Reviews

What a disappointment

I can't believe I'm writing this, but what a disappointment, for me at least. I just finished watching 2 movies with Matsuzaka Tori as the lead and I came across Call Boy. I shouldn't have watch it. While the movie touches sensitive subjects here, the making of it did not set well with me personally. For me the movie fells into the porn category and I'm just extremely disappointed that the male lead even accepted this role because by the end of the movie all I felt it was just that I was sick to my stomach. For me, the energy put into creating a movie to touch the prostitution world and so much more, was ruined by making it fall into porn category. All the sex scenes could have been filmed with just the beginning of the act, and some body silhouettes and moving camera away and let the viewers imaginations work, would have contribute more to the value of the movie. I don't want to say more just because I feel so dirty, ashamed and disappointed after watching this. Because the sex scenes were too intense, personally I think some of the debt that the movie could have had was diminished.

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Interesting

The story is overall amazing and I feel like I can compare this movie to forgotten a little because it has this twist in it that you wouldn’t expect.

The beginning of the story ties to the ending. It starts off with the old man freeing the red eye and then it shows how the body looks once they’re dead. The trailer goes on and shows multiple scenes of them trying to kill it. It also shows the girl and how the boy is running away with her and you can tell he just wanted to help and in fact I’m not sure if he did or not…. To be honest I’m just bluffing. I really have nothing else to say expect that it all ties up in the end.

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oh okay

WOW is all I can say. Funny enough I found out about this movie through an 18+ tik tok recommendation. I should have definitely read reviews or what it was about beforehand. Either way, I don't believe anyone should watch this if you are someone who can't handle topics that involve rape, sexual assault, or related things to do with Stockholm syndrome. While I never would have chosen to just watch this on my own, I wasn't disappointed, if you can move past the obvious hard parts to watch (non-consensual sex, among others) then the story is actually somewhere in there and elaborates on different things that are real. All I can say is watch with an open mind, not a closed one!

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PLOT TWIST that's it

I've been wanting to watch this movie for quite a while, I didn't expect what I saw. In all honesty, I did had some expectations, because from what I read about the movie plus what I saw for half the movie, I got mayors vibes from the Netflix movie "Secret Obsession" with Brenda Song, however, the way it got so many plot twist like, the movie got me feeling like the main girl. The way every time she felt some type of way or saw something, I felt has confused and I really liked that I started to understand everything at the same time as her. If you want the unexpected watch the movie somehow it still made me sad even though it was more of a mystery thriller movie, which usually doesn't make me feel sad. ANYWAYS, totally recommended, for some good Ye-ji acting plus great story.

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Rushed

I think this could've been developed/done way better if it wasn't a short movie. There were way too many holes and you'll easily get confused if you skip even a small bit. It made little to no sense to be honest. The girl liked her best friend but her best friend like someone else okay but what does the neighbor have anything to do with this and the ending scene did not help lol. I also was bit uncomfortable in the beginning because she's like in the bathroom in the opening scene and I want say she got her period and was changing but it was still so weird??? made no sense adding the scene to the film. It had potential

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good, fun, intriguing, cute & so-so xD

hur hyunjun's acting is good, the way he portrayed go yoo han's easygoing straightforward fun loving kinda impulsive personality.. i didn't think i'd like a boy with mask on throughout the half of a movie this much but his voice did the job. (i actually like him more when he's wearing the mask xD.)
you'll surely learn a lot of color names watching this movie / series. also some random fun facts about colors. the story seems to have ended abruptly & i think there should be a sequel. i didn't read the book it's based on but i'm thinking i should, to know if there's more to their story.., it's a low budget movie with so-so acting and all. like most of the bls out there. but if you're into bls, i do recommend it. it's nice. the group of friends is really fun. also, for me it was intriguing and if you like thinking, or like to read between the lines, this movie / series could turn out to be more than just another romance story for you.

quick comment on the music. they're good on their own (the line "take my hand, i'll let you go" is on repeat in my head xD)
but i don't think the bgm fit in with the drama for many parts. to me, the music seemed out of place at times. the soundtrack is really important for me and i'm not so happy about this one's. will see if a rewatch can change my mind.

one last note, i read some reviews here and there that say this movie gives a wrong / problematic message & encourages unhealthy / obsessive relationship. i don't think that's the case. the protagonist is an unreliable narrator. idk if you're familiar with the notion but yeon woo thinks a lot of his feelings are due to obsession. that's because his mind is preoccupied with fear. he always presumes his feelings are rooted from the possible negative sides of the mono-probe situation. however imo he's not quite correct about this. he was unable to distinguish love from obsession due to the many common / similar aspects of these two feelings.
nevertheless, love and obsession can coexist. in reality, this story didn't really show either of them hurting the other because of that obsession nor did it encourage anything like that. it only exists in the form of fear, rationally so, which they overcome by the end of the story.

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Watched this mainly because of the intriguing painting/movie poster on Viki (not the same one as MDL).

The story involves 3 generations of women; a grandmother, mother, and daughter. There isn’t a strong plot, or conventional storytelling techniques. Instead, each scene is shown with as much realism as possible. You piece together the story yourself.

Quickly it becomes apparent that the grandmother and mother are trapped together in a relationship filled with resentment and acrimony. The husbands / fathers are gone from the scene. The women have stories they tell about the reasons why. But they are not always consistent with each other. There doesn't seen to be any easy escape. And the pattern looks destined to continue into the next generation.

Overall this is a good portrait of the life many lead , struggling day by day without sign of improvement. However at 2 hours in length, this can get too depressing and boring.

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Warm story about friendship

This movie is far from its action and romance genre. I rate the story 6 because you can't find one place where this story develops. Not at home, not at school, not a the club they went to, nowhere. Because of this, you will find that the plot is scattered and has no direction. When you think it is a romance movie, it directs to action and then turns to romance, then friendship and running in circles till the end.

The acting between ML and FL was perfect. They emit the right emotions for this movie. But for me, none of the supporting actors are really supporting. It's just a snippet of all of them. You can't really remember names of them by the end of your watch.

Albeit, I enjoyed watching this movie and shed a little. I wouldn't recommend you watching but it wasn't that bad. Watch this when you are in the mood of resting not in an eager-for-action mood and you'll be just fine.

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A nugget of funniness

I saw Kim Sung Oh (Man Gil in this movie) on the cover shot for this filmand remembered him in Korean Odyssey. I thought, "I want to see this" and I'm happy I did! Very interesting and funny movie! I was not bored nor could I predict anything that was going to happen😂 XD very complete storyline/plot, you definitely have to watch it to the very end! Thanks!!

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Good enough.

This is a comedy will make you cry as hard as it will make you laugh. It is a very personal, very moving tribute of comedian, actress, screenwriter and first time director Jia Ling to her mom, Li Huanying - factory worker, volleyball player and first person in Xiangyang to own a TV.

I tried to watch this shortly after its release but dropped it within ten minutes because I was put off by the fact that Jia Ling chose to play herself, the then 18-year old Jia Xiaoling. In her late 30s at the time, she just doesn't look the part of a teenager so I abandoned it before I realised that nonetheless, she feels the part because she IS the part; every emotion is heartfelt down to the tiniest nuance. And of course she is who she is today because she is a funny lady, very, very funny with excellent comedic timing. Nonetheless, the criticism that the main role is possibly mis-cast is a valid one. There are some rough edges to the overall production that are very acceptable considering this is her directorial debut.

The main premise is simple, based on universally relatable mother daughter themes. Like many, I can vividly remember being 18, feeling awkward, unaccomplished, insecure and possibly a factory production run error of my lovely and vivacious mother. We have all been Jia Xiaoling, wanting to make our mom's proud, longing desperately to be worthy while dead set certain we are not. A freak of nature transports Xiaoling back to the past, where she meets and befriends her young mom and has a chance to be a part of all the most important events in her life. She hilariously and movingly tries to change her life for the better even if it means her mom ends up with someone else to hopefully have a more worthy daughter.. And in the process she movingly comes to the realisation that she was always already good enough. These are tried and true mother daughter themes that may seem to have been beaten to death but Hi Mom still manages to articulate a fresh, creative take and deliver a moving, heartfelt twist to this tale as old as time.

This is not perfect but I can happily give it a 9.0 and call it a masterpiece because it is an unforgettable movie that will make you call your mom or hug her if you are lucky enough to be next to her. After all, this humble, low budget production is only the highest-grossing movie of 2021, the second highest-grossing non-English film of all time, and the highest-grossing film by a solo female director. If like me, you haven't seen your mom for over a year due to covid, you may want to wait to watch this. But you must definitely watch it.

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Lee Yi Kyung acting is the best

The whole time I was thinking that the movie should be about the father and the baby, but it was actually about who is the BABY BESIDE ME let me find her mother and ask about the father of the baby.

Not to say bad but I was highly disappointed by the movie. since I watched it already, it has one good thing which is the fabulous acting of Lee Yi Kyung, he just aced the role of a young father. He reminds me of Jung Hae In from One Spring Night and Jang Geun Suk from Baby And I. all these have one thing in common: a young father who thinks knows everything around him but is betrayed and left alone. While the latter two have a bit of subtle comic elements which made them light, Baby beside me deals with the harsh reality of making an immature adult into a self-discovered true adult.

Do-il had got all the suffering that life could offer when he is about to have happy married life with a wife and a kid, having the Job as a gym trainer, but it comes crashing down where he had to question the choices he had made in the past. It seems as if he knew nothing about his girlfriend's past including his mother's sickness. But this big blow subsides and he gets used to life and starts earning pennies to survive from whatever he could do.
The ending is quite surprising, as I expected it to be the answer but instead, it served the emotions of belief and forgiveness.

The subtle colours in the scene were perfect depicting the mood of the movie with Do-il suffering. Music was similarly fine and skillful maintains the tone and atmosphere.

it is a good movie with a powerful performance by Lee Yi Kyung but I won't rewatch it as it loses points in terms of story.

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The Ending is a little bit confusing

To be honest the first part of the movie was cute and really good but then as soon as they found out the truth and she went back to her real family, things started to be confusing. I like the scene where the F.L. ( Zhao Lusi) met the M.L. (Xu Kai) for the first time. I also liked how the role played out. But the big question ive had when she met her brother was, "Are they dating or what?" because if they are dating then id rate the story even lower. And if not, i dont really care.

And also at the end, both men proposed to her and never answered any of them instead it cut right to the wedding scene and i dont know who the real groom is. But when it showed to the bery last scene, her brother walking alone under the bridge, i am thinking that she chose the M.L. (Xu Kai). I think this movie would he great if it was a series because of the cutscenes or the transitioning, the story became blurry and confusing. If this is remade into a series i would really look for it.


For the roles and actors and actresses, they played it all out really well. I hope when they remake this into a series, the actors and actresses would he the same because i really like Zhao Lusi and Xu Kai as for the others i dont really mind them.

Thats my review on this film i hope it is useful

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A fluffy one movie

As I watched this during a pandemic, I missed going to school and wear school uniform. I like this movie because I can relate since I also went to a public high school. A classroom without enough chairs, pushing and pulling people just to get inside a jeepney and a budget-friendly meal in a street. I experience all of this.

I don't like that aside from it being full of cliche, the story is in teleserye format. Aside from the story of the main couple, there is their parent's story and the story of the second female lead. The other story was not properly told and I feel that the ending was fast-paced.

Well, if you like a fluffy movie, I think you might consider this.

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”The most important thing is what you have in your heart."

Just started this but seems like the contemporary modern Japan is clashing with the traditional. I’m interested in culture so this has got me hooked. Such an interesting study on what is happening to Japanese children in 2010 and now reflecting on Japan in 2021 and the Covid-19. I can see why the Japanese want the Olympics to carry on in spite of the pandemic. Have they become robots?

It discusses how the calligraphy of the written letter convey feeling. I remember doing calligraphy with my class when I was teaching. Calligraphy has a freedom of expression not found so much in our cursive writing but it is possible to analyse that English text as well and get the feelings of the writer. The writing itself tells a story.

The Shodo competition is where you have to face your inner self you have to cooperate with your team mates. They want to take part in it. Their teacher gives them permission to enter. He is an out there extrovert with new and different ideas to the normal tradition Japanese. There is only three of them in the club. They need five people to be able to participate.

They go out recruiting. One a girl who wants to lose weight and a boy who like Shinko. The boy get in an accident breaks his leg and can’t participate. They need another member.These are the members of the club: Shinko Sumida, Takuya, Misato Satsukawa, Tohko Tenyru, Mimiko Iijima, Michiru Takamizawa came in at the end to make up the numbers but already a great calligraphter.

Their teacher(mr Yashiro) said”The most important thing is what you have in your heart. You can give a small light of hope for the world.”

Their first team practice is a shambles but so hilarious. Everyone has a story to tell. Shodo is a way of telling your story.

The education system has the herd mentality with no room for individuality or creativity. No wonder so many Japanese young people commit suicide when they cannot come up to the high academic standards no matter how hard they work. They say stay in the given box or you become a loser. How many times did I tell my children in my class “even if you are not clever or academic gifted, you have other talents. Pursue those. You are not a failure! You can speak two languages. You are bilingual. Bilingual speaker are divergent thinkers.” Sadly in this story in Japan. Divergent thinkers are not valued.

Get a bit sad near the end when comes the day of the Shodo Competition demonstrations. They were stunning in their creation of NO SURRENDER!

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