Reviews

True to life

The movie beautifully yet realistically portrays the life of seven friends from a small town and how they go to Tokyo for a better life, how they mature over time as they face the cut throat competition of a large city and the harshness of life.

The initial premise of the movie could have been better to give a better overview of the friends and their relationships and how they are held together as a group. However, the movie frequently flashbacks to the past to show certain significant moments in the character's life.
The movie very realistically portrays how people from small town in search of opportunities can easily go astray in life once they set foot on a megacity and can get easily overwhelmed ultimately leading to a bad end. It also portrays that simply having talent won't cut it in today's world, and even if you can survive that, you simply just can't do things as per your wish.

Overall the movie might feel depressing(it also is) to most people, that's mostly because of its accurate representation of real life. The movie can be thought of as a coming of age movie, and i believe the target demographic is the late teens to twenties as they will find the movie very relatable.

If you fall in that demographic, its a great watch, but avoid watching when you are feeling depressed or sad. Recommended.

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watched it for Jung So Min at first, but in the end I loved everything about it

Love Reset is a delightful romcom that had me laughing from start to finish. The movie cleverly embraces cliché scenes and over-exaggerated acting, creating a humorous atmosphere. The comedic timing in the film is spot-on, and it effectively balances the dramatic and comedic elements in its storytelling. The film delves into their past relationship, exploring the reasons behind their decision to divorce and the challenges they face in rediscovering their love for each other. Themes of forgiveness, second chances, and the importance of communication in relationships are skillfully woven into the narrative. What I appreciated most about Love Reset is that it stays true to its genre, delivering a lighthearted and fun experience. While it touches on the complexities of marriage and the pursuit of second chances in love, it never loses its light and enjoyable tone.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching "Love Reset" and would give it an 8/10 rating. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good romcom that will leave you with a smile on your face.

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The film had a lot of potential, which in my opinion was partly underutilized. Both main characters are very likeable - Albert Goza (Gerry), an almost new actor, and Miko Pasamonte (Paolo), known to me from several films also listed here. Both of them have been through a lot and enter into a "strange" relationship without emotional ties to prepare each other for when each of them will meet their Mr. Right. Soon, however, "something" develops that transcends the terms of their mutual relationship. But what surprised me was the music in the second half. I can't understand at all if it was artificially added when watching online or if it is really part of the movie. Absolutely horrifying, horrible, out of place. And on top of that, the actress Renée Gozon played an affected, dismembering character, who kept getting goats out, and the well-known director GA Villafuerte, who is already dead, flashes there.

Film měl velký potenciál, který byl dle mě zčásti nevyužit. Obě hlavní postavy moc sympatické - herecký téměř nováček Albert Goza (Gerry) a mě známý z několika filmů i zde uvedených Miko Pasamonte (Paolo). Oba už mají za sebou leccos a uzavírají "divný" vztah bez citových vazeb, aby se vzájemně připravili na to, až každý z nich potká toho svého Pana Pravého. Brzy se však vyvine "něco", co překročí podmínky jejich vzájemného vztahu. Co mě ale zarazilo, byla v druhé půli hudba. Vůbec to nemůžu pochopit, jestli při online sledování tam byla přidána uměle a nebo to je vážně součást filmu. Naprosto děsivé, příšerné, nehodící se. A k tomu herečka Renée Gozon tam hrála afektovanou pitvořící se postavu, které neustále lezly ven kozy a mihne se tam i nám známý režisér GA Villafuerte, který už je po smrti.

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A pleasant short film where the emphasis was placed and most of the time also on both the two main actors of the characters Red and Nikko and it was played very nicely, gently. There were no Pinoy mannerisms and I was surprised that there were already end credits that took almost a quarter of the entire footage, so I expected that after the credits there would be the "real" ending. He wasn't. Just life...


Příjemný krátky film, kde byl důraz kladen a většina času též na oba dva hlavní herce postav Red-a a Nikko a byl zahrán velmi pěkně, jemně. Nebyly tam žádné pinoy manýry a překvapilo mě, že už jsou závěrečné titulky, které zabraly téměř čtvrtinu celé stopáže, čekal jsem tudíž, že po titulcích bude ten "pravý" konec. Nebyl. Prostě život ...

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Ballerina is a perfectly adequate female-led South Korean actioner.

Korean revenge. Another one. I'm this close to making a list!
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Stunts - 79/100 | Some fine stunts in there, but the actual award here would go to the sound editing in this movie, which was really on-point.

Narrative - 71/100 | It's pointless to try and reinvent the wheel in the revenge genre. Martial arts movie lovers want their martial arts movies to end in a fight scene. Revenge movie lovers want their movies to be about revenge and to end in revenge. That's just how it is. In this one, we've got both, but the movie didn't excel at either.

Fight Choreography - 70/100 | The ending fight scene, although a bit brief, was delightfully chaotic. The rest was messy but still managed to be decent. This is an example of how you can still have good (but definitely not great) fight scenes even if they're over-edited. We can follow what's going on through the cuts.

Enjoyment - 70/100 | If my job as a Producer was to hire a director to make a Korean revenge story that's representative of the genre as a whole with decent action and visuals and a story that's engaging enough, I'd hope and hopefully expect to receive about this in terms of end product. And I'd be fine with it and consider it a job well done and money well spent.

So, basically, thumbs up

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um bom retrato do luto

"talvez eu nunca goste de mim mesma. isso me assusta um pouco"

estou contente que essa foi a minha primeira escolha de filme para começar o ano pois foi uma boa escolha. é uma história muito bem contada, tem detalhes incríveis em conjunto com uma fotografia que chega a ser absurda e personagens interessesantes

eu tenho pensado bastante como o luto é retratado aqui, não me parece uma coisa sutil mas também não é um luto que se comporta como avassalador. parece que ele só está ali, na espreita, e dias são mais fáceis e outros são mais complicados. eu consegui perceber na mana a sensação de você querer seguir em frente mas não conseguir e parece tão injusto que as outras pessoas tenham conseguido fazer isso, parece um insulto a memória da pessoa. parece que com o tempo passando e ela vendo as gravações a ideia da morte fica muito mais palpável e visitar alguns lugares que lembram a sumire torna o fardo algo mais tolerável mas a lembrança da presença da sumire ainda parece algo ardente.

gostei muito do filme ter dado uma visão de ambas meninas, tira a dúvida sobre um sentimento unilateral e mostra um aprofundamento na relação das duas. ter mostrado como foi o último dia da sumire foi algo que eu não estava esperando e a finalização da obra com a animação a consolidou como um ótimo filme.

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A really nice and heartwarming youth romance - a stand-out in this genre <3

This movie is about the development of the relationship between two highschool students, through an exchange of a diary. The premise of the story is super simple and worked very well. It was just a super cute and heartwarming youth romance featuring some lovely friendship as well. The pacing of the plot was good and the evolution of the relationships between the protaganists felt very natural.

The acting was very good: the female lead was a really sweet chipmunk and the male lead was handsome with a lively personnality. Both worked very well together as well as with the secondary cast acting as their friends. I will for sure be looking for more dramas / movies with Takahashi Fumiya because he was really charming and gave a lot of charisma to a role that could otherwise have felt very flat.

The production value was pretty great: the decors are colorful and warm with a lot of details. The soundtrack is really diverse and in line with the story and the love of music of the main characters.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet highschool romance. It is pretty classic for the genre but it is really well done and was able to brought me a lot of feelings when I watch it. The filmmaking, the directing and the acting combined to a well-conceived scenario will provide you all the feels.

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"Friend Zone": Dive into Love and Laughter

Overview:
Friend Zone, a romantic comedy featuring the real-life couple Baifern Pimchanok and Nine Naphat, explores the classic theme of best friends turning into lovers. Despite a seemingly cliché premise, the film manages to deliver an entertaining and charming narrative.

Plot:
For a decade, Palm (Nine Naphat) has harbored feelings for his best friend Gink (Baifern Pimchanok), who initially rejected his advances. The story cleverly navigates their evolving relationship, incorporating elements of friendship, unrequited love, and the challenges of transitioning from platonic to romantic connections. The plot, while predictable, unfolds with a delightful mix of humor and genuine emotion.

Characterization:
Baifern Pimchanok shines as Gink, portraying a lively girl with a complex background. Her emotional scenes are compelling, showcasing her versatility as an actress. Nine Naphat, as Palm, effectively captures the character's dedication, even if his role lacks some of the emotional depth seen in Baifern's performance. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, contributing to the film's overall appeal.

Acting:
Both Baifern and Nine deliver solid performances, striking a balance between humor and heartfelt moments. Baifern's emotional scenes are a standout, while Nine's portrayal of Palm remains convincing, even if the character doesn't delve into intense emotional territory. The on-screen chemistry between the real-life couple adds authenticity to their characters' evolving relationship.

Music:
The film's soundtrack enhances the romantic and comedic elements, adding a cute and enjoyable dimension to the viewing experience. The music complements the feel-good atmosphere of the movie, contributing to its overall charm.

Recommendation:

Friend Zone is recommended for those seeking a lighthearted romantic comedy with strong chemistry between the leads. The engaging performances, well-executed plot, and delightful soundtrack make it an enjoyable watch, offering a perfect blend of humor and romance.

Overall, Friend Zone proves that even within the confines of a familiar storyline, a talented cast and well-crafted execution can elevate a romantic comedy to an entertaining and heartwarming experience.

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Showing simple normalcy for generations of SK women being gagged&bound by society's endemic sexism

"Kim Ji-young: Born 1982" puts every die-hard Korea fan through their paces: how far does the love for country and culture actually go? The KMovie also does away with any illusion surrounding romanticized and socially idealized yearnings that revolve around the concept of 'in love-engaged-married-happy family'.

"Kim Ji-young: Born 1982" broke the 2 million mark worldwide as a bestseller (by author Cho Nam-joo). It is also considered the most borrowed book in two consecutive years after publication. The KMovie was also extremely successful. In South Korea, between October 2019 and November 2020 around 3.6 million people went to the movies to watch. In addition, numerous prizes were awarded throughout Asia.

Calmly, unagitatedly and almost objectively distant, the camera focuses on the ordinary life of a typical South Korean woman, wife and mother in her 30s. Actually, she doing quite well. We accompany her in her everyday life between laundry and kindergarten, with her (actually quite attentive, loving) husband, with her in-laws, with her family of origin, with friends, with flashbacks of her childhood and at work, and finally with the therapist. This could all be any live of many a South Korean woman. That's not special at all. It's so cruelly normal that it even hurts. By showing simple normalcy, the story also becomes an outcry for several generations of women gagged and bound by society's endemic sexism.

Gagged and tied up by such a conservative, rigid, discriminatory socialization that is literally burned into flesh, so hardly anybody even considers alternative role models and self-images. There is a lack of role models that give women something like self-love and self-confidence that go beyond identifying with role expectations by family and society. Women somehow grow up as prisoners of those restrictive expectations - in a prison with doors, that technically are not closed, yet in practice barricaded by the mercilessly experienced sexism since early childhood. Accordingly, there is a lack of awareness of human dignity beyond gender roles. For women and men alike. And as we all know, such awareness would be the first path to any change...

In this respect, "Kim Ji-young: Born in 1982" holds up a merciless mirror in a calm, objective and non-judgmental manner, which focuses on the great evil that everyone simply takes for granted. Apparently, around 68 percent of cinemagoers were women. At least, the other 32 percent were men, supposedly.

In one of the last scenes, (which, like all the others in the film, gains its power from the simple, unquestioned und yet unbelievable normality) the underlying emotional muteness is finally allowed to speak up - not loudly and rudely though, but objectively subjectively and, despite all the justified anger, consistently in all modesty calmly, too.
In the face of the spilled coffee, instead of accepting the comments and accusations of her social environment with shame, concern and apologetic words, the FL has her outspoken objections. She eventually stands up for herself... actually, you should think, quite simply, as if it were a matter of course. And yet: downright unheard of. Because: Shameless in the best sense of the word... she no longer lets others shame her for what and who she is. She is slowly but surely developing a somewhat healthy approach to her own self-confidence as a person with self-worth and self-love beyond gender - a person who cannot be reduced by tradition to just a family concerned role concept within a hierarchical society. From this, the FL nurtures a new attitude towards those who traditionally believe they have more value in the social ranking.

Just a comparatively small, handy book; just a two hour movie. The story of Kim Ji-young, born in 1982, has sparked a lot of discussion throughout South Korea. The common, everyday (South Korean) madness shown knows how to touch and quietly infuriate. For me in faraway Germany, too, the KMovie wasn't boring for a minute.









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--- Outlook ---

'If everyone would act up like that... where would we end up?' - In this sense, the book and the film also led to a horrified outcry within conservative circles in the country. The main actors in the KMovie, for example, had to endure hateful comments for even taking part in it. Just this factual inventory of normal madness of just about every woman in the supposedly modern, innovative South Korea got conservative minds going...
...on the other hand, women affected finally received the balm of cross-class compassion, which for a moment opened up the space for solidary, cross-generational sisterhood. As insignificantly common and simple as Kim Ji-young, born in 1982, may be, the social impact was equally great - the consistently overlooked, completely disregarded reality that has been systematically carried out for countless generations out of principle and tradition, discrimination against (in this specific case) South Korean women.

South Korean society is already shrinking. Earlier than expected. And much faster than expected. No wonder.
Women born in the 1980s by now increasingly began to feel painful about their corsets. A milestone!
Those who were born in the 1990s and 2000s, some among them started to increasingly openly dare to actively shake up the social corset - simply by no longer accepting their 'certain' female role. Another milestone!
However, there is still a long way between shaking up and breaking out or even redefining. Eventually, women can only take this step together with men, who also urgently need to work on their role models, their attitude towards women and a new social self-image. Only then can the shrinking of South Korean society be stopped - a shrinking that, in my eyes, is an expression of a massive imbalance between innovative, turbo-capitalist high-speed in the global fast lane on the one hand, and an ignorant, sexist conservatism on the other, which acts like a lead foot screwed onto the brakes. Nevertheless, growing forces are apparently pushing for an urgently needed, integral, truly progressive transformation of existing values.

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A LOVE STORY THAT WILL LINGER IN YOUR HEAD FOR SOME TIME

The film itself is a masterpiece but we shouldn't overlook those who carried this film, Edward and Tseng, they conveyed multiple emotions that a person like me can relate to. It's sentimental, not to mention, it's based on the real life story of the Director himself. This will be my forever Roman empire because of its cinematography and topic that is considered a taboo in that era. There are a lot of what ifs and should have's but it did have a bittersweet ending (atleast in the movie :<<). Hoping to have another movie that casts the two Male Leads cause this one short film is not enough for me. I want more of them!!! make it happen Juseyoooooo

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"Tired? Too bad!"

Billy Chong teamed up with Simon Yuen in a thinly disguised Drunken Master/Snake in the Eagle's Shadow copy though lacking the drinking. This time the chosen styles were Shadow Eagle's Claw vs the Double Phoenix Eyes! No secret books or lists, just good old-fashioned revenge for a father's murder.

His name was Ah Wen, they killed his father, and they would have several years to prepare to die! Ah Wen knew no kung fu and agreed to work at a dubious kung fu school in exchange for being taught. This male Cinderella never had time to learn kung fu because he was relegated to the never-ending chores in the kitchen. Luckily for him, Chang King Sang, the cook, was secretly a kung fu master who was in hiding from a gang of bad guys. After many “hilarious” encounters, Chang agrees to train Ah Wen. Ah Wen is confronted by the baddies, beaten and questioned, and let loose so that there could be another training montage.

Crystal Fist aka Jade Claw had a paper and worn thin plot. The humor was just as gaunt despite repeated tries to emulate Jackie Chan’s early movies. The strength of the film lie in the training montages and the fights. Three Yuens-Corey, Brandy, and Shun Yi along with Chin Yuet Sang choreographed the fights. The comic relief baddies played by Addy Sung and Brandy Yuen had a cool trick move when they teamed up. Some of the fights and training montages were better than others. The finale when Billy brought his fists to a sword fight was creative. Billy Chong only made around ten kung fu movies in the Golden Age but I always enjoy watching him fight. He was quick and agile and never kept his shirt on for long. Where the movie faltered was in the villain department. Chu Tit Wo was not a formidable or memorable bad guy. Chan’s movies in the same vein had charismatic and high kicking Hwang Jang Lee to bring a proper menace for the good guy to be pitted against. Simon Yuen wore the same scruffy wig and basically played the same character as he did in the other two movies. The wig helped camouflage the stuntman for the more complex and acrobatic moves. I don’t usually compare movies, but when moviemakers go out of their way to copy someone else, it’s going to happen.

Billy Chong brought his mischievous smile and quick moves to play against Simon Yuen’s wise, playful, gray wigged master. Even if his character was a retread from other films, I’m happy after 300+ movies of often being relegated to playing bit parts that the Yuen patriarch finally had a signature role to call his own before his untimely passing one year after this movie came out. Crystal Fist wasn’t a great or even classic kung fu flick but it did have entertaining moments.

2 Jan 2024

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mildly disappointed, but did enjoy

I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about it and to be honest, it was very lovely and simple- if only the writing had been as good as the overall set up was.

The first half of the movie was brilliant- childhood friends, a dubious friendship-toeing the line of romance and a less conventional ending when the female lead marries someone else- all established to the audience within the first fifty minutes or so. The humour slapped, I loved the characters and their dynamic, but after the first hour everything goes very quickly downhill.

I feel that although that at the end of the movie the overall message was "we experienced good times and that all that matters" it wasn't really developed upon and carried through the movie. I felt a huge disconnect with the characters on screen, especially Xu Yi and Gao Xiaonan, the movie very rarely disclosed any of their thoughts and I honestly felt that there was very little growth in the characters. Xu Yi mainly just narrated what had happened during the years as opposed to really reflecting on what he felt or understood from those moments. Like him settling for Xiao Yuan, or his move from entertainment news to documentary- which clearly had a huge impact on his identity and his self worth.

This problem of lacking a main central message also carried through to the way Xu Yi and Xiaonan's relationship developed. I feel like the movie could have been better if you could see a clear progression their friendship develop and grow until it tipped onto the edge of romance followed by a big blow up where everything ends. Instead, a romantic relationship between the male and female lead was consistently implied from the outset to the end, which to me, further muddied the arc.

However my biggest ick of the movie was the scene where Xu Yi and Xiaonan have their second big disagreement when Xu Yi walks in on Xiaonan and her ex boyfriend. The scene to me felt like should have been the climax of the movie, but because this cycle of almost being together as friends or more or anything and then splitting apart and being too scared to say anything about their emotions had happened literally so many times it just didn't feel significant at all. It just felt like another tangle in the knot of plot-points. Furthermore, the fact that this blow-up (like many of the other unfortunate events in this movie) was caused by a misunderstanding is just utterly bewildering to me. Xu Yi's behaviour here was also so out of character, up until now he seemed to be very open with his emotions and his avoidant behaviour made no sense to me- it honestly just felt like a piece of lazy writing- the only reason why this argument even occurred was simply because the people writing it decided it would.

In short, the movie was a lovely and fun watch but ultimately I was left wanting more substance. The ending to me was very abrupt and underdeveloped- Xu Yi's acceptance of Xiaonan marrying someone else was hardly explored. I also wish the overall plot was a little more streamlined and we were given in depth insight into the development of the character's thoughts and feelings- such as more reflective voice-overs from Xu Yi, who despite being presented as the main character from the start felt as alien as the more major side characters. Maybe more time spent on exploring the characters and less on repetitive plot points would have done the movie some good.

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Stranger Things, but darker, grittier, and bloodier.

Ko Ja Yoon is a fascinating main character, and she makes the film intriguing despite the world-building being sort of thin and the plot being generally predictable. I think the most impressive thing is that nobody in this film is stupid. When strangers are creepy and weird, characters — both side and main ones — recognize it and act accordingly. It was refreshing.

In fact, I'm pretty impressed with the more down-to-earth elements of this film actually; the dynamic between KJY and her family and friends were really interesting, and I want to give a special shout-out to Go Minsi, who really sold her role as the spunky best friend.

On the other hand, while Kim Dami and Choi Wooshik have fantastic chemistry together — the fight scene between them is one of the best moments in the film — I feel like I didn't feel fully convinced by the main scientist or the other "powered" people. Going back to the thin world-building, I think the environment of the government facility, the motivations of the people in charge, and the backstory of other experimented people were just not altogether there.

Overall, it's still a quick, engaging watch and I can see why it got so popular.

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