Reviews

This movie broke me.

I don't know where to start this.

I love non-linear stories; the jumps in time that the plot does are what make this movie very engaging for me. Another thing I liked was the friendship between Makoto and Kida. Their friendship felt very realistic, and I will praise Kida's character a lot. He was a real friend, he stood by Makoto's side no matter what (not even when Makoto was talking about proposing to Yocchi, the woman Kida was in love with), and not even after Makoto disappeared from his life, he gave up on him; Kida entered a shady buisseness, with no possibility of getting out, just to be able to find his friend. His character was very selfless, many of the things he did were to help Makoto, and even his boss (I forgot his name) quickly caught that he barely did things for himself.

That scene of Kida watching the explosion from the window, with a heartbroken expression, destroyed me completely. I ugly cried the first time I watched this. Very recommended.

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The seduction scene between two very masculine men is one of the best in world queer cinema

Some love stories are written with poetry, and others are etched in pain. 'Bangkok Love Story' is not the typical romance that BL lover’s dream of... it's raw, confusing, and drenched in sadness and tragedy. Love isn't easy here. It's dangerous, fleeting, and the world refuses to let it exist in peace.
Set in the harshness of Bangkok's slums and the central area, which is full of neon lights and luxurious mansions, the film is violent, passionate, and deeply tragic.
The story follows Maek (Rattanaballang Tohssawat), a hitman, whose tragic past, a blind mother, and an HIV-positive brother named Mhok (Weeradit Srimalai), both homeless, led him to a life of murder. But he's a hired gun with a conscience: he'll only take the lives of people who lack innocence.
His latest assignment is to assassinate Ith (Chaiwat Thongsaeng), a young police informant who knows too much. But when Maek discovers that the man he's meant to kill is innocent and the man who wants him dead turns out to be a criminal, he refuses to do it: executing him goes against his complicated code of honor. After fleeing from his boss and being wounded while protecting Ith, the two men go into hiding together for a time, fearing death by those pursuing them. In a show of gratitude, Ith takes care of Maek during his convalescence.
The scenes in this part of the film are brimming with homoeroticism, as the two fugitives, usually naked to the waist (and very close to each other), constantly gaze at each other when the other isn't looking.
Masterfully executed in this first hour of the Thai gay romantic crime action drama, written, directed, and produced in 2007 by Poj Arnon, the viewer will enjoy a growing sexual tension that finally explodes when Iht rubs Maek's back while bathing the wounded man, unable to use his own hands. They gaze at each other, kiss, and suddenly find themselves engaged in a passionate sexual experience.
In these moments, Arnon expresses through images his power to explore the human heart in the face of danger, the discovery of sexuality, and extraordinary circumstances.
The photography of the seduction scene between these two very masculine men is among the best in global queer cinema of all time. Set on the rooftop of a nearly ruined building with the Bangkok skyline as a backdrop, it is passionate and sensual, with lush, romantic piano music.
But when it's all over, a confused Maek freaks out, demands that Iht leave and leave him alone, and pours water over himself to cleanse himself of what happened. Heartbroken, Iht returns to Sai (Chatcha Rujinanon), his fiancée, but is no longer interested in continuing the relationship with her.
The provocative story of a police informant and a murderer who fall in love then disintegrates before my eyes. The reason for this is that director Arnon falls into the worst clichés of a low-budget Hollywood tearjerker, with endless scenes of an elusive man struggling to accept his feelings for another man, who, while secretly yearning for revenge, hides from his beloved, but leaves signs that he is there to lure the other man back. And to top it all off, the magic of the piano music is transformed into pure, banal, repetitive artifice.
Still, 'Bangkok Love Story' should be praised: in addition to being a milestone for its portrayal of gay men on the Thai screen, something unusual for the time, since previous representations consisted mostly of stereotypical transvestites (or kathoey in their native language), the director continued a cinema that tackled taboo subjects in that Southeast Asian country at the beginning of the 20th century, just as he did with his previous films 'Go-Six' (2000), which portrayed a love triangle between a man and two women (one of them sexually ambiguous), and 'Cheerleader Queens' (2003), which featured transvestite teenagers who aspire to be cheerleaders. Also noteworthy is the almost poetic cinematography and the beautiful full-color photography, which makes excellent use of the locations, the panoramic views of the buildings, and the cityscapes of the Thai capital to tell us this story that begins as an act of mercy and becomes a story of forbidden love, caught between survival and desire.
Moreover, the film is steeped in Thai culture, making it a very exotic cinematic experience. If you doubt it, ask yourself: how many movies have you seen where there is a shootout in a Buddha statue warehouse?
In addition to its well-crafted erotic scenes, the film explores the raw, uncontrived reality of the situation faced by thousands of homeless people and AIDS sufferers in Thailand. It also addresses cruel situations, such as the abuse and rape of a child, and how this event changes the victim's destiny.
Chaiwat Thongsaeng and Rattanaballang Tohssawat do a great job, portraying believable characters with explosive chemistry that sparks audience interest.
Maek is the best-designed character, with a past that serves as the basis not only for the kind of life he leads, but also for his enormous emotional burden, which prevents him from getting close to anyone.

YOU MAY LIKE TO KNOW

When developing the script, the director used names with specific meanings. Maek means Cloud; Iht means Stone; Mhok means Fog; and Sai means Sand.
The film had serious difficulties getting released. During the pre-production process in 2006, the Royal Thai Police objected to the original script, as Iht's character was a police officer who eventually admitted his homosexuality and fell in love with a murderer.
As a result, the director was forced to rewrite the script to make Iht's character and the elements establishing his connection to the Thai police force more vague and ambiguous, in order to pass the scrutiny of the Censor Board, which included members of the Royal Thai Police.
During filming, the actor playing Iht requested that the cameras be used at different angles so he wouldn't have to kiss his co-star, but Arnon explained the importance of realistic kissing.
Ultimately, Chaiwat Thongsaeng accepted the role of Iht, claiming that he was motivated only by the challenge and hoping the film would make him famous. He even told the press that the experience of kissing another man seemed disgusting at first, but he managed to do it by pretending to kiss his girlfriend.
For his part, Rattanaballang Tohssawat declared that it was "an honor" to play a gay man.
Upon its release, the film, which was very popular and grossed a lot at the box office, received mixed reviews, partly because it was considered overly melodramatic. Other positive reviews hailed it as Thailand's most daring gay-themed film. It won Best Film at the Brussels Independent Film Festival.

IN SUMMARY
'Bangkok Love Story' is a fusion of 'Brokeback Mountain' (on a conceptual and cultural level, but not on an artistic level) and an action thriller set in the Thai capital, but with less emotional complexity, more male tearjerkers, and excessive gunplay.
Although it aspires to be an innovative queer film, it leans toward exaggerated masculine tropes and borrows the color palette from Kar-Wai Wong's dreamy melancholy, but without fully capturing the emotional nuance.

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Why was it 4 different movies in one?

I might be biased (probably am) since I really enjoyed the first Death Whisperer, but this was just so all over the place I found it hard to focus on any plotline. It truly felt like 4 different movies put into one:
Ghoul man story.
Yak ghost hunter story.
The family still being haunted as they try to move on from all that happened in the first movie.
The Dad 2.0, Asshole and Coward family trio.

And realistically speaking, the only 2 parts I cared about were Yak and his family. Everything else seemed like an unnecessary convoluted way to make the movie longer than needed. The whole part of the woods with the new set of characters was boring, because these characters were simply awful to watch.

Sure the gore and how characters died was just as "fun" as in the first movie, but way less impactful on the emotional side. I kind of wanted a lot of these people to die there...

The acting was good for the most part. Nadech Kugimiya plays such a fun and cheeky character I would not mind a whole drama of his character going on ghost hunting trips Winchesters style.

Overall, this could have worked, maybe as a short series. Too many things happened in too short of a period of screentime.

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A heartfelt journey through the film

Love was in the tiny moments. I was mesmerized, completely drawn into the slow, magical love between the main characters, Joo Yung and Yeji. There was something in them—an undeniable attraction, a quiet admiration—that pulled me into the little sea of their love. Joo Yung’s adorable puppy-like eyes gazing at Yeji melted me like ice cream.

My heart skipped a beat when Yeji suddenly kissed Joo Yung after the confession. I was in heaven watching that bold move! Love stars sparkled in front of my eyes, and I couldn't help but deeply imagine—what would happen if I got my first kiss unexpectedly from someone I secretly love and admire?

The joy they felt at the beach made me feel like I was right there with them. Together, we were living in the beauty of the moment, sharing laughter, craziness, and companionship. It was so lovely to watch.

But along with these tiny, beautiful moments came painful struggles. Anger took over me when the despicable school teacher sexually harassed the girls. It revealed the dark reality of life—how some human monsters prey on the vulnerable. My heart shattered into little pieces watching Joo Yung’s best friend silently endure the trauma inflicted by her taekwondo teacher. It was devastating. And when Yeji took a picture of Joo Yung as she left her house—something to hold onto in moments of longing—my heart ached.

The movie also exposed the dark side of the law—how power enables some people to commit crimes without consequences, just like the disturbed taekwondo teacher.

Overall, I felt every moment deeply. A huge thanks to the cast, director, cinematographer, and everyone involved in making this film. It was an unforgettable experience.

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Great characters, missed potential

I had high hopes for this movie as it hooked me in from the beginning, but the lack of story explanations and assumptions one has to make while watching made it feel more like the first episode to a series.
I really like the protagonist, his outfit and his unique weapon. We learn a lot about him just by seeing a few scenes, but it still feels unfinished. His "job" in the post-apocalyptic world seems interesting, opposite to the typical "kill every zombie and try to survive" movie plot that's mostly used. It's also funny that his "savior" at the beginning is an old fat oba-san and not the typical hot girl or fit guy.
For its 1 hour runtime, the lack of lore is kinda disappointing. There were other japanese movies with the same short length that managed to tell a story, so it's not impossible to accomplish.
For zombie lovers I'd definitely recommend it, but for people who love horror movies for the story it leaves you unsatisfied. I personally tried searching for the original japanese source material, and there doesn't seem to be one. If there was one I'd love to read it and get context for the story that obviously was planned but didn't make it into this movie.
(Also for anyone interested, I watched it on yesmovie.lol with english subtitles)

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Time to consider

Sometimes as we go through life we wonder, is this the right path? What if we had time to consider our choices? Would we ultimately be happy?I think this is what the film is trying to explore.

In this quiet little area we have many stories playing out with people stuck in decisions that they aren't too happy about, while a panicked staff try to quell their needs. While the chaos is going on, we get little glimpses of intrusive thoughts in each character. The most astounding one is; if you had the chance to experience death, would you take it? This movie brings up a couple of morale qualms in the midst of the comedy. Questions of morality and what we say can have negative effects that carry on and stick with someone. I thought that was the most interesting thing about this film. Being in a time loop is somewhat like how peopled dwell on the same moment over and over in their mind and that can lead to violence sometimes. But overtime we tend to let those moments pass. They will always be a memory there to us, but time heals.

Another impressive thing was the camera and staging! When they moved through so many narrow hallways and created immaculate mirroring it was very impressive. Many times I wondered how they were gonna deviate or try to one up the last sequence. I thoroughly enjoyed that.

Despite these things, there are a couple of negatives. Some characters don't really get any sort of closure. Like the owner and main host. A bit into the movie, I randomly started to hate Mikoto because of her shelfisness.But then I realized that was because of her inability to want to change and move forward. The climax of the movie is really silly. But I suppose that's just Japan for you. The ending is a little unsatisfying but I think that's just a fact of life lol

Either then that though movie is a fun time waster.

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WHO KILLED THE GHOST? -Haha! REMEMBER ME, HEAR MY VOICE -Sad; GHOST HAUNTING ANOTHER GHOST -Scary

Finally a Good Horror in this Franchise! Uff!!

Watched first 4 movies in this franchise, This is the BEST till now !
No moment of boredom throughout the movie, unlike the first 3 movies in which Only the last 30 mins are interesting.

I vaguely remember watching few of these movies in my younger years n all these years, had an impression on 1st movie n this movie, as Good Scary Horrors n were my favs back then :)

**** STORY:
A Story of Teen Girls in All Girls High School.
(All the movies in this franchise are about high school girls in school setting )
Even here, like in the other movies in this franchise, the Ghost never leaves the school.

There are two couples here:
Main Leads (Sun Min n Young Eon) n in the end, it is IMPLIED that they are in love!
Female music teacher n her student girlfriend.

This Story in a Nutshell:
"U REMEMBER ME / PLEASE DON'T FORGET ME;
HEAR MY VOICE
n SO MY GHOST EXISTS !"

A Mix of Serious Horror + Mystery Thriller.
Ghost with her close friend, solving her own death mystery! 🤭
n this entire MYSTERY solving part is INTERESTING to watch.

****
For the first 1 hour of the movie, it's about "WHO KILLED YOUNG EON / who made her, turn into a ghost?" 🤭

That suspense is well maintained till the end.
Well written story.

The last 30 mins show the actual events that happened n also show a different evil angle of the ghost, which is shown as humble n sweet in the first 1 hour of the movie.

****
What I liked the most in this movie is:
As an admirer of horror n mystery genres, mainly mystery thrillers,
I really liked the idea of including a death mystery in a horror.

Liked the idea of showing the ghost's story from the perspective of the ghost as a horror experience for itself, trying to solve its own death mystery and the mystery suspense continued till the end.
Later on, shown as the ghost learning the true events that had happened, New unexpected facts came to the surface and revealed that the ghost is not ready to accept those.

And this Narration of the Ghost's story makes this movie to stand out in this Franchise!

All this is well written, well executed and the screenplay n editing for a mystery included in a horror genre, are Good.

****
At times, u find it funny :
What! Our Ghost gal is getting scared of n haunted by another ghost !? :o
(Maybe she forgot that she is a ghost that is capable to scare anyone! 😂)

All these scenes - Haunting the ghost Young Eon by another ghost, are scary enough n give a good horror experience for horror lovers

****
Cinematography is Good.

Direction is Different.
Usually, the Ghost creates Chaos but here ghost is heard only by close ones n the chaos is created in the Ghost world (Ghost haunts another Ghost)
Chaos in school happens only when a dead body is found.
Funny and strange that all bodies are found only by Seon min

Climax scene is different and funny - possessing your lover, seeing her in the mirror and then confessing (saying I love you) is different, a new type of confession 😂

End credits scene - gal Cho Ah's ghost is stuck with no voice, since she is not remembered by anyone.

OST is Good

****
My Rating is 8 / 10

I really liked everything about this movie, the best in this franchise.

****
Check out my Reviews for other movies in this Franchise :)

Till now, in this franchise, Liked movies in the order:
4 > 1 > 3 > 2

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Planned to watch a horror movie ended up crying like a baby for an hour

This is a masterpiece. This movie is incredible.

The director did so well with even the little things.

Cinematography was done so beautifully.

Writing was so good! They managed to tell so many stories and make you completely connected and hooked with the characters without a miss. There's nothing that feels missing or that needs an explanation.

The actors really did an incredible job with telling the story. A good script can go to waste with bad actors but the casting director made the best choices with these actors. They're so good! You can tell their emotions from their eyes in seconds. You can completely see what they're thinking at every minute. It's so incredible! Even the little girl was so well casted. It's hard to find kids that are good at acting let alone incredible at it. She was amazing.

Overall the thriller part was thrilling and the emotional part was making me cry without being able to stop. Incredible freaking movie! I don't know how many times I have to say it but this is a masterpiece!

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What is the role of the abnormal? While lacking, certainly thought-provoking

Most of the movie I was in a state of -- Ok, ok, interesting, boring, typical, oh ok, obsession, ok. what is with this pacing. Ah. come again. boring, typical, hm. Then?

As you follow the movie you notice an interesting pattern. All the characters had a specific pattern in their thinking. Tragedy - Unbearable pain - Justification - New behaviour. How do they turn a neutral stimulus into an explanation? Then into conviction, into justification.

The last quarter of the movie, one of the characters said quite a profound thing:

"You think it's all your fault.
He blamed his tragedy on the monster.
The third on, God's revelation.
You blame yourself.
These sound different but they're actually the same.
You all fixated on one thing as the cause of a situation.
Most tragedies are caused by a combination of circumstances we can't control.
Devil, monsters and the like, they are created by people seeking justification."

It kind of shook me because indeed seems plausible.

What if our anxieties are justifications for something?

Overall, a worthwhile psychological breakdown. Last 15 minutes saved this movie. Even though production was lacking, the story was intriguing and thought-provoking.

A recommend.

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"Seems we're in for a fight" It's a kung fu movie, of course you are!

Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue at least lived up to its name, there was a Shaolin temple and the teacher played an important role. There were also the oft used Ming rebels, Ming prince/king and Qing bad guys with frightening weapons. No secret list this time but there was a secret scroll of Buddha’s Final Form, the ultimate technique.

The rebels are trying to covertly maneuver the Ming prince/king out of Qing territory and safely into the south. They are thwarted by the diabolical Lu Ping (few character names in this dubbed version) and Chang Yi with his “Bloody Birds.” Carter Wong and his sister Hsu Feng work to save the king and take him to safety. Much of the action takes place in the Shaolin temple where a blind teacher helps to protect both the king and the secret scroll. Deadly traps are used in the Qing prison and the Shaolin temple.

This was Chang Peng I’s first directorial effort. Time has not been kind to his movie. The film was faded with salt and pepper pocking as well as the occasional yellow and blue streaks. Unfortunately, I could only find it with English dubbing. The cast was strong which helped gloss over the weak storyline. Chang Yi with his wild gray sideburns and swirling boomerang blades that could cut down trees and cause explosions made for a sinister bad guy. How he didn’t crack up with those wild weapons is beyond me. Hsu Feng had a spear with a retractable chain and blade. Carter relied on his Shaolin kung fu techniques only lacking the 18th form. Lu Ping as "His Highness" had an impenetrable body save for his Achilles heel. Phillip Ko Fei, a competent martial artist in real life, played the traitorous monk who aided the Qings.

The action came fast and furious from beginning to end with flaming traps, daggers, poisonous gas, and spiked walls all of which challenged the fighters both angels and devils. Oh, and Lung Fei had a golden manicure to die for. If you enjoy old kung fu movies with ridiculously funny and deadly weapons, this might be one to try. As always, its graded on a curve.

25 March 2025

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So I cried 6 times watching this

Not sure if it was because I'd already seen the Gekidan EXILE BOOK ACT rendition of this and knew how the story was going to go and how it'd end, or because I'm simply easily touched, but I just kept reaching for tissues when I was watching this in the cinema. But perhaps uniquely, the two aspects that stood out to me the most about this movie were the cinematography and soundtrack, but I'll talk about the story and cast first.

To elaborate on the synopsis (with slight spoilers) - 4 boys find out that all men in the small homely village they grew up in gain the ability to make a wish and have full freedom on what they use it on other than anything concerning life. There, you're introduced to the characters. Akito wishes to become a professional pianist and enter a music college. Natsuki wishes to become a professional soccer player but has to give up his dream after an incident. Yukio is passionate about handicrafts and has a crush on a fellow schoolmate in the Handicraft Club. Haruhi, born with a weak heart, became friends with the gang after Akito approached him on his first day of elementary school.

The story first goes through the boys' conflict on what they should use the magic for - their own wants and wishes, or the sake of their loved one's happiness. Then, that is pushed slightly aside when all the characters go on their separate paths after graduation, until they all reunite towards the end for a single goal. While the story is centred around the 4 boys, there's also a pretty significant emphasis specifically on Haruhi and Akito's bond (which I find really cute and sweet <3)

The story had some potential, especially seeing how well it was carried out in BOOK ACT, but I found that it fell off in some parts in the sense that it became somewhat cliche, to the point it became not as interesting as it could have been. There are certain parts where it's obvious they're trying to do some foreshadowing, but it's too obvious till you know exactly what happened before the "grand reveal", which doesn't make the climax as impactful.

Inoue Yuki and Sakurai Kaito definitely showed themselves as actors. They were responsible for a lot of highly emotional scenes and I feel like those scenes never really felt awkward even if they were practically wailing in an otherwise completely silent scene. And objectively, while I may be a fan of Yusei, I do feel like he had a couple of awkward bits (such as the one where Akito was screaming at Natsuki) but also scenes where he impressed me (such as his eyes as he was listening to his father during the scene in the bar).

Now, cinematography-wise, it honestly felt like the movie was made in partnership with the tourism association of the location to encourage tourism to the village, the way they filmed the countryside, the natural scenery... it was genuinely breathtaking, which can make sense plot-wise, BUT can also feel a little in your face at times because you can definitely tell they were trying to highlight the beauty of the greenery at various (slightly random) parts of the movie.

In terms of music, I learned after the movie that Yokoyama Masaru, the composer for this movie, was likely a very expensive individual to hire to work on this movie, considering the shows he's worked on, and honestly, I can tell why. His soundtrack is so dramatic and beautiful, and so fitting of each scene, that it truly elevated the emotions of each scene. Not sure if it's my imagination, but I feel like there's a bit more emphasis on the use of piano in the soundtrack than normal, which if there really is that emphasis, it would seem like they took Akito in mind when creating the base and I just think that's so wonderful. Also, my favourite soundtrack is Lush Balloons :)

Overall, I would say this movie stood out to me while I was watching it as it's rather uniquely carried out, but didn't leave much of an impression on me after. Though, as of now, having watched the movie about a week or so ago, I do want to rewatch it, so the rewatch value may be high for me... think I'll cry a lot again rewatching it one day though ><

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Visually stunning. Emotionally...not so much.

heard the ending song on youtube and absolutely loved it. I have to believe that such an incredible soundtrack must go with at least a passable movie...

watched 3-24-25

A fun watch with cool visuals and a good soundtrack but unfortunately the characters/relationships were really underdeveloped. I will keep listening to that ending song, but would be unlikely to watch the movie again. I need a lot more romance in my bromance, if you know what I mean. I know some have complained that some aspects were ripped off from Doctor Strange, and I think it's at the very least a strong homage. I was literally thinking, hey, just like Doctor Strange! And: this is really just a Marvel movie! But honestly that did not put me off. Give me glowing teleportation rings and two hot guys fistfighting on a CGI monster any time. Just maybe make it seem like the two leads want to make out? Pretty please?

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