Reviews

Recommended supplement for Ryuki

*pulled from my LB review, broad, qualitative spoilers*

TL;DR: Watch before Ryuki's last few episodes.

Miho's story makes the conflict with Asakura more urgent which was a nagging issue with the series, that a convicted murderer and psychopath was running around rampant and everyone was stewing around whether they should kill him or not since he's got the powers of a Rider behind him now or not to stoop to his level, break moral codes, yadda yadda. Of course, they are only at liberty to have her story in the first place because it's like a pseudo-alternate continuity, because Asakura would've been dealt with in series a lot sooner otherwise, and then the series wouldn't be nearly as long (or they'd have to find a way to draw out real, complex drama from more morally clean characters and find grey areas and hangups and such, *gasp* perish the thought!)

The questionable canon nature of this thing with Miho aside, this movie DOES reiterate and expand on Yui & Shiro's story a bit which is good, adds some details which would soften the blow and ease people into Ryuki's infamous ending even a little bit, so I think this should be required viewing while watching Ryuki, before the last few episodes this vaguely takes place in-between, though it would've been nice if this was incorporated into the TV run properly (also would've been nice if the series' ending didn't suck but alas).

The movie's own ending is a weird cliffhanger never resolved and meant to count as the loose ending to a different path of fate, so it's still not great on its own, but does reinforce the branching nature of the story and the TV series' ending decision with the other routes taken into account. Plus, as far as the endings to all the Ryuki timelines go, this is the least offensive oddly compared to the general futility of the 13 Riders special and Shinji's weird 180 at the very end of it, unable to even let a different route play to its conclusion as well as the TV series ending of course.

Ryuki is one of the hardest Rider series to recommend, though not necessarily one of the worst, ending aside, but if one felt so inclined to watch it, this is essential viewing before the final 5-odd episodes.

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A Warm and Sweet First Love

The FL is a new transfer student. Everyone thinks she is arrogant and cold because she refuses to interact with any of her classmates. This doesn’t stop the ML from trying to get to know her. The way our ML looks at the FL on the first day of school when he sees that they are in the same class (homeroom) just melts my cold cynical heart. I love the ML’s character in this movie. He is like a ray of of sunshine, cotton candy, and all that is bright and happy wrapped together. When his attempts to befriend the FL keep failing, their homeroom teacher finally pulls him aside and tells him that after a week, the FL will not remember anyone she has met. He’s devastated, of course, but his positive personality refuses to give up. So, he devises a plan so she will remember him: trading a journal with her. I like that the movie is pragmatic in that it was not a quick, miraculous recovery for the FL, but that it took time and many heartaches for the ML before we have our happy ending. I really did want to reach out into the screen to give the ML a big hug when his heart was breaking because she could not remember him or their time together.

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Connected was an emotional thriller from beginning to end. A remake of the US movie, Cellular, Connected put its own spin on the story.

Louis Koo plays an inept debt collector who doesn't spend enough time with his son due to his job. His sister and his son are taking a flight out of Hong Kong and Bob, yes Bob, HAS to be there to send the boy off so as not to disappoint his son one more time. Being a thriller, we already know his trip to the airport is going to have challenges. Barbie Hsu as Grace Wong, throws him the mother of all challenges. She has been kidnapped by unknown villains and managed to use her engineering skills to make a damaged phone work, at least work enough to make a random call. And her one phone call is to timid Bob racing to see his son. Bring in disgraced police officer Detective Fai, played by Nick Cheung and the band is set to find its way together.

Koo connected with his character and managed to show Bob's development from coward to reluctant hero. Cheung's performance sold an otherwise weakly drawn character. Sadly, Hsu had to make the most out of being a damsel in distress, she was brilliant and resourceful, but still in distress and desperate for Bob's help. Liu Ye was able to make the cartoonishly evil Big Bad entertaining. Motorola should have gotten a supporting role as much as the phones had loving closeups.

Connected started and ended strong, the middle had a couple of slow spots, but overall, the pacing and nerve-racking action stayed pretty consistent. As with a lot of movies of this nature there was a great deal of predictability unless it was your first thriller. It didn't take much to connect the dots, thankfully, the trip between each turning point, even when implausible, kept the story moving at least at 3G speed. And along the way Grace and Bob, who were unable to see each other as they talked, managed to connect emotionally as well, a difficult task when both were facing death over and over.

I found Connected to be entertaining with strong performances. My only complaint, other than a few unbelievable bits is that it ran too long. It's worth giving a try, you can always hang up on it if it's not your thing, I kept Grace and Bob on the line until their conversation was over.

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Tonight, I watched the manga based Jmovie Kingdom, starring Yamazaki Kento as Shin & Yoshizawa Ryo in the double part of Hyo and King Eisei. And it was so, so good! Especially the bromance and mainly the bromance between Shin & Hyo. And it made me bawl so hard. Like literally, tears streaming down my face, stuffed nose, all the jazz.

Because Hyo was amazing. Devoted and loyal and amazing. And his fate was the saddest part of this movie. That he managed to find his way to Shin even mortally wounded because he wanted to see him one last time, that he died in Shin's arms, promising to always be with him, wherever Shin went, that he used his last strength to send Shin - the person he trusted and loved the most - to King Eisei because he knew that Eisei would need someone he could trust and that Shin would be that person... Just thinking about it breaks my heart all anew, honestly!

And the fact that Shin never forgot Hyo? That he always reminded everyone that Hyo died protecting the king, that Hyo was a person whose life also mattered, that Hyo was amazing and kind and loyal... That whenever Shin felt his strength failing, he remembered Hyo. That even at the end, when they won the war, he remembered Hyo. Because not even their victory could bring Hyo back... Gosh!

Theirs was one of the best bromances I've seen. One of those relationships that are so beautiful and so tragic that even just remembering them makes you feel all wobbly.

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Good but where's part 2 :(

I gave it a 2 because it was too violent for me. I clicked the +10 seconds button a lot when it got too gory.
Also, I was bummed at the unfinished ending and wanted a part 2 immediately.
Sorry, I always make my ratings personal, lol.

Loved:
*loved the cast. the acting was perfection. Kim Da Mi is perfection
*loved the story's pacing; it was slow but never felt slow
*loved the dark filming aesthetic... randomly gave me BTS Mic Drop Aoki remix MV vibes? lol...
*loved her quiet relationship with her adopted parents and with the townspeople
*loved the subtle reveals at the end that actually did surprise me (when you find out what different characters actually knew)

Saddened:
*the story was too sad and violent
*so much blood... like, so so so much blood
*so much violence... cringe amount for me... i know, i know, it has a mature rating, i should have expected it... i only watched this movie because i saw a pretty fan edit on youtube, so it's my bad. but i'm being honest here, movies don't need to be that violent! let's just all chill out. let's stop making them so violent. plez.
*they killed Choi Woo Shik? I don't believe it. Don't kill his curly head. i don't think he's dead. i know he's probably dead, but i'm a sucker for redemptions. let's make him not dead and give all the character redemption arcs.
*the ending was cliffhanger? now i have to live on knowing she's still out there somewhere trying to find her peace? No! give her peace! give me peace! give all of them peace! it can be quiet and broken, but make it peaceful!
*ugh, this is what happens when i stray into the mature side of film making. sure, this was a masterpiece, but now i'm sad, so i gotta scurry back to the safety of my own favorite genres that have less violence and less heartbreak... until the second movie comes out. then i'll probably watch that one too, and skip all the violent scenes of that too, just so i can see if Goo Ja Yun gets a happy ending... what can I say, I just always like Kim Da Mi's characters and wish them well.

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Touching, complicated and sad

This movie is just so depressing, while being both beautiful and kind of dull made. The entertainment value here is not very high so if you are looking for fluff or entertainment go somewhere else. The story however is one that needs to be told and is very well made.

I really appreciated how they showed intimacy and sensual sexual scenes between two elderly men. Scenes I would say where very tastefully done showing how they care and lust for each other as well as the growth within their relationship. While at the same time reminding us that one of them is married with the many close ups to the ring on his finger as well as portrayals of his double life as a very caring husband. they do not let us forget for one second that these two men are having an affair, but they also make sure to show us what put them there.

These two men are portrayed as loving fathers and family men who put their families above themselves while hiding who they are, not only out of fear but also out of care. Something that does sound selfcontradictary but if you see this movie you will understand what I mean by that.

The movie combines all kinds of different interactions, the looks those who are out recieve, and extremely powerful dialog to show the complex reality many elderly gay med (but I would assume all parts of the spectrum) have had to deal with at one point or another... And unlike many other portrayals of LGBTQ+ issues this one leaves very little room for hope and rather leaves us in despair...

So yes this is worth watching, but just be sure you enter it on a day you can handle some pain... Also it does have some dull moments...

Bonus: this may or may not be considered a bit of a spoiler so be where:



I am in no way religious but I am going to state some dialog there that shot me like a an arrow straight in the gut... (this may not be the accurate wording but it went something along the line:

Do you know what my son told me to convert me?

I want to be able to find you when we are dead...

Once combined with some other dialog where the men mention how as young people they faced hate and had to hide by marrying women, later on in life they had to hide while raising a family... once the kids moved out they had to hide for even more reasons... As an elderly man shares how he used to get a long with his neighbors but ever since he was shown at pride they completely changed and he was forced to hide... Was just so well done, and did not feel the least like an educational movie while having a very high educational value.

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That one joke that made me laugh for way longer than I should

This is a comedy, not a crime mystery (a little bit of that). It was fun to watch.
The jokes in the first half of the movie didn't make me laugh but the second part was so funny. The jokes got better and their execution was done well.

Story
The story is predictable but enjoyable. It's hard to lose weight and that was shown through the characters. They don't need to change if they don't want to.
The important thing is that they are happy, healthy and able to do their job.
Side plot was catching the thieves, nothing was ever serious and even that was done in a comedic way.
But me being me, always looking for a deeper meaning tried to guess who is the villain for half of the movie. I wanted to laugh at myself after he was revealed.
My point is that there is no deeper meaning behind the villain, just enjoy the movie.

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It was a gripping movie for sure

The movie in the beginning was predictible and seemed like one of those cheap horror movies. However at the second part when i thought everything was dissolved a twist started which made it even more intriguing. I was kinda disappointed at the main character. Now that i think each of the pink dolls members although being too desperate and making too many mistakes, were actually quite pitiful so my hatred faded away.

The biggest shock for me was the last scene. I wonder if the producer died too.

Since this movie is about a song, i thought the White song could be catchier. The only thing i could remember is the beginning but it was song i would like to listen afterwards.

Acting was good. Many times you can see in dramas that actors and actresses act really well but extras make it cringey and ruin the mood. Orrr the exact opposite. However everyone in this movie had decent acting skills. It was easy to watch.

Keep in mind that this was released at 2011 and watch it.

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Lighthearted funny Love o2o movie but bad chemistry and SHORT ML

Life is too short for stressful drama. Why spend all that time watching and be stressed? Don’t our lives already provide enough of that?

Summary of the series:
- Light hearted rom/com; movie had great flow (feels a bit rushed), no stress watching it
- cute romance
- simpatico characters
- ML is too SHORT to be believable, at least he was not dunking the basketball; lack of chemistry b/t ML and FL so lowers rating
- no villains really, no long struggles, calamity or miscommunications to cause more drama and stress
- they try to add more drama 2nd to the last episode hence I gave it a lower rating. Should have extending the ending to let the viewers enjoy they happiness more/ more gratifying.
- its a good story but can add 30mins to the film time to go deeper


very fun joyful, stressless series: recommended to watch for sure

If you are looking for gratuitous stress/drama, frequent miscommunications, insipid side stories, then this is not for you.

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A dramatic story between the past and the present

Three Sisters is a South Korean movie that is a showcase for its three leads. The movie is about a trio of siblings and their differing lives. Hee-sook is the oldest and has a family that does not appreciate her. Middle sister Mi-yeon is married to a university professor and lives a very comfortable life. Youngest sister Mi-ok is a playwright with a gentle husband and son.

The early parts of the movie focus on the differences between the three sisters. These early moments also seem to be there to show that the women are more than just caricatures. It is a good idea as Mi-ok in particular seems like she is going to be a little too one dimensional. The film also runs the risk of being melodramatic. Thankfully, Three Sisters is able to avoid this problem.

This is possible thanks to some expertly injected moments of comedy. The film deals with a number of serious topics, but it never forgets to find time to laugh. This adds a more human quality to Three Sisters. It is about more than being dealt hardships; it is about dealing with them. The films makes things more relatable and by extension easier to watch.

Three Sisters is a drama, first and foremost. Each woman is dealing with their own problems. Things can get predictable at times – unfaithful husbands and disobedient children are examples – but it always remains interesting. There is also a subplot involving the cycle of abuse which is well done. Again, the film walks to the edge of being derivative before it pulls back and captures the audience.

The camerawork for the movie does some neat things. Though it is subtle, each sister is shot in a slightly different light. This is a nice bit of work as it not only highlights different characters, but it also helps emotions and even settings stand out. A less inspired choice is the use of black and white during flashbacks. This does not look bad (Three Sisters is a consistently attractive film) but it does come off as low rent. This is especially surprising since everything else is done with such care. In general, the flashbacks do not blend well with the rest of the story.

There is nothing revolutionary about Three Sisters. It is a family drama that is focused on a set of siblings and the troubles they are facing. The movie still works due to great performances and some deft direction. It is also proof that some of the best stories being told about everyday lives.

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Still able to make me smile but somehow it felt long, the changed order of events had an effect. It seems that it was done to make it fit as a film, where the ending is that Takeo and Yamato start dating, different from the anime where it happened in the first few episodes, which indeed if calculated in total duration there is no difference, both occur before touching 2 hours.

The cast selection is pretty good, Mei Nagano as Rinko looks so kawaii, Suzuki Ryohei looks good as Takeo, and the others are acted pretty good too.

Unfortunately this movie can't be as exciting as the anime, it's hard to explain in words what it feels like.

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