Reviews

The Standard for Crime Movies

I actually came for the cast; I haven't heard praises of this movie for it's plot. I definitely thought that all the cast was fit for their role. One thing that concerns me is the amount of characters. I think there were just some characters that didn't add any value but were just there because the actor/actress who played that character was famous. However, I think the plot was quite clear-cut and concise. At times, I wanted to skip ahead a few minutes, but overall the movie was great! As the tags were crime, thriller and political, I can't say I was disappointed. I think this movie is perfect and the standard for it's genre.

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Nothing special but sweet

There is nothing about this movie that makes it stand out amongst other BL series or movies. It is sweet, but not so sweet that you really want more.

Two young neighbors fall in love. There isn't really much tension except for a minor misunderstanding between them and one of them having issues with his parents planning his life for him. Both problems are quickly solved. It's at least ok to watch if you are in the mood for something light, but it also doesn't really have an interesting fictional world to draw you into if you are in an escapist mood.

Still, the movie is decently produced. There's nothing fanciful about the cinematography or editing, these aspects of the movie are fine enough to enable one to enjoy the simple story. Perhaps the dialogue could have been scripted to make things more interesting or moving though.

This is a movie that doesn't try too hard to be anything, and that's both its strength and weakness because we don't end up with something pretentious but we also don't end up with anything that makes you wish there were more shows like it. A few years ago when the market wasn't so full of BLs, a movie like that would have attracted more attention.

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Just another typical zombie virus movie

The usual typical zombie movie with a pinch of quarantine feels. I'm not really a fan of zombie dramas or films so it's really rare for me to get impressed in something related to it.

The storyline is linear and too plain if I may say. I don't see anything that would set this apart on other movies. This also doesn't give enough backstory as to why the virus was even there in the first place.

Yoo AhIn and Park ShinHye were able to portray what people would really look like if that were to happen in reality. Too bad their good acting wasn't justified by the plot itself.

I'm not saying that this is a bad movie. It's actually not just right my alley but if you're into zombie thing, this is a quite decent film to watch and unwind.

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The best thing I ever did is to love you..

Rewatch for the Fifth Time in the last 5 years. But this is the first time I watch it after make Letterboxd account, so I'm gonna review it.

It's still one of the greatest romance film I've ever watch, every aspect in this film is perfect that the remake can't even close this masterpiece.

The sense of nostalgia, friendship chemistry is shown very well that I feel connected as I feel related with the characters because I experience the same thing while I was still a high schooler.

What is certain is that Giddens Ko managed to adapt his book to the big screen very well. Also the actors and actress acted really well and also played a role in building this film. The soundtracks was so good like the Those Bygone Years, i cried like crazy when the songs played in the flashback scenes at the end.

Now, cause I've watch the remake, I'm gonna mention the things that makes this TW version great.
First, every aspects feel balanced, romance and the friendship cooked side by side, so when his friendship is released, the romance can be crushed well; not like the JP that pushing the friendship too much and when the romance takes over, it becomes lame.
Second, TW version feel more like a romcom so it can be enjoyed by everyone not like the JP that I think gonna work if it choose to take the artsy direction, it's calm and slow that when the comedy show up, it feels awkward cause it's not dark comedy.
Third, the acting from the cast of the TW more natural and not exaggerating, the JP version is otherwise.

That's all I think about this film. Masterpiece.

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Must watch movie for students

War of the Arrows (2011) is not simply a movie or an entertainment or a timepsss event, but essential knowledge for the survival of humanity. The movie tells the meanings of dedication, love, evils of war and goodness. All students must watch it in their understandable language.
I am unable to find any fault in War of the Arrows (2011); acting of the actors, the actress and the enemy are truly praiseworthy. It has very-very simple story, but direction is highly marvelous.
It is not a 'family' movie, but has great teachings for students.
Thanks for making this type of masterpiece!

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Quite a nice ghost flick that didn't quite know what it wanted to be.

The movie has two leading aspects to it, that just don't quite match. On one hand, it's a psychological drama about child abuse and the deteriorating relationship between father and daughter. On the other hand, it's a ghost investigation with comedy bits. Sadly none of these two themes are used to their full potential.

It would be better if they commited to either of these: focus mostly on the relationship and how it affects the family and then surround it with the stories of abandonment presented in the supernatural aspects or cut short the relationship between dad and his daughter and jump to the ghost investigation with Kyung Hoon faster to truly give that Scooby Doo fun and entertaining story.

The highlight of the movie was the acting and visuals. Heo Yool as Yi Na was a masterpiece of child acting. Especially liked the scene when she was watching a video of her mother.

The design for the supernatural elements was spot on and pleasing to the eye (is that weird to say about some evil beings?). The set design was quite well constructed. Visually speaking the movie was amazing, but that was also the reason I did not find it scary at all. The scene that should terrify or at least give me chills just made me think "wow, that's so pretty/cool".

Overall, I would recommend it as a fun, short movie for a Friday evening after work/school, when you ran out of all brain power and just want to be mildly entertained.

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Independently awesome movie but not as much as emotional like the first one

This is a much needed sequel of Along With The Gods. It didn't disappoint at all because it gave me goosebumps while the story unfolds. A lot of questions from the first movie has been answered.

The storyline is also independent from the first one. It's good to know what happened on the first movie to know how it's connected but if you want to watch this second movie only, the story still makes sense. The computer graphics are still outstanding and impressive as expected.

Ma DongSeok is a really great addition to this sequel. We also get discover the back story of the three guardians who's trying their best to reincarnate 49 souls. Their chemistry is really great even though the characters are completely different from one another.

For those who have watched the first one, this movie is really a good follow up to know more about the guardians. For those who haven't watched the first one, you can watch the first one to have greater understanding or you can also dive right away into this one. This is a real good family movie that's very touching and many life lessons to pick up.

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A captivating and moving movie about the modern history of the South Korean democracy movement. Difficult to comprehend that this movie is not fictional, and that most of sequenced events in this film happened in real life. I was initially told to watch this from my Korean history teacher in university, but I took interest in it myself. As an Eastern European, I have learned that the pro-democracy movements in the 1980s were based on sacrifice and the will of the people not only in Korea, but the rest of the world at specific decade as well. The actors have portrayed true emotions, and there were so many storylines of various characters intertwined with harmony. Even as someone not Korean, it was very easy to follow the storyline and to see what the good and evil were. Every minor detail, from set design to props, had mesmerised me. I did shed a few tears, but this was a great learning experience, and a very interesting movie to watch!

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Hope is a complicated thing.

“Why?”

Sometimes everything’s just too much to take and you wanna end it. But no, you don’t really. It’s just there’s a tiny tiny string to hold onto. Why do it today when you can still do it tomorrow? Maybe something might happen tonight.

Maybe.

After many tomorrows, you might find something..beautiful. Something that keeps you moving. Something that makes you love the taste of the air you breath. Something to look forward to. You hold onto the string tighter.

But, what if...

What if it’s dangerous? What if I lose it? It’s a new thing. A new feeling. Something too huge to fit into my chest. Something that can blow away everything I’ve built!

Being hopeless was uneasy, but it was comfortable. Knowing what to expect was comfortable. But now, I don’t know anymore.

RUN!
GO HOME!
IT’S DANGEROUS!

Or..is it?


“Castaway on a moon” to me was a beautiful portrayal of feelings we lock inside. Despair, hope, excitement, fear, wind, light and the sea. Loved it!

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Did I just watch a movie or a long trailer for a drama?

Oh boy, where do I even start? This movie was such a train wreck.

There were so many plot holes and lack of character development that I didn't feel invested in any of the characters at all. The whole time, I felt like I was just watching a very long trailer for an upcoming drama. There were too many flashes forward that left SO many questions in between (like why did Jun Xi's girlfriend decide to leave all of a sudden?? Like she just decided to GIVE UP on the guy that she's been with for years so he could be with his long lost sister??). There was just no explanation whatsoever for some of their actions and I found myself become more and more frustrated as the movie progressed tbh lol.

I feel like this could have been a beautiful movie if done right because I do think the story was great and I'm a huge fan of Xu Kai and Zhao Lusi. Even having these big names in the movie didn't do anything for how poorly it was executed and written. Maybe this could have been saved if it was a drama instead because at least they'll be able to explain so many unanswered questions and also give time for some character development.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the underlying incestuous relationship between the leads. Just HOW did Jun Xi and Eun Xi end up developing romantic feelings for each other when they were supposed to have grown up together as brother and sister is way beyond me. Granted, they are not blood related, and they were apart for many years, but it just doesn't seem plausible for them to develop romantic feelings. It's just so weird and seriously borderline incestuous.
The writers are essentially saying, oh look, we have two siblings here who grew up together as siblings, from the time they were born until 12 or 13 years old and were oblivious about being swapped as babies, BUT once they find out they're not blood-related, they develop romantic feelings for each other? Please tell me I'm not the only one so weirded out by this!

The only thing that made this movie remotely bearable was how attractive Xu Kai and Lusi were. And I'll also say everyone has great style in the movie, so costume was on point, so I gave an extra point.

I don't recommend this, unless you have some time to kill, the internet is down, and this is the only movie you have accessible to you. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

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It's flopped

I didn't enjoy this movie, but that's my opinion. There are some highly credible actors and actresses in this movie, so if you want to support the movie because of the cast's involvement, please watch it. This just left me disappointed in the writer. It could have at least have been cute. I'm not adding any spoilers. I don't I could spoil anything about this movie. I was more bothered by the writing. It feels like this was made in thirty-days on a small budget at the beginning of the year. I get the vibes that they were trying to put out this movie as quickly as possible and stay under the budget.

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This film never fails to make me cry and laugh. It's soooo amazing

Wholesome film that will make you cry in the first 10 minutes you're watching it. It's unreal but it feels very realistic. I can't tell enough reasons to say that this movie is perfect. It's just a full package.

At the time of writing this review, it has been my second time watching it and I'm really impressed that it amazed me as much as I am amazed the first time I watched it. The plot is just so creative added with the impressive computer graphics. There's nothing better than this really.

The casts really played their characters really well. Cha TaeHyun has been a good actor ever since and then matched up with the cute and fierce grim reapers/afterlife lawyers. I can't think of anything better.

So what I'm really saying is please do watch this. I'm sure you'll love it too. If you want to cry and laugh like crazy, this is the best movie to binge-watch.

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What an epic unexpected action comedy film that makes it to my best movies of all times

I'm not sure if it's the same for whoever is reading this but this movie is just right up my alley. Not that I hate action but I find it boring with just that so combining it with a subtle comedy is exactly my taste.

I've seen this movie in a poster on the drama, "Class of Lies" and then bumped into it into several advertisements and made me curious what this movie is about. I had no expectations at all on what's coming but it made me laugh so hard. The plot itself is absurd but watching it happening is really funny. They're like a group of crazy people like me.

The casts really portrayed their role well. It doesn't feel awkward at all and I cannot imagine any characters to be replaced by someone else. The action scenes are good, not too over the top and just enough.

I don't know why but although the plot is absurd, I really loved it because everything feels natural and everything just fell into its proper places without feeling off. This is really one of the best movies I can recommend and you can also watch with family.

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While this movie is quite shorter than I would have hoped for, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is lacking in any way whatsoever!

I have to say that the cast was really chosen and possibly my (personal) favorite part of the movie itself. Each actor and/or actress, including Pero, seemed to fall into their role as naturally as if it was their daily lives. I really liked watching Nagase Ren as Karasuma Kaei, he really left an imprint on me that I will be sure to follow up with his other shows and/or movies. The rest of the cast were people I already knew but I was really glad to see a different side to them, even if only for a short time.

The movie itself, story-wise, was also fantastic! The drama was there as well as the comedy and camaraderie. It was a different story, I personally felt, then the manga; granted I 50% watched this story for the cast and 50% watched it because I really liked the manga! (lol) Some parts of the film seemed a little rushed; like they wanted to create a longer version of the script adapted from the manga story but then somehow got cut off and we (the viewers) were left with what was aired. Although, that doesn't mean this story is disappointing in any way! I really liked the way that the movie seemed to take on another life as if it were something brand new yet still connected to the original manga. The story remained the same, with some changes and add ons as well as cuts, but it also remained true to its original; as if it was just a side story or something to remind the viewers that the story and it's characters were still growing and there will be more to come!

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A Must Watch Kim Ki-duk Masterpiece

I don't often refer to a film as "haunting," because I think it's an overused term. To me, a haunting film is one that relentlessly stays with the viewer for hours, or even days, after a viewing. Its memory refuses to diminish and it demands rumination. A good movie isn't always haunting, and a haunting one isn't always good, but there often is a correlation.

Such is the case with 3-Iron, from acclaimed director Kim Ki-duk (who sadly recently passed away). This enigmatic and in some ways maddening motion picture has the power to haunt every viewer it reaches. This film is very much in line with the director’s previous films, being a complex exploration of human relationships and communication, as well as the violence so often inherent in these aspects of our existence.

One of the most striking aspects of “3-Iron” is the way Kim generates tension between the calm, ambient existence of the two protagonists (Tae-suk (Jae Hee) and Sun-hwa (Lee Seung-yeon)) and the violent noise of the outside world. This tension is laid bare by the fact that neither of the protagonists utters a word until the final scenes of the film. By eliminating dialogue, Kim forces his characters to interact on a non-verbal level, and it intensifies the manifestations of their emotions. The whole film is filled with small gestures, and a gentle form of communication which is innovative and at times simply delightful. Both actors give outstanding performances, and the range of emotions they convey with mere looks and actions is quite incredible.

This silence, combined with the gentle soundtrack and Kim’s dreamy, gorgeous visuals, gives the parts of the film which focus on the strange couple a haunting and beautiful air which is joyful in its innocence, yet sad because the viewers are all too aware that their self-imposed isolation will not endure. Kim constantly reminds viewers of this by shooting the outside world in harsh colors and shadowy darkness, portraying a world filled with selfish, vicious characters.

In the end, Kim offers some form of hope, though typically, this is left very much up to the viewer to interpret and to draw meaning from, as the film’s final act takes a decidedly surrealist turn, with events that may or may not be real, and a climax which is incredibly moving, whilst leaving much to the imagination.

This, for many viewers, will be the main problem with the director’s films, as his decision not to impose any kind of real moral judgment on his characters, or to offer any concrete answers to the questions raised, can be frustrating. However, for those who enjoy films which stimulate and probe, Ki-duk Kim’s works can almost be seen as philosophical tracts which beg for deeper meditation in a way which is hugely rewarding in an age where most films simply spoon feed viewers their plots and secrets.

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