Reviews

Funny comedy about estrangement

While the narrative may not introduce anything exceptionally groundbreaking in terms of media, the way it is depicted, combined with the heartfelt performances by the actors, makes the story have a delightful sense of warmth and sincerity. The rich portrayals of the characters add depth and nuance, making the overall experience feel inviting and genuinely wholesome. The comedy in several scenes is genuinely amusing. Even the simplest aspects of the everyday lives of both the daughter and the dad become instantly funny due to the way they are portrayed. It's amusing to see how they navigate their challenges, making the entire film stand out. Overall, this film is an absolute blast! Its vibrant, lighthearted narrative will have you smiling from start to finish, making it an exhilarating watch that you won’t want to miss! Extra credits as well to the end credit scene that actually made me shed a tear.

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esse ngc do cbl ficou meio nada ver

acho q esse lance do cabelo ondulado podia ser bem melhor trabalhado, na real foi bem inutil e sem graça, mas o filme é bom e a historia de amor prende, fofo ele gostar dela de qualquer jeito, mas tipo era um cbl normal e bonito, n afetava nada da vida dela 🗣️

gostei mt de ver a choi gyuri q era a amg dela atuando de novo mt fofis amo ela, achei esse prota mt parecido com o de marry my husband inclusive, achei a horroroso no inicio mas dps q o cbl dele ficou maior ele ficou mais parecido com o inwoo q e tipo um puta crush meu 🫦🫦

achei a amzd deles tds mt fofa, e a maturidade do casal tbm uma lindeza, e um bom filme tem mts referencias de 21th century girl e isso 😭😭😭 serio q lindo isso

ost uma dlc tbm e cinematografia legal 👏👏

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Hero was a film written and directed by three women telling the stories of three different women during the early days of the pandemic. The pandemic and its memorable ability to grind people down, revealed cracks in relationships and yet also strengthened the ties that bind in others.

(1) Shen Yue and her family live in Wuhan. Her recently widowed mother-in-law moved in and clings to her son and grandson, while always finding fault with Yue. When Yue develops a fever she follows the Covid guidelines and goes to the hospital suited up from headed to toe in protective gear. Turned away due to overcrowding she is sent home where her MIL decides she must quarantine elsewhere so as not to make the men in the family sick. The city goes on lockdown trapping the women together. Their difficult relationship serves to highlight the sense of isolation each of them feels.

(2) Xiao Lu has returned to Beijing in order to share an uncomfortable birthday with her family. Her boyfriend of 4 years and their cat stayed behind in Wuhan. The two lovers intend to marry, yet Xiao Lu hasn’t been courageous enough to tell her parents, who keep trying to set her up with someone else. Zhao Hua falls sick just as the lockdown is initiated. Desperate to be with him, Xiao Lu is devastated to be separated with no means of seeing him other than by phone. Zhao is isolated, dealing with his illness alone. Despite being circled by friends and family, Xiao Lu feels the pain of every minute away from Zhao.

(3) Chelsea works as a photographer for a Hong Kong newspaper while estranged husband Darren is a photojournalist. She records the problems of empty shelves, businesses closing, and people suffering in isolation. Darren is nearly always too busy to visit the children, a constant thorn in Chelsea’s side. When their child becomes sick the interminable wait for test results stokes the lingering resentments between the parents.

All three stories dealt with the difficulties from lockdowns and food/medical supply shortages. The cruelest isolation was saved for patients in the hospital who were cut off from loved ones, only able to communicate via their cellphone. For me that was one of the worst pandemic memories, people dying without their loved ones around them. The first story was melodramatic and had a rushed resolution. I have to admit I still found it satisfying. The second story was more polished and reminded us that Covid didn’t show mercy for any age group. Because the relationship was shown a la distance, I wasn’t as connected to the characters as much as I would have liked. The third story I found to be more irritating. Chelsea had a Filipino housekeeper who was loyal and kind. Chelsea’s mother declared that Filipino maids couldn’t be trusted and Luanna's days off should be curtailed. Aside from being blatantly racist the practice proposed dangled pretty close to slave labor. The third story’s emphasis on traditional female responsibilities irked me quite a lot. Xiao Lu’s segment was the singular story to not have either a mama’s boy or one that seemed to want a mother taking care of everything.

Each story in Hero had something interesting to offer as the women had to deal with the pandemic’s double whammy of illness and logistical problems in addition to navigating the difficult relationships in their lives. 7.25 On a coin flip, I bumped it down to 7.0. Though flawed I don’t regret watching it.

7 September 2025

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How Refreshing , a HS K-Drama/Movie that Didn’t include Bullying!

It is well known that bullying is a big problem in Korea. Hence so many shows that come out of the country surrounding this topic. However, having a HS dramedy that was wholesome and just about kids enjoying a normal teen experience was a win within itself.

This movie had a premise that’s been done many times before. The FL has a huge crush on the school’s hottest guy and does whatever she can to make herself worthy of him, in this case straightening her hair. But in comes the ML whom she befriends but is oblivious to what he can offer. Everything she’d want in a boyfriend including loving her just as she is. Eventually she gets it and she and the ML develop a romance. They do face an unforeseen obstacle that does tear them apart but in the end they reunite.

Again, this was refreshing because there were no bullies and no interlopers who thought the leads should be involved with them instead of each other. Plus the FL actually had friends!! Genuine friends, which was awesome.! The leads had nice chemistry and the supporting characters were fun and fit within the story. This was a cute movie. Definitely worth watching.

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Very Interesting Premise, but Convoluted Execution

Well acted thriller/crime drama, but the twists were a bit too much. So the husband, ML, who is a political front runner for town mayor, has an affair with his daughter’s teacher, which leads to her getting pregnant. The daughter and her best friend learns of the affair and attempts to blackmail the teacher for money. She tells the father who then hires a hitman to kill the blackmailer. The only thing is, his mistress, the teacher, fails to tell him who the blackmailer is. The daughter is murdered, and from there the story takes a lot of weird turns.

The premise was actually really interesting. But the fleshing out of what exactly happened and who was responsible got really messy and thus at times was difficult to follow. Perhaps this would’ve been better as a series. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Your preferred genre of entertainment will determine if you’ll enjoy this. It is a very dark movie though, that doesn’t have any moments of light.

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Super cute slow paced movie

Sometimes there are just shows that catch you by surprise. This was one. I have been consuming a lot of shows from China and Japan these last few months. Utterly fed up of the half hearted efforts coming out of Korea. Too artsy, or too sad or too disappointing. Just want some nice happy fun romance, a show with some spirit.

So I really didn’t want to start this one but decided to give it a go. I was hooked within the first 15 min. Even for a movie, this show had enough slow pacing it felt authentic in the relationship building amongst the leads, and though nothing significant happens for a while there is enough to know they are starting to mean something to each other.

The romance is quiet and sweet, and not without a bump or two - but a joyous watch. Have been to Korea many times, but this summer I finally made it to Busan, and I am so glad I did. It didn’t feel as epic as Seoul does, but of the places I did go, there were a few that stood out as special to me. Seeing them in this show was icing on the cake.

Clearly there are several people who could care less about this movie. Its a shame. Its an absolute gem.

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I'm not a fan of horror... but...

I’m not a fan of horror, and I never really felt curious about this film. For years, because of its title and the atmosphere I imagined it had, I thought it was Japanese — and I’ve always considered J-horror among the very best. I only decided to watch it later, after discovering that it was actually Korean, and above all because one of my favorite actresses was in the cast. I wasn’t sure what to expect: maybe a haunted-house story with the usual ghosts. What I found was much more than that. A Tale of Two Sisters is not simply a horror film — it is a journey into the shattered psyche of a young woman who cannot face her grief.

The story begins with Su-mi returning home after a stay in a psychiatric hospital, accompanied by her younger sister Su-yeon. Their house is big, isolated, and unsettlingly quiet. Living there too are their father, emotionally distant and incapable of truly protecting them, and their stepmother, cold and hostile. From the very first scenes, something feels wrong: the house, surrounded by countryside, already seems inhabited by invisible presences. Doors creak open, strange noises echo at night, corridors feel tighter with each step. The unease builds gradually, in a way that suggests there is more to this story than ghosts.

For much of the film, it looks like a classic ghost story. Su-yeon suffers under the cruelty of the stepmother, Su-mi tries to protect her, and the house is filled with eerie visions and disturbing sounds. But as the tension builds, it becomes harder to ignore that what we’re seeing doesn’t fully make sense. Certain moments contradict each other, characters’ behaviors are inconsistent, and the line between reality and imagination begins to blur.

The revelation is devastating. Su-yeon has been dead for some time, killed in a domestic accident: crushed under a wardrobe while her father and stepmother stood by, failing to intervene. Su-mi has never been able to accept her sister’s death, and everything we have seen is the reflection of her fractured mind. The living sister at her side is only a projection, the cruel stepmother is a distorted embodiment of her grief and rage, and the ghosts are the way her psyche gives shape to memory and guilt.

This is where the film becomes something greater than horror: it is a psychological tragedy about grief and denial. Su-mi has not processed her sister’s death. She rewrites reality to keep her alive, she invents an enemy to fight, she creates visions in order to keep her pain at bay. But denial does not heal — it traps her in the same wound, forcing her to live inside a nightmare she created herself. The house is no longer just a setting; it is her mind. Every room is a memory, every noise a thought she doesn’t want to hear, every vision a fragment of truth she cannot bear to face.

The result is a film that frightens and saddens at the same time. When the truth finally surfaces, there is no relief: no ghost to exorcise, no evil to defeat. Only the image of a young woman destroyed by a grief she cannot confront. In the end, Su-mi is left alone with her ghosts, and so are we.

What lingers after the credits is not fear, but heaviness. There is no catharsis, no victory, no neat ending. Only the realization that if we don’t face loss, we remain trapped in it forever. And while A Tale of Two Sisters tells this story through the language of horror, the truth it carries is universal: the scariest ghosts are not the ones that haunt our houses, but the ones that live inside us when we can’t let go.

A Tale of Two Sisters left me unsettled, of course, but above all, it left me sad. It is not just a scary movie; it is a film about absence, guilt, and memories that refuse to fade. And that is why, even though I don’t usually love horror, I can say I appreciated it deeply. Because behind the blood and the apparitions lies a truth that belongs to all of us: the pain we don’t face stays with us — and sooner or later, it consumes us.

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Best Movie of 2025: The Shadow’s Edge

I will be rewatching this in theatre and then buying it to rewatch a million times over when it’s available!!

The acting, the storyline from start to finish—a true masterpiece. This has to be the Best Movie of 2025 for me, and I don’t usually rate things very highly! This also has to be my new favourite movie. I don’t usually have a favourite but this one has left me wanting more, in a positive way, to the point of getting every family member, friends and colleagues to watch also! I cannot wait to see more from ‘The Shadow’s Edge’ cast and production.

I definitely recommend watching—I will be!

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Once in a while, there comes a movie that defies all expectations. I'm still in shock at how much I like it.

I didn't think the animation looked pretty at first, especially Rumi's scorpion hairstyle. But I completely changed my mind the moment I saw the OG demon hunters with their graceful flourishes. There's beauty in the movements, the dance choreography, and the facial expressions. The characters have so much personality to them, even minor ones like the kooky doctor and the lesser demons.

The screenplay strikes the right balance in keeping the plot simple and focusing on Rumi and Jinu's personal journey. The dialogue is a little clumsy at times, but the writers still manage to show more than tell. They show that you can rise above your flaws and failings instead of letting them define you. The ending is a little rushed, though, not allowing time to mourn the loss of an important character.

The people who put together the OST are insane perfectionists. Sure, they used autotune, but it makes perfect sense in the context of the modern setting. The songs don't just sound amazing, they're cleverly written and an integral part of the storytelling. “Free” is one of the most romantic songs I ever heard, full of yearning and vulnerability. It reminds us of why we fall in love.

Korean culture is nicely featured here. It's not in-your-face, but lovingly woven into the little details, used as a world-building tool and a way to ground the fantasy. They leave out the dark side of idol culture, although it's hinted at in the sinister number “Your Idol.” The fans here are portrayed as a purely positive force, which is ironic for a movie about acknowledging your flaws. But I respect the writers’ decision not to go there.

People are clamoring for a sequel. Even the director wants to do it, saying that there are so many questions left unanswered. That's a bad sign. You should never make a movie just for the purpose of “answering questions.” Some things are best left to the viewer's imagination (and fanfiction). I worry that in their hurry to meet demands, the filmmakers will churn out trash instead of another gold.

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"Trillion Game" is a rollercoaster of fun, and the movie just keeps building right where the drama left off. Haru returns after two years and him and Gaku continue their climb to be the richest in the world by building Japan's first casino. Of course though, it is not easy by any means, and if you know Haru and Gaku, there will always be something up their sleeve rooted in the purity of friendship and trust. Always a fun ride, hilarious with touches of wholesome, the movie does feel like a compressed story arc from the drama - for better, and for worse. It's fun as all get out and has the grand scope of a film (the glitz, the glam, and the action!), but at times, it does feel like some of the beloved characters from the drama don't get as much screentime (especially Rinrin and Kirika, who have great foil moments for Gaku and Haru respectively, but I always want more). Meguro and Sano truly are so much fun to watch as Haru and Gaku, and they are the heart of the film, so really it's hard for this one to go wrong. If you loved the drama, you will enjoy the film easily, but don't really expect more - the ride continues and doesn't miss a beat!

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Cute as…

My review is going to be short and sweet. I have said this often - not enough nice movies or dramas are made these days. Love Untangled is just that - a nice old style movie, which we need more of.

Even though it is a sweet movie, there are a couple of underlying themes that do bubble through but don’t overwhelm the flavour of the movie - and that is a good thing.

It was nice watching such supportive friendships, loving families and a setting in Busan. The coffee shop upstairs we have seen in recent dramas.

Ignore the nay sayers here. Embrace this movie for what it is - a gentle reminder of what’s nice in the world.

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