Reviews

Beauty and the beast

Alone and helpless, Ali spends her days by the sea accompanied by Hai Daiyu (Han Dong), a fish that can transform into a man. As time passes, the two fall in love. However, Ali imprisons Yan after she becomes pregnant while Hai Daiyu's whereabouts remain unknown. Soon enough, Ali discovers that the conspiracy behind the marriage to the sea god.

I found this movie to be very similar to beauty and the beast the English version, although enjoyable and funny with the whole plot of deceiving and falling in love to protective and fighting your way through the mess.

It was a good watch when you in that switch off kinda mood.

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Just... WTF people??? [SPOILER]

This movie is sooooooo messed up!
First of all, what's the point of becoming "beautiful" on the outside if you become so ugly on the inside and treat your best and only friend and your father in an old age like that!??
Not even talking abt decieving everyone including the guy she loves and then acting like she is the victim...
And let's be honest. The only reason why she admited everything is bc she was losing everything:friends,family,love,career+scandal. If everything was going well, this probably would have went on for years...

Second, just WTF! Nice message for all the people who are overweight.👏🏼👏🏼Society already make them believe that they're ugly and this movie just had to add another *thick* layer.

The only things I liked were that it's from 2006 and about the music industry so you could actually see the influence of Black music. And that the actors are good.

I seriously wasn't expecting smth like that. And it's a real disappointment. Especially bc a lot of my friend told me abt it saying it's a famous movie that had adaptations in many countries and that they highly recommend it.....

Basically the message of this movie is: "If you're fat and ugly, go do surgery. Your life will become beautiful."
No wonder the plastic surgery industry is doing so well in Korea with people who grow up with this movie...

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Excellent Movie with unexpected ending

Second life a terrifying movie with a psychological element.

Story
Sun hee has parents who doesn’t give her attention, she crave for it. At school she doesn’t have friends but she creates and opportunity to make friends by buying them concert tickets. Later she buys them snacks and to gain more attention she ends up telling lies that she got a boyfriend. Her friends immediately figure out and that she might be telling lie which she overhears. She then frames her friend as Jung Mi as a ring thief to get revenge. The teacher search everyone and as for Jung Mi she has a secret which gets reveled. Jung Mi takes her life infront of Sun Hee. Sun hee runs away to country side and starts a new life in an orphanage as Kim Seul Ki. But her past secret is short lived as the saying goes “there no secret hidden forever”

Plot View
The story is solid and brutal not say as its based on a teenager. Its not their fault for being shy, its that they didn’t get parental education and lack confidence. People would say that many are born orphans but they are not like Sun Hee, yes not everyone is like her but some can be its like a psychological disease.
The ending is shocking and inconclusive. But TBH its beyond my expectations, I kept on doing my probability that this could happen or that could happen but what happens is shocking.
No matter how many new life Sun Hee begins and how many names she purloin, she will always be Su Hee and its futile. The first step would be to accept yourself for who you are but it's something a very few people achieve.

Acting
The acting was superb by all the teenage girls. It was like am seeing juniors from my own school. I loved the portrayal of character and the expressions of every actor was beautiful.

music
I was so invested in the story that I actually didnt get it. BGM were good.

Rewatch
Its a heavy movie for me. I love light hearted ones as rewatch.

Appreciation
The scenes were cinematic and beautiful.
As its short with just 1hour time its a great watch.
There no extra scenes or chitter chatter every scene makes the story moving forward.

Fav line
I can see myself even if I take another person with the camera - Lee Bang Wul

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Too short but it’s okay

I don't know what to say but The story was too short there was hardly any music it looks like it was made for teenagers because it was kind of senseless at times.
Acting was good but there could be more romance and more fantasy elements.
Graphics were great for a 2009 movie
I wouldn't really rewatch it because it doesn't make sense.
Basically you can understand the movie and relate things if you have seen the first part and it is more like a prequel than a sequel.
It's a good one time watch tho
I loved kuniichi. He could have more scenes.
The main couple too could've had more moments together.
All that build up from the start didn't lead to anything.

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Bland, but would recommend anyways

While I'm sure there are many good ones that exist, when I think of Wild Wild West, Cowboys fighting Indian movies I often think of flashy but nondescript storylines. A fun watch while you're watching it, but then when you reflect you realize nothing has really happened. Maybe a tumbleweed, maybe a saloon scene...but that's about as memorable as it is. If that stereotype had an Eastern counterpart, I'd relate it to watching this. Costumes and production was well, and the acting roster is commendable as well. But the storyline was definitely a B or C tier choice. I watched it particularly to experience Sato and Aoki's acting, but was overall not particularly drawn to any character. Nor did I feel like I watched any emotional tugging character development. Immemorable (if that were a word). But with all that negativity in mind, I wouldn't not recommend this. In fact, I'd say that given how bland it is -- if you want to have a fair enjoyable experience, but no major heartfeels (or just want something easy but still fairly exciting to watch), then you should watch it. It's still shot well. If we're not doing comparisons to other movies out there, this is a box standard--no major bad qualms movie.

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FOR BTS FANS & STANS

I really liked the narration and the narrator's voice but the docuseries of the same name is much better and has more behind the scenes information. There were a few new things in this movie, like the performance on Jimmy Kimmel for the first time and the American Music Awards performance.

I guess I was expecting something else. I was hoping for an actual concert film so I could watch them perform their songs in concert as if I was at the concert. I still look forward to watching all the other concert films they have done and watching all things BTS that I can find.

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very strange movie!

Honestly, this was a very strange movie - it is extremely hardcore and tackles some very sensitive material - very stockholm syndrome-y. However, the relationship displayed and how it develops was portrayed very well as well as showing the effect of losing people and how meaningful life is.

The actors were also very good - to make a movie this explicit their acting was phenomenal - i know i couldn't do this.

However, this movie is very much rated R, so if you're not of legal age DO NOT WATCH - usually i would ignore ratings (not that i need to anymore lol i'm old :(( ) but this is one movie where i believe you really need to listen to it. -

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Prepare for an emotional adventure

I cried non-stop like a baby for the last half an hour of the film. I wasn't prepared for this. No wonder that the grandma actress got an oscar this year as her performance is simply amazing. I started watching this movie, thinking it will be a lightweight feel-good film, but it's really the opposite. It's sad, sometimes confusing, and hard to watch, though it fills you with love.
At first, I thought I wasn't attached to the whole story and the scenery as the film doesn't try too hard to make you overly nostalgic, but towards the end, I realized I was wrong. I also find it refreshing that the idol doesn't take up the leading or very important role, he stays in the background. If you want to bawl your eyes out, this film is for you.

Good luck watching it;)

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Come Drink with Me is considered a wuxia classic and it did not disappoint. This is the movie that set the bar for future martial arts movies that often was not met during this era.

The characters were well rounded and even the supporting cast had weight and depth to them. The main leads had proper character development, unlike many cardboard cut-out characters from other martial arts movies.

Cheng Pei Pei was only 19-years-old and already she showed she could carry a movie. Though she lacked in fighting experience her grace and steely gaze made her character someone to be reckoned with when she drew her blades. A truly strong female lead who faced danger head on and dispatched her enemies on her terms. Yueh Hua was convincing as the Drunken Cat and leader of the beggar children who always showed up when needed and fought without fighting for the most part.

If I had one complaint, it was the number of musical scenes. I had to keep in mind that the songs were a subterfuge and means of passing along messages which would have made more sense to me the first time it happened if the copy I watched had subtitles for the songs.

The fight scenes were crude compared to later movie sword-fights but this was cutting edge at the time. Pei Pei's fight scenes were often stylized and dance-like, maybe not realistic but beautiful. Camera angles enhancing the actors' movements as well as attachment for the characters' well-being kept the fights interesting and also moved the story along. The story was well-written and was surprisingly well-layered.

The cinematography, sets, and costumes were definitely a notch above many of the wuxia movies from the time and even those that followed.

Come Drink with Me is an entertaining and well made movie, a worthy grandmother to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other movies which benefited from it's storytelling.

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A very entertaining action comedy!

The first installment of the "Detective Chinatown" trilogy is a tremendously enjoyable action comedy with loads of action scenes and just as many hilarious moments. The mystery part itself is also pretty darn good, with enough twists and turns to keep your attention and interest throughout the whole movie. The cast does a good job (my only "complaint" is that Tong Li Ya's role is so damn small, *sighs*...) and the production value is top-notch, with direction, photography, editing and OST all together contributing highly to make this a very entertaining movie. Can't wait to watch the sequels! ^___^

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Finish it for the actors, not for the storyline. 10/10, but also 0/10

It feels so weird to rate this movie. On one hand, the actors really carried this movie. Their individual practice really paid off, and I feel no sign of the actors themselves--only the characters they're embodying. On the other, it feels like a letdown for the trilogy itself. Had it been a solo action I think I could rate it a solid 8, but I can't place why--maybe how it feels like a filler episode---I almost want to give it a 0.
Maybe it's because the camera shots seemed a bit less "real" (You can see where swords hit air, but hear a thud). Maybe it's the pacing. There's no real--heartdrop moment. In fact the entire time everyone kept getting up, I actually felt pressured for them to either hurry up and die (like realistically), or just fast forward.
I feel like I am exactly where I left off on the second movie. I'm grateful for such cool choreo scenes, but overall I don't really sense being closer to the characters. Aoshi throws a tantrum, not once but twice to prove a point that he's no longer the same person (maybe I'd like to see his before nature more)...the whole ninja romance is unaddressed....and all that fighting for such a PG(? Shounen?) ending. I don't know man. Maybe it's just the way the story was written, but even the relationship with Kenshin and Kaoru seems so........disappointing. If it weren't for Megumi's tonics, or Kaoru being nervous that Kenshin was mad at her, I would have forgotten this was a romance.
That said, peace is restored.
I know it's fairly faithful to the adaption, but it would have been interesting to see more action scenes with the girls. Or, conflict between the Kenshin and Kaoru.

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Touching story

I’m a sucker for any film that’s going to make me cry and I knew as soon as I read the description for A Melody to Remember (오빠 생각), also know as Thinking of Elder Brother (the literal translation of the Korean title), I knew I was going to cry buckets. And the film didn’t disappoint.

In fact, it was much better than I was expecting due to how real the characters seemed, how easy it was to connect to them and the story, and the complexities shown. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

**Warning: There may be spoiler so read at your own risk if you haven’t seen the film.**

My Thoughts
The film starts out depicting not just the stark horror of war but the terribleness of a country fighting itself and neighbours fighting neighbours. I think the realities of war are hard to truly grasp for those of us who have never served or seen war outside of history books but the starkness, the death and the emotional devastation in the film seemed realistic to me. If you caught one of the trailers of the film that just shows the cute kids singing, the film, especially the first 15 minutes or so, will be a bit of a shock as it is a war film – just one that also tells the story of hope and redemption.

And that’s what sets the film apart from other war films I’ve seen is the contrast of the sweetness and lost innocence of the orphans with the horrors of war. The hope and the desire to rebuild oneself that the children engender in those around them creates a bond. The fact that caring for someone other than themselves helps many of the characters, primarily two of the main ones – Lieutenant Han and Dong Gu – to rise above the misery and seek something more. Plus, many of the kids are just cute. Scenes like the little girl who attaches herself to the Lieutenant because her deceased father was also one are at once sweet and poignant, as are when the orphans do a group hug to the Lieutenant after one of his nightmares.

You might have noticed that I’m talking more about the characters than the story, and that’s because it’s the characters that truly brought the film alive for me. Some of the characters simply made you smile but it was the complexity of the Lieutenant’s character that made the film for me, despite how very much I didn’t want Dong Gu to die. In fact, it was the Lieutenant, played by Siwan (시완) and Dong Gu, played by Jung Joon Won (정준원), whose depth of character and caring of others that often made tears run freely.

Even the villain in film, Galgori or Hook as he was also know, played by Lee Hee Joon (이희준) was multi-dimensional and while he had no problems stealing or putting young children to work for him, there were lines he wouldn’t cross. He was bad but the rich kid was truly evil.

All in all, it was a bittersweet film that had many of the elements I enjoy in cinema – characters one can connect with, scenes that make one laugh and scenes that make one cry, as well as some complexity in the story.

Final Thoughts
Bring tissues. Seriously! There is no way you’ll make it through the film without crying and if you’re someone like me that tears up easily, you’ll sob buckets. Other than the tears, it’s a good film based on a true story with characters you can connect with. And no, you don’t need any knowledge about Korea or Korean culture to enjoy the film, other than the fact that there was a Korean War (which was a civil war).

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A great film to watch but not for everyone.

Why I say it's not for everyone because, spoilers alert, it's not end with our hero walking out of sun down or together with the woman he loves. No, so beware.

The mood of the film is different from the mainstreams of film you would see. The color and lighting are somehow very different though it served the mood of the story really well. And if you have a second thought at the first few minutes because of the CGI, I hope you would be patient and watch it till the end. There is a huge different between trying to go realism but turn out fake and trying to go for something exotic and different from the beginning. You have plan for it.

I came personally for Yosuke Eguchi. His acting was spot on here as well as on Rouroni Kenshin. He really captured the emotion and embodied the character really well. The other casts played out their characters flawlessly too. You wouldn't have to feel out of mood because of a single character seems fake or out of character. The development of each one was really good given the short time whereas i have seen many movies failed to do it.

The plot was really good. It's based of a folktale and then invent some. The theme about war, personal love, achievements, power really came natural into the heart of the movie where every characters all pursue their different goals and met at the same era. Each details have it's own meaning and was an important chain in the plot that later will be shown.

This movie is a 10 for me because it makes me think about a lot of things. It makes me took some time to get back to reality that I'm no longer at their time anymore. Yes, it's that immersive. And to me, those are the qualities I look for in a movie.

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