Reviews

Real or just Grand Guignol?

The first thought that popped into my head after finishing this film was:
“Was any of that even real… or just part of the Grand Guignol?”
And I think that’s exactly what the movie intended — to completely blur the line between reality and performance, truth and theatre.

The film doesn’t hold your hand. It throws you into a stylized, disturbing world and says:“Interpret it.”

It had multiple heavy themes — grooming, manipulation, gore, horror — without ever being straightforward. You're constantly questioning what's real and what’s part of the show.

The symbolism?
Honestly… I didn’t catch all of it. Some of it went right over my head
But even then, the atmosphere, the tone, and the emotional discomfort hit exactly where they needed to. You don’t need to understand everything to feel the weight of it.

Despite how disturbing it is, I have to say:
The film succeeded in what it wanted to portray.
It left me haunted, confused, and thinking — long after the credits rolled.

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Morally gray

Morally gray, emotionally chaotic — and weirdly satisfying.

This movie will absolutely make you question everything.

It starts off strange, unexpectedly turns wholesome, then throws betrayal at you — not once, but twice — and just when you're bracing for a tragic spiral... it lands on a happy ending. I genuinely enjoyed the ride, even if it left a weird taste in my mouth.

It’s definitely an experimental film, not meant to be taken at surface level. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re into morally complex stories where no one is fully right or wrong — this might work for you too. I mean they all were wrong at one point.

I wanna talk about all three characters but that'll be too much spoiler, all I'll say is no one was absolutely right.

That ending was completely unexpected. You’d think with everything that happened, the story would tear itself apart. But instead, it leans into the mess and decides: “You know what? Let’s make peace with it.” And weirdly, that worked for me.

It’s a story that doesn’t want you to look too deeply into anyone’s morality. It just asks you to sit with the discomfort, the love, the betrayal, and the strange softness that remains when it’s all done.

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A Recipe Not Worth It's Ingredients

Where to even begin with this one... I watched for my girl Nahyun, formerly of Sonamoo and was pleasantly surprised to see the rest of the cast that was included. Unfortunately for me, Nahyun and the other idols listed that I was interested in seeing on screen are relegated to the last half hour of film.

Instead of focusing on what makes the idol group, we get a deeply unfunny film focused on a washed up manager, Bae Jae Seong, trying to take advantage of the situation. Told in a series of 'The Hangover' inspired alcoholic binge and black-out story bits and pieces, without any punchlines or soul for any character, hero or villain. The padding being the individual idols stories, which are nothing but cookie-cutter and uninspired that we've seen other stories do before, and better.

What makes the movie worse, is the clear lack of focus and detailing. The audio, especially for a story that should focus on music, was awful. I constantly had to monitor my own volume in order to not get my ears blown out, or attempt to pick up any of the spoken dialogue - some of which I only knew was happening due to the subtitles. The sets were bland and felt closer to rented locations for influencers, not a feature length film. The filming and direction was fine, but nothing impressive for evocative.

The only redeeming quality for fans of any of the idols, is genuinely the last ten ish minutes of the film. You don't even need to pretend to know what's going on or how they got their to enjoy it. Honestly, most of their acting skills, minus Bae Woo Hee, are... limited to say the least. It won't blow you away by any means, but at least it's the Idol Recipe completed and that's about all anyone needs anyway.

This is by no means, a good film in ANY regard. It's something you can put on in the background while working, glance up every once in awhile, and get the gist of it. Probably don't need to look up if you have a decent command of Korean. But if you're a fan of someone in cast - save yourself the trouble and just watch the final performance and count it as watched.

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A Story Told One Rumor at a Time

This was the second film by Hirokazu Kore‑eda that I saw; my first was Broker, and I didn’t even realize they were by the same director. From the very first shot, Monster pulled me in with how it shows one cruel rumor from different angles, each adding a bit more truth and a bit more pain. I felt completely trapped in those everyday moments because Kore‑eda’s slice‑of‑life style makes you live every heartbeat. It’s my favorite recent film, and afterward I dove into other titles from the director like Our Little Sister and The Shoplifters, confirming that Kore‑eda’s gentle, honest storytelling always gets to me.

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Cute and funny

Cute, funny, entertaining rom com. I was all set to give it a 9 because I did enjoy watching, the ending was a happy one but there wasn't any kiss scene between them but I felt that I would watch it again.

But then came the real ending and OMG was it good! They did the scene in Ghost... yeah that one, complete with him being shirtless! Very hot kisses! Popped it right up to a 9.5 (yeah, I'm shallow like that, don't judge) 😊

It didn't hurt that Huang Xiao Ming as Xiao Gong (the ML) was adorably hot!

Definitely one to watch, especially if you need a palate cleanser from all the more heavier dramas.

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✨️ Tears down my cheeks ✨️

A masterpiece, so underrated
I sobbed all the tears inside of me.
I am a suckered for female centered plot movies or dramas, I love friendship and I which I had friends like them....anyways this is the friendship I dream of, except the tragic part of Suji's story that no one wants and it broke my heart, their leader is a WOMAN I loooooved her character and how she's been there for them alive as dead, ICON.
the one who was separated from her daughter also broke my heart to pieces I was so happy for her and grateful that she was saved.
this is real friendship ppl who are there for you all the time no matter what happens and no matter how much time separates you.
I was saving this movie for so long, and I finally decided to watch it today july 4th 2025 which is my 23rd birthday and also the final official day of school.
praying for everyone who reads this review to have precious real friends who stay with them forever. ❤️

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Love Prevails Above All

I was disappointed to see the ending of Hirugao the series (2014) to see that Yuichiro just went back to his prison warden wife Noriko as if nothing happened, and Rikako went back to her psycho controller husband like it was no big deal. Only Sawa stood by her choice for love with conviction. She got a divorce from her clown husband and moved to a new town. She lived a pure lifestyle for 3 years and then fate brings Yuichiro back to her once again. She chooses to attend his lecture and the love story is rekindled once again. Noriko’s psychopathic nature gets turned to new heights as her jealousy makes her do very bizarre things like asking them to perform their “union” in front of her in a hotel room. She is truly so weird and disgusting. She thinks that an affair is just lust and bodies in friction. But what Sawa and Yuichiro have together is pure. They actually spend time with each other in a silent bond in the forest and the creek and that lifts their love to sacred heights. It’s something that Noriko could never imagine. She simply doesn’t understand their love because she is not capable of reaching that frequency. So she just resorts to her evil and manipulative ways like throwing herself off a balcony to manipulate Yuichiro into coming back to help her. Well that short time that Sawa was with Yuichiro was so precious and beautiful- when they were living together. And even though Noriko’s evil and vengeful nature made her kill Yuichiro in the end, the last thing that came out of his mouth was “I love Sawa” and the ring he bought was passed on in love between innocent children- their love was innocent, although it was dressed up in “adultery” by the world’s definition. Love won in the end. Even though Noriko killed the form of her husband, and lied to Sawa saying that “he apologized and came back to me in the end” as she tries to control the narrative, Yuichiro’s heart was with Sawa, and God blessed Sawa with Yuichiro’s child as she says in the end the little life that is growing in her womb gave her a new meaning in life. Noriko was using pregnancy and motherhood as a form of control and manipulation (saying things like “I want that baby” like it’s an agenda item on her to do list), but the baby was born only to the one who held love as sacred. Sawa and Yuichiro’s bond was so beautiful- I wanted them to be together so much. Noriko’s anger and vengeance carried on even after killing her husband and her hatred continued even after his death as she tells Sawa that she will hate her forever, but Sawa didn’t hold any hatred in her heart towards Noriko for what she did. That shows the purity of Sawa’s heart and the evil inside the wife’s heart. That’s why a pure soul like Yuichiro left his evil wife. She was nothing but a controller and manipulator. It was a tragic ending in form, but truly it was triumphant for love. Even though adultery is seen as just s*x, this love story showed the innocence of love preserved as Yuichiro’s ring was passed on to innocent children as they shared their love.

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who the f*ck is Alice?!?

this the main problem when u don't speak the language - the translations or the translator can mess with ur ability to understand what is really being conveyed & sadly i have not found a good translations for either movie in this series.

but on a whole this was better & yet somehow not (given other LGB movies that i have seen). the depressing theme persisted & have to say the only person i liked was Ke Luo, this character even made me like Shu Nian (& it's not that Shu Nian is a dislikeable character per-say), it's just that i can't with his subservient personality. when it comes to Xie Yan, his family or anyone in his circle, Shu Nian turns into this weak, groveling non-human. which i get & yet i don't like.
there were moments where he stood-up to Xie Yan, but on a whole he let everyone push him around - even the new crazy woman in Xie Yan's life.
btw WTF was her deal?!? the reason her eye's lit up when Xie Yan told her he wasn't into women, was cause she's gay. but then why did she come to mess with Shu Nian?!? not only to mess with his head, but to frame him with intentionally poisoning her food???? didn't get the logic behind that move.... but she is crazy, so never mind.

given Shu Nian's personality, the debt he felt towards Xie Yan & his family, let alone the disapproval from Xie Yan's father i doubt there could've been a positive outcome to this romance... as being an orphan Shu Nian couldn't be the cause of Xie Yan cutting ties with his family & being disinherited too boot. that is a burden i doubt he could or would carry - that's why he chose to run away, leaving as he had come into that house - with nothing. like i said depressing!

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The only love triangle I've ever accepted...

I loved this movie—immediately rooted for the ship from the first scene. It’s that classic setup: naive innocent shy girl, bossy angry tsundere bad boy, and a sweet gentle flower boy. Don’t overthink it, js a fun Japanese flick meant to make u smile. Yu’s adorable and so prettyy, cheesy in the best way. The cozy anime vibe is perfect, with some spicy drama lurking. It’s a lighthearted, fun movie that’s perfect for a relaxing night when u want something cute, flirty, and full of energy, and it’s definitely a film I’ll be rewatching whenever I need a pick-me-up.

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19 Again but Female

I’ve always found this type of trope fascinating and funny. It’s always wonderful to see an old soul operate as a younger person in the modern world and how everyone around them seems to adore them for their old fashioned taste.

Although the one inevitable thing and trope we never leave out of these…is the borderline incest. I know it adds to the ‘bit’ and comedy but man, I’ve always found it a bit weird. I’m just glad that in this movie they didn’t shy away from rejecting the grandson hardcore instead of lowkey leading ‘em on.

This movie was funny and entertaining and the actress did really well. Some bits were weird like the scene with the baby in the stroller (like What is going on???😅😅😅) or the young producer falling for the miss granny. (Although that bit isn’t THAT weird since the whole plot is showing the MC’s dilemma between staying young or going back.)

Overall it was a good movie. But beware of Kim Soohyun jumpscare at the end…eugh…😷

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It was a good thrilling movie with some dramatic events tho a few things were lost on me

And I really need her and Suho as twins cuz their resemblance is unmatched


What happened to the mbs pd , he got out before her and disappeared
The cast order ruined the reveal, whose finger was that? What did the kidnapper tell her to eat at first?
Telling her to open her shirt as a woman was low..

She didn’t know he was a kid but exposing him to bullying was harsh and she never apologized even after the reveal

I wish they used drones to continue the broadcast, or even had the inside cam reveal the fall and then have the pd film the confrontation

Cuz in the end, they’d still shallowly gain money from that

The cop, she blamed herself as much as she blamed the others, she probably buried herself in work then it was too late
And, did she die?
Fl could just “leave” the industry and feel guilty, but there was no aftermath, I’d also have added a scene of her being interviewed and swarmed by paparazzi, in a way to get hurt by the media and another way to use her power for good this time

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A bit too linear , like a one ep drama rather than a movie
It is always fun to see madongsuk one punch everyone especially demons

But it barely had any substance and as mom said “all that just for one demon and one possessed girl?”
I didn’t like how they’d show the present then conveniently have a backstory ready
And the ending felt too opened ended, I’d have wished they kept madongsuk instead of making it cartoon, and also zero quotations were answered

The house also looked like the ghost one from the great escape with the face in the wall, tbh that was more scary

They had this whole cult of demons, that targeted the dr and her sis
And yosup, or how both madongsuk and Sharon had demon powers, or even stopping the biggest demon
Nothing was answered

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sorry, but don't get the hype or why anyone would give this 8 or 9 stars - to each their own i guess... but IMO this a toxic mess.

at the start i really felt sad for Shu Nian, Shu Nian the orphaned child that just wanted parents & a family - ended up getting adopted (more like people that go to a kennel or an animal shelter & adopt a pet). that is what he became, an obedient pet that sat when his "master" ordered.... this type of conditioning where u r more or less r molded into the subservient slave Shu Nian turned into, is beyond sad.

with Xie Yan idk if he was born a sociopath or turned into one, cause of how his parents indulged & spoilt him. they for sure never taught him better or even considered to treat Shu Nian as a human, a child that needed love & care let alone safeguarding. he was their sons position & as such he could do what he wanted with/to him. their contribution was to make sure he was fed, clothed & educated, nothing more - like u would with a pet.

Shu Nian being gay was that part of the conditioning he went through - considering how he had no personal space to speak off, Xie Yan never let him out of his sight, he treated him like a pet touching, cuddling him to sleep - constantly invading his space/privacy... but Shu Nian is human not an animal, so maybe this treatment made him develop feelings for his "master". either way i don't get how Xie Yan didn't realize that he was gay, not just cause of how he treated Shu Nian, but his gf saying he got close to a British buddy that was effeminate & he treated him like he did Shu Nian, that's not a coincidence - right??!?

mentioning Jiang Yao - i don't get women like her, i get that the main reason she was with Xie Yan was money, she hit the jackpot if she married him, so she was hanging on for dear life. but if u r a woman & u know/suspect that the man u r hanging around, is treating other men more affectionately then u, getting rid of one man or the other wont matter - cause in the long run, there will always be a new man that will draw his attention away from u - cause he is gay - so keep living a life where u pay money to thugs to get rid of the new guy? is the life she wants???

anyway this was a toxic mess (as i mentioned above), i get that Shu Nian was brainwashed into turning into the slave he was & i get that as a viewer it's easier to say 'why he not breaking those bonds, he not a kid anymore. shouldn't he want out of that weird dynamic?!?' especially when he saw his "master" with a woman, why stay around until u r sent away? & then he choses not to go, to further his studies - great! but why answer Xie Yan call. why not disappear. didn't get the logic in that move.
like didn't get Xie Yan letting Jiang Yao off with a weak-ass warning that amounted to nothing. there no cops in this world?!? usually tired of seeing how easily cops r bought by wealthy people, here when it isn't even needed as Jiang Yao broke the law & there's no hide nor hair of them - ugh!
anyway this a one off & if i watch the sequel it's only cause this ended confusing; like there scenes missing or something, or maybe it was a teaser for the sequel idk... will see

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