This review may contain spoilers
Are you better off with him or without him?
In this film, Director Naruse took the viewer behind the scenes of two performers, delving into their professional and personal lives. Jurio and Toyo had been together since training under her mother and must now decide whether to marry and continue on or break up the act.This was a difficult film for me to rate so I will simply list some pros and cons.
Cons:
Jiro was an egotistical jerk who constantly criticized Toyo's shamisen playing but never reflected critically on his own performance.
Toyo was told repeatedly that as the woman it was her duty to capitulate to Jiro's demands.
If you don't enjoy or have a background in these types of performances, they can be less than enthralling and there are plenty of them. On the converse side if you enjoy them, you are in for a real treat!
There is a lot of bickering between the main couple
Pros:
Toyo rarely capitulated and often defended herself well against Jiro's barbs standing up to him and their manager.
This was a love triangle with real stakes, there was no foregone conclusion who Toyo would eventually end up with.
Toyo truly loved performing and struggled with whether to give it up in an era when being married and continuing to work were not always compatible. I liked that she wasn't ready to jump on the marriage train simply because it was expected of her. She was also willing to do what was necessary once she made up her mind.
As much as I've enjoyed other Naruse films, I can't say that l enjoyed this one. I never liked Jiro, he was self-absorbed and felt the world revolved around him and his "talent". I sympathized with Toyo's plight, especially during the times she was living in. Jiro may have gotten some comeuppance which led to a modicum of personal growth, but it still wasn't enough for me to care about him. I kept wanting to tell Toyo, "Run girl, run for your life!"
The performances were well done, Hasegawa Kazuo and Yamada Isuzu, here in their youth showed why they would go on to have lengthy careers. If you are a fan of either, enjoy the shamisen, a creative love triangle, or are a Naruse fan, this is a film worth checking out. It may not have been captivating, but it had some entertaining moments.
11/5/22
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Well yeah?
Story:To be honest I didn't knew what was going on most of the time. The fact that couldn't tell two actors apart wasn't helping either but that is my fault. I liked the overal story of the introvert in an popular family even though I think that could have been a bigger part of the plot.
Acting/Casting: As I mentioned I confused two characters all the time but that's my fault. Other then that it was solid acting nothing really outstanding but not bad either:3
Music: Didn't really noticeable but that means it ain't bad^^
Rewatch Value: In general I'm not a person who rewatches whole Series or Movies rather than someone who rewachtes special scenes but there aren't any outstanding ones but in general I wouldn't hate to watch it whole again:)
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This review may contain spoilers
MY HEART
This was so beautiful. Some people complained that it is too short which I agree and disagree on. On one side I wish it would be longer too because damn that was so good on the other side the length of it was enough to tell the story. It wasn't to short. One could understood the story without much trouble. The actors did a good job and the scenes were beautifully shot. For me the music was the weakest link because it didn't stand out very much but that means it wasn't bad either :3The 18+ scenes are explicit sometimes, so if you ain't someone who likes this stuff just skip then and keep in mind they happened!
I like that Shuo apologizes in the end, normally the "dominant" male leads are to incompetent to do so but he isn't which ist nice!
Light turn around was nice too! I like that he didn't get back to prostitution after he left.
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overall notes, no specified details
they could’ve improved the story plot and script and made it more powerful, tearful and tragedic.The acting and cinematograghy is on another high level, I really enjoyed it. but I wasn’t a big fan of the opened ending.
compared to Cell No.7 , it needs some more plot filling improvments, personally I would like it to be more tragedic and more focused on the roommates relationship
I give it an overall 7/10, I do recommend it especially for who enjoys the cinematography and acting more than the plot itself ✨
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what it teach
it's good show to watch, I have watched it more than once, it teach me alot and that's a good thing, I hope it teach others as well 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌Was this review helpful to you?
can't sleep? watch this
this was disappointing...i came here to have my heart shattered but i almost fell asleep instead
the idea is interesting and the story of eun hae and jae shik could've been brought to life if the writer was sure where they were going with for this movie. for over an hour long, i was told nothing much about the characters and the progression of the story was random. certain scenes felt unnecessary and did not make any difference to the story.
the only redeeming factor was eun hae. those interactions she had with jae shik were heartwarming and i couldn't help but be glued to the screen during those moments. the child that played eun hae will surely have a bright future as she knows how to deliever a powerful performance.
other than a few "awww"s, there wasn't really much to this movie that kept me engaged.
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I. AM. TRAUMATIZED.
I have one thing to say and one thing only: watch at your own risk because trust me the river of tears that will flow out of your eyes will be inexplicable....okay so I just realized that my review has to be longer than 500 words so let me actually give you a constructive opinion on this without spoiling anything.
This was definitely a 'journey' type of movie where you feel like you are a part of the character's life as you watch them grow and learn and become the best version of themselves possible. It will pull at you heartstrings and do you dirty in the most unimaginable ways possible. But it's definitely wrong for me to hate on this movie just because it made me cry a little (a lot) which is why I am only going to appreciate the happy movements and convince myself that there was nothing that made me cry (*lies*) but I guess we move. As my mother always says, "it's just a fictional character" (that made me cry a gallon of tears, yes)
Anyways, to whoever has already watched this movie and is currently reading this review as a response to withdrawal symptoms: stay strong<3
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one time watch
The story unfolded in a very mysterious way that it intrigued me from beginning to end. The deja vu and amnesia were a well balanced that it was difficult to assume its a memory or dream. Everything seemed so real to be fake.The cinematic beauty was amazing, colours gave a subtle touch to the thrilling and sad story which enhanced it beautifully.
The acting was top-notch by Seo Yea Ji, she was the soul and performed like a pro as ever. Each expression, of fear, anger, and confusion was amazing.
Kim Kang Woo was good, I watched him for the first time he has the aura of darkness.
Overall it is a good thriller.
But it won't be an option for rewatching because when the mystery is known then nothing remains to see.
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Yes, break my heart one more time Korea -.-
Guys, I am writing this as I sob. Not joking. It's been an hour since I finished it and the tears keep coming out. I might die of dehydration while writing this review and I apologise in advance for the typos.It's the first time in a long time that I watch something without looking at my phone (didn't even realise I had left it in the bathroom) or without skipping forward. I am a sucker for sweet high school stories that take place in the past, but the way this movie was filmed, the nostalgia factor (present even in the filter they chose), the lovable characters and simplicity of the plot just did it for me. This is exactly what I want from a high school drama; not being a high schooler anymore myself there is always that longing feeling towards the past and this movie definitely shoved it in my face in a very beautiful way. The actors did an amazing job at not making it sound cringy or over the top. And that ending will stay with me for a long time, I am sure of that.
I love stories like this: simple yet effective. It might not be all that to other viewers but I do have a tendency to love high school stories (especially if they take place in the 90's or early 2000's) so that probably contributes to my rating. After so many years of watching K-Dramas, it is refreshing to find something that still makes my heart beat fast and makes me feel SOMETHING. I am not a movie person as they often leave me traumatises (lol, this one kinda did too) but I am so glad I watched this movie. I feel like it took something off my chest? Like I really needed to cry and this movie allowed me to do it haha
Oh well, don't expect anything incredibly revolutionary from this story when going into it but I am sure you will at least have a good time with the characters (even in the end).
Am I still a human with feelings and capable of crying like a baby? Yes, I am. Thank you 20th century girl for the confirmation.
SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!
HE WANTED TO SEE 21ST CENTURY BORA GUYS I AM SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY IN A FETAL POSITION YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS SO SWEET AND HAD SUCH A WARM VOICE AND HEART AND HE WAS SO CUTE WITH HIS BROTHER WHY WHY WHY THE HELL BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT MAKES THE MOVIE MEMORABLE AND EVEN MORE NOSTALGIC BUT GUYS WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW-
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This review may contain spoilers
South Korea's answer to 50 Shades of Grey and I loved it!
Just saw this show on Netflix and personally loved it!A romantic comedy about two colleagues engaging in an erotic BDSM relationship. Despite its' erotic themes/tropes, it may be the most mild and tasteful movie I've ever seen on the subject. If you're a conservative/squeamish viewer, there's no explicit nudity, and almost no vulgarity.
While it's a movie, it feels like a K-Drama in it's pacing with each scene taking it's time and focused solely on Jun and Seohyun's chemistry, which was excellent. At just two hours, it left me wishing it was a K-Drama as I felt the story could have been longer and would have been interesting to follow these characters for a few hours more. I found it to be hilarious and I found myself laughing to tears at certain parts.
It's very well done and receives my highest recommendation!
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That it was amazing!!
I first saw this movie on TikTok and I was low key scared to watch it cause everyone said it was sad. But when I was watching it, it turned out so amazing. The storyline is good and really heart touching. If you ever watch this movie you’ll probably most likely be touched and will end up loving this movie. That’s how good it is! And at the end I can say I did cry ALOT but it was worth it! I also want to say that the cast is so goo! Their acting skills are on point. I love some of the actors characters they played them well. And some of them were so funny and some of the scenes were so funny or cute and some were sad but in general the cast did a good job!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
watch at your own heart’s risk
do not bait me in like that have me smiling like an idiot and then just crush the entirety of my being in one fell swoop.i feel scammed i feel a lot of things right now mostly the tears running down my face. thank you very much for that by the way. i have school in the morning.
can i just ask to whoever wrote the script. who hurt you? who?
anyways shattered heart aside acting was great. didn’t really focus on the music so no strong opinions on that. casting beautifully done. storyline i gave that a 5 ONLY BECAUSE of the first half you know what you did in the second.
watch it if u want to be happy and then suffer.
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heart stopping thriller
This South Korean thriller's twists and turns is an outstanding and promising debut for writer-director Kwon Oh-Seung; it's gripping as a genre exercise and tense. But it also provides a (perhaps unintended) critique of a society that frequently views women and people with disabilities as less valuable than males who are physically fit.Unlucky Do Shik was about to attack another young woman, So Jung (Kim Hye-Yoon), when Kyung Mi just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So Jung's incredibly controlling brother Tak So (Park Hoon) had warned her not to stay out too late. Uncomfortably, it appears that he was somewhat correct
if you love a good edge of your seat thriller from start to end this is the film for you, definitely one of my favourites.
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Heartbreaking.
Cried a lot. I thought maybe people were overreacting but it really just is that sad. If you don't want to cry don't watch this. The story and everything was very good but I wish it could've ended happier. There was so much potential for it to be perfect. The leads were so cute together. Ending was bad due to it being a sad ending, still happy I watched but I'll truly never recover from this, I'm so incredibly sad right now after watching this. If you like cute romance melodramas with horrible sad endings you'll probably like this, I'm still so sad.Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing historical blockbuster with great performances and action
Against all my expectations going in this is easily one of my favorite new watches of the last couple of years. And I'm really picky with my 10 ratings. I love discovering new unexpected personal favorites like this!Same historical backdrop as the The Handmaiden too… coincidence? I think I like that time period.
Due to the long runtime I came in with a pack of pistachios to eat whenever I figured it'd get boring (read: when Jun Ji-hyun wasn't on screen, or so I naively thought) but then I couldn't find any time to actually crack them open because I got fully invested like 5 minutes in and promptly forgot about them.
So this was pretty popular at the Korean box office, currently resting in the all-time top 10 by admissions as of 2022, and I can see why.
What it lacks in distinctive style it compensates for with lots of twists and surprises, varied, dynamic characters, and a compelling story akin to Inglourious Basterds (another one of my favorite movies), making it an instant classic in my book.
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Stunts - 90/100 | The set-piece during the aforementioned "assassination" is delightful, splendid execution and editing. Hollywood proving once again that lots of their ginormous budgets are flushed down the toilet... This movie looks and feels like a historical blockbuster for a mere fraction of the money.
Narrative - 96/100 | Ha Jung-woo shines as the enigmatic killer-for-hire 'Hawaii Pistol' for sure, if he keeps this up he's gonna be my favorite Korean actor soon enough, and Lee Jung-Jae (from Squid Game) also brings his A-game to this.
Fight Choreography | No real fights.
Enjoyment - 98/100 | Of course you have to like war espionage stuff but it's crafted really well with a smart, well-rounded script that has multiple pay-offs and high-impact action beats. The attention to trivial details in this movie is lovely, and makes the world feel much more real.
And then, well, if you've ever wanted to watch Jun Ji-hyun play a hardass sniper infiltrator (who wouldn't?), now's your only chance.
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