Reviews

SAD STORY

NO SPOILERS (I… think?):
Oh man… I love the story of these two guys. It’s so fricking sad and… Well... Very fast... I am actually sad that there is just only one episode:(( I like literally cried in every single scene. There was A LOT of cute and sad scenes.
SPOILERS:
It obviously wasn’t a slow burn. They are a couple just at the start. The huggies, holding hands, the kisses… Dayum!! I cried a lot when Beom said they should break up… Then he said they should be together again… And then Minha says that they should break up again. Then we have a scene when we know that Minha is missing… WAAAH BUT WHY IS HE MISSING??? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM??? WHY IS IT ONLY ONE EPISODE?????

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I wish i can unwatch it

i watched it and didn't like it first off the ML has a legal wife (Hai Fu Rong [Maid]) Deng Yu Li because she can't birth a child and only a human can birth a child. that is the reason they need a bride. So when the legal wife found out the ML have feelings for FL obviously she went bad shit crazy and tries to kill FL oh just a bit of a spoiler so when a human birth their child they die by turning into dust so yeah they were trying to speed up the birthing process and they did that successfully but because ML give FL his essence she survives. Let's be real the legal wife had all right to kill the FL don't get me wrong but just think of it she married him for 600 years and waited for a kid and for him to love her but ML fell in love with FL, in short, the legal wife never got his love so when she found out ML love FL she becomes jealous and that's why she wanted the girl dead and gone I think when the FL is dead and gone the legal wife taught she could rise the kid with ML and have ML love. Obviously, it didn't play out the way the legal wife planned it to happen anyways this was prue adulterous love which is why i don't like it. I give it 4.5 plot was ok the FL acting was ok but seriously she didn't ask any necessary questions to the ML and don't get me started on how shitty ML is like really he locked her up to keep her safe. oh hell no it would have been better if he had communicated but there was barely any communication it's only to the end that was it revealed that he was the goldfish. if i could i would like to unwatch this but that's impossible. i really hate this i regret watching this if i could unsee this it would be great like i need this movie to be wiped out of my brain right now. I don't like anything linked to an adulterous relationship

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"All this for a sword"

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was epic storytelling and my highest rated wuxia. For this sequel without Ang Lee and being a Netflix release, I lowered my expectations and was not disappointed. Sword of Destiny was smaller in scope and storytelling, but still a fun movie. Yuen Woo Ping shot it like a more traditional wuxia, albeit with a bigger budget. More than that Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen reteamed again (loved them in Wing Chun!), and that was enough to make my martial arts loving heart beat with love.

Yu Shu Lien thought long dead returns to mourn Sir Te and helps his son secure the legendary Green Destiny sword. The evil and ruthless Hades Dai, wants to rule the martial world and is determined to have the Green Destiny for himself. Silent Wolf, whose rumored death was greatly exaggerated puts together a team of five martial artists from the Iron Way to help protect the sword. Thrown into the battle is Snow Vase, a young martial artist who wants the sword to kill Hades Dai and Wei Fang, a young martial artist who works for Hades and has been tasked with stealing the famous sword. They have a connection that will draw them together all under the watchful eye of Shu Lien. While the warriors work together to keep the sword and each other safe, Shu Lien must decide if she can forgive Silent Wolf for his past mistakes.

The movie was only around ninety minutes long and relied heavily on Michelle Yeoh's and Donnie Yen's chemistry. The supporting characters were not given enough time to be fully developed on either the good guys' side or the bad guys', yet they were archetypes from the genre which gave the viewer a shorthand of what to expect from them-the lone warrior, loyal martial artists, a blind witch, ruthless evil fighters, etc. Snow Vase and Wei Fang were the young warriors who had to find their redemption and way along with a little flirting under the guidance of Shu Lien and Silent Wolf.

The fights were all well-choreographed which was to be expected by Yuen Woo Ping. Was there high-flying action? It was a wuxia, so you betcha! Whether it was Michelle fighting an ambush in the forest, Donnie nonchalantly taking out a gang of hotheads at a tavern, or a spectacularly filmed fight on a thawing frozen lake, they were all outstanding thanks to Michelle and Donnie's experience. Michelle still had a quickness and fluidity that made her captivating to watch. Donnie brought a playfulness and solemnity to his fights depending on the opponent. Watching these two veterans fight back-to-back brought me sheer joy. I loved that there was a tower for the final battle. It brought back memories of Cheng Pei Pei (Jade Fox) having to confront the bad guys with their tower in one of her old movies. And the ubiquitous outdoor tavern from many an old kung fu movie was the perfect setting for the audience to meet Silent Wolf and the Iron Way fighters.

Michelle Yeoh has a regal bearing and elegance that cannot be duplicated. Her expressive face and voice pull you into her character. Only she could make a line like "You will not find it there nor take it from here" believable. Much has been made of the movie being filmed in English and later dubbed with Mandarin. Selfishly, I'm happy it was. There was ferocious backlash over Michelle's accented Mandarin in the original. I tried watching the dubbed version of Sword of Destiny but the professional Mandarin voice actress sounded incredibly generic and flat, sapping all the energy and nuance out of Yeoh's performance. I find Michelle's voice acting essential to her performance and was relieved to hear it in the English version. Maybe it was the wig or makeup but Donnie has never looked better or more romantic than in this film. And as you would expect of him, he handled the fight scenes splendidly. Harry Shum gave a complex performance as the young warrior at a crossroads in his life. The weakest performance of the main characters was Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Snow Vase. This appeared to be her first role and it showed. Finally, Jason Scott Lee made for a sinister villain, even if he wasn't given much to do. This was a Chinese and Hollywood/Netflix amalgam, and an international one at that, with actors from Malaysia, Hong Kong, the USA, Australia, China, Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam. How you feel about a multi-national cast in a kung fu staple may affect your viewing pleasure.

For me, I can look at this film as completely separate from the original. It was not a perfect film, but for the genre it was quite good, I've watched my share of terrible ones. It did take some time to alter my perception of it being in English and not Mandarin or Cantonese, which did take away the authentic feel to it. There was a bit of cheese in it, but the original had its share, too, most wuxias do. The cinematography was nice, fights were solid, the scenery was beautiful, the OST felt integral to the story, aside from that ugly green sword-the props, sets and costumes were excellent, and most of the acting was acceptable to exemplary. Most of all it entertained me. I have watched this film numerous times and still enjoy it upon each viewing. I'm able to watch Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen once again fighting side by side which makes this a winner in my book.

8/4/23

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Perfeito.

Não tenho palavras para descrever o que estou sentindo. Não sei se tenho palavras o suficiente para demonstrar como meu coração está despedaçado, mas ao mesmo tempo quentinho. Que Filme sensacional, incrível, maravilhoso, perfeito, indescritível, uma bomba de emoções e sentimentos. Um amor tão puro, forto, intenso e incondicional. Uma verdadeira obra de arte, um verdadeiro romance. Será que um dia alguém me amara assim?? Será que um dia amareu alguém assim?? Não importa, fico transbordando felicidade apenas apreciando romances como este.
Espero que Bo-ra, com este final, possa finalmente seguir sua vida e ser feliz, como ela merece por ser uma protagonista explendida. Tenho certeza que era isso que o Woo-ho queria.
Em outra vida, espero que dê certo, esse amor tão improvável, mas tão inspirador.

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A short masterpiece

This is a short film where Go Min Si most probably was told to tell a gripping story in less than four minutes and my oh my this girl nailed is!

With very few words this short film shows us love, joy, angst, pain, and more... (not gonna spoil these 3:16 minutes)

The music may not be a pleasure to hear but it setts the mood perfectly, the subs are kind of bad but it does not affect the way the story is conveyed anyway as the pictures pretty much say most of it and even when the translation is awful the message is still clear from the context.

This of course only scratches the surface of the issues it is trying to convey but does seem to fit in a lot more in 3:16 minutes than some full length dramas do.

I watched it out of curiosity when I saw the title under Go Min Sis credits as Screenwriter & Director, and as you can see I was pretty impressed.

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A japanese "Clockwork Orange"?

The movie is a little weird and i love out-of-the-box movies. The gang of the pantie’s "ninjas", the cult of the zero church (zero must symbolizes the number of synapses of the members), even the question of faith and lust, misandry, and so on…
The almost 4 hours does not matter, the story can carry on with different layers…

STORY – lots of intertwined stories in one.
ACTING – I think it was the best of the movie. Wonderful!
MUSIC – not bad but will not remain in my mind except one or two.
REWATCH – some of the crazy and funny scenes yes!
OVERALL - I do not know what to expect because humans can be worse than people think, and reality is more creative than fiction. So maybe the characters could behave like they did. But that is not as important to the movie. The ending is ok, especially the last scene.
But, reading the reviews and watching the movie after… I was trying to discover the masterpiece that was mentioned and all the accolades that were written. I could not find any…
Do not know if a comparison is due, but Clockwork Orange is much much better in addressing some of the themes of this movie and the atmosphere.
Funny, interesting but noooooooooooo, not a masterpiece nor a 10 star!!!
I do not mind when someone gives 10 stars to a show, but do not use technical terms of words like masterpiece. It is not true, mainly in Japanese filmography that is amazing!

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This is a great uncomplicated Chinese movie. Perfect for a little downtime.

This movie is not too complicated and has just enough romance to perk up a Saturday by yourself.

Quote: Many years later, they meet again. "It's not that I've fallen in love again. In reality, I've never stopped loving you." From the movie All These Years.

Sun Qian Actress (A Robot in the Orange Orchard)
Zhang Xin Cheng Singer Actor (Skate to Love)

Country girl lost in the big city after she comes to town to attend boarding school. She was top of her class at home. However, now thrust into a situation where she is among all the top students from all areas, she feels lost, intimated, and alone. She feels pressured to achieve, that is until she meets a suave popular rich boy who takes a liking to her and he takes her under his wing. This movie has great cinematography and a captivating storyline.

Thoughts from the movie

One significant thing that is highlighted in this movie is the elevation in worth of males over females by parents and grandparents in this Chinese culture.

The movie takes place in 2003 and 2019.

These two actors satellite each other perfectly, creating a perfect alignment of lovers. Both male and female leads give notable performances.

It is always funny how many people who have money say that they don’t need it.
He is totally sophisticated and cultured and she is so unworldly-wise.

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Good

This is quite an interesting movie. The plot was quite unique which I have never seen before. The idea that one person can manipulate another person like this was really exciting to see.

Several cases are presented and I must say that I was even surprised at some of them. The actors did a solid job, even if some overacted a bit. I really liked Matsuzaka Tori. He really did a great job portraying his character and I really enjoyed his character. He was actually the best thing in this movie. The other characters were not as interesting to me. I wanted to know more about Matsuzaka Tori character. I also liked the ending.

Overall, I can say that the movie is worth watching.

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Worst than the first one

I like Azumi character and i try to like the movie. It is ok for a dull afternoon or a rainy night...
my review is almost the same as the review of the first Azumi movie.

STORY – the story is the continuation of the first one, but not as interesting. Power struggle between 2 factions. The notion of honour and personal sacrifice for a better collective outcome. Tenkai against Sanada. Doppelganger Nashi and filthy and ugly adversaries to the astonishing beautiful and sexy Azumi.
ACTING – did not like Azumi’s fighting scenes and the adversaries were less interesting than the first movie. The choreography was boring for me, and I prefer samurai movies than marvel superheroes…

MUSIC – I really did not pay attention, so I think it was not so special to me. The ending music was good.

REWATCH – I do not think I will. Mostly because the fight scenes were not good enough and the plot was not so dense.

OVERALL – the end of the story, with boring choreography and characters.

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A B, better, C movie...

I love Martial arts and Samurai movies, mangas and anime!
I wanted so much to like this one…

STORY – the story is very good. Power struggle between 2 factions. The notion of honour and personal sacrifice for a better collective outcome.
Azumi is one of 10 amazing assassins trained in a remote mountain for a mission of preventing a war. She is gorgeous, the best of them and was chosen to accomplish the mission of killing 3 war lords. And there it goes…
ACTING – some of the actors were skilled and agile. Azumi was not the best of them, I think this movie lacked good choreography and it lacked good athletes and performers in the fight scenes…

MUSIC – I really did not pay attention, so I think it was not so special to me.

REWATCH – I do not think I will. Mostly because the fight scenes were not good enough and the plot was not so dense.

OVERALL – I am European, so I thought the Arnold movie Commando was the one where more people were killed. I think this surpasses that one, with not so good choreography or acting. There are some interesting characters and that’s it.
In 2003 there are excellent technology and choreographers. Maybe they were on vacation...

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If Only My High School Love Story Ended Like This Too

- Movie contains slight explicit scene, but no nudity.

STORY: Personally, I loved the story. I loved how it ended too. Maybe because I experienced something similar when I was in school? Anyways, I really liked how heartwarming this movie was. I wouldn't say it was a rollercoaster of emotions, but rather a slow-burning car ride. I didn't know how it would end, but I was definitely rooting for them. Just like life, you know? You don't know how it ends but you hope for the best. And as you wait, it just reveals to an ending fitting for you. It's the same for this film. Li Ran and Jianxia's story would be something most of us would hope to happen to us. When we fall in love with someone, and a sudden event leads us to be separated from them, most of the time we'd hope to see them again. And some of us would also wish that whatever we had would be revived, no matter how many years have passed. This film perfectly captures that feeling, and it's reflected so clearly in Jianxia's character. Most of all, I love how both of them developed. Yes, Jianxia may be your typical female lead, and Li Ran is most definitely the ideal man out there -- someone that waits for you (over 12 years!) and would still love you no matter how much you try to push him away. Very dreamy, really. In my opinion, this film could be seen as an 'escape from reality', as it ended so beautifully (I was smiling, grinning even, from ear to ear when Li Ran said that Jianxia should pay for their honeymoon), and gives us space to reflect on our own love stories. In life, it can end one way or another. And this film somewhat created a feeling that encapsulated the concept of getting the best outcome, the one we all want.

Another thing I liked was that aside from it's ideal romance, it sheds light on problems that occur in real life too. Take Jianxia's relationship with her family. Being born as the eldest (and as a girl nonetheless) is a tough job. On top of that, she's constantly compared to her 'good-for-nothing' little brother, who is clearly adored more because he's... well, he's a boy. No matter how much she strives for excellence, her family, especially her mother, will always have something snarky to say. Even in the present day, when she comes back home due to her father's declining health, the home setting is structured to make her feel like a guest and not an actual family member. When Susu frames her and spreads a malicious rumor that she and Li Ran slept together in the hotel, her mother blames everything on her, and is not willing to trust her, let alone listen to her side of the story. Growing up with that kind of environment has been suffocating her, making her a bit more spiky on the outside.

On the other hand, Li Ran's family isn't doing too well either. He is constantly abused by his father, and when Jianxia's mother met up with Li Ran's stepmother at school because of the rumored incident, it is seen that his stepmother could care less for his own good. Despite being born into wealth, there's no particular safe place for Li Ran aside from his grandfather (who soon passes), and being beside Jianxia. And in the present day, Li Ran is now in debt. This part reminded me of the fact that we really do not have full control of what may happen in the future. Yes, you may be rich now, but you could lose all of that overnight. The scene where Li Ran reluctantly downed the glass of alcohol while Jianxia holds his hand was painful to watch. Nonetheless, I loved the fact that he never stopped loving her. His dialogues touched me deeply, and it made me wish that my own high school love story would have ended like it.

ACTING/CAST: Acting was superb. Appearance-wise, I liked the fact that both actors naturally embodied their parts. Their acting was beautiful too. I loved the selection of the cast too. Jianxia's family, especially her mother, also gave life to the truth girls face in families like hers. Every one in the cast served.

MUSIC: The music didn't really affect me, but the main theme was so fitting for the movie! It was like the cherry on top, and made the film even better. It just gave the exact feeling of seeing an old friend-turned-lover after so many years, or the same feeling of being with someone after a long time of ups-and-downs that just make up a really foggy future. I love it.

REWATCH VALUE: Personally, I do love a good story that stems from youth to adulthood (like the Reply Series). It's endearing, heartwarming, and comforting to see these dramas, since we all go through those stages. I like watching these and reflect on my own journey in life afterwards.

OVERALL: I highly recommend this film. I think it's become one of my comfort films now. I still can't get over the confession scene in the end.. God, when is it my turn? 😫😭

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A decent sequel to a decent movie

I quite enjoyed "Fantasy Magician" and this sequel is also quite nice.
You can really feel the low budget in how the story's quite small scale, not many locations, not many characters etc.
But that's fine - what's there actually looks surprisingly good. The props, costumes even the CG are solid.
The movie's also genuinely scary in places (especially at the beginning), it's well done horror.
Yeah, I'm not sure why I was surprised, but it's pretty neat. (again.)

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Warning: Anime Onlies Stay Back!

Right off the bat let me just advise those that are watching the anime and have not read the manga to skip this movie. Aside from the fact that more than half of the movie is a spoiler, there are many differentiations. I have not read the manga. Kept saying I was going to and never did. I don't know which adaptation is closer to the manga if either are. However, there were scenes I was looking forward to that were skipped and character changes that are unclear to me. l will probably make some slight comparisons to the anime without giving details. If that's ok with you, read on.

For those who have no clue about Zom 100 here's a better synopsis: Akira Tendou graduated college and lands a job in his dream company. Unbeknownst to Tendou-kun, this dream company is a exploitive and treat their employees horribly. A year later the once effervescent, happy go lucky Tendou is but a shell of his former self. Without the courage to quit he lives each day dreading his job until one morning a zombie apocalypse hits and while people are running in fear Tendou is running with joy in his heart because he never has to report to that job again. The now happy Tendou has a new lease on a life and begins his bucket list of things to do before he becomes a zombie. That's it in a nutshell.

Although the anime is only on episode 3, I admit I think it's better than this movie. The movie tries to pack in too much information and moves too fast. Because of this I think little things are lost, especially some of the laughs. For instance Tendou and Kencho's escape from the roof is cut. It's completely different and no where near as amusing as it is in the anime. A few of the characters have been tweaked and or changed for reasons unknown. Honestly, I thought the Zom100 live action was a series not a movie. I would never have watched it. Even as a movie it shouldn't have outpaced the anime the way it does. They should've either held it's release or made a 2 part movie. The production quality was ok for Japan. One day I have hope that they will stop their traditionally bad habit of filming through yellow lenses. To me it cheapens their movies. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of Japanese directors that can command the budgets to film how they want and the director of Zom100 is not one of them. The makeup and special efx were pretty good. The ending was little too condensed for lack of a better word. (To be true there are a plethora of better words but at 2:30am my brain is refusing to tell them to me.) It's as if the director is saying 'we're hoping for a part 2, but if not at least it's an ending.' The thing is Zom 100 is still being published. No one knows the ending except the mangaka, maybe.

The cast was good enough...I guess. To be honest I don't feel like we got to know them well enough. Don't get me wrong Akaso Eiji was very good as Tendou, but I just didn't care about his friends. They didn't give us the backstory or the development needed to care about them. Had they not changed the end of how Tendou and Kencho escape the zombie's we would have had more background on Kencho and learned much more of his personality. At the end when Kencho reveals his dream, it comes out of no where because they skipped everything that would have let the viewer know this fact about him. Make sense? (Sometimes not using spoilers is a difficult thing.) Here's one thing that was just asinine: they changed the college sport Tendou and Kencho played in college from rugby to American football. No offense to Akaso, but he's way too scrawny to be a lineman. My grandma could blow him away and she died 30 years ago. It made me chuckle when he said it and it really made me giggle when they showed a flashback. Little leaguers are more buff than Akaso. Mind you there's a tackle scene that looks pretty damn good, but it's obviously a stuntman. Granted, rugby probably wouldn't have worked either due to this actor's build. They probably should've changed the sport to hockey, soccer, or flag football maybe.

The music is eh. It wasn't used as artfully as it could and should have been. I have no intentions of watching this again. I may re-watch a scene or 2, but there was nothing in this that excited me and made me want to see it again.

If this was a theatre, I'd tell you save your money. Since it's on Netflix, all I can say is watch the anime. Three episodes of the anime are more entertaining than 2 hours of this movie. At least wait so you don't spoil things for yourself. As an adaptation of a story I'm enjoying, this movie gets a 4.5-5. As a stand alone movie. I'd say 6 to 6.5 and that's generous.

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