Reviews

this isn't LGBT...

donno why there's an LGBT tag - the fact that the male leads got close, automatically means sexual attraction? if so i missed the signs - cause there were none to be found.

if i didn't read the description, wouldn't have guessed that the reason Xiao Fang ended up in Surfers' utopia, was cause he just broke up with his gf. from what i saw, it seemed like he was just a man lost in life, with no direction that held on to the only life-line offered to him - that came in the form of a job, to run the surf shop by the sea that Dong Bin owned. a job opportunity that opened up, cause the previous worker had to go back home, cause of family issues.

all of the people who ended up in Wan'an, were either running away from something or were lost & needed a place to call home & that's why they all became "family" - under Uncle Dong Bin guidance. guess hurt people can recognize kinder spirits & he welcomed every new comer into the "family".
everyone who came to Surfers' utopia & stayed were lost in some way, everyone carrying their own baggage, Xiao Fang & Yuan Yong just connected. given the fact that Yuan Yong reminded Xiao Fang of his childhood bff (& what happened to said bff), it was logical that on his part, he wanted to get close to Yuan Yong. that doesn't make them "closeted". people can have chemistry with other people of the same gender or the opposite gender & it can be totally platonic.

if anything, there was no romance to speak off in this movie, even though Yuan Yong & Yu Ling came as a couple, they didn't interact like one - other then when they were making out lol. but they were more like friends with benefits. even in the scene where Xiao Fang & Yuan Yong were shirtless & Xiao Fang was tending to Yuan Yong wounds, the one that was effected by the scene, that was aware of the picture they both presented & how appealing it was, was Yu Ling. the guys weren't effected in the least - cause there was a platonic connection between them - nothing more.

this was a depressing movie - the MC, Xiao Fang - who was running away from the world, maybe cause of what happened in his teens, seeing Yuan Yong felt he had a chance to redeem himself, to regain what he once lost. but the tragic turn of event with Yuan Yong made him realize, that he couldn't redeem himself or save his bff - again. thus what he chose in the end was sadly, tragically logical.

hella depressing... well acted by all & not a boring moment, even though it is pretty slow-paced - but so freakin sad.

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A MUST-WATCH !! Statues, Figurines, Mystical Dolls (Charms), Deity idols, Everywhere! :O

A VERY INTERESTING HORROR!
Director Mike never disappoints when it is Horror genre, just like his "Pee Nak" Film Franchise (horror comedies).

This is a Serious Psychological Horror with a Good Blend of Murder Mysteries n a very good amount of Suspense👌🏻

It's more of a Murder Mystery than a Horror.
(Concepts of Black magic n awakening of Evil Hoon Payon to haunt n attack people, still makes this a horror n gives chills).

Suspense n Mystery of
What happened to (Phuwin) Tham's missing brother,
Why are there hauntings and murders, only after Tham's arrival,
Who will be killed next,
Why are they murdered n
Who is murdering them -- Religious Deity as a punishment for a sin/mistake or Some Black magic Mystical Ghastly Creatures or Humans in the name of Deity n Ghost?
These Mysteries and Suspense are very well maintained throughout the movie.
Whatever, all the scenes of the Haunting (by Evil Mystical Hoon Payon) or the Hunting (if murdered by Humans) are Very Interesting.

Right from the beginning of the movie, from the very first scene, it is very interesting and the mysterious vibe is well carried forward, while Tham exploring the truth of his missing brother (monk).

***
This Story really shows
the Good and Evil (Black Magic) sides of Religious beliefs, faiths and related superstitions,
the Good side of Humans who always try to help others &
the Evil side of Humans (fake monks) exploiting people's weakness (fear or faith on a religion n related superstitions)
and Reminds us strongly that sometimes, whatever we see, is not always true -- There can be more to a person who looks all innocent (retard character) or revered (one elder monk). (Even I was misled by these characters, haha).

***
There is a ghastly, eerie, scary n mysterious vibe every moment in every scene.

The Spine-chilling Scary feel is not bcz of jump scares in haunting scenes but it's bcz of the Fear instilled by the Nail-biting Suspense of what happens next and who is attacked n killed next, as though death or something mysterious, follows one constantly.
(So, Watch this at late Nights only for true scary chills and eerie feels, haha).

BTW, Director Mike made sure that this scary vibe is slowly build with the suspense around the characters and the story but not with any silly jump scares / cheap visual effects that are found in few horrors without much concentration on the plot, just to attract horror genre audience.

***
That island village worships other deities who are considered powerful n punish the ones who destroys their idols.
And also have a strange tradition of worshipping a Life-Sized statue of a dead person with ashes n bones kept inside the statue for the dead person to rest in peace.
Also they carry mystical figurines like charms for protection from black magic
But then, there are full sized Ghastly Creatures, called Hoon Payon, made from a dead body by Evil persons who practise black magic for evil purposes.

So there are many Life-Sized Statues, Figurines, Small Mystical Dolls (Charms), Deity idols, etc Everywhere! :O
U'll be confused for a moment, thinking what is what and which is good & which is evil, haha.

***
Direction, Plot, Story Writing (characterisation), Story Narration and Screenplay are Good.
Pacing is Good.
Cinematography and Locations are very Good.

***
Every Actor performed well.

Phuwin's character Tham is Cool, trying to find out the truth behind his missing brother n Bold to face anything to find the truth behind the Hoon Payon, not scared of the villagers' superstitions, whenever there is a Hoon payon haunting.

Emi as a possessed gal, acted very well.

Up, as an innocent retard, acted so well that u sympathize with his role, Tee when he is bullied but the Plot Twist, that different shade in his role, is an unexpected surprise n just Wow in this story (n the rating will shoot up just bcz of this twist n his acting, haha)

Garto, Bank, every supporting cast did well.
(Except 2-3 actors, when I can recognise almost every actor in this movie, it shows the amount of Thai works that I watch, haha)

***
The Narrative of the Secrets' reveal, is smooth and a surprise.
For eg:
How one elder monk is actually not a monk but a bad human exploiting villagers' beliefs for his own greed and personal gain.
Even the reveal of the Plot Twist at the end.

***
The Story is wrapped up Good and Smooth, clearing all the mysteries of every murder and the secrets of all missing persons.

The Plot Twist at the end is an unexpected move :O,
(Aigoo, I suspected two other monks, haha).
So what happens to Tham (Phuwin) in the end -- Maybe, Need a Sequel to know this, though not necessarily.

***
My Rating is 8.5/10.
(Could be 9, if the confusion of various figurines, as mentioned above, didn't distract me understanding the plot).

Horror Genre Lovers, DON'T MISS TO WATCH THIS!

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I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

The series/movie: Overall, this was an easy watch and somewhat enjoyable. It had a very basic storyline which would have been fine if the script was better. The main problem is it did not do a good job fully explaining some aspect of the story which made some part make no sense. Although it was a happy ending, it was very lack luster. It also includes the one story element I hate. Especially when it served no purpose to the story. There was also a lot of wasted screen time that could have been used to fully explain various parts of the story. Overall, the acting was good.

The movie: The main positive aspect is they did an incredible job editing the episodes into one cohesive movie. There were a few added senses and some that were cut out which helped the story progress. The sound quality was better in the series.

Random Note:

If you are in-between series and have some time to kill, I recommend watching the movie series. The editing really helped the flow of the story.


******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The script does not fully explain what exactly happen between Yeong Wu and Hwang Yi Bin in the past.

Why was Hwang Yi Bin so surprise when Yeong Wu said he was going to be Kim Gi Jin’s model considering that Hwang Yi Bin asked him to do it.

We get the hint that Kim Gi Jin didn’t go to New York, but no explanation why. If it was to stay with Yeong Wu, why did he disappear which made the 1-year time jump serve absolutely no purpose. We also get no full explanation what happen during the time jump.

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SO YA LEL YA LELI CODED

This movie might just be the best thing I’ve ever watched—and even if I come across better ones in the future, I know this one will always stay close to my heart. I absolutely loved every moment from beginning to end. The friendship group was so beautifully portrayed, especially the bond between Ali and Mesut. They started off as complete opposites but became true ride-or-die brothers. Ali’s hopeless crush on Marilyn Monroe, his delusions and daydreams, added such charm, yet he was also the best shooter in their unit—skilled, brave, and dependable. It broke me when he died… not even due to recklessness, just a single moment that cost everything.

Ayla learning to speak Turkish was such a touching part of the story, and the bond between her and Süleyman was so pure and wholesome. Nuran could never fully understand Süleyman, and maybe she wasn’t meant to. God’s plan was for him to be with Nimet—his true partner, with whom he spent 60 years and had two children. Nimet loved him quietly and unconditionally all along, and I believe Süleyman eventually grew to love her deeply as well.

Even though they couldn’t find Ayla for decades—her name changed and the trail went cold—they never gave up. It took from the early 1950s all the way to around 2010 for them to reunite, but they did. Neither of them forgot. Neither broke the promise. That alone was enough to tear me apart emotionally.

One of my favorite moments was when Süleyman (in the movie) walks to the mosque past a store, and the real-life Süleyman is sitting there, reading a newspaper. He greets his movie self—and right after in the end, it cuts to footage of the actual reunion in real life. I cried so much at that point. Truly, a masterpiece. A tearjerker. A memory I’ll always treasure.

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"True love often conflicts with reason"

When I hit play on Naruse Mikio’s coming of age film, Spring Awakens, I was not expecting a 1947 version of a sex education class but that’s what I got. There was nothing graphic, it was 1947 Japan after all, but I was surprised at the frank talk about questions raised by the six young adolescents.

Kumiko and her friends Hanae and Kyoko discover the reason Kumiko’s maid has been fired is because she’s “in love”. Hanae introduces the girls to her brother’s buddies-Koji and Noshiro. Gossip around the maid brings up numerous questions to parents centering around, “Is love wrong?” The girls’ school physical which involves measuring their breasts (seriously, why?) leads to laughter about different sizes and shapes. Crushes between the six members of the friends’ gang also cause the teens to develop funny feelings in their hearts and bodies. Another question repeatedly asked by the girls is “where do babies come from?” Some of the parents are better equipped at answering the uncomfortable questions while others stick their heads in the sand.

Kuga Yoshiko at 16 and starring in only her second film, did a superb job playing the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence. Yumiko’s mother was very strict and her rules about boys could be summed up as, “Don’t look at them, don’t be around them, and for Pete’s sake don’t touch one!” Most importantly, “Don’t ask me where babies come from!” On the flipside, Koji’s father played by the always reliable Shimura Takashi, doled out helpful, loving advice to his son and those who came to him needing guidance. Other parents were also more “lenient.”

The film showed how important sex education can be. When girls don’t know where babies come from, they are liable to end up carrying one or fear they have become pregnant from a kiss. The old adage brought up in this film that it’s better to keep girls in the dark or else they might act on their newly found knowledge was as useless then as now. Teenagers’ hormone fueled curiosity and new appreciation for the opposite sex and their own changing bodies can only benefit from correct information and adults they know they can talk with about anything. The film discussed menstruation without the girls understanding what role the monthly cycle played in their sexual health. When adults told them that married love or the gods conjured up babies, I guess that knowledge was beside the point. Given that the girls were lectured about the “right kind of love” and “not making any mistakes before marriage”, crucial data was being withheld from them. Despite one of the school girls stating that girls and boys were equal, it was clear in the film that they were still rigidly defined by social traditions and the patriarchy. I’ll step down from my soapbox…

Kumiko and Kyoko read “lewd” romantic poetry including “Im Wundershoenen Monat Mai” by German writer Heinrich Heine (1797-1856). I love when Naruse walked the wild subversive side. The author he chose had to leave Germany to live in France because his works were considered obscene, often banned, and he held radical ideas about democracy. Another unexpected scene was when a pregnant teenager’s mother was advised to support and love her child instead of shunning her. Also, who else besides Naruse would have girls drawing boobies on a school chalkboard in 1947?

Spring Awakens was actually a delightful coming of age/slice of life film with gentle humor and sweet first loves. The teen friendships and crushes were realistic as well as their burgeoning desire to know more about their feelings and bodies and those of the opposite sex. The film occasionally drifted into Afterschool Special lectures but overcame the bouts of preachiness with charming characters and performances. Children began to stretch their boundaries and parents learned the best they could hope to be were supportive guardrails.

“’Twas in the glorious month of May,
When all the buds were blowing
I felt, ah me, how sweet it was!
Love in my heart a-growing.
‘Twas in the glorious month of May.”
-Heinrich Heine

26 June 2025

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Another Emotional Triumph from GDH

I don't understand why this is labeled a comedy, it's way more emotional than that. Yes, it has lighthearted moments and warm humor woven throughout, but at its core, this is a deeply emotional story about friendship, identity, and the quiet heartbreaks of everyday life. GDH never disappoints. Their films always feel close to real life, and Flat Girls is no exception.

The cast did an amazing job bringing their characters to life. I felt every moments, laughs, tears, and quiet heartbreaks. What I especially loved was how intimate and real the storytelling felt. The pacing is calm, almost meditative at times, allowing the audience to really live with the characters. There are no exaggerated plot twists, no forced drama, just life unfolding with all its awkwardness and beauty. It's this honesty that makes the emotional moments hit so hard.

Without giving away spoilers, I'll just say this, it left me hanging, but in the best way possible. It didn't try to wrap everything up neatly or give us a perfect conclusion. It felt more like life. Open-ended, uncertain, and real. Some viewers might find it frustrating, but I found it honest and even comforting. It left space for the audience to imagine the future of these characters, which made it even more powerful.

Another high-quality, beautiful film from GDH. I loved it.

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Pay no attention to the drama poster -it's Melancholy & All the females have jagged edges

Melancholy & hard to warm up to. Female Characters all have jagged edges to them
See the Smiling couple on the Movie Ad ? They don't do that for 98% of the movie.
The actress actually does not have a black short haircut, but has long reddish brown hair throughout.
The theme is heartbreak from lost loves & how hard it is to move on. Sounds unenticing ? Well, it gets deep about why are we obsessed with things. Male lead can't remember that his girlfriend is dead but instead thinks that she left him. He meets another girl in a library. The ending is sort of happy but what comes before it is all heavy stuff.

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Pool Human Story

This is a simple human story about the relationship between a boy and a girl. The movie is divided into three chapters, each covering a different period in their lives, starting from childhood when they were just 12 and 13 years old. Even as the story progresses, it feels as though they are still at the beginning. There is certainly a love story here, but one without words, kisses, or even hugs—just a search for each other and a few playful kicks in their younger days. So perhaps, more than love, this is a story about friendship.

This is an innocent film—the kind we rarely see in modern times. The first part is actually the strongest, with the child actors delivering more emotion than the older ones. The swimming subplot is used effectively, providing some beautiful scenes in the water.

In conclusion, this is not a fast-paced or thrilling film that will leave you energized, but a heartfelt story that may make you remember past friendships—and perhaps even inspire you to reach out and reconnect with someone you’ve lost along the way.

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Hermosa.

It’s only 30 minutes, but Journey to the Shore hits hard. It tells a full emotional, and painfully story. I didn’t expect to feel so much in such a short time.

Sambeon’s development is the heart of it. Watching him struggle between guilt, love, and helplessness was heartbreaking. And Minha wanting to die, needing to escape...it’s brutal, but honest. You slowly realize he did take his life, and it just crushes you. No melodrama, just a quiet, heavy truth.

But then there’s that scene at the beach. That one moment of freedom, of peace. Just the two of them, far from the cruelty, being who they are without fear. It’s beautiful. It’s fleeting. And it hurts even more because you know it couldn’t last. But still for a second, they were able to be happy 🥲

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✒ ⚙ (Not) Commie Taxi Uprising ⚙ °8.4° °excellent°

It was wonderful to watch something that I was thrilled to have watched. It had been too long. I'd just worked through a string of shows and movies that let me down more than picked me up. They seem to come in clusters.

This movie is based on true events. At the film's opening is inscribed: “October 1979. With the shooting of President Park Chun- hee, South Korea's 18 year long era of dictatorship ends. But in contrast to the people's hope for democracy. General Chun Doo-hwan heads a military coup and seizes power. 1980: Outraged citizens protest in the streets and their yearning for democracy intensifies.”

News traveled slower in those days. This is before cable news. TV news was available at 6&11 pm. And there was the radio, newspaper & print media. That's it, and it wasn't too difficult for those in power to choke out truth. Peter, the western journalist who was hanging out in Japan (who's official paperwork pegs him as a missionary), only heard about tensions in Korea because he happened to have drinks with someone who had just been there - someone who couldn't reach his friends there. So on a plane Peter goes.

Song Kang Ho is the ML and titular character, Kim Man “Seob”. I had only seen him in the movie Parasite-9, so it was nice to see him playing someone energetic. I've since seen him playing Uncle Samsik-8.4, who is downright manic, so Mr. Song has quite the range. This film showcases his ability. He has to play many different emotions and his work is brilliant. Seob's a widower. He has a daughter. He's late on his rent - 4 months. His daughter and the landlady's chubby son fight. They both have scrapes on their foreheads. Each parent blamed the /other/ kid. She demands the back-rent NOW! Or move out. The only fare we see Seob blow off is for a couple about to give birth. The man forgot his wallet. “I'll pay you double tomorrow.” Seob holds out no hopes of that: “Do you know how many times I've heard that? I could buy a house on that fare.” Basically, money is tight.

Peter's contact in K-country shows him a paper with an empty page - censorship is in high gear. The city of Gwang-ju is the nerve center of the current tensions. All reporters are being closely watched - but - hey! He's a /missionary/❕😇. Gwang-ju needs a man on a mission. Peter will take a 🚖 there, and foreigners overpay. Driver Kim Man “Seob” overhears Peter's chosen driver bragging about that BIG fare and manages to swoop in and swipe the ride (and the 💰) like it was just a beer run. It turns out to be a dangerous run.

Seob has no idea what's going on. The situation is dangerously intense. Yet he, in a state of complete disconnect, is beaming during the whole drive down. The music is inappropriately upbeat and rousing to reflect his mood.

Even the back roads are guarded, but they manage to lie their way in. The streets of Gwang-ju are eerily quiet with tumble-trash rolling around. When they meet protesters, Peter whips out his camera and starts interviewing them as their cheers break the stillness. This is how Seob learns that Peter is /not/ a missionary. Nor is he a businessman. This is WHEN he learns - after he's already in the middle of it. Taxi drivers are being arrested for merely taking the wounded to the hospital!

At first, Seob doesn't believe the soldiers would do anything wrong. After all, HE used to be a soldier. There's no way they're acting like thugs and smashing people's heads in! Then he takes a woman to the hospital. He sees that other taxi drivers won't take the reporters anywhere because they're not reporting the truth. He marvels that they can turn down fairs! He still needs to acclimate to the situation on the ground: He's watching it unfold, yet it is still hard to accept. We all shut out the ugliness because it will take effort to deal with it. Once a decent person can no longer look away, action is required.

They go on top of the building for an aerial view. Soldiers are shooting at and storming the crowd. A local reporter warns Peter that if the government knows he's there, they will hunt him down, along with all the people helping him. Even at this point, Seob is blissfully ignorant of nearly everything going on. When Seob sees soldiers kicking and beating an old lady with sticks, he realizes how wrong this is. Action is required. To the shock everybody else in the group, Seob decides to go down and get involved.

That night, they turn on the newscast and it's all lies. Brave reporters, in turn, try to print the truth, but their manager stops them saying they'll all just get thrown in jail. At night, the gunfire starts. Fires rage in the distance.

TD is a 2017, 137-minute release that is rated 68 on AWiki. Director, Jang Hoon, did a brilliant job, and he doesn't have a lot on his director resume yet. Taxis were golf-green in the 80's, and a lurid green coats the film's opening. Even though I know nothing of 1980 Korea, I could feel the retro vibe. A quick web search reveals that green is for growth, beginnings, youth, and new energy. When they arrive in Gwang-ju, green banners have been hung by the protesters.

The director evokes raw emotion with skill. The hospital scene is bloody, and it hurts. With the flurry of car chases, stunts, shooting battles, and close ups of gunshots with blood splattering, this is not a small budget production. As they head back to Seoul with the goods, the military is on to them. (It doesn't make sense that the secret police dude would have been at that particular checkpoint. He had other things to do in the city). They get through a checkpoint, but at some point the taxis have to band together and run an interference operation. It's awesome, but it's fiction.

Per WIKI, “The assassination of President Park Chung Hee on 26 October 1979 triggered a number of democracy movements {which led to later protests} that had previously been suppressed under Park's tenure. The abrupt end of Park's 18-year authoritarian rule left a power vacuum that created political and social instability.

General Chun Doo-hwan heavily suppressed these protests. On 18 February 1980, the army issued orders to a number of units to undergo severe riot control training, called "Loyalty Training" This training was harsh and unconscionable, and was criticized as a factor behind the paratroopers' indiscriminate use of violence against the uprising.

There is no universally accepted death toll for the Gwangju Massacre. Records of death for the city in May 1980 were an estimated 2,300 above the historical averages and the death toll has been estimated to be anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people. Estimates for the number of civilians wounded also vary heavily, including figures anywhere from 1,800 to 3,500 people…

The movement preceded other democratic movements during the late 1980s that pressured the regime into democratic reforms and paved the way for the election of President Kim Dae-jung in 1997, the first opposition candidate to win the office… The 1980s marked a surge in Anti-American sentiment in Korea, widely traced to the United States' support for Chun's government and its involvement in the suppression of the Gwangju Uprising. According to Bruce Cumings…

The real Kim Sa-bok had a long term working relationship as a driver for Jurgen Hinzpeter, since at least 1975, and had died of liver cancer on December 19, 1984 at the age of 54. According to his son, Kim Sa-bok was traumatized by the terrible events at Gwangju and became a heavy drinker afterwards.”



QUOTES📢

We would rather die standing than live on our knees.

There aren't enough coffins in Gwang-ju.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.4 📝7.8 🎭8.5 🌞4 🎨8.5 ⚡7 🎵/🔊7 😅3 😭7 😱5.7 😯5 😖6.8 🤔7 💤0 🔚8

Age 14+ for TV-14 language, violence and blood. This movie is historically significant, so additional leeway is to be expected.

Re-📺?



In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Flex X Cop-8.5,
The Bros-7.4,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Vagabond-8,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Iris-8,
D.P.-8.4,
Flower of Evil-8.9,
Awaken-8.7,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9, Mr. Sunshine 9
The Wailing-8.8,
Oldboy-9,


〰 Prime Catalog 〰

A Taxi Driver-8.4,
A Witch's Love-7.9,
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds-7.2,
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days-6.7,
Boys Over Flowers-8.3,
Death's Game-7.8,
Heartbeat-4.8,
The K2-8
The Man from Nowhere-8.9,
Marry My Husband-7.5,
May I Help You-6.3,
Mother-8.8,
My Man Is Cupid-5.9,
My Mister-9.5,
Private Lives-8.1,
Saimdang-8.5,
She Would Never Know-7.3
So I Married the anti fan-6.8,
The Wailing-8.8,
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion-7.6,

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