Reviews

It defends horrible people

The movie starts out funny and takes a dark turn. I typically don't view a lot of Japanese live action media, unlike anime, I just don't like a lot of the humor, so I stepped out and tried it, since it was a movie not a show and I was highly upset at the message at the end of the show, there was nothing that was going to save it. Honestly if you defend the message in this story I would like to see your defense of Weinstein, it's the same thing.

Cinderella did nothing wrong in this story and it's a great to see how many think self defense is "wrong" as if anyone would honestly do anything to men in power who violate women.

The spoilers is that the hair cutting is an allegory for S.A. and Cinderella was a victim who defended herself against a predator leading to his death, but he somehow isn't the bad guy even though everyone knew he was violating women, but as long as he keeps the ruling class looking pretty who cares how many women he violates. Never again. Honestly

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a fun time!!!

Definitely a perfect movie to have a fun time with family or friends as it contains plently of wholesome scenes between characters that will surely touch your heart. Nothing too extraordinary but just good enough to make two hours of your life spent well.

As for criticisms, the run-time of the film dragged the quality for a little bit. Some of the scenes could have been cut or shortened to create a more concise storytelling. IU's character not being explored further is a mistake as the character shows interesting premise that could have been fleshed out and make her character fully-developed

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Outstanding KMovie. Daunting. Blunt. Galvanizing. Impressively staged. Yet rather painful to watch

"Silenced" is a 2011 movie production. The KMovie is based on a book and this in turn is based on a true story that happened at Gwangju Inhwa School. For a change, it's not about bullying among students, but about repeated sexual abuse by teachers and school staff against their underage wards. In this case they were also deaf.
"Silenced" is an outstanding, moving film production - in several respects.

The story is impressively staged.
Horrendous abuse. Repulsive in its unbelievable brutality. Blunt.
There are the children left at the mercy of pitiless adults, left alone in their helplessness - speechless in every respect. What else can they hope for in this world?
There are the adults - the perpetrators and also those who knowingly close their eyes to injustice for their own benefit. (I have no idea what they do with their ears and their conscience, though...)
And there are the two protagonists - neither of them exactly the epitome of promising heroes...
With a top-class Gong Yoo, who personally and actively supported the filming of the story. He read the book during his military service. But it was only later that he found out that these were true events. He met with the author and the idea for the film was born. He embodies the main role of the initially quiet, perhaps somewhat wimpy, indecisive teacher; a widower and a father who is absent due to his job and who relies on his mother's support to look after his sick daughter. Yet, it is precisely this tangible, silently screaming human weakness of his character, his uncertainty in dealing with the unfathomable, his own initial shock of cautious, perhaps naive reserve that contributes to the authentic strength of the KMovie. (If the world were full of determined, courageous heroes, then there would be less such terrible incidents, repeatedly taking place over the years with impunity - like those in that South Korean boarding school for the deaf in Gwangju...or that Odenwaldschule in Germany, or far too many other schools worldwide.) The heroic in our protagonist must first be born and then grow. This is a process. Step by step, stumbling, helpless, hopeful and yet again discouraged, but then unbendingly getting up again - and finally on a path of no return...

The KMovie “Silence” is shocking.
Grim. At times it may be reminiscent of a horror movie like 'The Shining' or something similar. The story is daunting. Its social dimensions are sobering. There are hardly any words for this parallel world. What people are monstrously capable of... and then also: that time and again, in the face of blatant injustice, people let themselves be bought and silenced for their own benefit.
Nevertheless, the message at the end is (I think) quite wonderful: "...it makes me think, that the reason we are fighting so hard is not to change the world, but instead to not let the world change us." Resistance takes on an encouraging new dimension that doesn't have to give in, even in the face of a Goliath. Great!


The KMovie was and is galvanizing.
“Silenced” shook up the masses in 2011 in a spectacular way. Over 4 million horrified cinemagoers saw the movie, which was number 1 on the South Korean cinema charts for three weeks in a row. The book by Gong Ji-young was storming the bestseller lists.
What the regular jurisprudence was previously unable to do was actually subsequently made possible by the pressure of the shocked masses: 1.5 months after the KMovie was first broadcast, the so-called 'Dogani Law' was passed. (Dogani = "Crucible", the title of the book and film). Since then, the new law has suspended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of people with disabilities and for rape of minors under the age of 13.
Therefore, some of the perpetrators at that school in Gwangju who had previously gotten off with lax sentences were subsequently summoned again and sentenced to long prison terms and/or electronic ankle bracelets.
Lastly, at least THIS school was closed.

Respect!
For taking up the issue.
For not giving up and thus using other means (a movie on the big screen).
For the sensitive handling of a tough topic.
For the often extremely unpleasant, painful, however nevertheless coherent film adaptation of a fantastic script.

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Cool...!

This is a very good film and definitely underrated here on MDL.
If for one thing it doesn't suffer from the usual Chinese cliches. I mean to be over melodramatic, or with a trillion irrelevant subplots for the minor characters, or plagued with political or social messages etc.
I really enjoyed the very good acting, the plot that had plenty of twists, the fast pace, the settings and I was positively surprised by the international cast, ( that should have been credited in the description as well).
Do watch this film and ignore the trailer that is irrelevant and almost made me skip it.

9,5/10

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Pacing issues, but a nice message

LIKE:
The friendships developed due to the love of music.
The message: never give up, believe in yourself and you can achieve anything.
Music score was nice and the repetition was limited for their competition song.
Location shots, lighting, cinematography.

DISLIKE:
Directing: Many overly long pauses or lack of anything happening/being said. Whether delayed reaction or change of scene or someone thinking, all of it was very delayed causing pacing issues. At the end the face of the ML, his expression looked like he was about to take a big poop or die of a heart attack. It didn’t match the moment.

Writing: The coming together at the end, was ridiculous in a few ways, especially the dancing and celebrating being so comedic. That just didn’t fit the atmosphere that was created. Almost like they were ridiculing the efforts of those involved. (Trying not to give a spoiler). The writer tried to create romance with a few characters, but it was just thrown in, especially with those at the end. Had there been more backstory then that could’ve been done, but wasn’t really needed. Very cliche/usual trope with predictable ending.

Production: Shaking camera, which tried to show POV, but it didn’t work or fit.


OVERALL: It was nearly as good as expected, like a bad version of Aogeba Toutoshi. This movie’s teacher had very little impact, even though they tried to make him more human towards the end. Time management became an issue, as noted in my dislikes and that took away from what could’ve developed the story and characters. It was cute, average and not something I will watch again. If this is your first viewing of music/school/youth genre, then I recommend it. If not, I wouldn’t bother watching.

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So Damn Good

Keeping this short and sweet. I randomly started watching this movie and it was devastatingly good! Mind bending, intense, dramatic, heart pumping - all the things! The acting is superb. The story is superb. The direction and production is superb. Layers upon layers of meaning within the story. Each scene unexpected so it keeps you at the edge of your seat. It was a rollercoaster of a movie and I had a blast watching it. I highly recommend. I'm about to go check out the pages of the two leads and see what else they're in because they were both such powerful actors. I want to see what they offer in their other works.

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The world of sleeping

The chilling effect of this movie is very prominent right from the start, setting the threat at the closest person you could ever trust in the most unbelievable way. The acting performances are of course top notch in order to achieve that, even the snoring act was designed precisely to elevate the creepiness of the situation. The storyline buildup was good, the ending though could be better, as the tension control at the end was a little off balance. The way it handles its logical sense was technically ignored as the characters sleep in, and audiences should do the same.

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An unexpected but enjoyable experience.

A unique and distinct story is told by this film. When I started it, I was not aware it would be horror, but these aspects were handled well. If you’re looking for an unguessable but well told story with horror, mystery, and supernatural elements, this may be a good watch for you.

The visual effects were impressively well done, and the sound design very atmospheric and immersive (pun not intended) to complement the well constructed visuals. Overall I’d say the film was very well thought out and as an experience I’d rate it highly. The shots and transitions were also crafted well to fit the pacing and changes that needed to be matched.

Personally, I wouldn’t say I was highly invested in the film character wise, if you’re looking for a character driven experience, probably not the film for you.

What I enjoyed:
- The unique premise involving a VR world modelled to be identical to the real world
- The immersive visual and sound design
- The incorporation of some cultural elements that intertwine with the supernatural elements
- The overall unreadable mystery

What I didn’t enjoy:
- No real feeling of connection or investment with any of the characters
- It wasn’t really a film I would have picked out; I was a captive audience and it was what was available to me

If you’re looking to watch it, good luck to you! I don’t know when it will be widely available and only watched as I had a very long flight with nothing else to be doing.

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Once upon a (badly executed) crime

It's a good movie if you want to pass some time and have nothing better to do.

It starts out very slow and it picks up the pace around 30 min mark.

It's a classic Cinderella story with a twist, instead of a love story, we get a murder story and Red Hood is a detective.

When they were discussing who is the murderer at the ball, it was so funny. He is the murderer because of that. She is the murderer because of that. One solid evidence and you are done even if you didn't do it. And at the end, the King just let them all go home even though they didn't catch the murderer.

What's the point of the story? Well, the story relies on this one plot twist at the end to carry the whole story. It's a good plot twist but something was lacking. The ending felt incomplete. Cinderella was bullied her whole life and then when she trusted one person, it turned out to be a creepy dude. I'm not saying what she did is not wrong but it should have been wrapped up differently. There was no message at the end, just a plot twist.

Beauty is not everything? If they wanted that to be a message, they did a really bad job.

Bum, plot twist, be surprised. They did decent with that.

Overall, it has some fun and interesting moments and the costumes are pretty.

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Well made, but ending is not satisfactory

The overall plot is simple - as shown in trailer. Red Riding Hood plays the role of a detective traveling though a forest, when she comes across Cinderella. Finding something odd about her, Red Riding Hood decides to become part of her adventure for the ball night, en route to which the magic pumpkin carriage runs over a dead man, who turns out to be the royal hairdresser. Once King's security discovers the dead man, a search is initiated to find the murderer. The majority of movie is spent on turning the ballroom night into a closed room murder mystery.

Everything was good. Plot, costumes, cinematography, VFX - everything fit well with the fantasy genre. I just didn't like the ending. I really think Cinderella could have been pardoned by the Prince, or given relatively reduce punishment, for essentially defending herself from a creepy psycho trying to assault her. I didn't get the moral or ethical worldview the movie was trying to pursue.

Apart from the murder mystery, there is little extra content in the plot, except recycled characters from well known stories. Maybe they were trying to go for "true love does not care for external beauty" but it didn't come across well.

It is a decent movie that blends fantasy + mystery. Still unhappy about the ending though.

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Your mind is sick now. You have more choices than you can choose from.

Himizu imo is mostly about nihilism, trauma, and persecutory delusion.
Sumida's distorted outlook on the world perceives an overflow of disastrous consequences if everyone's dreams were to be realized in this small world, that it's okay to not be special, that he shouldn't change the status quo himself and live as if he had never been born; a 'temporary' life.
His familiar trauma through his mother's abandonment and mental illness gives birth to a relentless, stalking monster that grasps at his own mortality, eventually leading him into patricide, vigilantism, self-destruction.

Within this small, monotonous, and confining world, those around him adopt a different mentality. They possess aspirations and the determination to pursue them. Among them is Keiko, a girl in his class, who ardently attempts to shake Sumida from his perilous mindset. Gradually, a transformation ensues as he begins to find purpose in his life - the aspiration to do what is right, for once. Yet, the definition of "right" becomes a complex question. Who holds the moral high ground? Who gets to dictate such judgments?
Sumida's belief in purging the "bad guys" around him stems from his conviction that it will liberate him from his sins and trauma. Obsessed with achieving freedom and reclaiming the image of a virtuous individual, he embarks on extreme measures, driven by a lifetime of self-perceived insignificance.

What I love most about this film is that it ends on a hopeful note rather than its manga counterpart.
However, I will say that despite Sono's captivating directing & the immersive ost, the manga by Minoru Furuya captures this story's themes way better.

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Superb duo and superb action

Extremely brilliant storytelling and highly intense action sequences, the director who got his fame with Kingdom series surely never disappoints with this diplomat ransom storyline. The chemistry between Ha Jung Woo and Ju Ji Hoon is impeccable as their characters went through an oddball collab to rescue the kidnapping of a Korean diplomat in a war torn country. The humor within it is subtle but cleverly implemented, and the action is packed with strong impact as they've made one of the best car fight scenes ever in the Korean cinematic history. The ending is especially tear jerking, mixing with complicated diplomatic relations while stressing the importance of media freedom and democratic society, what a meaningful action movie this is.

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Better than a sleeping pill if you have insomnia

The first ten minutes of 36 Crazy Fists showcased Jackie Chan working with the actors in the movie. To be clear, despite many posters and VHS/DVD covers, he was not in the movie. He was the martial arts director and due to contractual issues was not allowed to act in it. He dodged a bullet.

Wong Tai Kwong is befriended by two Shaolin monks when they rescue him during a fight. Turns out his father had been murdered by the gang for not paying protection money. The two monks talk their sifu into training him so that he can have his revenge. Most of the time Wong does chores and only when a passing drunk fights with him does he learn any kung fu. Eventually, he has to fight two thugs from the gang in duels and finally the Big Bad at the end. That's it. There was a lot of "comedic" subterfuge thrown in but the story was thin even by kung fu standards.

Aside from Ku Feng and maybe Chiang Cheng, everyone else was about as interesting as wallpaper paste. Tony Leung Siu Hung would go on to act in Ip Man. He also became a respected martial arts director, including working on Ip Man. But this was not Ip Man. This was not even a bad Jackie Chan movie. The acting was abysmal and the story was as slow and uninteresting as the fights.

But @Butterfly this was a movie with Jackie Chan as the martial arts director so the fights must have been great-right? Wrong. The fights were s-l-o-w. It was either kung fu posing or a bad kung fu dance off. The fights used many of the same poses over and over occasionally throwing in a back flip or two. The funniest bit in the whole movie was when they sped up Ku Feng having a meltdown and it made me wish I could do the same thing. Or that they would speed the whole movie up and let it be a Chipmunk Martial Arts Movie Special. At least if they'd sped the action up, the fights would have been normal speed. People missed their marks and one stuntman literally rolled under a fighter for him to jump over. The fights were painfully bad.

If the fights, story, and acting weren't bad enough, at one point they sent a prostitute into the monk's bedroom to blackmail him into training Wong. For way too long her bare breasts filled the entire screen as she shook them, and shook them, and shook them. I truly cannot think of one thing to recommend this movie. Unless you are on a mission to see anything Jackie was involved in or fancy watching the bouncing boobies, I'd avoid this disaster.

9/15/23

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