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Dis is a tale of a young man who knows when people are going to die
If u had the ability 2 see people’s fate, 2 know wen they were about 2 die, would you tell them? Even if it jeopardised ur own life? Dis is the quandary at @ de heart of Fortuna’s Eye, Takahiro Miki’s misty-eyed adaptation of Naoki Hyakuta’s bestselling novel. Kasumi Arimura, Ryunosuke Kamiki play star-crossed lovers in this fantasy romance weepie...As the plot unfolds, it turns out as predictable as it is tedious... But I guess I'm at that point where I saw so many tearjerkers that any mediocre attempt to move me won't budge me at all.
MOVIE - https://watchasian.in/fortunas-eye-episode-1.html
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The cast did a great job at playing the characters, especially the main female lead and also the husband.
I don't remember much about the OST but the background music did an amazing job during the intense and thriller scenes.
I scored the rewatch value so low for two reasons. 1) I rarely rewatch stuff. 2) Once you know the big twist, the movie wouldn't hit that hard on you. However you can still rewatch it and enjoy finding out all the smaller details and hidden meanings in it.
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"Weeklong romance"
The casts did well. If you are looking for romance, this isn't the film for you. The movie explores some ordinary scenario of Filipinos living abroad. They leave home, misses it, had a glimpse of the old home (through the people they meet), succumbs to temptation, but in the end, faces reality. For me, Majhoy did not really feel the 'romantic emotion', but more on the feeling of missing her old home, the Philippines. She met Nico, reminisced the Filipino tradition, the Filipino hospitality, the Filipino bond. Nico had mistaken the giddiness of Majhoy everytime they are together as love. However, the reality is that: Since the start, Majhoy had chosen her future, her life, and that is in Faroe.Overall, the movie depicts the truest, most realistic scenarios in such circumstances.
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A roller coaster of emotions filled with real-world LGBT experiences that are not preachy.
Definitely rewatchable movie you can add to your list.It adds to the experience if you have watched the Gameboys Series on Netflix and YouTube.
The actors deliver their lines flawlessly and the emotions are raw. They embody the character and they have chemistry. The storyline is never boarding, and each scene is packed. No fast forward here.
The LGBT issue here is real, and it happened to me. The feelings of Gav was something very relatable and that's why I hail the writer and director that they were able to accurately portray these real life characters so vividly.
The comic relief is on cue and never a dull moment.
Cinematography is sublime - It has an international film festival feel that is not budgeted.
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This review may contain spoilers
I wonder if my interpretations are right
I think this is the continuation of Bittersweet Chocolate. In Bittersweet Chocolate, James was given drugs by Playboy since he was still so young. Maybe he was still in kindergarten or first grade in elementary school when Playboy started giving him drugs. The actor looked so young. James grew up as a drug user (and maybe a drug dealer), but he managed to hide it from her mom. We can see the absence of his mom in this movie. She was rarely at home and didn't talk to him that much. He was preparing for college if I recall it right. But at some point, it looked like he ran out of money. He used the drugs he wasn't supposed to use without paying (I mean. he stole it). Playboy became mad and started hitting him (that's the ending of Bittersweet Chocolate). The director wanted to tell us the importance of family time and proper communication, I think. That way, such things can be seen as soon as possible.And then Playboy and The Gang of Cherry. In this movie, we can see that James has become a part of the gang completely. He doesn't stay with his mom anymore. In this movie, a lot of time was used to portray the problems caused by James. He stole the drugs, Playboy somehow hides that fact and made Cherry mad. It looks like Playboy cares about the chained boy, so in order to annoy Playboy, Cherry keeps on torturing him. And then in the middle, we see Max and Playboy talk, which was played by the same person (Fuhrer Steven). I don't remember that much about this part, but I think Max (I think he is Playboy's alter ego or whatever, I don't know much about psychological terms) asked why Playboy stay in that place. Playboy started wondering about it. In the end, he decided to go and also take the chained boy with him. At the same time, James became irritated by his new environment and Cherry so he killed Cherry and go. This isn't your usual happy ending but it is... I guess. I think the director wants to tell us that villains (or at least some of them) aren't 100% evil. Sometimes they still show their "good" side. And that they can change. Just maybe. I'm not a native speaker, so I'm not sure my words are understandable but I tried at least.
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The movie opened with a spider spinning her web. Political intrigue and battle strategy were woven throughout, complex and yet fragile. This three hour movie was divided into three segments. The first focused on Ku Shen Chai, an underachieving scholar and painter and his relationship with his mother. She harangued him for his lack of ambition and single status almost constantly. Strangers began wandering into town, including Hsu Feng's Yang Hui Ching bringing with them danger and subterfuge. The second segment turned into a battle between a large troop of government troops against a small band of rebels. Ku's knowledge and battle trickery came into play as his character evolved. The third segment moved into the spiritual realm as the monks sought to have both the good guys and bad guys move beyond the temporary conflict to peace.
ATZ was unusual for a martial arts movie, the fights didn't begin until after the first hour. The movie wasn't structured around the fights, the fights were used to enhance the story being told. The cinematography, sets, scenery, and costumes were extraordinary for a 1971 Taiwan martial arts movie. Hsu Feng had helped fund the restoration of this film and for that we should all be grateful. Clear, vibrant, lush, it was a treat for the eyes. King Hu's camera direction caused the viewer to ever look upward as the film progressed, symbolic for the message being woven throughout. His fight set among the bamboo inspired later films such as House of Flying Daggers.
Hsu Feng's character was a woman who spoke few words, preferring to let her blades do the talking. Wanted by the current corrupt regime, she was aided by two disgraced generals. They had hoped to find peace far away from the palace only to have trouble and death follow them. Hsu gave a quiet, yet memorable performance. Pai Ying 's General Shih also moved through the world with little to say. Only Ku and his mother chattering about gave the film a verbal foundation to stand upon. I enjoyed all the performances with the possible exception of Shih Chun's Ku. He seemed out of place with the other actors but perhaps that was the point. His character certainly evolved the most and showed that even someone without kung fu skills could still be beneficial in times of need. Lastly, Roy Chiao's performance as a Buddhist monk still connected enough to worldly events to aid those fleeing evil and spiritual enough to care about the evil doers was quite good.
Though clocking in at three hours long, A Touch of Zen kept my attention throughout. I could easily recommend this beautifully shot movie to martial arts movie enthusiasts and those who can look past a few dated performances and special effects to see the hidden gem lying beneath.
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The points I would like to give for the whole movie
1. Story- 7.0
2. Acting- 10.0
3. Music- 10.0
4. Overall- 7.5
Thank You.
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Good job, Shin Hye Sun
Shin Hae Sun is one of my many favorite Korean actress indeed this movie is another proof of her versatility in acting.The storyline itself was impressive. I was awed with how the mother lived her life with an abusive partner. Her memory may have been lost but the love for her children was never gone. And Ahn Jung In, the daughter, may have grudges but her love for her mother and brother still prevailed.
This movie does not only show fighting for justice but also teaches to look deeper, dig for the truth, think out of the box and not just look into what the naked eyes can see. It teaches us to have a fair judgement.
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A fairy tale gone wrong
The story has all the seeds of an interesting and intriguing story - a jaded Fukuura Koharu who just went through a rough set of unfortunate events met a handsome doctor and widower, Izumisawa Daigo and saved him from imminent danger. This one act of kindness set off a chain of fairy tale-like sequences in return, luring her in to become part of Daigo's family. He's handsome, generous, and rich, with a pretty daughter who needs a mother's love. What could possibly go wrong?Well, anything. What happens in the movie is a deliciously dark spiral down to madness, where everything comes crashing down in the end. Sometimes, you just need a story where everything goes wrong (or right, for them?) in the end, and if you're looking for one, then this is it. However, the development and pacing did not fully realize the movie's potential.
For one, Koharu's sudden decision around the 1hr. 30-min mark of the film came too suddenly that I need to pause for a while and rewind. Like what someone else on the comments and review section said, this would've worked better as a 3-episode drama because there's so much to unpack - there's a lot of symbolism and parallels that could've been more properly explored. As it is, it felt like they wanted to do too many things in the movie, and ended up rushing certain things (like the ending. that didn't make sense considering that the couple wreaked havoc on the school some few days before - no way should the authorities let them back in like that).
The OST is a gem, though, I've listened to it countless times since they released it on Spotify on February of this year, and to hear it in the movie made the dark spin on fairy tales all the more prominent. The film was also very aesthetic, it was very pleasing to the eye with a lot of scenic shots. The color grading was done tastefully - the colors either pop up or blend with shadows, depending on how the movie's progression.
Tsuchiya Tao doesn't disappoint - she truly does shine in dark roles. As much as I liked seeing her portray happiness and joy, it is in the movie's 2nd half did she truly shine. She lets herself loose, depicting Koharu's frustration, exhaustion, irritation, anger, and devastation with ease, you can clearly see the emotions on her face and with that, I must say that her work in Aishu Cinderella is one of her best, so far. Coco as Hikari did a great job of annoying me lol, but she still had a lot of room to grow for the scenes that shows Hikari's depth. Tanaka Kei as Daigo's also fun to watch, and like with Tao, I like seeing him best when he's getting unhinged (that dinner scene in the latter part of the movie's a delight to watch!).
All in all, Aishu Cinderella could've been so much more, it had a lot of potential but this wasn't fully realized due mainly to its pacing and development. However, one of the things it did right is show everyone the responsibility and role of parents as the primary teachers of their children. What you teach to your kids and how you deal with them will ultimately affect the kind of person that they will become in the future. And like what Koharu said, truly, how do you become a good mother?
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I watched this movie and it was a meh for me. I guess it was probably because this was similar to Queen Of Mystery 1 & 2 but the roles were reversed. The main character played the cop in that series but in this movie he played the er-uh-house husband.That series worked because of the pace. This movie....I don't know. It felt like it should've been done up into a series but they just tried to jam everything in one movie. The plot was even weak.
There were things that irritated me like the nagging wife and the husband's demeanor. They made it seem like solving a crime that the husband had no business trying to solve while neglecting his husband duties was more important than anything else.
I was surprised by how his wife was in the end though. It made me want to find if she was in any other action dramas.
Again as I said, this movie was too much for two hours. I guess that's what I have problems with when watching Korean movies. I'm so use to the dramas being evenly paced out which works but in this movie...it didn't work.
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a underrated good movie
First I watched the Boys Love movie from 2006 and now this one. The movies are not connected.Story: the story was very good. The script is better than the previous movie. There was scenes very intense and the actors played wonderful.
The story is more complex than is presented in the description above . Form my point of view, all the supporting actors were, somehow, main actors, because in their acting moments what they did was very important for the story.
I consider the ending sad but a good one. The ending quote was very important: "To love, to be loved, that's all. That is the rule. That is why we exist. A person who find comfort in love is afraid of nothing ".
They had the quotes like they did in Boys Love and I liked very much.
"When you go to bed, the person who is looking forward to tomorrow is a happy person" - is one example!
Acting/Cast: I was glad to see Kotani Yoshikazu again. He is really beautiful and he played wonderful. All the actors were very young at that time, without experience, but they did a good job. There were moments when I consider their acting wonderful and they portrayed their characters very well. I felt the chemistry between the characters (good or bad chemistry) and this was great and it was something that was missing in the first movie. Overall, there was a big progress and I like this movie more.
Music: The volume was sometimes horrible loud ! There was moments when I had to reduce the volume till that point I couldn't hear the actors speaking. Instrumental music, classic music - not bad, but to loud.
Rewatch: Maybe sometime in the future... the movie was a drama and the sorrow moments were too many for my taste. But it was a good movie and If you can detached yourself form the characters, from the story and manage to think that is only a movie, watch it.
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This is the first time I am writing a review, but I feel like I need to talk about this movie. I loved the setting and the cinematography, yet the whole historical aspect wasn't that important. What I liked most about this Drama was Sul Hee and the emotions she portrayed. What made this movie good was, in my opinion, the intense (yet unreasonable (will talk about this later)) family conflict. We see Deok Gi and Sul Rang have this intense relationship full of hatred, love and the past. Their romance was tragic and everything about it seemed doomed. These two individuals have really gone crazy throughout the movie and the one suffering because of it was Sul Hee. Deok Gi and Sul Rang used Sul Hee the whole time as a toy in their revenge game.
Sul Hee was such a sad character, stuck in between the conflict of her parents and forced to mature and grow up within such a short time. Her parents drew her into their fight and revenge plan, leading to Sul Hees life being turned upside down. And the saddest part was, that there was nothing she could do about it since her parents just decided what her life and choices will be like.
Now onto the illogical part. Why were Deok Gi and Sul Rang doing all this stuff? So many choices remained with no explanation and even after everything was over the question remains. What was the point of starting this game? And was it worth it? The ending was great, but it still left a bitter taste. Was all that really necessary? I really wondered if, at the very end, Geok Gi and Sul Rang ever regretted what they did to that poor child.
So, I liked it very much. To me, it was an emotional, sad and beautiful movie, although somewhat illogical.
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it could have been better if the script was written differently....
Story: the story is a good one.The way the script is written is another story: bottom line, when the plot really started, the movie ended! I don't know why in every Japanese movie I've watched was a big drama, there was damaged people, and the moments of happiness seemed unreal! For me, the movie seemed like a line of events, somehow separated form each other, they were lost in details that could have been compressed easily in less then half of hour. There was no time to get into detail of the main story, the love between them.
The thing that I liked were the quotes. Were so many and they completed and explained the story line.
For example: "Wherever is one of us, the other is present" or " The moment one begins to love another is when life really starts. "
The very last quote said it all and explained the ending: "If somebody asks why I loved he way I did I'll answer hat both of us were authentic. That is my only answer" (Montaigne).
It could have been a great movie, but the one who wrote the script didn't do a good job.
Acting/Cast: Both main actors were really beautiful! It was a pleasure to watch them. Taking into account that they were 24 and 25 years' old, their acting was ok, not very impresive, as it should be at the beginning of the acting career. Only one or two scenes impressed me; I felt their chemistry, their emotions. It is true that a good actor can play everything. But also is true that always the script is the one which offers to the actors the opportunity to show their value. This wasn't the case here.
Music: To be honest, I don't know what to say about music. There was moments when I liked it, but there was nothing to impress me.
Rewatch: I will never rewatch it. The ending took me by surprise and made me cry even if I understand their idea. It could have been different ending, not necessarily a happy one, but just different.
I need to watch a comedy now......fast!
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Pleasant and Captivating
I can understand this isn't for everyone but I was incredibly intrigued by this film.This was a one-scene film of a 30 minute conversation between two friends, August and Kit, and in those 30 minutes we were given so much. Goofy and playfulness, frustration and doubt, romance and flirtation. The chemistry and conversation felt natural- almost as if I was right there in the cafe with the two. It was slow but they had my full attention the entire time.
The set was positively adorable- I felt like it was created for a bubbly Kpop MV but it works nicely. The camera work also caught my eye- slowly going "in" and "out" (likely a reference to what Kit talks about at the beginning of the film) was a nice touch!
Give Love Advisor a try! It's quick and easy, and who knows... maybe you'll even be surprised by the ending.
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Doesn't try to do too much
This is a 30 minute film that focuses on a single conversation between two boys. Because that's all there is, the writing and acting have to carry it. I thought they did a great job!They somehow manage to get backstory in there without an infodump (I hate those), the conversation never gets slow, and it's always going somewhere. By the end you feel like you understand where they came from to get to this place.
Then at the end there's a surprise, which I won't spoil, but which seems to signal a sequel?
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