First of all, I was very interested in the story, a story based on the real events of Walter Dempter/Walterina Markova, and of course I watched from the perspective of an Asian viewer, because on other continents the story would probably be filmed differently.
Yes, the world of homosexuals for the entire timeline it depicts is portrayed in a feminine way, but it probably couldn't have been otherwise, a non-feminine gay would probably not have survived in those days of Japanese wartime rule. And it's shot less drastically than the reality probably was, probably with not only the Filipino viewer in mind.
The role of the "old" Walterina is played by Dolphy Quizon (unfortunately deceased today), and the interesting thing is that the roles of the younger and youthful Walterina are played by his sons Eric (we know him from the film Pusong Mamon mentioned here) and Jeffrey (he played the most and very well.. .). It is also interesting that the "old" Walterina enters some of the war scenes physically, as if in memories, as if she wanted to change the unfavorable fate.
Maybe someone will say, this type of nonsense, Asian bullshit, why is someone writing about it so long here, but the depth of the picture, at least for me and my interest in it, was satisfied today.
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Simply put, Joel Lamangan is, in my opinion, one of the best Filipino directors of LGBT films, and it was confirmed here as well.
Of course not top notch from a European point of view, but it was goofy fun, with nice people, punctuated by songs.
Although it could happen that this movie is complete bullshit, stupid, "something" breathed on me, as if I swallowed the stone too, I rose above everything and enjoyed it too. Such a partial parody of American B and C films.
Simply put, Joel Lamangan is, in my opinion, one of the best Filipino directors of LGBT films, and it was confirmed here as well.
Of course not top notch from a European point of view, but it was goofy fun, with nice people, punctuated by songs.
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This review may contain spoilers
Death Kappa attempted to be a combination of parody and homage to Kaiju movies of old. What I discovered was that 56 years before this film was made, Honda Ishiro made a more believable world using miniatures and a guy in a monster rubber suit.Kanako returns home after a failed attempt at becoming a Jpop star. Her grandmother’s dying wish is for her to protect Kappa, the local Yokai. It just so happens the Kappa has awakened and enjoys Kanako’s music and the cucumbers she leaves out for him. Dancing with the turtlish Yokai, how sweet! But wait! In the same area, a crazed scientist has been creating super soldiers by combining men and women with Kappa DNA. Before you know it, body parts are flying when they go on a tear. Kanako and the Kappa end up in the bad guys’ lair and within minutes bullets are flying and a nuclear bomb is set off. Cut to a local downtown where Kaiju Hangyolas is destroying the city and killing people with his stomping power and flame flowing breath. What is Hangyolas and where did he come from? Was he created from the radiation from the explosion? The world may never know. When all seems lost a super-sized irradiated Kappa arrives and it is on like Donkey Kong.
This film injected campy humor into the death and mayhem. Dolls were flattened, melted, and blown up. Godzilla era vintage planes on wires made an appearance, showing more wires than were necessary. The town was quite artificial making it obvious everyone was on a soundstage.
The first half of the film was filled with Yokai dancing and cucumber eating which devolved into militaristic soldiers bent on conquering the United States with mutant ninja turtle warriors and an atomic bomb. It also had a character who might have been practicing necrophilia. The acting and production values were average at best, with much of the acting being over the top. After the blast, the film took a hard right and focused on a Kaiju WWE throw down complete with a volleyball match. The inept and powerless humans found their “savior” was far more lethal than the initial destroyer. If only Kanaka had survived the nuclear blast! Death Kappa put the fever in fever dream, truly one of the more bizarre Kaiju films I’ve seen.
10/22/23
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Equal mix of Romance, Angst, and Happiness.
Both Zhou Ye and Chen Feiyu showed their acting skill in the film. You could really feel the emotion and heartbreak in their scenes. They also look beautiful with each other, good chemistry!It’s not an original story by any means and has been done before but it’s a classic, never gets old and hits the mark every time. It’s an equal mix of angst and joy, I cried both sad and happy tears throughout
The ending is satisfying and fitting and gives the mains a well deserved happy ending <3
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Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition
1 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Moral of the Story: Love is a 2 Way Street & A Man Must Have Balls
Saw this after Wuliang and I liked that one way better. Though here everything was also very layered and complex, the ML was made quite dumb. He was suspicious of the kid they took in from nearly the get go but just forked over his heart like it was a casual thing in a deal with the devil. This ended up being a Romeo and Juliet deal with a demon for a 3rd wheel. A demon that learned how to love after a thousand years but never realized that something like that must be reciprocated or it was an unrequited love and unrealistic. So instead of gaining love, he lost everything and everyone due to his own selfish desires. ML should have told his wife right away, "Honey, that demon you are looking for is who you brought home!" She took him out and no sacrifice of any more innocence. But for a 30 minute film, it was very rich and beautiful.Would I recommend it? If you like complex tragedies that make you think, go for it.
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My heart is bleeding
This short movie is wonderful. Someone wrote this story with the intention to make the viewer fall in love with the characters in seconds and then break them in also seconds. Felt a bit too realistic, my heart hurts.The moment at the end where they were looking at each other during the firework was the moment I knew what would be happening.
And the drawing in the end? I don't know why, but it felt like someone was trying to rip my heart out of my chest. This was.. this was something.
Don't know what else to say. Just - watch it
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The definition of wasted potential.
I had really high hopes for this.I was sure Miike Takashi did miracles behind the camera and Fujiwara Tatsuya in front of it.
They both disappointed me.
The conception of the main idea for the movie was brilliant.But everything fall apart because the execution was bad.The material they had should have been more than enough to develop it further and make a truly amazing film.
2 hrs been wasted in chasing and action instead of giving depth to the characters.
I thought Fujiwara Tatsuya would be the shining star here,especially with such role, but no.
The scene stealer was Osawa Takao,the Detective.Even so,he couldn't really save it.
I would be more satisfied if i was given insights for both main chars.
A sadistic killer and a detective with ethics.
Characters felt short.
Lazy writing,lazy direction and feeble acting for both actors's caliber.
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Euhhhh...
Nice movie, but too many loopholes. Many scenes are missing. Her illness came out of nowhere. The double proposal was too weird for me....This movie could have easily got a 8-9 and even 10 stars if it was 2h-2,30h long or short drama.
Xu Kai did an amazing acting job. Almost feels like the character was designed for him. I like all of Xu Kai drama, but this rôle was made for him. Excellent work.
It still worth watching. The production team did with the material that was given to them.
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Happy Ending
While watching the move when we are submerged with the character that's the storyI feel it while start to end i not in the home after the end i realise iam in home because i didn't move my finger till end
Artist are lived in to the character
Hole movie unit did the pleasant full job
Awesome-
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Read the books! Movie does not capture enough of story
First, I really really loved the manga and the light novels!!! I was so excited to hear that a live action movie was being released. I watched the anime series on Netflix, which was well done and followed the manga closely.Hmmm... however, this movie was okay and touched on the highlights of the story. In my opinion, it doesn't cover much of the detail in the manga, let alone the light novels. You really needed prior knowledge from the books to connect some of the scenes.
If you've read the books, then you may find this movie a bit lacking in the character and plot development, since it doesn't go too much into the back story. If you've never read the books, then you'll find this movie entertaining and emotionally moving enough to enjoy.
The casting was okay....I realize that since this was a live action movie and not a drama series, there's only so much time you have to tell the story. So you don't really get too much sense of the acting abilities of everyone. I would've loved to have seen more screen time for everyone to really shine in their roles.
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Unexpectedly heartwarming with a touch of comedy and a lot of fantasy!
Overall - 9.5/10It was very adventurous and engaging ride. I enjoyed the movie a lot. It has its tearfully heartwarming and equally heart-wrenching moments, which was paired with suspense and action! The movie is definitely one of my top recommendations for fantasy-action genre movies!
Plot/ Storytelling - 9.5/10
Ja-Hong who lives a diligent life as a filial son and a dependable brother, faces an untimely death as a hero who sacrifices his life for a little girl. Ja-Hong who’s called a paragon in the afterlife is accompanied by three guardians through the trials of hell.
Every part was interesting and insightful. The different hells revealed a new aspect of Ja-Hong’s life and with each trial proving his honour more. There were moments of suspense where you’d be on the edge of your seat unsure about Ja-Hong’s fate. Other times you’d shed a tear or two out of fuzziness created by the heartwarming scenes.
The characters felt well developed, each having their own uniqueness and their own part to play in Ja-Hong’s journey. It was interesting to see the humanness of the guardians and how they too had their own motives and selfish desires. The portrayal of reincarnation as something that had to be earned rather than someone’s inherent right, was interesting. The fact that hell’s trials were much similar to ones on earth and that injustice can happen even in the afterlife was fascinating and it added to the tension.
The sub-plot of Soo-Hong’s story was heart-wrenching and enraging but it opened a lot of potential for a second movie. Soo-Hong’s character was also dynamic and had much depth. The action scenes between Soo-Hong and Gang-Lim added more spice and coolness to the movie.
Cast/ Acting - 10/10
You just simply can’t expect Cha Tae-Hyun to play a role without a flair of comedy added. His slight clumsiness and laughable expressions made it even more interesting and enjoyable.
The cast is just saturated with A-Listers. You can really see the eliteness these veteran actors bring. Every character even the minor roles had uniqueness and was interesting.
Music/ Sound - 9/10
I, personally, don’t pay much attention to background music and sound. I’d notice if it was bad but not so much if it went smoothly. I wouldn’t say there was anything particularly catching or phenomenal about the music or sounds. But it didn’t interfere with the story. The sounds and music did well in supporting the scenes and helping to bring forward their expected potential.
Rewatch Value - 9/10
It’s definitely a movie that’ll be as enjoyable the second time watching as it was the first. It’ll be a movie that’ll be revisited many times.
thanks for reading! hehe <3
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This review may contain spoilers
If you are feeling nostalgic for something akin to the Power Rangers or going further back, Sigmund the Sea Monster, Super Legend God Hikoza might be what you are looking for. It would also help if you are twelve-years-old or younger, you might not notice how bad the writing and acting for this film were.Four scientists work for Dr. (Dr. what? They never mentioned his name, maybe it was Dr. Doctor) at the UISAS (Ultra Institute Space and Astronaut Science). Takao and Okubo are childhood friends who bicker nonstop largely because Takao berates him and hits him almost continuously. The other characters with the exception of Yoshiki find it charming. Yoshiki is in love with Takao and the new hire Yuria is in love with Yoshiki. It’s like a junior high school only less mature. When Takao knocks Okubo down at a temple, he falls on a 400 year old doll. While the two are fighting over it they are brought inside the doll just as an evil giant fish attacks. After beating the fish back, they go on to learn more about the god Hikoza whose remaining consciousness resides in the doll and his relationship to the friendly aliens called Godnes. Four centuries ago, the evil alien Shachihokon attacked and Hikoza managed to seal him until the present time when he was released and took over some poor guy with a bowl haircut. After defeating Catfish dude, the Bickersons become celebrities and go on the talk show circuit, make commercials and even guest star in a Kota/Power Rangers episode. But they are celebrating too early for Shachihokon has dirty tricks up his sleeve and the four scientists will have to grow up quickly to defeat him.
I thought maybe the date on the film was incorrect. This felt more like 1980’s television than a 2020 movie regardless of how tongue-in-cheek it might have been. The acting, sets, and writing were awful. Takao was particularly childish and a bully. The rest of the four were equally as childish, just not as physical. Shachihokon’s costume was pretty hilarious especially when he used his special tongue power. The catfish monster was reminiscent of Friend’s Hannukah Armadillo. Hikoza’s early costume looked like a trash can with arms and legs although the final Hikoza costume had a nice samurai effect.
This film was primitive looking and the big final battle felt more like an Afterschool Special on the value of communication and how to deal with your feelings. If you loved/love Power Rangers and are longing for something like it, this is definitely a film to try. If you are content to leave campy costumes and posing behind, best to avoid Super Legend God Hikoza.
10/21/23
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