Reviews

Tragically Beautiful

I loved the photos and moments of the cherry blossoms. The story isn't really original, but it was well done, and although it was a 2 hr movie, you don't notice it. At times it even felt like it was too fast. The aging FXs were well done. They were even able to show how seniors can feel disgraced with how their body doesn't function like they wish it would. I liked the love story potion and the pain they both felt.

What I disliked was at times the shaking camera, photographers all know how to use a film stabilizer, so that just took away from the show. It was super annoying and not needed as the actors/actresses all did well to show their heightened emotions. Whether that's a production issue or the director's fault I don't know. Pacing of the movie seemed a bit off in some sections too.

Overall it was a good watch, I would rewatch it and recommend it. Some viewers might need a box of tissues, even though we know the ending ahead of time. It was a nice story about love and not giving up, even if the odds are against you.

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This is kind of an odd one to rate for me. Usually I’m the first one to cry when watching a tearjerker (and romcoms too lmao. I shed so many tears for Homecha in the first freaking episode) but this movie just didn’t really make me that emotional. I did tear up pretty good when he told her he loved her in the very last scene of the movie but otherwise my eyes were dry as the Atacama desert. I’m pretty impatient and just coming out of a kdrama slump so the snail-like pace of this movie was not working for me. It was bearable but also really unentertaining. Overall, I will definitely say that it was worth watching despite it not making me all that emotional, and I’d recommend it anyway.

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Great movie it really makes you feel all the emotions.

I have watched many Zombie series/movies and i think this was the first movie where it made me full on cry. When i started the movie I didn't think you could get so attached to some of these characters which is never a good idea when you watch anything zombie related. So I didn't think the story would be so emotional surprised me there.
Otherwise really great movie, the acting is really good you can feel every emotion through the actor/actress that it makes the story even more believable. The action scenes get you on the edge of your seat you never know what is going to happen, you never know how they will survive and get out of the situation. It never gets boring watching it.

This was my first review so I hope i wrote it ok. The first part was a review that doesn't contain spoilers the second part is just me ranting about some things from the movie which were the reasons I even wrote it in the first place.

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MAJOR SPOLERS AHEAD!!!

That COCKROACH of a man did not only kill/infect all the people but also got infected himself, like he is so desperate to survive yet HE MANAGES TO DIE. Even the pregnant lady survived how can he so selfish and still be that useless for his survival.
Also the scene where the dad gets infected i couldn't have SOBED more it was already sad, but then they threw the flashbacks in NAHHH U TRYING TO KILL ME TOO.

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A Fleeting Tale Of Young Love Underneath The Cherry Blossoms…

There’s a particular Japanese idiom which comes to mind when talking about the concept of ‘ Yoshihiro Fukagawa’s ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ and that is simply “ Mono No Aware” (“物の哀れ”)- “ The pathos of things, the sensitivity of things which are transient”. At the root core of this idiomatic expression comes to mind with the imagery of fleeting beauty, and none so more than the blossoming and ephemeral period of the Sakura ( cherry blossom) during spring in Japan. Indeed, the symbolic imagery of the Sakura blossom in ‘Love like the Falling Petals ‘ is supposed to represent the beating heart of the narrative. Melancholic and bittersweet in parts, ‘ Love Like the Falling Petals’ is a film which while helping to capture the unpredictable transience of the seasons and young love, could often feel just as fleeting as the cherry blossom.

The film is based upon Uyama Keisuke’s novel "My Lover, Like Cherry Blossoms" (“桜のような僕の恋人”). Adapted to the silver screen by screenwriters Tomoko Yoshida (‘The Liar and His Lover’, ‘Blue Spring Ride’ and ‘Gakkou no Kaidan’) and Uyama Keisuke (‘Switch Girl!!’, ‘Nobunaga Concerto’ and ‘Tonight, At Romance Theater’), the narrative predominantly focuses upon main male lead Haruto Asakura ( Nakajima Kento- ‘Koishite Akuma’, ‘Bad Boys J’ and ‘Nisekoi’). An aspiring photographer with low self-esteem, Haruto falls head over heels in love during a fateful encounter with bubbly hair stylist Ariake Misaki(Honoka Matsumoto- ‘Mio On the Shore’, ‘My Name Is Yours’ and ‘Byoshitsu de Nembutsu o Tonaenaide Kudasai’).

However just as Haruto starts to gain confidence in order to pursue his lifelong ambitions in order to become a photographer, Misaki begins to develop a rare disease that causes her to age rapidly before the falling of next spring’s cherry blossom.
As mentioned previously, ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ attempted to offer its audience with a somewhat sombre reflection of the futility of contingency as well as young love. The initial tone set for the movie is established as somewhat bubbly and sprightly rom-com . ( As established with Haruto and Misaki’s unconventional ‘’meet cute’’ after Misaki accidentally cuts Haruto’s ear with a pair of scissors.)

However as the plot begins to be set in motion with Misaki’s evident dilemma, ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ turns into a sentimental sob story, occasionally dipping into a melodramatic tone also. In addition to our main leads there is also a subplot revolving around Misaki’s brother, Ariake Takashi (Nagayama Kento- ‘Puzzle’, ‘Crows Explode’ and ‘Toge: The Last Samurai’) and his fiancée Yoshino Ayano ( Sakurai Yuki-‘ Love Craft Girl’, ‘A Crimson Star’ and ‘The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window’) attempting to take on the financial burden of Misaki’s circumstances.

Nevertheless despite the attempts for the series to lament over the sorrows of time and existence, the narrative for ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ could often feel discombobulated with its messaging. Of course, while the movie did possess an intrinsic message and an arguable social critique surrounding the financial and emotional burdens of the elderly in Japanese society, these messages could often feel as though they were only approached on a surface-level. This was mainly due to the fact that ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ would often only brief skim over details in a bombastic manner (such as the limited screen time given to the subplot revolving around Misaki’s brother), rarely delving deeper in order to avoid offence.

Kento Nakajima starred as main lead Haruto by adding a reserved yet somewhat blatant charm to his onscreen persona. Co-starring alongside Nakajima was Honoka Matsumoto as Ariake Misaki. Despite Matsumoto’s brilliance as an actress, her performance as Misaki could feel somewhat overblown at times with overexaggerated line deliverances and reactions. Nevertheless, Matsumoto did help to add a tethered charm to Misaki in later scenes of the movie as she falls deeper into a cycle of senescence.

Nakajima and Matsumoto’s onscreen chemistry is decent enough. Matsumoto and Nakajima’s onscreen interactions could feel somewhat childish and stilted at times in the opening of the movie. However by the second-half of ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’, the main leads’ onscreen chemistry turns angst-ridden and woeful, adding a bittersweet as well as an overemotional tone by the ending of the film.

The trajectory of ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’ can arguably be divided into two parts. In the first-half of the film, the narrative takes a lively and pacy approach to Haruto and Misaki’s coup de foudre, while the second-half downplayed events in order to focus on a more serious matter of Haruto and Misaki’s attempting to overcome complicated relationship and problems.
Admittedly this did provide to be a double-edged sword for ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’; the first-half allowing opportunities for viewers to understand the liveliness of Haruto and Misaki’s early courtship, while helping to present the climatic problems of the final part. On the other hand rather than allowing opportunities to delve further into the emotional edge of the characters or their personal backgrounds, Misaki and Haruto’s depth as characters could feel somewhat limited. For example this was particularly shown through the problem of Haruto. His precise reasons for becoming a photographer were limited and unexplored, while the emotional toil for Misaki and her illness were often enforced rather than explored subtly.

In addition to the pacing of the film, it is important to acknowledge the talents of the directing under the leadership of Yoshihiro Fukagawa. Slick and glossy, Fukagawa’s filming encapsulated an onslaught of aesthetic symbols and scenery. In particular, Fukugawa placed heavy emphasis upon the changing of the seasons from the falling cherry blossoms of spring, to the first snowfall of winter in order to mark the literal and metaphorical cycle of the narrative. On the other hand despite some mesmeric moments of the film, the CGI displayed in the opening as well as long-distance shots at times could feel somewhat sloppy at times.

‘ Love Like the Falling Petals’ is a bittersweet love story about transience and young love. Nevertheless despite the movie’s impressive shots and cast line-up, the narrative could often become just as fleeting as the cherry blossom with limited writing cliches, pacing and execution.

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Depends on what you want from a movie

I assume that you've read the synopsis, so I won't re-state the plot or story here.

I went into watching this because I wanted to see the movie for the OST (yeah, I heard Tan Dun's work and was curious), and didn't expect a complicated story. The story is subtle and it's point is not revealed until the very end - and even then the point of the movie is not a single scene, but several.

Told via flashbacks, the director uses color, and mis en scene to assist the them of the story. Indeed, it was the cinematography, set design, and low (but intelligent) use of CGI. Imagine, a Qin army in full regalia, in battle formations and in full costume. The images alone made the movie worth watching; or a shower of arrows that look realistic..

The acting seems wooden, but I don't think that's the point of having actors deliver lines in near emotionless delivery. The characters are focused, self-disciplined, and expert martial artists - which offers a counter to the Qin Emporer's seemingly stoic but dreaded presence.

The action scenes are excellent, and believable. In some scenes, the flowing of fabric during fight scenes are almost etherial, giving the characters an other-world quality for this non-Wuxia film.

Conclusion: if you are Jet Li fan and want to watch his technical mastery of portraying a martial artists, you'll love it. If not, give it a try because visually, the movie is stunning and impressive.

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Tissues

Be in the right mood to watch this drama, it’s a sad one. As I was watching it, I realized it was a different storyline than what I thought it was going to be. Halfway through, I knew it was going to be more than just a breakup with a sad ending. As you watch it, you will realize that it could only end one way. I knew it was going to be a love story, but I didn’t quite expect the plot to turn suddenly into a break up for the reason that it did. It had happy times in the beginning, but mid point turned really sad. It is definitely worth the watch, but be in the right mood, it’s a downer.

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Realistic with little of the sometimes unnecessary/funny sound bites

This was absolutely beautiful. I only put 9.5 for the story because felt a little rushed when Phoon's dad was in the picture. It dealt with realistic issues a same sex couple would have to face and didn't try to sugar coat it or downplay the emotional pain & confusion for their child, how other people influence them, the difficulties of trying to make things "better" or work just to get in a laugh or funny sound bite. Indeed, any child would be lucky to have Yuke & Phoon as parents; especially with all the love they have to offer. Both fathers balance each other and the actors relayed their different emotions - their individual difficulties & pains so well. Thanks o much for subbing/posting! Bravo to everyone involved in the production/creation of this

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my problem with this and why I liked it anyway

Well, my main problem was not the age gap, but the fact that IMO reincarnation does not work like it was shown here. It is not our task to find people from our past lives and to have the same relationship with them. It happens naturally that the souls meet and if someone was your lover in the past life, he can be now your brother or mother or child etc. So, it does not mean (s)he has to be your lover in his/her next life. I believe that if it happened like that, her task was not to have a relationship with him and to die with him to become a couple in next life again. They may be born as close relatives, for example. And also, if you had a certain disposition in your past life, it does not mean you will be the same this time. We have different tasks in different lives. It had a meaning that they were born this way and they should not have thought that they were "born wrong" and end their lives. I do not think that was the purpose why they were born. Also, I think that Pob saw Natcha as the man he loved in a female body, although she definitely felt like a girl, not like a transgender man. The screenwriter probably wanted to say that geneder does not matter at all but if it was like that, people would not have different sexual orientations and nobody would have the need to change his/her gender.
But I cried anyway and a lot. When you don't think about that too much and accept the screenwriter's way of thinking, you will most likely enjoy it. What I really liked was the acting (and directing) in this movie, it was exeptional. I felt like the actors actually were the characters they played.

Note: Sorry for my English, I'm not a native speaker.

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Too Fast Paced...

I have not read the book so I can't comapre one to the other. I was intrested since I just saw the trailer and like Ryan Ding sine I saw him in Just an Encore.

The movie is too fast paced that even if I would feel emotionally invested I lost the feeling way too fast too.

The ML and FL were roommates of some sort. She is staying at his home because of issues with her family. They are neoghbors and the ML is the friend of her brother. In the course of them livig toether they fall in love but because the ML had some issues wiyhbhis family too he disappears for 7 years.

Years later he comes back and try to win her back and almost didn't get her back. And when he does get her back fate hands them a death blow. They both suffered apart got back together only to suffer again What a load of crap!

I'd say this is a waste of the talent of the people here some I have seen in other works and know how they could deliver and another thing the osts are too good for the movie. So sad that this was poorly written.

Rewatch value is a 0 for me. No matter how much I like Ryan this does not work for me. It is not a wate of time and they made the ending a happy ending but in fact it's not.

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"I Am Destined to Fall In Love With You.."

After trying to find a way to watch this movie forever and a day, it's finally happened. I got to see Kokoy and Elijah once again, put on an amazing performance, and give us the movie we deserved. Gameboys: The Movie was an incredible watch with endearing significance and harsh reality. If anything, this movie made me 10x times more excited for season 2 coming in May!

Let's Dive In.

Gameboys The Movie is the continuation story of Gav and Cai from the original tv series, Gameboys. Here, we get to see them be boyfriends in a domestic sense, giving us some really cute and tropey goodness. Their friends eventually come along for the ride, and the movie goes on exploring their different options while executing the good and the struggles of Gav and Cai.

Starting off with what needed some work: I'm going to expect we got a somewhat open-ended circumstance because we'll get an actual conclusion in season 2. I'm not sure if the series will continue right where we left off, or will time have passed, and that's where we begin their story? I know that season 2 is supposed to showcase some parts (if not all) of the movie, including some things we didn't see, but I for sure hope that it won't just be the movie cut up in parts (the reverse version of the K-BL industry) and we actually get a lot of new content. I didn't necessarily mind the open-ending, but I'm curious if Gav does end up going to New York, or if Cai goes with or stays behind. I'd rather have a conclusion altogether (even if sad) than an ambiguous ending (however, this is just me being nit-picky, and until season 2 comes out, I'll suspect we do get our conclusion if the series is more than just the movie).

I was never a big fan of Wesely and Terrence in the series, and that didn't change in the movie. There was too much back and forth that the story didn't develop well enough for me to care. Now granted, I didn't watch their side series (again, cause I wasn't interested), but I don't think I needed to watch to understand what was happening. It's was weird for him to be upset in then in the blink of an eye, holding Wesley up against the wall, about to pounce on him. Sure, the actors are cute, and their characters have a brief engaging moment, but their chemistry is very lacking. While Achilles felt artificial, I think I would've rather him and Terrence end up together, otherwise, he added nothing more to the plot for me.

Another knit-picky moment. As much as I love when Gav and Cai call each other baby, they over-exerted the word in this movie. Every sentence ended or started with baby. Sometimes Gav just needed to drag the word on for longer than needed, or Cai would repeat it several times in a row. At a certain point, you start to roll your eyes at how incredibly ridiculous it was. Not the biggest problem, but one of the more annoying ones.

Moving on to what I love: A lot of the time, what BL tends to do (which isn't bad, but it's not always realistic) is skip over the homophobia that the main leads' family, friends, or outsiders could, and some of the times, do have. I appreciate that the series makes it one of the more important topics. It doesn't end the way we would've liked it too, but sadly, not everyone in a gay person's life is off-the-bat accepting or understanding. The approach this movie takes is one I rarely see in BL, with being gay being compared to religion. Tita Susan weighs religion heavily on sexuality, and we can see that fear in Gav's eyes when she does. It doesn't end well, We don't see Tita Susan again after Gav comes out to her, we don't see her respecting or accepting Gav's reality, and we probably never will. It's a sad circumstance for sure, but I can always appreciate an honest movie.

Kokoy and Eljiah have no problem in the chemisty department. I loved watching them be all domestic together. We got to see some really nice scenes with them, not all good moments, but by them just being together, you can see how much they care. I loved how they didn't rush into sex and took their time. Pearl teases a bit, and it becomes awkward, but Gav shows that he wants to wait until Cai was a hundred percent ready. After some very sappy singing, they roam off to their room and make love. I say make love cause it was executed just as that, and brilliantly. We get to see how soft and gentle Gav was being, and just them being in ecstasy and in love. we also see them switch which was a nice surprise. Another good thing about them is that there aren't those distinct top/bottom tropes or traits and they are just who they are. The actors always do an excellent job in this category, and I'm never left disappointed.

Pearl was the best side-woman a gay man could have. She looked as beautiful as ever, and I can't help but fall in love with her bubbly personality.

The production was really nice, the set was so beautiful with the water fountain. I was obsessed with the music here, just cause it added that little oomph to make the series magical. I never really rewatch, but I've already seen this movie twice, so I'll definitely come back.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - For the most part, I loved the story. I'll take a star off for the poor execution of Terrence and Wesley, but other than them I loved it.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone did a really good job, especially our main leads. The only person I wasn't much of a fan of was probably Wesley's actor. It was flat at times, and he didn't make many expressions. Terrence is okay, and Achilles is decent.

Music: 7 - Loved the OST, and can't help but be obsessed with the "Iyong Iyo" song by Zack Tabudio. It's so beautiful, please go take a listen if you haven't.

Rewatch Value: 2.5 - I wouldn't be surprised if I did go back to watch this after some time. I'm definitely going back occasionally to see Gav and Cai be domestic boyfriends.

I highly recommend this movie if you can find it, but it's worthwhile. I promise you, if you've waited this long to see it, don't give up on trying to find it. It was so magical, and I want everyone who wants to watch it to do so.

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" If you weren't the bully , than you were being bullied "

Girls be crying over a boy , I be crying over this movie .

This movie is a masterpiece. It's a story about the cruel reality of bullying we are living in. It's a story about two people who are hoping for better days after suffering so much. It's a story that should be heard and should be understood .

Both lead characters are so amazing and talented that you could feel their emotions, happiness, sadness, or whatever feeling right in their eyes and facial expression.
Even when they are having their happy little moments you will cry cause they are enjoying the days . i love this movie it delivers a simple message in a deep way; stop bullying. this movie spread awareness of bullying and informed me of many things that i did not realise happens when you get bullied; the story mainly goes through the pov of the victim getting bullied and shows her thoughts, unfortunately it did not really show what goes through the bullies thoughts which would be interesting to see if that happened it would probably try to make us feel sympathetic but i would have liked to see an extra where it shows the bullies side of story.

Before watching this i did not realise the harsh brutality of what these victims of being bullied goes through especially the amount of stress that they have to deal with studies is overwhelming enough i couldnt imagine getting bullied myself so throughout watching this i just felt extremely lucky that i dont get bullied at school. i love the cinematics in this, many scenes made me cry especially that one scene where the boy was pretending to rape the girl and when the cops seperated them they were both crying but not for the reason reason that they think- yeah that part just blew my mind and made me realise the the point of view can make a huge difference.

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A touching story

So basically I feel that this movie is so UNDERRATED! I feel so upset that it doesn't get more attention that it deserves! Ok well some of the relationship between two characters, like the ghost lady and the scholar male lead, wasn't nicely developed. They spent a night reading some story and the lady was playing the pipa, and he wants to marry her already to free her from the resentments of the human world. Well I get that part but what I don't understand was how he fell in love with her so quickly. The dialogs when he was proposing to her was good, but I just don't feel any chemistry between them. However, the chemistry between the two male leads are just BAM! Their friendship is pure despite the fact that the fox, only tagged along with the scholar because he needs something, a white elixir from him that could cause the scholar's life so that he could be a nine tailed fox immortal. And when that time comes, the scholar gave it without hesitation to a person who's pretending to be the fox ML. His fox friend obtained that elixir, which the villian thought was just a normal black elixir. A plot twist happened which I'll not mention, but the fox gave up immortality to save his scholar friend, and was reduced to a normal fox. His scholar friend's memories was wiped away, but his compassion remains. When his scholar friend saw that fox that was badly injured, he took him in. And thus, the two friends spend their lives together. Meanwhile, somewhere at the start, there's this taosit priest that stabs paintings to cure people, and IT WENT SO SMOOTHLY. The blood oozing from the painting is just amazing! I hope you'll give this movie a chance

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Some of you might get confused but thats why you have to focus and stick around the whole film.

The thing that I have learned from this movie is that you don't really need many actors so It would be a good movie .

Acting was absolutely superb. Very believable performances from everyone involved and amazing work to show changes of the emotional and psychological states in the main characters. Jeon joon seo & Park shin hye played a brilliant role here. Young sook's laugh still give me chills! She played a real villian man!! Hats off to her character.

There is one thing I noticed, The cliffhanger ending that is supposed to shock us but ultimately doesn't fulfill any form of surprise or dread. No, that ending doesn't work at all. Let's just say it made no sense that our villain, wouldn't be found after what happened to her. I know cliffhangers are fun, but at least make them believable.

I liked how the relationship of mom-daughter changed in the end, when from the start Seo-yon towards her mom wasn't in good terms at all, maybe she thought her mom was kinda selfish of herself [doing her nails and such to make beautiful] but the twist of the plot showed that a mother will do everything just to protect and save her child no matter what. Seeing Seo-yon smiles at the end proved her how her mother loves her very much.

Overall, a very well done film that, throughout has you at the edge of your seat

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