Reviews

an absolute masterpiece!

Initially, I wasn't going to write a review for this movie but then decided to do so because the movie honestly deserves praise. Also, a quick disclaimer that I have not read the manga that this is apparently based on.

The plot of the movie is very rich and honestly very worth watching. It's twisted but real and very raw. I loved how they didn't use too many s** scenes to draw in the audience and only inserted them when necessary for the plot build-up. The journey of finding one's true sexuality and the reluctance and denial that comes along with it was shown beautifully.

The cinematography was also very beautiful (though I admittedly know very little about it).

Overall, an amazing movie that is worth every minute. 10/10 would recommend. The r-18 scenes are also totally skippable.

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Love at first F***

He f*** a ghost and he liked it...

This is the very short story of the selfish guy who wanted to own another guys body and the sweet kind guy whos body the selfish guy wanted to own + the very fine ghost who was caught between them.

Mr Selfish most probably lonely, two faced hottie acted all kind and all but is actually dark and evil deep inside as he puts a curse on the man he wants to own... And well he does that part really well he does seem sweet, we do get the feeling that mr sweetheart really trusts him and likes him as a friend and he does not come off as evil in anyway. He uses this position to curse him, however the details of the curse are kind of foggy and not very well executed so adding 10 minutes or so to clarify the curse part would have been good.

It is however clear that the curse backfired as it seems to have become love at first f*** for the ghost and everybody's sweetheart instead of whatever mr evil was aiming for... As there is little dialog between mr. ghost and mr. sweetheart most of their screen-time together is very naked and very sexual...

I am not going to say that this short film is tastefully made, good or the type to bring out the thirst in you. It is more of the funny type of sexual content and pretty entertaining at times as well as slightly odd, dark (literately) and different than what I have seen before.

Definitely an indecent watch...

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Predictable but enjoyable !

This is my very first review in MDL. It started with a really sweet and cute and I really enjoyed the first half of the movie. I can sense a very good chemistry between this two. Prepare your tissue tho since this movie play with your emotions a lot and I never knew that this kind of disease do exist in real life since it is a very rare disease.

It just make me a little bit frustrated by the FL decisions to stay away from the ML eventho eventually the ML knows about her anyway. Overall it was a fun ride and I'm so proud to see Kento's acting getting better and better! the way he express his frustrations and sadness when he couldn't recognized the ML is really real and I can feel his pain!

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Expressive Action In Neon Lights

Korean Action Movies are impressive in their visual components, it´s mostly the lack of subtleties in a catchy plot that causes movies to not gain attention/ not be seen as a masterpiece. "Yaksha" does not necessarily have any crucial parts that bothered me, except for the confusing and a bit insufficiently precise written multinational mix-up. I very much enjoyed watching Park Hae Soo in another main role. The performance of the entire cast was admirable, especially the well-portrayed/displayed tension between the very different members of the group. However, not only the cast has delivered an impressive piece of work, thus judging from the filming and editing quality, the responsible crew was consisting of a mainly reliable and talented crew. After all, "Yaksha" is a nice pick for an adventurous movie night but nothing I´d rewatch.

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Breathtaking!

I just finished watching "Till the End of the World" and it did not disappoint. Needless to say Mark Chao's performance was absolutely extraordinary as usual. He is one of the most talented actors to grace the screen in our time.

The story kept me riveted after the first 5 minutes and continued to do so till the very end. I experienced all kinds of emotions,, fear, anxiety, love and sorrow. Yet ultimately it left me with hope and joy.

I am not an adventurer but to be able to see a movie so well made in the conditions that the cast and entire crew were able to accomplish was a thrill.

I felt like I was living it with them.

Congratulations to all involved in filming this great movie. An absolutely definite movie to watch again and again and one I will never forget.

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Good action movie!

Pretty good movie, you get what you're here for: action, the occasional joke, more action. The movie is fast paced, not too packed either though, so you actually have small rooms to breathe. Initially interested because of Jinyoung, was pretty happy to see the rest of the cast since they're all pretty much faves. Definitely worth the watch, hoping for a potential 2nd movie (not too much tho lol). For those who prefer dubbed versions or who want to enjoy the movie with family non used to subbed movies, I know there are a few dubs though didn't check the entire list. Most noticeable to me were the English and French ones.

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A decent mix of indie and cliches

This is a pretty creative movie showing giving us small window in to the process that goes in to writing a script showing the people behind the script as well as the story they are writing parallel with each other. This movie invites us in to the world of these two writers who come together with different views on love. life and writing and mix them all in to a pretty mediocre movie. A movie we get to see within the movie.

However the chemistry, interactions and journey the writers take while writing the script is way more interesting than the movie, even if the movie within the movie does have some nice fluff and cliches, that are lovely too, the main attraction is the writers writing about love raising important questions such as can a person who has never been in a relationship write about love? What is love? are there people who have never experienced love?

The movie also deals with loss, wanting to run away and all kinds of relationships in a pretty good way. and has some pretty amazing lines among the otherwise kind of bland plot.

Said about divorce:
" It was our choice and it is for the best"

There are also some unexpected twists here and there, a few annoying elements too but all in all a pretty decent watch and time not waisted as this does have a certain uniqueness between the cliches...

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When I first found out about this movie, I was listening to the soundtrack on Spotify while scrolling through others' playlist. I found a song I really liked, and when I started to watch the movie, it was the song for the opening scene, and from the way the camera was positioned, I knew I was already going to like it. This movie isn't for the weak-hearted or easily frightened. It shows a lot of scenes that even made myself shiver, to where the injury was at. But I assure you to at least try to get through them, because this story pushes beyond what I had expected.
I loved it so much. I can't relate to any of the characters feelings as nothing similar has happened to me in person, but the emotional side, and the sort of way the movie captures facial expressions without having to "mention" the context encapsulated me. It is defiantly worth a watch and a re-watch due to the nature of the movie.

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So bad it is still bad but made me smile

There are those movies that are so bad they are good, this is however not one of them as it is more or less just bad but it will make you feel good in the end (not only for finally ending).

The 1st lead's acting is awful and he looked like he had pooped his pants most of the movie (that or was about to), his character lacks in most ways including ability to control his impulses, and even though he does have some character development he truly needs a lesson or 10 in consent.

The other guy was sweet and kind and confused.. he did not seem to have pooped his pants but could use an acting lesson or two as well.

The side character where kind of bland, the cinematography too...

Watch it don't watch it honestly it doesn't really matter

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The Soju that opened the shell...

This short film is truly just like a pistachio,
Small- Short
Hard at first: Shell
But once the shell is opened you find a delicious (hard) nut... At first I wanted to say that it the inside is more of a softie but actually it is pretty straight forward so I guess Pistachio it is...

The Main characters do a pretty good job with the little they have, the side characters could use some more acting classes. But overall this was an enjoyable short film, not very deep but it is sweet and I guess also a bit encouraging as well.

It may also be a Soju commercial, as the soju seems to be the perfect way to crack open a pistachio. But hey doesn't everybody need some soju to break thrue their shell?

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Consent, abuse, discrimination, self-acceptance and freedom to be love as you are.

I'm reviewing this as a BDSM'er, but the story is way more significant than this subject alone.

I've been watching many movies that abuse the world of BDSM and profit from misinformation and porn. It has gotten so bad in the last ten years; BDSM is filled with people who think that domination is about abuse and forceful coercion while it's about just the exact opposite. The dom puts the sub's needs first before their desires. This is clearly shown in the movie with Jiwoo's behaviours and thoughts. She knows what gives him pleasure while she's discovered hers. She kept clear boundaries and put his consent above board in their relationship. When she did fall for him emotionally and breached that boundary even just a little, she felt guilty and ashamed. Jiwoo's friend meets someone to play consensually, and that person tries to assault her sexually. "Just because I'm a pervert, it doesn't give you the right to treat me badly" is such a clear message about consent. None of the BDSM movies I've seen so far has such a clear message about consent. In the age of #metoo, there should be more movies out there like this one to remind people what consent is. I love one BDSM mistress' definition of consent: "a completely mindful, willing, and uncoerced choice to say yes, and the ability to revoke that "yes" at any time without fear of repercussions."
This movie is a shining example of that definition.

Another critical point this movie raised is discrimination against people just because they're different. Just because they don't fall into society's norm, while their personal preferences don't hurt anyone, what right does anyone have in treating them poorly? People with preferences for BDSM are highlighted as that example in this movie, but it could be about anything, LGBTQ+? Autism? Physical/mental disability? I could go on. The stigma of being different is so overwhelming that these people can live with deep shame and lack of self-acceptance when the rest of the "normal" world gets to mistreat them. Ji-hoo's ex-girlfriend's behaviour towards him is a prime example of ordinary people being abusive towards those who are different.

This leads me to the last point; love is about the freedom to be accepted as you are. Why be an ugly duckling when you can hang out with beautiful swans of your kind? Why force yourself to be accepted by those who will never accept you? Do yourself a favour and hang with people who love you as you are. The message in this movie is very logical and mature! I always tell people who hide behind their kink profile with a mask: Own your kink! What is there for you to be ashamed of? Rapists should be ashamed, adulterers should be ashamed, and people who abuse other people emotionally and physically should be ashamed. What's in BDSM to be ashamed of when it's consensual and mutually satisfying without hurting anyone? Many psychological studies agreed that BDSM is healthy when practiced with a partner who respects your boundaries and trust.

I can't say enough about the acting of Lee Jun-Young. It's my first time watching him, and I'm a total fan. I own golden retrievers all my life, and I can say he embodied these dogs' spirit, energy, and gestures 100%. I'm also in awe of Seohyun's acting. She had become such a mature woman and inspiring in her role. In every scene, no small gesture or flinch of a facial expression is misplaced, overdone, or undertones underappreciated. These two should win an Oscar.

I love the music; it's so spiffy and fun! It never fails to fit in perfectly to set the mood from one scene to another.

I didn't know what to expect when I first watched it. I was thinking of 50 Shades or at least Secretary (2002), but this movie exceeded my expectations and surprised me. It has to rewatch value! It took a Korean movie to tackle such a sensitive subject and educate people on what healthy BDSM looks like. My opinion on 50 Shades and 365 days? Hollywood is disgusting for portraying abusive behaviours as love and conflating sexual boundaries violations with BDSM to make money. Ugh.

I'm recommending this movie to everyone who wants to know what BDSM is and who loves a good laugh.
Even for me, dog play is hilarious!

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Terrible production quality but the least-censored censored Chinese BL I've ever seen

(Yes, even less censored than Word of Honor)

The production quality is poor. The script introduces a lot of ideas that it doesn't develop, and nothing really happens in the first half. Yuwei in particular gets little character development. The English subtitles are sometimes incomprehensible. The dubs are delayed and actors are mouthing out whole sentences that are covered with just a few words. The acting is passable but doesn't really tap into the emotional spectrum of the characters, and to top it off, the main leads don't know how to properly hold a cat.

And yet, the second half still charmed me in its own way (but I almost dropped it before then). At first, especially after seeing the comments, I thought this was going to be the typical censored Chinese BL where you have to really squint to read between the bromance lines. But Cheng Han confesses his feelings twice (2x)! Cheng Han asks Yuwei whether he wants to be "together with me," and Yuwei answers in the affirmative, puts his arm around Cheng Han, and lays his head on Cheng Han's shoulder! Cheng Han asks Yuwei to "wait for him" at the end when they go off to different colleges! How are the comments interpreting this as a bromance?! You know straight people don't talk to their friends like that. I don't understand how this made it past the censors, because these boys verbally confirmed their feelings for each other in several different scenes.

So even that was a nice treat in a Chinese show, but what I really enjoyed was the small side plot with their moms. After Yuwei's mother overhears Cheng Han's first confession, she forbids Yuwei from seeing him again (see, even she knows their relationship isn't platonic). Cheng Han's mother responds by personally going and talking to Yuwei's mother about it, telling her their sons are happier and better together. Yuwei's mother thinks about it and later tells Yuwei that having a "bosom friend" who "can light up his inner world" might be hard for him in the future, but she wants him to be happy now, so she's giving permission for them to see each other. Then she tells him to invite his bosom friend over for dinner.

Um, my heart?? Literally one of the most supportive parent plot lines I've yet to see in Asian LGBTQ film/dramas, with parents from *both* leads on board! It made me really happy.

So I wouldn't necessarily recommend this due to all the reasons mentioned in the first paragraph, but it does seem like a landmark in Chinese BLs. I'm happy it got made, and I look forward to the day when having filmed media in which LGBTQ people can openly talk about their feelings and have their parents support them won't be such a rarity for China.

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The movie lost some magic

I saw the film in Taiwan, with Chinese subtitles. Disclaimer: I am a non-native speaker of Chinese, so often times I couldn't read the subtitles fast enough. However, I still understood most of the film, and tbh you don't need to understand the dialogue to get the gist.

The story is a bit cliche, with the main conflict dealing with Adachi's work transfer. I felt it was pretty slow at times, and the pacing was a bit weird.

There are definitely enough sweet moments, but not enough of the second couple, imo. Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would have liked to see more of the girl (and Rokkaku). There were also some touching moments which made me almost tear up.

The music and acting were fine, but I didn't really pay close attention to them.

Overall, if you are a fan of the series, you can't really not watch it, but if you haven't seen the series, I think I would pass on it. My friend who I watched it with hadn't seen the series, and said he enjoyed it, but mostly because of the attractiveness of the main leads XP

Anyways, I hope you got a general idea of what to expect from the film.

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The movie has 2 major issues: it’s too long and there is not enough screen time for the last heist compared to all the set up done.

Don’t get me wrong though, I was still rather entertained. In a little bit over two hours One Line was able to present a rather well built underdog story, adding a redemption arc closer to the end. Min Jae? Not exactly a likable character at first. Or in the middle. Somehow they were able to pull off 180, and make me care for him by the end.

Sadly, movies centering around con artists are as good as the chemistry and bond between the members and the last heist they do, and here the movie failed. Honestly speaking, from the whole team, the only two characters that had a fun and interesting dynamic going on screen were Min Jae and Gi Tae. All the rest just showed up with little built up for the team work, even though most of the was just that - creating a setup for the last case.

I would say, the last 40 minutes of the movie were the best - that’s when the characters started to truly work together and I could sense they were on board with the plan. That said, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. They did not show enough of the preparation for the big scam, so it kind of happened before I was able to comprehend what was going on. Especially since before that, the pacing was rather slow.

Acting was good. I’d say Im Si Wan did what he could with this role, but his baby face slightly did not fit how the character was presenting himself in the 2nd half. Lee Dong Hwi did a great job, I wanted to punch him in the face whenever they showed him on screen.

Overall, if the movie was about 30 minutes shorter it would flow better, and the imbalance between the setup and the last case would be less evident. It’s not like it’s a deep psychological drama - it’s a con artist movie with rather one dimensional characters and predictable plot. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s that.

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UNINTERTWINED

While the individual stories are worthy of a family (for the sole plot focusing on a mother and her son) or romance anthology itself, I don't think they were all that intertwined. Perhaps Hwi-chan and the Separation agency man could have worked in another movie where different relationships were explored and not just the rest being about romantic relationships; It would have also been good if all stories ended up being connected one way or another, directly or even indirectly.

The story about Hwi-chan and her mother then felt very separate and disconnected from the majority theme of which tackled romantic relationships, and yet it was the the story that made me cry the most.

I might be biased because stories about family hit me hard, and little Yeo Jingoo has such natural talent for acting and crying with such genuine emotion; but it was definitely the scenes I was looking forward to because it really tackled an interesting premise wherein the parents were broken and struggling to understand each other, the mom herself was giving up on her own child because of her own problems, then all these were slowly being mended when she ended up in the hospital and Hwi-chan yearned to understand her mom more as his mom became more open in her state of bed riddeness. This whole plot had been told in its whimsical and simple way of storytelling and yet it conveyed the message very clearly, and without sparing emotion. It also stands out from all of the stories because it had an open ending, so while obviously sad it gave a hint of hope and supported the story's message.

The story about the fireman, his girlfriend, and her sister is not even entirely interconnected. You can say that yes, the fireman did save the sister and that's how they met each other but that is where the connection ends. You cannot call that interconnection in terms of cinematic flow and plotline. They both focused on their own "love stories" separately. Again, I would have loved to see this in an anthology movie about romantic relationships alas it was written in the wrong movie.

The Separation agency man had a very interesting storyline as well, and I think it would have been good if it had been expanded in a stand alone movie along with the man, and his ex girlfriend's background. The connection it makes with Hwi-chan and his mom may have been a little flimsy in my opinion, but I guess it's good enough that it took a turn where separation is defined between familial relationships as well.

In any case, while I did rate story, and casting as an 8 they are more for the individual stories rather than as a whole. I think the OST they chose for the movie was actually a good fit for the sentimentally simple vibes it was trying to portray. Rewatch value is a 5 because the interconnectedness it promises does not deliver, hence it isn't much fun to expect the turn of separate events. Overall I came for Yeo Jingoo, ended up still coming for Yeo Jingoo and a couple other characters; wasn't satisfied with the composition and thematic balance of the stories included in the movie, but still liked the plotline of the stories enough to give it an "I like it" rating.

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