Very believable mirror scenes
Great proof of concept that works well enough despite its high complexity of plotline. The director had precise accuracy to execute on scenes that may seem impossible to achieve, yet providing a fresh new thrilling material for Korean action cinema. Its powerful soundtrack greatly heightens the suspense, coupled with incredible acting skills from Yoon Kye Sang that's very technical, making scenes look gripping and cinematic that you'll believe it's really happening in the way it's supposed to be.Was this review helpful to you?
There's no fairytale love in this world
It's rarely a romance movie that can be low-key touching, yet without overdoing the cringey stuffs. The plot direction is unexpectedly brilliant and clean, it stands out as an alternate romance viewpoint and provided some great insights on modern relationships. As its literal title suggests, "Romance Without Love", there's no fairytale love story whatsoever, but rather how to survive the harsh reality of this society, and well maybe on its path, there's something that could eventually make individuals get along, in a catastrophic way.Was this review helpful to you?
Fun, fluffy, film...
This movie is a pretty ok, nothing special really, but it has some pretty good stories, that I wish would have gotten a movie each instead of had to share it...The different couples in this movie show different sides of life and have almost nothing in common, yet do share several connections (other than geography).
Most of the characters in this movie are relatable, sweet, fun and lovable... Some slightly annoying and we there are some pretty evil ones too... but they are just a small part of the whole.
We have one couple that shows us both the less beutiful and more beautiful side of divorce and domestic abuse.
Another one who teach us the value of communication and sharing ones troubles with ones spouse
A third Showing the pain of burn out and trying to find ones way back...
But my favorite couple was the one with the paralympics athlete who is treated as a disability there to inspire and sell emotional porn that focuses more on the girlfriend than his achievements...
Making this a pretty fluffy dare I say healing movie (even though I hate that word) worth a watch
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"Those are shoes. And that, That's Called A Fool" An Overlooked Masterpiece, by Anyone's Standards
An Overlooked Masterpiece, by Anyone's StandardsEven though it is one of the saddest movies I have ever watched, I originally watched, it is so hard not to watch again and again and again...
You are rooting so hard for this couple to get together that you forget it is just a film!
And after the dicscovery is made, you feel so sad for the young beautiful librarian and all the pain and sadness she went through for nothing...
All the cast, makin and support, made this short movie very real and you forget time for awhile!
The music is almost perfect, the cinematography is great and the library helper is so funny and supportive of the main plot!
NOTE: while her support librarian Niti Chaichitathorn, (Pompam) has gone on to star on multiple movies our lovely anti-heroine has only starred in a handful of movies since this one (the list for her is incomplete here, by the way!)
RE-WATCH: Definitely!
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Very genuine, heartwarming story that will leave a lasting impression in your mind.
Very simple story with simple characters and simple dynamics but holds so much weight. Sometimes, it's when things aren't overly complex do the rawest, most honest emotions come out.This movie is like an ode to film screening. It showcased how important was getting to watch a movie for people back then, a simple activity we take for granted today. All the characters had different reasons and different ways how movies impacted their lives, and their dynamics are told in a very natural (and sometimes even funny in its irony) way.
It speaks right to your heart.
I would've personally liked if the pacing was bit faster, other than that no complaints. Amazing acting. I hot to learn about how old film reels work too. 100% recommend.
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1Solid acting, too many plot lines
Positives:Solid acting across the entire cast. I admit I only watched this movie because of Perth, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the cast too. Bas was really emotive in this movie (which shocked me cos I didnt enjoy his performance in 2moons and Gen Y. The supporting actors were great as well, especially the actor who plays Tai. My heart broke for him.
Despite the title, I don't think it's a BL movie. However, you can sort of feel there's something between Kheng (Bad) and Boang (Perth) that's not explicitly shown. I like their onscreen chemistry.
Con:
There are too many things happening in this movie to the point that it got pretty absurd. If they only focused on the main issue, I'd enjoy it more.
A lot of the issues were also conveniently resolved, which makes it quite unrealistic.
Trigger warnings: lots of assaults, drug dealings and school bullying.
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Accidentally watched this movie twice.
Watched the movie twice. I didn't realized that I've already watched it. So, I guess the downside is that it's a bit forgettable.While watching, I can say that with all it's faults, that it's still really entertaining. The casts did a good job. Movies like this one, is really a gamble. The need for a perfect blend of the past and present should be done well or everything will fall apart.
With this one, the biggest question remains, were they cursed? Is that why they were able to connect through phone calls? Oh well, I guess it's stupid to look for reasons in paranormal psychological thriller.
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Had the potential to be an interesting story with a unique approach, but failed.
The movie follows 3 couples in 3 consecutive eras, and the "premarital examination" that was apparently a thing back then to check physical compatibility. But the thing is, except the last arc, the previous two had largely half-baked, one dimensional plotlines. And the premarital examination itself didn't really play a huge role in any of them nor the arcs were really woven around it and the people's thoughts about it(despite it being the title of the movie), more like it was added in last moment for each arc for some additional drama and to remind the viewer this is (supposedly) what the story is about. It was quite unsatisfying to watch. Therefore I don't necessarily rec this movie.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I owe my mother another movie
I told my mother at the weekend, “Ma! Netflix released a new Filipino movie and it’s a romantic comedy”. We settled into our favourite couches and was ready for some mother-daughter time. The movie started, and we laughed. We bonded, we laughed again, and then we did not.Why? The ending.
This story started well with Dee going back to her hometown for her grandmother’s birthday. The FL is beautiful, loves her lola (grandmother), and has a kind personality that draws people into her sphere. She rediscovered the village lifestyle and its many characters who eat at her lola’s eatery. Along the way, she reconnected with the ML, Edong, whom she knew through secondary school. They hang out, drink his coconut moonshine, smile a lot at each other and fall in love along the way.
Simple and sweet. Perfect for a relaxing weekend viewing. My mother and I laughed at certain parts, dismissed at some questionable pacing and storytelling, and gushed at the sweetness of the ML’s traditional way of courting the FL (he asked her lola’s permission to court her). It is, after all, a romantic comedy where it promises us a warm and fuzzy happy ending.
Then, the story changed its genre to a tragic romance at the final 10% of the movie. Once the movie ends, my mother and I just stared at the screen and said to each other “well, that was not happy at all”. We got up from our respective couches, turned off the tv and ate something sweet. The sweet food managed to get rid of the sour taste from the movie.
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing and senseless
This movie wasn't worth watching. I don't understand all the good reviews, I don't get what people say that I didn'tI'm not putting a synopsis because I watched it and it should be known, instead I decided to write a review to hopefully erase this movie as a whole from my mind.
What makes this so bad?
Well, none of the relationships between the characters are healthy at all, and the only character just a bit redeemable is the king. The king is heartbroken and it makes sense, he has a motive to do what he does because he feels betrayed and invested a lot into the chief. The chief is an idiot, he is given chances and continues to deceive the king so in the end, I was ok with him dying. Honestly, I was ok with any of the characters dying, I didn't feel any attachments.
I thought to myself that maybe the chief was only lusting over the queen because he never had that experience. Instead, the movie decided that he LOVED her? I don't care if it was him only saying that, I don't want to use my brain to read into this movie more than I should. The queen and the chief didn't love each other, as much as the movie wants to convince us that they do. And how do they convince us? The queen and chief just have s*x about 1/3 of the movie, honestly, it might be more. I thought this was going to be more epic, that the budget would be utilized for stunts and action and anything worth watching. Instead, it was just about the closest thing to being p*rn as it could. It was explicit, it was beyond explicit, they made love more than they needed to and the only argument for them doing so is that it was to show how their loved progressed.
This movie.. I would say it's ok, but I can't find anything to like except the king's acting, he did a really good job. On the other hand, the characters were.. they weren't characters. It was blank and lacking and none of them had a backstory. Especially the queen, it was infuriating to see her seduce the chief knowing what could happen, and eventually when the king found out they still decided to do the deed? Why? Did they love each other? How was I supposed to know they love each other if they didn't even talk about ANYTHING? What did they want to do if they fled? It seemed the only reason they wanted to leave was to have s*x in peace. The acting for the queen was stale, her whole character wasn't a character, she was just the queen that didn't get laid only until the chief did and then she liked it so they did it as many times as they could. The chief and queen were both selfish and not worth me rooting for so I didn't.
I don't understand. It was wasted potential, but then again I don't even know what the goal of the movie was here. What was the purpose of this? The chief in the end didn't love the king and I can't say that he loved the queen because that wasn't deserved either. It left with the chief and king dying as if I was supposed to not expect that or feel bad.. it had so much love making scenes that didn't need to be there. There was NO reason that the queen and chief loved each other, they didn't talk to each other or bond over anything except making love. That's all this was, it was frustrating and felt dirty to watch undeserved love making scenes. It wasn't fun at all, it was something I wish I could erase from my mind. That's the end of my rant, I warned anyone coming into this thinking it's some sort of epic movie that's exciting and heartbreaking. This movie isn't, this movie is a waste.
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a cute short movie
Overall: a writer is told his poem? script? isn't honest and his friend tries to help himContent Warnings: internalized homophobia
What I Liked
- there was some nice piano music
- come cute moments
Room For Improvement
- it isn't clear what their relationship is at the beginning, I guessed that they were platonic friends but that could have been made more clear
- I wasn't sure if everything we saw actually happened, or if some of it was in his imagination
- some of the lighting was too dark
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I never write reviews but this was so bad that I had to...
This "movie" is just... everything is terrible okay? The production and the music are a joke. The plot/story is so dumb... I really don't know how else to describe it. They're just dumb. There are millions of better ways to portray gay prostitution in Japan. There are millions of better ways to portray a teacher falling in love with his student... The explicit scenes were depressing to me but at least it made me feel something because the rest of the movie was so plain and boring. It made no sense at times to the point it was unrealistic because of how much it lacked any kind of depth. All the characters weren't even one-dimensional. They were zero-dimensional. It's like a very simple dumb cartoon but make it live action and pornographic.Was this review helpful to you?
A ‘ Door’ Into The Realm of Disappointment…
Based upon the eponymous novel by Robert A. Heinlein, ‘ The Door Into Summer’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Natsu e no Tobira: Kimi no Iru Mirai e’ or ‘ 夏への扉 キミのいる未来へ’) seemed to initially offer viewers an intriguing premise under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki and the writing of Kanno Tomoe.
However despite the movie’s impressive plot premise and the casting choice of renowned actor Kento Yamazaki ( ‘ Orange’, ‘ Alice In Borderland’, ‘ Death Note’), ‘ The Door Into Summer’ soon suffered greatly under the aimless direction of plot holes, lacklustre genre exploration, character and plot growth as well as pacing also.
The movie initially focuses upon young scientist Takakura Soichiro ( Kento Yamazaki). Trying to complete the research of his late paternal and mentor figure Matsushita Kazuto ( Hidekazu Mashima) upon plasma research in 1995, Soichiro’s plans are scuppered when he’s betrayed from the shadows and loses control over his research . With no other options, Soichiro is subdued into a cryogenic chamber. Waking up nearly thirty years later in 2025, Soichiro discovers that the world has changed significantly as he desperately tries to find a way back to 1995…
Perhaps one of ‘ The Door Into Summer’’s greatest downfalls and arguable strengths came through its emotive moments. Admittedly it isn’t out of a question for the science-fiction genre to explore and widen the scope of expectations with presenting the emotional conflicts and struggles of humanity. In particular one of the most heartfelt moments of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ came through Soichiro’s relationship initially in 1995 with his adopted feline friend Pete and being able to relate to his cat’s emotional struggles. In the latter-part of the series this relationship was replaced by Soichiro’s android friend PETE ( Fujiki Naohito); one of the few characters who could offer viewers surprising comic relief and emotional complexity at times also .
Nevertheless ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was a storyline that was supposedly focused upon elements of time travel and pseudo-science. However whilst the lingering presence of humanoid robots and time travel are intriguing plot hooks for viewers, Kanno Tomoe’s screenplay greatly struggled under the cataclysmic weight of plot inconsistencies and lacklustre loopholes as well as logic .
One of the major problems of Tomoe’s world-building and “factual “ science came through its lacking and quintessential presence in the main events of the storyline. Perhaps the major source of the problem can be found that ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was heavily dominated by its emotional aspects. However rather than using this as an opportunity to explore characters or even widely offer an edge of complexity towards Soichiro, Kanno Tomoe ladened the narrative in parts upon Soichiro’s insipid, potential romantic relationship with main female lead Matsushita Riko ( Kiyohara Kara).
This was a notable flaw throughout Miki’s movie; there was rarely a sense of plot. Seemingly quintessential characters and events were rarely developed and whilst the movie did attempt to present a gradual “ villain” , ‘ The Door Into Summer’ could often feel aimless and directionless within its messaging and plot development. In particular the ending of the movie notably presented the outcome of the plot’s aimless narrative with an anticlimactic and lacklustre conclusion.
In addition to this there’s also the issue of the lacking opportunities to really flesh-out characters and in particular the main male lead of the series. For a a main character who is supposedly constantly looking towards advancement , Soichiro’s uninspiring and tailored reaction towards the near-future, technology and the world around him felt somewhat regimented rather than befitting for his seeming character archetype.
The acting of the series was admittedly a slight mixed-bag. Kento Yamazaki’s role as Soichiro was admittedly somewhat uninspiring with certain line deliverances feeling enforced. The supporting cast such as Matsuhhita Riko played by Kiyohara Kara and Natsuko as Shiraishi Rin in particular were decent enough with their performances but rarely brought forwards a dynamic charm due to limited screenwriting opportunities. Perhaps one of the few standout performances of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was Fujiki Naohito as PETE but due to limited dialogue and depth opportunities, Naohito was rarely a wider scope to exploring his onscreen persona with tact.
Perhaps one of the few saving graces of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki came through the movie’s impressive and glossy CGI, cinematography, slick shots and fuzzy retro and nostalgia shoots also. Although admittedly a somewhat generic approach with certain filming techniques, Miki did help to captivate a certain aesthetic throughout the filming of the series. The OST of the series was slightly dull in comparison to the slick shots of the movies; synchronic in parts, but rarely giving viewers an opportunity to feel the emotional weight and impact of scenes either.
Overall ‘ The Door Into Summer’ is a film which whilst boasting some impressive filming shots, scenery, CGI and some familiar faces, often felt heavily burdened by its writing. The elements of science-fiction present within the narrative of the film are approached tactlessly with aimless plot motivations rarely giving further insight into the growth of characters or tension either. The ending of the series will likely offer viewers with a final admittance of the narrative’s disappointing deliverance despite its unlimited potential.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good story, dreadful Directorship & Acting
Reading through other reviews, I see the common excuse for the awful acting as being that the movie aims to replicate the "manga" and "anime-style" acting. Problem is: that's a problem with Japanese directorship lately. Japan can produce very beautiful masterpieces, however, when they try to desperately stick to their anime brand it results with this cringe-filled content that is difficult to watch never mind take seriously. P.S: I can't speak on behalf the manga, but I will speak from the Anime adaptation that in my opinion was amazingly doneStory: I personally loved it. For a movie adaptation, I enjoyed the change from a straight wedding to a same-sex wedding. I also enjoyed that Izumi was the one to comfort Ryoma and that they removed his awkwardness in front of cameras. However, there's no impactful scene in the entirety of this movie like there is in the anime. In the anime, we have multiple impactful scenes from Ryoma finding out Izumi is a boy to Izumi's debut as himself into the showbiz world. Those were amazingly done. In the movie? Well... there's barely any substance and it was hard for me to watch it.... The movie is boring. The director has failed to capture many key moments from the anime, and has replaced them with monotone scenes that don't really provide much of anything.
Acting & Casting: This is by far the worst part of this movie apart from the massacre that has occurred to the characters of this series. I'm not sure whether this is the actors' fault or the director's but this "anime style" acting does not work in live action media, that is not based on a fantasy environment where I feel like it's easier to get away with. The acting strips the characters of all their remaining life in the most ironic manner possible and makes them hard to even care about. Honestly, it's hard to take this movie seriously and it feels like a bad YouTube original. The anime works because it is animation but also the anime doesn't neglect animating the characters naturally when it is needed. Izumi has very serious and well directed moments in the anime, particularly when he explores his sexuality and attraction to Ryoma. Ryoma equally has his raw scenes as he fights for Izumi's affections with the few bittersweet moments between him and Shogo. In this movie, however, the acting is unredeemable and fails drastically to represent the mixed emotions the characters develop throughout the story.
Another things that puts me off is the casting. Though not terrible, neither of the actors or the way in which they're styled represent their characters. Ryoma barely looks like the cool and flashy actor that he is and for a 2020 movie, it has already aged awfully. DISCLAIMER: I am not hating on the actors directly, I am sure they're great but personally I do not see them in these roles. The actors hold no chemistry together and honestly, they should've chosen a different casting. These actors do not sell their roles.
Characters: What happened?! Ryoma is NOT Ryoma! Ryoma in the anime adaptation is represented with a quite puppy-like love towards Izumi and is also represented as naive to contrast his public image of a cool guy. The huge contrast between the on-screen Ryoma and the Ryoma we see interact with Izumi is huge. That's what makes him charming to the audience and root for him. In the movie? He's just a dull, cringe-worthy character that lacks all charm. This issue mainly comes down to the directorship and acting, it's hard to watch. Izumi is honestly the dullest character and it's the reason why the argument of the movie staying "true to the manga" doesn't hold. The characters, the most important element, are not true to the predecessors. Izumi charms the audience because of his naivity but a cutely represented love for Magical Girl LalaLulu that he is often seen to use to boost his confidence in himself In this adaptation, he is a boring character and nothing feel earnest. The only part in which Izumi is likeable when he calms Ryoma down during filming in the first 10mins of the movie.
Rei also significantly has collapsed as a character. From a cool, admirable character to a flat, uninspiring side character who barely gives the same flare to the movie as he did in the anime. More so, his relationship to Shogo is so lazily thrown in! Shogo is quite literally the only character that is true to the other adaptations.
This is the easiest thing to get right and yet this movie completely fails at it,
Music: Boring.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Story Of My Life.
Ode to my father describes what a lot of individuals who are titled first child or head of the house goes through, and I being the first child had no better title than to define this review.The story takes place in the middle of the Korean War in the city of Hungnam, North Korea where the US Marines evacuated more than 86,000 individuals, our main lead and his family being one of them. The entire film then follows the promise he made to his father before he went missing to take care of his mother and siblings. Deok Soo (Hwang Jung Min) then lives his life making sure to make his father's promise a reality which costs him everything including his dreams, his passions, and even his will.
As we see him get older there seems to be a withdrawal emotionally and a lack of understanding that his family offers him, in scenes where it has aged having grandchildren and we see their lack of showed love towards him. It reminds me of the loneliness that comes with a huge sacrifice, not only did he not give himself, he was left misunderstood, and not even his children were patient enough to understand where that 'anger' came from. In the final scene of the movie, we see Deok Soo finally decide to sell his store, and when he goes into his room he begins to cry reminiscing the difficulties that came with keeping that promise, how to hurt he had become when he realized he would never see his father again.
One thing that made me cry and sob in this film apart from Hwang Jung Min's performance was the countless stories that were expressed throughout, Although not as heavily themed in the time of war but for families who lack opportunities, immigrant children who have so much responsibility to care for their younger siblings and parents. Deok Soo lived his entire life to service others constantly pushing the limit he would go for family. the only thing he ever did for himself was to fall in love and get married, which is awesome but it was at the expense of almost dying that he even meet the love of his life.
As a child of immigrants, the guilt Deok Soo felt when he lost his sister is the same when you see your parents put their interests, their homes, and sometimes their marriages so they can protect you and give you a better life. Although I might want to pursue other things in life, there are a lot more responsibilities like Deok Soo had, that have to come before my peace of mind.
I loved his story so much, I loved the execution from the cast and those who worked behind the scenes. it's a movie that will be timeless not only showing history in true light but relating to individuals who often go through situations like this. I hope this review urges you more to view this film and appreciate the brilliance behind it.
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