Compelling feminist story
I enjoyed this movie and it shed a light on the issues of women in work, pregnancy and the gender disparity. It was very vulnerable and raw emotions, the acting was done exceptionally well with how the actress managed to portray that side of Kim Ji Young when she dissociates from herself. It made a strong point of demonstrating that in this patriarchy society men are not going to be reliable and shouldn't view them as dependable in any shape of way. Even if it's your brother, your uncle your father any male significant other, it doesn't mean they don't have that same mentality. Women should put them selves first and you are always going to feel safer or more connected to woman than to a man because we simply live in two different worlds where both genders are not treated the same.Was this review helpful to you?
The only zombie dancing to BOA's No. 1
I can’t say enough good things about My Daughter Is a Zombie. This movie made me laugh, cry, and nearly explode from the emotional roller coaster toward the end. Seriously, my heart was not ready (and my hands are tied, so you’ll have to watch it yourself to know what I mean 👀). It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and surprisingly deep, a perfect blend of hope, patience, and the reminder that family and friends are the greatest allies we have.Jo Jung Suk has officially become my go-to actor. His comedic timing, expressions, and ability to switch between funny and heartfelt moments are just unmatched. I genuinely couldn’t get enough of his antics here. And Ae-yeong the cat? Absolute cutie, a small but adorable bonus that somehow makes everything better.
This movie hits all the right notes from funny, emotional, and meaningful without being heavy. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who needs a little laughter, a few tears, and a warm hug in movie form. 🧟♀️💖
📌 Watch this if you’re craving a heartfelt comedy that balances chaos, comfort, and unconditional love with a dash of zombie fun.
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Perfect Blend of Various Genres
I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.This was such a fascinating movie. Although the story concept is not exactly new, the script was brilliant. It did such an incredible job setting up the storyline and characters. It also did an outstand job slowly revealing each puzzle piece to the story. I appreciate that they did not go the safe, usual route with one aspect. The cast did an outstanding job in this movie. This also had amazing cinematography and special effects.
******Spoiler Alert******
Without giving too much information, this has a very bittersweet ending.
I like how this focused more on suspense and romance than horror. I also like how they slowly reviled Matias’ backstory and that he was a vampire.
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Good news, Bad news, which do you want first?
Looking for a beautifully shot film with a grounded, human story? This is it. I went in with no prior knowledge of the historical events that inspired Good News, yet I never felt lost or disconnected, the storytelling kept me fully engaged from start to finish.Though it runs for over two hours, the pacing is deliberate and rewarding, making every moment worth it. I especially enjoyed its subtle satire — how it invites you to observe events from the outside, finding humor even in the most serious situations.
The performances were exceptional, with Hong Kyung delivering a breakout role that truly stood out. Good News is the kind of movie that lingers after the credits roll , heartfelt, sharp, and beautifully made. I’m genuinely grateful that it exists, and I can’t recommend it enough.
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A Flight, A Fight, and A Farewell
Hijack 1971 left me shaken and emotional. What stayed with me most was the co- pilot , his calm courage in the face of chaos, his quiet strength, and his unwavering sense of duty. Watching his struggle and resilience moved me deeply; his character embodied true bravery and selflessness.This film isn’t just about a hijacking , it’s about courage, sacrifice, and the strength of the human spirit when faced with impossible choices. It’s powerful, emotional, and truly unforgettable. ✈️💔
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beautiful sad love story
What a beautiful love story. I have been watching tons of C dramas and can only remember a few of them. This story is definitely one that I will remember. I just wish the end wasn't so very, very sad but beautiful nevertheless. I try only to watch stories with happy endings and forgot to check this one before I started to watch. Won't be rewatching it again as there is already enough sadness in this world, but this story will stay with me for sure. Loved the actors, great job. Music/songs are also beautiful and memorable.Thank you for this beautiful, albeit sad drama.
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Trauma over peace!
I have chosen trauma over peace. A beautiful cinematic movie it is. Music and each moment of this movie is so beautiful and hurtful also.I saw many spoilers and I was aware it will hurt me but still chose to watch it.
I rewatch value is one beacause I can't re watch it. I already re watch in my mind again and again and the ending of this movie printed on my mind I just can't remove it. This must so many real life story due lack of recognition of same sex marriage. It hurt so much
The acting by each actor played very well that you feel it! I just wanna appreciate all the team members of the movie including the makers and staff.
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Not perfect but acceptable.
As a reader of the manhwa, this falls short to the original source but an acceptable adaptation for me. As a movie, details surely will fall short from expectations specially when it comes to the characters, it would have been resolved if it were a 6 or 8 episode drama series. But what I really appreciate is that they really stick to the original story or atleast 80-90% of it as they removed 10-20% to squeeze into a 2 hour movie. If this have a sequel then I would surely watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
A Sublime Emotional Journey
I was incredibly excited to be able to see Tan Jianci in a movie theatre on the big screen and was not disappointed. I went with my partner who is not someone who interacts with Chinese entertainment (except through me) and he was also very impressed with the story and acting. I'm thrilled to have gotten the experience and to be able to write this review.TJC plays Li Qi, a lawyer who just wanted to rise above his circumstances. But it's not a kind world for a hearing child with deaf parents (known as CODA) who grew up bullied and in poverty. TJC did a stunning job getting across his struggles between trying to be a good human, who remembers and honors his roots, and his exhaustion with a world that has always pushed him down and never had open doors for him. I'm especially blown away by how adept he seemed at sign language. He looked natural and gave so much emotion through his nonverbal speech.
The main role of Zhang Xiaorui (portrayed by Lan Xiya) was also immensely impressive and moving. Xiaorui is a young deaf woman with the cards stacked against her, but a strong will and an unwillingness to give up or compromise her values. Her scenes with Li Qi were heartfelt and poignant. The juxtaposition of two people from similar backgrounds who clash on their values and approach really helped move the story along in character growth and motivations. Again, the comfort in which the actress used sign language spoke volumes (even when the sound was often muted for effect!) as to the quality of the production, direction, and acting.
An incredibly important shout out also needs to be given to the deep supporting cast of deaf actors. Their stories were equally moving and believable. It is a thoughtful look into the lives of a community that is close knit, but very much disadvantaged and oppressed. I felt that the movie really did a great job highlighting the plight of a marginalized community that falls through the cracks of societal support and is easy prey for those with bad intentions.
I think my only complaint (and why I give this movie a 9.5 instead of a perfect 10) is that the villain, in trying to tell a complex story in 2 hours runtime, lacked depth compared to the rest of the story. I thought his motivations and actions were believable, but the portrayal was almost comical in the lack of nuance. The metaphorical moustache twirling from the antagonist felt contrived when the acting and story were generally so full of thoughtfulness.
The cinematography and sound design deserve a special shout out. The beautifully filmed scenes of a community mired in adversity conveyed much grit but also grim determination. In contrast, the scenes of glitz and glamour gave a sense of the fleetingness and shallowness of eschewing one's morals. The use of music, but especially the use of silence, was phenomenal. It all helped land the beats of this thoughtful story.
If it's at a theatre near you, I highly recommend you take the opportunity to see it. I will say, however, that the subtitles are not as polished as I would have liked. An important note is that the use of the word "dumb" refers to the fairly outdated use of the word to refer to people who are mute. And there was definitely at least one typo. But otherwise, I'm just overcome with joy that I was able to see it in a theatre.
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We had no other choice
Electrifying dark humor and classy satirical reflection of society's cruelest reality, the cutthroat job and career struggle, also the only means of survival in this modern humanity, all masterfully crafted into pin point accuracy of irony that is deep down at our heart. Director Park Chan Wook's signature touches at the panning and transitions are still as significant as ever, he is literally the acclaimed king of cinematography in Korean cinema. The plot is really exhilarating to follow and with character design that properly resembles the dread in this reality, the acting performances definitely injected the soul needed for this movie, it's a complete package of audio visual feast loaded in clever ridicule of how fragmented this world we are in.Was this review helpful to you?
Laughing through political chaos
Isn't it fascinating when a movie ends up becoming one of your most favourites, despite having zero expectations prior watching it? That's Good News to me, for it has become one of the best movies I've watched this year.Good News is about a hijacking story from 1970. Members of the the Red Army Faction hijacked a commercial aircraft and demanded that the flight be rerouted to Pyongyang. Japan, South Korea, and the US deploy several strategies in order to hijack a radio signal from the airplane. The main characters, "Nobody", a mysterious man and the South Korean Seo Go Myung, work for South Korea and they're trying to bring the airplane to their country.
Before I watched Good News, I didn't have a lot of expectations. I was interested to watch it after learning that Hong Kyung and Sul Kyung Gu were in it and the story seemed interesting enough. But apart from that, I went blindly into it. I didn't even watch the trailer and I overall had a very vague impression of the story. Looking back at it, I think I made the right decision.
On the surface, Good News might appear to be a typical Korean thriller based on real events. I was aware of the fact that the movie was based on a real hijacking event, therefore I expected it to be a sort of Hijack: 1981 film. But the film quickly proved me wrong in the best way possible.
I didn't foresee that instead of a serious, historical thriller I would watch a satirical political movie, with plenty of humor. The jokes were spot on and the dialogues and interactions between the characters added more layers to the absurd events. The comedy never felt forced and the jokes flew by smoothly. I genuinely did not expect to have as much fun as I did, I laughed so hard during some scenes to the point I could feel my abs burning!
What I really liked with this film is that it poked fun at everyone. No one was excluded from its sharp humor and satire, be it South or North Korea, Japan, US, communists, marxists etc. Instead of taking sides and making fun of a specific country or political ideology, Good News portrays each side in the most bizarre and laughable way. It was a very bold and daring approach but the writers pulled it off magnificently.
Comedy and history were blended together, resulting in an overall light-hearted movie. But the message never got lost in translation (figuratively and metaphorically). Through its excessive and witty humour, Good News' ultimate goal is to show the hypocrisy of politicians and make fun of their thirst for power. While the story is centered around a hijacking event, it's not the hijackers who get framed as the villains. Throughout the whole movie, we observe how agencies in South and North Korea and Japan move their pawns in order to benefit from the hijack. Politicians from both sides claim that the ultimate goal is to save the lives of the passengers. But underneath the surface, it becomes clear that their intentions are not as humanitarian as they seem.
Corruption, greed, lies, manipulation...These are only a few of the defying traits of people in power. We see how men in powerful positions try to infiltrate people's minds for their own benefit. In order to do so, they utilize three aspects, as stated by "Nobody": real events that happened, a little bit of creativity and the willingness to suspend disbelief. Once you give people something to be afraid of, things are bound to escalate rapidly. Fear, anger and mistrust are sufficient tools at the hands of politicians, especially if they want to ensure their power and influence.
Apart from the well-written script, the film had excellent cinematography and editing. There were many great transitions and the way some scenes were filled enhanced the comedic elements. I especially liked the scenes that took place in Go Myeong's imagination, they were so hilarious and I loved how they were made.
Of course a good story needs a good cast to elevate it. Good News is one of this type of movies where every actor nailed their roles. There wasn't a single moment where I thought that an actor had been a miscast, everyone did their part so well. The interactions between the characters never felt forced and all performances managed to leave a lingering impression on me, with one way or another.
I'll start with Sul Kyung Gu, whom I already knew from The Merciless, Kill Bok Soon, Mantis and Memoir of a murderer. Good News is the fourth project with the director Byun Sung Hyun and once again, Kyung Gu didn't disappoint. He was so good as the mysterious and quirky "Nobody". He carried himself with the required type of arrogance and cleverness. "Nobody" followed orders but he also set up his own rules. Despite his comedic parts, Kyung Gu's performance added more depths to his character through his body language and tone, especially after "Nobody" 's backstory became known. It was one of my most favourite Kyung Gu's roles and I always looked forward to see him.
Ryu Seung Bum was amazing as Park Sang Hyeon, the head of KCIA. He was charming, confident and meticulous. A politician who was after power and who didn't hesitate to manipulate other people, like Go Myung, in order to establish his dominance. Even though the character was unlikeable for the most part, both the writing and Seung Bum's performance made it impossible to look away when Sang Hyeon appeared on screen. It was fascinating watching him speak and act all so full of himself, as if he knew that he would eventually have his way around.
Another actor who caught my attention was Show Kasamaru as the leader of the Red Army Faction. He played the comedic parts very naturally and he was very charismatic. Despite his funny scenes, he was equally good in the more dramatic parts too, making the viewers sympathise a little with him or at least try to understand his goal.
Other remarkable performances were Kim Sung Oh's, who has started becoming one of my most favourite actors and Takayuki Yamada's. Both of them nailed their parts and they were very fun to look at. A very unexpected yet welcome surprise was Jeon Do Yeon's cameo, she ate the 10 minutes of screen time she had like a queen.
But the gem of this movie was undoubtedly Hong Kyung. I doubt that I can do justice to his performance by describing it in mere words. He was so versatile in this role. He didn't just portray Go Myung, he transformed into him. He was absolutely captivating in the funny parts but he was also excellent in the more dramatic scenes, especially during the final act. I could feel Go Myung's emotions pour out of Hong Kyung. His confusion andannoyance at "Nobody's" antics, his fear towards his superiors, his empathy towards the passengers and his desperation to save them, his ambition to be recognised. He was a very complex character who underwent a big development and to whom I became attached until the end of the film. All thanks to Hong Kyung's spectacular performance.
Good News is not just a movie that covers a hijacking event. It's a political comedy that reminds us of the hypocrisy of politicians. It's about following orders and taking matters into your own hands. Ambition over ethics. And above all, it's a reminder of all the untold heroes out there who will never get recognised for their contributions. By the end of the movie, I found myself in deep thoughts, thinking about all the "Nobodies" out there who offer their service to powerful people, only to see their names being ignored by history and letting others take the credit. How far are people willing to go in the name of duty and power? And at the end of the day, does it matter if you get recognised for your actions as long as you're helping others unconditionally? These are only some of the questions the film attempts to answer.
The only reason the film doesn't get a 10 is that during the middle part, there were some scenes that felt like fillers or that didn't kept me interested. Additionally, while the combination of humor and political commentary was done masterfully, I think that the film would have benefited even more from some more "serious" scenes, without any comedic interruptions. Nevertheless, the movie never lost its spark and until the last second, it had my undivided attention.
Good News is by far one of the best movies I've watched this year. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and I certainly did not expect it to handle so many important topics regarding politics. I couldn't recommend it enough, even if you're not a fan of this genre allow yourselves to give it a try. You will not forget it.
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Pyongyang Yes or No
The description puts this movie into the genres of Action, Thriller, Mystery, and Crime, but it is actually an artistic comedy in the style of Wes Anderson. So it is quite unique for Korean cinema.In the plot, the hijackers want to go to Pyongyang, but it seems like no one really knows what to do. Director Byun Sung-hyun took a strange historical story and turned it into an absurd and satirical comedy where all the ridiculous things you could think of find their place. This is good news if you enjoy this kind of comedy, but bad news if you expect something serious and realistic (like the “news” in the movie’s title). For me, the jokes were interesting, especially the intellectual ones, though a few gags felt cringy. Still, once or twice I did laugh out loud.
I appreciate the movie’s artistic style and the detailed production — even the insert shots or flashback scenes that last only a few seconds clearly took effort. (Were some of them maybe made by AI?)
As a religious person, I didn’t like how the movie portrayed prayer, but I admit that it fits the tone of this kind of satirical cinema, which offers viewers a bit of light-hearted escape from a boring reality. Overall, this movie is a good choice for when you have some spare time or want something different.
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Not worth it
Honestly, this had potential only if the fl didnt act so emo and the writers didnt make the ending so obvious by giving us all those hints. Also the acting makes no sense. Like absolutely none. How do these highschoolers see their friend get stabbed right through her chest and act so nonchalant. I was waiting to hear atleast one ear piercing scream and guess what, we got none.Was this review helpful to you?
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You Don’t Own Me (Anymore)
Devastated by the sudden death of her husband, the wealthy Mitsuko (Noriko Tatsumu, sensual icon of the Pinku Eiga genre) discovers that her late partner has left her with a mountain of debts. Among her creditors is the powerful businessman Kito, who literally loses his head over the widow and, after raping her, reduces Mitsuko to his sexual object as a form of “compensation” ... Kito has a son, Kazuhiko, who, despite his impending marriage to the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, also falls madly in love with Mitsuko.Among the more than 200 movies shot by director Mamoru Watanabe, a specialist in the erotic Pinku eiga genre, “Slave Widow” is one of the most popular, thanks to wider distribution that took the film beyond Japan's borders and opened it up to Western audiences.
It must be said that, although the film has not aged particularly well, it still manages to be appreciated after all these years, thanks in part to its relatively short running time of 74 minutes. In some ways, it can be considered a representative summary of this particular film genre.
The devastating social descent into the hell of the worst human aberrations spares nothing for the derelict main character, who sees her world (of middle class extraction) shatter when her status, conveyed by the work of her husband, collides with harsh reality.
Rape, sexual coercion, physical and psychological violence, with money used as a tool of psychological domination; As if she were an exaggerated version of a Puccini heroine, the unfortunate Mitsuko finds herself reduced to the role of sex slave, dominated by the will of old Kito, who, from his position as creditor to the woman's husband, has no qualms about subjugating her for his own personal pleasure in what is a compendium of perversions that would delight any fan of the most explicit sadomasochism...
The woman's suffering passivity is accentuated by the painful condition of her maid, which implicitly also induces a sapphic subtext, though one that is never really revealed. Hers is the most humanised figure among the film's characters, thanks to her naivety and purity in the face of explicit (as well as suffered) depravity. The young girl is a silent (and suffering) witness to the growing sexual desire of Mitsuko, a sex slave and object of desire (even for Kito's son), who is unconsciously unable to escape her own carnal pulsions.
In various reviews of “Slave Widow”, the film's style is rightly described as hieratic, in that, especially in the more explicit scenes, the use of static shots, slow camera movements and overly emphatic acting seem to create an almost solemn atmosphere, foreshadowing the impending tragedy, which is repeatedly “announced” by explicit omens.
However, there is too much mechanicality in the erotic moments, which are not particularly captivating, partly due to the limitations imposed by Japanese censorship at the time, with few nude scenes, which are well limited by framing and appropriate veils. On the other hand, the use of music and ambient sounds (birds chirping, etc.) is interesting, and the great sensuality of the beautiful heroine, who is perfect in her portrayal of a tragic figure, a submissive victim of her own desire, still leaves its mark.
7
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1SUPERB CAST, STORY, AND HONG KYUNG'S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE
This story mixes suspense, tension, and bits of dark humor so well that keeps you engage all throughout. It was honestly so good. The setting captured the time period perfectly, the cast nailed their roles, and the comedic timing was just perfect. The operation scenes are tense but often undercut by absurd political bickering and clever dialogue that made me laugh a few times.The cast delivered great performances across the board. The real highlight was Hong Kyung. He plays a young air force officer caught between duty and conscience, and he absolutely nails it. It's definitely his strongest performance since Innocence (2020). You can really see how much he's grown as an actor and I have always thought he had something special, and this movie confirms it.
I love how this movie combines serious political tension humor in such a natural way. It's not just funny for the sake of being funny. Even during the more intense part, it never loses its wit and humanity.
The climax is handled so well, unpredictable, fast paced. The direction, the performances, the humor, the visuals, and especially Hong Kyung's acting make it one of the stand out Korean films of the year. Overall, it's an absolutely a very good quality type of film. A must watch!
Plot 9/10
Acting and Characters 10/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Writing 9.5/10
Pacing 9/10
OST/Score 9/10
Overall 9.5/10
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