This review may contain spoilers
To sum it all up...
- About a boy who is bullied (in prison and out) and frequently get into fights, tends to get beaten up(quite a lot) but never fails to give up, to then win against his much stronger opponent. lol .- first 3/4 of the film was just Cha woo sol training and fighting other inmates. When i finally found myself fully engrossed in the film, the story was nearly over.
- wasn't much depth to the side characters, so i couldn't connect or empathise with them.
- felt that the bully joining the gang was unnecessary?? don't know what it added to the story.
- ending was rushed and was quite unsatisfactory- made you question what on earth he learnt during his time in prison lol
- Wi ha Joon is charming as ever.
It may seem that i'm very critical of the film, but i can honestly say that i enjoyed it regardless. There isn't much substance to the plot, but it was a compelling watch- with an amazing cast, and great action scenes to keep you entertained throughout.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Reincarnation Genre Movie
Dew The Movie....Yup, first time to watch this kind of movie and genre that was filmed in thailand of course with thailand actors as well.
I was really curious at first why the audience keep on commenting that this was a tragic story, how does it becomes a tragic one, who is dew and what is the story all about until i watched it. And trust me being a curious person does really good to you sometimes if you were really want to see, hear and know the things that you want.
Story....
Yah, i love it....
It is not my first time to watch the reincarnation story but this is the first one in the movie specifically in the mention country.
I thought that after 23 years they will meet again as is but the partner of the main lead reincarnated in the body of a girl, not just a girl but his student, with an age gap. That was a big twist. Not expecting that. Being fan of a bl genre i thought that their love will continue as reincarnated in a body of a boy.
I was expecting more and loving the flow of the story as i watch it. It was like i was expecting what will comes next with this scene and that scene. I love how the love story of the two boys bloom on the first part, as expected from the actors they were great really.
The reincarnation part... That was unexpected for the first timers who will watch the movie.
The setting of the story was new to me... That was refreshing...
The cinematography.... It really shows the difference of the past and present of the story...
Actors/casting....
Really.... I love the cast..... it was like they live their role on it...
Ohm Pawat... It is not the first time i've watched him in this kind of genre but he really did great.. i am not expecting it on him... He was really a great actor, he serves his role well.
Nont... this is my first time to watch him.. and he did great with his role also... Looking forward to his series to watch... Wanna know him better...
The girl who was reincarnation of Dew.... Yah i love her.... I love how she manages to act in here role specially when she was being partnered with an old guy.
The adult Phop.... He was also great... I love the way he acts on his role and i didn't see that coming....
Music....
It was new to me.. the genre of the song... But it was so good to hear... It was like a calming song....
Rewatch value....
I can give as high as this because i really love this kind of genre story line.
Overall....
This is a very good movie.... A tragic one but yeah... I love the story line, the actors, their roles, the setting of the story, all of it...
Good Job!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
those movies that make you feel great
You love Tsuchiya Tao? Watch this.You love food? Watch this.
You love those "special place in your heart" movies? Watch this.
Relatively subtle, underhyped film befitting of the movie itself; reconnecting with one's family while making new connections. As you follow the main character, Yoshito, and food writer, Shizuka, you're drawn into the geniune food, stories and connections they build in the rebuilding of Negishi-en.
I was entertained by the modern editing of Yoshito and Tatsuya's rambles. There was edited text on what each thought was best for meat. Really illustrates the ideas in each characters' head and their respective passions in their monologues. Doesn't take too long to notice that they have the same magnitude of passion, just different directions.
For a movie about food, it reaches into universal human experiences, grievances we had with our parents, reconciliation, humility in learning and enjoying the present from the ordinary yet impactful food we have. This is where the movie fares better; because of how it value adds. Ultimately the main message of the movie is this realisation; what's important for meat and life, is the chef's wish for it to "be delicious". Not the fanciness, the origin or the grandiose. Simply decent love and strive.
I watched this movie while running. Usually, I find it hard to follow along movies for their lack of appeal or lustre. For a slow-paced movie, this was a solid watch. Something I'll find myself rewatching and not immediately deleting from my downloads.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Already done, Long and so Predictable but still heart aches a little
First of all , stalking a girl because you like her troops in a romantic way should be stopped. It's not romantic at all and even playing a romantic background music to justify the act is totally not acceptable at all. If antagonist has done that then they would have put on villainize music.It was so predictable that main guy would die in the end as he was hitting bottles in his head and all those fighting just to emotionally blackmail us. They also stretched the story line where 15 min could have been easily cut off.
The main actress acting is kind of dull but actor looks convincing in that character. Even most of the things looked staged but still somewhere heart aches a little.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Tugs the Heartstrings but Uneven and Illogical
Based on a true story, this is a heartwarming fiction of a boy who really, really wants to build a train way station, the reasons behind his desires, and the relationships he has with his family, teacher, and his girlfriend. There were small moments that made me laugh out loud and revelations that made me sad. However, unfortunately, the movie is bogged down by some awkward editing choices and some gaps in the script that made me disappointed. I finished watching the movie with an overall positive feel, but couldn't help but wonder how a tighter production could have made it better.For starters, I don't think the movie knows what it wants to be: the first half of the movie is setup as 75% romance and 25% drama. The second half of the movie focuses on paying off the dramatic story line that was setup in the beginning, but almost entirely forgets that it spent a lot of time developing a love story, ultimately feeling like 85% drama and 15% romance for the latter half. I think the movie could have been better by focusing on either plot line more completely and setting aside the other portion in the backdrop. Even without this, I think there may have been an editing opportunity here to improve the pacing.
In my opinion, one consequence of this lack of focus is the creation of dissatisfaction with some of the finer points of the story. For instance, early on, the movie introduces Ra Hee, our leading lady who inexplicably crushes on our main character, Jun Kyung. Why is she so drawn to him? I don't think this is ever explained and I feel because of that, their love story isn't really organic: you have this pretty girl who inexplicably throws herself at this weirdo guy until they are able to bond into a proper love. I mean, I was once an awkward, teenage boy, and I can tell you I would have killed for some pretty girl to be unrelentingly interested in me for no discernible reason...but unfortunately it's nowhere near believable in this movie. Moreover, there's some additional details that I think the director/screenwriter simply forgot to address: there is a scene where they ALMOST kiss, but aren't able to. Later on in the movie, she sends him an audiotape imploring him to "remember our first kiss," but the thing is, we as the audience are never shown this so it's like "what first kiss? Did I miss something?" And when you go back they didn't -- ultimately, it was either a scene that got changed at the last minute or it was done off-screen -- either possibility, it's a little silly.
Approximately 60% into the movie, there is a sharp shift from the focus away from the love story, and into some interesting family drama caused by some setup earlier. However, the tonal shift is awkward, because there's something like a ~30-40 minute window where Yoona has no screen time which is a little weird if we consider the love story to be important and one of the overarching threads that keep this movie together. Honestly, I feel that this family plot line could have been a story all by itself: if we removed the romance tag and just dropped Ra Hee, it could have worked as a complete, drama-focused coming of age story. To me, it feels like the screenwriter didn't know what they wanted and just decided to cram in two unrelated stories together and try their best to tie it together.
I'm not quite sure what to think of the acting. As a non-Korean speaker, even I can hear the strong accents that the actors use in this movie to mimic the regional dialect of the area, so I can only wonder if they did a good job (I assume they did). However, I think all of the cast had strong performances. As a matter of personal taste, I thought Park Jung Min looked way too old to be a high schooler, but perhaps that's a fault of the makeup/costuming more than the casting.
I thought the music was appropriate, but average. It sets up the ambience well, but nothing to write home about in the end. I think the movie is also going to be difficult to rewatch, because you already know what the key moment of the movie is and I don't feel that the little, heartfelt moments are enough to warrant an entire second viewing.
I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. I can say that I enjoyed it, but there's glaring flaws that make me sigh a bit, and wonder how it could have been markedly better if they just changed a few things.
Was this review helpful to you?
And what a thriller it was! Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, it took a sharp left. I love movies like that where you think you know what's going on but in reality, there's something else going on entirely and you don't realize it until the movie lets you in on the secret! Gosh, I was so surprised! That's what I call great writing!
Also, the revenge taken in this story was so brutal, much more so than I expected! Brutal, efficiently planned and so meticulously and finely executed that none of the punished parties realized it until it was way too late and they could do nothing about it.
But it was also a very bleak and dark movie, so...
Was this review helpful to you?
Content Warnings: bullying, non con touching (when asleep)
What I Liked
- I thought the acting was decent
- good music
- I liked the cinematography with the mirror in the bathtub scene
Room For Improvement
- I wish we heard Cheolsoo speak more about his thoughts/feelings
- the ending was too open as to what exactly happened, I thought one thing happened but then reading the comments on Vimeo someone from the movie responded and it was something else
- and the last sentence "it's all in the past now" doesn't really give closure
- it would have been cool if the runtime had been 20 minutes to match the title since it was only 1 minute away in the non director's cut
Was this review helpful to you?
A film that is dancing beautifully
Like its fascination with Iguazu falls, every flow of this movie is striking directly down below, hitting hard, yet Iguazu is endlessly beautiful whenever you watch, listen, or feel it. A film that is... I'd rather call it 'dancing', both literally and figuratively.I call it a masterpiece for its avant-garde cinematography that blends smoothly with their music playlist, and even more when they are performed by three excellent actors. And don't say more for its way for storytelling: Love life is amazingly mysterious, yet so beautiful. Just like this film.
For me, "Happy Together" is one hell of LGBT cinema that is unlike any other.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
happy ending and yet i aint a happy-camper. first off will admit, i clicked cause of Yoo Teo, dude smokin hot and he for sure didn't disappoint - what with the visual eye-candy, let alone the sizzling scenes. but other then that, this was totally depressing as All the character's (the mains in particular) r damaged people, walking around with open wounds. so little wonder the vibe in this movie is pretty somber and sad.Seo Young is this weird off beat character that is in a world of her own, even though she may suffer from vertigo, that aint the only thing she suffers from. there were moments that she just zoned out and it seemed like she was having flash-backs (i.e PTSD) and considering her biological father abused her (not astonished). also seeing her mother in "action", little wonder she got into a destructive relationship with Jin Soo (who was basically using her). on her part it didn't just seem like she was "in love" it was like he was her world, he was the center of her universe and the sec she understood that she was nothing special to him, that kinda broke her.
the fact that she didn't have a safe-haven or a place to turn too, just more burden in the form of her mother. (who OMO what a piece of work. it was like the world owed her something and other then b😡tch and moan - calling just to guilt trip her daughter and of course leech off her - she offered nothing, until the last sec).
so little wonder her daughter was spiraling downwards, cause what good did she have in her life? even the delusion of love burst in her face - so what was left?
Jin Soo was an interesting character, when u see him u think typical boss that abuses his power and good-looks, to get everything in a skirt (that's to his taste) under him. and as Seo Young is a contract worker that's even more of a safe bet, cause he can get rid of her when she gets tiresome. but the more u see, u get he might be bi and then u understand that he didn't divorce his wife cause he bi, but cause he's gay. and i'm sure of this fact cause of the scene where Seo Young and Ye Dam witness him having an argument with another male - and the other guy calls him a coward. if he bi, that wouldn't happen - it's cause he can't commit and "come out". also after him noticing that Seo Young witnessed the whole scene, he started ghosting her. it was cause he was worried she knew and could confront him about the truth. think the only reason he was with Seo Young was to prove to himself that he "normal" and that's kinda sad -
the romance with Gwan Woo was almost nonexistent or one sided, until the last few secs. he had his own burden with his (not all there) father to support and dead sister (which took a sec to figure out that she was dead (let alone she was the chick who's channel he kept watching), that he was still grieving over - and maybe seeing Seo Young, he recognized another suffering soul. was that love? dependency? idk cause i feel this needed more or just to be cleaned up (plot wise) so it was clearer. like how did the sister die - cause of how he reacted to seeing Seo Young post assault by her boss - it was like he saw someone else in her stead - maybe his sister ?!?(who died while being raped?!?) cause with a cooler and logical mind, he should've radioed his boss to call the cops or security and then climbed back up. but he lost it - makes one wonder...
all in all i didn't get the slap or the impromptu bungee jump (like talk dick move - why give a person who is good to u a heart attack?! if that was me i would pull her up, just to punch her in the face), same with the kiss - like why?!? just for the visual - oh plz, (titanic that was not - more moronic) this wont be a rewatch
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot is rather mediocre - it’s the same old hunting story we have seen thousands of times. What makes the movie great is how it presents, the overall tone and great pacing. While you know where the plot goes early on, you might still be interested in how it will be shown.
Bea Alonzo acts as a driven counselor, who makes her mission to help students in any way she is capable of. The mix of fear and concern she presented in many scenes was done in a believable way. Overall, the acting of the whole cast ranged from good to great, and I had no major issues with it.
Sadly, the movie loses some points from the over the top jump scares that they drop left and right, whenever they are needed or not. The movie would be far more frightening without them. Rather than flashing scary faces on screen, holding the shot still with eerie background elements would elevate the suspense and anticipation, in the process giving a better payoff.
Overall, goodish horror. Nothing outstanding, but for sure enjoyable.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Can’t help, but have mixed feelings about it. I feel like some of the meaning behind the movie got lost, or it’s my lack of faith in real life that prevents me from seeing it. I truly loved the dive into human weaknesses and doubts, lack of assuredness, prejudice that comes from fear and to what length one is willing to go to protect what’s dear to him. Then there is the supernatural element that speaks about faith, and I just don’t buy any of it. The movie just reminded me why I don’t believe in the first place - highly doubt this was the goal.
I feel like the movie tries to present that Jong Goo’s closure could have been different if he made a different choice at the end, but would it? And why would he make a different choice, when the whole situation was basically set as a pure luck scenario. I ended the movie with the thought - humans are powerless in the presence of the supernatural, with no evidence of truth, one can only rely on luck, that they trusted the right side.
That said, I still believe the movie was great. As someone who is not the biggest fan of long films, this one was an enjoyable ride from the beginning till the end, and it did not drag at all.
The performance of the whole cast was stellar, especially Kim Hwan Hee, whose acting gave me chills more than once and Kunimura Jun who convinced me to both pity and fear him depending on the scene.
Overall, I would highly recommend it. The story is excellently paced, the hints and explanations of the events keep making you guess about everyone’s motives and the source of the true evil. The cinematography will awe you. It does not rely on cheap jump scares, rather building the atmosphere that allows you to explore human’s nature and the horror that might be hidden.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
not recommending
Had great expectations after reading a few good reviews and indeed it started off amazing with the high school first meet and relationship progression in the university. But after that it went downhill, the story went all over the place showing the typical cliche Kdrama plot of a breakup for a misunderstanding. And then the story went all over the place and I lost interest waiting for it to finish somehow.I don’t understand why it was titled ON YOUR WEDDING DAY, because nothing special happened. It was like you attended the wedding of your old friend, crush, or classmate after receiving the invitation. Maybe I was expecting some drama or a bit more emotional ride but alas that didn’t happen. Because of the insignificant title of the movie, I would never rewatch this movie.
Kim Young Kwang as a fun-loving and unambitious guy was super good. His actions and expressions were excellent.
Park Bo Young was fine but I didn’t like her much as she didn’t make an impact on me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Twists and Turns That Make Little Sense
In order for this movie to work you have to suspend all established theories of time, space, and reality. Because the plot's timeline is constantly changing, it is very hard to follow and to get a sense that our FL is making any progress in this salad of events. It feels like the viewer is constantly having the rug pulled out from under her. The only constant thing is the evil of the antagonist remaining one step ahead of our FL. You start to wonder if anything at all is actually happening or just in the mind of the FL. Perhaps that is what the director was trying to convey. In doing so, however, it leaves you with a sense of hopelessness and disappointment.The acting is wonderful with great performances by the cast. One thing is certain: it's very thought provoking but not sure I agree with how the production was executed. There were some obvious plot holes that didn't add up.
Was this review helpful to you?
I mean it's your basic urban legend ghost, which I'm not even mad at, I love those. But... man the alien look just threw it all off for me. It was like someone took the movie and put the instagram alien filter onto the "ghost".
Speaking of the ghost, what even was her story? I feel like all that was talked about were just guessing games that kinda borderlined on Kuchisake-onna's territory... minus the "do you think I'm pretty?" -- nah, this ghost just stares you down until your eyeballs explode for some reason. Kinda a mix of Kuchisake-onna and Bye Bye Man and Boogeyman (wasn't that the name of that series?), imo.
Stare had a lot of potential .... but fell short.... Way short... like the unathletic kid in gym (don't come for me, I was that kid. lol) but really though, even though this movie is fairly new, it kinda has old vibes which is interesting. But kinda hope a remake gets done and they do drastic changes on the ghost. Then, it would be at least a 8 star movie...
Only other issue is I wish they went into more detail about the origin of the story and the whole reason for it. And I mean the whole thing, not just kids playing guessing games on what it could or couldn't have been.
I just have way to many questions and annoyances with it that I can't really give it more than 5 stars.. and that's being nice about it. >__< Would I say trash and dodge the movie, nah. But don't expect a lot from it. It would be a good movie to play within a horror movie night marathon or something.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
C U R EC—URE
C—YOU'RE
SEE, YOU'RE
SEE, YOU ARE...
"Who are you? Tell me about yourself."
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure is first, a procedural crime thriller, but foremost, a philosophical and psychological rumination of the societal condition. It is more arthouse and atmospheric than the usual sort of procedural thriller in mainstream cinema. It does not serve a complete and absolute answer. Rather, it gives you questions and clues which lets you think and connect the puzzle, yourself.
In the film, we comprehend that the killer perceives the detective as someone who is not cured.
"The detective or the husband? Which is the real you? Neither one is the real you. There is no real you."
The detective is filled with frustration due to his societal responsibilities. This is his prison since his choices are bounded by societal expectations and not because it completely reflects his own authentic decisions. This prison is what created and worsened the disease in his humanity. He cannot be his real self. He is not cured.
"You’ll be born again, just like me."
Perhaps, the killer wants to free the people from society by letting them truly know and express their profound fears and desires. This is how he will cure them and just like that, they will all be reborn.
It might be true that knowledge is power and to completely know ourselves can be the utmost cure to the disease of humanity and society. Though, does letting our desires and fears own us creates the perfectly authentic self? Or are we just letting ourselves be a slave to them?
In the end, the detective has become the "cured", himself. He didn't repress his fears and desires anymore, but he has become mesmerized by them. Indeed, they have become himself, completely dictating his decisions which also led him to dictate others.
Ironically, the detective has become the society that imprisoned and frustrated him for so long; thinking about what solely makes sense to him and imposing it to others believing that it's the true and ultimate way to be freed and cured.
Just like the long-time, lingering question whether hypnosis is a true science or a pseudoscience: is it really a means to cure or control? Is the detective cured or controlled? Is he curing them or controlling them?
Was this review helpful to you?
