Reviews

a perfect film

firstly, i don’t watch bl stuff from years and years ago because its usually outdated. however, this movie is 11 years old and it still feels so current with the content in the film.

it’s definitely one of the best movies i’ve ever watched and i just had to leave a review. it was so depressing and somber throughout and the actors were amazing at portraying the complex emotions of the characters. the last portion of the movie is just nonstop action and the ending…i don’t know how to feel about it (in a positive way).

i recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys realistic, moody films, especially that revolves around the queer community. as a gay guy myself, i really resonated with the main character and his struggles and that made the movie more impactful for me personally.

all around, the movie is a perfect 10/10 for me and it’s definitely one of those films that stick with you for life.

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Expected a lot more honestly

I finished this movie a while ago actually but just completely forgot about it 😂😂 its so insignificant and it was quite honestly boring. It took me 3 days to finish it cause I kept pausing. Now call me whatever you want, but I’m usually not a big fan of media that over does its humor. It honestly felt like they were trying TOO hard to be funny and sarcastic… I get it was poking fun in politics yadda yadda whatever, it had almost the exact same style as Parasite but in this movie it just kinda bored me.

Great actors though. The only reason I continued and was dedicated to finish it was for my boy Hongkyung… other than that… the movie was definitely a bleh fest. Its not that good, not bad either. I did expect it to be better with that type of cast though. But oh well!

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“As long as there is love, there is always hope.”

I probably wouldn’t have watched this movie if it weren’t for the BL Watch Challenge and I’m honestly so grateful I did. It ended up becoming one of my all-time favorites. I’m not even sure why it hit me so hard, but it did.

It’s a beautifully layered family drama that also includes a tender romance between two teenagers. What really stood out to me was how it captured the unpredictable nature of love in all its forms: love for family, for music, for someone special, for friends. It explores relationships like grandson and grandmother, mother and children, romantic partners… and dives into themes like grief, sexual awakening, peer pressure, family responsibilities, and the pain of being apart from those we care about.

The characters are so well-written and feel incredibly real. The storytelling is so delicate and heartfelt that the nearly three-hour runtime flew by in a blink. There are so many unforgettable scenes, thanks to the amazing cast. Mario Maurer (Tong) and Pchy Witwisit (Mew) were phenomenal, giving such heartfelt, natural performances, especially Mario in that emotional scene with Tarn Kanya (Ying), where he breaks down crying, struggling with his identity and the pressure from his friends. My heart shattered when Tong tearfully asked Ying, “What am I, Ying? Everyone’s upset with me because I don’t know what I am.” That moment was raw and powerful. Their chemistry isn’t loud or over-the-top. It’s subtle, but incredibly powerful. You really feel the connection between them in every scene

And I have to highlight Nok Sinjai (Moira from Shine) as Tong’s mother. She was absolutely brilliant. Every time she appeared on screen, you could feel the loneliness and pain of a mother trying to stay strong through family tragedy. Her eyes alone conveyed so much emotion. She might come off as strict or sensitive, but deep down, she loves her husband and son fiercely.

I cried a lot during the final scenes, it felt like a part of me broke, but at the same time, I was left with a strangely pleasant, bittersweet feeling. It wasn’t the right time for them. Tong’s family was still grieving, and his father hadn’t healed. Not every first love ends happily. But the open ending carries a spark of hope, a possibility. When Mew places the last piece on Santa Klaus, sits on his bed, and says “Thank you,” it felt like he was thanking Tong for the memories, for the love they shared, and for loving him even if they couldn’t be together. Tong gave him hope that maybe, someday, things could change. And in my heart, I imagine them meeting again, older, wiser, and finally ending up together. Because “As long as there is love, there is always hope.”

And to wrap it up: the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous. It expresses everything the characters feel but can’t quite say out loud.

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what the hell did I just watch?

what is this supposed to be? a psychological thriller? a dark room com ?
half of the time I didn't even know what the point was. very confusing...

the guy who was ignoring our FL suddenly starts liking her out of nowhere and then weird shit start a happening.
these two are entangled with some weird and violent people.
after they start dating (I don't even know why they like each other) weird shit starts happening: sexual violence, beating, internet drama.
it all seems to point at the fact that the ml isn't the perfect student he pretends to be but that he is some twisted villain.

his two "step siblings" are supposed to show us how the ml is actually a psycho but we never get to explore too much of it.

at the very end the movie completely changes his tune and becomi5 a rom com showing us how sweetly this guy was perusing our FL...

I am confused.

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Violent in Japan

Takeshi Kitano delivers a highly interesting insight into the structures of the Japanese mafia. But what initially engages soon becomes too complicated and violent for the film's good. There are simply too many betrayals, pacts and severed fingers.

Director Takeshi Kitano is actually a completely unlikely person. The Japanese started out as a successful stand-up comedian in the 1970s and then became primarily a director and actor. Today he also frequently appears in entertainment programs and talk shows, he has written over 50 books, he draws comics, he paints and he makes films such as Kikujiro's Summer, the sweet story of a boy who must find his mother. In between, Kitano also makes violent gangster-cop films.

Although the multifaceted Kitano appears as an actor in other films, he does most of the work himself in his own productions, from scriptwriting, to directing and often acting. As an actor, he uses his stage name Beat Takeshi, which is a nod to the comedy duo he was one half of – The Two Beat. So there is a great complexity in the man, one moment he is charming and funny on the studio couch, the next he mercilessly attacks a gangster with a dental drill.

The dental drill is the one that appears in his film Outrage. Here Kitano is back to his flagship genre of the gangster film. Even before the title rolls around, he effectively establishes the Japanese mafia – Yakuza – Hierarchy with a chairman at the top, his closest man, clan bosses, underlings of various ranks. The chairman and bosses have a general meeting, the underlings stand in the parking lot by the obviously black cars. Kitano himself plays the underling Otomo. His boss Ikemoto has a personal pact with the rival clan boss Murase. The chairman – Who actually looks like Chairman Mao, or a well-combed Kim Jung Il – Does not like this and asks him to “sort out” the situation. Ikemoto must therefore break off contact with Murase in order to show loyalty to his chairman, while at the same time respecting his personal pact. He sends in Otomo, who is allowed to start a yakuza branch and who can thus act on his own to create a disturbance in the relationship, without his boss being directly involved. A clever arrangement, but this small disturbance or spark starts a wildfire that spreads out of control and causes things to heat up in all camps.

Kitano is a confident narrator with an occasionally stylish imagery. Not many sentences are said here, but it is really the actions that drive the plot forward. Initially, Outrage is very interesting, how it presents the gangster structure and the fox games between all members. With shocking violent sequences, such as cutting off the little finger with a dull knife in classic yakuza style or using a dentist’s drill in the wrong way, a sense of anxiety and tension is created in the film. We really understand that these men can do anything to anyone. No one is safe and Otomo himself is living proof of that as he alternates between total expressionlessness and exploding outbursts of violence. It contributes to the charged atmosphere.

However, after the nice opening, the film becomes a little too complicated for its own good. There are too many twists, too many showdowns and too many betrayals and stabs in the back – Or rather, shots in the forehead. In the end, it actually becomes a little difficult to keep apart who is betraying whom and who is deceiving someone else. This also means that it becomes difficult to sympathize with our protagonist Otomo, who makes too many shifts between camps for us to know where he stands. Despite the high pace, the interest level drops a few notches during the second half of the film.

It also becomes a little tiring that the film only deals with men, the only times a woman appears is in the role of a whore/escort, a scorned wife, a mistress on the prowl or in the form of a corpse. The pure macho culture within the mafia would certainly be more dynamic and exciting with a female presence in addition to the above-mentioned examples. Despite this, Takeshi Kitano is too skilled and experienced to just let a story descend into an action-packed spiral of violence where men hump men without any real meaning, and he gets up at ten towards the end and ties Outrage together in an unexpected way. As I said, Kitano is a bit unlikely.

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Entertaining Movie

Nice Movie. I recommend watching it.

Cheng Xiao, a businessman on the way to conclude a big business deal, gets somehow mistaken as a mental patient and is forced to stay at a mental hospital. He first attempts to prove that he is sane, but that is harder than it seems. Later he learns, that due to not being able to finish the business deal, people outside are after him and want compensation money. So he must change his strategy and pretend to be crazy. A light comedy, but also with a human touch. Cheng Xiao, who was at first only after money, learns from his fellow patients about friendship and humanity. It is not a highly sophisticated movie, but has some funny moments and can be watched if you have some time spare.

Actors:

Liu Lin
As Cheng Xiao

Fan Xiang-Yu
As Gao Kai

Huang Qiao
As Nurs Sun Mei

Sun Yan-Xiang
As Emperor

Natas Asoka
As Tricycle driver

Wang Zi-Chen
As Bus driver

Shen Kai
As Doctor
Show all actors (7 more)

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Cute but...not really memorable

I quite enjoyed this movie which features high-schoolers in the 90's navigating friendship and romance. The overall vibe is vibrant and fun, with the heroine being a very lovable character. If I enjoyed the period era in which the movie is set up, I had trouble believing in the heroine "ugly duck" problem with her hair as she was just peak adorable.

Acting was good with Shin Eun Soo shining in her female lead role but unfortunately, I felt that the main male lead role was miscast. Gong Myung acting was alright but clearly I could not buy him as a high school student, even one repeating a year. That gap between the cast and the story was a bit an hinderance in my appreciation of the romance, even if there were a lot of sweet moments.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet 90's youth rom-com. It is not very deep for sure and it did not leave me with a strong lasting impression but I had a good time watching it despite thinking the main lead was a bit of a miscast.

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Buried Choices

Let me say first: this movie had me morally split during its runtime, but the ending was so satisfactory that I have to give it a perfect score of 10. Director Park Chan-wook shows that he is a master of the art, with great cinematography and an unusual, unique approach to storytelling. Some people call this a comedy, but for me it was not comical. It was soul-crushing in the way it showed the spiral of choices that lead one man and one family through life’s challenges.

From the technical side, the movie is very enjoyable, with a few hard-to-watch moments, but if you know the director, this is nothing. The best part for me was the music and the symbolism of the plants that beautifully grow from the secrets buried underneath. The actors also deserve all the praise.

What makes this movie perfect for me is that it has many layers and a rich complexity that provokes the viewer to think about it. It speaks about our capitalistic society and serves as a mirror to reflect on our own choices and everything we have buried in the fight for survival/success. I needed a few hours to settle my thoughts before writing this review. The movie poses two big moral questions: the illusion of inevitability that masks our choices, and the justification for sin. (Actually, there is no sin if there is no God, so in a world without moral authority everything becomes permitted and justified.) I won’t go deeper here so as not to spoil the movie, but I will surely have a lot of conversations about it.

PS. Do trees have a choice?

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜
"Jane" is one of those films that already warn you from the start that it won't be a light experience. It deals with topics like depression, suicide, emotional dependency, and even kleptomania.

The relationship between Jane and the protagonist could have been explored much better. All we really know is that they share a past marked by the same man who disappeared from both of their lives, but the film never bothers to show his side of the story.

The protagonist, for me, was hard to follow. Her life is filled with constant pain, almost apathetic, and since she probably deals with depression and strong emotional dependency, she spends most of the time silent, lost in her own thoughts. This makes the film tiring at times.

The characters barely talk to each other, which makes it difficult to understand the depth of their relationships. The dialogues are short, vague, and it feels like the film wants you to feel things rather than actually understand them. The only thing that really comes through is that Jane, even with her problems and crises, was an important source of support for the protagonist. She was someone who, in some way, made her feel less alone.

One thing that bothered me a lot was the timeline. It's very easy to get lost because the film doesn’t really explain what is happening first, later, or at the same time.

Overall, it's a film that has value, emotion, and intention, but it requires patience. It's the kind of story you can only appreciate if you're prepared for something introspective, sad, and that doesn’t give you all the answers.

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𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨
"Jane" é um daqueles filmes que já começam avisando que não vai ser uma experiência leve. Ele toca em assuntos como depressão, suicídio, dependência emocional e até cleptomania
A relação entre Jane e a protagonista poderia ter sido mais explorada. Sabemos apenas que ambas compartilham um passado marcado por um homem que deixou a vida das duas, mas o filme nunca se preocupa em mostrar o lado dele da história.

A protagonista, pra mim, foi difícil de acompanhar. Sua vida é marcada por uma dor constante, quase apática, e como provavelmente lida com depressão e uma forte dependência emocional, ela passa grande parte do tempo calada, perdida em seus próprios pensamentos. Isso deixa o filme cansativo às vezes.

Os personagens quase não conversam entre si, o que faz com que seja difícil entender a profundidade dos vínculos entre eles. Os diálogos são curtos, vagos, e parece que o filme quer que você "sinta" mais do que entenda. A única coisa que fica realmente clara é que Jane, mesmo cheia de problemas e crises, era um ponto de apoio importante pra protagonista. Era alguém que, de alguma forma, fazia ela se sentir menos sozinha.

Um detalhe que me incomodou bastante foi a linha do tempo. É muito fácil se perder, porque o filme não faz questão de explicar muito bem o que está acontecendo primeiro, depois, ou ao mesmo tempo.

No geral, é um filme que tem valor, tem emoção e tem intenção, mas exige paciência. É o tipo de obra que você só consegue aproveitar se estiver preparado pra algo introspectivo, triste e que não entrega todas as respostas.

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rather boring ...missed opportunity

the starting point of this movie wasn't so bad.
a "time machine" connecting 2 people in different time lines always intrigues me but I feel they could have add a lot more of drama.

this whole plot was basically the push the FL needed to confesses her feeling to her sunbae🤣.


spoilers




maybe my mind is twisted but at a certain point I though the ml was her actual father and by interfering she was dooming her own existence. maybe her mother was pregnant with the writer but then ended up with the other guy.
I also came up with the thought that the ml was gonna die and that the girl basically was a testament that he 'll never end up with his girlfriend regardless of his actions.

I know it's a movie but I wish they explored more.
I wouldn't recommend it even for "cheesiness" because is not worth it.

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“Protective, Possessive, and Unexpectedly Sweet — My Take on A Girl & Her Guard Dog”

Isaku
When I first saw her, I honestly thought this movie would be like every normal romance series. But no — this one surprised me in the sweetest way. Isaku gave me a fresh, soft perspective that I didn’t even expect. She wasn’t dramatic or annoying; she was calm, cute, and easy to root for. She made the story feel light and warm instead of stressful.

Now… let’s talk about Keiya.
Oh. My. God.
Be serious.
This man is fine — like dangerously handsome — and he knows it. But it’s not even just the looks. He is protective, possessive, obsessed, clingy, and STILL cute at the same time. How does that even make sense? I don’t know, but he did it perfectly.

I also love that the movie didn’t drown us in the usual Yakuza danger and violence. Considering the genre, I expected more bloody scenes or heavy drama. But instead, we got a surprisingly sweet, high-school style romance that felt refreshing. I didn’t even know it was going to be that type of vibe, but it worked so well.

Keiya’s character especially carried it — the smile, the flow, the quiet intensity… everything. The way he could literally shape his whole life to fit hers? Too sweet. At first, I thought he was just some older brother figure or senior guiding her, but realizing he had been protecting her for years made it even better.

Honestly, this movie had me grinning the whole time. It was cute, warm, romantic, and unexpectedly addictive.
I’m giving it a big high-five and a big heart from me. 💗👏

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Good action, bad story

Same as Kill boksoon it's a very entertaining action movie but also same as it, the story is the weakest part of it.

I believe you have to watch the first part to fully understand the plot and the characters as some from the previous one are mentioned here and mantis himself was hinted at in the first one so to get the whole picture, watch the first movie before this one~

Now the story is all over the place because it's not very consistent, and generally not that interesting, the characters are just too humbled considering they are killers, sometimes they show them as emotional and sometimes devoid of any feelings Mantis himself was a bit obnoxious to some extent so no interesting characters, and no well-written story, this is only saved by good action sequences, aside from that I wouldn't recommend this at all ~

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Innocence of high school love and maturity of adult love

To anyone who is put off by the idea of student-teacher relationships, this might not be for you. However, I would still suggest to everyone to watch this and keep an open mind. This is far from the casual depiction of that trope. Considering this was Kanchiku Yuri's debut film, it was risky. However, she pulled off one of the most taboo tropes and turned it into a beautiful film. Yuri preserved the playful innocence of high school love while adding in the mature nature of an adult relationship. The development of the characters was a sight to behold. It wasn't forced, but out of pure reasons why they did it.

This is one of the best depictions of love in a romance film. Yuri didn't need to write a lovey-dovey, showy, in-your-face couple to make the audience feel love. She showed it through Rio and Kouki; her innocent and cheerful approach to win Kouki, and his mature and reality-driven way of wanting to be with her while tittering along the lines of society-approved and too much. I can go on for hours explaining parts of the movie and what it meant to the whole story, but I'd rather everyone watch and share their thoughts with other people.

Do search what this kanji means (愛染明王). I'd say it is one of the few easter eggs that I loved, and I give props to Yuri for thinking it was necessary to put in the movie. This is a definite must-watch and repeatable film.

じゃあね

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Sad story of a freelancer

If you want a light, funny, heartwarming movie, this is NOT one of those. The way this story is narrated is full of humour, as if it were a romantic comedy, but it's not. This is a poignant picture of a society where people do not work to live, but live to work, and can never be satisfied, because it seems that it's always possible to do their work better. We see companies sucking life out of freelancers and freelancers willing to give up their health and human relationships in order to keep the deadline. As a freelancer, I saw my younger self in a broken mirror. This movie should be a lesson to anyone: work might be your passion, but set your values straight and put yourself and people close to you above that.

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