Reviews

1st half: Romance
2nd half: Drama
Ending: Happy
Recommendation: Watch it

This Korean remake of the Taiwan movie "Hear Me" has a more sweet, romantic and cute vibe than the original which was more romcom. Main differences are the sibling roles are swapped, and this adaptation focuses and shows more on how deaf people live life and how they are treated. This adaptation also gives more screentime and story to the swimming sister, also Kim Minju is such a visual haha. We also see a much bigger sister bond and relationship. The Taiwan version is also more OST heavy while this adaptation relies on BGM.

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chaotic mess

I've anticipated this movie for a few months now and idk what I expected but not this-

on one site its interesting because there aren't that many movies about streaming (as in thriller genre ofc) and I liked that most of it was actually "streamed" by the ml

but there are multiple situations that I genuinely don't understand, why was it added for example there was a scene where he was parking down and a guy asked him to not park there then after a small argument he started undressing in public til underwear - aware that he's being filmed too and tried jumping on the car. like wrf 😭
i don't mind comedy mixed with thriller if it fits but shouldn't it make sense??

it just got very weird in multiple scenes but I don't want to spoiler anything so I'll leave it at that!

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"Among all the people you know, how many do you really understand?"

The summary of the movie reminded me of my favourite childhood movie "Matilda". Though both are centered around an abused young girl developing a friendship with a teacher, House of Hummingbird has a more in-depth approach, exploring relationships and sexuality, further outlining the historical context and gender roles in the '90s, and portraying the mentor being as a flawed individual.

This movie's strength lies in its ability to deliver an impactful message and elicit a powerful emotional response, while being filmed and presented in a plainly. Being part of a working-class family, there is no flashiness in Eun-hee's life and the movie is delivered in a similar way, often making the viewer feel as if physically there with the characters. While watching the movie, it is very easy to empathize with Eun-hee. Through the abundant number of hardships, I found myself holding on to the little happy moments in the film, in a similar way she did when they appeared in her life.

I would recommend this movie to any fans of "coming-of-age" films, as it hits all the key points of the genre and delivers social commentary in a way that is easy for the viewer to digest; through the eyes of a young girl.

Overall rating: 4/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Enjoyability: 3.5/5

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A better executed sequel

I don't usually hold much expectations of sequels, because they either mess up the plot of the prequel or feel like an attempt to capitalize on a story that doesn't require a sequel. This was one of the instances where a sequel, although not really necessary, surpassed the quality in all aspects of the original.

The second movie in the Pee Nak franchise follows the leads from the prequel, Nong, First and Balloon, haunted by yet another spirit in the same temple they were all ordained, but this time, the spirit seems to be even more vengeful than the last, and seems to hold a special grudge towards First and Balloon. They are joined by K-Pop idol Min Jun, who is to be ordained at the temple, and several novice monks and people who live at the temple to solve the new mystery.

The story flowed much more seamlessly this time around, the plot was still rooted in mythology and could have been explained better because I had a hard time connecting it to the actual story, but the main narrative itself was written without being too fragmented.

The horror.. it was still not quite scary but I'll forgive them because I don't come for the scary, I'm not a huge fan of the scary.

What I do come for is the comedy, which was also better in this movie. The same absurdist, dark comedy, but a bit more well written and enhanced by the fact that we had some established characters and could read into how they would behave during certain situations.

The sequel does have connections to the first movie, so be sure to give that one a watch before this. It's actually alright if you don't as well, there a few details that may be confusing if you haven't watched the prequel, but this is a brand new plot and the biggest connections to the first movie are the characters. I would recommend this over the first one, but I would also recommend watching that one if you want continuity.

Overall, this was a decent horror comedy, nothing too brilliant but it gets the job done, much like Pee Nak.

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Seoul vibe? or American vibe?

I was recommended this by my dad after watching it on the way back from a business trip and because he thought it was so revolutionary, I also though it would be. This show was so good for him, that he now watches dramas from Korea when back from work.
I thought that the show was good, obviously I quickly noticed the black American influence immediately. As to whether or not this is accurate to reality, I have no clue. I think the overall script and storyline was a bit lacking, especially towards the end. My dad and I both agreed it would have been cool to see them in LA. In my opinion, even just having the characters realize they don't need to leave Korea and that they love their country would have been enough, but we have no idea of knowing if they did well or not. Overall, it was good not great.

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Way to short

As usual, it's so painfully short that it doesn't allow the concept to live up to its full potential. As much as I love the rich kid wanting to be something that their parents don't want them to be, because of how short this was I just wasn't able to be fully interested in it, but nonetheless I still did enjoy it. I really liked the main two's relationship, the kind of forced proximity and the tension between them since the start oh boy. Overall, it's just a short and cute series but there's not really much more to say about it, hopefully it has a thai adaptation at some point because I would love to see more of this story.

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Starting few minutes were good but aftr tht idk wut to say

🚨****SPOILER ALERT****🚨



Ok so i have hersd alot of good reviews bout this movie ppl say to this day they r traumatised or there r so many plot twist there were only 2 and werent tht major i mean whn there was whole suspense abt tht room i was like ok bro is prlly gonna be kept there and tortured or smthng but it was genuinely rlly fun whn tht whole suspemse was going on and whn his brother got kidnapped i was like oh sht and whn he came back home all chill i was like thts not his brother everythng was soo good till he heard his mom sayin all this sht to his brother on the call tht he is able to walk and sht i was like ok uk like prlly the brother will do sm sht to him keep him in tht room since no one goes there but boom the mom was acting weird everyones cover flew open and they werent his famile he was in hypnosis of him being brought back in time to re winess his crime and all wtv ye it was sht tbh i mean i expected like more plot twists to come but no legit the last plot twist was i wldnt call tht a plot twist but wtv tht the ml was a killer the movie wld have still been better if:
1) tht the fake family acc made him refresh or make him forget the night he killed his brothers family the fake brothers but it wasn acc him who killed him but the fake brother himself and make it look like he was the culprit and get him killed or smthng like tht and in the ending the ml recalls tht night but i was too late and dies
2) Tht his brother was abducted and a guy came acting like his brother and thn whn the ml caught him tht he was not acc his brother so he abducts the ml and thn he tortures him in tht no entering oom and thn he makes him forget all those things he witnessed and the only thing he remebers is tht he was tortued but wont remeber where who and why and thn tht guy pretending to be his brother acts as is he found the ml and lives with the family as the brother


Tbh ig i watched alot of mystery thriller movies so i knew wut was gonna hpn but trst me im dum whn it comes to guessing the next scene but whn the mothers cover blew i was able to guess the whole plot but obvsly many ppl might like it and many wont its all on u whether u wanna watch it or not

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Funny, requiring a bit of background study

Let me clarify lol - it doesn't actually require any studying.

The movie is about three friends who all need to get ordained for different reasons, and decide to get ordained at the same temple. They soon find that the temple is haunted, and they may not be able to get ordained because of the strange events that are happening in the temple.

The story relies heavily on mythology and folklore, and though it is explained, the narrative could have benefited from a longer and better explanation. The plot is heavily tied to the explanation, and with a better explanation and execution, the story would have flowed better.

The horror - it wasn't actually scary. I'm not a huge fan of "horror" horror, so I usually choose to watch horror comedies, which tend not to be too scary. Even on that scale, this was relatively low on the fear factor scale.

The comedy was good. It had a mix of absurdist comedy with dark humor, and had some moments that genuinely had me laughing out loud.

Overall, this was a decent movie that could have been executed better. It's definitely not the top - notch level when it comes to horror comedies, but it gets the job done if you're in a pinch.

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Social Commentary during Censorship in the Korean Film Industry

As someone who was not familiar with the Korean political situation in the '70s, I went into this viewing with very little context. I appreciated that even though the two main characters were men, there were still moments showing the women's perspective regarding women being "short-changed" during this time.

The film itself is fast-paced and brings laughs through physical humour and funny interactions. Though there is constant "chaotic energy" coming from the characters' adventures and reinforced by the camera movements and music, Ha Gil-jong ensured there was emphasis on the meaningful moments. This contrast strengthened the impact on the viewer, especially for more poignant moments like the "whale hunting" scene.

Overall, I am happy I watched this film as I enjoyed the soundtrack and it inspired me to look further into the film censorships during this time. This is not a movie I would recommend as a "casual watch", however it is a great film for people who wish to have a better understanding of the effects the military dictatorship had on the Korean youth, and society as a whole.

Rating
Overall: 3.5/5
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyability: 3/5

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Hwang Jungmin So Good I Wanna Fight Him (Respectfully)

BROOO THIS FILM?? ABSOLUTELY INSANE. I had to pause → google → play → pause again just to keep up with the historical tea 💅🏼 Like I needed context cause the drama was DRAMA-ING.

The cast? STAR-STUDDED CHUNGMURO ROYALTY. Every actor came to SLAY and not a single soul missed. HWANG JUNGMIN?? Bro was SO deep in his role I was actually mad at him irl 😭 his acting was so good.

The movie is tight, straight to the point, no filler, no time to breathe — just pure tension and chaos from start to finish. It’s so well-structured that you’re not bored for a second, even when it’s all boardrooms and soldiers.

If you’re into Korean politics, modern history, or you just like slow-burn intensity that EXPLODES — this one’s a MUST. Watch it, scream at the screen, then google everything after like I did.

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