Reviews

Just Turn On The Evening News for the same CRAP!

I cannot justify giving this film any higher of a rating...

Sure, the main actresses, both sisters, played theIr parts well, the support cast did an excellent job playing the vilians, and the other bit parts all added to the overall "feeL" of this film...both supporting the main actresses and making the plot believable.

The colors were vivid, especially the over-use of the color 'red', not just the blood, either.

But WHY would anyone in the their right mind would want to sit through a movie that 'insinuates' a 'special needs' teenage girl being raped several times, even though it was most suggestive rather than blatantly excessive; no nudity, thank God! Also, why would anyone want to see a lovely lady, dressed in red (probably to hide her bleeding if she got hurt; I am joking here), but the color 'red' is a major symbol in this movie, but I am not going to go there in this review).

You can watch Clint Eastwood in his DIRTY HARRY series, you can watch Bruce Willis in his John McClan character in the DIE HARD franchise, or a dozen other similar films. Does the 'hero' being a 'heroine' beating everyone up make this film any more worth watching?

The older sister Park In Ae (Lee Si Young) was justified trying to rescue her younger sister (Park Eun Hye, played by Park Se Wan) but other avenue could have been taken: get the media involved and the girl would become so hot that they would gladly give up gettng their money back and protecting their 'business' overall.

I agree with a lot of what was said by other reviewers before me, but my main reason for writing this review is

1) When was the line between justice and overstepping boundaries crossed in this movie?

2) The worst part of this movie is that it shows how GREED and LUST drives the sexual slave market; everyone, including an old man, who wanted to get a piece of the teenage girl and even try to make a buck off of further sexual 'use' of her; it's all I could do to fast forward through the blood and guts and the passing on of the girl to someone else!

I guess my work in emergency services: ambulance attendant, Emergency Room technician, Warm and Hot lines, and Rape Advocacy over the years, took control of me in the opening sequences; I enjoy a good shoot-em-up and 'Dirty Harry'-type movie occasionally, but not involving teenage (especially) special-needs girls being molested time and time again.

I feel that the director 'sold' out to make this movie more appealing to an American audience, my main problem with the way a lot of newer Asian movies are slanted!

RE-WATCH: Never again!

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Watch this movie and change the way you are living your life

I hesitated a lot before watching this movie. I am going through tough times currently and I didn't want anything to put me down further. But...I am so glad I watched it. Hours later, I am still crying, but I am so glad. The atmosphere was phenomenal, the story was really moving, my heart has been beating from beginning to end. To think about all those men and women who died all other the world while sacrificing for their countries, and to think about how we live our lives now, egoistically. And the acting...perfect. They were so right in all of their emotions. Kudos to Minho, I hope he gets more and more deep movie roles. If I survive the next few months, I will change my life thanks to this movie.

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Predictable? Yes. Entertaining? Also, yes. Donnie Yen's charisma saved what would otherwise have been a standard teacher saves students in trouble story.

Donnie Yen's character, Henry Chen, returned to teach at his old school after serving in the United States military. He was assigned to the worst class in the school. What he found were standard movie fare students---poor students, students with parental problems, misunderstood kids, racism, kids running errands for gangsters, stressed kids, kids with unfulfilled dreams. Chen studied their histories and then stepped in to make things right by unconventional means.

In addition to the teenagers' problems, the school was in danger of being shut down because of underachieving students. Throw in gangsters who intended to develop the area where the school sat, and you've got all you need for conflict. Add in a couple of awesome fights when the plot slowed down or became too serious to keep the audience invested and you've got a winner-it's Donnie Yen, we don't expect him to solve all of his problems in a peaceful way, do we?

Donnie elevated a familiar and at times clichéd story with his star power. He transitioned over to less action and more acting smoothly in this film. The kids were likeable even when doing unlikeable things. One problem with such a large cast, the villains were underdeveloped even though one had a key connection to Chen.

This movie was a combination of social concerns and martial arts displayed in a fairly balanced manner. Some problems may have been solved too easily, but sometimes we need to believe that children can be saved from others and themselves and that someone cares enough to risk stepping in to help them. Big Brother had moments of inspiration and enough action and character development to keep it entertaining. Donnie Yen as Henry Chen didn't just save the children in this story, he saved this movie as well.

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I've re-watched this 3 times already, what more is there to say?

What a beautiful movie. Even though I found the beginning quite slow, in general, it's a pretty chill movie. The OST is exquisite, and I'm not even a BTS fan. It tied in very well with the overall drama and was used in the right places as well. The movie gets better and better towards the end as more emotions are shown. The overall storyline was great, but not spectacular or new imo. But in this movie I really just loved how you can see how both characters loved each other and it really warmed my heart(literally melted it into a goopy puddle). I don't want to give spoilers but I really recommend you watch this movie, 100% not a waste of time!

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I enjoyed it despite the heartbreak

"There's a billion things in life more important than suffering for love" and I couldn't have agreed more with Otomo .It seems masochism is a recurring theme throughout many Japanese BL's and this film is no exception. It's time for the gays to break free from the shackles of pain and embrace love in the right places lol. Overall the acting was great and the story was solid. The only small issue I had was with the length. There are portions of this that seemed to drag and could've been condensed, despite that and all the pain and heartbreak I still really enjoyed this film.

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A masterpiece for the Ages

This is really a masterpiece for the Ages. It's not my first japanese movie, far from it. But it's one that strongly reignited my interest in Japanese entertainment and it brought me to Minami Hamabe, one of my favourite actress.

It's hard to imagine how such young main leads, Minami Hamabe and Takumi Kitamura are able to carry a movie on such a tough subject to perfection, but they did and boy did they do it with aplomb.. Yes, terminal illness movies are plentiful. However this is so very different from the typical run in a mill terminal illness shows.

There's no heart-wrenching sorrowful sad tale, at least not until the very end. It's actually a pretty cheerful movie up until the major twist at the very end.

My favourite quote in the movie was that every meeting between people is not due to fate or coincidence, but is solely due to the choices we make. This is so very true in our everyday life. Your own choices determine the outcome of your life.

I have watched the film, the anime and read the book. All the adaptations are so well-done. However I do advice that you watch the anime after you watch this film, because it will perhaps make you feel abit better, like it did to me.

As I said, a masterpiece for the Ages.

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A short worth watching...

I watched this on a whim. Not knowing the subject and diving head first is alas a first for me. Sometimes we encounter breathtaking gems when we least expect to and this short Japanese film is a shining example.

Summary:
A story of a trans woman gently but firmly taking the first step towards her past. The movie is based on a poem from Fujiki Yumi and stars a trans actress in the lead role for the first time. I think it is somewhat of a rarity to have a movie based on this subject matter and having transgender people voice their side in their own stories must surely be a rarity, in not only Japan but throughout Asia.

Story:
I appreciated the paucity of dialogue here. While its a common attribute for most Japanese films, this form of filmmaking really lends to the sensitive subject matter.

Acting:
Identifying with a particular gender, there are so many things that we take for granted and at times I had to pause and think, to realize her pain and discomfort. I can understand her struggle when the client asks ‘are you a man cause your hands are big?’ There's a pause as the camera pans to her and she replies. Good acting!

Overall:
In real life, one doesn’t really stare that hard at people. At the same time, there can be curiosity among a lot of people from the older generations. While some times it’s really just harmless curiosity, specially if it’s not common in your country, the cluelessness of people can be hurtful as well. And I think that is what this short tries to tell us.

Good for watching once but you need to concentrate to appreciate the nuances in the filmmaking. 7.5/10 for me.

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A tribute to film-making in this time period and Japan in the 70s

It was my turn to furnish a movie for a group's Saturday night showing; and it went really well with the group!

BACKGROUND: Japan is on a destructive plate boundary, where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts the Eurasian Plate. It is a triple junction and three subduction zones are involved. The movie has historical significance both in the far past and more recent; in 2011, in 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, towns like Ishinomaki subsided. 'Subsidence' is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves very little horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope (horizontal) movement.

For its time period, the cinematography is very good, plus what I like is the Japanese use of "model' terrain and cities, which were prevalent in the 1960s/70s as a standard way of showing mass destruction of cities, towns, countryside fires and tsunami damage (as most films of this era did). It brings back memories of my childhood seeing these models being used in era pictures going back as far as the 50s. If you want a look at movie-making in this time period, try this movie!

What I also liked about this film is that I knew absolutely no one starring in it, which made it seen so much more real; this makes the movie more believable on one level. While some would criticize this, it makes the movie more believable to e and other who were watching.

Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats, anticipating what would happen next, and surprised when things happened "earlier" than they would anticipate them.

I also read about it before I showed the movie, and it is a good representation of Japanese culture at the time.

Other pluses: the few women in the movie kept their clothes on, and no one was cheating on their Significant Others as well!

Take a chance and see a great film about Japan and see what movies looked like in the late 50s to mmid-70s....

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely, especially for a group of different aged people who want to watch the same movie!

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As good of a A Masterpiece from Japan as Azumi (2003)!

This movie is available in several languages, including English...

Another Masterpiece from Japan, actually better than Azumi (2003)!

This movie is available in several languages, including English...

The cinematography is as GREAT in this film as the original! You feel that you are back in the days when the movie took place ...
kudos to the wardrobe people again!

In the first movie, Azumi (Japanese actress Ueto Aya) is an orphan who is found by the master training assassins, who goal is to kill the main warlords who continue killing, raping and plundering the innocent people of the time period. Nagara (Ishigaki Yuma) is the only other survivor from the first movie, and he joins her in attempting to complete their mission: assassinating three powerful warlords in order to bring peace to the poor, suffering masses who bear the brunt of the warlords' pillaging.

This one was slightly better than the first, with the remaining team members beginning to show empathy and emotion aorund the ceaseless killing they are involved in.

However, a "thorn" appears in the guise of a friend and hurts the team's ability to complete their mission. You will see what happens when you watch the movie!

It is pure action from end to end, with tidbits of emotional moments in between.

Again, the sword fight scenes are well-choreographed and dd to the overall effect of the movie!

Likewise all of the support staff , new and old, effectively played their parts and backed Ueto Aya's performance, giving this second edition a "thumbs up"from me.

RE-WATCH - you bet!

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A Masterpiece from Japan!

This movie is available in several languages, including English...

First of all, the cinematography is GREAT in this film! They found geography to make it seem you are back in the days when the movie took place and their wardrobe dept effectively captured the era's common people's attire..

Azumi is an orphan who is found by the master training assassins, who goal is to kill the main warlords who continue killing, raping and plundering the innocent people of the time period. Azumi joins the tough training regime and excels in it.

The only reason I only gave it a 9.5 was when he 'reduced' his assassin team in half and also, their reaction to what was happening in the first village they came upon. Neither were necessary.

The team 's goal is to complete the mission no matter what, and to kill or be killed in its completion.

Tragedy takes two of its members, but the rest continue their mission. Later, two more members and the Master die, leaving Azumi and Nagara (Ishigaki Yuma).

It is pure action from end to end, with tidbits of emotional touches in between.

The choreographer for this movie's swordplay must have worked overtime and deserves his own award for his or her work, as well as the cast, who must have spent hundreds of hours perfecting the fight scenes! A special note of appreciation to the psychotic white-clad assassin, who was released from jail to deal with the assassin squad team formed which was trained to kill the warlords.

I have never seen a movie with Ueto Aya in it before, who played Azumi, but I will definitely look for more of her movies; likewise all of the support staff effectively played their parts and backed Ueto Aya's performance here.

RE-WATCH - you bet!

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Phantasmagorical Film !!!

A adventure film on phantasmagoria, where humans are trapped in a parallel universe, in the full reverie of an alternate barbaric realm of phantasms, dreams and the real world. This modern film in sequence has utilized changing successions or combinations of fantastic, bizarre, or imagined and dream types imagery of slavery, serfdom in a Herculean Quest to fight, battle, hurdle and slay lurking destructive gargantuan monsters, cyclopean ghouls, in a parallel universe of warriors in transformative supernatural elements among mortals and gods. The real world in parallel is a father Gua Ning (possessing an innate ability to throw stones with accuracy and precision on any target) in an unrelenting crusade search of his missing daughter meeting “the search and rescue dealer” is the CIO (Chief of Information) of Aladdin Corp. portrayed by the Bombshell Superstar Yang Mi (Tu Ling) forced to task Gua Ning to kill Kong Wen Lu, in exchange of the inevitable of finding and reuniting with his daughter. Dong Zijian (Kong Wen Lu) is the novelist and Sisyphean Fighter, who holds the key to the beginning to the end of this fantasy adventure film. Gua Ning and Kong Wen Lu meets, unites and become the invincible characters as the creative moving forces in this fantasy adventure quest in both the worlds of phantasmic realm and the real world. A quest which evolve into this riveting and exciting to witness on-screen a Herculean and Sisyphean Fantasy Adventure Journey in both realms …

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its a magical love story

●FIRST IMPRESSION
So I was really confused with the synopsis, I mean how can a person return back after a year just because of a promise. It's impossible and seems illogical so I tried to avoid this.
But today I gave this movie a try because of Son Ye Jin, and I have to say it didn’t disappoint a bit.

●PLOT VIEW
I enjoyed every bit of the movie. The opening cartoon scene with the narration of SYJ was the sweet starter to the heartwarming tale. There was even a mind-boggling closure to that confusing synopsis, which held me to my feet.

●ACTING/CAST
So Ji Sub, I saw him for the first time and he aced the character of Jung Woo Jin. All the other characters the kid, uncle, swimming instructor were also were entertaining and without them, this would not have been as good as it is. They are very good supporting characters. Park Seo Joon cameo is too cute.

●MUSIC
The music is subtle and minimal.

●REWATCH
I think I need to rewatch this with my love. It is such a pure love that I want him to see the essence.

●RECOMMENDATION
Highly recommend to people who want to watch a slice of a love story, because this will make you believe in love. I was amazed and thankful for this beautiful story.

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Such a raw and amazingly done movie

I'm going to keep this short. When i first heard the story of this movie, I was already hooked. Cha Woo Sol's backstory was so raw and well acted, It felt like this wan't just a movie. I also liked everyone's acting because I could feel every emotion the characters were feeling. The hatred i felt for Bae Seok Chan was too much to describe. I am really impressed on how well he did to portray this character. Jung Do Hyun was seen as his cold, rude person that most people feared. Only later on did he ease up to Cha Woo Sol. This shows that he was always a good person. Anyways, if you are wondering if you should watch it or not, you definitely should. But be careful because there are quite some seems that may trigger some people.

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