Reviews

The feeling of winning for the country

Based on a real story, Boston 1947 follows the inspiring journey of Korean athletes who proudly wore the Taeguk symbol for the first time in an international marathon since Korea’s liberation and brought home the prestigious medal with them.

The movie tells a great story in a somewhat old-fashioned or even tacky way. It presents the real events of the 1947 Boston International Marathon using 2004 filmmaking techniques. The one who breathes life into the film is Yim Si Wan, who plays the role of Suh Yun Bok. He adds his own momentum to the character and propels the story forward. The highlight of this movie is the latter part of the marathon race. The film captures the vividness of the scene and makes the viewer feel like they are right there. It also accurately represents the distinctive characteristics of a marathon race, where athletes depend entirely on their physical abilities without the help of any specialized equipment.

My Rating : 7.5/10

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Not my cup of tea despite interesting premise

This queer movie follows the story of one North Korean deserter as he escapes to South Korea and settles there, facing quite a lot of difficulties. The premise of this picture was very interesting but unfortunately I had some trouble appreciating the scenario overall. I usually like love triangle, but it missed the mark for me here because I was not able to empathize with the characters and found some of their actions not sensible.

It is a very raw, brutal as well as surprisingly graphic movie. I think the shock factor was privileged by the director and screenwriter rather than the likeability (or at least just building) of the characters. It was not a boring watch at all but I would have preferred the plot to focus more on characterization as well as making the protagonists' choices be more reasonable and understandable for the viewer.

The acting was overall okay. The actors had really intense sex scenes and gave it their best. As the relationships evolve and get more intertwingled, as well as the situation the characters live through gets more difficult, the acting remains all along pretty strong with good portray of the most emotional scenes. I think where it was lacking was mostly relating to the chemistry : I felt the passion and rage, but I had trouble believing in the love and romance...I think it might be again more due to a directing/screenwriter choices but I would have preferred the film to take another approach.

I would not recommend this to people because I cannot say that I enjoyed the movie. As it is quite short and has an interesting and original premise, so you might want to give it a go if you are looking for a pretty raw BL. It leans strongly into the melodramatic genre which I would have appreciated more with a better characterization and storylines. Be aware that this movie can be very triggering: it is graphic, violent and depicts very toxic relationships.

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interesting premise undercut by misogynistic narrative

I have not interacted with any of the source material, so this is purely based on the film as its own artistic work.

This movie was cute and had some fun ideas, but ultimately felt very hollow. I wish women weren't accessories in the film, and the characters had some sort of nuance. Miyo has no discernable traits and is a clear self-insert for the audience. This movie is a poster child for the Madonna-Whore complex, where women are either virginal, naive, and moral or selfish, vapid, and evil. Miyo's entire characterization is based on things that happen to her instead of any sort of internal journey. At the beginning of the film, she has no confidence and is willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm. At the end of the film, she is slightly more confident (not because of any intrinsic motivation, but because a man loves her) and is still willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm.

Kiyoka says that looks and gifts don't mean anything to him, but the audience will never know if that is true because Miyo is both beautiful and gifted. I wonder what would happen if, once she healed from her abuse, she began to act more morally grey. Would he still love her if he couldn't project perfect morality onto her? I have no clue why Kiyoka loves Miyo. Not because she doesn't deserve to be loved, but because we, as the audience, know nothing about who she is or her values.

Miyo is by far the most interesting character in the film, yet her character is not explored at all. All we know about her is that her mother died, as we are reminded every five minutes with a "We Bought A Zoo" - level flashback to her perfect, beautiful mother who is entirely moral and could never do wrong. Does she seriously hold 0 resentments for her family? Does Miyo seriously not care about how her partner treats her? Their love story is cute, but seeing as she is deeply traumatized, the fact that Kiyoka keeps their dynamic so ambiguous feels almost cruel. In addition, the fact that Kiyoka is the one who is interested in her gifts instead of her felt ridiculous. Why was she not asking questions about her past? Why did she get 0 say in where she would be living? Kiyoka gets manipulated by her cousin, but also this 100% would not have happened had he just asked her what she wanted and communicated effectively. Kiyoka has 0 incentive to be toxic towards her after she has made it abundantly clear she has no power and no ulterior motives.

What's really sad is the plot of this film can not happen without the subjugation of women. I was somewhat alarmed at the lack of female soldiers and villains (other than the stepmom and sister, who are otherwise useless to the main plot). However, I realized there could never be large amounts of women fighting with men because that would mean that women were treated as equals with any sense of autonomy. Given that the catalyst for this story is Miyo being sold off to marry a stranger, it is clear that women are pressed in this universe. The narrative never says that this is wrong. In fact, Kiyoka is a hero for caring for her even though she has no autonomy in his household. He hurls abuse towards innocent women who are sent to marry him, likely with similar levels of autonomy to Miyo, but it's treated as some quirk of his. I don't think we ever find out why he is so awful to those women. Kiyoka controls how Miyo is introduced to her gifts, and even after realising something is wrong, he doesn't bother to tell her he thinks she has powers. The whole movie is filled with Kiyoka actively participating in patriarchal behaviours, and he is treated as a hero for it.

Overall, the premise is kind of interesting, but the film shoots itself in the foot for bad character writing, particularly regarding its female characters. I wish Miyo drove the plot, instead of being used as a plot device to move Kiyoka. She's literally the main character.

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Totally silly for fun, comedy, Asian, so indigestible for some. But under the cloak of "crime" and love, something much stronger is hidden. This will be understood by any viewer (and appreciated even more by those who belong to the LGBT community) who watch until the end ...


Naprostá blbinka na pobavení, komedie, asijská, takže pro někoho nestravitelná. Ale pod pláštíkem "zločinu" a lásky se skrývá něco daleko silnějšího. To pochopí každý divák (a ocení ještě více ten, kdo patří do komunity LGBT), kdo se dodívá až do konce ...

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Horror is so ... well, simply Filipino. He does play a major role, but it's messed up. Instead of the gay component, the gay interest comes first, when the director loves half-naked bodies or the sympathetic Pinoy actors strip directly to their nakedness (mainly Luis Padilla and Drei Arias), the gay component is relegated to a smaller percentage. The fact that Mia (later Lamia) will betray Dino was clear to me from the beginning, the conclusion is strange. Overall, slightly below average, the effort to show the beautiful bodies of the young protagonists, including shots of their crotch dressed in briefs, does not save it.


Horor je takový ... no prostě filipínský. Hraje sice hlavní roli, ale je to zamotané. Místo gay složky je na prvním místě gay interest, kdy se režisér kochá polonahými těly či sympatické pinoy herce svléká přímo do naha (především Luis Padilla a Drei Arias), gay složka je upozaděna do menšího procenta. To, že Mia (později Lamia) zradí Dina, mě bylo jasné už od začátku, závěr divný. Celkově lehký podprůměr, snaha ukázat krásná těla mladých protagonistů včetně záběrů do jejich rozkroků oblečených do slipů to ale nezachrání.

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I didn't know how to grasp this strange film for a long time. There are many acting roles in it, while the main character of the whole film is the very likeable Ronnie Liang (played by Maria/Galoga), who is gradually surrounded by a number of, often strange people, including women with penises or gays, a diverse mix of Manila residents. Apparently, you need to see the film twice to make sense of everything, but above all, the film appeals for society to better perceive individuals with different variants of sexual orientation. And everything is presented deliberately and with an eye for detail as a Pall Mall of the bizarre, vampirism, often silly characters and strange humor.

Tento zvláštní film jsem dlouho nevěděl, jak jej uchopit. Je v něm prostoupeno hodně hereckých rolí, přičemž hlavní postavou celého filmu je velmi sympatický Ronnie Liang (hraje Maria/Galoga), který je postupně obklopen řadou, mnohdy divných lidiček včetně žen s penisem či gayů, pestrou směsicí obyvatel Manily. Zřejmě je potřeba vidět film dvakrát, aby vše dávalo smysl, ale především snímek apeluje na to, aby společnost lépe vnímala jedince s různými variantami sexuální orientace. A vše je podáno schválně a s nadhledem jako pall mall bizáru, vampírismu, mnohdy přihlouplých postav a zvláštního humoru.

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This Korean bold and intense sageuk was an extremely profound yet nerve-wracking experience for me. I wasn't even breathing in some parts of the movie. The king of Goryeo, more or less very cruel, because that's how it had to be in history to stay in power, from the Koryo dynasty (after which Korea got its name) is homosexual, has a princess from the neighboring kingdom of Yu-an (Yuan) as his wife, and has fallen in love to Hong, the young commander of the Kunryongwe Royal Guard. The Guard is blindly devoted to the King for life and death, and so even Hong completely submits and submits sexually to his King. But the heir to the throne, the descendant, the heir, is still not on the way, because the queen is without conjugal sex, which her husband and wife are not capable of. That's why the King orders his faithful lover and friend (even if he doesn't want to) to impregnate the Queen at night. This is where the whole story actually begins.
I think the film will not be for everyone, after all the style of East Asia is quite different. The film is about love in various forms (true, extremely obsessed, devoted, about friendship) and is very raw, cruel, erotic (but deliberately for the sake of expressing lust, not aimlessly, the whole work is a hundred times deeper than just sex). Excellent design, traditional Korean music, beautiful, which helped to understand individual scenes and characters' feelings, processing. The actors had to undergo demanding training in fencing, fighting, riding horses or playing the traditional Korean musical instrument geomungo. The story and the hardships of the main characters ate deep not only into my soul, but to the core of my bones. I thought I couldn't come across anything that strong for me here at GT. And lo and behold, a film that was unforgettable for me, sad and, in the end, scary, and on other world servers with a high rating, it hit me so hard. I'll get back to him soon ... (well it already happened, I lasted one day)
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Tento korejský odvážný a intenzivní sageuk, byl pro mě nesmírně hlubokým, ale také nervy drásajícím zážitkem. V některých částech filmu jsem ani nedýchal. Král Goryeo, víceméně velmi krutý, protože tak to v historii muselo být, aby se udržel u moci, z dynastie Koryo (po ní získala Korea své pojmenování) je homosexuál, za manželku má princeznu ze sousední říše Jü-an (Yuan) a zamiloval se do Honga, mladého velitele královské stráže Kunryongwe. Stráž je králi na život a na smrt slepě oddána, a tak i Hong se sexuálně naprosto podrobuje a podvoluje svému Králi. Jenže následník trůnu, potomek, dědic, stále není na cestě, neboť královna je bez manželského sexu, kterého její choť se ženou není schopen. Proto Král nařizuje svému věrnému milenci a příteli (i když ten nechce), aby chodil královnu v noci oplodňovat. Tím celé klubko příběhu vlastně začíná.
Film si myslím, že nebude pro každého, přeci jenom styl východní Asie je dost odlišný. Snímek je o lásce různých podob (pravé, extrémně posedlé, oddané, o přátelství) a je velmi syrový, krutý, erotický (ale schválně kvůli vyjádření chtíče, ne bezcílně, celé dílo je stonásobně hlubší, než jen sex). Vynikající výprava, hudba tradiční korejská, krásná, která pomohla pochopit jednotlivé scény a pocity postav, zpracování. Herci museli podstoupit náročný výcvik šermu, bojů, jízdy na koních či hraní na tradiční korejský hudební nástroj geomungo. Příběh a útrapy hlavních hrdinů se mi zažraly hluboko nejen do duše, ale až do morku kostí. Myslel jsem, že tady na GT už nemohu narazit pro mě na něco tak silného. A ejhle, film pro mě nezapomenutelný, smutný a v závěru až děsivý a na ostatních světových serverech s vysokým ohodnocením mě tak zasáhl. Brzy se k němu vrátím ... (no už se stalo, vydržel jsem to jeden den)

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Everything happened exactly as it is written in detail in the official text of the distributor. This is a specific Japanese film, which was made mainly according to one of the boxes of Japanese ideas, and should be judged accordingly, and the affect, mechanicalness, stubbornness was really there (in acting, walking, running, my classmate Kota came to me in some situations even slightly demented). I cannot give a higher rating within this specific production, because if I ignore all the mentioned "flaws" from the point of view of a European, the film did not affect me that much. On the other hand, I have to highlight the effort to portray (the desire) for gay marriage, the first love of an adult and its CO, and the fact that no models or men from gyms played in the film, but completely ordinary Japanese people.


Všechno proběhlo přesně tak, jak je podrobně napsáno v oficiálním textu distributora. Jedná se o specifický japonský film, který byl vyroben především podle jedné ze škatulek japonských představ a dle toho by se měl v hodnocení i brát a opravdu tam ten afekt, strojovost, topornost byla znát (v hraní, chůzi, běhu, spolužák Kota mi přišel v některých situacích až mírně dementní). Nemohu dát vyšší ohodnocení v rámci této specifické produkce, protože když pomíjím všechny zmíněné "nedostatky" z pohledu Evropana, tak mě až tak moc film nezasáhl. Na druhé straně ale musím vyzdvihnout snahu o vykreslení (touhu) po manželství gayů, první lásku dospělce a jeho CO a to, že ve filmu nehráli žádní modelové či muži z posiloven, ale zcela obyčejní Japonci.

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A surprisingly good point that gave the story an unexpected new direction, funny, slightly sad and beautiful and played very convincingly. I could feel the emotions there, they even gradually accumulated. The film was not staged or replayed, and the girl Anikim does not try to upset the two in the second half. Satisfaction and overall above average. I would also like to give additional thanks to churli, who translated the film into Czech years ago exclusively for GT.


Překvapivě dobrá pointa, která dodala příběhu nečekaný nový směr, vtipný, mírně smutný i krásný a který byl zahrán velmi přesvědčivě. Emoce jsem tam cítil, dokonce se postupně hromadily. Snímek nebyl ucajdaný ani přehrávaný a dívka Anikim se nesnaží v druhé půli ty dva rozeštvat. Spokojenost a celkově vyšší nadprůměr. Chtěl bych také dodatečně poděkovat churli-mu, který film před lety přeložil exkluzivně pro GT do češtiny.

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Myslel jsem, že to bude takový solidní šedavý průměr a tak tomu zezačátkui bylo. Nakonec se z toho vyklubal příběh poutavý (někdo napíše klišé, stokrát ohrané téma) a já začal postavě Yo věřit a celé mě to do příběhu vtáhlo. Z uzavřeného a bázlivého kluka se najednou stal mladý muž uvědomělý, který si začíná sám sobe vážit. Příjemný zážitek podpořený velmi sympatickou postavou spolužáka Nobora. Myslím že těm, kteří mohou sledovat japonské filmy, mohu tento snímek doporučit.


Myslel jsem, že to bude takový solidní šedavý průměr a tak tomu zezačátkui bylo. Nakonec se z toho vyklubal příběh poutavý (někdo napíše klišé, stokrát ohrané téma) a já začal postavě Yo věřit a celé mě to do příběhu vtáhlo. Z uzavřeného a bázlivého kluka se najednou stal mladý muž uvědomělý, který si začíná sám sobe vážit. Příjemný zážitek podpořený velmi sympatickou postavou spolužáka Nobora. Myslím že těm, kteří mohou sledovat japonské filmy, mohu tento snímek doporučit.

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Sacrifice That Leads to A Bitter Result

The series are been so successful and became my favorite. But, this movie, definitely on my favorite list too. I really enjoyed the pace, the building character, and the acting that everyone gives on this movie. Give me some nostalgic feeling too when I see the female lead of 1st & 2nd season.

As always, the story is pretty well executed and leave me goosebump with the unexpected truth! I am always wondering while watched this movie, why Mamoru look like he has an important role on this story, and why does he easily cooperate with Miyama at their first encounter. I was also thinking that maybe Mamoru did saw the real culprit before, but the truth is more than that. Just... wow. It was a hard guess game for me LOL. The truth of the case are just cruel than I imagined, I really hate the fact that all the villagers who involved in the case are not gonna be prosecuted by the court because of the time limit of the case. But, at least they're gonna feel guilty forever for making a dumb decision like that.

And last but not least. I loved how the pun joke always makes me confused, but once I got what it means in literal, I will laugh my ass off HAHAHAHHAHA. For example, when Miyama joking about the barrel and the wine like "思い当たるか" to "重い、ああー たるか。" or the "Inari" thing one LOL it's so brilliant yet hilarious.

That's all my review, sorry for my broken grammar. You can give a shot for this movie, it's totally worth it!

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Park Jin Young is the real MVP!

'A Christmas Carol' is a story about a twin brother who goes to a juvenile detention center on his own to avenge the death of his twin brother. It's not Christmas-themed, more about an incident that happen during Christmas time. It's an intense movie filled with very VERY painful scenes, I felt a slow-burn suspense consistently. It looks very dark and gritty, a lot of beating and cursing so trigger warning. The flashbacks scenes are not confusing and it flows well with the plot. It's not just a movie about a crime investigation, it is also asking about whom and what do you take for granted in your life, how important revenge is and how far can you go.

By the climax, I got so angry and sad. It's a very unsettling reveal, so proceed with caution... it’s not a movie that leaves you feeling okay. For this reason, I won't recommend this to all, unless you want to see Jin Young's amazing acting nuance, at the same time ruining your inner child's fantasy on Santa Claus...

Though it’s great that I felt really emotional throughout, I had to suspend my disbelief for the real cause and execution of the main incident. It explains the meaning of foreshadowing scenes leading up to this climax, but I expect this particular scene could have been written better or more realistic. Nevertheless, I think this is a great movie because it manages to grabbed my heart and ruined it to pieces. I will need some time to heal and by re-watching Jin Young's other works. Hats off to you, Park Jin Young, I respect you very much!

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Loved it ❤️

Everything was just perfect about this movie.
The cast ,the story, the characters.
Loved it totally. The way both of them grow their bond omg was too cute . They way they take care of eachother everytime was my favourite thing.now it's my favourite movie of all time .
I watched it and it was totally totally worth it ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kayoka was so handsome i mean he was just perfect for it and miyo is so so cute.
I felt so bad when her step mother tortured her.
I also liked the part when kayoka went to her house to save her it's my favourite part of the movie and at the end when he asked " will u marry me" awwwwwww that was tooooooo cute mannnn
They are just perfect for it

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