Reviews

I have a good cry on this

Its a Japanese sad romance film. Very heartfelt and touching movie it brings the "Fault In Our Stars" movie vibe by giving us hope. I know that theya re both have hopeless journey in their battles but they find ways to be hopeful and be happy in their own simple ways. One is afraid in dying and the other one is looking forward to see heaven but when the FL meet the ML she make fondness of him and makes him feel that he has a special place in her heart and she felt she was special and gives her to be afraid of losing him. They both find ways to make memorable moments that they may treasure. They make sure they make special efforts to make sure that they brings joy to the both of them. They know that they feel loved with each other but had no chance on saying it. When the FL is gone the ML felt bad and sad for it but instead continue in fighting for his battle. Long enough he knew that the FL was making him special in her heart by seeing her last post on socmed the real symbol of the 3 stem of Gerberas. He was happy to know that he makes the FL feel special before she was gone. And not so long ago the ML has also is gone, he is gone happy for he knew that he makes the FL happy he feels happy and content with it.

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Supposed to be inspirational but falls flat

First - kudos to the actress/director Jia Ling for managing to lose 100 lbs in a year! I don't blame her for wanting to make money/get popular from it too in the form of a movie. I feel like fans seem to be divided on the whole weight loss stuff but good for her on getting more healthy. A Lululemon deal doesn't hurt at the end of the journey either, lol. So get that bag sis.

For the movie itself:
PROS
❀ Character growth
In the beginning, we see Le Ying essentially get bullied by everyone in her life. She's a people pleaser and thinks about others before herself - even to her own detriment. Her sister walked all over her, her best friend and ex-boyfriend walked all over her (and cheated in the meantime), and even her lover/coach walked all over her in the end. Boxing was the one thing though that she genuinely wanted to do for HERSELF. Getting into that ring and having a sparring session. She stayed strong in that regard and eventually got her goal in the end. One might think that winning the boxing match is her goal, but I think a more subtle - and important - goal is the ability to say no. And I enjoyed how that manifested at the end of the movie.

❀ Decent cinematography
I really liked the filters they used - it almost reminded me of a Wes Anderson color scheme. The shots were done pretty well and the boxing match was great. I heard that they consulted with an actual famous female boxer on that scene and it shows.

CONS
✕ Anticlimactic ending
I know I went off about the character growth lol but I thought the results of the boxing match would have been more... inspirational, I guess. This is probably the American in me lol. You kind of end it with an "all that and for what?" thought. I mean, obviously for the MC's own internal growth. But it makes it less powerful when the physical reality doesn't match the mental. I think maybe, they were aiming for a match like in Rocky where the journey is what matters, not the outcome. Basically if you give it your all then it doesn't matter what happens. But for some reason it doesn't feel as satisfying. Yes, she discovered her self-worth in the end, but I feel like she was so abused/mistreated in the beginning that the trade-off doesn't really match.

OVERALL
YOLO is one of those movies where right after I ended, I was like "this all?" But after sitting with the message, I started to appreciate it more. Is it inspiring? It's supposed to be, yes. It didn't quite reach the mark for me, though, although I can still appreciate the intent.

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This movie isn’t for everyone… but it’s definitely for me.

To start off this review: if you don’t like films like Jordan Peele’s cinematic universe, Hereditary, or most of the films (esp horror films) coming out of A24 or other indie movie distributors, then this movie is definitely not for you.

This film takes a lot of artistic liberty, and presents itself as a arthouse film, and I definitely think it deserves that presentation. It feeds off of mainly showing and not telling the audience and is very lax with the pace it uses.

If you’re not familiar with shamanism and other indigenous Korean rituals, then this movie is also definitely not for you. I think if you’re also used to the more romanticized version of shamans that a lot of Kdramas have will not prepare you to the actual intesnity of some of the means they use (i.e. the pigs, slitting the throat of a chicken, dousing things in horse blood) and the way it is presented for the audience. There is gore and violence in this film, it reeks of death and mourning, and if you were expecting a less intense story of shamans (like The Matchmakers) then this film will shock you and make you uncomfortable. Those with a weak stomach should probably avoid this film since there is a lot of bodily harm, throwing up blood, and just in general a lot of blood.

Now that’s out of the way, I’m gonna talk wayyyyyy too much about how I love this film. If you’re autistic like me and like hearing endings, keep reading if you’re comfy, if you’re not I hope you have a good day!!

Exhuma is a perfect storyteller for the lives of all of the members of this ragtag group of traditional practitioners. (Maybe it’s my adolescent interest in Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service that made me excited to see a different type of indigenous mythology even if some of it is based on the same scripture.)

The film starts really slow, and I think it’s a perfect way to play out how all of the four main characters are connected to each other. Instead of just telling their relationship, especially between Hwarim and Bonggil to Sangdeok and Younggeun, as they are quite different people, it shows how they have a work relationship that is still friendly. Also their personalities are well displayed; Hwarim being someone who hides behind confidence and her own abilities, Bonggil as someone who may seem very servile but is quite brave, Sangdeok cares deeply about his family even if he doesn’t like that his daughter is marrying a German man (also he is a boomer I hope this helps explain so many things), and Yeonggeun is a very frugal undertaker who is quite cowardly unless in the face of money.

I think the family drama of the Park family is so good, even if for a bit you’re confused who is who in the family. (Since the film is through the lens of the group, it makes sense that we are only privy to a tiny bit of information about them.) There is an air of holding their breath about the grave of the patriarch’s great grandfather, and it had me guessing until the final reveal that he was a fascist who followed that Japanese annexation of Korea. It’s such a perfect blend of history, and of the fact a lot of rich people hide the atrocities of their ancestors. (But also the ghost wanting to take all of his children with him is so good when you realize he is angry that they left Korea for America.)

Also, the detail of a Japanese monk being the one to give him a burial, which was auspicious to him but terrible in Korean geomancy, is literally the icing on the cake. Though, after this the movie takes a very dark turn, and I think it still fits with the storyline especially when the reveal of the monk’s true identity, and Sangdeok finding out that the “grave robbers” were just geomancers.

The supernatural aspects genuinely interested me even if they weren’t really meant to be scary. It shifts the tone to more emotional, sentimental in the way we view these characters.

We see the biggest changes in Hwarim and Seongdeok, because the anima drastically changes the tone of the double internment. Bonggil getting hurt after trying to distract it and protect her, shakes her very deeply. When he is in the hospital she gets desperate, her confidence is gone and she stays by his side trying to bring him back. She takes risks that could kill all of them just to get him free from the anima, and feels terrible when Seongdeok gets hurt in the final battle.

Seongdeok gets obsessed with the plot and finding out what’s so wrong with it. He visits it multiple times in an attempt to figure out what he’s missing. The unknown draws him in and eventually gets him hurt, and he accepts death, until he realizes he wouldn’t get to see his daughter’s wedding.

I’m leaving so much out because I want whoever is reading this to find joy in some of the things I left out, hehe. Though, the ending is happy, and I’ve seen people confused by it and I wanted to say I think the ending was nice. It reminded me sort of like the ending of Extracurricular, in which it is left vague because they are marred by the experiences, but life goes on.

I also think that Lee Dohyun still playing one of the most normal characters but still being given his usual insanity was so good. This man goes 0-100 in five seconds and it’s why I love him. Great madman, will miss him dearly until he comes back from his compulsary service.

Damn this got long, I just love this movie a lot. Thank you anyone who reads this absolute essay of a review. I am mentally ill and love me some sad happy shit.

(edit: I also forgot to mention that there isn’t a “romance” plot but there is an obvious connection between Hwarim and Bonggil that I just refer to them as soulmates instead. They are each other’s confidence, and safety. They live together and have known each other since they were teens, they care very deeply about each other and I don’t think we need to label it.)

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soft movie with no fault.

A movie that offers a very sweet, soft and enjoyable perspective on today's relationships without overwhelming or boring you. If your mood is low and you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, this movie can make you feel relaxed for 1-2 hours and give you peace and a little hope. Both of the leads were very sweet in their acting. They are both cute together and seperately... The sexuality and adult material was just right, neither making the movie erotic nor turning it into a children's movie. If you are looking for a teardropper this aint for you... And thats all.. If you like sweet love stories just watch and enjoy.

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cool but... weak?

Brave Citizen is an ok movie for me and the reason is because the plot is childish and unrealistic.

I mean, why and how there would be a boxing tournament in a SCHOOL where students are watching and the TEACHER is fighting against a student? 😭
How on earth this would be approved to happen?
Don't get me wrong, the bullying thematic is indeed important but it shouldn't have been so childish.

The Male Lead was interesting but he started to turn into a cartoon villain at the end in my opinion.
Plus, after the whole fight, how the teacher didn't ended up arrested? She beat up her student (the bad boy) and nothing happened? Even though he (student) had a powerful family that could do anything to arrest her?


Well, besides everything i said, the actors did their jobs amazingly, it would be waay better if the whole story had taken a new path so they would have shined even more


obs: i loved the teacher's "meoow" lol

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"You look too stupid"

Eunuch of the Western Palace trotted out the evil eunuchs complete with a secret letter everyone wanted to get their hands on. Don Wong, Meng Fei, and Doris Lung starred as the sword carrying rebels determined to rid the country of corruption. Wu Ma wrote and directed the film from 1979.

Don Wong is given a letter by a dying rebel. Lo Lieh saves his life, but refuses to become allies. Don meets up with Meng Fei, Doris Lung, and an unknown Taiwanese actress called the Invincible Sword. The rebels split up and are hunted by the eunuch’s men, including Lung Fei. Yuen Shen plays one of the leaders with knowledge of the eunuch’s wrongdoings who is trying to get the information to the emperor.

There was a lot of bouncing back and forth and circling around with the narrative which didn’t make much sense except to kill time. The much sought after letter faded in importance as the movie went along. The fights were about average for the time though a couple of them were filmed at night which made it almost impossible to make out the action. Time has not been kind to this movie with many frames darkened and/or blue in places.

The biggest reason to watch this film is if you are a fan of the cast or just enjoy old kung fu movies. I’ll watch about anything with Lo Lieh in it. He played the Doc Holliday style character with TB and a sense of honor. Don Wong, though stuck with a wig that looked like it had been run over by a carriage, held the rebel cast together with his presence. Doris Lung seemed to be having fun as a competent fighter with a wicked sense of humor. Meng Fei’s rebel was rather bland and dense. Tsung Hua chewed up the scenery as the power-hungry eunuch and Lung Fei could always be counted on as a believable baddie.

Eunuch of the Western Palace didn’t break any new ground in the evil eunuch genre or feature spectacular fights. It was watchable if you like any of the actors and the final fight in a snowstorm wasn’t bad. As always, I grade these old, low budget niche films on a curve.

3 July 2024

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Years wasted on this movie for this disappointing result

It’s an alright but confusing movie. If only they properly explained about wonderland services and their characters, it would be easier to understand what’s going in on the plot.
It’s hard to know which characters are real or virtual in some scenes like with Gong Yoo. I thought he was virtual, but then he was real, and then back to being virtual? It was difficult to tell who was real or not.
Tang Wei arc is beautifully well-written; however, Suzy & Bogum arc is good but ends abruptly, leaving questions about what happened to their relationship. The same goes for other arcs; most of them are undeveloped and have plot holes.
Suzy and Bogum kind of carried this movie because their chemistry caught everyone's attention. The movie is a huge letdown, but their acting and the cast saved it. Honestly what a waste of years on this project for it to end up like this.

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The relationship between two brothers

Even though I will watch another two movies tomorrow, today is officially my last full day at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival also known as KVIFF.
It was awesome, I'm definitely going again next year!

I can say Pierce could be one of the best movies I watched here (if not The best). I witnessed the red carpet presentation of the staff and the main protagonists of the movie (omg the applause was so weak, I felt very sorry for them 😭) and then went to the actual screening.

Ms. Low's speech was awesome, she even cried during it. Almost every seat in the hall was occupied, that was crazy! And then they received so many long and loud applauses I was happy ^^ I hope they will win the main contest, it blew me away how good it was, they deserve it 🙏🥺 I even cried which is very rare for me. The movie is beautiful. I knew it would be good when I saw the big poster at the festival. This is Nelicia Low's debut feature if I'm not mistaken which is even more breathtaking. She is very talented. It left such strong emotions on me that I was trembling after the end and couldn't get to calm myself. If I could I would make another reservation or buy a ticket to watch this masterpiece again!

A big Thank You to Ms. Low, the staff, and the actors, you all did an amazing job 💖🤧Pierce is the best movie of 2024 for me and I think nothing will beat it now. And I'm excited to see what awesome project Nelicia Low will prepare for us in the future :)

Today is one of the happiest days in my life 💖

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Well that was... something?

I enjoyed it overall. Japanese horror is always a bit unhinged and morally disturbing, so I was not too taken aback but yeah, it was a shitshow hahahah. It kind of reminded me of Grand Guignol.
I haven't read the manga and I felt a bit confused at some point, but it was nothing to bothersome. Stuff like the reason for Zera's goal and crazyness, for exemple.
I loved the acting, the cast did a really great job, especially Tamiya, and the characters were all great (I mean, as characters, not as people obviously). One thing tho, at the beginning they introduce the characters with one clear stereotypical role/personality each: like there's the nerd, the emo, the stupid, etc... so I thought they were going to be caricatures, but then they dropped it and those roles were no longer portrayed at all throughout the movie. Which I think is great, I would have hated caricatures, but then why introduce them like that in the first place?
I was also confused with how they handled Daff. The whole Tamiya, Daff, Kaneda thing was super wholesome, and I was expecting them to die and feel sad about it. And you can see it's what the director tried to do: make you sad about the original hikari club getting crushed. But then why have Daff do such a shameful thing? I mean, just touching a woman and wanking to it already made me lose all sympathy I had for him, but they made it even worse by showing everything, in the most humiliating/shameful way. So in the end I was like "Poor Kaneda and Tamiya for losing what they loved the most, but Daff you can die idc." Which isn't what the director was aiming for I would guess.
The colorimetry was awesome, it was really beautiful to watch. And I'm not a fan of gore but it was ok I guess, and although it wasn't very realistic it was not too ridiculous either. Except for the guy who got thrown against the wall, I laughed so hard at that one.
Anyway, don't watch it if you don't like being morally challenged and if you don't like gore, otherwise, go for it!

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While there’s nothing outstanding about this movie, it’s nevertheless a fun, lighthearted watch with an entertaining plot. It knows not to take itself too seriously yet manages to build tension toward the end anyway.

Most of the story is driven by the female lead’s tendency to misinterpret things as evidence of crimes, then make questionable decisions as she investigates the supposed crimes. It leads to plenty of moments that had me sighing in amused resignation, because of course she does whatever she shouldn’t do in any given situation. Her outlandish ideas did actually keep me guessing which way the film’s writers would take things, too.

Acting-wise no one blew me away, but the cast were all able to match the tone of the script and keep things enjoyable. Most of the film understandably focuses on the three leads, and I especially like the comfortable casualness between the female lead and her long-suffering policeman friend. That said, the supporting characters are entertainingly quirky in their own ways. An amusing example is how the acquaintance of the two friends shamelessly prods the cop to be bold about his feelings for the female lead solely because the young woman wants to see any resulting drama.

Another aspect of the movie I really like is the resolution of the climax, which had me actively cheering the female lead on. My favorite small touch, however, is that the emergency operators recognize the female lead’s number/caller ID and greet her by name whenever she calls.

Now, a quick side note about the music: I honestly can’t recall there being any whatsoever, so I just stuck my rating in the middle. Presumably there were at least some background instrumental bits to help set the tone for suspenseful scenes, and if so I guess they must’ve blended in pretty naturally.

Overall I wasn’t deeply invested in this movie, but I still had a good time watching it. If I’m ever in the mood for something kinda silly and fun in the future then a rewatch isn’t off the table.

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Forbidden love…crimes, tension, cheating, everything.

The first time I was introduced to this movie was when RM from BTS came out with his single, “Closer”. The music video was this movie, and I was immediately intrigued. However I never got to watch it. Later, my friend told me she watched the movie, and said it was one of the best movies she ever watched. Once again it got added into my movie list, and yet, I still haven’t gotten to watching it.

Only today, while I was bored and in need of watching something, closer by RM was non stop replaying in my head, and I decided to watch it.

First off, I was caught off guard by the fact that this movie was 2 hours long.

I knew a little about the movie through my friend…”insomniac detective falls for one of his suspects.” Hmmm…sounds romantic right? What could they possibly need 2 hours for?

Then everything started confusing me.
The insomnianc detective in question was married, and the FL aka the suspect, was a widower, suspect of the murder of her late husband.

I was confused. Was this going to be an affair love story?
I didn’t like that one bit. If there’s one thing I dislike, it’s when writers try to make affairs seem romantic, to some extent I would’ve tolerated it if both parties had terrible partners, but that wasn’t the case at all. Well, I guess not the case for the detective, who was the one who silently initiated things in the first place.

I wondered why my friend praised this movie so much, and even though they never do anything physical in the first few minutes of the movie, there was definitely emotional cheating involved.

But I didn’t want to jump into anything since I wasn’t even halfway into the plot. So I trusted the process.

Things unravelled, and the plotwists kept me on my toes. But still, I could not find it in me to like the main characters. They both kept finding ways to make things worse for each other, but, you know how the quote goes..”The heart wants what it wants.” And that was very much the case for these two.

Towards the ending of the movie, I started feeling a little empathetic towards them. The tension, the struggle, the love albeit it being wrong. Everything was so well done, that at the end of everything I couldn’t even find it in me to be mad at them!

The ending broke me. And although I couldn’t understand why the two main characters did the things they did, and although I would still not support them and their actions, my heart ached for them regardless.

Amazing movie, amazing acting, and amazing camera work. I’m not usually a big fan of cinematography where they try to be too creative with their zoom ins and transitions and makes it feel like you should just focus on the camerawork rather than the movie itself, but they made you pay attention to both. The small zoom ins, and the way the camera is telling you, “Pay attention to this!” and you can’t help but listen and do so.

I recommend it, although the beginning is a little slow (in my opinion), everything gets better as the story goes on.

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Movie missed the mark on many aspects, but still a good watch.

I read the description of the movie and thought this could be good, thinking it would be a thriller kind of movie and it got better when I saw that Zee and NuNew are in it, so what can go wrong, boy was I wrong.
I won’t just be assuming things are going to be something just by reading the description anymore without looking at the tags, so I guess that’s what I get for not reading the tags they have for this and thinking it’s going to be a thriller but whatever, I still thought it would be good, but even that thought fell short as I was watching it.
Story:
I liked the idea of the story, that’s what made me want to watch it, plus the hotties I would get to see. 😊 Anyway… I just wish the story didn’t fall short of what it could have been… It’s like they tried to make a short movie into a long movie without making it long, but not actually doing it. They needed to made the movie longer so that it would allow for a more substantial background story and character development.
It all happened in a blind of an eye it seems like, so they really needed to make this longer, or made a series so more could have been done, shown an told. I had questions (well mostly just one) why I was watching this, The main one got answer at the end of the movie, but a few of them wasn’t… so if it was longer then they could have answer them plus more.
Music:
I liked the music thru out the movie, I though it was pleasing and suited the movie and the situations well.
Acting:
It’s Zee and NuNew what more can I say? They others were good as well. Lol
Overall:
I did like the movie, it is good enough to watch once, though I wouldn’t say it’s something you would want to re-watch much, if at all (well for the story that is, but to see the hotties yea I can see that). ;D

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A Realistic Portrayal of Abuse

I wanted to write a review because this movie didn’t have any reviews before this. This is my first review that I have written.

I really liked how realistic this movie portrays abuse. The abuse isn’t too graphic but the scenes stick with you throughout the movie. Tong Li Ya and Wu Yu Han did a phenomenal job in acting and showcasing this particular story of abuse. I really felt the emotions and pain Xu Min was feeling throughout the entire film. The supporting cast did an excellent job in portraying their characters as well; especially Wang Ying Lu. (A favorite scene of mine was the bedroom scene with Xu Min and Xiao Meng).

Throughout the movie, I was constantly rooting for Xu Min to be able to get away from her husband but realistically it isn’t that simple. The movie does an excellent job in how nuanced abuse can be. The movie also showcases how filing for a divorce can be a demanding both a physically and mentally draining process. The emotional toll on the children as well was a very realistic aspect in the movie. The music didn’t stand out but also didn’t distract from the film. I highly recommend watching this movie if you can handle the topic matter.

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