Reviews

Not for everyone, Violence, chasing everywhere

ALERT: Violence depicted might be Disturbing to some, so be aware of it.

The chasing, hunting of a serial killer by an ex police
HUNTING THE PREDATOR!👌🏻

Very interesting n grippng to watch.
Well acted by both the actors.

U will be TIRED n EXHAUSTED MENTALLY, WATCHING them RUNNING n CHASING desparately😂

And the levels of unacceptable gore Violence, OmG, weak hearts or angry hearts, just leave! 😂 :O

****
As per Wikipedia, this is inspired from Real Life Serial Killer, "The Raincoat Killer"

This is also shown in Crime profiler Drama "Through the Darkness" as one of the cases.

And there is a Documentary about this - "The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea"

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Definitely not a Sweet Child of Mine

Cobbled together is the best way to describe Gun n' Rose, for all its star-studded cast brings to the table we end up surrounded by tiresome comedy routines and a script that feels like it was written in a drunken afternoon with the added challenge of fitting in as many gangster flick clichés as possible. There's little to no structure with this Clarence Ford-helmed mess, only existing to serve one purpose; give its stars as many opportunities to look cool as possible, the effortlessly badass Andy Lay in particular, oozing charmisa throughout. The action is completely over-the-top, but effective in that acrobatic guns blazing style, with some brilliantly choreographed and inventive set pieces sprinkled throughout the film's rapid runtime, however, the horrendously disorienting editing is what sadly kills it; all those fancy moves are nothing if you can't follow where everyone is in terms of proximity to one another or even master a basic cut. The cast feels rather wasted or just flat-out misplaced here, Leon Lai is blandly intense while Simon Yam gets almost nothing to do, Lau is admittedly one of the film's saving graces but it's easy to see how his smarmy persona can quickly grate on the viewer. Even more out of place is Alan Tang, who uses an army of stunt doubles to achieve dizzying stunts that he clearly isn't suited for as he can barely jump two feet off the ground. Since he's also the producer of the film, Gun n' Rose ultimately feels like a well-staged vanity project more than coherent entertainment, still some decent music, a killer main theme, choice performances and fun action do make up for the film's shortcomings; there is undoubtedly a fan base for this film, although, sadly, I am not amongst them.

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an odd tourism ad (watch suggestions)

Overall: I would say this was a tourism ad with a paper thin BL plot but I'm not sure 4 people stalking 2 other people is appealing for people thinking of visiting a location...About 40 minutes long, aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/ccbor389y01264p-Bali%20Hai/g4100oasloe-EP01%3A%20Bali%20Hai

Content Warnings: stalking, vomiting

Watch Suggestions (takes out the stalking and focuses on the leads)
- watch 5:40-6:35, 12:05-17:15, 22:10-25:25, 27:30-33:50, 37:50-end

What I Liked
- the ocean/beach vistas
- gave some things to do for visitors to the area
- the imagined scenarios

Room For Improvement
- the caricature characters and their stalking
- normally I would praise representation; however, a character being mute felt like a gimmick, we didn't learn anything about him other than he couldn't speak
- did not feel chemistry with the leads
- open ending (if this turns out to be a series, then I'll update this review/rating)

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"You don't understand how women feel"

Sound of the Mountain was a complex story of a father coming to terms with his adult children’s failing marriages. “Success as a parent depends on the success or failure of your children’s marriages. That has me worried.”

Shingo and his son, Shuichi, work together and live under the same roof. Shuichi has a mistress and a girlfriend, along with his long-suffering wife, Kikuko. Shingo tries to make his daughter-in-law’s life better and gives her positive attention whenever he can. The rest of the family thinks they are hiding the fact that Shuichi has a mistress, but given that he is out late every night, or doesn’t come home, she’d have to be an idiot to not know. Shingo’s daughter, Fusako, comes home with her two small children, having run away from her husband who is also involved with another woman. She doesn’t receive much comfort or help from her family and goes to stay with other family. Kikuko realizes that Fusako is trapped. She has no job, no money, and will eventually have to return to her husband. This observation will play a key role in Kikuko’s upcoming decision about her marriage with Shuichi.

This family drama focused on Shingo as he was nearing the end of his life and realizing how he utterly failed as a parent. His son was selfish, thoughtless, and a womanizer. He realized that Shuichi has murdered Kikuko’s heart and that his son was completely incapable of love. His daughter was miserable and trapped in a loveless marriage with two children. Shingo tried to patch the relationships with tape. Nothing he did made any of the relationships better. He and his wife vaguely discussed older couples who committed double-suicide when their usefulness was done.

While the film sounded like a melodrama it highlighted women’s plights, how children and lack of money kept them tethered to terrible husbands. The men casually felt it was their right to have sex and relationships outside of marriage. Four women made bold choices that went against social norms. One woman had an abortion to have the option to be free, another decided to have a child out of wedlock, another woman had to leave her son behind when she left her marriage, and another still had to decide what she was going to do. The decisions weren’t easy and had terrible costs, but these women refused to be cowed. Director Naruse Mikio didn’t offer any easy solutions, he simply showed how the patriarchy didn’t benefit these women.

Yamamura So and Hara Setsuko did a splendid job as the conspiratorial in-laws who bolstered each other’s spirits. Quite honestly, the film often made me angry as it unflinchingly showed how the men treated the women in their lives. I would have rated this a 10 if the unfaithful husbands had been hung up like piñatas and beaten for the suffering they caused their wives. Sadly, that wouldn’t have been realistic. I’ll have to take solace in a 1954 film being bold enough to discuss difficult subjects and giving the women the courage to make their lives the best they could under the conditions they lived in. Good job, Naruse.

23 February 2025

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fun and quirky...

City Hunter is based on the Japanese manga of the same name and has been adapted numerous times into various different mediums, this movie being the latest in live-action format as of right now.

I am somewhat familiar with the source material as I once watched an anime movie in the past that was based on this particular manga titled City Hunter Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes. So, the perviness of the protagonist didn't seem strange to me but rather as an accurate depiction of the character as intended by the original author. The protagonist's duality is what provides a rather comedic relief to the story's somewhat dark and grim nature.

Story:
For me, the plot of the movie was good but not all that great or special. The main thing that I liked was the characters and their wackiness. For most serious stories, you usually see a side character being added along with the protagonist to provide some sort of comedic relief but City Hunter doesn't do that, it makes both the protagonist and the side character a comedic relief. Ryo obviously is the highlight in both being the central figure who is an all-cool and dashing mercenary and also the comedic relief of the movie itself.

Acting:
The main highlight of this movie is the brilliant performance of the actors themselves. Being able to adapt the quirky and wacky nature of the characters as presented in the manga into a film format is something incredible.

Direction:
The manga spans across a total of 35 Japanese tankōbon volumes and being able to adapt the basics of that story into a 1 hour and 42 minutes movie while still being able to keep it to a point where it does not get boring and neither feels as if any crucial information is being left out due to restriction of runtime shows the brilliance of the director. Also, the action sequences in this movie were really smooth and fluid including the hand-to-hand fight sequences and the guns-blazing ones

Music:
Throughout the movie, the soundtrack used is good but it didn't stand out to me in any way whatsoever except for the ending song, which was extremely good. I later found that this was a newly arranged version of the first ending theme for the anime. For those wondering about the title of the ending song, it is "Get Wild Continual" by 'TM NETWORK'.

Enjoyment:
This was a really enjoyable movie for me and I extremely enjoyed my time watching this.

Verdict:
For fans of the original manga, I would definitely recommend it as it is a good adaptation, and for those of you who are unfamiliar with the source material, it is a good watch but nothing way too extraordinary.

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Great movie and definitely worth my times

The story line:
It's a fast pace movie that keeps you interested the whole time. This section of the book is not shown in a lot of the TV series adaptation. The director is smart to choose this part, otherwise, it will feel repetitive as there are many version remake already.

Acting:
All the actresses and actors fulfill their roles completely. I've seen a lots of comments and complaints about actors and actresses but my opinions is different. The princess and Huang Rong were both strong, smart, and beautiful in their own way. The two actresses that play these roles are great and fit their role completely, especially the princess.
Xiao Zhan is great as always, so handsome, acting is on point. All the veterans are excellent well.

Action:
I think it's a good balance of action with little romance. My daughter said she wants more action but what can there be more when it's only 2.5 hrs. There are some computer effects but the fighting scenes are well done with lots of movement. It is not just standing and move their hands for magic power. The horse riding part is well done and all of them actors and actresses seem like they've been riding horses all their lives. Everyone is well trained and prepared for their role completely.

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So adorable cute n heart-warming!

A really gud anime adaption.Though the story was quite predictable.The plot follows 30y old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year-old daughter of his grandfather.


Visually, Bunny Drop is a treat. The cinematography is understated yet elegant, with a soft, natural palette that complements the story’s warmth. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the characters’ emotional growth.

What makes Bunny Drop truly special is its ability to resonate on a deeply personal level. It’s a film about family, not by blood, but by choice...a reminder that the most meaningful relationships often come from the most unexpected places. Whether you’re a fan of heartfelt dramas or simply looking for a story that will leave you with a smile, Bunny Drop is a must-watch. It’s a cinematic gem that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

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Friendship

This is a story about love, life and friendship that goes beyond pretty much all... Way stronger than any romance.

The leads have great chemistry and dynamics there is this slightly crazy playfulness around them there to lighten up some pretty serious issues. While some of the narrative is a bit cringy for my taste I really loved watching the interact in this movie. Both leads have great presence throughout the movie and while one exhibits this crazy broken charm the other has a more calm, muscular embrace type of charm the type ot offer stability in ones chaotic world.. The type of dynamics where they complete each other. Both with beautiful smiles, gazes and I guess a sense of awareness. An environment where it is okay to make mistakes, okay to be one self and where it is okay to show intimacy without any awkwardness, fear or misunderstanding.

A decent story brought to life by two talented actors (and a bunch of other people)

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Naughty director! Same Scene being enacted by three couples!

Very Sweet short film.
Anthology of Three short stories of three couples - straight, gay and lesbian.

Just the same concept.
The SAME ONE SCENE being enacted by different couples, in their own pace , with their own style /dynamics n with their own chemistry

Maybe the director wants to impress every "type" of audience n so made each couple to act exactly the same scene 😂
Unexpected but a different creative thought of director attracting his audience

It's like an author writing the same story for all "types of couples " :) , making it a straight, BL or GL - funny thought!

I always have such a wild and naughty thought of writing a story😂:
3 in1 (3 couples with one scene)
or 1 to 3 (one story to three types)
So am not the weird one! , Director and the writer of this are with me :)

Overall an impressive one.
All couples are sweet :)
I found the BL more interesting and can be made into a full series. Those actors are funny and realistic :)

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In my opinion, the best of the Heisei 2 movies so far. The story isn't anything shocking or unpredictable, but it's cute and feels consistent with the TV show, and most importantly makes sense the whole way through.

All the characters you like appear and actually have some breathing room so that it doesn't feel like we're just rushing through cameos and power-ups. Nitou's portion is (just like the TV show) the best part of the movie, and Haruto is really cute. The movie-exclusive characters are intentionally secondary characters, which avoids the problems of movies like W's Gaia Memories of Fate, the OOO/Fourze crossover, or the Fourze summer movie where we spend way too long following a completely new and underdeveloped character instead of the ones we already liked from the show.

Like most KR movies, it probably doesn't make sense to watch this if you weren't into the TV show it came from. Unlike most KR movies (at least of this era), the fanservice is more for people who enjoyed the story and characters of Wizard, rather than gratuitous panty shots and inexplicable explosions. You can tell the director knows how to properly direct a fight scene without leering since Haruto's kick-heavy fighting style didn't result in some weird crotch shots this time, and the random barrel piles were fairly minimal. I did not miss Sakamoto and am hoping the trend continues of decently written movies that don't feel like they're weirdly trying to be Die Hard.

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