Reviews

Noteworthy watch

Felt a bit lacking in the storyline though. There are parts in the movie that weren't explained well might be because of time constraints and I have yet to read the novel/book so I was kinda lost especially on the ending.
But genre-wise, it gives off horror/thriller/suspense vibes. Worth a watch! Worthy of a rewatch too~

Joshua Garcia proves that he can't only act in a love team but as an individual entity in a movie. The acting on all the casts is not cringed at all. Also noting the Director is Chito Roño, you can't say anything wasteful in the entire movie.

Also must read the book too after watching the movie as it gives me a lot of questions of How's and Why's T_T

Read More

"Deep Ocean" is the kind of film that demands attention to grasp all its nuances. Not only because it's a short film, but also because the scenes don't unfold in chronological order.

It subtly touches upon recurring themes related to romantic interests. We ponder why some people cling to relationships that are destined to fail, why some continue to love those who don't reciprocate their feelings, why it's so challenging to move on, and why others feel the need to be hurtful in their rejection.

Towards the end, I found myself wondering if the protagonist had managed to set aside his emotions. Did he bury them deep within himself to move forward? I like to believe that he will be able to move on, not forgetting this teenage love, but rather gaining a deeper understanding of who he is, a talented swimmer among other things.

To conclude, the short film has potential, it's not bad, it just didn't take me away emotionally.

Read More

REALLY GOOD MOVIE!!! I was so surprised tbh

Welcome to 2023, people. Mainland China has been dumping out a bunch of shitty dramas (well, as they always have), so I was skeptical of this movie at first because, well, the leads are known for their dramas. But this really blew me away. Of course, there is room for improvement, but any casual movie watcher that is a romantic at heart will surely enjoy this. Steven Zhang's acting is just phenomenal, he keeps getting better. The story flows well and doesn't overdramatize anything or put too many slow-motion scenes or anything like that. I was so invested throughout the whole movie. We've got character development, we've got vulnerability, we've got realistic depictions of "toxic" characters, we've got storylines related to not-romantic stuff like dysfunctional families and the patriarchy and how Asian parents don't know how to express their love for their children, WE'VE GOT IT ALL. THIS IS THE ONE. I haven't really been following mainland entertainment, but I believe this movie has been out for quite a bit. I don't think it's receiving the popularity it deserves SO LETS SUPPORTTTT!! Honestly, this needs to BLOW. UP. THIS IS A GOOD, SENSIBLE FREAKING MOVIE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S JUST OUT AND GONE LIKE THIS.

The only complaints I have are that Sun Qian, the lead actress' voice sounds a liiiittle too high-pitched for her character, and the timing of the music was odd in some places. Like, some areas of the movie could use music, but they didn't put music there. But these are just nitpicky details that do not tarnish this film's value AT ALL. If you're skeptical, WATCH IT. Maybe you won't end up loving it, but you surely won't end up hating it.

Read More

"It's not that I've fallen in love again. I've never stopped loving you."

All These Years is a beautiful film about two young people finding the very best version of love and helping each other grow through life's hardships, family's expectations, distance and time.

The script is tight, coherent. Beautifully sad and hopeful at the same time. The characters well rounded with very real problems based on actual contemporary issues, such as social classes and expectations based on gender, which makes it even more heartbreaking. You understand the decisions they are making are the best option for each other, even if it means being apart. Still, their love always makes them cheer for the other to become the best version of themselves.

Sun Qian and Zhang Xin Cheng's chemistry in INSANE. Like, DAMN! Not once I didn't believe in their performances or the story they were telling me. They carried the entire film flawlessly. Bravo.

I enjoyed every single minute of this film right up to the end, which left me with a chuckle and the biggest smile.

Read More

Not everyone is as they seem...

The Swift Knight was an engaging wuxia starring Lo Lieh, Chin Han, and Margaret Hsing Hui. Most of the main characters were shrouded in secrecy and none were who they appeared to be. Two lost royal heirs drew everyone to them like a magnet, those who wanted to save them and those who wanted kill them. They only had to gamble with their lives to figure out who was on their side.

Lo Lieh played the titular character, the Swift Knight. He robbed from the rich and sometimes the suave vagabond gave to the poor. While at a brothel one night the virginal Xian Qin caught his eye, inducing him to offer a down payment, promising to come back with the rest of the money that night. Chin Han, dressed as a beggar, also sought to take Xian Qin away from the brothel, though without paying. Perennial bad guy Wang Hsieh, who had more costume changes than a beauty pageant contestant was after the young woman, too. He wanted to take her away from the brothel—to execute her. The rest of the story involved a number of sword fights and horse chases all in lieu of seeing who would end up with the lass and her younger brother.

The story of political intrigue and secret identities was a familiar formula but entertaining nonetheless. Lo Lieh had the perfect charisma to play the shady Robin Hood. If I have one complaint about the movie it's that Lo wasn't used enough and he's such a dynamic actor that he makes even small scenes seem bigger. Chin Han gave a rather one note performance as the beggar hiding an honorable identity. Fan Mei Sheng as the constable who knew too much and was on the run with the little group provided levity without sliding into slapstick territory. Margaret Hsing Hui didn't give the greatest performance but was able to convey her character's reticence about living a royal life, especially after she had fallen in love with the Swift Knight. Wang Hsieh never met scenery he didn't want to chew and made for the perfect villainous foil for the good guys.

This was one of those rare Shaw Brothers movies which showed the care and forethought that was put into the script and settings. For a low budget martial arts movie, it had a scenic depth to it and didn't look like it was shot on a small sound lot. Flashbacks were bathed in vibrant blue or red. Well-developed characters made for a compelling story. In a martial arts film, complex characters you can care about give the fights higher stakes. Lau Kar Wing and Chan Chuen choreographed several fluid fights with plenty of dismembered arms and blood, though not the artery spewing type that would become popular in a few years. Most of the action was sword fighting although the baddies as always used some sinister weapons in addition to swords. Because it was a wuxia there was classic light body leaping. Instead of the old school filming in reverse, the wire work used was smooth and graceful, no flailing of arms, and happily I couldn't see the wires.

Director Cheng Chang Ho pushed the envelope for a SB film and gave it a hint of artistic flare, something often missing from this low budget genre. He even gifted the audience with a proper ending instead of the oft used freeze frame in mid-scene during the final fight! The Swift Knight had interesting characters, an intriguing story, and entertaining fights. For a fan of 1970's martial arts movies, what else could you ask for?

6/26/23

Read More

"I don't understand"

The Three Swordsmen had an excellent cast-Andy Lau, Brigitte Lin, and Elvis Tsui as the titular swordsmen. And that's pretty much it. I have watched a number of old kung fu movies with convoluted plots, but this one took the cake. When a character made the comment, "I don't understand," I wanted to say, you and me both dude.

Andy Lau played "Smiling Sam"/Siu Sam Siu one of the three best swordsmen in the country. He was tied with "Blade" Wham Dao (Elvis Tsui) whose skills had earned him a place commanding the military. Most perplexing was Brigitte Lin as Ming Kim/Ming Jian who was not cross-dressing but actually playing a married man with a child and dubbed with a man's voice. Siu was framed for theft, rape, and murder. And that's about as much as I can tell you. He steals a man's wife. Falls in love with someone else. Ming helps him out or so he says. Wham discerns that something else is afoot, but palace and other politics preclude him from investigating the case as he would wish.

The fights were ridiculously dreadful. The director enjoyed filming too close or at odd angles obscuring much of the action. Yuen Bun and Tony Leung Siu Hung could usually be counted on for entertaining fight choreography, not in this film. The wire work and light body super leaping were comically bad. There was an awkward duel in the trees and over water predating CTHD and Hero, but were a prime example of how valuable good direction and cinematography are. Siu had his Invisible Whirlwind technique which belonged on a Saturday morning kids' show. He could also decapitate and disarm opponents with his clothes. One woman like a white-haired witch could defeat opponents with her hair. She even paused during a fight to breast feed her child.

The film was not pleasing to look at, the framing and cinematography were subpar. The pacing was erratic. And seriously, why would they dub Brigitte Lin of all people with a man's voice? It didn't appear to be done satirically. You know a story is confusing when characters have to stop and repeatedly dump pages of complicated and baffling exposition on the audience. It also felt like half the cast was playing the movie for laughs, especially Lau. Lin and Tsui were deadly serious along with a few other characters. I wondered if two writers wrote different parts of the story separately and then tried to do a mash-up of them.

The Three Swordsmen could have been so bad it was good. I found it so bad as to be annoying. The only good thing about the movie is that it was only 86 minutes long.

6/26/23

Read More

Action packed

And I mean literally!

First, let's deal with the important stuff. Hyun Bin was MADE for action roles! That still, quiet, buff, piercing eyes guy...quite effective. I couldn't get over how thin his face was and how sharp his jawline was!!

The action was pretty much non-stop and it was very well done. I vacillated between practically jumping out of my chair and covering my eyes. Really good fight scenes and the car chases were excellent, whether they were in a car or chasing a car on foot.

This was my first time seeing anything that Yoo Hae Jin was in, and I loved him as the South Korean cop. Always in trouble and work and at home, he had that run down look about him. He and Hyun Bin were magic together, going from distrust to brother.

I know most people thought the story line with the sister-in-law was funny, but I was just embarrassed for her. Thankfully, that didn't go on too long.

I'm going to need to recover and then watch the second one!

Read More

It was sweet but also short and confusing

The movie is quite short, so everything seems a bit rushed at times. I know it’s supposed to cover events that mostly happen over the span of a bit more than 24h with some extra scenes later on, but it still a lot of things that they tried to squeeze in. There have a been quite a few scenes that left me confused on what is happening exactly or what do they mean.

I found the couple, Min Soo and Seok Yi, absolutely adorable. I really liked their interactions, the little touches and looks. They were hiding who they truly are to one another, but you could tell if you looked closely. I also liked the fact that the two are an already established couple who has joint plans for the future. Ones that they have previously discussed and have also discussed during the movie. Their conversations actually had meaning to them. And their chemistry is amazing! For an older Korean BL, I was quite surprised how passionate the two were with one another and how much they showed on screen.

The side characters, side “couple”, left me mostly confused. I don’t really think they brough much to the story. Things wouldn’t be much different if they left the two out.

Read More

NOT a BL but a proper queer movie

I find it important to make it clear that this is not a formulaic BL aimed at a (mostly) female audience, who enjoy watching pretty men get it on. Yes, men fall in love in this movie and yes, there are sex scenes, but this is where the similarities to BL end.

This movie explores gay relationships and gay life in today's Japan without being overly dramatic, but also without any of the "Love is Love and it'll all be good in the end"-sugar coating we see in most BLs.

During the Q&A session at a film festival, the director Matsunaga Daishi said that he deliberately cast queer (amateur) actors in some roles (eg. Kosuke's friend group) to further LGBTQ representation.

Suzuki Ryohei is simply stunning in his portrayal of Kosuke. He manages with sometimes minimalistic expressions or what should be mundane tasks, such as drawing in his eyebrows, to portray a man, who has learned to navigate a world which is hardly accepting of the LGBTQ community. A man, who has armored himself with success and a seemingly hard shell, but who shows vulnerability and his true self in places and among people he knows he is welcome.

The movie isn't perfect. There are aspects of Kosuke's and Ryuta's relationship I wish it had explored in more depth, but it is impactful and (as I said before) Suzuki Ryohei's performance alone makes it very much worth a watch.

Read More

might be triggering...

My Broken Mariko is a visually stunning Japanese film that explores complex themes like mental health, grief, and redemption. The story follows Tomoyo as she travels across Japan to deliver the ashes of her best friend, Mariko, amidst the struggles of her painful past.

Through the visually striking imagery and outstanding performances, the audience is transported into Tomoyo's emotionally-charged world.

The music is thoughtfully composed and helps to create a vivid atmosphere, heightening the emotional impact of each scene.

Overall, My Broken Mariko is a journey of self-discovery and redemption that serves as a reminder of the human capacity for resilience and the importance of accepting help from others. The main reason why I can't give it a higher rating is because it has a low rewatch value because of triggering themes.

Read More

Refreshingly Heartbreaking

I know my headline doesn't make sense at all. But for me it does. The story was refreshingly good because I didn't expect the plot twist at all! I thought it was a typical boy-crush-bestfriend-fighting -a for-a-boy type of story. It was heartbreaking but one way or another one has to experience heartache in one lifetime.
I have to warn the viewers that this movie is a tear-jerker and has its moments as far as cinematography is concerned as the movie's time plot headed to the 20th century. As someone who recently experienced a great loss, I broke down in the end. Although I was hopeful that just like in the movie, after 15 years, the aching and the heartbreak from a loss would get better over time. It doesn't go away. That gaping hole will forever be in the heart of the one who was left behind.
The story was good, and the movie left a certain feel-good emotion after. So I have to recommend this movie.

Read More

Your average Horror (Comedy) movie

Pwera Usog is a movie I could consider a Horror-Comedy, utilizing the 'surprise factor' of a typical horror story among others. The comedy part comes comes mostly from how the actors acted their respective characters.

The story of Pwera Usog uses a lot of flashbacks to drive the main story forward. With this, the story is able to connect its characters which is probably the most enjoyable part of the story. Even the side characters, Jean's friends, especially Val, is tied to the flashback. I like that. However, Val's potential as a character stopped as soon as the story behind her character is revealed. Poor Val is not even included in the epilogue. The climax of the story is worth to mention though. The cliche "main character saves the day" gives Jean her redeeming moment when she was able to save Luna by sacrificing her self to let Luna leave and live. This also gives Quintin an opening to finally make things right and start thinking for himself, being able to save Jean on time, contrary to what happened with his mother, and at the same time, being able to finally decide for himself. As for Sherwin? Well, I do believe he is more there for comedic relief.

One other character I could consider to have contributed to the comedic part of the story is Quintin's mother, played by Aiko Melendez. Actually, her mere presence contributed a lot to it. I do believe that Aiko's character is supposed to be a serious one but the way she acted made the character unserious, in a way.

I don't think I could rewatch this in full ever again. Nothing extraordinary, definitely your average horror (comedy) supernatural film.

Read More