Reviews

At least better than High Kick Girl

This one actually has a story and a director, and it's alright. But I feel like the whole movie could've been much shorter.

The fights are okay. The acting is OKAY. They cast a lot of real fighters (including the foreigner who plays Keith (he also played a random guy in High Kick Girl). There's Rina Takeda whose acting is good and fights really well. I think everyone else's acting were pretty much alright, nothing that would break your immersion. Of course there are a lot of lame plot moments but there's no need to get picky on this movie. Just stop.

The story is not bad but it's worthless. All there is to it is the action, which doesn't holds the film together in this case.
Wouldn't watch again and I don't recommend.

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This is only 12 minutes long, but it is long enough to get a point across. In the 12 minutes it airs, it has abuse, lack of self acceptance, sadness, suicide, and society not accepting someone being “different.” It’s heart breaking to think of what people have to go through mentally and physically, just because they are not society’s idea of “normal.” What gives anyone the right to decide for someone else what they think is right or wrong about any individual?! The ML acting is very believable, very well acted. This, to me, was more interesting than dramas I’ve watched that run 1+ hours. The ML was also in Color Rush, and he was also excellent in that. Give it a watch, it’s very short and very well done.

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i'm no avid fan of overly sweet romances unless done in either a captivating way or made me entertained so watching a movie such as this felt like revisiting the old school movies and the only thing missing is a grainy filter.

the way the story climaxed isn't entirely unique but i absolutely loved the way it progressed. as a viewer, the pacing didn't feel too overwhelming or tortoise slow... it felt just right. the soft ost was fitting to the delicate story that was told and added to the emotional impact of certain scenes.

with how stellar the cast was, it didn't entirely bore me. i guess the only downside was how i already saw the same plot before and didn't do much to keep my interest at its peak towards the end. perhaps a twist or some sort of alternate ending would've created a better impact to the story.

overall, this is a sweet romance enveloped with a bit of melodrama and what love can result to one's hard-hitting sacrifice.

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Unbelievably bad

This movie was a complete waste of time for the choreographers, the actors and for us, the damn viewers. If you want to watch High Kick Girl, watch it for 40 minutes, then turn it off, because after that it becomes High Kick Sensei, and I can assure you that it's a really bad movie and you don't wanna watch it.

When you read the words "High Kick Girl!" and sees a high school girl doing a high kick in the cover, you don't set your expectations high. You hope to watch some nice Karate Fights with an OKAY plot that hopefully don't spoil the fights.
But they managed to do it!! It is so bad that you can't even pay attention to the fights anymore, and by the end of the movie, the directing and the writing gets progressively bad to the point where the fights are unwatchable.

The first half of the movie is OKAY, if you ignore the really annoying replays in the scenes. It's nice, you got some crazy karate girl that is hunting black belts around the town, as an excuse to kick some ass. A good enough plot, if you ask me.
I could go on and on about how they wasted a decent idea and how they could have done a mediocre movie and get away with it, but they were completely lost '-'

*I'm rating it a 3/10 in honor to the actors and choreographers

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This is a funny movie full of action, murder, comedy and a little love story on almost every level: well-acted characters, hilarious, complex enough, suspenseful, funny escape route.
I liked the idea of ​​incorporating quantum physics into the script but the writer couldn't do it perfectly. The level of betrayal was insane but I still loved it.
I loved the positive vibe of the movie even if it deals with the corruption of the leads didn't lose their faith and carried on and I agree that you can make your future with good ideas.
Quote "If your fears will go away through action, there should be no fears".

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Now this is a journey between lies and truths,

Now this is a journey between lies and truths, a journey to the dark side of souls, whatever the climax was a turning point but after some thought it might seem like this couldn't end better than this, this movie reflects the reality of people these days, I highly recommend With this movie, once you watch it, the effect will soon wear off.
I think I only honestly felt sorry for three people. One, for se-kyung and seok-ho because they get cheated on despite being really good people, Seok-ho doesn't tell her partner about the cheating either but comparing them to cheating I think cheating is really ugly and wins the bad title. Secondly, for Young-bae because of having such bad friends, I mean he can't even be the same in front of them which clearly shows how uneasy his friends can make to others. I think he's the most honest person out of them but they don't realize that and they try to dismiss him which is clearly sad and they are making the really worst mistake. And I really hated Ye-jin and Jun-mo because they're obviously cheaters and I think those are the worst kind of people when it comes to relationships.
Overall, this movie makes you think and feel real feelings like hate, sadness, concern and much more without even realizing it and I think this is the best you can find in a movie.
loved it?

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Honestly, with stories like this, there are always two options; It is real or fake. We've seen so many stories about having visions of the future so it's not shocking to see her believe it, but I will say the writer played it safe by making all the "unfortunate" events around the girls.
So the only consequence is, memories.
How can an exciting movie turn into a sad love story? !!! I was very sad after the plot developed until the end of the movie. The plot twist was very unexpected and unexpected !!!! It would never have occurred to me that dreams of Canada would be such tragic moments for Soo Jin. A little slow at first but it's interesting to know the truth about her true memories!
(So ​​I refuse to admit this ending and I will think that they finally escaped their misfortunes and lived happily ever after.)

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This movie was like its title, sweet and sour.

This movie was like its title, sweet and sour. When the truth was finally revealed, it tasted bitter.
I wonder what will happen to the child. Will lee jang hyuk (the guy staying at the hospital) be able to accept that Da Eun is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's baby, they even have similar names so I can imagine how he might react to that.
I feel disgusted after watching this...
Lots of loopholes in the plot and what the hell was the security guard doing, meddling in their affairs.. and why does the security guard look like a CEO?
I don't like the ending. It made it seem as though the other's love interest was a revival. I think the end of the movie should show that they are no longer compatible, and I found someone else better along the way. This will close something the parent didn't do.

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OMO i saw this a while back on the tube and have to say - this is good - This is a really cool concept and I loved the execution! Three different couples performing the same dialogue and scene, seeing them play it out slightly, differently according to the couple involved, was really fun to watch. each was funny and sweet in a different way.

The first were the girls - and there was no aggression there, but more attraction if denial and then intrigue, that made them come together. with that sweet kiss.

The second couple were male and female and i laughed more cause the girl was the aggressor and seeing the guy panic was funny - but it felt short, just cause the kiss was bleeh - brings me back to all the kissing scenes in Kdramas where the FL turns to stone and can't react - cause if u react ur basically "the whore of babylon". so that takes u "out of the enjoyment of the moment" - and was a bit disappointing after the first couple.

The last couple Aish :D maybe its the fujoshi in me, or the let down after the straight couple - but this was so good, funny, cute and yummy (yeah XD i know) but y'all get it - its two guys and they were funny, cute and aggressive verbally - tough-guy act hard to let go off... and their kiss omo made my cheeks hurt, i smiled so hard... and the only kiss that had butterflies going haywire in my stomach... it was short but Very sweet -

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How difficult is motherhood

Right from the start, the movie does a good job at showing the rough life of the main characters. It was a hard situation after a hard situation after another hard situation. I’m sure everyone has these days/times and faces those situations where everything you do doesn’t work out. did a really good job at portraying that, which is why I say it’s a very real movie. Even the details of the movie were real, such as it shining a light on the hardships of being a single parent. Also, the conflict/climax was based on real world problems, and thus, as you can probably expect, it gets pretty damn emotional.

Furthermore, the acting by the cast members were great. I absolutely loved the casting – The main casts Kim Hyang-Gi, Ryu Hyun-Kyung, and Yeom Hye-Ran are more familiar faces in Korean productions, and they were really great. The trailer of the film said that the character Hyang-Gi played had to grow up quickly, and I felt that that matched Kim Hyang-Gi perfectly. She has that young image and as if she’s a kid herself, so having an actress like her portray this role, it was like a kid having to take care of a kid, which gave a special emotional delivery that I think only she can deliver.

Ryu Hyun-Kyung also showed a phenomenal performance, and the chemistry between her and Kim Hyang-Gi was superb. The other main lead Yeom Hye-Ran was good as always, and was really good in that hard, tough, gangster-like role. I want to see her in more roles like this, and it’s really good to see her in more productions nowadays. She’s in 3 Korean movies just in the month of February 2021, , , and this.

And it wasn’t just the main leads that gave a performance; the supporting cast was amazing as well. It was my first time seeing actor Kim Hyun-Mok, but he was really good. He was in other smaller films such as and , but I’m really looking forward to seeing him in other works.

Even the performance by the baby was great! The kid cried so much and is such a physically big baby, but was so cute. The baby was actually played by two different baby actors, Tak Ji-Ahn and Tak Ji-On. I’m assuming they are twins that played the same character, much like how Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen both played the character of Michelle on the American TV show “Full House.” Anyways, great, great performances by everyone in this.

💥The Bad
I don’t have much bad things to say about . As you can probably expect from this type of film and from the trailers, the movie is on the slower slide. However, I will say that it’s not too slow that it’s not enjoyable, and I was engaged throughout. It gets a little slow after about an hour and 20 minutes or so, but picks back up. It kind of reminded me of , another film starring Kim Hyang-Gi, but it wasn’t as slow as that. I personally liked this more than .

To conclude, does heavily have that indie, slow vibe. If you’re not a fan of that type, which I personally am not either, then you may not enjoy this. But as I mentioned before, it’s not too slow that it’s unbearable. Like I said, I’m not a fan of slow burners, but this I enjoyed.

**Verdict**

was a very real movie and I liked how it wasn’t forced. The ending was very powerful and emotional, and the second to last scene was really cute. Definitely something I recommend watching.

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reality in a way

You rarely come across an actual good GL show/series honestly but this one was really good. Hana coming out to her parents was the hardest part watching because the reactions seem a little delayed but it still freaking hurts when her mother signs it's disgusting and she needs to leave:(((( but I'm glad she already had her own place to live and chose to be happy instead in a unhappy marriage. I forgot the bar owner and her workers but the stories that was shared in the bar scene made me cry a lot lol (I'm a bit sensitive) but it is kind of the reality in a way. I must the guy was lucky because his mother happened to be one of those parents who don't really understand what exactly it means being trans but still want the best for their kids and wish their kids the best and tell them to be happy. Anyways -- it is a feel good but also a sad movie. It's also quick honestly. Also it is a happy ending which is nice.

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Aesthetically pleasing with slow burn storytelling

This was one of the most anticipated films on my list. Ever since the release of the trailer, the ost and visuals really caught my attention. Judging by the trailer, it seemed pretty appealing in terms of its supernatural story concept and not your typical slice of life bl.

Delving into the film, it started off strong with its visuals and character introductions, but the story pacing wasn't quite there.
I found myself pausing a few times throughout the film which was a bit concerning. It indicates the story wasn't engaging in the early stages (first 10 mins mark) especially when it came to the bond between the two main leads.

Story structure

The story went from point A to point B. There wasn't much breathing room to let the audience become invested in the characters. Of course, there were conversations made between main leads including Takito's character, Hanzawa (Cop). However, it took so long for a scene to show a genuine connection and emotion between the characters. The first half of the film felt absent, but its absence was not entirely bad. I replayed some scenes and noticed the silent pain the actors conveyed in their expressions which I appreciated.

I believe the film tried to appeal to a wider audience therefore the relationship between Hiyakawa and Mikado came across as a bit hollow. From a marketing perspective, it seems ideal to want to create a story structure that appeals to and invites both original fans of the source and supernatural enthusiasts. Based on watching the film it seems the film director and producers was struggling to build a gradual bond between the two main leads. It bothered me how everything was resolved at the last minute, but I loved how the threads started to connect together.

Acting

The casting choice was solid. From the beginning, middle to end, Hirate-sans performance kept me engaged and more intrigued with her character. I believe she is one of the idol actresses who does not overact. Okada and Shison-san's performance started to shine just after the 30-minute mark. In the climax scene, I believe everybody performed pretty well.

Music

A few osts caught my interest including when Shison's character has a moment of courage. The trailer song is a banger which I'm pretty sure it relates to one or two of the perspective of the main lead.

Production and Visuals

The CGI and colour gradient reminded me of the Bleach live-action. I appreciated the opening montage and ost. It made me realise the trailer didn't give away everything in the film which was a good sign from my perspective.

Overall, I would have liked to see more of the three main leads. I believe when exploring a manga adaptation especially with three main leads, it would have been great as a drama series or film trilogy. Hopefully, the anime adaptation brings more from the source material.

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"Every day we live is like science experiment. We set hypotheses and our expectations. We try to control the variables. Some are controllable. Some aren't" says the main character, as he does exactly none of the things he is talking about while conducting his own research and experiment. No hypothesis, no control over variables (which weren't even named). They didn't even define what they are researching - ghosts.

For someone who does not know anything about scientific methods, this would be a really good horror thriller focused on the dark side of humans and their desires, fears and obsessions, with the use of supernatural elements. It was well produced, the set design, costumes and the design for the ghost were truly nice and well prepared.

For anyone who knows a bit about scientific methods... it would be frustratingly dumb and unrealistic, and not because of the ghost and supernatural elements. Here's the thing: you cannot make the main characters people of science (I would call a person who finished medical school one) while making them conduct research as well planned and executed as flat earthers do. Writers should have either made the research more realistic (especially at the beginning, were Wee was not that obsessed and emotionally attached to it - hence he should have been more objective) or made main characters normal people who did not have much to do with science in the first place - then the poorly conducted experiments would make sense.

It was like watching people fight for who is going to get Darwin Award first - both deserve it equally. Since I was frustrated with the set up and the massively flawed and senseless research at the beginning, it was hard for me to connect to the characters and actually care about what will happen to them and how the movie would end.

Overall, if you either: don't know much about scientific method of research or are able to ignore that part of the plot and not put much value to it, you will most likely like it or even love it. Sadly for me, poorly done science done by people, who should know better, frustrates me to the core.

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"In this world... there are good kidnappings and bad kidnappings."

When I decided to rewatch it yesterday, I was rather scared. I hesitated a lot, because I was afraid that it wouldn't be as good as I remember and… My worries were definitely for naught. Even though I managed to notice the first wrinkles of its “old age”, and even if it didn’t make me feel like the first time, I think it’s still marvelous.

Park Chan Wook - Tarantino’s favorite, former film critic, a director with a dark style whose movies you just have to watch at least once in your lifetime. It’s really a pity that people only pay attention to the “Oldboy” and “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” gets recognition mostly as the “movie that opens the vengeance trilogy”. It’s a masterpiece. It should have its own huge audience.

It definitely won’t let you off with a sense of fulfillment or a feeling of pleasure. You probably won’t smile even once through the whole movie. Despite being a thriller, there are genre-breaking elements in it - comedy scenes… or rather I say: black humor, sorely black humor. That’s exactly why, before anything else, after the screening you’ll feel emptiness and bitterness.

There is a lot of beautiful cinematography in “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance”. The shots are wide, taken from a distance, asymmetrical, making you feel like a peeper. It’s just so elegant yet brutal and mundane. The realistic direction, its rawness and the lack of any metaphors are the things that make this movie so terrifying. It doesn’t need any frightening music, suspense or scenes full of blood. Its down-to-earthness is what makes it a horrific ride. Because it can happen in the real world, outside the screen.

It’s amazing how silent this movie was for the most of the time, without any unnecessary background music. Just fascinating direction, good plot and the most incredible actors.

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