Reviews

Not a real movie just a summary of S1&S2

At first I thought it was going to be a short recap I was very wrong the entire “Movie” apart from the few minutes at the start and end are new but the rest was old clips from previous episodes. I was very disappointed they should not have called this a movie. I hope they actually do come out with a real movie not what ever I just watched.

As a 2gether fan I was really sad the trailer made it seem like this movie was going to be about getting married maybe I am wrong and if I am I will are this down but as of now I am very confused. I will look around to see if what I watched was wrong or the actual movie.

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Wrote this after a rewatch and though I already knew, my feelings were the same in two watches

Seeing the concept (and Wi Hajoon) was what made me interested, and it didn't disappoint me. I absolutely love Hajoon's (and everyone's!) performance in this movie. I first watched Hajoon's soft side in 18 Again, then saw his cooler side in Squid Game, and this is (I'm pretty sure!) the third Hajoon project that I've watched and he did amazing in every single project of his I watched so far, and Midnight is definitely one of my favorites.

The chase scenes were honestly so scary and definitely made me just want to focus on it (tbh the whole movie is), like, I felt like if I just tear my attention away for a second, she would get caught or something. There were times when there was absolutely no sound at all, kind of putting it in the girl's point of view and at those times it was the scariest. Even for those few seconds of silence it felt terrifying for me, I really can't imagine how terrifying it must be for her. Running from a serial killer that you have to look back on to check if he's close or not, and though she was on the run herself, she still felt the need to help out the girl she just met. But it was the most frustrating thing ever. She was the nicest girl but when she was the one in need of help, no one did. When she approached some people and they just kinda walked away, it REALLY frustrated me. And I guess the killer is a pretty dang good actor himself for people to believe him over his victims. Or are they not able to sense ABSOLUTE FEAR FROM THE GIRL???? LIKE?????? YALL SERIOUS???????? Maybe if they bothered to actually pay attention to the girl and what she's TRYING HER BEST to convey............ But yknow what, I'm not even surprised about that because that's what these genres do. But it's overall pretty good. Honestly, I don't watch movies a lot but after watching this movie, I suddenly got in the mood to watch some other movies too.

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It's much better than I thought, honestly...

At first, I only watched this because of Junho, and hearing that he has a double role intrigues me because i haven't watched a lot of medias where the actor plays double roles (and more Junho!!) But other than that, I know nothing about the other actors and all and thought that it would be like a love triangle between two Junhos and the girl. The typical story line but you don't know which Junho is gonna end up with the girl. But it's not and even turned out to be much deeper than I thought, and the message hitting close to home made me like it a lot, and I'm sure there are many more people that will also relate to this. It makes me like and appreciate the story a lot more.

In their own different ways, I can relate to both Nero and Daewon. As someone who loves art and thinking to turn that love into a career, now currently studying design, I can relate to Nero. I can tell Nero genuinely loves art and wants to paint whatever he wants and likes, but as he studied he learns that he can't just paint what he wants and has to follow the teacher, the curriculum. Honestly watching that as I go through it myself hurts and it feels sadder, it feels like I was looking at myself. While Daewon is different from Nero, I relate to him a lot too. At first he seemed like a happy go lucky guy who doesn't have anyone or anything that can tie him down. But, when he felt happy because he was for once useful, and someone needs him for something, my heart hurts. Both Nero and Daewon just feels like two peas in a pod (the pod being me)

well wow this review is so personal... But yeah... I also really like Junho's song for this movie titled "Nothing But You". It's a really cute, nice, soft song, pretty sure at one time I had that song on repeat because it was so good.

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Floating City takes place over several decades culminating in the end of the British rule over Hong Kong. Based on a true story the film focuses on Bo Wah Chuen, a man of mixed races and cultures, never fully accepted by any of them. Despite his humble up-bringing he manages to rise in stature and power.

Born to a Chinese mother, with a Caucasian father, and adopted by a poor Tanka fishing family, the Brits name Bo "Half Breed" and the Chinese call him "Mixed". Though he carries a British passport he finds out that he's not really British either. The story begins near the end so we know he succeeds but we also know as movie viewers that the climb will not be an easy one. Much of his youth is faced with helping his family survive and dealing with tragedies as they come. With the help of a priest, he enters school though he is older than the other students. Education opens his eyes to other possibilities, and he rebels against his father and the fishing life he is supposed to inherit. He discovers that the way out of his barefoot poverty and at times perilous existence is to find a job with the Imperial East India Company which runs much of Hong Kong. As a Chinese man his route is not without challenges, his inability to speak English has to be overcome and he's daily confronted by the limits of deeply ingrained racism.

Aaron Kwok gave a quiet performance as a conflicted man who was not sure who he is. Sometime too quiet. I found his character too enigmatic and unemotional in his relationships and struggles. Josie Ho who played Bo's mother in her younger years and Bau Hei Jing who played Bo's older mother both gave compelling performances as a woman who had to make heart-wrenching decisions through the decades for the family if it meant keeping them alive. Charlie Yeung as Bo's wife was given little to do. The heart of this story was between Bo and his tenaciously loyal adoptive mother.

Floating City flies over the complex issues giving us a nice overview of the problems in Hong Kong, but without connecting us emotionally with the tumult and cultural conflicts inherent in a place, and man, caught between two powers. It hints at a depth it is unwilling to dive into only skimming the surface as many of the performances do.

I wanted to like Floating City more than I did. It revealed parts of Hong Kong history not always covered in cinema but at times felt more educational than entertaining. That's not to say there weren't some deeply touching moments in it, I just felt it missed some opportunities to connect more with the audience. If you enjoy family stories and rags to riches stories, this is a movie you might want to check out.

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A Sweet Movie About Self-Exploration

It's a really fun movie discussing about the "taboo" topic of S&M and its effect on relationships. I liked how the ML changed from " Mr. Perfect" to a cutiepie asking for love and how the FL put effort into learning about this type of relationship, not just straight up turning to violence and insults, providing a safe space for both of them. This seemed to be a more realistic and loving relationship than the S&M portrayed in other movies. If you are put off by the 18+ rating, do not worry most of the movie is innocuous and there is no nudity( except maybe the upper body of the ML and pajama wear if you count them as such).
Overall, sweet couple, nice OST and an excellent ending.

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Interesting but slow-burn noir film filled with action

The overall vibe of the film is unique and unfamiliar to me. I saw that this movie falls on the noir genre and seems like it was set on an unknown time/era in a completely made up world.

At first, I feel like there's a lot of potential about this story however as it turns out I didn't like this movie as much as I expected. The story started of very interesting that's why I kept up with it until the end however it only made me confused really. I hoped that there were more back stories about what's happening or additional details that will let me understand why did those things happened. Why are the villains opting to kill the entire village? What was the real relationship between Hong GilDong and Kang SungIl when they were younger? There were a lot more things that I wished I knew in this film which could've helped me appreciate it more.

There were good points on the movie though that I loved like the casts. I love how the characters were portrayed and the 2 little cute girls that tagged along Hong Gil Dong throughout the movie that melt his heart in the end. The concept of moral ambiguity presented on the movie kept me from wondering how things will turn out in the end. But I feel like for most parts, the movie is overall draggy. There were scenes that I felt insignificant on how things finally worked out in the end.

Mostly, these are my opinions after watching the movie. I feel like the plot become too complicated for me to enjoy it. I personally think that if it didn't involve a big conspiracy of some organization and it focused more on whether Hong GilDong will exact his revenge or not, I probably enjoyed it more. Obviously, I wouldn't want to re-watch this movie again but overall I still think it's a good movie. I'm glad I gave it a try. The action scenes will surely keep you on the edge of your seats and the cute girls will surely melt your hearts.

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it goes into my all time favourite list

Ahhhh this movie is so light-hearted. I enjoyed every bit of it from start to finish. It is one of those movies where you sit back with popcorn and relax. Yes, that's it, it will release the stress with epic comedy.

This body swap isn't new but the pacing and twist of the story keep the audience engaged. Even if it had a sad scene the story, characterization and music make you laugh even harder. The bittersweet love story of the elder is just a side story, but it adds a great confusion and hilarious element to the main story. The kiss scene was one of the highlights of the movie, it was damn crazy.

Park Jin-Young had nailed his character. He acts like the boss with ease, his handsome face doesn't overpower his skill but it adds more to the comic side of the movie. He also had an overweight body, which is definitely the makeup, and whoever did that did a fantastic job. Even for a second, I can't say it's not real, the face, the body was just in perfect proportion.
Park Sung-Woo playing a teenager was over the top. The body language and shyness of teen was portrayed well.
Both the actors did excellent playing the parts of Boss and teenager. The Mother-Daughter duo was also great. they were a perfect fit for the leading ladies.

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Good contribution for more movies on those topics

This review is based on just watching the movie, not knowing the webtoon, what I see makes quite a difference in rating.

I didn't know what to expect, but I think it handled that multifaceted topic BDSM quite in a good way, as far as I can judge. Especially they've done it with respect and care of the protagonists. So in that sense it gives a strong statement to respect and accept people having different desires, especially the ones not being generally accepted by "normal" society and to have an open mind and awareness to that. So many people lacking of having that mindset still. That awareness worked very well throughout the whole movie for me and made me rate it that high. Also the FL and ML were acting perfectly well I think. I hope they'll do more in the future. Also the other cast was very good.

Of course some aspects were a bit fast paced or not covered much, like their background or the transition of their relationship. That would have needed more episodes than just a movie and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequell covering that. I read that the webtoon provided more detail. But on the other hand to drag that into a 16 episode drama would've been too long and led to the usual plot problems of lengthy dramas.

So why not see that movie as a good contribution to do more stuff on such topics in society ?

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Dang, but why so short?

It was actually great. I wasn't expecting Korea to do this like just wow-

It would've been better if it was a normal-length film like an hr and a half at least instead of just half an hour, it'd be so freaking awesome then. Not saying it's not good now, but it just feels like things are happening too quickly and some questions are left unanswered i.e how did he learn the spell? when did he curse him? why is he so jealous of him? How is he not scared of the ghost and treat him like an un-called guest who is actually one of his sex-partner(this particularly was so confusing yet funny to me. I get adaptability skill but like- bro was just chilling and fcking with an unknown dead being...)? and so on, these little things could be answered with viewers' imagination as well(not the last one tho) but I think it'd be best if the answers were in the movie itself, then the length of the film would also increase, but it was indeed a low-budget film so the length is understandable. Like, someone fund THIS, instead of spending on cliche-puppy-love shows, fund THIS type of masterpiece instead!

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Good content on a Bold Topic

Love and Leashes is really on a very bold topic. BDSM is a topic that has usually been covered to show nudity and unnecessary sex scenes. So i was pleasantly surprised to see a movie on this topic without sex.
Honestly it was the best movie on this topic, a lot better than highly popular Fifty shades of grey.
I liked the way the whole plot was executed. Instead of female sub the male lead was the sub and female lead was Dom. The female lead was strong. Even if she was cold I loved seeing her stand up for what was right most of the time.

Our male lead was like a cute puppy but had suffered a lot due to his propensity. His gf dumped him just because of his preference and I think he considered himself weird. Honestly you can sympathise with him for not being accepted for who he was.

I particularly didn't dislike anything except some loose ends here and there. But on the whole it was likeable.

If you want to know about BDSM without much caring about the sex scenes you can watch this movie.

Overall it is 8.5/10 for me.

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Taxi Driver - A Film Anyone Who Loves Korea Should Watch.

A touching, but not too touching film that portrays the reality of independence and revolt beautifully. Casting was incredibly well done, and the acting was too. Either way, every character in this film holds their place firmly and creates a story that moves and inspires you, and reminds you to open your eyes and pay attention to the world around.
Particularly glad to see great acting from the foreigners here as well- instead of sticking out like a sore thumb, as we usually see in Korean media, they fit in naturally to this well-directed film.
I was particularly impressed by the pacing of the film, it gets to the story quick but uses the quiet moments to speak just as loudly, if not more so, than an action scene. Some scenes are intense and emotional, but it's never overwhelming- instead you enjoy moments to breathe and compress the impact of the scenes you've seen in a perfectly written flow.
I have almost nothing negative to say about this film. It hits top marks on everything. I would say that the story is put first, and cinematography and music second, but that isn't a bad thing when the story is this important to tell.

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Fun Casting and Dialogue, Confusing and Empty Storyline

Steel Rain 2 should be separated from the viewer's mind from the first, artistic and touching Steel Rain. Steel Rain 2 is an entity all it's own, a completely different genre.
The plot is non-existent. Not that they didn't write a plot, and that events don't take place, but that the plot is so packed-full with events that don't lead into the next- and complicated, but unfortunately useless action, that I can barely call it a story line. I would much rather call this an amalgamation of short action sequences. However, that can easily be fun for a viewer, so it depends on your taste. I would compare the scope of this film to a Hollywood Michael Bay film.

The cast and chemistry was just as great as you might expect, with the sad exception of Angus Macfadyen. It's wonderful to see western characters have roles in the Korean film industry, but unfortunately the chemistry didn't match with the other two leading actors - who have a great sense of how to perform the play-by-play, back and forth dialogue. This might be a problem with cultural and language differences, or a direction issue, but it was a frequent killer of the excellent chemistry between Jung Woo Sung and Yoo Yeon-Seok as awkward political leaders.

As a lover of OST, Soundtracks and film music, I regret to say that the music was misleading and unremarkable.

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Bittersweet ending

If you've watched 2gether: The Series and Still 2gether, then just skip to the last couple minutes of the movie since the rest of it is just a clip compilation recap of everything that happened in S1 and 2.
In the last few minutes of the movie where we see them at their graduation, it hit me how far these characters have come especially Tine and Sarawat from who they were in the beginning of 2gether: The Series. Watching them through the montage of them after graduation was so cute and for a split second I thought the baby was theres but its not. Still, I've really grown to like Sarawat and Tine and will miss them. It was so fun watching the shows and I will definitely be rewatching s2 (I've reserved my opinions on S1 in my review). Despite a lot of the flaws the shows have, I've grown attached to the couple and will enjoy rewatching my fave clips. 2gether trilogy may not be the best BL drama out there but I like to think that Tine and Sarawat are one of the best couple

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Fun, refreshing and satisfying

I love that in 2022 we can finally see stories like this! Under-represented themes that aren't bogged down by being too deep and heavy. This film managed to balance showing the healing and freedom that comes from self-acceptance & embracing difference in a way that remained fun, sensual and heartwarming.

This was 100% your classic, heart-fluttering romantic comedy with great chemistry between the leads, but it felt especially refreshing and satisfying in the way it shone a light on how much fetish & kink culture can teach about consent & power dynamics in healthy relationships.

Plus, I loved that rather than making fetish & kink the butt of a joke like we usually see, the film manages to avoid stereotypes and find the humor and comedy in a way that feels modern and well, about time already! It was tasteful and genuinely funny.

The soundtrack fitted well; low-key, not cheesy or distracting. The writing, visuals and acting were all on point. The actors and director really did such a good job of making every scene and bit of dialogue enjoyable or meaningful to the story without it dragging at any point.

I'm sure some people are going to worry about too explicit scenes but there really aren't any.

If you like fun, light-hearted romance and comedy then I really recommend this film.

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"Suffering is the human condition" in art form.

"Moneyboys" is a raw, visually stunning drama that exhibits the gritty and provocative lifestyle of young, gay escorts. While there are some steamy moments, the story focuses less on the "customer service" aspect and more on what motivates these characters despite the risks involved. With an impoverished upbringing and the weight of his family on his shoulders, prostitution is a means of survival for protagonist, Fei.

What we get as viewers is a study on this character. We're taken through a series of experiences and events that make up Fei's life. We witness how the stigma of both his sexuality and profession effects his family life and the mental toll it takes on him. Through Fei's various interactions with other characters, a clear theme rings throughout the film: the sacrifice of one's happiness for the sake of others. Lovers sacrifice themselves for the ones they love, young adults sacrifice themselves to meet family expectations, LGBTQ+ sacrifice themselves to fit the molds of society. When does the cycle of suffering end?
The story finds its anomaly in Fei's childhood friend, Long. Unlike the often numb and apathetic Fei, Long is brimming with life. He sees the perks of being a money boy as a way to live happily for himself and not for the sake of others.

Before I had a grasp on the film's narrative, I was already in awe of its cinematography and editing. The moment I clicked play, I got the feeling I was in for an artistic experience. Atmospheric lighting and color grading sets the dark and solemn tone for the film. Neon colors pop through the screen. There are some close-ups and shaky camera shots that make for intense moments, but you'll mostly see the use of still-camera wide shots. Frame by frame, it appears as though characters are moving through a sequence of modern life art pieces. It doesn't linger on one shot for too long though, especially in the beginning. Scenes are often fleeting, dialogues seem to end just shy of a complete conversation. A stylistic choice that gives the film obscurity and keeps it from dragging, but disappoints story-wise. At times, I was left wishing I knew more about what these characters were thinking and experiencing.

Aside from maybe one actress with a bit part role, all actors were convincing. Lead actor, Kai Ko, did well portraying the emotionally detached Fei. He surfaces the character's vulnerable side in ways that feel both realistic and relatable. The charm and charisma of Bai Yu Fan's Long is definitely one of the film's highlights. There aren't many dramatic acting moments so if you're worried about it being a tearjerker, you're in luck. "Moneyboys" is pulsing with emotion but it isn't necessarily a sad movie, just realistic. It's a bit longer than the average 90 minutes, but very much worth the watch.

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