Reviews

It was ok, I'm surprised I finished

I thought the movie was a wholesome simple one about a stranger connecting with another through time and talking about each of their crushes. While this was true, I wasn't thinking too much of the following plot twist that ensued. The plot twist led me to believe the guy friend is a jerk. How is he gonna pick up his friend's turtle, call it the same name, and continue to raise him with his kid? Also, turtles live that long? The girl also isn't any better for always being near the guy friend despite having a boyfriend. I feel bad for the main guy.

I didn't expect to tear watching this on the plane, but a tear definitely trickled down near the end. It was a bittersweet note learned, although the very last clip ruined it for me. I wish they kept it simple instead of throwing us off with timeline madness.

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Everything it is and Everything it isnt

I think this movie isn't all that bad, it's worth the watch, but I must say. Its not exactly what you will be expecting. The movie will keep you guessing, confused, and trying to figure out what's happening, and wondering if it can be fixed. The ending, was definitely a "wtf" moment, and perhaps a bit underwhelming, but the movie was meant to go for that emptiness. Considering the Korean name of the movie is disappeared time, and that's exactly what the ending makes you feel. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing, but what I will say, leaves you questioning what happened even after the movie ended. It was interestingly put, and a different type of ending than I was expecting, and I don't necessarily hate it for that. I just want to say if you're considering watching this, lower your expectations, and don't expect anything, don't assume, just watch, and let the movie be itself, for everything it is and everything it isn't.

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The best in the franchise

like everyone else I watched the novelist first and then mood indigo. I thought that was that until I found out they were 3 other movies/short videos after that. I didn't watch the short videos but only the movie ( the pornographer: playback). I was eager to see how their relationship would be like, although it had it's ups and downs it generally turned out alright.
I'm not gonna lie I expected more sex scenes but I'm satisfied with the ones I got cos their chemistry is off the charts!!! And whenever they're kissing I feel like I'm violating their privacy or something cos they're so passionate about it. Overall it was wonderful rollercoaster of events.

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Overall: this is a 22 minute short available on Mind Trio's YouTube channel (they did On Cloud Nine and Calculating Love)

Content Warnings: teasing/bullying?, gaslighting

What I Liked
- the actors did a decent job
- a few cute moments

Room For Improvement
- the plot was confusing, they started with a flash forward/flashback and then I wasn't sure what their relationships were to each other (long-time friends, acquaintances, classmates, etc)
- not a fan of the central premise and then how it's an open ending
- maybe I missed something but the reactions didn't make sense, the one guy smiled but he didn't return his feelings, why did he smile and then complain later about the teasing if he enjoyed it???
- the two tropes in the very beginning should have been reversed which would have been more realistic
- the character gaslighting and saying he doesn't have those feelings

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All is fair in love and war...

For those who love wuxia or Zhang Yi Mou's films, Hero will weave around you, wrapping you in its hypnotic effects of color, music, scenery, and skilled performances. The film is a poetic examination of the different facets of being a hero and the sacrifices required. As a fan of both wuxia and Zhang Yi Mou I found this film breathtakingly beautiful and emotionally heartbreaking.

It is helpful to understand on the first watch of Hero that the story is not told in chronological order or from a single viewpoint. Each viewpoint and version of the story has a particular color hue. When the warrior Nameless is brought before the Qin emperor, gray and black dominate the color scheme. Nameless has killed the three most infamous and dangerous assassins in the realm granting him unprecedented access to the emperor, coming within 10 paces of him with only several rows of candles between them. The emperor asks Nameless to explain how he came to possess the weapons when even 3000 soldiers could not acquire them.

Nameless (Jet Li) tells the emperor a story of how he defeated Sky (Donnie Yen) and his silver spear in the rain accompanied by an old blind man playing the guqin. Every time I watch this movie it is a treat to see Jet Li and Donnie Yen fighting in the rain with water dripping from the rooftops. Next, in a world gone crimson, Nameless explains how he defeated the warriors and lovers Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung). Broken Sword believes that calligraphy and sword fighting are intertwined. He and Snow are the masters in a calligraphy school drenched in red but have a rift driven between them. This vermillion school is the home of primal emotions-jealousy, hate, lust, and revenge. Nameless wants a banner with the unique and 20th version of the word "sword". This memory has a sequence with an extraordinary fight between Snow and Moon (Zhang Zi Yi). In a spiraling storm of golden leaves the two women swirl and parry until blood is drawn and the leaves echo the color of life and death.

The emperor doesn't believe Nameless and gives his version of events now told in blue. The characters are calm, clear thinking and accepting instead of being ruled by their passions. Instead of Nameless ending up with the swords because of vengeance, this time the lovers willingly hand over their swords in order for the skilled Nameless to kill the emperor. After Snow sacrifices herself Nameless and Broken Sword have a balletic battle over a tranquil cerulean lake.

Finally, the truth is told in white as death hovers ever near for the characters and the genuineness of their motives is revealed. The emperor's memories of Snow and Broken Sword attacking him three years ago are in green with floating green curtains hanging from the throne room ceiling. In this emerald world Broken Sword had a moment of clarity and that clarity distanced Snow from him.

Zhang Yi Mou's lush and color saturated frames were romantic and stunningly spectacular. Every version of the events was filtered through the chosen color-lighting, wardrobe, and sets. He is a director who always knows how to get the most out of nature's scenery whether in the wind blown desert or a verdant hillside. Tan Dun's score was splendidly lovely and mournful.

This film had a dream cast. Jet Li's reserved acting was perfect for the Nameless and committed warrior. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung have never looked more beautiful. Snow and Broken Sword had a tender yearning for each other tragically tethered to her burning desire for revenge. They were truly the emotional heart of the film. Neither the lovers nor their swords could ever be parted. Their final scene was emotionally shattering. Zhang Zi Yi played Broken Sword's servant, Moon. Thinly drawn, she filled it out as much as she could. Donnie Yen was only briefly featured and brought the martial arts credibility to go along with Li's. Chen Dao Ming gave the right amount of balance, maybe more humanity than he deserved to the tyrant emperor.

Despite being a wuxia, the fights were not the main thrust of the story, even though they were well choreographed and shot. For those not familiar with the genre, the fights often relied on wire work. Though most of the actors were quite graceful as they danced and twirled in the air, there were a few gaps. The choreography tended to err on the side of the visual instead of the realistic which made for imaginative sword work. Jet Li moving through the rain drops is still one of my favorite movie images. The large Qin army raining down impossibly numerous arrows on the calligraphy school with two characters countering them conveyed the dire situation of the heroes and the high stakes.

The only thing that kept this film from being perfect for me was the ending. The emperor's adage that the brutal destruction of his enemies and annexation of their lands was for the greater good and the hero's acceptance of this was disturbing. I thought it was ironic that the old calligraphy master said, "Qin arrows can never annihilate our written words." In reality, the emperor did just that by massive book burnings and burying alive over 400 scholars who disagreed with him. I do agree with Broken Sword that the goal is to be rid of the desire to kill and the need for the sword and to live in peace with one another. Because this is not my country and history, I do not have an educated view on this emperor, only a limited personal opinion. Whether desiring to kill the emperor to prevent further war or letting him live to prevent further war, the heroes were willing to sacrifice all for their beliefs.

Despite the ending, I loved this film. The haunting score, the lush colors, fanciful fights, and sorrowful love story pull me in every time. In large part due to the stellar cast and Zhang Yi Mou's exquisite directing style, I have found few wuxias better than this one.


3/27/23

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There is nothing really wrong about this movie (except for the ghost snapchat filter, I can’t anymore), but there is nothing really right either. It’s structured in a way that it does not hold the suspense and I honestly did not care about the mystery of it all. The characters presented no depth and their personalities were as bland as they can get. Not to mention random involvement of the police, which was honestly not necessary.

The plot twist by the end made sense, but also came out of nowhere since it was not really set up throughout the film - it was the ending that simply felt flat.

When I watch movies like that I always wonder, how did this cast end up here? These are not unknown actors who have to take any project thrown at them. What made them think these were roles worth taking? How can one see a script to a mediocre movie like that and gladly be part of it?

There were a few aesthetic shots, but overall, the movie did not really offer much to be praised.

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Movie as flawed as the original drama: BL romance stays too superficial. Missed opportunity!

The movie (in its first half) is kind of a repetition of the drama with not a lot of progress regarding the relationship between the two main characters. Important questions regarding the couple's dynamic and the power of Adachi are never discussed. It could have been so much more if the writer had took this opportunity to approach topic such as power imbalance and consent in a relationship.

However, the second part of the film get slightly more profound as it broaches on deeper storylines around the treatment of same sex couple in Japan. Unfortunately, it remains quite superficial and reserved on the subject but at least it lays some good foundation before closing the story. Let's say that it is clearly more "baby-steps" than real LGBTQ+ militancy but it has the merit to exist I suppose.

Similarly to the drama, I had some trouble believing in the alchemy between the two main actors. There are very few believable skinship moments and I felt that the romance was progressing in an unnatural way: sometimes really slowly and some other times too quickly. The relationship was depicted as very pure and modest but that does not justify completely the lack of sparks between the leads.

The film-making was quite standard for the genre but given the release in cinema, it would have been nice to feel a bit more the budget when watching the picture and to have some more eye-catching scenes. The soundtrack did not leave a lasting impression on me, maybe because it was not really present.

I would recommend this to people that are fan of the original drama and are curious of the future of the couple. Do not expect something really deep but if you are up for a sweet BL office romance, this might do it for you!

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The ending scene of Asuka.....

So this is my theory...
In end there is a special scene where the headlines and picture of the murder of the red person changes intlo asuka's.

So from my point of view i think that asuka is actually murdered when she was 8 and in the whole movie asuka's character is just hallucination .

In the scene where they are in the library and Takahiro say something about him going to amusement park with asuka's family but she cuts off in the middle and in the ending scene they showed that she was murdered in an amusement park.

Next when they went to beach Asuka says that when they were younger they had a school trip like some swimming trip or something and she did not attend due to her cold but on next day they all saw her as invisible and forgotten I guess that's when she was murdered because of that they did not actually saw her and even she didn't know that she actually died.


I think they saw her at night because she only appeared to everyone at night for body search because she is the next person for body search. And Takahiro is the closest person to Asuka that's why only he saw her even at morning.


* THIS IS ONLY WHAT I OPINION AFTER WATCHING IT *

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melodramatic overkill

I've kept this review absolutely spoiler free because this is a movie which would completely lose any charm it has if the viewer is spoiled. Although, I personally found the poster of the movie and the arrangement of main roles in the cast itself to be a very huge spoiler.

The movie focusses on five girls at a literature club meeting, who take the podium one by one to read a short story presenting their view on the death of Shiraishi Itsumi, the queen bee of Seibo Maria Girls School. In each story the girls tell us how the kind Shiraishi Itsumi invited them to the elusive literature club, and each blames a different member for her death–mind you, this one i found quite interesting, how neither of the four think Itsumi suicided.

This a three tier story, the first being the account by the girls. Next is a message from the dead Shiraishi Itsumi herself and it reveals certain surprising details. By the end of it, we wonder is Itsumi really dead? That's where the last part of the movie comes in.

The real crimes and motivations of the girls are unexpected and quite dark considering the character we've been presented earlier–mind you, presented by they themselves. Darker is the story of Itsumi, who hides a viciousness behind that beatific smile. Darkest and craziest is the character who has been absolutely blameless. Although I could fairly predict which direction this was headed and who was lying, it would be wrong to call “Girls in the Dark” predictable.

For a thriller, it is not exactly gripping, but you somehow want to see how it ends you know? It is completely a psychological story which utilises the unreliable narration and the story will elude you till the very end, not because it's a particularly good plot twist, but because they drag it till the end. Instead of four girls, they should've kept to three because the story of the third girl Diane is just so out of place (maybe they just needed her to plant the lily flowers from France?) and makes it drag even more.

The motivations of the characters were not entertaining at all, and Itsumi herself was the most confusing one. There was no explanation for why she did what she did when she would've been much better off otherwise. The exposition of the villain is particularly ineffective, the ending was dull (and yes, after watching ten japanese productions, it's really not that hard to predict what was in that soup). Final takeaway: inconsistent storytelling which tried too hard.

Trigger warnings are potential spoilers and have been included comment below the review

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A film noir conveying an unclear and grey message

This police movie is quite classic in the topics it approaches: corruption in the police force, undercover investigations, drug crimes,...Its plot does not stand out among the existing movies in that genre and suffers from some pacing issues.

The main default of the film is the grey message that it is conveying. The ending was quite unsatisfactory to me, as I'm left to wonder what was the morale of the show. A story does not always require to have deep meaning but as the characters were almost having philosophical discussion on what being in the police workforce entails, the conclusion felts a bit like a cop-out.

The main cast (-an entirely masculine one with a lot of veterans) deliver solid performances. The relationship between the two leads is incredibly well depicted, making us doubts a lot the intentions of the characters. I wish the story had offered even more options to the actors to act their hearts out, because I'm sure they can show even more than what they did with the material given.

The film-making and directing are strong. There is clearly a "film noir" aspiration in the aesthetics and storytelling of the movie making some of the scenes really appealing to the viewer's eyes. On another side, the OST did not stand out to me.

I would recommend this to people loving Choi Woo Shik or Jo Jin Woong and/or who are looking for a police movie with high production value. It is still a pretty flawed picture in terms of story, pacing and ending, so you will not miss much skipping this one out.

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I only have one question here. HOW DARE YOU TO WASTE SUCH A TALENT AS ROH YOON SEO?

🔸️For two hours I've been watching good actresses playing fake friendship, fake love, and the most unconvincing crying ever. If it's unconvincing, it has to be a comedy, but it's far from that. Even the male characters were hopelessly bland, targeting the female audience. And I know, that this is not the actors' fault but the screenwriter's because in Our Blues Roh YoonSeo had a really great performance.

🔸️Seriously, guys, for how long are you going to make budget-safe and nostalgia-selling movies? I see you were influenced by 25 21, but the screenplay there was originally crafted. 20th Century didn't even bother to shoot a couple of frames on a real film camera.

You can't fake nostalgia. Periodt.

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An early gem worth checking out at least once.

A damsel in distress grows up into a strong independent warrior who slaughters sexist war-hungry pigs for breakfast.

Unfortunately, that metamorphosis happens off screen, but it is pretty funny to watch her aimlessly fly and teleport (preceded by a puff of smoke) back into the plot while her mentor scrambles around on foot behind her in a desperate attempt to catch up. There were many occasions where I couldn't help thinking that it would have been incredible to see back when this technology was still new and surprising.

The version I watched included the original score performed by Devil Music Ensemble that was premiered in 2008 and let me tell you it greatly heightened the experience. The surviving copy of this film is cropped strangely, cutting off important pieces of the characters and the intertitles, and the video seems to constantly dance like it's being viewed through the steam of a summer heatwave.

As with most old film, I'm surprised that more of it isn't washed out by now, but perhaps the fuzzy quality has spared us from having to think too hard about the unsavory details that would be frowned upon today. I'm no expert on some of these character choices (the most obvious one being the fake teeth), so I really can't say.

The limitations of the medium do require modern audiences to suspend their disbelief on quite a few occasions:

~ Terrified villagers run back and forth along one stretch of road like chickens with their heads newly liberated from their bodies.

~ Warlords, henchmen, and concubines painfully slouch their way up and down that same palace staircase countless times and absolutely no one looks like they know where they're going while doing it.

~ Subtlety rarely comes through in silent film, so the characters either act with exaggerated full body emotions or look like they aren't acting at all as they amble along following orders they don't appear to understand.

~ Escaping characters waste time walking in useless circles around a room before leaving the frame.

This last nitpick is just a personal thing, but I'm not a fan of actors running up to the camera and putting it in their mouths (or near enough to it). It thankfully only happens twice and may be a cool shot for some effect, but I don't need to see that and would prefer not to.

All that being said, the ending gave me strong "since I can't marry her, my cousin will have to do it for me" vibes and I will take that to my grave.

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