Reviews

Can you have a mid-life crisis in your 20s?

There are very TINY spoilers. Some that will make you laugh.
I couldn't believe what I was watching. There are expectations when watching a High & Low film.
1. Fighting.
2. A lot of detail to the inner friendships inside the gangs.
3. The relationships and friendships between the gangs.
4. They affect and are affected by society.
5. The extreme distinctive detail to what makes them different.
***
What was the ONLY thing they SORT of kept in the film? No. 5. What was the rest of it?
Mid to Late 20-year-old men going through a mid-life crisis is what I saw in the movie. Yeah, it was boring. It felt pretty forced and it had nothing to do w/ anything that could be called High & Low. I could barely recognize the guys based on their "original" character that's how OTT they were. You didn't hear them when they came on screen for the literally 5 sec screen time they had. When they brought in the other "gangs" [in quotes] b/c they were walk-on lackeys -they were just fodder. They didn't even show up w/ their respective soundtracks like they usually do.

This segues into another problem w/ the soundtrack. The new gang that arose from the defunct Cobra - created this sort of cabaret band that makes the most awful cheesy music. UGH. Horrible soundtrack music. Just shoot me now.

As I said when I came to watch the movie I came to watch 1-5, I won't deny 1 was on my list (w/ everyone on board). However, 2-5 dominating. However, what I watched was a cross-country bromance of boys figuring the meaning of life & themselves. Then they were on their way back home rejuvenated w/ a To Be Continued.

If it continues like this they can keep it.

**As a note I normally high grade the acting b/c it's supposed to be slightly OTT. However, due to the poor storyline, the actors just couldn't manage what was on screen. It was just all over the place & a mess.

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A tense and wonderfully interesting fantasy thriller that sounds as good as it looks

PROS:
+ Netflix must have a ton of money, because the effects [both visual and audio] are outstanding
+ Well-constructed story that manages to keep the viewer engaged and thinking until AFTER the end
+ Wonderful performances from the cast [I could read the lead actress' emotions and actually FEEL the weight of more impactful scenes and I could even sense the evil from Young-sook]
+ The time manipulation plot device is executed in a brilliant way that also increases panic

CONS:
- There is a quick shot during the credits that is bothersome and requires some analysis to understand the intention

It is rare to find a movie that is of this high-caliber in the fantasy thriller subgenre! I loved how there is so much detail poured into the story and characters. I felt a wide variety of emotions during this film.

If you like serial killer or time travel movies, than you NEED to watch this.

Make sure to silence your phone. ;)

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Thought-provoking film that will not waste your time

Just a few seconds into the film, I was slowly captivated by the colours. Yes, it is sad and dull. But there is beauty even though it is a sombre colour palette. Besides that, the transitions are fitting as well. From locating the missing smartphone of our lead character, a Galaxy Note 9 (not sponsored) to be exact, the scene slowly and beautifully transitioned to a brain scan.

Okay, that might be ridiculous to some. But I do love a good transition. And with The Call (2020), it does not end with simple film transitions. There are several as the story shows us various process or periods of changing from one state to another, which are often heartbreaking. The narrative keeps moving and transforming as both our leads do what they need to survive and live the life they deserve.

And we all know this does not always work out. Sure, we can repeatedly change our life or rather what is up ahead as we have the power to plan or retract every decision we make. However, we cannot control external factors nor mould our life according to what we only want. And most importantly, we can not change the past. A truth that is hard for everyone to accept.

Speaking of which this film is not about time travel. No one travels from past to present or vice versa. The Call (2020) focuses more on connecting with the past and then bending reality when one realises she had the upper hand.

This horror mystery thriller is one of those films that work your brain. If you love that kind of genre, I highly recommend The Call (2020). It is one thought-provoking film that will not waste your time.

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My New Sassy Girl is like My Sassy Girl minus the comedy

My Sassy Girl is really a classic Korean movie and has been adapted and dubbed into different languages. Even the OST has it's own versions so this sequel is kinda lacking. It doesn't leave much impression compared to its predecessor. But don't get me wrong, this is a great movie but it's hard not to compare it to first one since this is a sequel.

The plot is simple and pretty comprehensible and to be honest it's a good life lesson pretty much in reality. This sequel felt independent because you don't really have to watch the first one to really appreciate it. It's just good to know the back story about "the ex." It's a pretty good story concept overall but I kinda miss the comedy part. This is more of serious than the first one.

Cha TaeHyun is still an awesome actor. He's always like the familiar Ahjussi of the neighborhood. He's very natural and he really looks like he doesn't even have to put much effort because he is the character itself (I know this can be confusing but what I mean to say is everytime I watch him I felt like I'm watching Cha TaeHyun's life and not the life of just a fictional character that he's trying to portray. ) The female lead also didn't disappoint. She's pretty sassy and bad ass just like her character requires although I can't compare her to Jun JiHyun (since I'm really biased towards JiHyun Eonnie.)

All in all this is a great movie still and I really enjoyed watching it. There's also good life lessons you can learn or be reminded about. This is recommended if you just want a feel-good movie after a long tiring day.

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Just finished watching "Kundo Age Of The Rampant". I really loved the way of epic narrative and the plot, which is not so dark and gloomy, but lightened with a little bit of black comedy. The BGM, soundtrack and cinematography, have really reminded me by the style of "Quentin Tarantino". Specially in "Kill Bill", and "Django Unchained". The Individual performances of "Ha Jung-Woo", and "Gang Dong-Won", have really surprised me. They both showed a different side of what I'm used to see them play in any of their movies. The Action choreography and Martial Arts in this movie reminded me of the way fighting scenes were used to be shot, in classic Martial Arts movies and I mean in a good way. Overall, it's a good Action/Historical movie, with a slight revenge plot. My personal rating would be 7.5/10.

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It's not that timeless masterpiece. But I'd say it's a really good Action movie, with a thrilling plot. The cinematography is really beautiful in this movie, the way they used different shades of colors was really fascinating. The inconclusive ending, leaves you hanging with a bitter taste and anxiously anticipating a sequel to the film. The only character I got attached to was "Jun-Seok", as his character stayed in the movie to the end and they showed us his development in a decent way. I also loved the performance of the Assassin "Han", he was ruthless and coldblooded. His emotionless eyes really haunted me for the whole time. I don't have much to say about the other characters as their role in the movie was ended really soon relatively. I'll give it a rating of 7/10. This was pretty much everything I wanted to say about the movie "Time To Hunt (2020)".

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I watched "Deliver Us From Evil" last night. It's a good Action-packed movie. The fighting and knife scenes are really great, it was shot in a unique way. I can't comment on the cinematography, because there was nothing special about it. All I can say is that they worked hard to reduce shaky cam scenes to the minimum, it's almost unnoticeable. Concerning the individual performances "Hwang Jung-Min" is really good as a contract Assassin, he was ruthless and skillful, but I really missed his sense of humour in this movie. "Lee Jung-Jae" as a brutal villain is really eye-catching, he was fierce and his presence was really haunting, "Park Jung-Min" as a transgender was something special to watch. The low point of this movie (for me) was the storyline and the plot, there was clearly a lack of backstories to give the audience a hint on how the characters reached the present day. In simple words, there was almost no (Character Development). I feel like they should've gave this one more time. It gives you this weird feeling that you're not satisfied with the conclusion of the whole story. Overall I would say its an enjoyable experience as an action-packed movie, but unfortunately I wouldn't put on a top 10 list of korean movies released in 2020.
I will give it a rating of 7.5/10.

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A Math Equation In My Head As To How This Is The Prequel To "The Ambiguous Focus"!?

Watch "The Ambiguous Focus" first and without this! It succeeded this movie in every way possible. I went into depth about how much I love that sequel series in a review of mine (look that up on my account please!) but this prequel movie was not it. I'm sorry to those that love it, but this was not my cup of tea AT ALL. Okay that was a small rant, now moving on to the actual review.

This movie was definitely different in tone to the sequel series. Like what the actual f*** how is this the same director for both!? I literally had to double check that it was the same actors even though I knew it was lol and the correct prequel film. I get that the characters are meant to be 10 years younger (ie.18ish) in this so it's a lot lighter in tone which makes sense. But holy crap this must've thrown fans for a loop (like me) who watched TAF first and then this after! I was literally tripping the entire time dude, I'll give it to the actors they are versatile. I hope they get more of the drama dark stuff though because that was where it was attttt. I wonder if they (the creators of this) were literally going for such a huge contrast? Like light vs. dark, early love vs. late love, teen audience vs. adult audience?

So the movie has a comic book/manga-like format to it with the text blurbs and sketched in exclamations. Which was alright. But again because the dialogue was so fast (one of the only issues I had with TAF) it was so hard to keep up. The music was also really annoying, overly loud and distracting. The characters of Nan and Zhe are more like cartoon character stereotypes in this, not realistic at all. Like the athletic type and nerd/nervous type together type of vibe. Watching this it made me thank the lord that Nan's character is completely different in the sequel because in this he got on my NERVES. Just an annoying flirt and "tough guy" for most of it. I guess you could chalk that up to "development" and aging but I don't really buy it. Even in the flashbacks that they used from this or added in from this time into TAF it was a completely different feel. It's a wonder how they took any clips from this and utilized them in both forums without changing the feel of the sequel.

So there is some overlap obviously. Very little but there's some (again not necessary to watch this at all before TAF or even after lol). Like we saw that Nan was a swimmer, but nothing about Zhe being a literal genius. He's a writer in the sequel sure but not a mathematician. So weird! I can also see in this alittle more now as to why Nan would think in the future he's actually inferior to Zhe because of the intelligence. Him helping him with work throughout college and stuff to pass, but again represented and worded SO MUCH BETTER in the sequel. The only think plot wise that I can say I liked in this movie is seeing the dynamic between Nam and his dad, which was a slight question mark in the sequel.

I am so so SO glad I and others got to see what these actors were really really capable of first and the writing/story development. I'm also conflicted because without this it could've been just a perfect stand-alone series. Prequels tend to set off alarms for me because there's such a thing as telling too much. Which is what this was exactly. But it makes me think if it was more similar in tone and in script ability would it have been better? Probably! Doesn't mean I still wouldn't of thought it was unnecessary, but it wouldn't of made me annoyed watching it. We get more than enough exposition in the series with a flew flashbacks to know these two found each other in school. Amongst all of the amazing acting, which couldn't be utilized here because the script doesn't demand that. Literally the movie ends with zero indication that these two could be in love like they are in the sequel, which is at 100% and so strong. I mean I'll forget all about this movie but the sequel series will remain with me forever. So that's what counts. Everyone is different in what they like, I much prefer the latter. Also random final thought, where's Chunzi (aka. Zhe's bff in the sequel)? Wouldn't he make some type of appearance? Or did they meet after college? Idk whatever, it just would've sucked more to see him anyways in this.

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Complex and an look into existence

This movie is not for everyone - Nonetheless, it's touching.
First, things that can get in the way: Is a very slow burn movie. I can't describe it the way I wish I did, but the closest I can say is the timeline is "random" , you often get caught thinking "What the world is happening here?. The events seem to be happening in a weird timeline. You have to think a lot to understand what the film is trying to pass to you. The most used way of describing it that I saw everywhere -: Weird. It is indeed. But a weird type of weird.
Reading some analysis, I can agree with one thing : This film is a look into existence. Maybe, routine?
I think this film is...Human. Weird to describe it that way, but this film thouches a part of you that you don't even know existed. Myself included.It feels mundane, but in a good way. And it feels heartbreaking. And this is where people like me find their own little moments of happyness.

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likeable back-to-school fantasy

I am glad I disregarded the negative reviews to watch reLife〜for me this was a lovely thoughtful film、yes it is fantasy and repeats some typical episodes in Japanese school life like festival、 trip and so on but not dwelling on each of them too long and treating them within an original theme of so-to-say a person living inside while at the same time standing outside youth〜 yes it is fantasy but still has something to say to both young and older ages I believe。 its main weakness for me was the very ending with its just too neat and predictable ”resolution”。 This role suited Nakagawa well like other teen roles he has played and ”made his own” as I feel his screen presence very much has childlike freshness、 but maybe he has now reached his own graduation in real life （unfortunately not yet seen in his most recent role in the disappointing 「Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho」）and I will be interested to see how he makes the transition from ”youth” drama to ”adult”roles and hope he is successful without losing his youthful attractiveness〜

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The film left some gaps making me feel a little unsatisfied.

I have high hopes for The Panti Sisters (2019) mainly because of Die Beautiful (2016). But that does not mean I believe it can replace the latter. Based on the trailer and synopsis, I already knew that this will be lighter.

I honestly enjoyed the film from start to finish due to several funny and cute scenes. Paolo Ballesteros, Christian Bables and Martin del Rosario are great together. However, these were not enough to overlook the problems.

The film left some gaps making me feel a little unsatisfied. For instance, the transition from one situation to another was too abrupt. I wasn’t ready for the change of tone and could not quite process the next scene. So when that scene arrived, I wasn’t able to react accordingly.

Though there is no doubt that the actors especially the great John Arcilla (Heneral Luna) can draw the right reaction from the audience, there was something lacking. And that would be the depth of the characters as well as their relationship with each other. So that when the time one of them leaves the plot the audience will feel sad.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t need a “Dramarama sa Hapon” type of drama. I just wanted to feel the right emotions when something tragic happens to one of the characters. And most importantly, not think if this certain character is essential to the story.

Anyway, it does say in the film listing The Panti Sisters (2019) is under comedy. But since something tragic happened doesn’t mean it does not deserve a proper execution.

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Amazing story and acting

I knew it was gonna be good because Yoo Ah In is in it. But this is not a biased review! The movie is really good and has a couple of plot twists which makes it not boring! It’s interesting how the main character can not talk but still make the movie interesting!

For the acting.... AMAZING! especially the child actors! Anyway if you are bored watch this! Wont regret it

One thing tho.... slight spoiler so if you are sensitive to spoilers don’t read this part


SPOILER WARNED!!!!!!!


About the ending..... hmmmmmmmmm I have mixed feelings. The child was so smart to tell her teacher that he is the kidnapper but i feel bad lol!

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