Reviews

A Confusing Collaboration That Fails to Connect

"Co-Love," directed by Jill Singson Urdaneta, is a 2025 Filipino romantic comedy featuring Alexa Ilacad, KD Estrada, Jameson Blake, and Kira Balinger. The film centres around two content creators navigating their messy romantic entanglements while attempting an unlikely collaboration. With themes of love, friendship, and the complexities of modern relationships, the film holds promise but falls short in execution.

From the get-go, the film struggles to establish a clear vision. The editing is haphazard, the lighting inconsistent, and the sound design grating. Ironically, despite the protagonists being content creators, the quality of their "content"—and the film's overall technical aspects—is subpar. Awkward framing, poorly edited sequences, and clunky transitions make the viewing experience visually and aurally jarring.

The plot is equally chaotic. Events unfold without cohesion, with forced scenarios and shallow storytelling that lack emotional weight. The characters repeatedly deliver quotable lines, but without meaningful scenes to support them, the dialogue feels hollow. Attempts to tackle social media addiction and self-discovery are muddled, failing to deliver any profound commentary.

The saving grace of "Co-Love" lies in its cast. Alexa Ilacad shines with her effortless comedic timing and emotional depth, balancing humour and drama with finesse. KD Estrada brings intensity to his role, and his musical performance (the song "Di Ko Pinili") is a standout moment. Kira Balinger's over-the-top antics add a layer of charm, and Jameson Blake's understated portrayal quietly resonates. Despite their efforts, even this talented ensemble cannot salvage the film from its messy script and direction.

"Co-Love" teeters on the edge of satire, almost parodying itself with its exaggerated portrayal of influencer culture. While the concept of juxtaposing social media's frivolity with deeper emotional narratives holds potential, the execution here is far too disjointed. The movie ultimately feels like a missed opportunity—what could have been a bold, refreshing take on modern relationships instead devolves into a forgettable and frustrating watch.

The film's attempts to pander to Gen Z audiences with trendy tropes and superficial romantic beats feel patronising rather than engaging. It’s disappointing to see promising actors saddled with such lacklustre material, leaving viewers longing for a more thoughtful and cohesive story.

In the end, "Co-Love" isn’t a collaboration; it’s a chaotic clash of ideas that fail to connect—both with its audience and within itself.

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Honey, these guys don't use doors!

The Deadly Duo featured the successful trifecta of director Chang Cheh and actors Ti Lung and David Chiang. This time around the deadly duo’s mission was to rescue the hostage Song Prince. The cast of characters was bulging at the seams. The Shaw Brothers tower and bridge even had supporting roles!

Song rebels discover a dilapidated bridge leading to the tower where their prince is being held hostage by the Jin conquerors. Vastly outnumbered the rebels are finally able to find a fighter who has the best chance of leading them across it. The duo may be deadly but their opponents are as well. It will take sacrifice and fast swords for them to succeed.

This was around the 8th film that Ti Lung and David Chiang made together. Ti was the loyal rebel who recruited the featherweight fighter David Chiang to join his dwindling band. While I’m not a huge fan of Chiang, Ti spent the last third of the film shirtless, making up for my disappointment. Tang Chia has never been my favorite martial arts director but this time he was joined by Lau Kar Leung, a choreographer whose work I do enjoy. Most of the fights involved swords and the usual bizarre weaponry like a sword with projectile exploding balls or lethal giant golden cymbals. Villains hid underground and in trees. Bolo as the River Dragon, had a crew that could hold their breath for a very long time and leap out of the water. He was nearly always a baddie but I like the big guy. Chen Sing played the invading emperor with no kung fu skills which was a bit of a shock. Ku Feng was a dastardly leader who enjoyed the execution field and sported comically villainous eyebrows. With Chang Cheh at the helm there would be no women in the cast, most certainly buckets of blood, and bodies stacked high.

The plot supposedly based on a real life rescue was as simple as they come yet the movie held my attention. Because it was a Shaw Brothers film there was the money for fake forests and to burn sets. Most of the characters didn’t use doors, instead crashing through them or the walls. Although they still saved money with bit actor Tung Choi Bo who played an assassin who was killed and five minutes later the head of the guard with a whole new wig and wardrobe! There was nearly constant action which meant you didn’t have a chance to become acquainted with many of the characters as the body count was high. Ti and Chiang would go on to make over 20 movies together, so far, they’ve all been watchable but I have a long way to go. As always, I grade on a curve for these niche movies, and could only recommend for fans of the genre.

17 March 2025

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A story of hopeless misery

Kawai Yuumi won the best actress award from the 2024 Japan Academy Film Prize for her performance in this film's depiction of drug addiction, domestic violence, prostitution, addiction recovery programs, self harm, child abandonment, social service failures, and the exploitation of the vulnerable in general. If you enjoy films like 2004's Nobody Knows, then this film is probably exactly the kind of thing you would like. It is a well-produced film based on a true story with all the endless misery and gritty realism one could want with fine performances by Kawai Yuumi as Ann and Sato Jiro as a police detective, Tatara, who tries to pull Ann out of the mire that her life is under the unrelenting abuse from her mother Harumi played by Kawai Aoba.

Ann has been forced into prostitution by her mother since she was 14 and has been an intravenous meth addict for a couple of years when the film starts. She gets arrested when an abusive client overdoses, but an idiosyncratic police detective gets her enrolled in his addiction recovery program. She keeps being drawn back in reach of her mother because she loves and worries about what will happen to her disabled grandmother if she completely abandons the family. Any light suggested by Ann's road to recovery is only present in the film to be quashed in the denouement that made the news in Japan.

Both Kawaii Yuumi and Sato Jiro have excellent moments of portraying the anguish, grief and anger of these characters' lives. But, honestly, Kawaii had at least three more effective and moving scenes in her jdrama Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta than anything in this film and I would direct anyone who is catching on to her talent to seek out that series long before diving into this film.

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20th Century Girl was disappointing and surprising in a bad way...

If you've seen 20th century girl, this review will make sense. But if you haven't then read this after because it won't make much sense. I was very disappointed in this to say the least so you will see the bad is a lot longer than the good :)

One sentence description: A nostalgic story about a girl who becomes trapped by the memory of a crush, clinging to the past for over a decade.

The good
A good story line
The fact that he died in the end was excellent, I don’t think anyone watching this was expecting it. In fact, I’m sure we all believed that he would’ve returned years later with an explanation and it would’ve ended happily. Especially since she waited all that time for him. I also liked the scenes they had together, they were super cute and I enjoyed it. Bo Ra is definitely a real good friend for not only pushing down her feelings but also rejecting him even though she felt the same. The storyline was really good and all the characters were amazing- especially facially (**Byeon Woo-Seok**). I did feel bad for the best friend because it was clear that she never had a chance from the start but I did have a few opinions on her (which will be in the “bad” section). All-in-All, this film had a great plot and that’s why it got a 7/10 from me.

The Bad
Why It Got a 7/10
My biggest issue? Bo Ra and Woon Ho didn’t spend enough time together for her to be locked in for 15+ YEARS. Don’t get me wrong, their moments were cute, and I totally get why they liked each other. HOWEVER, in my opinion, it just wasn’t enough. She spent so much time avoiding him and her feelings that there weren’t enough moments to really justify calling it love.
Not only that, but from the way the movie played out, it seemed like they knew each other for less than a year — yet she stayed single for years waiting for him?? That’s wild. Maybe my opinion stems from the fact that I’ve never had a crush, but still — there were definitely not enough scenes that explained why she remained so loyal for 15 years. So while it was cute that she waited, imagine finding out you put your love life on hold for 15 years over a dead man. (And I say that with the utmost sincerity — R.I.P. Woon Ho.)

Yeon Du Was Kind of a Bad Friend
Bo Ra was such a good friend to Yeon Du, but was it really mutual? She knew Woon Ho had no feelings for her, yet refused to let her best friend — who clearly liked him — be with him out of jealousy? Like, please. If the roles were reversed, Bo Ra would’ve sucked it up and pretended to be fine. Yeon Du, on the other hand, waited until the last possible moment to get over herself, and by the time she did, Woon Ho was already leaving. On top of that, it’s not like he was sticking around — he was moving to the other side of the world. She should’ve just told herself “This isn’t going to last” and let them be happy for the time they had left. The friendship dynamic was so 30/70, and it was a shame.

Woon Ho’s Death…?
Okay, so can we talk about how his death was so vague? Like, we’re just told he died in 2000 in an accident and that’s it. What accident? I think it would’ve hit way harder if we had more context.
For example, imagine if he died on his way to the airport to see her. Maybe she was waiting for him with a sign, only for his plane to land…and he never gets off. Then later, she finds out he got into a car crash on the way. THAT would’ve been devastating. Instead, it just felt like a buildup that suddenly dropped. Like in baseball when you think it’s a home run, but then it just…gets caught.

What Happened to the Side Characters?
This is a general issue in many other K-dramas I’ve seen, but why do side characters just disappear? The ending always hyper-focuses on the main leads, and we never find out what happens to everyone else.
Like, did Bo Ra and Yeon Du stay friends? Do they still talk to Hyun-Jin? Or did the whole friend group just dissolve because Woon Ho was the glue holding them together? I need answers! Also, why didn’t she ask Hyun-Jin if he had heard from Woon Ho? Like, wouldn’t that have been the first thing you’d do if someone stopped responding to you? But I guess the story would’ve played out differently if she found out sooner that no one had heard from him.

Final Thoughts
Overall, 20th Century Girl had so much potential, and while it was still an enjoyable movie, some parts just didn’t land for me. The romance wasn’t developed enough, the friend was lowkey selfish, the side characters disappeared, and his death needed way more explanation. A solid 7/10 — but it could’ve been higher if they had given us just a little more.

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Catch and Release

For what it is, this was a very good short movie. It will take only a 10 minutes of your time and give you one scene of "night fishing" creatively done. We see the story through a car camera (dash cam), and luckily this car has 6 of them so we can use different angles to follow what is going on. The supernatural effect was done nicely. without much explanation. All in all, there are no many words in this movie, just a sentence at the beginning and at the end, so this is a visual movie and even if it is very very short, i will surely remember it. Catch it if you find it :)

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Paranmanjang

The real title of this 33 minutes long movie is not "Night Fishing" but Paranmanjang, meaning "full of big changes and big troubles". This phrase is often used to convey a sense of overcoming hardships or experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions and that is what this movie tries to do. We have a fisherman who goes to night fishing, as the english title suggest, but what follows is a interesting turn of events filled with mysticism and emotion.

One word I could use to describe this movie is: dramatic. The music and the songs are loud and dramatic, actors are dramatic, and even the camera is dramatic. At the beginning I was disappointed with the quality of the image because the movie is filmed with a phone (iPhone 4) but at the end the shakiness and obscurity of video helps to add to the dramatic effect.

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"You're not the only hero with a sad story"

Blade of the Immortal cut through 30 volumes of manga (none of which I’ve read) condensing them into a two-hour movie. Manji, “The Killer of 100,” who was tired of living found a spark of life in helping a young girl avenge the deaths of her parents. The cyclical nature of revenge and the price people pay for it was woven throughout the endless bloody fights.

Manji is a wanted man after killing for his lord and then discovering the order was a murder to hide his boss’ illegal actions. Unable to live with that dishonor, he killed his boss and his boss’ bodyguards. After a key death drives him to the edge, he is ready to die after killing 100 men, or at least a lot of men. But death was not found so easily as an ancient crone puts a curse on him. He is destined to live forever with his guilt, assisted by creepy bloodworms that can heal his body, even reattach limbs, an ability that will be used often. After 50 years, a girl named Rin finds him and asks him to help her avenge her parents’ death. A cruel group of assassins led by Anotsu is eliminating traditional dojos in an attempt to become the preeminent martial power. Manji and Rin will face every bad guy, corrupt official, and nutjob in Japan on their path to revenge.

In the 50 years leading up to meeting Rin, Manji must not have touched his swords. Without his miracle worms, he would have died very early in the movie as he was often dominated by baddies with a sword, simply outlasting them. Every few minutes, a member of Anotsu’s crew or a bounty hunter from the Shogun’s Suicide Squad met him on the road or in an alleyway. Arms and legs flew everywhere, including Manji’s. This is not a movie for the squeamish. I had to look away when severed body parts were flung about or when the worms played Florence Nightengale.

The multitude of fights were well choreographed. Manji managed to hide numerous weapons in his clothes (seriously, how big were his pockets?) so that he could show off different skills. I liked Kimura Takuya’s turn at the world-weary warrior searching for a modicum of redemption in protecting Rin. Sugisaki Hana as Rin was stuck with the formulaic female part of running headlong into trouble and mistaking yelling as strength. Even though she’d studied the sword at her father’s dojo, Rin was completely inept with it. Fukushi Sota’s Anotsu was pretty though not nearly menacing enough. Anotsu and Rin’s interactions illustrated how revenge begets revenge which begets another cycle of revenge.

The continual parade of new bad guys to fight began to wear thin. At one point it became humorous when Manji was fighting an army, Anotsu, and then another villain showed up to confront him! Even as a fan of samurai movies, 140 minutes of nearly continuous hacking and blood spewing of random soldiers and villain cameos became monotonous. Despite these reservations, I did enjoy Blade of the Immortal. The movie was well shot and acted with only the severed bodies "disarming".

16 March 2025
Warning: So many body parts

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Compelling film that was more a supernatural mystery than a horror

Excellent horror film. Exhuming and moving graves is not something that would yield a good result for obvious reasons but this practice is taken to another level in this compelling horror flick. First they exhume a grave which leads to a vile spirit being awakened then there it is discovered to be a double internment which leads to something more sinister than an entity that was once human wrecking havoc on those most connected to it.

The movie opens up a bigger conspiracy with the Japanese sumarai’s spirit being at the center of the evil that’s been unleashed but thankfully the story is kept tight and focused on what these characters do which is bury the dead and in some cases vanquish evil spirits. I enjoyed the characters working as a team, immediately informing the group when something new was learned about the case they were working on. Even better there were no unfortunate mishaps ie a character getting into an accident and dying or left in a coma, that prevented new information from being shared.

And though the characters took on this case, despite deep reservations, for the money. There was not a sense of greed , that no matter the risk they would do it. They were just doing their job which would not only pay well but save a baby.

If you’re looking for a traditional horror movie. This isn’t it. There is some creepiness and a little bit of gore. But this is mostly an intriguing mystery that delves deep into the supernatural. The acting was great. And though it wasn’t made clear why the curse on the Park family only seemed to be affecting the grandson’s baby, it was still a very good story. This is definitely a movie I’d repeatedly watch.

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this movie was dark, depressing & not to mention toxic. idk why gay themed movie have to have this depressing vibe to them.
it's like these people (in this movie) don't have a good start in life & every choice they make takes them from bad to worse. & i get that real life isn't rainbow's & fluffy bunny rabbits - but this was so toxic.
Pao developing feelings for someone that manipulated him into a sexual relationship in prison, where he was alone & scared shitless, someone that was supposed to have his back. but took advantage of him & gaslit him into thinking he was precious/loved.

but when there were out in the real world Jimmy treated him like the dirty secret he way. something he did wrong & knew he had to hide. maybe Pao not acting like the infatuated puppy, begging for attention, but getting angry & throwing in his face what he did, made him feel remorse. that's why he helped him in the end.
but sadly Pao interpreted it as a declaration of love & he rushed to give-up on his life & freedom to be with the one he loved - this was messed-up & depressing IMO

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Reality

this movie, was definitely not a bromance, it was meant to show how jealous he got when he realized that he couldn’t have him for himself.

The plot, was honestly really good, the last 20 minutes definitely took a turn, but I think, that it was more realistic than any of them getting a good ending. Watch it if you don’t get easily triggered, and is okay with feeling unsettled.

The movie contained drugs, violence, sex trafficking, rape and the list could go on. A sensetive person, definitely shouldn’t watch this. But after all, it kind of shows a glimpse of reality, and how stories like this have probably happened.

It gives a clear image of what Se Joon was feeling, he wanted Yoon Jae, all to himself, and did everything, even raped and killed a girl for it, which ended him in prison.

I would not rewatch due to the heavy topics, I feel like movies that contain such rough scenes are only watchable once, to be honest, but that doesn’t mean that it was bad, at all. I actually liked the movie, even though I had expected I wouldn’t.

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This film is banned in Vietnam

I didn't watch this strange film from a poor mining area the first time. I didn't have enough self-discipline and attention for a style that reminded me of Taiwanese director Ming-liang Tsai-e (whose films I've seen). And yet I won't immediately condemn the film in my review because of that, let others do that. It was only on the second viewing, when I got into the dream-hypnotic pace, that I began to perceive it more attentively, and it is necessary for this story told in this style to first "mature" in me and for the past to connect with the present and future. In addition to the director, I would also appreciate both actors in the lead roles from my point of view. This film is banned in Vietnam

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"I'll be Sanshiro Sugata, you be Higaki"

Throw Down was director Johnnie To’s homage to Kurosawa Akira’s Sanshiro Sugata. Gotta say, other than the judo connection, I didn’t see anything to tie the two films together. Sanshiro Sugata showed how the study of judo turned a young man’s life around as he learned discipline and honor. Throw Down was about hustlers’ and even gangsters’ love of judo.

Szeto To is a washed up judo champ who manages a night club. He is an inveterate gambler and alcoholic. In his spare time he attempts to steal money from a local gangster in order to pay back his debts. Mona is from Taiwan and is trying to make it big as a singer and/or actress. Completely broke and without much talent, she bulldozes Szeto into giving her a job at the club and eagerly helps him in his heist attempts. Tony arrives in town and challenges Szeto to a match, sticking around as a saxophone player for the club. Szeto’s old teacher wants him to take over his dojo and an old rival shows up desiring a rematch.

Everyone except for Mona was a judo expert in this film. With the exception of a barroom brawl, most of the fights were over quickly with a throw down. Lack of character development made it almost impossible to become emotionally invested in any of the characters. They also weren’t very likeable. Szeto was a loser with a capital “L”, someone who was set on self-destruct mode for a reason that only became apparent at the end of the film. Mona was desperate enough to debase herself and steal in order to make her dream become reality. And Tony only cared about trying out new techniques and fighting anyone around. None of the characters had much depth and there weren’t any emotional stakes. Even the bad guys weren’t very bad when it came to judo. There was no real conflict except within Szeto and because the audience was largely kept in the dark, he just came across as pathetic. The characters were only happy when they were competing in dojos, alleyways, the street, wherever they could talk someone into battling. Tony put up a sign for a judo tournament but only one minor character went to it off screen.

Where the film succeeded was in the cinematography. It looked good and the music was pleasant. The short fights also came across as realistic with the judo throwing and the grappling on the ground. At the end of Sanshiro Sugata, the final fight took place in the tall grass. Apparently, Johnnie To decided to have his final fight in even taller grass but with a less climactic ending. Sanshiro Sugata had an uplifting message about the discipline of judo leading to personal growth and respect for others. I suppose if you squint really hard, Throw Down had a message about getting up regardless of how many times you’re knocked down and to have something in your life you are passionate about. I just wish the characters had been more fleshed out so that I would have cared about whether they got up 1001 times.

15 March 2025

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"His life is just like a spark from fireworks"

If you haven't watched this - I'd recommend watching right away. Reading reviews is not necessary.
I do not often recommend in my reviews, but I feel this one is worth it. Give it a chance.

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The movie starts with a simple, light-hearted story about Tony, who wants to get into university mainly to avoid working in his family business. He's willing to take any opportunity, even if it’s not something he’s really interested in. To improve his chances winning a golden ticket opportunity, he brings into the picture his (not) friend Joe.

Few more characters are introduced, like Bokeh, who could be an asset to his project, and a high school club that Tony recruits to assist him. Like in most movies, we learn more about each character and their backgrounds slowly. What made this movie special to me is HOW they did it.

At first, the movie is light and fun, with lots of comedic moments as Tony tries to get into college. But as the story goes on, we get small hints about the characters' pasts, and small plot-detours come in. Throughout this process the movie keeps your attention and takes you on a surprising emotional journey with addition of newer perspectives.

By the end, an impossible situation is solved in a beautiful way. Even the way people who are personally connected to Joe react differently from others adds an interesting touch.
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The story was amazing and gave me more than I expected. The acting was fantastic, especially from the actors playing Joe and Tony. Their smiles were so warm and innocent that it left a lasting impression every time. Cinematography was wonderful, pleasing to watch. Overall, definite recommendation.

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