Testament of Masterclass acting
Yoo Hae jin delivers a career-defining performance, showcasing exactly why he remains one of Korea's most revered actors. Every expression, every line, and every emotion feels genuine. Every scene feels elevated by his presence. If this film has a soul, it is Yoo Hae jin. He carries the weight of the story effortlessly and serves as the emotional anchor of the film, giving it both its heart and its humanity.At the same time, Park Ji hoon deserves so much praise. Surrounded by veteran actors, he never once feels overshadowed. Instead, he shines. He has always had a gift for portraying characters who carry immense pain beneath a composed exterior, and his portrayal of King Danjong may be one of his best performances to date. Through his eyes alone, he conveys the loneliness, sorrow, and quiet strength of King Danjong, drawing viewers into his tragic fate.
I went into this film knowing it would be good, but I never expected it to affect me this deeply. It was truly marvelous. The narrative is tightly written and remarkably focused, and free from unnecessary side stories or characters. It moves at a steady pace while still allowing the emotional beats to land with full force. By the time the story reaches its most devastating moments, you'll likely find yourself in tears, immersed in the characters' pain and helplessness.
What makes this film so powerful is that you don't walk away from this film admiring the plot, you walk away remembering the people whose lives it portrays. Thanks to the outstanding performances, their fears and despair feel incredibly real. Their tragedy becomes your tragedy. Even as someone who is not Korean, I found myself deeply moved by their story. That is the power of great storytelling and extraordinary acting.
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What we have here, is a failure to communicate*
Pushing Hands was director Ang Lee’s first full length film. It was also the first in what critics have affectionately termed the “Father Knows Best” trilogy. Lee’s first three films (unrelated) focused on conflicts between modern children and their traditional fathers, all three films starred Lung Sihung as a father in the middle of familial tension. While entertaining, I found this film to be the weakest of the three.The Chu family household has been set on edge ever since Alex’s seventy-year-old father moved into their home a month prior. Chu senior speaks no English and Alex’s wife, Martha, speaks no Mandarin. The young grandson, Jeremy, has been taking Chinese lessons after school and understands some of what his grandfather says. The wife and father-in-law are basically in a cold war. Mr Chu’s very presence disturbs Martha so much that she has developed writer’s block and has been unable to progress on her second book. One need not speak English to understand her irritated body language and hostile words. Alex ends up listening to both of their complaints at the dinner table, often at the same time, with English in one ear and Mandarin in the other. Mr. Chu is a tai chi master and teaches a class at the local continuing education facility while his grandson takes his Chinese class and Alex plays basketball. One evening, the Chinese cooking teacher, Mrs. Chen, purposefully moves her class into his large room in order to meet the older gentleman. Both discover that they are living in difficult family situations that are heading to a boil.
I struggled with the core conflict of this film with the open hostility Martha showed Mr. Chu. She mentioned that Alex barely spoke of his father for seven years and then “Boom! One month ago, this shows up on our doorstep.” Alex told his father it was his plan all along for him to come live with them. It sounds like he never brought that up with Martha. This is the type of conversation that needed to happen as the father’s arrival would have required some planning and cooperation. Martha’s work space could have been modified for more privacy and she could have taken evening classes with her son to better be able to speak with her FIL. Alex bringing his father over and hoping for the best left his father feeling alienated and his wife feeling resentful.
The film focused on a variety of gaps-language, cultural, generational, and modern vs traditional values. Mr. Chu might have been home and with family but it did not feel like home. Alex had videotaped Taiwanese movies for his father to watch, most of which he was uninterested in. Only the Chinese Opera appealed to him which decidedly did nothing for Martha’s frayed nerves. Mrs. Chen gave Mr. Chu someone he could relate to which both exasperated children used to try and manipulate to their advantage. The older people felt useless and isolated, unwanted in their children’s homes. In a land of material wealth, there was no room for them. As with his other father films, Ang Lee managed to salvage relationships even if they were still damaged. Parents and children grudgingly learned to adapt and find a way to balance their expectations and bonds. And there were those who learned the hard way to not mess with a seventy-year-old tai chi master. Not one of Ang Lee’s strongest films but still quite watchable.
4 June 2026
*Headline note: Quote from Cool Hand Luke
Golden note: 1991 Golden Horse Best Actor Award for Lung Sihung and Best Actress Award for Lai Wang. The acting for these two was significantly stronger than much of the rest of the cast.
Paternal Note: The three Ang Lee “Father Knows Best” films: Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, and Eat Drink Man Woman.
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One of the Best K-Movies I’ve Ever Watched
Thank you to everyone who created this movie! I really enjoyed watching such a perfect K-movie. This movie deserves a 10/10 from me. The action scenes were amazing, and I especially loved the skilled fighting. Everything felt exciting and well-made. It kept me interested from beginning to end. I also liked the strong hero vibe in this movie. The emotional scenes touched my heart so much that they even made me cry. Overall, this was an amazing experience for me, and I hope to see more K-movies and K-dramas like this in the future. Thank you so much!Was this review helpful to you?
Great continuation
The second film made up for the rushed first film. It really complimented and completed the first film. The story in it's whole is great!The visuals and music were beautiful!
The actors have good chemistry.
I recommend watching both films after each other and consider them as one whole film.
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This review may contain spoilers
If people are destined to meet, they will
This movie was lovely. I'm all in for a "fate" movie, so this was right up my alley. I shed a few tears, watching the ML trying to change the fate of the FL. I asked ahead of time if this was a happy ending and was told that it was, I started to get mad, thinking that I had been lied to!Good chemistry between the leads, no fish kisses.
I appreciated that the timeline was easy to follow. Many time slip dramas are so confusing I feel like I need a map to follow them.
Bottom line? I you are destined to meet and fall in love, it will happen.
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One of the most overrated movies of this generation
Anyone who was shocked by the ending stretch of this movie, I suggest you go back and watch all the amazing Korean hits that came out of 2000-2014 era during their golden years of cinema before the industry got taken over by Hollywood cliche fluff and Netflix mass releases, as that ending was pretty standard affair for Korean film prior. While this movie was unique and very good, I don't think it remotely deserved the insane amount of praise it got; becoming the face of Korean cinema to westerners and being the first foreign film in history to win best picture at the Oscars.Korean movies that are equal to a lot better than this to look into, depending tastes, in my opinion:
https://kisskh.at/1063-i-saw-the-devil
https://kisskh.at/1475-3-iron
https://kisskh.at/992-old-boy
https://kisskh.at/235-a-tale-of-two-sisters
https://kisskh.at/1009-castaway-on-the-moon
https://kisskh.at/1277-poetry
To name a few, there's many more out there. If you want wild and twisted while being very good at the same time, go back and watch almost any Kim Ki Duk flick.
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautifully Filmed, Directly and Acted in Honor of king Danjong and his loyal friend Eom Heung-do
what an emotional and beautiful historical movie this was ... worthy of all the praiseyou don't feel the time go by when you watch it .. they take a historical event for a story and give you back a heartfelt story worth watching. then again this what they do best. this is why we watch to begin with.
This movie was so well done , the execution, the direction , the background music , the acting is spot on , i cried so much .. i couldn't stop crying by the end of the movie my face started hurting .. they excel at heartwarming and heart wrenching depictions all together ..
ji hoon eyes went from defeat to persistence to fighting for a cause with the only ways you can and yoo hae jin's performance was so powerful , heart wrenchingly real and raw and his crying pierced deep in my heart and my tears couldn't help but keep falling .. i'm in love with the way they honor their history, one of their fallen king and give a life to the tragic stories of the past.. I felt Goooooosebumps and chills as i watch , i was truly blown away by how powerful it was and how immersed i was . and even after it ended it was hard to stop the tears really, it does leave a silent and yet significant impression on you, and mi do's song at the end does its magic as you sit there in tears and disbelief or denial of such an ending
from the warmth of the king , his prideful dignified stance, relentless pursuit of righting the wrongs at the end tho failed , caring for the whole village and making sure they are safe and don't suffer any consequences even after his death ..his humble tendencies and love to his people , his friendship with the warden, and the deep loyalty and love that they shared...
it was ultimately deep film filled with emotion.. even the silence in the movie was loud and powerful, he remained dignified king until his death and died at the hand of his faithful friend ..
Beautifully filmed, Directly and Acted tragedy!
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Is there a continuation?
Kim Hye Yoon 💖.Okay, first thing first. Just finished watch it, didn't find perfect subtitles, only on kisskh itself, and nearly the ending was saying "To be continued..."
After what I seeing till the end, I believe it needs a second part, cause for me it is just an introduction not the starting yet, leave me with lots of questions,
What was the grandma real roles in it apart luring people to the lake? Who is her daughter? What happened to her daughter? Is her daughter possessed something like you see her nails!?? Was the grandma a part of play in a ritual or something so as to save her daughter's life? Did the real evil spirit command that to save the daughter, a number of people must died first, so grandma following?
Was it all a plan by Kim Hye Yoon the actress from the beginning??? Is Kim Hye Yoon the daughter of the grandma 🤔? And all is a plan to lure people there.
As we know she already know everything what was happening here and she has been here before as the ghost man tell her on the boat. Or has she forgot about that or is she still dreaming or is an illusion she still trapped between reality? Does breaking the tower stone, delivered the evil spirit and take in place the one who break it? Result in grandma daughter surviving?
Is the ghost picture first scene, Kim Hye Yoon 🤔??? Just my opinion
Lots of questions!!!!
What we know, (my view)
Gi tak is still trapped there, the office was just an illusion. The ghost take possessed of the actress.
Or if there is not a continuation,
I take it like that, since as it is said, no one come back alive after possibly leaving the lake, as we see from the first PD reporter, he die in hospital. So all the crews died, also Gi tak. Thus film over. But still here I want answer about the grandma's daughter 😏.
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Cute
It's not bad, but it's not great either. It's kinda cute, but a bit too much shy smiling and little conversation to make it really interesting for me.I didn't really notice any music. The visuals were ok, but i must say, i was kinda shocked by how extremely skinny the main actor was..
It's a cute watch, so if you have 30 minutes to spare i'd say, just watch it.
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Let's Be Friends
Who would have thought that a movie called "People and Meat" would be this good? This is indeed a gem of a movie about the unlikely friendship between three elderly people with good balance between drama, humor and social commentary. Try avoiding the synopsis if possible, as it reveals too much of the story. While the plot revolves around eating meat, the main focus is on portraying the issues elderly people often face in Korean society.The movie makes you instantly like the characters, largely thanks to the veteran actors who all delivered perfect performances. It feels like watching your own grandparents. In fact, after watching this movie, you should go and treat your older family members to a dish they like. This film gives us a lesson on how to live an authentic life. We might not always agree with the characters or fully understand them, but we have to respect them.
There were a few special moments during the movie when my heart just opened wide. Since I am already over 40, maybe this movie touched me more than it would younger viewers, but still, I would sincerely recommend it to everyone.
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This is just lazy
Normally I would never write a review, but with how bad this movie was. Genuinely I had to make a reviews for this. I had high hopes for this movie, and was shocked how bad it was. I just wanted to say that this has to be one of the worst movies that I have ever watched. Personally I believe they were lazy with the character set up. Why is it that the male lead can only constantly say that he knows Taekwondo as if there is nothing else better about him. Maybe it's just me but personally I don't get the purpose of the rest of the character, because if the whole point of them being there is to just get bitten. Then they are completely useless to the storyline, and I get that this is a movie, but still have some type of character depth.Another thing is I don't get how you can get piled by a bunch of zombies and not get biten ATLEAST once. I think thats honestly so unrealistic, and to add to the the whole teeth falling out. Their attempt for humour is just straight up bad, it would have made the movvie much better if the male lead did get bitten and was left behind.
The ending is really annoying too, because how dumb do you have to be to leave the that open for the zombies to escape into Gangnam. Potentially suggesting a second movie, but I just believe there is no need for a second movies. If the first one is bad, imagine how worse the second could get. However, I could be wrong, but we will never know.
Let me not talk about the minecraft zombie noises. For a movie made in 2023, you'd think they would have good sound effect, BUT no. I just see it as purely lazy, and cheap to put in MINECRAFT zombie noises instead of having a voice actor.
Half the time I don't even understand what is going on in this show, it's attempt at comedy was bad, the makeup was terrible, the actors are too emotionless., the sound effects are just lazy and the story is all over the place. I have more questions then answers in this movie. It's as clear as day that this movie was made with a very low budget
I do believe that this movie had potential, but that potential was thrown out the window into a dumpster fire. I would not recommend this movie at all. I think the only good thing that came out of this movie has to be the music, and that's it.
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Story goes to fast
It was a good movie, but the story just went too fast for the 1 hour and 10 minutes it had.I saw that there is a second part to it, i hope this will make the story more complete in it's whole.
The visuals were beautiful and the music good.
The actors did a great job and had great chemistry. I loved the "Lady and the tramp" moment.
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My May Recommendation movie
Watch this because of recommendation from 𝑨𝒒𝒖𝒂. Let’s discuss movie…The story begins during a scorching summer in rural Yamagata Prefecture, where Tomoko and her classmates are stuck in a remedial math class. Desperate to escape the dull lectures, the girls volunteer to deliver lunch boxes to the school’s brass band, who are away at a baseball game supporting the team. But due to a train delay and the sweltering heat, the food spoils by the time they arrive. The entire band comes down with food poisoning—except for Takuya, the quiet reserve cymbal player who didn’t eat his box.
With an upcoming game that requires a pep band, Takuya realizes he needs musicians fast. With no other options, he blackmails Tomoko and her friends into joining—forcing them to fill in as replacements.
At first, the girls have no musical talent nor discipline. They can’t read music properly, struggle with their instruments, and treat the whole thing as a joke—or just another way to avoid remedial class. Since a full brass band needs dozens of players, Takuya decides to scale things down and turns the group into a jazz big band, assigning the girls to saxophones, trumpets, and trombones.
As rehearsals continue, the girls slowly become fascinated by jazz music. Their clumsy practices lead to many chaotic and hilarious moments—broken instruments, wrong notes, constant arguments, and embarrassing mistakes. Yet despite all the chaos, they truly enjoy it.
Just when they finally begin improving, working together and playing in harmony, the original brass band members recover and return to reclaim both their positions and instruments, leaving Tomoko and her group out in the cold.
But instead of giving up, the girls decide to form their own independent jazz band. There’s just one problem: they have no instruments. The story follows their hilarious and determined attempts to raise money, until they finally manage to buy cheap, dented, secondhand ones. Still, they face more obstacles—no proper practice space, and no formal instructor to guide them.
Over time, the group transforms. From lazy students avoiding class, they become a real jazz band. Led by the energetic and impulsive Tomoko Suzuki, they begin practicing seriously. Through music, they build strong friendships, find confidence, and discover a sense of purpose they never had before. Jazz brings excitement into their ordinary school lives—something raw, free, and entirely their own.
So, how will their journey end?
Will they manage to stay together and continue pursuing music, or will their passion eventually fade away?
That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers.
What I like:
+ Tomoko’s passion for jazz music is really infectious, we can feel her passion.
+ Love to see the girls transform from lazy students into talented music players.
What I don’t like:
- What a BS to mastering all that instrument in that short of time.
Overall this really one interesting movie to watch…
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Recommended if you wanna watch slowburn folklore horror.
I honestly didn't have too big expectations from this movie when I started watching it. I decided to give it a try because I was craving to see Lee Dohyun's acting, and he didn't disappoint even for a second with his acting in this movie. Compared to the other three main characters, his role might seem a little less pivotal but the way he portrayed the character of Bong-gil was really admirable. Even the hospital scene of his gave me goosebumps. I really love his versatility and how well he adapted to this role as Bong-gil. Kim Go-eun's acting was obviously great as well! I loved the aura she was giving off as Hwa-rim. Made me tear up when she was crying for Bong-gil. The acting of the main characters is the reason why I decided to rate this 7/10 overall. The story wasn't honestly that strong and some things at certain points felt lacking. The first part was really boring to watch for me but the second part? I loved every moment of it. It wasn't scary to me but a bit creepy yes... If you are into folklore horrors, this one would be good to watch!Was this review helpful to you?
I hated her!!
not the actress-BoYong, but her character.There are always people like her.
They judge but not act. Atleast not without a viable plan
Like her.
And I dare say-she brought the doom to their apartment.
She started judging her husband, without speaking to him first. She right out dismissed his hardwork and endangered her life by helping those outsiders- Without a plan ! she didnt even bother telling her husband first!!!!!
then, She went ahead to torture the poor Grandma.
She did dig up the truth, but she had no back up plan.
She broke apart what ever was left of their group dynamic.
She knew she was up againt a murderer, capable for sustainig a life of lie-a leadership role.
Yet she went in without a plan----
Anyway, its a good watch.
I was totaly involved while watching this movie.
The disaster was just a catalyst-the human dynamics is the main point of this movie!
I like it very much.
So much after thoughts, especially watching it after the covid 19 pandemic.
Music is good
the Cinematic = scenes are pretty well done, Nice to see the shadows and dark scenes too.
unsettelling
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