Reviews

Quick, easy watch

This movie wasn't bad, but something felt off about it to me. Was there something missing? Was it too rushed? It was probably a combination of the two. The characters didn't feel fleshed out to me. The ML was apparently idolized by all the girls, yet he was pretty much an idiot when around the FL. His behaviors/movements always seemed over-the-top and kind of frenetic. The FL was very pretty, but she only had one expression throughout the movie.

I enjoyed the bad guys that weren't actually bad guys, as well as the friendships. It's an okay movie to watch for mindless entertainment. There's nothing in it to irritate you, but there also isn't much in it to get excited about.

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mediocre but a decent watch

im not sure why people are claiming there are no new scenes in the movie when in especially the second half there are loads. it focuses a lot more on their emotions and psychological state thanks to the added scenes. we also get to see more of them being sweet together. whilst the film is smoother and more explanatory i will still call it mediocre for south korea's bl productions so far. it's a decent watch with some good dialogue, especially between youngwoo and his father. speaking of, for me, youngwoo carries this film. the actor is great and his character is definitely the best out of the cast imo. i also don't really find it confusing like others say but maybe that's just me. overall give it a shot if you have time to spare. it's not great but there's some good in it.

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Simply thrilling

I can't believe I haven't heard of this movie earlier. This movie should have more fame than it has now. As the name suggests this movie is just first part of a bigger story with a second part on the way this year. But the story, production quality, acting and the action scenes this movie offers is simply mind blowing.
The movie starts out slow but it ends with a bang. I haven't seen such good quality actions sequences in many Korean dramas or movies. It even beats majority of Hollywood action movies in regards of action sequence. I rewatched the second half of the movie just for the action.
The story delves into dark corners of scientific research and the movie has supernatural elements to it and contrary to my expectations it didn't actually ruin the movie but actually enhanced certain parts of the delivery of the movie. It has some gore to it but it's not too much.
The cast and acting was also very very well done with Choi Woo Shik being placed in a character that's very unusual for him at first glance but the result being a pure success. Kim Da Mi's acting in the 2nd half was also very impressive and helped build the overall atmosphere of the movie.
They used some old school korean music in this movie which I really liked as you don't really hear them in the average movies and dramas these days and it was quite nice.
If you are into action thriller movies then I would definitely recommend it.

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Cheesy but cute

I happened upon this movie accidentally. The ML's hair was ridiculous through half of the movie and was very distracting, but I liked the development of their relationship. She was supposed to be "plain." but I found her very cute, and she was hard-working and didn't take anything from anyone. I loved the ML's progression and his very surprised discovery that he had fallen in love with her. Some of it was overacted, but I must admit that I actually shed a few tears. They had both been through quite a bit in their young lives, and once they opened up to one another, the healing could begin.

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This was a good one! I loved that it introduced someone important from Marvelous' past - and that it once again showcased the bond between Marvelous & Joe.

Because Joe was the first one to notice that something was wrong when Marvelous turned all broody. I loved this scene because the other four were bickering in the background while Marvelous & Joe actually had a serious conversation. And then at the end, when everyone rushed to the space sheriff and Joe headed directly to Marvelous to grip his shoulder again the way Gavan did it before...

It's such tiny details like this that make a consistent characterization and show - instead of telling - the bond between two people. I love it! It's a drama for kids but certain Western shows could honestly take pointers from it!

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"...Beautiful Sound Like In The Tautness Of A Bow. I Want To Live Like This Until The Day I Die"

Any movie which you watch directed by Kim Di Kuk has to understand his (I don't know whether to call it 'idiosyncratic' or 'eccentric') outlook on making movies. You have to use your vision; watching the faces and actions of his characters, and you also have to watch how the character acts, or doesn't act, as a normal person would in the situation in which the director places that character..

Kim Di Kuk uses the full abilities of his actors and actresses when they appear in one of his films. Being a screenwriter for many of his films [or not, he only directed My Mother, (2013)] he gives them very little dialogue to use to portray their characters or their emotions here, or his other films.

It was the third time I watched this movie that I realized that absolutely NO ONE had a name in this movie!

Every time you watch a Kim Di Kuk film, you will notice something 'different' that you missed before!

Also, until you see the film yourself, don't believe what others say about it; one reviewer said that the 'young man' became interested in the young girl first, which is not true. It was the other way around.

An old man, who many called 'Grandfather' (Jeon Sung Hwan) brought a young, 6-year-old girl (played by Han Yeo Reum, 10 years later) to his boat off Korea's coast. 'Grandfather' charges fisherman to come fish off of his sanctuary from society; after a visit or two the fishermen start gossiping about the relationship between 'Grandfather' and his supposedly 'grand-daughter.'

Both the grandfather and young girl have grown fond of each other; this is shown in various scenes in the beginning. The grandfather has told others that they will marry on her 17th birthday, just a few months from when our look at their lives again. The grandfather uses his bow and arrows to protect the young girl from other men trying to take advantage of her, and she herself is capable of using them as well to protect herself.

Grandfather also tells the fishermen their fortunes, in a very eccentric way!

Unfortunately, grandfather brings to his fishing business a father and his young son, a student (Seo Ji Suk); the girl's eyes light up and she takes an immediate liking to him; also his headset which she has never seen before.

The young student also takes interest in the young girl, and senses that she has been isolated for years in her predicament.

"Grandfather' sees this and does not approve, but the two younger people develop a friendship; and things start to unravel between grandfather and the young lady, who no one believes is his grand-daughter. Plot twists from here one lead to an un-imagined ending to the story!

The main cast are great in this movie; the two main characters effectively portray their affection to each other in their somewhat bizarre relationship; and also effectively show the strain on the relationship as the third character is added.

The third main character, Seo Ji Suk, although his role is limited, shows believable concern and passion for the young girl and disdain toward Grandfather.

The support actors play their limited roles convincingly, which allowed the development of the story between the main characters.

Most of the 'story' is nonverbal, in that it is small details of interaction between the main characters, primarily the grandfather and young girl, that have to be watched and interpreted by the viewer; making the emotions of the film come from visual rather than auditory emotions.

The cinematography was excellent, IMO, but the sound from the bow instrument irritated me. Nothing personal, but it made my skin crawl some. I wonder if this was the 'effect' that Kim Di Kuk wanted, or not?

I like how you have to use all of your senses, except olfactory, to watch and understand this film.

I also like the portrayal of a bathroom onboard a small boat; many people do not realize that this is the 'traditional' was of relieving yourself on small craft!

The young girl grew to hate the grandfather after the many truths came out about her life, but she could not abandon him in the end! She found out what she was missing from life with him, but still had the love of his being her one and only mother, father, brother, sister, medic, confidante and 'grandfather' for ten years of her life!

Try abandoning someone who you love for a decade, even if and when you find how much they lied to you.

I also, the first time I was this movie, realized that the grandfather's last 'act' was the only one he could take; he had been found out as being a kidnapper and also marrying a female under the age of 17...and he couldn't get his (main) boat engine started or fixed.

One of the most 'eerie' things about this movie is the boat itself, in the end; although I am not going to tell you what happened!

This film is 'eerie' but 'tantalizing' at the same time! I keep telling myself that I am never going to watch it again; and also tell myself the same thing halfway through the next time I watch it. Oh, well...

If you are smart, don't ever watch ANY film directed by Kim Di Kuk to being with; you won't be hooked then!

No tissue are needed for watching this movie, but clip your fingernails first, so that you won't make fingernail scratches on your chair or couch as you are glued to your seat, as this movie slowly messes with your mind watching it.

RE-WATCH VALUE: no comment!

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Slow, boring, and awkward

This sequel was slow and confusing from the start. The development of the characters' relationships was awkward and unnatural in every aspect and the storytelling was clunky and made little sense. I struggled to pay attention to this movie. I was only 30 mins into the film and I thought it was almost over (30 mins felt like 2 hours). I pushed through in hopes that it would redeem itself with the ending as season 1 did, but alas, it was just another disappointment. Seems like they're leaving room for a season 3 with the ending but I will not be wasting time on that since this one was such a letdown.

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Not As Good As The Series

This is a well acted move starring two of the hottest and best actors in BL today. But the story for me, just did not work. It became formulaic. The original series was fresh, creative, and beautifully done. This stuck to a formula and became predictable. It added scenes to I guess move the movie along but all that did was distract. I really wanted to see, feel, and understand better the intensity of their own relationship. I also realized the end from the beginning. That took the magic away. It is not a bad movie in fact it is good. It just is not great. I know, I know. I probably am the only one who does not see a connection between these two. I just do not feel the spark between them even though they act like they do.

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Sweet and Dark

This is a good movie, both quality. story and entertainment wise... Slightly painful to watch this movie takes us on a journey of hardship and romance with a fluffy dog to ease the pain...

What Liked more...
Great acting, good story, cute dog+ lovable mains, no annoying characters, people with disabilities portrayed as human beings worthy of love and not just a walking inspirational story... Complex mains with lots of character development, chemistry between the leads... Good balance of sweet and dark scenes.The way it incorporated issues facing woman and people with disabilities without it taking over the main focus but rather added and acted as an accelerator for it. The very human non super human the mains are.

What I liked less...
Somewhat predictable twists, though I did not know what was going to go happen at one point it was very clear that X was going to happen at a certain point in time, just not exactly how it would happen.

I did not cry but I can see where many people would cry while watching this movie and is certainly a movie worth watching!

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Cheap copy of Chinese Wuxia dramas

Wuxia (武俠), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. This is just a cheap copy of Chinese Wuxia dramas, specially the clothing. If you look up Wuxia online, you'll notice that the clothing is almost identical. Recently, South Korea has been filming a large number of Wuxia dramas and label them as "Korean", the plot, clothing etc are so similar to Chinese Wuxia dramas. They really need to stop copying and plagiarizing the hard works of other people without giving them any credit. Shame on you!

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Great Godzilla-like movie

A great Korean kaiju movie from 1967. The camera work was average, but the special effect was great of course not up to par of today's effects but for the time it was good. I didn't like the design of the monster much but the way the actor acted in it made it look natural and not cringy like some kaiju movies look. The story was bland though, generic kaiju story. But when they got to destroy the building it felt epic and awesome. It ain't no Godzilla movie, but it's a great one for when you want some kaiju/Godzilla action that isn't Godzilla. The music is good too nothing to write home about though.

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Ripoff of Godzilla 1998 (from my Letterboxd review)

If this is meant as a sequel to the 1967 Yongary movie then it has to be one of the worst sequels ever. The acting is so bad and even the story rips of Godzilla 98 which is also one of the worst movies ever made.

The only good thing about this is the alien spaceships look kinda cool, in a Starship Troopers way. The monster design would be so badass if it wasn't really really bad CGI, if they had used suitmation or had the CGI of today's movies it would be very cool looking, but they didn't use a suit at all just poor graphics that make me wanna hurl.

This is no Fred 3 but this is one of the worst things ever made. It's like an Asylum Studios movie but if they mockbusted Godzilla 98. They even ripped off the "monster stomps on the guy" shot but somehow worse. Even the city looks like it's from Zilla 98. What hot Garbage!

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Based on a short story by Kim Dong In, Potato tells the tragic story of Bok Nyeo, a young woman who is married off to an older aristocratic man. Kim Dong In who was living in Pyongyang was inspired to write this story when he witnessed the hard life of the people living in poverty around him.

Bok Nyeo found out in rude fashion that her new "aristocratic" husband was penniless and landless. He also refused to work and expected her to provide for him. The story follows her as she works odd jobs, begs, and even picks caterpillars off trees, all while rebuffing the advances of the men around her. Eventually, she is forced to go against her conscience and do things she would not have done before in order to stay alive and later to pay off her worthless husband's debts.

Potato is a grim look at what poverty can drive a person to do in order to survive. Unable to return to her poor farming family, unable to be rid of her husband, unable to pay off his crushing debt, with no support system and only a will to live Bok Nyeo's story was devastating to watch.

******Spoiler Below******



*****Spoiler******

I graded this movie down somewhat because I felt it was needlessly exploitive of her body, devotion, and sacrifice. In the end it implies she falls in love with the Chinese farmer demanding use of her body in repayment for her husband's debt and that's why she tries to murder him. The official synopsis would lead one to believe this is not how the book told this aspect of the story. Even though it sympathetically shows the detrimental effects of poverty and the vulnerability of women in a male dominated society, I had trouble accepting the oft used literary trope of a woman being sacrificed for the mistakes of others and the failings of society. Just my $.02

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Just watch and enjoy

A movie that I can only review with: "just watch and enjoy". The plot offers a simple theme in plain sight, but wait until you notice your video player telling you this movie hasn't over yet! With fairly low budget, mostly unknown cast, but aggresively smart script, One Cut of the Dead is the one that you MUST watch for once (and perhaps just once) but it's a MUST WATCH!

It's really hard to review this one, because telling everything even more about this movie, constitutes a spoiler. Even telling you the genre of this movie, constitutes a spoiler.

So, I will zip my mouth and stop typing. Without further ado, "just watch and enjoy"!

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Watch it!!

STORY: It's a 5 minutes short, short-film. Though that it barely time for anything to happen (and barely anything happens) overall I'd say IT'S CUTE! Just watch till the end, if you're up for cutesy romantic scene, with a good context, I'd suggest you watch this :)
I rated it an 8 since,
- I am easily pleased by a basic good show
- I've seen longer series with plots confusing and story conveyed in a worse manner. This gives you a good context to scene, and if you have a good imagination you can make up prequel and sequel in your head hehe.
- It had what I'd call a HAPPY AND SATISFYING ENDING - again ... it was a 5mins video.


PACE: I did go at 1.25x because I was "in a mood" to watch in that pace.


RECOMMENDED for a super-cute dose of fluffy web-series (more like a clip though).


[You don't even have to leave this site to watch it lol, the original uploader has embedded it on their profile, https://kisskh.at/26246-he-says-to-me#comment-2476519 ]

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