saturday film challenge 2023

majority of the film was quite calm and there were quite romantic moments between leads, also i didn't expect Jeon Yeo Been as a FL, i didn't recognize her in the beginning. it looked absolutely amazing, actors slayed but it didn't hold my attention as much as i wish. and just a heads up for anyone sensitive to loud slurping noises there is one scene in first 1/3 or half of the movie.

this movie was a ride, wow. on top of that amazing music and looks amazing. and im satisfied with amount of blood. but ending felt a bit rushed (i guess movie isn't the shortest and it needs to end at some point). im not sure about the villain, he is cool and all but is missing a bit of background spice i guess

while story is rather typical, everything else spices its up! love the night lights and neons in this movie, acting from leads is amazing (as expected from such names!) same with their chemistry, also i knew it's partially supposed to be comedy but i didn't expect to actually laugh!

a quiet and slow movie about a band wanting to disband. the whole internal conflict it's well.. quiet, you won't see big screams and throwing stuff. they just want to do one last tour and then they can be strangers again. definitely not for everyone, when i say it's slow, it is slow. not much happens but in a good way.

This a story about two immigrants from China in Hong Kong just trying to get by in new world.
Their string of fate should have broke long time ago but it kept bringing them back, throughout years and different countries.

It's a rather calm story but not quiet. You will be thrown to the small and busy world of HK. This isn't your typical romantic movie where as soon they meet everything turns out well, just like the title it's almost a love story.

let me start by saying this movie has much lower rating than it should have! altho i think i know where it comes from, this isn't your easy and sweet BL love story with happy ending. it's about struggling gay man who works as a sex worker. and it's not a movie for everyone.
the movie looks absolutely amazing; neons, night life,  tight city space. and im amazed with acting and directing. whole movie is filmed with long scenes, giving us a little postcard of Fei's (main character) life. putting us in situations we saw by because we were passing by, leaving us with feeling that maybe we shouldn't be there.
i was surprised to see Bai Yu Fan, at first i thought it was some one similar to him cuz it wouldn't be my first and last time that some actor felt like i saw them before but then i checked his mdl page(i first saw him in Remembrance of Things Past (2021) aka one of my favourite c dramas) this man has a range! would love to see him more in similar roles.

This movie was recommended to me by my friend a while ago who is *big* fan of Yakuza games. So I'm glad it found it's way on my movie board.
It one of those movie that feels like nothing happens, I would call it Yakuza: the beach episode or yakuza: summer trip.
Directing is rather specific, everyone is stoic and no one bats an eye that someone just died and it's shooting a gun. In other films acting would feel awkward or bad but here it adds a bit of charm.
I love how blood drips almost in a comedic way, same with guns.

it was a good movie. that's all i got to say. kind of expected more lol

dropped for personal reasons

since my little board didn't include week 5 because i haven't noticed that april has 5 saturdays when i was making it, i decided it will be free choice and i wil choose one of the movies i have on board but haven't watched yet, so my choice fell on motorbike movie.

summer love and summer girls who got obsessed with motorbikes just a little bit or was it just a dream? film dances between black and white and colour film which is interesting way of filming but i would prefer if it would stay one way or another (i understand the narrative choice but still). it's shot in rather simple way but japan, as always is rather pretty so it's enjoyable. also it has quite good music!
the acting was alright, nothing outstanding. what i didn't like that much is most of the characters felt kind of flat? idk, aside from FL and 2FL i didn't felt that they changed for better or worst.

overall it's a cute film. nothing outstanding but i could understand if it's someone's favourite.

A glimpse into shy girl's life, that moved to Tokyo. Between studying in high school she also learns how to be a geisha.

Ah i love digging up some movies that it seems like no one knows (it carters my "not like other girls" part of the brain very much ?). Cute little story about teenager trying to find her place in new reality and geisha world. There isn't much more to say from me. It looks good and it's a good story.

For some reason this film felt very 90s to me, not like fashion/technology sense but vibes and overall plot. I love the winter scenery, it's not something I see very often (at least not in films I watched).
It's hard to for me to jugde the film because aside technology refusing to work properly I got very sleepy (I woke up around 7.30 am and quite big part of day standing and editing the videos for class..) so I didn't have much braincells left... But it is a lovely movie with lovely music and characters :)

well somehow i ended up with 3rd japanese film in a row,,, let me start by saying i never watched kurosawa's film and this is my first one, is it the best one to start of i don't know but well it is what it is.
anyway! the film was absolutely beautiful and it really wants me to grabs the current film-makers and stick their head to screens to stop making movies so dark and dull. i mean look at it. im really glad i decided to watch it on tv!
def my fav are "The Peach Orchard", "Crows" and "Village of the Watermills" with honourable mention of foxes' wedding march from "Sunshine Through the Rain". those stories perfectly encapsulated magical realism which i love very much. shit just happens, no need to explain it.
but around 6th or 7th stories my working all day on projects was taking it's toll and it made me feel like the film was taking ages to finish... aside from cinematography the music was just perfect (tho i heard it partially because i was to lazy to get my bluetooth headphones and i didn't want to wear my hearing aids )

oh my! what a fucking ride! i don't remember who (im pretty sure it's someone with flower pfp) on feeds recommended me this one but thank you! it was fucking amazing!! it was brutal and extremely entertaining . the vfx were quite outstanding altho i would prefer if they used more practical effects, at moments it was quite visible it's 3d model. it's not one of those movies you will end up sitting on a floor having to rethink your like but i would still recommend it with some snacks and drinks (and perhaps unsuspecting friends ?) for anyone who can handle the amount of blood and death.

well let me start of with a fact that I was planing to watch Marry My Dead Body (2023) but I wasn't be able to find it to watch it ): and I wasn't in a mood for other films on my board for this saturday, so i decided to switch up, in the end it doesn't mean that much, I watched a film that's what matters!

I found this film because i saw the ending (I only knew it was the ending scene when i finished the movie lmao) on pinterest and then i was pleasantly surprised when it turned out it's from the same director of Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996) which i adore and has a special place in my heart.

Now the film itself; I wasn't expecting much, I just wanted something lighter to watch and I got what i wanted. I don't think i ever watched something more that screams more rom com from 90s but in a good way. It's silly and goofy and probably unintentionally made ppl question their sexuality. In terms of queer stuff, it's a bit dated but well it came out in '94, i can't really hold it up to modern and western standards but it still more comfortable with an idea of queerness than some modern productions.
I don't know what else to say, just go watch it. It's a lovely movie and it doesn't convince you watch it for Leslie Cheung.

exploration of relationship between three friends, through friendship and sexuality.
in terms of story, music and acting i would say top notch, in terms of cinematography? depends. im not a fan of bleak and washed out films, it has some great shots but it would only gain on bumping up saturation a bit up (i will admit it's also what makes this film look extra early 00s, aside from awful fashion choices from that time).

I had it on my plan to watch list for god knows how long, long before i even had mdl account. i was dealing with uni projects all day so i decided to go with something on a lighter side and you can't be wrong if hae in and go eun are involved!
it's a proper love story where the leads can't have shit, always something happens. The OST is amazing (although dialog audio was a bit off? like it was too good, at times I felt like they were having convo next to me).
I loved when where was a little part when mi soo used old camera to film hyun woo it always makes me wish that there were more films and series in more "experimental" filming style (if that fits the narrative ofc) but i don't think it's something i will get often and easily because as we know majority of films and series are made for entertainment one way or another.

anyway. it's a good movie, nothing that changed me (except for that scene when they are reading together and sleeping under same blanket). Some of you will probably need tissues.

i wasn't sure what to expect from this film but man, it was hella good. we follow the story of tomiko, who is trying to revenge her best friend, after her death.
the whole story is dream like, or nightmare like if you will. use of emotions and expressions is down to basically minimum,  similarly with dialogue, which creates this feeling "something is out of place" . i love the usage of light in this film (the whole scene when tomiko meets tatsuo for first time in the company, oh my god, amazing) and music. i just wish i could watch it in full hd to be able to appreciate the cinematography even more. there should be more modern cinema doing black and white (how much i would give for good bnw modern series).
it might be my new favourite film. i just sat and just fully emersed myself in it and i would sat for the whole 90 min if it weren't for pee break....

the reality blurs with a dream, nothing basically happens and it looks amazing. i have a soft spot for these type of films, i really wish i could have watching in the evening/night uninterrupted like i usually do but if you read my yesterday's post on feeds you know everything was against me.

i don't know, you guys should just watch it, throw away anything that could disturb you, have something nice to drink and just relax.

feel good movie about saving local super market. we follow the story of energetic hanako and probably-shouldn't-be-in-this-bussines goro, as they make the "honest goro" store a better experience for the shoppers. lovely film, feels like a romcom without really the rom part. it also reminded me of 2 things1. japan loves their plastic packaging2. proper lighting for artistic merit is scarce goods

the economic bubble broke and now all what's left is strugglles and unfinished train line to small village in the mountains.

over all it was a nice film but I felt like something was missing, I enjoy calm/nothing-is-happening films but it was at moments a bit too much, it wouldn't be such a problem to me if there was more background noise, not necessarily music but like sounds of house being lived at, wind between trees ect. also while being quite satisfactory visually wise, some scene there is visible struggle with lighting from sun leaving some scenes/spots being overlit.

It doesn't really lean into financial struggles or anything, it's quite cozy and fits in on going summer season, definitely not for everyone

well the description definitely didn't prepare me for this journey i just watched. this time i got to watch it with two of my discord friends!
honestly, i don't have much to say, nice film; looks pretty and characters are interesting. my friend told me that it's almost like the lighthouse with the robert pattison and he is right, all that was missing was painting of the house and drunken sing-dance.

once again i watched it with some people on server (today there were even some extra people!) and we were all doing live chatting, we were there for entertainment not artistic merit. it's silly and goofy in best way. putting aside language barrier i would probably love this as a kid.

maybe it's because of my headache i got in the middle of the movie but the movie felt too long, like don't get me wrong, it's alright and i get why people love it but i guess it's not for me. there is more comfort movies that would comfort me better than this one.

i don't think nothing will summarise my experience than the quote the film itself "we live three times as long since man invented movies (...) it means movies gives us twice what we get from daily life", i really feel like i lived another life. While im not really a fan of long films because i need to take breaks, it was an amazing experience on all levels. this film is pinnacle of taiwanise new wave and exactly shows the things i love about it.

it was a fever dream mixed with tragedy and existential crisis. it hit all the reasons for which i love the wes anderson films and added a bit of their own spice. I wish they would use models as anderson does and sho's conclusion was more straight forward but regardless of that is still an amazing film! it looks amazing and it sounds amazing!

im not exactly sure how to review this film. it was something for sure. i enjoyed sonatine from the same director more.

This film is a love letter to cinema going experience, especially to those local cinemas (which by itself I don't like, mainly because I can't stop the film and go pee or grab a snack that I wouldn't be able to eat in cinema).
Film looks absolutely beautiful and mezmorazing, it thrives on typical of Taiwanese New Wave long scenes, if you thought Yi Yi (2000) had long scenes then this one beats it.

While I loved this film I gotta admit I shouldn't have watched it when I was kind of sleepy because I got distracted by everything around be and in this film *litteraly* nothing happens, it's that type of film. There is like at max 10 lines of dialogue that are so insignificant to anything that the film could go on without them.
I'm sure for some people it would be good background noise to sleep 

this film on all levels except for my focus and willing to sit was amazing. i refuse to watch any more films longer than 3h, altho 2,5h max is preferable. and i will still watch 50 ep c dramas, no one is stoping me from that. i love taiwanise new wave but it was too much.
did it look absolutely stunning? yes. Is the directing and acting on point? yes. would i recommend it? depends. would i watch it again? i don't think so.

my conclusion for now is that while edward yang does wonderful films, i wouldn't say he is my fav director.

my back hurts, my ass hurts but i watched this masterpiece!! it's after midnight and i think it needs to rattle for a moment in my brain to be able fully comprehend the beauty of it. despite way out of sync subs and bitrate dying it was such a wonderful experience. leslie continues to steel my heart !!

how am i supposed to go on with the rest of my night? thought out almost whole film i was like "oh okay so it's one of those basically nothing happens but dysfunctional and anti social teens films" and it's true but it's so much more.
honestly i can't even put my thoughts together. just. wow.

continuing to explore taiwanese new wave, it's hard not to stumble upon works of Hou Hsiao Hsien but despite having quite a lot of his films on my ptw this one was my first one.

film follows vicky that tries to navigate through her life during socioeconomic changes in early 00s. MM for me was about personal freedom. Vicky always seems to fall into same endless circle of self destructive behaviour.

the film was quite good but aside from opening and ending scene (+ theme song), i wasn't that much fascinated by it. but it's has pretty colours so that's a plus.

im not sure how to rate/review this film because i don't really have an experience with films pre 80s, especially asian ones but i guess everyone has to start somewhere. tho im glad i read ayako (manga from Osamu Tezuka) in august because i had more cultural and historical context of after war japan at that time.

over all it was quite long and a bit boring watch from my modern perspective ?

it's a story about young girl lost in life. we don't know what decisions led her to that kind of life, all we know she was left by some guy.
this film is interesting because while sohyun is the main character, the story resolves around jane, a trans woman and it's so rare to see queer (let alone trans) character in non romantic context. it's also interesting because it does a turn on found family, usually that trope is a comforting one but not in film.

Koo Kyo Hwan absolutely steals the show, i love his acting so much.

it's not for everyone but everyone should watch it, especially for the ending.

i like slow cinema but well this one is underwhelming and i kind of expected more with a premise like that. i liked the cinematography  and directing but that's about it.

comforting and enjoyable. it's very early example of Taiwanese new wave so the typical characteristic aren't that fleshed out but they are there.

it was really interesting look on dying, it leaned into almost a documentary way of showing a week in purgatory. whole film is retrospective on life, would you able to choose one happiest memory to keep with you forever?

uhhhhh, 2nd part is more interesting but i was overall bored and kept getting distracted. but looks quite good and the cast is cool too ?‍

I got nothing to say. It's perfect.

I don't think I ever saw a film that has opening card stating "this film was intentionally left unsubbed". Not that the there is dialogue that matters. Often times I drifted away with thoughts during this film, the scenes are long and meaningless in long term. We follow two peoples day routine until they met and that's it. There is not not much more to it and I think that's amazing, comforting in a way. Unless you enjoy slow cinnema (I will leave link to my growing list of films that are or I consider slow cinnema in the comments!) I wouldn't recommend it but I do think that the rating is way to low for no reason besides the fact that it's a art house film and requires a bit of more thought to be able appreciate it :')

what can i say, very enjoyable just as the first one. i changed my plans very quickly regarding my challenge when my friend told me earlier this week that he is free today. have some snacks and friends over and go watch it!

the release date sure checks up, it's colourful, it's surreal and the practical effects have the charm. in theory it's horror but nothing scary, it's leaning more towards the comedy imo.
it's entertaining but nothing more, the plot is simple and so are the characters; 6 high schoolers go to a haunted house and the said girls have one character traits explained by their names (melody - she plays instruments, kung fu - that's obvious and so on).

i recommend it for visuals but be aware of flashing lights

it - it wasn't what I was expecting at all based of poster.... like don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun, it felt a bity bit draggish at moments and then last 20-30 min were a speed run but! acting! music! overall vibes/aesthetic!! (definitely getting extra points from the fact that it's early 00s films that have that 90s/00s charm that I can't resist.)
it was such a weird ride from start to the beginning.

be careful with little cocktail umbrellas, they might kill you...

It's just a bit below fine. I literally don't have a lot of to say, 40 min in I took a break because dad told me dinner is ready and I realised I already forgot the film.. like I love films that are about nothing much in general (and in top of that I'm slow cinema fan) but even in those films characters have some kind of goal, even the most minor and stupid one, wether it be to see the god damn sitting elephant or do a filp. the main character of this film doesn't know what she wants from her life at all. which could be interesting exploration on it's own (example blue spring (2001)) but it's not done well. there is another character, little girl  who lives in HK on tourists visa. that could had been something interesting (and her parts *are* interesting). it should had been exploration of child world and child's view on world through pink colored glasses, because she doesn't see her family situation (poverty, father's disability and so on) as something not typical.

i don't remember last time i felt so indifferent to any of the characters and i also haven't retained a single line of information from this film. but hey it looks pretty

it was good film, i don't have much to say?

this film is part of very interesting (relatively small) have of japanese cyberpunk cinema that mostly happened during the 80s and 90s.
film is full of electric guitars and experimental cinematography, in all honesty it was a fantastic experience!! the film it's just 55 min so just give it a go!