Reviews

Light, pacing & space set in the perfect ratio, honoring not only 1 but all K independence activists

PROLOGUE:
One might criticize that historical facts about the historical figure Ahn and his person are too brief. That too much poetic license was taken with regard to the fictional comrades and opponents in this case. Even, that these guys also remain too pale as individual characters. That too little pace and tension are built up, and that there is overall too much debate in the dark.
But then, it would have been a completely different film. With a different message.

From my perception, “Harbin” does not want to tell us about historic events as it was, but to stage the dilemma, the hurdles, the challenges, the performance, the passion, the agony of the Korean resistance struggle as an epic monument. We do not get heroes in shining armor, but desperate fighters for a fairer world - for their freedom, for their country, which is their homeland, for their families or the families they cannot have themselves. "Harbin" wants to honor their price, which they paid for all those who now can actually live in freedom and relative independence today. In addition, "Harbin" is choosing a critical approach - with its focus on the struggle for perspective, hope, morality, and justification in regard of the many painful sacrifices.


TERRA NULLIUS BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS, BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG
Anyone who has seen "Harbin" will not forget "Harbin". This is ensured by the haunting staging, with artistic ambition consistently composed in terms of film technology, to set light, pacing, and space in the perfect ratio.
Here, preferably filmic means like camera, light, powerful scenes that burn themselves unforgettable into the memory were used! Whereas dialogues provide less contextual information but convey the personal and collective struggle for the right attitude. It's about morality and the opposite of it.

We do not learn much about the historic independence fighter Ahn, about whom one could have made a completely different film. His personality would certainly have allowed for that. And yet, in drastic scenes and moments, we learn what he deeply stands for: For an upright, just attitude that does not want to repay like with like, but wants to do better. Ahn fails in this, but he does not give up. Until the end, he stands for what he considers right. We do not learn in "Harbin" that he wrote a treatise during his imprisonment - a concept for a better world. But we have come to know him during those 108 minutes as a man to whom we can certainly trust that.

The others who work with him and against him are practically nameless and stand for the many nameless who struggled and suffered in their own way back then - under the cold, the cruelty, the hopelessness of this underground fight in the far north of Mongolia. And yet they made their contribution.


POETIC AESTHETICS OF DARKNESS
For a Western audience, "Harbin" may present a challenge in two respects. The KMovie is (like many other KMovies) not action-heavy but relies on the intensity of slowness. Even in this one, action is used sparingly. The subtle driving force is rather the aesthetic concept: This does not rely on light, but on shadow, on the poetic aesthetics of darkness and its subtle nuances, where diffuse light highlights textures and shapes. Adding sparse, precisely selected color impulses and contrasts, too.
With refined, powerful visual impression the icy bitter cold in the snow-covered forest, on the frozen river, and in the vastness of the desert landscape of Mongolia comes almost tangibly close to the viewers. Nature, in its powerfully aesthetic staging, becomes a symbol for the arduous path to freedom.

At the beginning, we are confronted with the inhospitable nature of underground life, where light is sparse and food consists of cigarettes. The cigarette smoke makes the dim light even more diffuse while the coats make the cold of the barren rooms appear even colder. And then the story catapults us abruptly and mercilessly into the unvarnished repulsive ugliness of this resistance struggle – in the scene in the icy, blood-smeared mud the bestial brutality becomes almost unbearable to watch.
All this represents and reinforces the sheer despair of the brave warriors who want to fight for their freedom from the oppressors despite all odds. Under almost hopeless circumstances. In an almost superhuman struggle with themselves and with what is right...


A TRIBUTE TO THE KOREAN UNDERGROUND STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
This joint fight for justice, independence, and freedom deeply defines the Korean identity as a nation, just as the suffering that the people share due to injustice, dependence, and oppression - the 'Han' as a collectively shared, yet individually felt pain, mobilizing a sudden strength and unexpected collective resistance (in this case against Japan).

The willingness to make sacrifices as well as the necessity to make sacrifices are deeply rooted in tradition. This may also be deeply problematic in itself, but like everything: it has two sides. Right? Wrong? Everyone has to decide that for themselves.
However, "Harbin" is not about judgement. It is about honoring those people who had actually dedicated themselves to this conjoint resistance struggle: not wanting to be oppressed and treated as subhuman beings (by Japan). "Harbin" represents an aesthetically intensified tribute to those against all odds fearless fighters. Woo Min-ho did not want to create a historical film here. With the context of this legendary assassination the KMovie rather sets a cinematic monument not only to this legendary independence activist, but by doing so, to all of the others, too. Therefore, at the same time, with the example of this legendary assassination in Harbin it sets a monument to the entire Korean resistance struggle, too - then, before, and after.

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SO WHO IS MORE CRAZY, MORE DISTURBED, OUT OF THE THREE? haha

Good Psychological Crime Thriller.
Not bad n yet not so gripping too .
Just mediocre.

When Netflix listed this in "coming soon", I waited to watch this.
Expected a very Gripping Mystery thriller, seeing the MYSTERIOUS VIBE of "COVER PHOTO"
IT DECEIVED ME !! :( 🤭

****
Direction, Pacing n Cinematography are GOOD.

I accept every tradition n can tolerate religious rituals etc, shown in movies, especially in horror thrillers.
But One Minor Complaint here, in direction is, too much of in depth religious prayers are shown.
Maybe those are necessary for the scene or the story demanded but I personally lose interest when rituals or prayers are shown in excess tones.

****
Acting is OK, not so impressive.

In few scenes, Jun Yeol's (pastor Min Chan) expressions are more crazy n scarier than those of the killer 😂
Liked those scenes .

**** STORY:
The Story is Good.
A very simple one - a killer, a kidnapped gal, a pastor trying to punish the killer n a police detective trying to save the gal.

Narrated in a very straight forward manner without much suspense .
It is known who the killer is, from the beginning.
So cannot expect any suspense or mystery about the killer's identity, like in usual crime thrillers.
And so, Crime Thriller Lovers might find this as a not so gripping mystery but just a plain n mediocre thriller without much mystery n suspense :/

The only suspense here is, whether the kidnapped girl is alive or no n that is maintained till the end.

This could be made into an even more interesting thriller with more gripping mystery n suspense elements .
(Or maybe, for this plain story, shouldn't we expect much !? :O)

**** CHARACTERS:
SO WHO IS MORE CRAZY, MORE DISTURBED, OUT OF THE THREE? 😂

The Psychopathic Serial Killer with childhood trauma, triggered n created deadly events
or
(Pastor) Religious Faith turned into Obsession that blinded the logics of reality n blurred the truth (he assumed the gal is not alive, without confirming :| )
or
The Person working for law (lady police detective) seeing illusions of dead sister out of guilt, tempted to take the law into her hands, suppressing that urge to avenge her loved one's death n yet struggling to do the right thing!

This mix of three characters each with some psychological issues, the intertwining of their stories, is WELL WRITTEN .

But could be better, if more suspense or mystery elements are added.

****
Overall, GOOD One Time Watch.
My Rating is 8 / 10

**** Fun Fact:
Like Min Chan, I can see a "FACE" in the COVER PHOTO, between the trees ! :O
Optical illusion!?

Before watching the Movie:
I just saw "a way" between the trees.
But after watching the movie:
I see a face! :o
Am I dreaming 🤭

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Intense and well-acted : I would love to follow those characters through a drama !

This thriller and horrific movie really gripped me. It follows a team of shaman and geoman who tackles paranormal issues, some necessiting exhumation of corpses as their customers are haunted by deceased family members. Far from taking an humoristic road, it is a very dark and frightening movie that really spooked me at times.

Despite its long length, the film remained captivating all over its various narrative arcs. The build up was good and the conclusion was strong. I would have liked a bit more of background around the goal of the antagonist as well as more flashbacks because the past story was incredibly interesting. So I would have wanted even more of that, as well as regarding the origin story of the main characters who shared a very good chemistry together.

Indeed, acting was great : Choi Min Shik, Kim Go Eun, Yoo Hae Jin and Lee Do Hyun did an incredible job. I totally believe their characters were skilled in handling and facing obscure forces. The rituals scenes, the encounter with the paranormal phenomenons, the way the characters behaved in dire situation...It was skillfully acted !

Production value was very high as well : the visual effect really worked on me. There were not really any scare jump but the tension steadily climbed over the course of the story, as the horror gets more and more proeminent. The soundtrack was good overall, fitting for the dire atmosphere.

I would recommend this to people looking for a thrilling horrific movie featuring shaman, corpse and exhumation. The gore level is rather low but the angst is pretty high. There are a lot of talk around death and people do get hurt and dies. So be mindful of the trigger if you have any. It is a quite long and intense movie, that might necessitate some breather to get through it in one go.

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Quite predictable locked-room mystery lacking in rythm despite its solid cast & interesting premise

This movie, as its title indicates, is centred around 12 suicidal teens as they are planning to end their life together. They don't know each other, they all have various motivations and they are grouped together to solve a mystery as in the room they met they uncover an already dead boy. I wish the scenario digged even more into the characters personnality as well as the bond they formed together. I think they should have maybe reduced a bit the number of characters to deep dive into their psyche, their motivations as well as their evolution.

There is a quite a few familiar faces for me in the cast : Hagiwara Riku, Mackenyu, Kitamura Takumi and Takasugi Mahiro. I was happy to see them, especially Hagiwara Riku and Mackenyu, that I really love. The ensemble cast did a solid job overall. Not all the roles were as interesting but I liked the variety in characters.

Production was not outstanding but efficient in highlighting the main points of the locked-room mystery. Overall, the editing could have been better to make it more intense. It also lacked in terms of pace as well as thrills factor. The soundtrack was very forgettable and there was a dull aspect to the picture which might be expected given the thematic but did not help in making the story more interesting.

If you are looking for an investigation movie, with some psychological aspects and featuring a locked-room mystery involving 12 suicidal teens, you might want to give it a shot. I honestly found it relatively predictable in its ending, but at least the resolution of the mystery made sense. The morale behind the story felt a bit too light given the heavy topics at stake. I feel that an epilogue, combined with a reduced number of characters might have made the outcome of the story more fullfilling.

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Not 50 shades, but a story about embracing differences in Individuals

Passed over this movie several times, and always thought it's just another 50 shades inspired story.
But it's not !!
Leave it to the Koreans to put meaning and feel good emotion into a story about a guy who is into BDSM. I would say the story does a good job explaining to the uninformed audience about the people who are into this in a good way (This is one of the main reason for giving 8.5 stars to this).
Ofc it does have steamy scenes but they are only a part of the movie. It has much more to do with the shame, insecurity, and the struggles of people who have a different preference than the masses.

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Love, Curses, and a Dash of Magic: A Rom-Com That Won’t Disappear from Your Heart

My Love Will Make You Disappear" is a delightful 2025 Philippine romantic comedy directed by Chad Vidanes, with a screenplay by Patrick Valencia and Isabella Policarpio, based on a concept by Prime Cruz. Starring Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino in their first big-screen pairing, the film effortlessly blends romance, humour, and just the right touch of magical realism.

At its heart, the story follows Sari (Kim Chiu), a woman who believes she is cursed—every man she loves mysteriously disappears. To protect herself (and any potential suitor), she swears off romance altogether. Enter Jolo (Paulo Avelino), a brooding yet charming landlord who’s struggling to keep his inherited apartment complex afloat. As they work together to prevent their community from being displaced, their connection grows, challenging Sari’s deep-seated fears and Jolo’s own emotional baggage.

If you're looking for a complex, mind-bending narrative, this isn’t the film for you. But if you want a warm, lighthearted, and utterly charming rom-com, My Love Will Make You Disappear delivers in spades. The story doesn’t try to be more than what it is—a fun, feel-good love story with just enough depth to keep it engaging. It leans hard into its romantic comedy roots, and honestly? That’s part of its charm.

Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu are already industry veterans, and their chemistry is undeniable. They make the sappy, giddy moments work, and even the cornier jokes land thanks to Paulo’s effortless deadpan delivery. Sure, not every punchline hits, but that’s part of the magic of their dynamic. They don’t need grand, overly dramatic moments to sell their love story—it just works.

Beyond the leads, the supporting cast brings colour and heart to the film. Jennica Garcia is a standout, proving once again that she’s a powerhouse actress. Meanwhile, Ruffa Mae Quinto and Bernard Palanca as the loan sharks? Equal parts brutal and hilarious. And let’s not forget Migs Almendras and Mart Escudero, who portray a domestic same-sex couple with warmth and authenticity. Their relationship is respectfully written and well-represented, adding another layer of relatability to the film.

One of the biggest surprises? The movie version of “Dilaw” by Maki—an absolute banger of a song that fits the film’s tone beautifully. I can already picture this becoming the go-to wedding song of the year. The cinematography is also a visual treat, capturing the warmth and vibrance of the Tahanan Homes community, which serves as more than just a backdrop—it’s a character in itself.

The film might not reinvent the rom-com wheel, but it understands its audience and delivers exactly what it promises—a heartfelt, humorous, and swoon-worthy romance. It reminds us that love isn’t about avoiding pain or hiding from fear; it’s about embracing the unknown, taking risks, and allowing yourself to be loved.

Would I have wanted deeper character arcs? Maybe. But did I need them? Not really. The film knows what it’s about, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. It’s a love letter to Filipino rom-coms, and it succeeds.

So, if you’re in the mood for a film that makes you laugh, swoon, and feel all warm inside, My Love Will Make You Disappear is a must-watch. Trust me, it won’t vanish from your memory anytime soon.

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I did not watch the drama version but the movie on Viki. It seems like a few scenes might have been edited out but I don’t think it affects the movie much. It’s still coherent enough for me to understand what’s going on. As a movie, I found the pacing quite slow (maybe it’s better as a drama?). There really isn’t a whole lot that happens after the leads reunite. Their history was told in flashbacks and also in the form of the novel/movie script, which I like. The movie can probably tell everything that needs to be told in 1 hr and 20-30 minutes, instead of almost 2 hours.

The acting is OK, not as good as the recent KBLs that I’ve seen. And yes, the fish kisses are bad. The first 2 kisses are acceptable fish kisses given the circumstances (pun!). But the other 2 should have been more passionate, or at least let’s not prolong the torture.

I have trouble understanding characters in these ‘individual circumstances’ (pun! LOL). No matter what you were dealing with, a quick text or phone call is not going to cost you a lot of time, especially when you care for each other. Additionally, just because you guessed the password to the laptop doesn’t give you the right to read its content.

The plot is actually quite simple but interesting enough to keep me going. At least I don't find anything cheesy or cringy. The acting and execution could have been better. I probably won’t recommend this unless you have nothing to watch.


Completed: 3/31/2025 - Review #562

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"Enter at your own risk"

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood was a 1981 Chang Cheh film based on part of Jin Yong/Louis Cha’s story that was originally serialized in a Hong Kong newspaper during 1956. Phillip Kwok starred as the hero Yuan Cheng Zhi and also helped choreograph the fights along with fellow Venoms Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng.

Yuan Cheng Zhi is rescued as a child by a loyal servant when his righteous father is executed by the new Qing emperor. He is brought up and trained by Mu Ren Qing the leader of one of the Mount Hua sects. Cheng Zhi becomes quite proficient in kung fu and grows into a kind and ethical young man. On one of his exploits, he and his servant discover the cave of the Golden Snake Hsia, a renowned swordsman from two decades ago. Cheng Zhi learns Hsia’s techniques with the golden sword and throwing darts. A secret treasure map is also included in this inheritance but Hsia’s desire was that the gold be given to the lady Wen Yi. Cheng Zhi goes in search of Wen Yi finding the thief Wen Qing instead.

Phillip Kwok was a talented martial artist who was also quite acrobatic. Kwok (Lizard Venom) worked once again alongside two of the other Venoms---Lu Feng (Centipede Venom) and Chiang Sheng (Venom apprentice). Cheng Zhi was not only an accomplished kung fu fighter and swordsman, but diplomat as well. Everyone around him was slice first, ask questions later. Despite Cheng Zhi’s early attempts at stopping the fighting, in the end, limbs would be lopped off and the blood would flow. There was a cross-dressing romance with Candy Wen’s Ching Ching, one of the more annoying female leads during this time. Her mother’s romance in flashbacks played a strong role in the present. I tend to find long flashbacks annoying and a real momentum killer, but I actually enjoyed the revenge and love story from the past that tied everyone together in the present.

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood had too much story with too little time to tell but did the best it could. Kwok made for a moral hero who wasn’t a total drip. I guess it helped that Cheng Zhi had the skills to back up his polite entreaties. There were fewer fights than one might expect from 1981, but the fights offered were fast and well-choreographed. Worth a try if you like these old kung fu flicks.

31 March 2025
Trigger warnings: At least three dismemberments and one torture scene.

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If you are looking for a bloodless kung fu film, Jackie Chan’s second directorial effort, The Young Master, would be a place to start. The fights still weren’t up to speed but the creative use of props made up for it.

Lung and Tiger were orphans taken in by Master Tien. When Tiger betrays the school for money, he’s kicked out. After second thoughts, Master Tien sends Lung out to retrieve the wayward student. Tiger falls in with Ah Suk’s motley gang and helps spring a dangerous prisoner, Master Kam. Lung is mistaken for Tiger and becomes entangled with Sheriff Sang Kwan and his family.

The story was thin, even as kung fu flicks go, but it provided a framework for numerous fights beginning with a Lion Dance. Back when Lung was chastised as a lazy fighter. Somehow, he became a more proficient fighter as the story moved along, all without the benefit of a training montage or new master. The story had continuity issues, perhaps because of editing for time. Chan fought with just about every fighter in the movie-Fung Hak On, Lee Hoi Sang, Yuen Biao, Sek Kin, Lily Li, Wai Pak, Fan Mei Sheng, Yue Tau Wan (& friends), and the big finale with hapkido master-Hwang In Shik. The final fight showed off Hwang’s fighting skills and Chan’s pratfalls for nearly 20 minutes before Chan finally ate his spinach and was able to do more than fall down.

Comparing it with other films from the era, the fights were well choreographed. Fung Hak On and Lee Hoi Sang tended to move at a faster speed in their fight against the prison guards. Chan’s fights were more deliberately styled, often with props, which slowed things down. His fight with Sek Kin (and Sek’s double) was entertaining. The old veteran brought nice acting skill to his scenes as well. I lost interest in the last fight other than being impressed with Hwang’s diverse kicking techniques. There were only so many times I could watch Chan fall down before it became monotonous. The Young Master was entertaining, but often felt a bit self-indulgent and uneven. 7.25 rounded up to a 7.5.

31 March 2025
Trigger warning: Nekkid men’s buttocks

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