Reviews

My Heart Aches for Bank ?

While Lynn had the privilege of her father’s protection and the ability to navigate the blurred lines between right and wrong, and the rich kids had their money to shield them, Bank was left vulnerable and the relentless pressure from his peers shattered his life. Unlike Lynn, who could adapt and maneuver through society’s complexities, Bank was broken beyond ,with no way to repair a new.

I’m not dismissing the fact that Bank made his own choices, but what options did he truly have? When faced with the choice between protecting the ones you love and holding onto your moral compass, which path would you take? For Bank, the decision to sacrifice his integrity was driven by a desperate desire to ease his mother’s suffering and to create a better life—a dream many strive for but few achieve.

The film leaves the futures of these two geniuses uncertain, but it’s heartbreaking to think that despite their brilliance, they’re likely to face the harshest consequences.

Overall, Bad Genius is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged movie.

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Romantic, platonic, idc, they loved each other

At first I thought this was a gl, turns out it's not but omg it doesn't erase the fact that the portrayal of love in this film is beautiful, it shows the downsides and the beauty that comes with loving someone so deeply, also the fact that at the end Haeun and Miso were the reflection of each other's past and dreams goddd, it shattered me. I do think that the drawing that Haeun did of Miso is somehow the closing that both needed, as the one who started it, was Haeun and the one that finishes it, is Miso, that drawing rather than just being that is the representation of the girl's feelings towards each other (that's how I see it at least). Though it made me feel a little disappointed because I was really expecting to see a gl, it doesn't matter now because I was almost bawling at the end, It indeed was a beautiful movie

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A plot written by real life.

Brilliant. I can go into rhapsodies about “Citizen of a Kind.” About the well made KMovie. About the authentic and stirringly positive energy that the film conveys. (And this despite the fact that the issue dealt with is shocking, cruel and profoundly mean right up to the end.) About the wonderful heroine, who is convincingly portrayed by Ra Mi-ran. About the true heroine in real life, who actually made this story come to life. About the haunting production, which, despite the captivating story and many touching, even quite brutal scenes, still has the touch of a lively road movie.

A plot written by real life.
Womanpower and sisterhood included.
Awesome.

















PS:

There might be a growing amount among the audience who probably by now has someone in their wider circle of acquaintances who has become - or almost became - a victim of a voice phishing fraud ring. The personal material damage is only one (very painful) side of the ugly coin. Almost worse is the side with psychological injuries, all centered about shame and guilt, which run deep.

In the case of "Citizen of a Kind", the victim out of sheer desperation chooses a rather extreme offensive path of coming to terms with it. However, most victims remain stuck in their trauma. On the one hand, they remain emotionally exposed to the tormenting feeling of the helpless loss of control they have suffered. On the other hand, they torment themselves with persistent feelings of guilt because (in the eyes of themselves and of others, too) they “fell for it themselves” and therefore “made themselves responsible” for their loss. The emotional dilemma is fatal. What makes things even more difficult is that the real perpetrators usually remain in the dark, are difficult to pin down and therefore rarely can be actually dealt with as a real counterpart.

In "Citizen of a Kind" the victim searches for the perpetrator on her own, finds him, and at the same time becomes the savior of potential further victims (of this perpetrator). That feels so good.

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Depressing, confusing, exhausting and... very blue science fiction short film

On high school graduation day, young Fan Lai throws himself into the Pacific Ocean and memories of Tao-Yang Cheng return.
Lai has a secret love for Cheng, but Cheng already has a girlfriend. Lai is forced to reveal his feelings for Cheng and the nightmare begins.
On graduation day, should Lai let the sea take him away?
Using the Depression, Blue and Ocean trilogy, in his debut feature, To Kao films a depressing, confusing, exhausting and... very blue science fiction short film.
The film has great potential and cinematography, but I find the story too classic and disappointing.
I can immediately realize that it was all a dream. The short film is worth seeing for the use of water as a metaphor, for the incredible view of the sea, for the beautiful photography.
In the film, the filmmaker who graduated from Kun Shan University in Tainan, Taiwan, addresses the theme of unrequited love that turns everyday high school life into a thriller, but I don't find it satisfying or memorable as a whole.
In my opinion, the biggest flaw (unless it was a pointless art film) is that the story doesn't try to leave a message. If the meaning were a message, maybe everything would be memorable, even if it were a dream.

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DO NOT watch this if abuse is a trigger for you! I'm serious.

Normally I rate movies based on my enjoyment of them. Not Silenced. I HAD to rate it on the importance of it. This movie will make you mad. You will be appalled at the evil in some people - it's so upsetting to watch because it's a true story. It's dark, nausea-inducing, and graphic. I had to fast forward through many scenes. The fact that this movie brought to light the actual atrocities that had occurred, brought some justice, and most of all, removed the statute of limitations on child abuse cases - I'm so glad it was made.

Negatives:
-many veteran actors that I will never be able to watch in other works without thinking of them in this movie.
-Yu Mi's acting. I just don't find her believable.
-Gong Yoo's icky moustache through the last half of the movie. It made him look sleazy.

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This movie found me

Genuinely the existence of this movie is so insane to me..? I feel like I was duped from the fuzzy and heartwarming beginning where the Maki and Naomi are building their relationship… especially during the last quarter of the movie which drove me to the brink of insanity. This story had such a unique plot and some parts felt open/unexplained but I find that to be apart of the beauty of the movie since it feels as if its from an unreliable narrator.. some things are just meant to leave questions to make you curious/engaged. It’s tragic that they couldn’t confess their feelings in the end, but that left for the last few minutes of the movie which were so beautiful and emotional I was left shaking with my hand over my mouth. This movie had me hating myself for loving every second. It was so gutwrenching I can’t even begin to explain what I like about it. The way they depended on roughhousing to express their feelings.. the way it got more and more aggressive as their love became overhwelming.. the constant pushing and pulling made me feel sick to my stomach. I can’t lie tho… I loved this movie and the pain it caused me. Will definitely be thinking about it and its insanity for a while.

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Important Issue

I love the focus being on bullying since this is a global wide issue for school age children and an issue that can persist into adulthood especially in the workplace.

Great movie! Strongly written and executed story. The bond between the pair was beautiful, very unconventional, but deep and long lasting. I was glad to see the outcome was still desirable for the two. Also, the acting was great here. I was easily able to connect with their stories as they poured their hearts and souls out to each other. My only complaints were one major plot hole that made me wonder how was the girl able to get close enough to be murdered and I wish they showed more of their later years as we only got a glimpse.

Otherwise, this is a highly recommended watch.

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No, just no

At first, I thought The Groin aka Between the Navel and Knees was another remake of Dangerous Liaisons, only in the how can we make it even more disturbing way. Still not sure if this was inspired by it or not. There’s not much information to be found on this movie, most likely because it was awful and didn’t make much sense.

Jang Won and Choi Min make a bet regarding who can be the first man to take the chaste Widow Yoo to bed. The stakes? If Choi Min loses, he must give Jang Won everything he owns, including his “wife.” If Jang Won loses, he forfeits his life. Both men begin their subterfuges in order to worm their way into Yoo’s life.

Fair warning, there were many, many sexual scenes. Most were not filmed or acted well. Apparently, in polite Joseon society, people had sex outside or in front of open doors incessantly. There was also a terrible sexual assault and flashbacks to it as if the first time wasn't enough for audiences. Several scenes featured bare breasts if nudeness offends you. Most of this film offended me by how poorly it was made. The acting was very amateurish, which did not help with two unlikeable male leads. The writer(s) chose rather awkward leaps in logic which made little sense. The production values were also rock bottom.

For the most part, it felt like the writer(s) had watched one of the many versions of Dangerous Liaisons and decided to f*ck around and find out how they could make a classic erotic story of betrayal and love worse, so much worse.

31 January 2025
Trigger Warnings-nudity, sexual content, sexual assault, and suicide

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Slice-of-life meet-cute at a cafe : not a lot to see

Let me preface this review by stating that it is not a bad short movie...This just flew right over my head. I understand the concept of the main character investigating his romantic options at the cafe. But the result was so evident to me because I felt the main lead anticipated it already that I did not get why it took that turn to finally circle back to the obvious. If the main protagonist had felt more conflicted and surprised, that might have worked better.

The main actor playing the customer at the cafe was very charming and the three barista were okay as well. Nothing outstanding but sufficient given the simplicity of the plot. Production had a limited budget but was effective in featuring a calming place and smooth atmosphere.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people because I don't think you get out of the watch anything special. It is quite soothing in a way but very mundane as well.

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Disappointing...Wasted potential because of weak writing and unclear intention

After watching this movie, I am mourning the lost potential of what could have been an exciting and dark story mixing loan sharks and high school bullying. Not sure if it is the fault of the script, the editing or both, but unfortunately the pacing of this film was all over the place. The stakes were pretty slow to be put in place and the ending felt rushed. The ending left me unsatisfied by the lack of morale and overall character growth. At the end, I'm not sure what the intention of the story was and that's a bit of a bummer.

The acting was not exceptional but satisfying given the writing issues. Yoon Seon Ho is clearly carrying the movie on his shoulder and is doing a good job depicting the anguish in which his character is constantly living. Yoo In Soo is excellent and I wish his role was better written in order to give him more room to play, especially at the end. Next to them, the females and villains roles lacked charisma.

I would not recommend this movie as I feel the pacing and writing were quite lacking. If you like Yoon Seon Ho and/or Yoo In Soo, it might be worth giving it a shot for them.

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***Warning*** A very important film but difficult to watch

Warning, a very important film but difficult to watch, there is no romance or even love in the film. The film is saturated with domestic violence, and my personal sexual assault was difficult to watch (and I have seen violent films) There is a sick obsession with fear and submission in the film. Battered woman syndrome, this is a sharp criticism of the society we live in and it is in every country in the world, we see abuse and ignore it, it touches on the issue of transparent people. The casting was perfect as was the acting of all the actors, they did an excellent job of conveying the message, I do not envy them how they were able to play these scenes.
Not doing spoilers just warning those who are going to watch the film there is domestic violence, nudity and sex (forced) and abuse.

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Swaps surrealism for sheer horror

Swapping the dark fantasy and wild surrealism of its predecessor for sheer unnerving terror, Tokyo: The Last War still manages to feel ambitious even with its relative limitations and plenty of spine-chilling imagery. The story is much more straightforward, with a narrower narrative focus which lends the plot a greater degree of urgency and momentum; teeming with plenty of visual flair. You don't need to dig very far to find out the film was predominantly ghost-directed by Lam Nai-Choi and even features some choreography by Philip Kwok, expanding on the Hong Kong-styled elements of the first film. There are plenty of truly harrowing sequences throughout this film, the tone is consistently bleak, rarely containing a moment of hope for its characters, with the firebombing sequences especially delivering goosebumps whenever they grace the screen. The combination of having effects work by Screaming Mad George and H.R.Giger doing the art direction gives the film a strikingly gruesome edge to it in which people are dispatched in horrifically brutal fashion. The performances from the central cast are all solid but it's really the returning Kyusaku Shimada who steals the show, Kato is given a much more menacing edge this time, with plenty of build-up as this darkly oppressive figure. Combined with a great musical score by Koji Ueno, Tokyo: The Last War is certainly an escalation of that of The Last Megalopolis, a dramatic departure in tone and style but that only makes it more compellingly different and mesmerising. One that is certified to leave chills lingering long after it's over.

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Life On The Run With Plenty To Keep You Engaged

Shotai deals with what happens to someone who is wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime, and finds themselves on death row and then manages to escape. It also has a parallel story regarding what has happened to the FL’s father who has faced injustice, the show’s main theme. It would seem the Japanese detectives are biased, although troubled by past events from earlier investigations into the ML.

The film is a slick production and the two hours passes by quickly. Our protagonist, although on the run, is seeking the truth of what happened that lead to his arrest and subsequent trial. During his life on the run, he adopts different disguises, works in different jobs, but his personality remains consistent throughout - he is kind and thoughtful.

Although we don’t get to see much regarding the legal side, apart from court scenes, show undersells how the Japanese justice system works -which is different to what little we see on screen. In this respect, I marked the movie down half a star for this very point. However, it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of this movie.

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