Reviews

✒☠A Trainwreck That'll Eat Your He♠️rt Out °7.8° °Excellent°

🚅2B is an exploration of what happens when a zombie infected person stumbles onto a loaded train as it leaves the station. Loads of SK features have eating front and center, but in this movie, the dining car is closed. Only the zombies get to snack.

The main protag is fund📈 manager and father, Seok-woo, who is traveling with his 10 year old daughter, Soo-an. She doesn't look 10, she's small and adorable. Newly divorced, dad is taking her to visit mom.

What ensues is what one can expect from a zombie thriller at 60+ full-steam-ahead-mph, with cars, doors, racks, & compartments everywhere.

The worst issue with the film is how characters don't take charge of their own well-being. None of these people are trained to kill. They aren't all grabbing or fabricating weapons. When a couple of them discover a major weakness the zombies have, they don't even inform the others or exploit it properly! One character had rigged armour, of sorts, around his arm, to go help rescue someone else. Why he took it off is perplexing: He needs it later. It isn't surprising that individuals would be paralyzed by shock, but the fact that nobody got fired up enough to take charge is hard to accept. More pro-activity would have kept one car of passengers on track to save many lives. I suppose it wouldn't be a horror film if nobody acts half brain-dead.

What's also on display is the best and worst of humanity. The moral centers are the 10 year old Soo-an, and the big man (Ma Dong Seok💘), along with his very pregnant wife (she looks like she's 11 mos in, or carrying triplets in some scenes). The embodiment of evil and conniving self-interest is portrayed by another passenger. As his true nature doesn't raise its ugly head until midway, his portrayal shows how dire circumstances can bring out the best and worst of people. Seok-woo is claiming the middle moral ground in the beginning of the show. He intends no harm, but he's not about to get involved or inconvenience himself, either. He even stores his investors' phone numbers in a file entitled "Lemmings" on his 📱. We watch his moral journey, not just his geographic journey, during the flick's windy route.

It all seems typical - not bad, not great - for the first 70-75% of the film. The last portion of the movie is excellent with regards to the filming, action, special effects, and acting (Zombies go flying all over in a fantastic trainwreck - we even see a train pull a horde of zombies as more and more of them jump onto the growing blob of a pile!). Kim Su-an, who plays the kid, may not get to kill a zombie, but she slays her part. SK entertainment, in an apparent overabundance of riches, parades a steady flow of amazing child actors.

All Aboard! T2B is definitely worth the trip, particularly for the excellent last stretch. It comes in at just under 2hrs, and it streaks by in no time at all. The focus is on the people, but the zombies make some 🆒 moves, too. In the final analysis, it is also a worthy primer of what not to do during a zombie apocalypse, which I daresay might come in handy someday.

IMHO🗣

🎬8 🎭8 😅0 🤔6 🎨7 ⚡8 🔚9

Age 13+

Originally 〰️🖊 5/2022

Read More

Who determines who is family?

In a world of harsh pains and challenges, most people can rely on family to get the through tough times. But does family only have to be blood deep? A film about the interlinks that bind people together.

While at the heart of this film is the reminder that family are the ones who are there for you now in the present, I felt this story needed a little more characterization. The film's three main protagonist do their parts well from what they we given in the script. Kasumi always brings the best characters who are internally struggling despite their cheerful exterior. Kunimura San I found to be kinda lacking in this movie. I felt like his character needed overall more depth and time to really make you care about the relationship his character was pushed into. The young Ryusei did very well, particularly in the heart wrenching essay segment.

The scenary shots in this movie are absolutely brilliant. There's a little dodgy CGI thrown in a brief scene but it didn't detract from the movie. The trains which are a focal point of the movie are lovingly shown and many of the themes of the movie revolve around the idea of trains. Timing, maintenance, speed, braking.. All of these can be metaphors for the delicate relationship dynamics in families. It teaches us nothing must be too overdrawn, it must all work together for a smooth arrival.

I'm not sure I would highly recommend this movie but it wasn't a non pleasant ride. Surprisingly despite its heavy moments it wasn't as tear inducing as I was expecting and that I think had to be the byproduct again of the characters having time to show us why we should cry along them. Overall a good slice of life type story for a nice afternoon to night.

Read More

Who will you leave behind?

When you die, do you know who will be there to mourn for you? What will happen to your body? Will anyone care? These are the important questions this movie attempts to answer.

The strength of this movie is the beautiful way it shows the preservation of life even when the soul is long gone. The careful motions of the nokanshi or coffinman have a almost sensual depth. There were moments where just these simple hand gestures brought me to tears. There's a real humanity to people who give their lives to make the final moments of others feel heard. The message of you existed and you mattered is effortlessly presented with all the scenes of these rituals.

I loved how the families presented all showed different stages of grief. The very real situations that can happen during funerals really allowed the film to explore these sentiments. Families have complicated histories and many of these inadvertently come out during times of great pain. The families dealing with sudden deaths and unfamiliarity all brought Daigo greater understanding and support to recontextualize his own emotions.

The harmonious cello piece that plays through the movie is some of Joe Hisaishi's best work. The music ebbs and flows with the scenes and bring emotional warmth to many scenes.

The acting is solid for the most part. Daigo does so much acting through just his eyes and hands on this movie. Mika his wife was well acted, although I found the drama to suddenly swerve with their relationship. I think this is just from more a cultural standpoint as the job of Coffinman is highly stigmatized in Japan. The supporting actors all got their little moments. I wish there was a little more development for the Coworkers in the film.

Most of the editing and directing were really precise and time seemed to move so slowly but then I realized that 60 mins had passed already. I think that's one of the greatest pleasures of the film. You get enraptured into this delicate work and before you know it, time has disappeared. I guess you could say that is also what plays on the central theme of the movie. Time may feel like it's standing still, but it forever moves onward.

Read More

Love is all you need - and a good job

Watched the movie after binge watching the series - demonstrates how much I wanted to see what happens to Kurosawa and Adachi, and their friends, too.

The first few minutes run through their story from the series. The story here changes timelines and events slightly on the final episode and special.

What was interesting was how work continued to be of importance, and how a couple make decisions for their careers. I, too, worried when a nurse said 'we'd contacted family' and what that might mean.
Adachi's personal growth at work and his love for Kurosawa is here and brings more out of the actor. The chemistry between the two is better than the series, particularly Adachi.

I think some reactions were more positive than expected but it is a feel good drama after all, and it's raising the issues and it's not all easy-going.
Doubt there'll be another part, but would be good to see more of how Kurosawa and Adachi negotiate their relationship in the workplace.

Smiling at the end. Although will point out as of early 2025, same sex marriage Inc marriage abroad is not recognised in Japan. A 2024 court case in Sapporo thought something different of the constitution compared to some cases in 2023. Same sex certificates can be obtained in some prefectures.

Well acted, some beautiful landscapes, cosy, friendly or enclosed interiors as fitted the protagonists. Worth a watch for a slice of life with a same sex couple deepening their bond.

Read More

"The simplest attack is the most effective"

Jet Li starred in Fist of Legend, a remake of Bruce Lee’s 1972 Fist of Fury. While no one could top Bruce’s lightning-fast moves or charisma, I quite enjoyed this film. Jet Li, Kurata Yasuaki, Chin Siu Ho, and Billy Chow were accomplished fighters in their own styles adding a level of realism to their battles aided by Yuen Woo Ping’s compelling fight choreography.

In 1937, Chen Zhen is studying engineering in Japan when he hears his sifu died during a duel. He leaves his Japanese girlfriend, Mitsuko, behind and catches the first ship out of town. After visiting his master’s memorial, he heads straight to the killer’s dojo and challenges him to a duel, after he defeats all of the students first, of course. He quickly determines that Akutagawa could never have beaten Master Hua Yuen Jia. In the process of clearing his master’s reputation, he runs afoul of General Fujita, a ruthless killing machine that has no use for the Chinese.

I almost rated this a 10 right off the bat for one reason, when Chen Zhen lived in Japan and was confronted during class by students from a nearby dojo, he dispatched them quickly and efficiently. No hitting someone 10 times with them barely feeling it. Chen Zhen went after their weak spots-shoulders, elbow joints, and knees. I cannot tell you how many martial arts films I’ve watched frustrated that the hero never hits his opponents in key anatomical places, but instead hits people dozens of times with ineffectual strikes. What also improved this scene was Kurata Yasuaki who played the students’ master, Fumio. He scolded them and told them to be thankful for the mercy their beater showed.

Yuen Woo Ping along with a couple of other Yuens choreographed the fights. The story may have been thin, but it provided plenty of opportunities for fists and kicks. There wasn’t a weak fight in the lot. Whether fighting a dojo full of offended students or one-on-one, the fights were fast, targeted, and entertaining to watch. A match between Chen Zhen and Fumio in an open field showcased different styles and a desire for understanding. The inevitable deadly brawl with Fujita was brutal and inventive. Jet Li was an accomplished fighter as were David Kurata and Billy Chow (Fujita). There was very little wire work and these guys put on a show. Nowadays, anyone can look like a fighter with wires, close-ups, editing, CGI, and slo-mo. This film was filled with people who knew what they were doing, adding authenticity with their speed and agility. The intricate choreography had me wondering how many hours were required to rehearse the complicated fights.

This story versus the original showed a more even-handed approach to both groups of people. As in Fist of Fury there was no sugar coating of the Japanese presence in China. Fujita was thoroughly evil as most Japanese characters were portrayed in these films. Instead of all of the Japanese being prejudiced and violent against the Chinese, there was Fumio who disapproved of Japan’s militaristic actions. Just a quick note to say, I loved that Kurata who was often relegated to villain roles was allowed to play a wise, old master here. Chen’s love interest was Japanese and though she was a good person she was rejected by both the Chinese and the Japanese. Master Huo had been betrayed by Chinese characters showing the universal flawed nature of people. The Japanese were absolutely demonstrated as being in the wrong for occupying Shanghai, but this time the approach had more nuance.

Fist of Legend was a thrilling martial arts film and packed with quality fights. For a 1994 kung fu film, the production values were high and the acting was not a letdown. Watching Jet Li in his prime without the overuse of wires was a treat. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a martial arts film this much. If you like these old films, you definitely should seek this one out to give a try. (As a reminder, my rating is based on comparisons to other martial arts films, not major studio productions.)

1 March 2025

Read More

A Martial Arts Cinematic Feast for the Eyes

First time in over a decade I went to the movie theater to watch something and it was an XZ film. I went in just like I go see any movie, no expectations and just enjoy what I'm about to watch hopefully. I can say for sure this was the type of film that you can only watch in the theater to get the full effect. It really was a martial arts cinematic feast for the eyes with a very LOTR vibe to it.

Pros: The martial arts were top notch and given the director's experience in that sector, not a surprise. The large scale battles were amazing and breath taking. All of the actors delivered and I have to give it up to XZ as GJ for being able to so convincingly speak Mongolian; I mean monologues of it at a time. A total foreign language nothing like his own. The ending showdown between GJ and very creepy looking OYF was by far the best. Costumes, sceneries, CGI, OSTs, all the aesthetics were top notch. There are several battle scenes during ending credits so don't miss out by running away before the lights come on. There were comedic scenes which broke from the seriousness of the situations.

Cons: The greatest and saddest part that was lacking was the storyline. If you didn't know the plot to begin with you would have been very lost here. Thankfully, I watched last year's LOCH: HB series, though itself not great, I at least had an idea of the storyline. Because here everything was so rushed through that you had no idea how the leads met, when GJ met his shifus, or the guy who got him started on his path to greatness. Literally everything about the story was condensed into maybe 15 minutes of screen time. The 7 freaks dying on the island save one was done in 30 seconds and neither HR nor HJ were given the proper screen time to have a proper connection with GJ. Everything was battle focused.

I disagree with many and say that GJ had way more chemistry with HR than HJ who seemed more like a little sister though both of those were mere moments in time. Same could be said about GJ and his mom who it seemed to appear on screen for a maximum of 5-10 minutes total before she kills herself to not be used by Great Khan anymore as leverage. Another thing that made me scratch my head, the entire film the Great Khan spoke in Mongolian and in his last scenes, he busts out the Mandarin and it was like wait what? What just happened; completely inconsistent. Had this film been properly executed, it should have maybe been a trilogy like LOTR so the wonderful story wouldn't have been sacrificed for the sake of fight scenes; though very awesome ones.

Would I recommend it? Yes. If you're a fan of wuxia and the original work of the writer, you're in for a feast. The battles were absolutely phenomenal and it was a very entertaining film.

Read More

Minority Misrepresentation

After viewing the picture, I wanted to read the original source. Surprisingly, the film conveyed a very complete picture in 2 hours. Yes, this is a movie, even though the script contains a plausible life of a schoolboy who is mired in a feeling of emptiness, despite the slight fabulousness, in life there are miracles when in a year you can become someone.
The picture is of high quality in technical design: paints, light, color, angle, special effects, sound design.
Psychological side: the theme of emptiness in the human personality, hiding oneself in the box of a socially useful/pleasing personality. Lack of confidence in your abilities due to various circumstances.
Accepting yourself and your personality in the environment....
All this, to some extent, the hero is restoring a picture called “I”, but I don’t think that the process has a final version.
I really liked this whole part and I’m ready to re-watch it for this BUT!

I don't know if this is a feature of Japanese cinema or what, but the representation of minorities here is grossly flawed.
First, the main character deadname a transgender person. The heroine clearly identifies herself as a woman, so the “otomen” version is excluded by itself, secondly, in the original source she also positions herself as a woman. But then the manga and the film begin to have problems.
I started looking for an interview, although she did not go into detail, but the mangaka seemed to have outdated wording of descriptions and understanding of the “phases” of transgender people, rather, at what age does awareness begin in connection with modern access to information. The heroine is not a child and clearly distinguishes herself based on this.
I could not understand why throughout the entire film she did not directly express to the hero that she did not like it when he deadnamed her. Moreover, they already had a dispute about psychological constraint. The characters had quite a few opportunities to discuss this issue, but it was neither made nor corrected in the film.
What is even more highlighted in the film is that the hero and she, like twins, almost seem to go through the question of establishing themselves as individuals in a social environment, with the struggle to do what makes them alive. Her drama was even very intensified by the moment when she could no longer follow the path that her beloved grandmother had chosen for her, but not she. And in a strong scene where the hero and she reveal their soulmate to each other, the hero deadname her.

Reading the reviews, I realized that such mistakes in films, when it is clearly visible that the creators did not even bother to clearly find out from the representatives of the minority themselves whether they are representing them correctly, misinform the audience. And without understanding anything on the topic, they mix their personal views or rumors with labels and partial lies about minorities, confusing the viewer.
Which is why some argue that this is an otomen, while others explain that this is a transperson. After all, the author herself and the filmmakers mixed all these concepts in one. When she communicates with the hero, otomen. When she introduces herself as a woman, she is already a transperson.
In my opinion, if cinema today has decided to use the most vulnerable part of the planet’s population for the sake of highlighting drama, then this cinema should, at least for the sake of respect, consult on the correctness of representation. And not to imagine how they heard from third parties, analyzing such a sensitive issue through their heteroconsciousness.

Read More

Hira “develops” faster in the film adaptation compared to the novel. In real life, such a leap in neurodivergent people can lead to breakdown, breakdown. Therefore, I hope that if there is another film adaptation, even if in Japan it is customary not to talk about this topic, the development of the plot will be competent.
Kiyoi is beginning to feel better and better where his love is failing, he is still moving intuitively, without the necessary education, but with a pure desire to keep Hira as he is. In his case, in fact, it is exhausting; in principle, this breakdown was shown. It is clear that the young man understands, perhaps not literally, that this is the nature of Hira and it cannot be fixed, like some kind of disease, but can only be somehow adapted.
The theme of toxicity towards them disappeared for me after episode 4 of the first season. Yes, such couples need a psychiatrist, they need education on the topic. But only so that one does not change uncomfortably for his nervous system “for the sake of love,” and the second does not drown in exhaustion from the fact that he has to be a constantly show flexibility of mind. But their love, their thirst for each other, it is not sick or toxic, it is honest and passionate. This can be "terrifying" and envious.
I just believe in them because I see that both want to be understandable to each other, without demanding excessive and urgent changes for the sake of love.
I believe that there is no right love, relationships are needed not healthy as in books, but harmonious and not killing the personality.

Read More

Bad story tried with good lead actors

It's seems like a trend back in the days with kmovies You either get a good story or you get your fav actors here you get the actors .. ah you want me to comment on story ?? Two people fall in love get married then they figure out "oh! His habits are annoying" or " she keeps nagging, my god!!" Plus some misunderstanding with the ex boss ..and viola you have your share of self implicated problems which will be resolved obviously cause viewers like a happy ending. There is nothing much to comment here.
Do I recommend watching it .... Naaa if you're fan of after marriage couple fighting ..I suggest watching emergency couple atleast they got divorced before they patch up ..plus you get some medical drama in that. As for this particular one ...PASS

Read More

Relationships are a a continous battle and that's ok.

I've been on a minor binge of dramas lately. I was smitten by Kasumi in Flying Colors so I went to find her other works.
This movie was highly recommended, so I gave it a shot.

I enjoy movies with nuanced character moments, it can help lift even the weakest stories. Fortunately for this movie, we had so much to digest. In each of the beginning half of the movie's scenes have a beautiful tenderness. The two MC interact with so much chemistry and it's really hard not to cheer for these two. We made a Beautiful Bouquet has probably some of my favorite couples interactions I've seen in any movie. There's subtle little things like how they look at each other during every possible moment and how as the movie goes on we see that slowly move on with time. The vibes are very wholesome and I appreciated all the small moments. The MCs also aren't scared to be seen in public together haha.

The director has a keen eye for working with lighting to incite feelings without having to say a word. Through gentle warm lighting we are enveloped in the same love that these two feel, only for it to become inevitably darker as they work through their struggles. One thing about Japanese cinema I've noticed is directors from Japan have a strong sense of beauty in the mundane. We are drawn into the feelings of these two in all their little interactions and as a result the ending is considerably impactful. Whether it be just standing together in a moment, or reading quietly in the same room, the director weaves you into their narrative. Many movies tend to build relationships with big sweeping romantic scenes but leave out small moments like these, which tend to weaken character development and our attachments to care.

There was a specific scene on the train involving a text message response and I was impressed on how utterly realistic the speed of the text was for people in their predicament. It was incredibly nuanced and said a lot about their relationship status whether it was intentionally shot like that or not. It's in these smaller moments that you learn to appreciate dramas.

I do not claim to be a J-drama expert, but I do enjoy how this movie was not afraid to go a different direction then most movies in this genre. The depiction of relationships in their sweetest, at their worst and at their most harrowing..it was a realistic depiction of the value of continued communication. There needs to be conversations like this in modern romance movies.I haven't consumed as much Jdramas, so I can only speak to my experiences watching what I have so far.

As for the musical composition in this movie, It was serviceable. I think it's one of the only weaknesses in this movie. Nothing stood out too much. But what we did hear in the movie was good for the overall feeling. As with most movies acoustic guitars set up a lot of groundwork for the tender moments in the movie. Pianos and synths follow for major moments and the passage of time sequences. It's your general drama music but it's definitely on the cuter side for most of the movie.

One thing I would like to point out personally is just the framing of the scenes in this movie. As the movie progresses the drifting of the camera and blocking are excellent. As the movie becomes more sad, the shots become more constricted and the camera becomes more static opposed to the moving camera in the early sequences. Placement of the actors play a part in this story as well. The two MCs move in and out of each other to relay their relationship at any given moment.


Finally the messaging in this movie is admirable. Many things in this movie are relatable to people who have been in any sort of relationship be it romantic or not. I loved that they didn't shy away from some of the tougher conversations. I would of liked them to delve deeper, but I know it's just not really a thing in Japanese society to do so. The depiction of strength, love and conviction in the movie really moved me.

A beautiful bouquet is made up of many beautiful but fragile flowers. Those flowers can last long if you nurture them, but in the end they will wilt no matter how much care you put into them. Relationships are the same, but that doesn't mean the effort you put into them was worthless.

The ending might leave some people very sad, but fear not! But sometimes you need to hear both sides of a story for something to be fully appreciated.

Read More

Relentless, almost radical in its puristic, rigorous realism. Not pleasant, yet haunting.

“A Petal” is heavy fare. Momentous. Crass. Intense. Disturbing. Yet deeply symbolic, too.
Haunting.

It grabs the audience by the hand with a beautiful, harmless (South Korean) earworm from the 1970s and mercilessly drags us into the mentally disturbed reality of a 15-year-old girl who is emotionally trapped in the events of a historically bloody day in Gwangju in May 1980. She has been reliving the painful, unbearable, incomprehensible, unfathomable events over and over again since then. Desperately searching for her older brother to tell him everything she has experienced and suffered, and still cannot understand. But he has long since passed away.

“A Petal” is, for all those who know nothing about the Gwangju Massacre, a strikingly vivid, touching cinematic document of post-traumatic stress disorder. As mentioned, the KMovie with its particular combination of color, repeated flashbacks in black and white and animated dream sequences emotionally pulls us into this merciless inner world and makes us feel it.
But “A Petal” is also a historical milestone in South Korean cinema. Here, in a shockingly realistic manner the Gwangju Massacre was for the first time portrayed in film as a symbol of the suppression of the democracy movement in the country. (End of May 1980 in Gwangju the military was sent against demonstrating civilians, brutally tortured innocent people and killed probably up to 2.300 of them. Nobody could get in or out of the city, with telephones lines being shut down, too.)

The 15-year-old girl, innocent and clueless as she was, and now battered, kicked, helplessly trapped in her trauma, misunderstood, and sexually abused, personifies the nation that is still (even 16 years later) at the mercy of the trauma of Gwangju. A nation that does not quite know what to do with it. That has not yet processed it. That had no chance to do so.
The encounters of the girl on her erratic journey through the province of Jeollanam-do, especially the lone man she finally imposes herself on, represents all those who did not experience May 1980 in Gwangju and have never really learned what happened there, or even that anything happened at all. The dictatorial regime ensured widespread silence.

The girl is the personified, living testimony to the great sacrifices of the South Korean democracy movement. The man, rough and abusive, in the daily mire of his dreary life, embodies the still inexperienced, sluggish mass of the people, who in terms of the new opportunities and freedoms of democracy is however still trapped in the old, violence-dominated, dictatorial structures. These two, the girl and the man, are concrete, however nameless symbols of society at the beginning of the still very young democracy in the country, in the early 1990s. The brother's friends, persistently but laboriously searching for the 15-year-old, stand for the necessary reckoning and conscious processing, for perception, witnessing, revealing and communication of ´us´, so that the still open wounds are no longer ignored and suppressed, but given attention, cared for, and thus may perhaps eventually heal over time. In order to create space for new experiences.

Actually, at the time of the massacre in Gwangju, Director Jang Sun-woo himself was imprisoned for his activities in the student democracy movement. It was then that he decided to make politically critical movies in the future. However, this future took another 15 years to materialize. It was not until the 1990s that the democracy movement in the country began to bear its first fruits. It was not until 1996 that it was possible to bring the incredible events of May 1980 to the public's attention.

The film “A Petal” is relentless, almost radical in its puristic, rigorous realism. Especially Lee Jung-hyun, who made her acting debut here, had to go from 0 to 100 to connect internally with this mentally disturbed protagonist and thus convincingly portray her character. Impressive, too: Moon Sung-keun. The intensity of “A Petal” is breathtaking. Not pleasant, tough. Haunting.
Mission succeeded...

There were several well-deserved (and international) awards. However, some cinema-goers may have left the cinema early. It is a quite demanding KMovie. We are supposed to engage with the disturbing psychological situation of the girl. With what led to her becoming like this. And with how her mostly ignorant environment initially reacting helplessly and violently, to her apparent weirdness. Yet it is at last also a relieve to see, how a caring relationship eventually may develop even from the initially dismissive and unrestrainedly abusive one.

The title is the title of a song that the girl likes and sings, back then, before it all happened.
The song “A Petal” tells of how the petals fall, the memory of it is hard to bear, because there was a farewell. However, they didn´t talk back then... and again and again, when the petals fall, there is this memory of this abrupt farewell, which is hard to bear...
The theme of this song becomes the theme of this girl... who is desperately searching for her brother to tell him what happened, what she had to experience, what she still cannot grasp and does not understand.

Read More

Love is the story of a moment.

"Bishonen" is an old film, like many other old films, slow-paced, told largely through the narrator's voice, with a gloomy, suffocating atmosphere, not rich in details but very poetic, very romantic.

Honestly, if this were a modern film, it probably wouldn't be classified as "classic" and wouldn't be mentioned much, but considering the era when the film was released, I understand why nearly 30 years later, people still talk about it so much. The film is slow, but not lacking in "drama"; after all, it's still an old-fashioned love story, still the typical way of portraying homosexual people, especially those in the service industry. Love in the film is truly the love of moments.

We can't blame the film for not developing characters or emotional progression deeply enough, because it seems they fell in love from the first moment they saw each other, just like how other love stories come and go—all in an instant when their eyes meet. Besides the love story, the story of those who are cruel, moments of reckless passion that quickly fade, this also seems to be a story about loneliness, the dark knots inside people. Psychological issues, family and social expectations, prejudices... exist just in one look from the father. And Sam's death. One person's death perhaps can't change much, like ripples disappearing, submerged in water, except that love is something that doesn't die with the person. Actually, the film talks about love, but doesn't talk (enough) about the love between the two main characters; in the end, it's just Sam, Jet, A Ching, each having loved and been loved.

The ending for homosexual love films in this era is still shrouded in tragedy. People are pessimistic, putting a full stop to almost every love story, everything is always chaotic, messy, and ends with one or two deaths, either physical or spiritual. What that pessimistic view wants to reflect, or what common truth it tries to prove, I don't know and don't want to discuss too much; well, knowing that Sam is liberated, and Jet knows he was once loved is enough.

Overall, this is not a pinnacle classic film, nor truly artistic, not characteristic of traditional Hong Kong cinema culture... but it's still a film with sufficient emotional range, creating an atmosphere poetic enough, beautiful enough, cinematic enough for me on a late evening, enough for me to ponder the story of men rejected by society. What I like is the feeling, not necessarily the film itself.

And honestly, this film's popularity and frequent mentions are partly due to the extremely handsome cast of movie stars who give off a very artistic vibe :)

Read More

A Journey Through Time, Without a Destination, Only a Direction - Towards You

I watched "Our 18x2 Youth: Journey Towards You" during the early afternoon hours of summer, in the sweltering heat, fighting against drowsy sleepiness, but miraculously, the 120-minute film still made me feel warm, right in the middle of a hot summer day. A Taiwanese film in collaboration with Japan, featuring names that guarantee youth cinema, should have set very high expectations for me, but strangely, before and while entering the theater, I still didn't expect too much excitement or surprise from this film. Perhaps thanks to that, I could let myself drift into Jimmy's journey without a destination to Japan, immerse in the love story of two people who loved each other but never expressed it in words, in an atmosphere full of poetry and beautiful, shimmering scenes set in misty Japan and Taiwan lit up with lights.

"Our 18x2 Youth" first and foremost is still a love story. It's not a different, unique story that has never appeared on screen, because essentially, any love story, whether in films or real life, is similar, all originating from the same wonderful feelings. Jia Ming's first love came unexpectedly amid such heartfelt stirrings; one could say he was struck by love at first sight on a clear day, when a basketball, which was also his childhood dream, slowly rolled to the feet of a Japanese girl. Then, the story is told through Jimmy's dreams, revisiting his memories, continuing like that, with summer seeming to stretch endlessly. Jimmy recalls the story of his first love, remembers Jia Ming, the young man full of passion but easily shy and embarrassed when standing before his first crush, remembers the trips on his motorbike around small Tainan, much smaller compared to places Jimmy visited later, but also more special, much more. At that time, Jia Ming was 18 years old, not knowing what he dreamed of, not knowing what the future would hold, what the destination of his life would be. Now, Jimmy is 36, pausing his career pursuit to embark on a new journey, to find himself, to find the woman he loves. The section with the shifting perspective and narrator, with the separate story from Ami's narrative, wasn't really surprising, but it was like the way something expected finally arrives, filling my soul and longing. It turns out both were oriented towards each other; it turns out there are loves in this world where no one confesses because they both understand, no need for words, no need for kisses, words of love, no need for affirmation or confirmation. They just loved each other, peacefully like that, sadly like that, soaked in tears. That was first love, those were the feelings, also the warmth, the light, the cherry blossom rain falling forever, the snowflakes covering their lives, until much later.

"Our 18x2 Youth" is also a story about trips, about journeys. The truth about itinerary in the film is a very poetic association, but extremely simple. Each trip is actually a stroll in a new land, to interact with new people, new cultures, to fall in love with a strange place, to look back at ourselves, to love ourselves, to love where we were born. Traveling is wandering, steps without a destination, feeling throughout the journey we take, preserving scenes only we can see, moments that exist only for an instant. Both Jimmy and Ami wished their journey would never stop; they wrote their wish on a lantern released into the sky. I believe their dream will come true and has already come true, because each life is a journey, we travel without knowing where we'll go, that journey is also like a visit, an expedition, observing humanity, feeling love, loving lands, people, life. More profound than a trip to Taiwan, Japan, or around the world, the film also conveys the human ideal of living, we keep moving forward, resting is to start a new journey, perhaps that's what the filmmaker wanted to convey?

And, finally, "Our 18x2 Youth" is a collaboration between Taiwan and Japan. Therefore, I could clearly feel the culture of both countries skillfully interwoven throughout the love story, about youth and growth, about messages in journeys. Taiwan, Tainan simple, vibrant, bright with lights from night markets, bearing the features of a rural area; Taipei hurried on electric trains, modern under neon lights, bustling, busy. Japan in a noodle shop at night, hidden in pure white snow, passing on trains crossing rivers, dreamy with cherry blossom rain, sparkling with lanterns released into the high sky. Not just cultural interchange in landmarks, geographical areas, the feeling and atmosphere have very slight changes, but harmonious throughout the film. The art of filming is distinct, soothing and gentle from beginning to end, the flexible tone shifting between cold and warm for scenes alternating between present-past, adulthood-youth, 18-18x2, frames creating a feeling of confinement in a box with settings stretching far away, the subtlety in mixing light, film rhythm fast and slow, colors... All contributed to creating a film as beautiful as a Japanese animation, covered with the nostalgic breath commonly seen in Japanese and Taiwanese films, a unique quality no one can copy.

Final words must praise the actors in the film. All were very natural; Greg Hsu perhaps has received enough praise to build several cities, truly a box office guarantee. I often joke that just having him participate in a role means the filmmaker has already succeeded halfway. The difference between Jimmy and Jia Ming sometimes made me think they were two different people (just exaggerating haha). The actress playing Ami was also very beautiful; she played her role perfectly, cute and full of first love vibes always. In general, the good chemistry comes from the accomplished acting of both actors :D

Despite all this praise, I don't think I really empathized much with the film, so it was hard for me to have as many emotions as I expected. I couldn't feel too much pleasure in traveling, although the film did make me want to travel a bit more, nor could I deeply absorb the profound love between the two (it had only been a month, sigh). I yawned quite a bit during the beginning, the storytelling wasn't very smooth, many shots made me wonder why they transitioned scenes like that, the tears near the end of the film were a bit forced... Anyway, the film deserves its current success, but perhaps it's not underrated at all.

Read More

DESPERATELY NEEDED MORE RUNTIME

Introduction:

Demon City is an action-packed revenge storyline based on a manga series, "Oni-goroshi" by Kawabe Masamichi. The original manga is still being published with 15 volumes already out in Japan. Due to it having no English translation, I'm unaware of how much of the manga they adapted, neither on how much they skipped. So, this review will be purely based on my opinion regarding this movie and not on it being an adaptation.

Story:

The story desperately needed more character development. Due to the restriction of the runtime, we hardly got to know any of the characters (even the protagonist Sakata Shuhei), their morals, emotions, feelings, goals, or even what drives them to do what they do. So, when these characters die, we as watchers feel nothing but emptiness, as we can neither relate to the pain of the ones they left behind, neither feel sad for the one that left. The story also had a lot of pacing issues, since the story spans decades (the main story spans less of a time period) and trying to cover a whole lot of developments in the story within a given time, leaves less time to give importance to a few minor yet important details that actually let the viewer take somewhat of a fresh breath.

Acting:

The acting in this movie was fairly decent. All of the actors did an amazing job at portraying their characters, especially Ikuta Toma (portrayed the protagonist). Ikuta Toma shined in the action sequences, the choreography, and every little movement he did just made looked so good on the screen. Also, the chosen weapon of the protagonist is really so good and the scene with the elevator where is sitting on the body (the one on the cover) looked dope as hell.

Direction:

The director did an amazing job with the action sequences and made it look so good on the screen. The action sequences are the only good thing that this movie has. The cinematography was also somewhat decent. Other than that, the director fumbled in everything else including the pacing and the character development.

Music:

The music was good, just nothing special that would stand out on its own to me.

Enjoyment:

This movie is somewhat enjoyable due to its excellent action sequences. It was the case for me at least.

Verdict:

It's not something extremely good or something that you have to watch but if you wanna watch it, just know that the only good things are the action sequences and if you were to only look at the action sequences, it's a decent watch.

Read More