Lighthearted yet hard-punching comedy
This is a nice and simple romantic comedy. It’s lighthearted and funny (even a bit silly at times). I liked the angle of the fathers setting up their kids so they could meet naturally and not by forcing a marriage onto them (which is actually the aim). That was refreshing.Character wise:
FL is a smart and intelligent woman who grew up knowing her father would have liked her to be a boy. She is the sole heir of the family business.
ML is a smart, rough and temperamental young man who is the son of the current CEO in the family business but not the sole heir.
Acting wise this is pretty good and the main actors do a good job even if the story has a more comical aspect that doesn’t leave them that much room to shine.
Anyway, if you are into something light, funny and a little romantic, this is a nice watch.
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worth waiting and worth watching!
Actually, I don't like watching Korean movies. Especially the movies that often end with an opening ending. And I feel like they show the scenes very quickly. I really don't like being left as a puzzle in my brain. But this movie is different. It's different. At the beginning of the story, the scenes seem fast, but later on, things get really good. It's a good movie with a mixture of comedy, emotion and warmth. IU's cute and funny acting, Park Seo Joon's funny face and good acting, warm stories of side characters and all of that can be shown in a 2-hour story, so I appreciate it. I waited for almost 3 years and it's a good movie worth the time I waited for.Was this review helpful to you?
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stop use animals in movies!
even here play a legend i can't give it 10 stars jus bc of it! yeah Jackie is a legend ok ,he is a very powerful actor and martial artist but i don't support movies where they use animals and specially in action scenes ...firster u can watch it and think "wow that's cool they so wonderful manage all it " but then u see how suffering animal , u see the pain or fear in his eyes ... no matter how computer technologies are good nowadays u can't hide real emotions or deleted them thro Photoshop ! so.. that movie bring me sadness while i watch it..too bad they use animals in movies! u can see how bad the horse looks, the ribs are visible and he is clearly afraid (episode) when he is attacked by a group of people with axes .. I don’t think that the animal is the same actor that can perfectly convey emotions when it is needed ! animals are not humans! it is a pity that the public organization for the protection of animals is not looking anywhere to that ! it's a pity that people stupidly exploit animals for profit! no matter what u say, but best of all, real feelings are conveyed by the eyes of animals ... the horse is clearly not comfortable with all this that was in the episode, even though he was trained for certain commands .. and remember guys ,one day will no animal in this world bc of u who's support to use them in movies! and one day someone gonna treat ur animal for bad if y support something like that ! ..i read how they ( directors and some animal org) lie to journalist that "no one animal was harmed or die) but the truth is in a lot of movies a lot of animals already was harmed bc of no water no food for them or some action / no accurate scenes ...all u can find in Google and some big companies who's must protect the animals and check in every movie with them * that they are all treated well , they ain't do it and trynna hide the fact that some animal died bc of humans action ! it's horrible! untill u don't stop it it's never end ...animals matter in this world same as humans ! same as " black lives matter "or whatever what matter ! so ppl be a humans ! don't forget that without animals u can't live! u must care about them but not use or kill !Was this review helpful to you?
See Hear Love: Mienakute mo Kikoenakute mo Aishiteru
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Best Love Story
Manga artist Shinji Izumoto has secured a movie deal. He should be celebrating, but he's going blind, his manga series has been canceled, and he can no longer care for his grandmother. All alone, Shinji makes the devastating decision to jump off a balcony. When Hibiki Aida, a deaf fan of his, saves Shinji, they begin an unusual life together.The best love story that I think, due to the fact Tomohisa Yamashita and Yûko Araki have a strong chemistry in this story.
A manga artist, Tomohisa Yamashita lost his eye sight and a beautiful cute woman Yûko Araki. A simple story, but beneath it has a meaning of a strong bonded relationship. It is incredible that I cannot stop and take break; it makes you wanted to continue watching it until it ends.
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"No need for a good man"
An Empress and the Warriors was a lushly shot film set during the warring kingdoms that tried to take flight but tumbled to earth due to lack of a compelling story. A warrior turned doctor attempted to show an empress the world in his high-flying ride only for her to be drawn back into her old life.The Kingdoms of Yan and Zhao have been in a generations old war with each other. During a battle the Yan emperor is struck with an arrow and bequeaths his kingdom to his trusted general, Muyong Xue Ha (Donnie Yen). When it looks like the move will create a civil war he gives the crown to the emperor's daughter, Yan Feier (Kelly Chen). Her vile cousin, Hu Ba (Guo Xiao Dong) stirs the court saying the emperor can neither be an orphan like Xue Ha or a woman like Feier. Feier promises to train as a warrior to be worthy of her title. Hu Ba hires a lethal gang of assassins and sets them after Feier. After being shot with a poisonous dart, she is saved by warrior turned doctor Duan Lan Quan (Leon Lai). Feelings spark but she has to go home to protect the country.
After battling the Zhao again, she abdicates the throne to Muyong and races back to Duan. Despite her previous speeches about the needs of the people, she makes the whiplash inducing decision to take care of her own needs instead. While floating in a magic balloon with her lover, her actions result in a disaster for the stability of the kingdom.
The movie was beautifully shot with plenty of iconic scenery for the battle and training montages as well as the romantic montages all overlaid with emotionally swelling music. So many montages. The military armor looked glorious in the well-choreographed battle and fight scenes. Duan's elaborate tree house felt summoned out of a fairytale or a movie set in Sherwood Forest. The movie's appearance was stunning. Unfortunately, the love triangle was wobbly at best and the grand romance felt forced and short-tracked, lacking in chemistry. Chen was more believable as the fierce warrior a la Mulan than the pouty princess. The writers did her a disservice by having her running back and forth between love and duty especially for someone who constantly commented on her commitment to her people. Yen made the most of his supporting role and stood out in his armor even though it kept him from his usual acrobatic fighting. Guo was saddled with few scenes and being cast as the stereotypical greedy villain who desired the throne over the good of the people. Leon Lai's love interest came across as bland and more than a little preachy.
If the writers had not made the empress appear so flighty in her emotions and loyalty it would have been a much stronger film for me. She ultimately embraces her role and duty but even then, it was when she had so few choices left. They missed out on creating a courageous female character of greater depth and wisdom. In the place of writing a compelling and consistent female lead, the writers gave us battle after battle, and montage after montage. An Empress and the Warriors kept the action full throttle throughout the film creating an exciting ride if not a memorable or magical one.
6/15/23
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The nostalgia felt a bit forced
I was really exited to watch this, simply because of the cover. I expected a funny nostalgic 80s movie with lots of action and comedy.And if you only look at the visuals, thats exactly what you get. But it doesnt feel natural.. It kinda feels as if they added every single detail that screams '80s' onto one big pile. And beneath all of that is a halfhearted storyline. I didnt watch it until the very end, simply because i got bored and because it was really underwhelming.
Having said that, if you like 80s nostalgia, you should definetly have a look and not be let down be the reviews. Who knows? Maybe you will like it. And its definetly worth it for the visuals!
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Whisked away to an otherworldly island
I honestly wasn't sure how to rate this movie since I have a lot of criticism about it, yet at the same time it does a good job at being entertaining within the confines of its possibilities.The movie is only an hour long and you very much notice this in how the characters have no time to be developed, we get very little chance to explore their motivations or romance even when a major plot point hinges on a change of allegiances. In the same manner, the plot is rushed and at times contrived to have everything fit within the very narrow timeframe they have.
And yet, it is a very entertaining movie. I enjoyed the xianxia world we are presented with, the CGI is good and gives us a fittingly fantastic experience, and the way everything rushes and tumbles like a fever dream actually lends itself well to the often-surreal atmosphere of the movie.
It is a very entertaining movie if you simply let yourself get pulled along on this adventure to an island that appears like a magical paradise but is actually a deathly trap. Oh yeah, and there is indeed a turtle on turtle island, though it showed up far less than I had expected (more turtle, please!)
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I didn't expect to LOVE THIS!!!
I am not a fan of k-movies as much but with this it is making me change my perception on k-movies and especially because of Park Seo Joon. I have watched his other movie "Midnight Runners", saying I loved that movie will be an understatement and the feeling I had watching it is the same with this movie. I have laughed, gotten emotional and the persistence portrayed in this movie is amazing. This movie will be among the few but the best k-movies I've watched. This is something I'd recommend for people to watch. It's a 10/10.Was this review helpful to you?
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A korean “Tarantino-like” film
The Night Owl is a movie that took a small part of Korean history and was told in a very different way. It was a similar style with Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino’s films such as Inglorious Bastards and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s very refreshing and exciting retelling of what happened to the kidnapped crown prince who died just a few days after he came back to Joseon.The acting was really good with Ryu Jun Yeol as the “light-blind” acupuncturist/doctor. It is not the first time I saw Ryu in a saeguk (Alienoid) and he delivered very well in this movie with a different take and was really convincing with his role. Yoo Hae-Jin as the mad King Injo also was very good and showed how flexible of an actor he is.
The cinematography of the film was really dark since they have to use dark sets, however there was no problem with seeing the small details while watching night scenes. The screenplay was also good and the flow of story was smooth even it is a thriller genre in the historical period. The best scene for me was when the crown princess went to the King to tell the story of “the witness”, the realization of who really killed the crown prince was amazing.
All in all, I recommend this movie. It is very thrilling movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, this movie really won a lot of Baeksang awards (Best Film, Best New Director and Best Actor), thus it is a must watch!
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Trigger warning
Yes it gets darker as other viewers mentioned.There's a rape. Very brutal rape as it's always like that. So if you went through this, don't watch. It's painful and horrible.
Cold murder. Same thing. End is sad. Some survived but at what cost.
You are aware now.
I wish we had seen her parents, specially her stupid dad/dictator who thought he could militarize his daughter. I understand she wanted to leave.
This movied was very well played. For once, there was no cliché crap but it's a very dark movie close to reality.
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"Nobody can be with you all through life"
Director Jia Zhang Ke confronted the topic of change loosely through the life of one woman in three different decades and through the lens of three different aspect ratios of filming. The story observed how the changes that globalization, capitalism and the diaspora of people going west affected the characters involved. Beginning with the first segment's love triangle, the characters continued to become more disconnected to each other. As some characters moved away from their homeland there also became a disconnect between parent and child culturally and linguistically. Change is inevitable. Mountains may depart, but can relationships be sustained?The film begins in 1999 with an energetic group dance set to the Pet Shop Boys' "Go West" and then moves into the streets with traditional parades and celebrations. In their twenties, Tao is being courted by poor mine worker Lianxi and up and coming capitalist with his own car Jin Sheng. When Jin Sheng recklessly and breathlessly teaches Tao how to drive the lesson ends in an accident. Tao's excitement shows it's clear which partner she is going to choose. Ambitious capitalists are hard to resist even if they are of course going to turn out to be awful.
2014 arrives and Tao is divorced keeping custody of the dog and a gas station while Jin Sheng has custody of their son, Dollar. He and his new wife live an extravagant lifestyle far away from the rural mining town. When her father dies unexpectedly, she tells Jin Sheng to send their son to her for the funeral. Dollar arrives with a Hermes scarf around his neck and no knowledge of the funeral customs. Instead of putting him on a plane to return to his father they take the slow green train so that she can spend more time with him. She shares Sally Yeh's "Take Care", a song important to her, with him on her headphones in an effort to connect with her son.
2025 is set in Australia where Jin Sheng has emigrated to because he had gotten caught up in China's anti-corruption campaign and can't go home. Dollar is taking a Mandarin class taught by 60-year-old Mia as he has forgotten most of his native language. Mandarin is not the only thing he has forgotten, he barely remembers his mother. His only connection is the key she gave him hanging around his neck. He grows closer to Mia when she plays "Take Care" in class and the song stirs distant memories in Dollar. For the most part Dollar and his father are unable to talk without Google or Mia translating for them. Dollar ends up in an almost Oedipal relationship with the older teacher who encourages him to go home and see his mother.
Mountains May Depart started out with a love triangle where Tao had to choose between the traditional and the dangerous new capitalism. Materialism and excitement won out but came with a price, the loss of her marriage and her son. She relinquished her son again thinking that his father's wealth could offer him things she never could. And yet the materialism and education offered could not replace his mother's love and traditional values. While capitalism was shown as causing moral decay-the father had a coffee table ridiculously full of guns and booze in Australia-it was also used for good. When Lianxi returned dying of lung disease from working in coal mines, Tao was able to pay for his treatment when his poorer friends and relatives couldn't help. Interestingly, Australia's scenery was lush and green with brilliant blue skies compared to China's often dingy gray skies and landscapes with the exception of Tao's ubiquitous red coat. Whether this was a social commentary I couldn't say or what it meant. The view Jia gave of Fenyang was that it had not shared equally in the economic progress with much of the community at the mercy of the vacillating prices of coal.
Many questions were left unanswered. Tao and Dollar had cellphones, why didn't they keep in touch? What happened to Lianxi? We were shown none of the marriage causing the viewer to fill in the gaps. Did Dollar ever go home to reunite with his mom? Did Dollar find a way to reconcile the life he was living with his cultural heritage? And why did no one in Australia have an Australian accent?
Random thoughts about the production values: Aside from Zhao Tao's performance the rest of the cast could not measure up, which became readily apparent in the 3rd act when she was almost completely absent from the screen. The music was used to good effect including the pop songs repeated. Aside from the repeated music, Jia liked to show repeated items and people. At first I thought my television set was having problems and then I realized that each segment was filmed in a different aspect ratio going from small (1:33:1) to cinemascope (2:35:1) showing the change in film as well. I found it interesting that Jia included bits of random film he'd taken in 1999 in the first act. Some of the dialogue was clunky especially when father and son were talking about the different meanings of "freedom."
The film was slow and began to feel overly long, especially without Tao's presence during the final third of the film. Whether globalization leads to meaninglessness and isolation or increased understanding remains to be seen. Notwithstanding Jia's thematic intention, what I got out of the film is how important communication and connection is, especially for family, regardless of where everyone is on the globe. Despite political affiliation and economic status, age gaps occur and only understanding and effort can bridge them. If not for meaningful relationships, what does one cling to when the mountains depart?
6/12/23
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It's only for those who will understand
All I can say is, I understand this movie. I understand the guy who was taken and got caught up in it. This may seem tasteless to some but when you have hit rock bottom, going back to your natural instincts can save you.People who understand the movie will understand, and others, well it's just not for you, and that's okay.
It was dark and emotional and very well done. It showed the break, the growth and the change. The actors really sold it and the storyline fit perfectly together. The ending was satisfying.
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Honestly i feel soo empty but satisfied
I just finished watching this movie and i can feel what the guy is feeling at the end of it when he walks away .great acting from the villian.one scene that truly gave me chills when he knocked on her car window ,she said she was alright and was just going to wait for the towcar and he just stood there staring at her then smiled .haaaaa it had me chills .I feel like the devil in this story was not the villian but the victims boyfriend .he was dealing out repeated punishment like how hell is mostly depicted .a never ending torture scene .
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