Reviews

"Don't come home"

Farewell China was a 1990 film directed by Clara Law and filmed primarily in New York. The film showed the difficulty many illegal immigrants without a safety net of family or community suffer, especially when emigrating to one of the most expensive cities in the world.

After years of trying, Li Hong receives her visa and travels to New York City ostensibly in order to study. Her husband, Nan Sheng stays in China with their baby son, Sansan. At first, Nan Sheng receives seven letters from Hong a month. The letters stop coming after she begs him to come home and he tells her tough it out and stay. Eventually Nan Sheng takes the dangerous illegal route to the states to find Hong. It doesn’t take long for him to discover the squalor and danger she lived in and the despair that riddled her life. With the help of Jane, a teenage Chinese American prostitute, Hong begins the arduous search for his wife.

The story of cultural identity and the dangers illegal immigrants faced, especially in 1990s New York City and the boroughs, was compelling. Arriving in a foreign land, with limited English skills, no money, and no connections was a recipe for disaster. However, Law lost me in the implementation of the elements. The over-the-top 15-year-old prostitute with a heart of gold who helped Nan Sheng did not hit as authentic. It was also disturbing when he worked as her pimp, “Chinese little girl. 15-years-old. Beautiful, clean, and sexy.” Nan Sheng stumbling across live sex shows and utter filth and overwhelming crime felt like a bad stereotype of the city. Although admittedly, 1990 was a peak year for crime. And people illegally in the country don’t go to the police for fear of deportation. The ending also let me down as it felt contrived and out of left field.

Aside from reservations I had about the storytelling, the acting was quite good. Tony Leung Ka Fai conveyed Nan Sheng’s longing, perseverance, and breaking points. The story of Maggie Cheung’s Li Hong was told primarily through flashbacks. Her character went from hopeful for a better life to the threshold of utter despair taking its toll on her sanity. Nan Sheng would come to understand how traumatic the words, “Don’t come home,” could be.

As much as I enjoyed Autumn Moon by Clara Law, I was unable to connect to Farewell China the same way. The very real horrors and sense of isolation and loss immigrants can feel was diminished by the melodramatic approach.

9 May 2025
Trigger warnings: Insects. Sexual content and full nudity, especially at a live sex show. Sex with an underage girl.

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what the..

felt like the writers poorly disguised gore/torture fetish. the sexualisation of all the young boys was so bizarre, and like why were half of them kissing when they’d barely just met or were trying to kill each other??? genuinely felt like watching a soft dark web p*rno or something.

the only saving grace of the whole mess was the cinematography as some of the shots were really beautiful and aesthetic, it’s just a shame it was wasted on well whatever the hell that was

( 10/10 the random penis chopping scene was funny tho like it was so goofy and unserious )

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the dynamics between teacher and student

I have to admit I didn’t know what the theme was about🤦🏽‍♀️. My reason for watching was Lee Byung Hun. I’m not even sure what I thought The Match was about . I know surely I didn’t think of the game Go. Eventually I realized where the movie was going and had to see how the King would handle the situation with his student. The dynamics between Lee Byung Hun and Yoo Ah In was so good that they had me crying in some scenes. I wanted the student to win but didn’t want the teacher to lose. I felt so bad for the student when he won and couldn’t celebrate. Once I got into it I couldn’t turn away. I love movies like that with such a great cast.

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Feeling respected, recognized, and valued

'Open' tells a moment in the life of Kim Hando (played by Youngnam Cha, an actor known for his roles in 'Seoul Mates' (2014) and 'Summer' (2015), a young student who has a big secret that his family, friends, and all his classmates don't know: he's gay.
Hiding his identity hasn't been easy for him as he navigates between love, friendship, and authenticity in a heterosexist school environment and society, such as South Korea's.
The story follows his efforts to protect his identity when one night, while studying at home with Junjae (Yoonho Jo, in his acting debut), his friend and classmate, his boyfriend (played by newcomer Seon-Hyuk Kim) arrives. Our protagonist will experience a moment of gay panic, as he externalizes the shame caused by internalized homophobia.
The interesting thing about the short film directed by Jun Beom, a South Korean filmmaker who directed his second film, 'Secret Spectacles', in 2017, is the joy and freedom Kim feels (which he expresses with a smile and small gestures of satisfaction) when he discovers that his friend has accepted his sexuality.
Kim has won a real battle by feeling respected, acknowledged, and valued by his friend and classmate.
I have no doubt that a path now opens up for Kim where he feels he can be himself, without hiding who he loves or how he identifies, and can live his homosexuality completely naturally without perceiving it as inferior to heterosexuality.

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An overall entertaining drama

This drama begins kind of slow and uneventful, but it doesn't take long to understand what Woo Jae is writing has everything to do with his past relationship with Yeon Woo. It takes awhile for the complete picture of what happened in the past and how it has effected both of them in the present time.
I found it kind of interesting how the scenes are playing out between the man & women in the story being written, while you completely understand who each character is representing on screen.
It's definitely an original approach to a BL drama that I have seen. I thought the actors Joon Gyu & Jung Wan definitely clicked on screen together. It was a bit cold in the beginning, but most bl stories begin that way anyway.
Toward the end, they both gave great performances alone & with each other.
If you want a relaxing drama without too much to endure along the way, this one works.
The movie version is a much better way to enjoy it, rather than the short episodes with breaks.

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PN 4, A SERIOUS HORROR & REFRESHING TO WATCH IN THIS FRANCHISE. And Be ready for PN 5 :)

A Good Mix of Horror + Comedy + Serious Emotional Stories + Mystery / Suspense.
EVERYTHING IS BALANCED EQUALLY n RIGHT !!
(Nothing More, Nothing Less)

Very Good, Interesting n Funny.
And it would be refreshing to watch this, out of all the movies in this Franchise, if U are looking for a Serious Horror with not much humour.

*** HORROR:
Coming to the Horror part,
This is more like a plot-driven Psychological Horror than a Horror Comedy, while the other three movies in this franchise, are pure Horror Comedies .

There are a lot of Good Jump Scares too, for Horror Lovers! ;)

The Haunting scenes here are Scary n Serious.
While in the previous 3 movies, the haunting scenes are funny n hilarious.

The horror effects, sudden jump scares, the mystery about & the suspense around the ghost, are all Good n depicted in this movie more, than the other 3 movies.

*** COMEDY:
Director Mike never disappoints when it comes to Comedy genre, especially when queer characters are involved!

As said in my previous Pee Nak Reviews:
Thai Comedies (Horror or Rom-Com), as usual, are always CHAOTIC !
(If U are aware of Thai comedies, only then, U can enjoy this.
Bcz Every Country has its OWN TONE OF COMEDY, especially Japan or Thai comedies are not for everyone )

The movie is Funny but mostly, the Comedy here, is subtle / subdued, compared to the other Pee Nak movies.
The humour is balanced, soft toned n under control.
Not an "over the top" comedy at all, though majority of the comedy is by queer characters, who are loud for a hilarious output usually, Oops.

Here, for the major part of the movie, the concentration is more on the development n depiction of the Serious Story n Horror than on Comedy.

Placement of that Insurance advertisement as a part of the story is funny.

*** PLOT:
The movie depicts religious rituals like "Ordaining to be a monk" n fictitious stories of mythological characters in Buddhism n are interesting to watch.

The Main story starts with Mean's character being haunted by a ghost.
The mystery about who that vengeful spirit is n the suspense of why does it haunt only him, are well maintained, till the ghost's identity is revealed along with its story.

The Ghost's story includes a beautiful emotional story of two childhood friends and a very sad Bullying track.

The Ghost when alive as a human, misunderstands n takes a Promise made by the two friends as broken by the friend. Also the bullying by everyone around adds to the emotional wound, finally making it to become a vengeful spirit n so, keeps haunting for revenge.

The Past story of Mean n Plan shows a fictitious mythological story of two Nagas (Giant snakes) protecting the village with the Precious Stones n both if them, being born together for a total of 5 births.

And the main story continues with the adventures of the team finding a solution to the haunting n warding off the Vengeful Ghost peacefully.

All these stories are interesting to watch and the Intertwining of all these stories into one main plot, is WELL WRITTEN .

***
Cinematography is VERY GOOD.
Production, Direction n Pacing are GOOD.
Filming Locations are BEAUTIFUL.
CGI /Visuals are COOL n CLEAN.
There is an improvement in the Quality of Camera Work n Taking.

And so overall, in terms of direction, cinematography, production n editing, U can see an improvement in this movie, compared to the first 3 movies.

*** ACTORS / CHARACTERS:
The recurring characters n cast Mean, Aim, James and Tar are cool and the new characters introduced here are funny n good.

The Child artists acted very well.

It's different to see Plan in a ghost role :)
(I remember Plan only as a goofy angry bird from one of his previous dramas, haha)

Here he played three roles - The bullied Human, the Vengeful Ghost n the Naga

Tar has grown up alot :)
Mean has become more handsome ;)
Mean - Plan's bromance is Good.

Aim n James are hilarious n chaotic, as usual!
Garto, Intanont n Minton are added to Aim n James' chaotic team😂

*** ENDING:
The climax - the good byes of the two friends, is emotional.
Concludes with how the two Nagas saved Mean from the ghost, making it to realise that the two friends' promise was never broken n thereby, the vengeful spirit is relieved peacefully.

That Ending scene :o - all scared n screaming😂, maybe a new ghost haunting has already begun, giving a hint to the next part /Sequel.
BE Ready for PEE NAK 5! :)

***
My RATING is 8.5 / 10

*** COMPARISON OF THE MOVIES IN THIS FRANCHISE:

Can't really Rank any movie as the most or the least favourite, in this franchise.
My Rating for all 4 is the same n liked all 4 equally bcz one with more comedy, another with subtle comedy but all have serious stories.
And so ALL 4 MOVIES ARE ENTERTAINING n FUN TO WATCH!

In terms of Comedy,
PN 4 < PN 1 < PN 2 < PN 3

In terms of Story,
All have Serious Interesting Stories.
Story of PN 1 is a simple one while the other three have twists n little complicated stories.

Also, Watched this franchise long ago n remembered these as STANDALONE n UNRELATED MOVIES n need to watch all, just to know the background and the relations of the Recurring Characters.

But now when I re-watched all 4, realised that all 4 movies are RELATED, may not be a Proper n Direct SEQUEL to each other.
But One movie's storyline is taken from a scene or concept from the previous movie. That's how they are related.

For eg;
1) PN 2's main storyline "One old Monk n Buddha with Naga hood Amulet" is discussed in 1-2 scenes in PN 1 n are elaborated in PN 2 as the main story.

2) PN 3's "Past lives, stealing Golden Anklets etc" is depicted in PN 2 n are elaborated in PN 3 as the main story.

3) PN 4's Naga n Plan's character is shown in two scenes in PN 3 n are elaborated in PN 4 as the main story.

And so Need to watch all 4 movies in the same order to understand n enjoy the franchise.

Also, it's fun to watch the recurring cast n characters in the franchise :)
Actor Tar, literally grew up along with this franchise, haha 😂

***
Give a try! Especially Horror genre lovers who love to watch every type n a variety of Horror concepts.

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A BL with a dog story

I almost didn't watch this, because when I glanced at the reviews I figured this was a horrible drama. I'm glad I didn't listen to when I was reading.
This turned out to be a GREAT story. I thought it was very original and inspiring. It had a blend of not just a BL main story line, but so much more. A combination of animal love & loss, the difficulties of being who you really are in the public eye, and just an old fashion blackmail situation thrown in, too, all while a reality show is being filmed.
I do think the title can throw you off a bit, maybe Love Is Like A Dog would have been better??
I think I think Si Woo & Mew were great together. Instant chemistry!
If you haven't seen this yet, don't go by all the negative reviews, I think it's a winner.
The two hour movie version is a better way to watch it instead of the 12 episode format.

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"Go is a fight against yourself"

The Match starring Lee Byung Hun and Yoo Ah In was based on South Korea’s great Go player Cho Hun Hyeon and the student he trained who eventually surpassed his master, Lee Chang Ho. The pacing of this film was similar to a slice of life. The conflicts weren’t insurmountable and there were no villains. Everyone loved the game, hated losing and saw their opponents across the table as the enemy. But those enemies weren’t afraid to be a friend away from the stones.

In 1982 Cho Hun Hyeon became a national hero when he won the 1st Ing Cup, an international Go competition where Cho was the only invited Korean participant. Two years later through an acquaintance, he is introduced to the young Lee Chang Ho, an arrogant and self-trained Go player who takes on all comers, even Cho. When Cho observes his raw talent, he takes him on as a student and invites him to live in Seoul with Cho and his family. Lee gradually develops his own Go strategy which is at odds with Cho’s. The two gifted players travel along a competitive trajectory which will test their relationship.

Despite being devoted to the game of Go and hating to lose, Cho believed in a detached attitude which fit Lee Chang Ho's personality as well. Both were also capable of arrogance. Their approaches to the game were complete opposites. Cho quickly attacked, Lee methodically defended. Cho may initially have had a mental set-back as his student surpassed him, but both men refused to allow bitterness to enter their relationship. Thankfully, the film didn’t try to overexaggerate the growing pains the two faced.

Lee Byung Hun as Cho gave a restrained performance as would be expected of this composed Go player. If Byung Hun had to reel in his emotions, Yoo Ah In, had to swallow them in order to convey the slow growth of “The Stone Buddha.” The legendary Go competitors were in safe hands with these two actors. Jo Woo Jin gave a lovely performance as the defeated competitor of both, and also someone who offered the student and teacher the encouraging words needed at just the right times.

The Match’s soundtrack wonderfully matched the events taking place with the final epic battle perfectly told through the music. Go was played with black and white stones, yet the game displayed a wide range of battle plans, just as the relationships weren’t black and white, showing a range of nuance.

“Go is about trying to find answers when there are no answers.”

8 May 2025

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Prioritize, organize, synchronize & mobilize.

***Minor hints of spoilers***


"Bullet Train Explosion," Its theme reminds me of the movie "Speed." Only it's a train. To be fair, BTE's organization and management of the situation seemed better. I enjoyed the entire effort made by the production to show how well-crafted and dedicated the Japanese officials of all levels of government were. They showed the true meaning of conflict management.

As far as the acting, it was convincing. The discipline and dedication to duty were cool and slightly frustrating. As not all avenues of minimizing conflict were respected. I can imagine the chaos that would ensue. A train with the speed of a Formula One race car with an explosive on board—crazy.
"Bullet Train Explosion" overall was an admirable effort. Production and acting, on point... to a degree. This leads me to why I gave it a 7.5 (which is still above average). As the theme and aggressive execution were good and entertaining, it was mainly just that. Storywise, it could have used more tension. The praise of the conflict resolution was also a weakness. Having some of those fail miserably, or the process of making the audience really feel that it would, was not always there.

The villain was more menacing off-screen, as the actor's portrayal wasn't quite convincing. The character appeared as more of a broken person that needed love, respect, and attention than a person capable of mass destruction and murder.
Not quite a deal breaker; it's still entertaining and worth a watch.

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This movie has so much cliches...but it works!

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this movie. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a better score and why it is better than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

When I watch any series or movies with clichés, I sometimes roll my eyes because I am so over it, and I feel that it doesn't add anything to the story. That was not the case for this movie, which is entitled, you guessed it, 'The Cliché'. This movie was riddled with clichés that were done in such a comedic way that you really can't hate how it was presented.

There were clichés that even I know I have a guilty pleasure for from mean girls, girls dressing up as boys and even, ahem...a hint of BL. But besides having these clichés, we also get a heartwarming story in here as well. I do recommend this movie to anyone who just wants a simple movie that not only is full of cliches but has a heartwarming story to tell as well.

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Last Mile Review

After finishing this movie, I have so many thoughts about it. First off, the cast did an amazing job! Mitsushima and Okada were an interesting duo that is perfect for this shared universe. While short, seeing the cast from MIU404 and Unnatural was a delight!

For the movie's plot, I really enjoyed how everything was laid out and while the connections were not there yet; I was excited to see how everything would click in place. As for the movie's theme, I do agree it could have been a little tighter and a bit more critical, but I hope this movie will allow people to talk more about these issues. I think Nogi did a great job in creating a thrilling mystery with surprising twists.

I think if you are watching this movie for the guest appearances, you'll probably not enjoy this movie. Regardless, I think this is an enjoyable watch to see how the mystery is unraveled and solved.

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A touching portrait of two identities: that of deaf people and that of queer people

The touching story of a 17-year-old boy who must fight against the stereotypes and prejudices of a narrow-minded mother, under the symbol of fingers moving to the beat of music he can't even hear.
Xia Qing is different from the others. He is different from the others in that he wears hearing aids due to a hearing loss, that he loves to dance, and that he also likes to paint his pinky finger with red nail polish just for that glimpse of beauty; and, even more different from the others, in that he implicitly reveals a queer identity. But he has the same power to pursue his dreams and is subject to the oppression of a widowed, deaf, and overprotective mother, who feels trapped in the noise, fears, and insecurities of her homophobic prejudices.
Our protagonist, who dreams of auditioning for his favorite dance company, seeks the approval of a mother who associates dancers with homosexuality or "girls only", and yearns to overcome this dark identity crisis through the silent language hidden in his fingers.
The short film, written and directed by Yiru Chen (also known for directing 'Paulo and Ripo' (2019) and 'Pizza, Believe It or Not' (2020), tells a story set in contemporary Shanghai, China, where a boy, instead of fulfilling his mother's wishes to be like other children, study and go to university, wants to dance.
Starring Zhengyu Tang as Xia Qing (a real-life boy with hearing difficulties), 'Handscape' addresses two identities: that of deaf people and that of queer people, that is, it reflects two minority groups at the same time. Likewise, the film is linked to adolescence, social constructs, social mandates, the role of family, education, and more.
Premiered at the 2020 Shanghai Queer Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, it was awarded Best Student Short Film at the 2020 Sydney International Women's Film Festival, an award that went to director female Yiru Chen.
The story is told with sensitivity and musical flair, with memorable moments like the scene, beautifully photographed by Huang Yichuan, in which Xia Qing dances alone on the most mundane of Shanghai streets in the middle of the night with no one around—undoubtedly the dream of many.
'Handscape' portrays the triumph of perseverance and dedication in a believable way, with just two characters, very human, not archetypal. The role of her mother is presented with restraint, in the setting of a house where they miss their father, who died at a young age.
I find this short film interesting to analyze because it highlights Xia Qing's to builde their identity, far removed from stereotypes, prejudices, and family mandates.
'Handscape' is a film about the need to be who one wants to be, self-esteem, acceptance, facing and overcoming prejudices, while narrating a process of personal self-affirmation and confronting homophobia and social resistance.
Finally, this is an experimental short film about the inner voice of a human being struggling to connect with their physical self using dance and a universal sign language.

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It's cheesy, very fever dream like but that's what makes House, House.

I'd expected something else from it, but honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into, and I'm glad for that. It's a perfectly fun watch and you'll have lots of laugh-out-loud moments of slight absurdity (if you're like me anyway). It's very good at doing what it wants to do, which is poking fun at american horror movies and having a bit of fun with it. I slightly wish it did a bit more to conclude it other than just one scene, but it wouldn't feel like such a fever dream if it did. Over all it was a fun ride. I don't think I'll ever find myself rewatching it personally, but I'm sure others will enjoy doing so. Make sure to watch it for yourself. You'll probably have the best experience if you watch it with friends and don't take it seriously. Try it for yourself.

-Spoilers beyond this point.

Tons of good practical effects, delivers on a lot of subtle things while also doing the large ones perfectly. The piano eating scene was very legitimately creepy with its tangled limbs, and well worth watching the whole movie for. The special effects done were, unfortunately, funny rather than scary in the modern era, though. I can't quite be sold on obviously painted backgrounds or fake plastic limbs (special shout out to those, they were hilarious). You can still appreciate the craft a lot with just doing it all on film, attempts at greenscreening that, while a bit poor, did make for more action to happen. The acting and other characters kind of didn't really need to be spectacular since the absurd and wild way the story played out was enough, but I can't not mention how grand the aunt's acting was. She did all kinds of small things to really sell it all. Kung Fu was absolutely my favourite. She fought a ghost with bare fists, kicked the cat with just her legs, and she stole the whole show just by doing that. The plot itself, I slightly wish had a little more to it? The teacher really could have had a lot more to do than just turn up, but neither was he the focus. Slightly wasted potential in my view. Overall, I don't feel like I would have changed much of it, though. It had ways to do some things a bit better, but it serves itself well, and it's probably other people's perfect movie, not mine.

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