Reviews

Fascinating !

This movie really positively surprised me, it was quite popular in Japan and the hype is deserved. It is apparently the adaptation of a video game, which I did not play, but after watching it, I can definitely picture how good (and angst inducing) such a game could be.

In addition to having a great production full of details, the minimal cast does a great job providing an immersive experience to the viewers. The story might feel repetitive to some but that's the point of the movie, making its characters and the viewers as well going painfully into a loop. The ending is very smart in leaving room to interpretation.

I truly recommend watching this movie blind as it relies a lot on a surprise effect. The movie is very angsty, purposeful and with a great cinematography. If you are looking for a very good brain scratch, this is definitely the watch for you.

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This was a mess

Full disclosure, I have not read the source material on which this movie is based. So far it seems the movie adapted part of the webtoon but I cannot judge how well they did. However, not knowing the lore, I found the story all over the place, the characterization very poor and the CGI pretty weak.

Even though there are some interesting aspect to the story itself and I was entertained to some degree, it feels quite typical of some isekai / leveling up action story already out there. But it also feels super messy with the hero having like a cheat code, making the tension void. There also too many characters to build properly the relationships in the span of one movie. Even if I like the cast, I was not impressed by any of their performances...It might have been more the fault of the script than their acting but it felt flat for the most part.

I would not recommend this as it feels very messy and quite generic overall. I watched for the cast, but even them could not save the movie.

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A sentimental story

Better Days is a story about a shy girl who hardly speaks and has a reserved personality. One day, her friend dies, and from that moment, her life changes completely. Along the way, she meets a boy who has been beaten by goons. She tries to help him, and from then onwards, they start meeting quite often. She becomes attached to him wholeheartedly.

He sacrifices a lot for her, and later, he takes the blame for something that was directed at him. The drama is very sentimental because the main leads’ characters face many hardships. After experiencing all these difficulties, they become inseparable.

The last few scenes made me cry, and I was genuinely touched by the story. However, I didn’t like the ending part

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I do NOT recommend

This is straight up dogsh*t ive just wasted my precious time. The story isnt even different from the korean version, its the same (okay maybe some scenes are a little bit different but it doesnt change anything). I don't understand how people says it's scarier than the korean one?? I mean yeah ofc the scene where moonjo cheap japanese version ripped cockroaches limbs one by one was weird and somewhat disturbing, i'd rather call it disgusting. Don't even get me started on the bare buttcheeks. B.R.O. okay that wasnt necessary but whatever makes you sleep at night... I feel like the whole movie was really rushed and it felt like a quick rerun of the series. The acting is awful too, they really didn't have a big budget for the movie, did they? Some scenes where unecessarily long, and it was kind of akward beacuse of it. The movie kind of kept you on the edge though. Maybe im just overreacting but i expected something better. It had potiential😮‍💨😮‍💨

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Beautiful, pleasant, underlining music.

Most of us have long noticed that Korean short films are special, engaging, different, and often even "Koreanly mysterious." And especially the pieces that gradually appear here are not completely new, but are gradually pulled out of the course of time.
It's no different with this five-year-old film, which really caught my attention and was shot exactly as the plot dictated, even though I would have imagined the ending to be a little different, more emotional and less physical, but I understand why the creators wanted to make it this way and made a whip out of shit. In Czech, they made something that you can think about with low production costs.
As always, I was impressed by the deeply sung Korean language, I can't imagine how the womanizers with high-pitched squeaky voices (not related to this film) are even able to communicate, when the content is often perceived based on the tone of voice.
I was extremely interested in the character of the "client" Chanwoo in this Escort Service. At first, I was bothered that he was too young for a client, until it was explained why just like that ... Deliciously lovely face with beautiful teeth and delicate Korean features and just as I wrote, I didn't need the conclusion as it was. I searched for a long time about this actor, but I was not successful, after all, Kim-s are full in Korea ... actually, not to be a dirty full ass, even Kim-ek, because "Kim" are also women
Beautiful, pleasant, underlining music.

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THIS SHOULDNT EVEN BE CONSIDERED IN THE TRAIN TO BUSAN COLLECTION

I had high hopes after watching train to busan hoping to see the girl and the surviving lady which didnt make an appearance at all .

this movie lost me when people was getting kidnapped and forced to fight for survival in a ring against zombies and people betting chocolate bars on their life .

I lost interest halfway through but pushed myself to finish it because I thought it could have got better.

there was some good scenes like with the boy saving the man and him driving the car and stuff .

not something I would rewatch and I think this is the first time since love alarm I have been disappointed in a Korean movie / series .

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More About Crocodile than Tsunami

Crazy Tsunami is about a tsunami that hits a Chinatown in Southeast Asia. Some Chinese survivors wait for rescue after the tsunami, but unfortunately, they remain in danger because a wild crocodile starts hunting them.

It’s a web movie under 80 minutes, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I actually quite enjoyed it. It still gave me thrills and some sad feelings. They do have a storyline, but it could have been executed with better flow and logic. The acting is good, and the setting and CGI are quite decent too.

The title felt quite misleading to me because the story focuses more on the crocodile than the tsunami itself. The tsunami isn’t even “crazy", they could easily replace it with a sudden flood and the story would still work.

Overall, it’s quite good for killing time.

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An Honest Portrait of Love and Choices

I’ll start by saying that I did not watch the original Chinese film, so this review is based solely on the Korean adaptation.

It’s rare to find movies that feel both deeply emotional and genuinely relatable at the same time. In that regard, Once We Were Us hits hard. If you’re expecting a simple, idealized romance, this may not be the film for you. But if you want something that feels closer to a real relationship ~ complete with its highs, lows, and complicated emotions ~ then this movie delivers.

One of its strongest aspects is the direction and visual presentation. The film shows a great deal of care in its cinematography and scenery, with clear attention to detail throughout. The story may not always take you where you expect or even where you hope it will go, but there’s a sincerity and emotional honesty that remains present from start to finish.

The cast also performs exceptionally well. The performances are strong across the board, and even supporting characters are given enough space to either shine on their own or help elevate the leads. This balance helps the relationships feel more grounded and believable.

Some viewers may struggle with certain choices the characters make. In a few moments, exploring their internal struggles more explicitly might have helped clarify those decisions. Personally, though, the film gave me enough emotional context to stay fully invested in the journey.

The OST complements the film nicely. It’s often subtle, but it appears at just the right moments to enhance the emotional weight of key scenes. The movie also makes powerful use of silence ~ certain moments feel especially heavy because the soundtrack steps back. These scenes highlight how pivotal the characters’ decisions are, emphasizing that sometimes people make choices not because they truly want to, but because they feel they have no other path forward.

If melodrama is your thing, this is a film I can easily recommend. It’s an emotional ride, but one that feels sincere and grounded in the complexities of real relationships.

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Tsui Harks’ Seven Swords was an ambitious project with a large cast. Originally planned as a four-hour extravaganza, the edited version left gaping holes in the story and character development.

When the Qing Emperor outlaws martial arts and martial artists a bounty is set on the practitioners. General Fire Wind and his villainous crew hunt down martial artists and their families killing every man, woman, and child. The last bastion of fighters and source of wealth for them is Martial Village. While Fire Wind negotiates his price for eradicating the village, Fu Qing Zhu and two young people from the village travel to Mt Heaven to meet with Master Shadow Glow. The Master wakes up four swordsmen and gives the two villagers swords as well. Now there are seven swordspeople to save the village. Hooray!

I’m not sure what the original plan was, Leon Lai appeared to have top billing, but his character didn’t have much to do. Of the swordsmen, Lau Kar Leung and Donnie Yen had the most development and interesting storylines. Charlie Yeung’s novice swordswoman had the most growth going from crybaby to gaining a sword that nearly killed her to a willingness to take on the bad guys while badly outnumbered. Too bad they tried to insert her into a romance with Lai’s loner who wanted to be alone character. It was sad to me that more time was spent building sympathy for a horse than most of the human characters. Without proper character building, there were only three characters I vaguely cared about living. But given the genre, I didn’t expect many if any to walk away/ride away. Then there were characters who seemed important, even finding a 1000-year-old sword that was important, but who appeared and disappeared within minutes. Poof! Two of the 7 had very little coverage except when fighting as a group. There simply wasn’t time to build rapport and interest as much as the story moved around.

Aside from narrative issues I had with the film, one of my primary concerns was the visual. Shot in the golden-brown pallet of LOTR, only dusty like a western, the lack of clarity and the camera jumping around from character to character as if the dollies got loose, made it difficult keeping up with the large cast and trying to emotionally bond with any of them. Tsui Hark seemed to be reaching for grandiose storytelling with the essential shots of mountains and horse riders galloping toward sunrises, yet the giant villain sets couldn’t elevate themselves above Styrofoam molded pillars and buildings. I grew up watching shows with these kinds of sets, so that’s not a knock, just an observation.

Lau Kar Leung is my favorite old school martial arts director which made it a treat to see him in front of the camera as well. At 69 he still had solid choreography and moves left to share. One fight between two walls has been done before but was still skillfully accomplished. There was a segment of kung fu fandom that maligned Donnie, but I’ve always enjoyed watching his moves. Along with Lau, old schoolers Jason Pai and Chi Kuan Chun were along for the ride as prominent villagers.

Seven Swords had its entertaining moments, but it was obvious bits and pieces were missing. The villains were wildly over the top like they’d all been to a KISS fan club in the 1970s, minus the platform shoes. Yes, that was an outrageously dated pop culture reference, but look ‘em up. Lol. Seven Swords is worth a look if you are a fan of the actors or genre, if you keep your expectations low.

12 March 2026

Uncredited star sighting-an updated version of 1975’s Guillotine!

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault. Attempted sexual assault. Lots of beheadings, and arms and legs lopped off. Various and sundry gruesome deaths.





SPOILERY COMMENT BELOW:






The heroes spent so much time rescuing each other that they abandoned the village which had been the point of their mission which I found disappointing.

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SPOILER
This movie has a unique approach to talk about loss and sense of guilt. What at the beginning might look like a comedy, becomes a process of healing. What I found really interesting is that the comic side, continues during most part of the film, yet there are really strong, deeper and tragic scenes that do not lose their meaning because of this. The funny moments actually make everything so bittersweet, yet in a strange way comforting.
Even if there are some absurd moments, I found them necessary to create balance and keep the interest of the public always alive.
All the actors were really good in their characters, they really felt like a group of silly friends who grow together and are also forced to face a tragedy that will change them, but not their bond.
I also found surprising how even if the time spent on screen by Cha Eun Woo was really short, his presence was felt during the all movie. This is due to the combination of his ability to convey the character so well in so little time and the amazing job that all the other actors did in always making us feel his absence and his influence in their life.
I loved this movie, even if it made me cry a lot 🥲 But I laughed a lot too!

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Icky romance but kind of entertaining

This Japanese movie is centred around the romance between a young highschool yakuza family heiress and her adult bodyguard disguising himself to protect her at school. If I did not find it boring, I for sure also found the romance icky from start to finish...

I certainly can watch and enjoy a wide variety of romances : from very cute and fluffy to ultra dark and taboo... However, unfortunately it did not work for me here. The romance took the regular shojo road of pretending that problematic stuff are adorable and charming when in fact they were just not. I have nothing against age gap story per se, but here the following combination :
- 10 years gap between the main lead (26 years old) and the female lead (hypothesis of 16 years old as she is in her first year of high school)
- grooming
- overpowering main lead yakuza
was a bit much to sell as "cute". The fact the male lead is also a real jerk sleeping around while pining for the heroine certainly also did not help...Overal that's a lot to take in for the viewer to root for them !!!

Acting was overall average, with male lead being simply a big block of wood! Honestly, if I found him more handsome maybe I would be less severe but well, he is not exactly my style so better acting chops would definitely have helped. Female lead is better but nothing extraordinary...and definitely looking too old for the highschooler role... However, given the plot, I guess it is for the best because otherwise the romance would have felt even more unpalatable.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better high school romance movie out there. In order to work better, the storytelling should either have remove the gap age aspect, either the tone of the movie should have be much darker without the classic shojo style to showcase properly the relationship, the gaslighting, the imbalance in power.

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Better than the drama (Love O2O)

I honestly liked the movie better than the drama. I've rewatched both this movie and the drama at least twice, mainly out of nostalgia. The original storyline from the novel to the drama to the movie has always been a bit childish/tropey, but at its core it is sweet, and that's why I like to come back to it every few years or so.

I particularly like that this version of the main characters were written to be less one-dimensional. No hate to Yang Yang (Xiao Nai) or Zheng Shuang (Bei Wei Wei) who acted in the drama because I think the drama actually followed pretty closely to the novel's story and the actors just followed their scripts. The novel is from BWW's POV and doesn't really give much insight into Xiao Nai as a person except BWW's perception that he's basically a perfect human. This however ends up leaving Xiao Nai as pretty much a blank sheet of paper with no personality to really extrapolate from. He's crazy smart, successful at everything he does, multitalented in a bunch of random things, and always able to think 17 moves ahead and outwit his opponents. It's like he's been isekai'd into this story with full knowledge of every single turn of events and is never worried or unsure of himself or BWW's feelings.
Here in the movie, however, Xiao Nai is still smart, handsome, and playfully arrogant, but he seems more real. He finds out Cao Guang is confessing his love to BWW (not really a spoiler it's the second lead c'mon now) and immediately goes over to do... something. And I say "something" because he literally goes over without a plan immediately to find out what's happening to the girl he has a crush on, and ends up doing nothing bc BWW resolves the situation. The drama version of Xiao Nai would look at this like a game of Go and orchestrate a whole unnecessarily complicated solution in order make himself look super cool at the end. In this movie he's just a smart dude with a big crush on a girl.

BWW in the show is also similar to the novel, but that just means she's also perfect and beautiful and shy and demure with no minor or major flaws. I just think the show didn't do much justice to her character being a top student in a computers major beyond the first couple episodes. In the show she interns at Xiao Nai's company (which somehow has like 30 employees despite not having made a single game yet so idk how Xiao Nai is paying those salaries) and she essentially just acts like a mother to the group while working at the bottom of the totem pole. Not a problem to be more feminine and nurturing, but I just don't get why her character is supposed to be a top scholarship student in her major and year and then she doesn't go for the opportunity to be a real contributing member of the company, or why XN is .

In the movie this is different and more realistic. Xiao Nai's "company" is truly just a start up with his roommates and the main plot is him and his roommates being blindsided by corporate greed. XN is not an all-knowing all-seeing deity, he's just smart kid with a dream who faces a major setback he didn't foresee and is powerless to stop against. But BWW is able to support him emotionally and also bring the roommates together and give them the motivation to start over and work even harder than before. She also joins in as an actual member of the company to do her own work.

TLDR: This movie version of Bei WeiWei made a lot more sense that she was tomboyish and a little shy but beautiful and just innocently wanted to support the man she liked. Also that she's not absolutely useless once she gets a boyfriend. This Xiao Nai also made more sense bc he's an arrogant pretty boy but is so intrigued by Wei Wei when she isnt expecting anyone to be paying attention to her. In the drama Wei Wei was awkwardly unexpressive and puritan in her shyness and Xiao Nai was painfully perfect and one-dimensionally boring. Basically, I wish the drama was shorter and I wish the movie was longer.

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The title doesn't lie: the dancing is an absolute 10. It’s hard not to be hypnotized by the technical display in 10 Dance. The execution of the dances is impeccable, and the camerawork masterfully captures that physical tension. It is pure cinema of movement.

The leads move in an incredible way; the technique, chemistry, and strength they convey in every step leave you speechless. Visually, it’s a delight that radiates a brutal energy.

The problem arises when the characters stop dancing and have to speak. The narrative structure is excessively simple and leans toward the conventional. It’s a shame the script doesn't possess the same complexity and elegance as the movements of its protagonists.

It’s worth watching for the visual spectacle, but don’t expect a screenplay that will change your life.

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