A dance of optics, but with little emotional pull
The set-up of The Eight Hundred is immediately an intriguing one. A last Chinese battalion is left at an abandoned warehouse in Shanghai to make a final stand against the Japanese. Their struggle is not just one of bloodshed. It's also a performance.Because just a stone's throw across the river is the international concession where the Shanghai elite and entertainers – as well as foreign journalists – gaze on as the Chinese battalion endures assault after assault from the Japanese.
This dynamic is what makes this film stand out, in my opinion. You have this interesting dance of the concession-side watching the warehouse soldiers as if the entire thing is a show. But then you also have the soldiers watching the concession-side, pulled in by the dazzling performers and lights.
It's not only about watcher/watched either. Individuals from both sides attempt to make crossings from one side to the other. The film seems to refrain from judging the actions of anyone too harshly – including deserters and snobby journos – which keeps the watcher/watched dichotomy all the more fluid. Except the Japanese, of course. Their sole purpose in this film is to be condemned.
I think a lot of this analysis may be my projection, however. As ultimately, The Eight Hundred doesn't dwell with much depth on this interesting dichotomy. A massive chunk of run time is consumed by massive action scenes which, while essential for war films, are my least favourite part of the genre. (No shade to The Eight Hundred, I just don't like war films that much generally).
Normally, I can forgive super long battle scenes if there's strong emotional pull. Unfortunately, this was the big let down for me. The Eight Hundred tried to follow the storyline of too many characters. The result was breadth, but no depth.
Like c'mon, pleeeease, I'm such a sucker for having my heartstrings pulled. I can jump from six to eight stars so damn fast when you tap into my soft side, but The Eight Hundred missed the opportunity. Which is a shame. Because there were some potentially gorgeous characters, they simply weren't fleshed out.
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When silence becomes too loud
I went in not really knowing what to expect, and that slightly disoriented feeling stayed with me the whole time. It’s the kind of film that lives more in moods and silences than in clear answers, and that’s both its strength and its limit. Some moments genuinely pulled me in, especially the way sound and discomfort are used to create tension. Others felt a bit underdeveloped, like the movie was more interested in the idea than in fully exploring it. Still, it lingered with me after the credits, and that says something.Was this review helpful to you?
Very Intense
This one will stay with me a while. The acting was excellent, in fact everything about it was excellent. After you watch this, it will leave you depressed and frustrated at how unfair life was for the ML, and it doesn’t get better. I cried at the end, and wanted the FL to get payback for every underhanded, selfish, mean thing she did to pretty much everyone she came in contact with. Like others have mentioned, I did not like the end. If it had a good ending, it would have been a 10 for me. I will not watch this again, it was too frustrating and sad. But, it is one of the best I’ve seen. No other way to describe how I feel, it was so frustrating, it was hard to watch, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.Was this review helpful to you?
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Uninteresting on the main part but a strong ending
To be honest, I might make the difference here and say I really liked the ending. It was an unexpected plot twist that I definitely didn't see coming and it really caught me off guard. To that, I'll give them props. I also really liked seeing Jang Kiyong at a more "controversial" character that differs from the usual perfect style he has. He really delivered his role well.Other than that, I feel like the main part of the movie has nothing much to offer. It is quite boring and repetitive with nothing much going on. I expected him to cheat on his girlfriend with his coworker. I also felt bad about the whole miscarriage case, that I feel that was treated too lightly.
Would love to know more about the second guy the FL dated... At first I thought she was genuine with him but the movie left me with the feeling that she only dated him cause he represented a "perfect" image of her ex.
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Closing Out the Tiny Times Series: Quietly Satisfying
"I didn't believe in those happy endings before. Because as they say, sometimes things don't work out the way you thought they would. However, we, though stumbling along, seemed to have ushered in the happy ending of our own."I absolutely loved the fourth installment. It’s highly comedic, thoughtful, and dramatic, all balanced by a soundtrack that perfectly complements each scene. While it might hold up as a standalone for those who don’t want to watch the entire Tiny Times series, I believe it’s important to follow the characters’ journey through college and adulthood. Watching them face different hardships at various life stages deepens the impact of the conflicts and strengthens our connection to their development by the final movie. The series centers on the ups and downs of four women, each with distinct personalities and life goals—but what unites them is a deep, unbreakable friendship. No matter what changes they experience, their ties to each other provide a lasting foundation that supports them throughout their lives.
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Emotional to Comedic Absurdity
I thought the first movie was underwhelming, but I loved the sequel, and the trilogy is no different. While the conflicts peaked in the second installment, the third film engaged me by turning absurd and unrealistic scenarios into comedic moments. Despite the uptick in humor, there were still tragic and human moments that connected the characters and drew me into the storyline, allowing me to empathize with what was happening.What I’ve noticed with Guo Jingming’s modern work is that he story tells in a compelling way that keeps me engaged, but it takes me time to get invested in the plot. As his characters evolve, I find myself gradually drawn into the story, and this has been my experience with his Tiny Times movies.
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A Strong Second Act That Redeems the First One
I thought the first movie was underwhelming, but the second movie had a much stronger emotional impact and felt like the heart of the story. It’s where the real hardships emerge—some characters face permanent changes in their life or never fully recover. The sequel offered real character growth and life progression, presenting hard choices and life directions in a more grounded, realistic way. I greatly enjoyed it and will definitely be watching the third and fourth installments.Was this review helpful to you?
Underwhelming but Enjoyable
I thought the first movie was underwhelming, but I still enjoyed watching it for the storyline and overall premise. It felt reminiscent of Sex and the City, with a narrative that follows the lives of four girlfriends living in a big city during their college years. You get to know them and their struggles as they begin navigating adulthood. They face disappointments and challenges, many of which are neatly resolved by the end—my biggest critique, since life doesn’t always offer tidy resolutions. Still, it was a refreshing change of pace to watch. And having seen the sequel, I think the first film serves well as an introduction.Was this review helpful to you?
Everyone did great and the story is spectacular, however, the movie is somehow lacking excitement.
This is a crime movie where we have a serial killer on the loose and he is copying a popular Manga, he keep killing a family after another yet each time we only get a glimpse of the dead family and that's it.
The police reaction is so calm, I thought Seida is the only one who has the right to act like that since he is a "peculiar" detective, but everyone is the same.
Not saying it was boring but the "meh!" Vibes of the movie made watch the whole thing with a straight face.
Also I was slightly pissed at why Shun Oguri's character was a supporting role since he literally carried the whole movie and he appeared more than the ML in some parts but I reached the last 20 mins and I understood why!!
Overall great movie you should watch it.
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Give me a Hug
It is both realistic and unrealistic to portray a teacher who loves his students so much that he hugs them every day as a greeting. In this movie, we have a teacher who becomes so attached to his small, young students that they become real friends. Of course, this does not go smoothly, because his approach to the students provokes many people—the students themselves, other teachers, and the parents. I liked that this movie reminds us of something we are losing in our society today: the human touch. We are becoming more professional and more distant so that we can do our jobs well, but our relationships suffer. One hug can truly heal a person.The title of the movie, Last Homework, points to the unusual homeworks that the teacher gives his students, which is more about life lessons than solving grammatical or mathematical tasks. I wish there had been more of these assignments in the movie, because they were quite inspirational. Instead, the movie drags a little in the final part in its attempt to evoke emotions from the viewer.
The acting was not top-tier, but it was good enough for this kind of movie. The children deserve special praise for their performances. All in all, this is an educational drama done right.
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When you dream becomes a nightmare
Wall to Wall was such a strong film — I enjoyed it all the way through, and it felt painfully realistic. It reflects modern housing struggles so well: buying a flat just to “get your foot onto the property ladder,” only to realise the stress doesn’t stop once you own it.The film really captures how living closely with others can become unbearable, especially with loud neighbours and constant noise that destroys your peace at home. I also liked how it showed the hierarchy between owners and renters, and how status changes the way people treat each other.
One part that really got to me emotionally was when he gambled his money. I was genuinely rooting for him and hoping everything would finally work out so he could pay off his debt, but that choice made the tension feel even heavier.
The story felt like it had two halves, but I stayed fully engaged. Just a warning: there is blood and violence, and things escalate in a dark way. Overall it’s gripping, meaningful, and very relatable.
Highly recommended.
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entertaining, glad i watched it.
Overall, I found this movie quite entertaining. Originally I was scared off by reviews stating it was slop, but im glad i watched it. The movie is a sequel to a 20 year old TV show, which you probably don't need to watch to understand what is going on, but maybe just understand the basis. It‘s an action movie with a little comedic twist and they even showed clips of his younger self from the first show which was so nice to watch! It was very Interesting watching high tech modern infantry going up against ancient ones aswell. It's also amazing how they got the original cast to play in itWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Quite curious about this. Let’s watch…The story centers on two elite professional dancers who represent opposite worlds of dance. Shinya Suzuki (Suzuki) is the reigning Japanese champion of Latin dance—passionate, raw, and instinctive. Shinya Sugiki (Sugiki) is the Japanese champion and world number two in Standard (ballroom) dance—elegant, disciplined, and stoic.
Despite their rivalry, Sugiki one day proposes that they train each other to compete in the 10 Dance, a grueling competition that requires mastery of all ten disciplines (five Latin and five Standard).
Suzuki scoffs at first. He wants nothing to do with it. But Sugiki knows how to push his buttons. With a sharp, almost provocative attitude, he challenges Suzuki’s lack of ambition on the global stage—questioning whether he’s truly serious or just stuck in the spotlight of national fame. The challenge strikes a nerve and ignites Suzuki’s fierce competitive spirit.
And so begins grueling training—long hours, clashing styles, relentless tension. But as their bodies learn to move in sync, something shifts. The friction isn’t just professional anymore. It becomes electric—physical, emotional, undeniable.
So, will this intense connection grow into something more?
Or in the end, will they remain only rivals—dancing close, but never truly together?
That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers. Now what I like and don't.
What I like:
+ The intense dancing… Haha…
+ The chemistry between the couples…
What I don’t like:
- The ending… Ugh… I hate the ending
- The unclear relationship between them. Like Wing3dBean wrote; everything feels unfinished.
Overall, after watching this, I prefer this more in a drama setting. So we have more time to develop their relationship to the fullest.
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More pop art than film
Caught in a very awkward disconnect that blends children's fantasy, pocket-sized kaiju and Takashi Murakami's unmistakable superflat aesthetic, Jellyfish Eyes struggles to find a stable footing and becomes so muddled at points that it is all but impossible to discern why anything is happening. The visual design is undoubtedly the film's strongest aspect, with each one of the weird and wacky creatures popping against the muted, almost sterile human environments, but the effects are so lacklustre and stiff that they all become this horrifying blend of adorable concept and nightmarish realisation. At times, the imagery feels closer to an art installation or a horror attraction than a children's film, undoubtedly thanks to the combination of Murakami and Yoshihiro Nishimura's backgrounds in their respective fields. The direction is passable at best, though the camerawork is downright hideous at points; it's clear Murakami has an acute visual sensibility, but a tin ear for expressing human emotion through drama. As a result, much of the film comes off as either insufferably saccharine or strangely out of tune, even with the bright colours. It wants to weave a tale of friendship and loyalty that also addresses humanity's propensity for destruction, but is more often than not let down by its failure to deliver any form of emotional clarity or dip below the candy-coating superficiality of it all. The pacing is slow, exposition-heavy and occasionally opaque, all delivered by a cast of child actors that scream more than they act, although the musical score was fine. Honestly, it's probably better to view Jellyfish Eyes as a failed experiment more than anything else, never fully cohering into a satisfying whole and would have undoubtedly worked better as the anime or horror film it was originally intended to be.Was this review helpful to you?
Just GREAT!
I've already watched this movie twice... It hits me emotionally so much, I think that it is the most emotional Japanese BL I've watched, I love everything in it. I love atmosphere, acting, filming and all those emotions and passion... I couldn't take off my eyes from them dancing and I can't even imagine how much work they had to put in to dance like that. Amazing, beautiful movie, one of the best I\ve watched recently.There is only one thing I don't like in this movie... I wish it would be longer or... it would be a series... I want more... I can't get enough of them...
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