadays.

I guess this movie started the trend for a lot of later films where a tomboyish woman cross-dressed to disguise as a man to become an idol or to stay close to their crush, or to do whatever. Although I don’t think the story in this movie aged very well, I still enjoyed it a lot. It was Leslie Cheung! I wish he were still here with us. :(

I also love hearing Cantonese in old Hong Kong movies. They sounded so cool. Everything seemed to look cooler in the old days. I felt so nostalgic while watching this movie.

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Huh, unexpected

For those who don't wanna read it all: not as bad as I would've thought. You can see it once and forget about it. I've seen some critics as to why this one is worse than the first part, but thats wrong and I'll talk about that too, at the end. People got super-hyped by the "cameos" of all the known characters (no matter how sht the story itself was) and now they are sad for different motives. Basically, they went from "oh, wow, I know this one. And this one. And this one!" to "wait, what? I don't know this story, it seems new. I don't like new..." :))
After the sht-show that was Part 1, I wasn't expecting much. But its a lot better. Still not "good", but better. And I'll say this here, because I must say it again and again. I'll talk about the movie's quality, not the enjoyment factor. Those are NOT the same. You can enjoy bad media, and thats ok (aka "my guilty pleasure"). Just make sure you know it is bad.

So. Visuals. Meh. That weird filter is gone, but now its just passable. The colour palette is a bit better. The cinematography is a bit better. VFX are meh. So, basically, those 3 (ok, maybe a couple more) super amazing shots and effects from the first movie are gone, but now we get a lot more mid stuff. Don't get me wrong, still lot of sht/meh, but the ratio is a bit better. Oh, still here, the fight choreography is meh, still lots of dumb techniques and clearly wire-moves. Because I forgot to say that it was sht in my Part 1 review :))
Audio. Meh/decent. Definitely an upgrade. Because now there is one. Also a couple of decent songs.
World-building still sht. New characters appear and you must acknowledge them, no matter what their backstory is. Period. The pacing is a bit better. It feels like a proper story. The production value seems high, again.

And now the main stuff. The script is meh. A lot better, for sure, but it is meh. At least now a couple more stuff makes sense. Yes, still some plot devices, plot contrivances and plot holes, but fewer. Also, some plot points were predictable, you can see what they'll try to do from the first 10-20 minutes. The same for the ending. Being an Chinese movie, I was expecting it. But a very big surprise: there is character development. Yes, I was shocked. And they tried to do it for more than one character. Are they amazing, or even good? No, not really. But at least there is something to be working with. Basically, the story got a tiny bit better, the storytelling got a tiny bit better and some execution got a bit better. But is it good? Still, no. You could call it not boring. If you're watching it right after the Part 1 with and all that "all glitter, no substance" approach, its at least enjoyable. Yes, the Part 1 had 1 extra amazing acting and VFX, for the same one, but the rest was just fluff, whereas now we got a somewhat "decent", if you will, movie.

Lets talk about something for a minute. A lot of criticism is that this movie is not the same as the source. Well, I haven't read the source and I can't say, but: the source and the new format can't and shouldn't be the same. What works in a book, it might be difficult to render in animation. What works in animation, might look silly in live-action. Every format has its pro and cons. A good (I won't even say "great") storyteller (producer/director/screenwriter) should be capable of such feat.
And I'll give some examples for easier tracking. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings. The director (that also had a part in rewriting it) made some changes. Two chapters became an whole arc, the ending got axed, complete character make-over, and so on and so forth. Jurassic Parc. The movie is completely different than the movie, because the director used character development. You would've assumed that the visuals would've been the most important part, but the director understood that a great story must also make us care about its characters. Another example: any movie adaptation of books by Stephen King. It is known the the author hates at least one movie, said they changed his book. Guess what? He make a TV show, the way he wanted to, and it was sht. His way of writing is very difficult to put in a movie as is. Because as I said earlier, what works in a book, it might not be doable for a movie.
And back to this movie. Was a lot changed? I don't know, it could be. Does it matter? No, not really. Sure, a point could be made that if you're gonna change it that much and not resemble the original work, you could just NOT do it at all.

So, to wrap it up. It gets a rating of 5. Kinda meh all-over. Re-watching? No, not really? Enjoyment value? I don't think so. The "fans" will hate it because it was changed, the "normal" viewers won't care enough. So it really is up to you.
Have a lovely day.

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Jazz of the City

This documentary has the quality of a feature film, with many artistic details added to enrich the viewing experience. The movie tells the story of the city of Gunsan, a port city located on the western coast of South Korea. We hear a little bit about its history, but only as much as needed to serve as background for life there today. The main part of the film consists of short interviews with people about their experience living in this city. There is also a bit of music, well integrated into the film.

Everything contributes to the movie except, in my opinion, the foreign body artist who wants to touch and spiritually connect with the city through her movements. She appeared to me as a foreign presence, but now when I think about it, she actually represents the influence of foreign culture on Gunsan. And like her, I would now like to visit and explore the city myself, hoping to find a hidden/forgotten pearl somewhere.

At the end, the movie lacks a bit of clear messaging. It feels like we are missing a conclusion about the city’s future. I still don’t know: is Gunsan reviving, or is it sinking deeper into slumber?

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Fluff, no content

For those who don't wanna read it all: this movie is sht.
I'll keep it simple, because I don't wanna waste more time on it, and spoiler free, so you can still watch it ofc. And I'll say this here, because I must say it again and again. I'll talk about the movie's quality, not the enjoyment factor. Those are NOT the same. You can enjoy bad media, and thats ok (aka "my guilty pleasure"). Just make sure you know it is bad.

Visuals. Meh, or yuck. Like a kid who just discovered the "Contrast" slider, overusing it on everything, not knowing that "less is more". The story happens in a couple of places, all look kinda the same, as setting, same filter plastered everywhere. The colour palette is meh. The cinematography is also meh, when there is any. Just a couple of interesting shots and great visuals. The VFX are meh. Extremely good just for one thing, the rest it resembles what you might've seen in the late 2000s.
Audio. Nothing special, or at least it didn't bother, so maybe thats a plus??
The world-building is meh at best, mostly there isn't one. You're supposed to come with basic knowledge, I guess. The pacing is rushed. Stuff keeps happening. I'm sorry, I meant "no context" stuff keeps happening. Scene after scene, lets go, lets go. Its not a short film by any means, and yet it felt like some scenes were cut, thats how janky the story was. Again, you're supposed to know the myth and fill in the blanks yourself. Character development? Yeah, right. Overall, kinda high production value.

And now the good stuff. The script is sht. OKi, I'm sorry, I should give it the benefit of the doubt. Either the script is sht, either the Chinese people are re****ed. Because thats how the script is portraying them. Oh, thats how it really happened in the old stories? Then the screenwriter should've made a better job! Just to make it clear, you knowing the basic knowledge and filling in the blanks, assuming how the story will end, its bad writing. Period. The dialogue is also horrendous, same as before, banking on the fact that you already know the story.
The acting. Fking amazing for ONE character. Just one. Even with my very very veeery basic knowledge about the myths, when that character started "acting", I was "oh, is that supposed to be X character? Oh, wow". And across the movie, you'll really believe it. The way it talks, the mannerism, everything. Apart from that, one other good actor. And maybe another, but it appears for just a few scenes (sadly, only two scenes, plus a previous one where it just is). And thats all, everything else is sht. Over-the-top acting or just purely sht. From an entire cast, just two (or three) people.....
And now..... Like I mentioned earlier, the script is sht. Plot devices, plot holes and plot contrivances everywhere. Everything is "it just so happens that, it just so happens that, it just so happens that". Why is the story happening like that? Why are the characters reacting in one way or another? "Because thats how we wrote this, don't ask questions. Don't you know how the story is supposed to go? Why are you here?" *sigh* Even just talking about it drains the life out of me, that bad it was...

Lets finish it here. It gets a rating of 4. Barely. For some amazing performances, some visuals, and... thats all(?). Wow... Might you enjoy it? Could be. The re-watching value is low. Skipping scenes, fishing the ones where the acting is good? No, ty.
Have a lovely day.

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Left yearning for more.

This was a good movie that deserves a sequel,because the 2 hour plus minutes was not enough to wrap up everything near and tight.The action scenes were superb,apart from the mission of figuring and capturing Shadow.I got lost as to what the robbers were upto after breaking into the command center.First things first,it was great to see the veterans in it and carrying their weight and owning their characters.Despite mentions of their history a sequel showing the past would really give depth to their characters.How Jackie was an ace during his time and lost his partner then watched the family behind the shadows.Also the past of Shadow and how he moulded his adoptive sons.
Personally i did not like her character, granted she was being looked down upon because she was a woman and had to prove her self but we never got to see her happy.I did not understand why we were shown she was heartbroken when the guy died all the while it seemed like it was a one-sided crush,and it was the guy who had a crush on her.
The robbery crew need also screen time of how they were trained by Shadow.
Last and not least the post credit scene does indeed give hopes to a sequel.

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