Reviews

The best kind of catharsis

Is this short ridiculous? Over the top? On the nose? Why yes, yes it is. And for once I truly mean that as a compliment.
This film has a very clear message and that is: Queer women are done with your shit.
The endless struggle to find funding for queer media, the non-stop fight for monetization, the never-ending stream of straight men trying to lay claim to female sexuality... no more.
Most of the time the fight for progress is a slow, drawn-out process of fostering good-will and understanding but sometimes, just sometimes, it's an actual fight. Sometimes you have to stand up and very literally kick your opponent directly in the nuts... and then make out with your girlfriend about how cool that was just now.
This film is a giant, joyous middle finger towards anything and anyone that has ever kept queer women down and I for one enjoyed the hell out of it.

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Strongberry does it again

Seriously though, how do they keep doing that, it's almost spooky at this point.
This is another absolutely delightful little short with Strongberry's signature blend of great acting, tight editing, and a goddamn adorable story. It takes the simply premise of confessing to your crush and portrays it in such a charming, realistic way you can't help but grin and reminisce because, yeah, we've all been there in one way or another.
If you enjoy other Matchbox productions you'll almost certainly like this as well. And if you're unfamiliar with their work, welcome, you're about to discover a whole host of treasures. And this one is certainly a great place to start.

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The very definition of short and sweet

This little gem to me embodies everything a short film should be. It has great acting, precise editing, good sound design, likeable characters with distinct personalities that serve as more than just vessels for the plot, and, most importantly, it has an actual narrative with a beginning, a climax, and a conclusion, all of which are perfectly paced for maximum effect.
My only gripe with this movie would be that, despite the whole premise being centered around a first kiss, we don't actually get to see said kiss.
But maybe that's kind of the point as well. We as the audience don't have to see the kiss in order for the narrative to work. It's a private moment that we have neither cause nor right to intrude on. Besides, the kiss isn't what's important, it's only a starting point for the real story - the characters' growing and changing relationship.
All in all I say give this one a shot. I promise it's five minutes very well spent.

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unfortunately not max score

The story and pace is right, but extra scenes in school in original weekly episodes are cut off. So unrequited love from Lee Wan is actually not that convincing... The actors are good esp Gi Tae who can use his eyes expression very effectively. His personality is remarkable. This production is doing right even you can see about its low budget, but it is still good.

I try to think how they will add that extra scenes in movie and it is so difficult!! because mood and scene transitions will be not that smooth. I think they originally filmed for weekly air because time event skip is still obvious but acceptable in movie. You actually see this skip/discontinuity in weekly episodes but it is skipped after 1 episode, so I think it is good enough.

It is hard to choose, but I gonna recommend weekly episodes due to extra scenes, which fill Lee wan's feeling/experience and it fits the theme dating simulator game more. (You cannot feel that much in movie)

P.S. I like this serie colors, you can see Gi Tae usually has a lot of green color, I like his room design and especially his headphone. (if someone know headphone brand, pls anewer me >> thanks in advance !!)

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Angel Terminators was a dark entry in the Girls with Guns genre. With the exception of Kenneth Tsang's Big Bad, the predominant cast members were all women---Sharon Yeung, Kara Hui, Carrie Ng, Nishiwaki Michiko, and Cheng Yuen Man. There was plenty of action and misogyny to go around. Not as coherent as Michelle Yeoh's 'Yes Madam' it still had enough kung fu and gun play to satisfy people who enjoy the genre.

The film started out clumsily with a car chase and gun fire. Ida and Hon seem to always be in the neighborhood when super cops are needed to bring down bad guys, including a kindergarten being held hostage by jewelry thieves. As Hon is leaving on a plane for Scotland to further her training, Sawada is landing. Sawada has been in Thailand for seven years to avoid being arrested. He has come to town to reclaim his drug and criminal territory. Ida's snitch, a prostitute named May, feeds her intel about Sawada's huge drug deal going down. The cops arrive and a ferocious shootout ensues. Sawada has a mole in the police department who helps him set up an ambush for Ida in retaliation for her interfering in his business. The mole is a gambler who happens to be married to Carrie, Sawada's former lover. Before long Ida and Carrie are in dire trouble when they find themselves in the frightening clutches of Nishiwaki.

Firearm acuity was not the movie's strong point. The opening shootout showed shooters trying to push the bullets out of their guns or closing their eyes when shooting. Another time when the police had the high ground and the bad guys surrounded they still managed to miss most of the baddies. Sharon could hold her own in the fists and kicks fight department and make the moves believable even when they defied gravity. Ida could have beaten the Olympic pole vault record by about twenty feet. With kung fu veterans like Alan Chui Chung San and Dick Wei, Sharon always had an accomplished opponent to spar with. Jacky Chen designed several creative fights though I don't envy the stuntmen who took some hard falls. The Hong Kong police department in the movie was going to need a hiring push after a significant portion of its police officers were mowed down.

This film would have been more entertaining if they'd left the Very Special Episode about Drug Abuse out of the middle section. I also deducted points for a scene where Sawada urinated all over Carrie, the woman he supposedly loved. It was disgusting and unnecessary. When the film focused on Sharon and Kara, either their friendship or when they fought the baddies together it was at its strongest. The two women had nice chemistry together and I fail to understand why they split them up for much of the movie. Angel Terminators kept the action and adrenaline pumped up, never slowing down to let the writer put together a more coherent plotline. The ending was bonkers and baffling. Only for Girls with Guns fans or old kung fu addicts.

9/27/23

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a sweet watch

Cute but a bit dry. Sweet storyline but wish the ML broke out of his shell a bit more. He was inside sweet and did somewhat break out of his shell but I wanted the female lead to see a new side of him. Even see him smile a bit more. I wanted to see him melt for her and be cuddly maybe. Wake up and snuggle with her, or be staring at her and look away a bit shy... I also wanted the female lead to be a bit more confident by the end, to stand up and demand the love she deserves.
I'm also a bit partial to her childhood crush who stood by her side, who gave her comfort when she felt uneasy, who fought for her, and worried over her when people were causing issues.

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"So many people have died, even hell is packed."

The Flowers of War was released shortly after the 74th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre. A drunk Westerner with no political alliance, a dozen church school girls, and a dozen prostitutes take refuge in a cathedral compound as the rest of the city lies in ruins. Surrounded by Japanese soldiers, the unlikely group of people will have to work hard to find a way to survive.

This film is not for the faint of heart. Dead bodies line the streets and civilians are shot whenever found. Children are raped and adult women are gang raped, tortured, and murdered. Where this film did not work for me, and I say this as an ardent Zhang Yi Mou fan, there was too much sexual flirting and beautiful images in such a stark and unsavory story. The film was based on a novella inspired by an American missionary's diary. The missionary, Minnie Vautrin, fought to protect students and refugees at Ginling College where she was president. Instead of someone like Minnie, we were given John Miller, a drunken reprobate. He transformed into a heroic knight willing to do whatever was necessary to save the girls overnight. His character growth was shockingly unbelievable. The prostitutes had the same saintly transformations just as quickly. We never learned the names of most of the school girls or prostitutes. It ended up being simple. Virgins must be saved. Prostitutes are expendable. I thought John's makeover time came across too lighthearted when the mortician was basically working his magic on women who were going to a terrible death. The Japanese were almost uniformly categorized as evil. It's not surprising. With a national trauma of 200,000-300,000 killed and countless women raped, that's a wound that does not heal easily.

Christian Bale was serviceable as John. Though a big name, his acting style doesn't appeal to me. John wasn't a very sympathetic set of western eyes to view the atrocities through. Ni Ni in her first role showed she had acting chops, even more impressive in a role that called for her to speak English much of the time. Her Yu Mo was seductive, strong, and sorrowful. I hated that they had Yu Mo fall for the uncouth John, it was more relatable when she used him for his western face to help save her and her friends. Huang Tian Yuan as sweet George made the most of his pivotal and heroic role.

Every action in this film was designed to elicit an emotional reaction and get the viewer's tear ducts flowing. It felt too contrived most of the time. It was hard to emotionally bond with female characters, both young and older, who had no names. The time was catastrophically devastating and those who survived the murderous onslaught faced horror after horror, there's no easy way to put that on film. Had there been more believable character growth and fewer flirty moments, I could have gotten on board with this film better.

9/27/28

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Trailer Misdirection, Pearl is still Pearl

Sometimes trailers are misleading. It's something I frequently say whenever people tell me they know what's going to happen because they watched the trailer. I should've heeded my own words. Because this movie was a prime example. I watched the trailer and found myself legitimately mad. And it wasn't even because it was obviously going to be more explicit than the other Gameboys-verse stories. No. The reason I was upset is because that Pearl was not the Pearl I know. I wondered how loose of a grip or loyalty the writers must have to the character. Pearl would not hurt, dare I say backstab, a friend in that way. Pearl wouldn't be that shameless and carefree. That wasn't Pearl. And the comment section obviously agrees - as many of those Pearl-hating comments came either before the release or before it was available internationally.

The trailer did this movie an extreme disservice. So many people who were initially looking forward to more from Pearl started actively hating this movie without even seeing it. Myself, unfortunately, included. But I can tell you, Pearl is still very much Pearl. The whole situation was a result of ineffective communication and poor timing.

The only thing I can fault Pearl for is the fact that after she and Achilles found out their mutual feelings for Ali, she proposed and participated in a dating competition of compatibility. Did she learn nothing from her exploits in "Pearl Next Door" the year prior? I also think I would've handled the ending differently, but I get why she did what she did. It was a very Pearl-like choice.

I had a lot of fun here. I laughed quite a bit, as there were several different types of humor included here (besides the sexual humor which just isn't my thing). There was a lot of rep here as well: bisexual and gay leads; enby, pan, and gay supporting characters that were both campy and nuanced. They supported each other and really built off each other's energy in the scene.

The person I watched this with even said she liked this better than Pearl Next Door.

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Beautiful and Twisted Take on Alice in Wonderland

The casting for this film was definitely perfect, and they each performed their roles too well. The music, visuals and acting was stunning. It's a very beautifully shot film, and there was a lot of keen eyes for details. This is one of those types of films you /really/ have to pay attention to to understand the progressing story. It's not too fast or too slow paced, by at least 20 minutes into the film you're already in another world, but there are a lot of hints to look out for, especially of how the movie was put together. The movie starts off a bit tense, but the phycological horror aspect catches up quick before you even realize. It was my first time watching Hong Jong Hyun in a movie, and he was soo adorable as Hwan! Overall, this movie stays as one of my /weirdly/ comfort movies... and I've already watched it 3 times. Definitely high rewatch value for a stunning film.

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Cliché Vampire Film With An Excellent Cast

I'm typically a sucker for anything vampire related, especially movies and dramas....so I was instantly drawn to this movie and the familiar cast. The visuals and effects were amazing, as well as the music and acting . But some scenes seemed too fast paced to the point I was lost in the plot and just, unrealistic?? I mean, I know its a supernatural movie so of course it's going to be fiction, but some scenes were just too awkward or weird to watch, and I didn't really like the traditional old-timey take on vampirism. I was left a bit unsatisfied when finishing the film, I guess it's because I started it with high expectations, ignoring the previous reviews I've read. I originally gave this an 8 rating, but after some thought I truly give this a 7.5.
Overall, it's not a bad movie. I did genuinely enjoy most parts of the movie and the thriller aspects, but I wish some scenes were a bit different, and I honestly probably won't rewatch this anytime soon. Maybe one day to see if my opinions change :p

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I saw this movie in theatres with my best friend by accident when we couldn't get seats for the actual movie we came for. At that time, I wasn't into Asian dramas or movies. So seeing this movie, without knowing the star studded cast and the extravagant setting, this movie was quite amazing.

4 years later, I still haven't forgotten this movie so I thought why not a re-watch?

I do follow the rule of "you cant see a thriller, horror or mystery movie again because suspense doesn't work twice" but I still decided to watch it. This time, fueled by the knowledge of Japanese cinema, I watched it with full excitement.

The movie starts nice and slow so you get a grip but in actual reality, the movie is going really fast and we just don't know it. Then again, the movie is long. But it is very detailed. Ofc, I am lusting over the cast but that doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to the details. Mainly cause the movie goes slow, we catch a lot of details but are we?

The movie likes to joke around a lot on who is the killer. The person we thought it is might not be the one or is it? One by one, every little detail in the movie is broken down. So as advice dont do the weird detective shit that we normally do seeing a mystery movie. Just enjoy the movie.

The cast was extravagant, just like the movie. We have the famed KT and the every so "pretty girl" NM and their epic duo. They were polar opposites and hence made the movie fun to see. NM plays a character who is a perfectionist but at the same time, is very sensitive to each one and treats everyone with grace. She is paired up with KT's character who is a selfish wreck ball but really quick to catch on to things. We see the movie through his ways and means so yes, we also think what he thinks.

The music is underrated. Its the BG music that gave all the effect of whatever subtle rich cinematography was shown here.

Overrall this movie isnt a mystery movie. It just gives a vibe of it. In reality it is just a nice movie to watch.
Its not superb or anything. It was nice.

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Well-chilled suspense

A really well-chilled horror film with quite a straightforward setting but the suspense buildup is extremely well refined and the pacing is highly engaging. The gore and scares are so refreshing as they have plenty of new tactics that were never seen before on screen, most of them rely on naturally occurring objects such as stones and trees. The shooting style is also pretty complex and the panning of the scenes are so good in inducing fear for shocking visuals. The most astonishing highlight is the bloody red tone that was gushing sharply with a shattering blast, those scenes were so well blended it almost tasted like some fine aged wine. This movie will definitely let you leave the theater feeling eerie at the end of the path.

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"Never have I witnessed the beauty of the world"

Zhang Yi Mou is renowned for his use of brilliant colors and vibrant scenery. In Shadow he showed he could strip it all away and lay bare the story in a gray and white world. The story that seems simplistic at first peels away layer after layer revealing desire, betrayal, and greed.

Two kingdoms have signed a peace treaty but only the Yans have control of the great walled city of Jing. The Pei clan yearns to reclaim Jing City against the wishes of their king who wants to keep the peace at all costs even if it means wedding his sister to the Yan heir. The Pei Commander has challenged General Yang to a duel, one he doesn't believe he can win with the winner claiming the city for his clan. The Pei king strips the Commander of his rank for putting the peace at risk, reducing him to a commoner. Early on it is revealed that the Commander is only a shadow named Jing. The real Commander stays tucked away in an underground cave slowly dying from a wound rendered by the Yang general. Soon the characters set up the play they wanted, never knowing if they were the puppet master or puppet.

Shadow's dark underlying mood reminded me of an emotional mash-up of Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Throne of Blood. Jing had grown up in the darkness and even in the light was someone else's shadow. Aside from the Commander's wife, was there something else he desired? The Commander (like a good Kurosawa character) had gone nearly mad trapped below ground scheming and planning. Deng Chao played both characters so well I could scarcely tell they were the same person. Madam was torn between her loyalty to her husband and her feelings for Jing. Other than his longing for Pei to reclaim Jing City, Capt. Tian's loyalty was murky at best. Was Pei's king short-sighted or playing the long game? Characters with the greatest conceit would pay the greatest price. Zhang Yi Mou took his time revealing the hidden truths beneath the characters' facades.

Zhang may have stripped his palette of bright colors but the film was no less stylistic. Though the film at first glance appeared monochromatic, he judiciously used color---patches of green on the hills, the luminous glow of skin, the golden heat from candles, warm brown tones in the Yin and Yang and of course the crimson flow of blood pooling in the rain. His use of color and architecture were, as always, a wonder.

Umbrellas are no stranger to kung fu movies. Zhang, however, took them to new heights. One scene with the army sliding down the cobblestone street doubly armed may have defied gravity but not wuxia magic. The fights were brutal and deadly. Ku Huen Chiu has an impressive track record as a martial arts director and his work here was exemplary. One fight managed to combine dangerous combat into an erotic dance. Feminine moves were created to combat masculine ones to great effect. A surprise knife or sword to the neck always works, too. The great battle accompanied by a zither duet was reminiscent of Hero and just as effective.

The climax dragged on as the endgames became apparent and who would ultimately come out on top was left up to the viewer to decide. Shadow was at its heart a martial arts film complete with betrayals, schemes, lust, and revenge served on a blood-soaked platter. Few directors could create a more aesthetically pleasing film or take an old genre and make it feel new. Zhang Yi Mou is one of my favorite directors for being able to do all that and more. Shadow's breathtaking use of color and creative cinematography was the perfect setting for the ancient story of man's pyrrhic need for power.

9/26/23

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