Reviews

This is your trigger warning.

This "review" is really just for those who need a warning.

Because I tend to stay away from the comment section because of spoilers, I wish I had somewhat peaked at them this time. Because they're right. It's not for the light hearted.

This movie made me physically sick.

Zombie lovers; feel free to pass this movie. It's pretty much just rape gore on steroids under the guise of zombies.

I get this movie isn't for everyone. it sure in hell wasn't it for me.

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A Hymn to love. Go with the flow of beauty...

I don't care if they are related... Their hearts doesn't care either.

I had the similar feeling when I watch: In the mood for love or Comrades: Almost a Love Story. Some kind of forbidden love, the feeling that we can sense in every look, gesture, without having the complete scene.
The rhythm is slow, built with the story, the ten-year gap where they never forget each other, even if they don’t understand it.
STORY – simple and beautiful, with the way that was filmed. The silence, the expressions saying a thousand words. The chemistry was awesome!
ACTING – it was good! If you just consider the 2 main actors it was AMAZING!!
MUSIC – loved Taek Ik Theme, painted so beautifully the last scenes…
REWATCH – maybe, with someone next to me, holding hands…
OVERALL – something like: “Whenever you feel like smoking, just think of me”… Holding a plant instead of a cigarette, laughing as only someone in love can.
I think if you are used to independent great movies, with the velocity of a story and not the superfluous way that we live now, if you just enjoy beautiful stories with depth, please watch it…
If you are used to Hollywood media, k-pop or kdrama world of beauty and visuals and that kind of stuff, don’t watch this. The world will appreciate.
Someone wrote that you have to be intelligent to watch this movie and understand it. I am not sure if I agree, I think is more of having a sane emotional intelligence. If you have, enjoy the ride!

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Way more than a cheezy silly rom-com

I first saw a clip of this movie on TikTok and I'm a big fan of funny rom-coms so I had to watch it. I cried, laughed, and blushed while watching this movie. This was also my first Filipino movie ever and one ill remember for a long time.

I loved all the characters equally. Don't get me started on the main couple, they are SOOOOO cute together and their chemistry is immaculate. But not all dramas are rainbows and butterflies. As I said I cried while watching this. Now I don't mean just a couple of tears, I mean a whole river. I never knew something so small could become so big and affect me so deeply.

In all, this movie was more than amazing, it gave me all these different emotions. My new favorite comfort movie.

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This movie was the purrfect ending of the whole Kamen Rider Build era, it really was. It corrected everything the previous movie messed up - that annoying girl was gone, gone, gone! - and we - or at least I - got everything we wanted: Sento & Banjo together again, Kazumin & Misora finally dating, Gentoki & Sawa finally dating, Grease finally getting an upgrade... and we saw Build fighting on-screen one last time!

I loved that we laso got to see Mad Scientist Sento Kiryu one more time, him being all clever and devilish, doing dangerous experiments juuuuuust this side of evil, considering his subjects were human, and yet being a ball of sunshine - and Banjo being happy simply because Sento was happy. That was so good!

I admit that the beginning was a bit over the top but at least it was actually a part of the overall story, not just some crazy shenanigans for the sake of crazy shenanigans, so there's that.

Overall, this movie made me grin when it ended which is all one can ask for from the last movie in a series, right?

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Sweetly Simple

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Edited on 9/8/2024: This is an updated version of my original review to match my current writing style for BL series that were edited into a movie version.

If you need something to left-up your mood after watch an overly serious/dramatical series, this movie/series is for you.

The series/movie: This was a very cute series. It has a simple, but good storyline. However, the script does have many weak elements to it. The cast did a great job portraying their characters and the cinematography was beautiful. I really enjoyed the songs that were used and felt the music really helped set the mood the scene it was used in.

The movie: They did a great job editing the episodes into one cohesive movie. They only added one random scene in the movie which did not add anything to the storyline. I think it was done to add more minutes to the movie. The only negative aspect is they cut out the behind the scenes and bloopers shown at the end of episode 8.

Random Notes:
I recommend watching the movie version because the editing made the storyline flow much better. However, you will be fine watching the series version too. If you do watch the movie, don’t forget to watch the end of episode 8 for the behind the scenes and bloopers.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The time span for Yoon Do Gun and Choi Jung Woo’s relationship development was too fast. They should have swapped the time span of the competition (1 month) and the time they were apart (3 months) around.

The ending had a very quick conflict resolution and felt a little rushed.

It was very weird how everyone forgave each other very quickly.

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NOT A TYPICAL BL AND FOR THIS IS THE BEST BL "MOVIE" THAT I HAVE WATCHED!

for me this is the best BL movie that I have ever watched. Everything about this movie is fantastic and at the same time intense. The plot is well-written, the actors and the crew really made justice. I really like this kind of BL because it is not typical story like puppy love or the generic BL plot. This is in another level, it talks about perspectives, problems, societal pressure, well-being, suicide, and most importantly LOVE. The build-up, chemistry between the two actors, and the sex scenes are phenomenal. If you watch this, you need to have an open mind and think about the message that it wants to portray.

I REALLY LOVE THE TWIST WHERE THEY'VE BECOME THE COMFORT AND MEDICINE FOR EACH OTHER. I HOPE THERE'S A PART 2 OF THIS MOVIE. I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND THE ATMOSPHERE OR THE AMBIANCE, IT'S GLOOMY THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SENSE THAT IT IS A HEAVY DRAMA. NEXT IS CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THE TEAM OF COURSE. BEST BL INDEED.

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Such a good idea

but so many clichés and prejudice. And the slapstick was sometimes a bit too much for me. It is supposed to be a comedy however so...

In short: A blind detective gets help from a young cop (he's the brains, she's the muscle). He works on cold cases, she tries to solve the disappearance of a childhood friend. Sounds good so far right? Because the foundation for this plot actually is not bad.
The actors are great too and their chemistry is there (not special but believable).
Solid watch for entertainment with a note of detective story so far.

BUT, and those are things that are big issues in my eyes:
- self harm presented as something done to get attention
- being gay presented as a "normal phase for a teenager" (the issue here is the "phase" thing, like if it was a choice)
- crossdressing presented as something people who rape and have a mental disease do (look at silence of the lamb, same issue)
- Jealousy being portrayed as a female trait and a mental illness that can be passed down via the female line of a family... ouff.

And, quite frankly, replaying the crimes (in real) to solve them might've been part of the comedic part, to make fun of all the Sherlocks and their ridiculous brain power, but seeing Ho Ka Tung (Sammi Cheng as the female cop) being beaten off again and again was uncomfortable.

So, to round this up, I don't know if I can recommend this. I certainly hope that they take up the plot idea again in the future and leave out the unnecessary jokes and prejudice.

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True (comedy) wuxia with great actors

Slapstick with a serious undertone and great fighting scenes.
The path is the goal could be the underlying message.

The story is a patchwork of different peoples stories in different times, their desires and motivations. Glued together by He Anxia (Wang Baoquiang), the young monk, asked to leave his monastery to experience the world and kind of make his own mistakes to understand all of it.
It's like a theater play with really great actors, infused with some comedy to make it lighter.

I'd recommend it for a Sunday evening watch.
And because of Chang Chen, Aaron Kwok and Danny Chan Kwok-kwan :D

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It is about Sisterhood - with a deep connection transcending age and nation. Yet in a man´s world.

When watching KMovies, one stumbles across productions that are surprisingly quiet and told with comparatively few words. "Moonlit Winter" is one of them. A quiet road movie of a mother an her daughter enriched with pictorial symbols and allegories. Like a long cold winter night.

It's about the unhappy love between two young girls that wasn't allowed to be. (SIDE NOTE: To this day, homosexual love is socially outlawed in South Korea. Starting with the younger generation, a little more tolerance is creeping into society, but only at a snail's pace they are starting to find something like solid ground under their feet.)

It is about the (need for) reconciliation with the past. About shame, guilt and forgiveness. And about choosing yourself first. Self love. And then, strengthened in that, one can choose anything, including a relationship... even if it's a homosexual one that still is socially undesirable...

Intense! The list of awards is correspondingly long. However: The intensity could easily be missed, because the quiet, long winter nights are what they are: Long. Dark. Cold. If you don't discover the magic of the diffuse moonlight for yourself, then time can get pretty dreary and gloomy.

The cast fits the show. They are all radiating and keeping the intensity in minimalistic terms.

It is about women with a deep connection transcending age and nation. About Sisterhood!
Tender. True. Yet in a man´s world.

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Intensive. Rough. Monosyllabic. If you don't let that put you off: Definitely worth seeing!

On average, every month (!) around 1,000 North Koreans flee to China in the hope of thus escaping hunger and persecution. Around 80 percent of the refugees are women. In many respects they are dependent on their unfamiliar environment - due to the uncertainty regarding residence law they practically live in a legal vacuum. Their fate all too often ends in the hands of smugglers and human traffickers who shamelessly exploit their insecure situation and ruthlessly make use of this for their own profit. The women are kept in brothels under slave-like conditions or forced into marriage. The bribes are increasing in view of tightened border controls. And unfortunately, China delivers all the refugees it identifies as such back to North Korea, where they then await torture and death. They live in constant fear of attacks, violence and deportation.

"Beautiful Days" tells the true story of a North Korean woman who makes it out of fear and dependency into an independent identity and a new life in South Korea. Her new life not rosy either, but it's free and self-determined.

Lee Na-young convinces here in a true-to-life and unembellished depiction of a bitter, merciless development process - from the abandoned teenager, who is forced into sex work and marriage, who is then threatened with taking her child away to sell it, and then despite all the hopelessness, persistently and unswervingly manages to escape her pimp, emancipate herself and earn enough money as an independent woman to support her family in China from afar.

By the way: In "Beautiful Days" there are actually no "beautiful" days. The title is pure irony. Dialogues are minimized. There is hardly any room for closeness and tenderness in this rough, monosyllabic world. The few loving gestures can practically be counted on one hand, but their effect is thus even stronger.

Intensive. Rough. If you don't let that put you off: Definitely worth seeing!

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Disppointing

I'm using the word disappointing because I'd hoped something better from the duo of Kim Hye-soo and Han Suk-kyu.
They both are such exceptional actors, that it's only fair to expect the best from them.

I wouldn't say that I'm that much disappointed with the movie, but because I'd expected better from them.

The story is about a villain, Chang-in, (han Suk-kyu) who is a robber stealing cultural artifacts. He cuts out a deal with a business chaebol to deliver him a set of teapot, which is an ancient artifact and has a very high value.
But that item is in the house of the widow, Yeon-joo (Kim Hye-soo) who is living alone with her daughter and is in depression.
Jeon-joo's daughter was a child actor, whose popularity has faded, and she is constantly bullied by her classmates. The relationship between mother and daughter is limited to make her food and drop her to school. No ocnverstation, no playing with her, no talking, nothing.
He disguised himself as an author and rented out the room from Yeon-joo, to snoop around the house and steal that item.
One thing led to another, and Chang-in wooed Yeon-joo in order to gain access to her house and basement.

The basics story is whether he would be able to retrieve that item and can they both be in a relationship that is not based on deception.

While I found the story to be interesting, the execution was not up to the point.
Hye-soo and Suk-kyu lacked any form of intimacy or chemistry.
But the worst thing is how the relationship of daughter and Yeon-joo developed over the course of the movie. Least to say, I was not happy with how she was portrayed in the movie. The writing could've done a better job in developing a better character arc for Yeon-joo and also for her daughter. Yes, the ending suggest a better relationship between the two, but in the end the execution was not perfect.

I watched this movie because of Kim Hye-soo, and as her fan, I was not disappointed by her acting, but things could've been a much better. I think the direction was lacking, especially in the second-half.
Not only that, but I didn't quite like how the character of Seong-ah was handled.

Story wise - 6/10
Acting - 7/10
Overall - 6.5/10

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Jo Yeo-jeong is the boldest Korean actress I've seen.
Keeping that in mind, I dived headfirst into watching this movie.
Quite frankly, I'd no high expectations from this movie considering it's a sex-comedy, a genre I'm not a fan of But still watched this because of Jo Yeo-jeong.
And frankly, I was surprised how hilarious this movie turned out to be.

Chemistry between Jo Yeo-jeong and Clara Lee were spot on and both complimented each other, either in emotional scenes or comedy scenes.
The same can be said with the chemistry of Jo Yeo-jeong with Kim Tae-woo. I don't know if this is rude to say or not, but their s*x scenes were quite hilarious and steamy.
Since it's a comedy movie, I can say that one will not be disappointed seeing this movie. It will guarantee some good hearty laugh, while at the same time was also a bit emotional towards the end.
I will recommend these movies, if you are open to watch such taboo topic and are looking to have a good laugh.
Jo Yeo-jeon has been amazing. I know I'm mentioning her a lot, but it's the kind of performance that sticks with you.

There's nothing new to the story. The same old woman starting a business, keeping it a secret from her family and ultimately husband, understanding that how important is if for a woman to be independent. Nothing new, nothing surprising except the business they both chose to start.

Comedy rating - 9.5/10
Story - 7/10
Acting - 8/10

I didn't have high expectations, but it's safe to say that this movie "Exceeded Expectation".

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A very enjoyable movie about young music students involved in ancient instruments revival

I watched this movie back in 2017, and liked very much the showcase of new musical trends, notably gufeng as it is termed here, which work towards a revival of ancient instruments, from the better known erhu, pipa and guzheng string instruments that are still used in folk music, to really ancient ones that can now mostly be found in museums : the bianzhong bronze bell carillon, etc.. The young yangqing player and the members of her new band played and acted very well as dedicated musicians and shy or outspoken otakus living their lives in cosplay. It showed the emerging subculture of the young who devote themselves to gaming, mangas and fanfiction while they are still at school or in college.

The concerts were highlights : the epic music battle opposing the the classical instrument players and the ancient instruments department, won by the cheeky suona ; the performance of Sun Quan The Emperor at the ACG (anime, comics and gamig) convention with the guest appearance of Luo Tianyi! And the last part with the youth concert and the CGI mythical beasts flying over the stage , followed by the brief apearance of mandopop legend Eason Chan were also very memorable.

It was a thrill for those who already knew something about the music and subculture, and a smooth introduction for those who did not and had to stay on the surface of the youth romance. It could perhaps have benefited from some captions, to better enlighten the older or foreign audience unfamiliar with the tunes and celebrities that appeared there.

The new trends in pop music have been branching out in many directions since the emergence of Chinese pop stars like Deng Lijun back in the 1980s and the disco style of Sally Yeh who took Chinese listeners by storm in 1991 with her song Xiao sa zou yi hui (Gracefully walking). Mandopop or cantopop are relatively well known also abroad, spearheaded by a number of stars who, over the years, took the tunes closer to Chinese spirit, while introducing foreign elements such as rap and hip hop, which first found its footing in tunes by legends such as JJ Lin (Cao Cao) and especially Jay Chou (Fearless, etc) - proponents of the new rhythms that evolved into what is now termed as zhongguofeng incorporating Chinese opera style singing or literal musical quotes such as in the songs Chi Ling or Mangzhong,.
At the opposite end of the spectrum were bands such as S.H.E. from Taiwan who belted out songs like Zhongguohua, but also songs incorporating tunes from western classics such as in Bu xiang zhang da. The new Z.Tao style Cpop is unapologetically influenced by K-pop bands and EDM dance music, as well as by American rap : these songs (T.A.O. Alone, Collateral Love, Cross the Line etc) were composed with the explicit purpose of bringing Chinese music to the attention of global audiences, therefore incorporating titles and lines in English together with the rapid fire rap in mandarin.
Gaming music on the other hand, also pays homage to ancient Chinese culture and singing ; it is enjoying an ever bigger popularity with games such as Genshin impact and League of Legends. The Vocaloid phenomenon Luo Tianyi has also drawn enormous crowds to "her" concerts, which make use of ancient music styles mixed with electronica.
Even though these tunes are not explicitly mentioned in the movie, they are the nurturing ground for the type of music that is heard.

A 24 episode drama version by the same production crew has been released in 2019, retitled "Our Shiny Days".

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Worth the time spent to watch.

Worth the time spent to watch.
It's funny (& has quite a good points hit.....couple "moral of the story is" points.....

Like: don't judge people on: outward appearances - or on who their parents are - or on what their parents do - or how they/relitives behave (just cause someon's parents - siblings are... don't treat someone like diamonds or scrap because of their relatives are _ or what people say about them watch & listen to the person/let their own merits speak for them..... ), be a real friend not a one way friend..... Etc.), & good dancing - break dancing.....

Going to re watch (now that prewatched it & made sure safe for whole family) with whole family, the children will love the clean comedy, dancing, & break dancing.

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