Reviews

For any remake, they would either do it exactly the same and not have leeway to have their own creative ideas
Or change it and lose the original essence

Here, eventho I haven’t seen the og, many say it stayed the same, beside them being in uni and not highschoolers, tbh I feel like 20s is better for groundbreaking star crossed lovers


They also missed out big time on showing both of them playing at the same time to add more urgency
And he could’ve “reached her first” cuz he plays faster and both would be on the piano stool


I kinda interpret it as both dying with the piano cuz she died already in the past and he wanted to go back as the rocks fell on him

So I was waiting for blood to trickle down after he saw her, he gets to confirm the truth and cuz like, he can’t really “live” there if no one sees him besides her

So the ending was abrupt tho I liked their “rule” that the first person she sees is the only person that could see her for the future but they never explained the past


I thought there were things that stopped her from going or appearing, not that she was there but he couldn’t see her

So in the og ppl say he graduated with her so could ppl see him?
Were ppl not seeing her in the future cuz supposedly she already tried to go when the building was demolished and she died, so she didn’t “exist” in the world
Meanwhile him going back to a time he was alive in, so ppl could see him?


and tbh the dads stories were always hilarious xD
It was sad, but he’s in the present so technically he’ll turn around and see his son as a 40ish year old🤣
It’s him that loses his life but he also wanted to run away


Demolishing the old grand piano was ridiculous, like if the present could change, they can just buy the piano before the building is destroyed, so many what ifs…

In a book with time traveling, they’d say you can’t change the past, so if someone survives, they’d hide until the present, and they’ll reappear cuz the future is “unwritten”


But it’s a loop, if she doesn’t die, her mom wouldn’t tell him, so he won’t try to go back, so she’ll die..
Unless the “she disappeared” is about them both running away together, always in hiding cuz no one sees him and they’ll think she’s crazy xD


Also speaking of unseen, I hate when movies do a slowmo and zoom ins when something is mentioned that hints to the truth
Like the balloon pupping, she was hit by the powder, but no one sees her, so moving things, opening doors, nothing was seen besides by 1 so did it really happen?

Also the curtain scene was done so over vaguely I didn’t even see her hand so I was like “ah she’s not really there” xD

And when someone mentions a twist, either she’s a ghost, he is, or time traveling and such

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An Eye-opening thriller about fame and deception!!!

I recently finished watching Streaming and honestly, it was a really great thriller movie. It felt very different from the usual thrillers and I really liked it.
What stood out the most for me was Kang Ha-neul’s acting. He was absolutely amazing. The way he portrayed nervousness and anxiety was so real, especially how he would shiver and stutter when something intense or dangerous happened. His mannerisms were so natural that it didn’t feel like acting at all. It made me connect even more with his character. His performance was truly on point and I really, really enjoyed watching him.The story was also very interesting. It gave a different perspective on the world of online streaming and influencers. It showed how far people are willing to go for money and fame, even if it means putting themselves in real danger or faking entire situations just for views.
One supporting character, Mathilda, stages fake scenarios to make people believe they are real. It really makes you think about how scripted and fake some parts of online content can be, and how little some people care about the viewers all they care about is the attention and money.
Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just say that the villain’s obsession adds another layer to the story, making it even more intense.
Overall, Streaming was quite a different experience for me, in a good way. I absolutely loved the acting and the story was strong too.
It’s definitely a movie I would recommend if you want a thriller that is unique and leaves you thinking even after it ends.

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Oh those evil secret agents!

My first impression when I started watching this movie is a quality of production. And really, the people who worked on the visual aspects of the movie did a great job. The scenes were often dark but still very clear and impressive. Also I was surprised to see quite a few veteran actors who bring their charisma into the movie. Sul Kyung-gu and Yang Dong-geun are my guys and Koran Cinema action heroes.

So, yes, this is an action movie but the action was mostly just shooting without much sense and realism. The good guys can shoot everyone they want but the bad guys can never shoot the target. But mostly i was confused by the amount of killing, and have in mind that here we don't have assassins like in "John Wick" but government officers working as secret agents. The interest of the movie is in finding out who among the agents is a double spy (a rat). So I had a good time watching the movie, and i will remember the visuals, but the story and the action was somewhat forgettable.

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"Hate only brings people pain and disaster"

A Warrior’s Tragedy aka The Invincible Power of Kindness starring Ti Lung and Frankie Chan was a remake of Shaw Brothers’ Pursuit of Vengeance (also starring Ti) and was based on a novel by Gu Long. Frankie wrote, directed, produced and starred in this film. Originally, it was supposed to be two films at a total of 170ish minutes and then was edited into one. There are a variety of lengths out there. This review is based on the 110 minutes format.

Several swordsmen are invited to Ma Hung Kwan’s Pegasus fortress. Among those invited are Fa Hung Suet and Yip Hoi. Fa walks with a pronounced limp and is a revenge fueled swordsman, trained by his mother to take down the people who killed their family. Yip is happy go lucky, more of a kung fu artist than swordsman. The glass half empty and glass half full men will find themselves in a “where the heck did the glass go?” confrontation.

This film had numerous characters with some popping up out of nowhere and others who disappeared without a simple good-bye. A few of the character connections were never explained. Editing two films down into one played havoc with the narrative. I have no idea why certain characters did what they did. Everyone seemed to have it in for either Ma or Fu. Or were hiring Hoi to kill either Ma or Fu. Ti and Frankie's characters were supposed to be the same age, but Ti was nearly 10 years Frankie’s senior. The two characters were also supposed to be in their mid to late 20’s. Ti was pushing 50 when this film was made! Frankie seemed to be having a good time playing the frisky and positive Hoi. Ti honestly looked tired or maybe he was just confused by the convoluted story.

Fung Hak On was the martial arts director and also played the legless character armed with a deadly whip. The wire work and synchronized moves he designed were wild. There was no shortage of wacky kung fu weapons---expanding and exploding dresses, golden hands, an invisibility cloak, hand held explosive launchers, and pink chariots! The movie was filmed somewhere in northern China which meant new scenery for the fights to take place in instead of the old reliable Hong Kong and Taiwanese sites.

For the main part, Fu and Hoi’s stories were simple, the extraneous characters who sliced their way in and then tumbled silently down story holes made the film confusing. The emphasis on letting go of vengeance because it begets another cycle vengeance was a pleasant surprise. Only for fans of the genre and probably more specifically fans of the actors involved with it. Rated on a curve as always for old kung fu flicks.

“Hate only brings people pain and disaster. Only love is everlasting…Learning to love is more important than learning how to kill.” Well said Hoi, well said.


25 April 2025
Trigger warnings: Multiple dismemberments

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The movie is mainly a social commentary what I would call instantaneous consumerism. To which degree we expect to get things and get them quickly, because it’s what corporations promised, without thinking of a healthy way to make it happen. The revenge story drags a bit, doesn’t add a lot to the story.

The main attraction of the movie are the leads Mitsushima Hikari and Okada Masaki. I found Mitsushima to be terrific in that role, sometimes frightening as you can tell from the way Okada look at her that he agrees. Abe Sawado was great as always and his interactions with Mitsushima was my favourite in the movie. I’m not a bug fan of Dean Fujioka but he filled the role here pretty well. The guests from the actors from previous drama fit exactly where we left them off but the aura from their scenes felt out of place.

Directing wise, it would’ve benefited from a tighter focus on the theme. The involvement from the cast from “related” dramas turned it into an investigation, and less about the theme of the movie. The whole mood of the movie was different and I find it didn’t need that connection. If the nod to the dramas was a must, a quick guest appearances would have been enough.

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A fun balance between thriller and comedy

Ballot had me hooked in the first minute for being wayyyy too real. The film begins with a strong comedic lens to a village preparing for an upcoming political election. But it doesn’t take long for the story to switch gears and you quickly find yourself in a semi-well-paced thriller.

I was a little worried for a moment there that Ballot would be *only* a thriller, with the political narrative merely serving as a barebones pretext. However, the storyline swings back around to the more serious political messaging along with its wry humour. As someone who normally doesn’t like thrillers because the genre tends to take itself too seriously - I loved the incorporation of the political satire and would’ve loved more of it.

That said, while I respect the political messaging of the film, I don’t think it was its primary strength. The political commentary is neither new nor radical. But honestly, I think that’s okay. Instead of being thought-provoking, the film is validating. There’s a certain comfort in knowing that you’re not the only one who’s jaded about electoral processes and the seemingly unending churn of self-serving politicians. Having watched this film during election season here in so-called australia, elements of the messaging scratched an itch. What it lacked in political punch, it made up for with the wholesome ending.

I agree with MizMystixism’s point that the production isn’t as clean as it could be. However, for me, this actually contributes to the satirical vibe. This is probably because most of the political satire I’ve watched has been australian productions - most of which are produced on a shoestring budget – so for me, rough edges are part and parcel of the genre. Yes, there are cheesy and on the nose moments – such as with the queens and the use of real politicians' sound grabs – but personally, I revel in this approach to satire. I find that the-on-the-nose-ness adds to the comedy.

A note on the visual production: while I’m not sure I entirely vibed with the yellow-tinted colour grading, there were some beautifully lit shots that carried some scenes. Thumbs up to the crew.

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It had potential to be more, the acting of the 4 mains was great but the writing didn’t reach the depth it should’ve
Especially since only the aunt and niece had enough screen time to be called mains


As a story of multi race baby, a Filipino and Korean baby, her mom did well making sure she knew both cultures
I’ve been seeing TROS sarang in clips on TikTok and she only speaks Japanese, understandably she’s still young eventho she’s tall, just like this baby saying she’s 5 when she looked 7


Anyway, her aunt sucked and the “character growth” was too sudden that her past angst wasn’t necessary


I wish they showed jisoo experiencing his daughter’s second culture
Saying he’ll take her back for better education and life was kinda demeaning, tbh Koreans school life sucks

The aunt staying just for the niece to leave, tbh she should’ve left with them, lol I did weirdly ship them

when he was like I’m strong I can carry my kid, and she goes I’m small but strong, that was cute, I mean this could also be a cultural thing but some ppl marry their dead spouses sibling to keep the kid surrounded by both families




The journey of this 25ish year old sulking over what her sister did 20 years ago by “leaving”, and taking revengeish hating the niece was not needed, I’d understand her “hate/fear” of kids cuz it was a vulnerable time for her and she didn’t want responsibility

But I’d also understand neglect better than hate, the baby’s cries on “why do you hate me” was too sad for everything to be “solved” and the aunt switched just cuz her sis told the kid she’s like her aunt so the older sis never forgot her sis

The dad swooping in to take her away, as if his culture was better than his, when he could’ve even stayed in the Philippine for a year or so for stability, or even if he promised to take her there every summer break
I feel like non of the supposed problems were solved or addressed

The baby lost her dad but her mom’s trust and love kept her stable, she lost her mom, gained a family, her aunt hated her, then everything became stable again just for the dad to come back and take her, we don’t even know how his family life is

Also the whole mystery around the dad was too makjang xD

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coming of age romance

Since GagaOOLala picked up this movie, I decided to write a review. Watched at https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5213/does-the-flower-bloom-2018

Content Warnings: past death, internalized homophobia

What I Liked
- Yoichi's supportive group
- struggling with living up to a parent's fame, trying to find your own path in life
- that Yoichi said he wouldn't follow someone who was indecisive and wanted to stay where he was
- the hugs

Room For Improvement
- the love rival, that time could have been better spent elsewhere
- nonsense that they didn't bring a character to the hospital, he could have had appendicitis which is deadly
- dead fish lip presses, didn't always feel the chemistry

Note: I didn't put a content warning even though there's a 19 year age gap. Yoichi was an adult (19) and there was no manipulation/coercion in their relationship

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Soulmates, But Literally

9.25
(rated in movie standards)

Story:
-simple and straight to the point
-the fantastical elements were explained well
-their relationship development was pretty good
-important themes
-can be incredibly funny at some points, but tragic at others
-some fluff
-bickering couple
-pacing was also good

-there is some pining
-there is some sad parts

Acting/Casting:
-both lead actors did really well
-decent enough chemistry

-I liked the editing between scenes a lot
-as well as the animations

Music:
-decent

Rewatch:
-definitely

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WONDERFUL! Just SUPERB!! Everyone is a Hero here.

In One Word, WONDERFUL !👌🏻
In Two Words, JUST SUPER !!✨
In Numerals, 9 / 10 (My RATING )

This is One of the few Disaster/Hijacking thrillers that I rated 9/10.

***
Disaster/ Survival/ Hijacking thrillers are always a Mix of Intense Nail-biting Suspense, Edge of the Seat Action, Adrenaline Rush Vibe, Racing against Time, Emotional n thoroughly keeps U Engaged!!

***
Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography, Production, Acting, Locations (the scenic beauty of the country in aerial shots is amazing), CGI / Visuals, Everything about this movie is SUPERB.

Aerial shots of the high speed train dashing on the rails are MESMERIZING!

Though the Plot is the usual Bomb threat n ransom demanding /routine Hijacking in moving Train setting, it's VERY GRIPPING to watch.

Pacing, story telling n story progression are GOOD.
No Moment of boredom throughout the movie.

All the Rescue Plans n the Risks that come with them, the Chaos of the Passengers, the Stress of the Officials (including the Train Conductor n Train Pilot), Political Pressures, the Train working systems n issues especially for those of high speeds, EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFULLY CAPTURED.

Even the Story of the bomber(s) is right to the plot (one is in an unfortunate situation n the other is revenge seeking)
The Twist related to the bomber is Good (the most unexpected one but I guessed it🤭, maybe I watched too many thrillers)

The power of the Internet in modern age, to spread the news in social networks or the fund raising is also captured here.
In the end, the public donating the huge impossible ransom amount is heartwarming.

***
Finally, Everyone who worked hard to Save the Day, is a Hero here !!

LOVED CHARACTERS of
ML (Train Conductor)
He himself remained composed, helped to maintain peace in this stressful high-stakes situation n calmed down not only the chaotic passengers but also his colleagues.
Truly dedicated to save everyone under his care.
Actor Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is handsome n looks like an older version of handsome Keita Machida 💕

Railway Commander (or whatever the designation is)
His Rescue plans are risky but he did everything possible, taking every bold step, running against time.
BTW this actor Saitoh Takumi is handsome

Ono Machiko's politician character.
She is so cool n funny here.
That contrast of her role from that of JDrama "Light of My Lion" is good.

Lady Train Pilot (her dedication is good)

***
Special Mentions:
That YouTuber guy is selfish, using every situation in his favour but funny, he got stuck with the other 8 members

Young actress Hana from JDrama "Minato's laundromat", liked her alot there, here hmm it's sad. She acted well.

***
As mentioned, it's a remake/sequel of the 1975's movie.
Even if U didn't watch the original movie (like me), U'll not miss out anything important.
All the references n visuals of the original, whatever required to this story, are shown here.

***
In the end, after the success of the rescue operation, when ML is looking at everyone, standing all alone, I just wanted to hug him n appreciate him😂
Another hyper excited reaction of mine🤦🏻‍♀️

BTW, my comments n review here in this page are lil hyper as though am promoting this show, so U can understand the excitement created in 2 hours 15 mins (movie run time)

***
NOW, FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS n ENJOY THIS THRILLING TRAIN RIDE! 😏

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Very confusing unnecessary plot!!!

the love triangle was simply not even necessary, actually it wasn't even a love triangle it was more or so a love circle/ hectagon
because everybody liked everybody. I'm not sure if it was the faulty subs that were very clearly written by AI or if it was truly the plot that was confusing but every second of the show had me questioning everything, like it made no sense!

the girl in the library and that toxic boy band singer ex were simply a horrendous addition to the plot, they weren't needed at all! I don't know where the writers were trying to go with those two but they were just there. The ex was highly toxic from start to finish, I should have known considering he's in a band as a lead singer and he also has BLOND hair. He treated girls like trash and he would hit on multiple at the same time but I'm supposed to believe that he truly liked that librarian chick.. yeah right!! also that ex never at all genuinely apologized to that cute girl... but instead he saw when she was at her lowest and decided to hit on her again... like boy are you crazy??? not to mention the girl actually almost accepted if not for that short kid coming in for the rescue.

the short kid was the only one that I didn't really find infuriating, he liked his best friend's girlfriend but he tried his best to move on and allow for them to be happy, I feel his hurt considering he liked her first but bro should have confessed and acted upon his feelings if he truly liked her. I don't like when he kissed the girlfriend but he did also own up to it and admitted to kissing her to the best friend which I applaud a lot!!! He seemed as if he was the only one who was truly mature enough in this movie.

that short cute girl with blondish hair and cute eyes was just too cute, I loved her but she was also getting on my last nerve like girl stand up... that guy has a whole girlfriend.. in a sense she was kind of wanting to be a homewrecker and she even went as far as befriending the girlfriend in hopes of breaking them apart.. I just felt really bad for her because she had no real idea of how love is supposed to look or feel like because her good for nothing ex boyfriend ( the blond band dude) just treated her so horribly. like homegirl legit bought a whole concessions stall just to please him but because he didn't see ONE I repeat ONE thing that he wanted, he broke up with her. so it was only natural for her to fall for the first guy that treated her nicely which was the tall kid that kind of reminds me of byeon-seok. But her deliberately doing all of that IN FRONT of the girlfriend was just a big NO

the tall kid was just there also, he didn't add or remove anything from the plot except for looking like byeon-seok

the girlfriend that started off with one of the worst cases of hair extensions possibly seen on camera was annoying, she kept constantly telling the short kid that "it just doesn't seem like him" umm.... how would you know.... you've completely forgotten about him once you started dating that tall kid, he isn't the same middle school kid that you knew, he has changed! instead of her being happy for him finally getting into a relationship it seemed almost like she was jealous and she was lowkey hating on the relationship between him and that cute short girl with blondish hair.. and then not to mention when her and the short kid tripped and kind of fell into an awkward position she didnt think once to simply push him off of her but instead she let the short kid kiss her, she didn't even once try to push him away, the "fake girlfriend" of the short kid had to open the door and fins them kissing for the guy to finally pull away... THE GUY... not her... she has a whole man but she didn't even think about pushing that kid off and then guess what?? she ran to her boyfriend and started crying like girl you legit let him kiss you, i don't know what you are even crying for

the subs were so bad that I just wanted to drop the whole show but I guess my 20 minutes of jpn classes kind of paid off since I was able to understand some things.

the music was just simply that BLOND kids band singing the entire time and it was in English, I'm not one to judge but I think the song would have sounded way better if they were just simply in Japanese instead of english.

the only reason why I give this a 3 is because the cute girl ends up with that short kid, which I love.. they are both so cute together!!

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Disappointing

What the hell are they in their right mind to produce a movie of the same drama but instead of watching 7 episodes you watch it as a movie for 1:54:16 Are they crazy I don't get the idea they want since you put in a great effort to produce this movie you should have done something different not collected the episodes and produced it as a movie and the biggest disaster is that no scenes were edited or added this is very disappointing you have the potential to produce something great you do such ridiculous things I want to know what they were thinking when they suggested the idea of ​​producing a movie I expected that when I watch the movie I will see new events developing in their relationship other things that were not explained in the previous 7 episodes in the drama but there is nothing new in it just 7 episodes collected and re-produced as a movie this is very disappointing in short this work was produced only to make the viewer have a lot of expectations that there is a new story and events being produced as a movie for the previous drama but no just collecting the episodes and re-producing them as a movie it is really shameful and disappointing

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why you should watch this amazing movie

this movie was soooooooo great im so great it had me crying my eyes out it depicts such real emotions its so good i watched this in 2020 and was satified such a good fil because the line the main character yi yao said "i dont know who killed her but you know who killed me" made me feel such raw emotions because as a person who is ( sorry trigger warning ahead ) dealing with depression and sui$idal thoughts i really conneted to this and really found myself drawn to this movie becoming one of my favs along side the movie #betterdays2019 best movie with this one its going to make you cry for days but if you need to cry these are ones to watch

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Very unexpected plot!

This movie really has an unexpected plot. Unlike other thrillers, everything was very exciting and it didn't feel like the movie was too long or had unnecessary side plots.
Furthermore, the movie managed to despict the true nature of politicians while also showing how hard their decisions must be.
In the end, it was a really hearthwarming story and more than just a regular action movie. However in the end, I still do not understand: why was the ransom so high? As said, inflation adjusted, it is 70x higher than in the 1975 scenario. If there really were no big intentions, why is the ransom so high and not just an understandable amount?

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