Reviews

my brother in christ...

— i went in blind, & i haven't even read the summary beforehand...i should've. it's confusing at the beginning, but dots start connecting quite nicely somewhere after the first revelation. i don't believe that it could've been confusing to anyone, you just need to pay it minimal attention, at least.

— it's strange, & then it's quite horrid but overall it's just heartbreaking. i dislike sibling bonds in movies precisely because it was gut-wrenching to see the dynamic switch between the two brothers after we discover the truth. it's hard to bring your brain out of that illusion once you're convinced that they're blood-related. nonetheless, i liked this movie a lot. my brain glitched for good five minutes after finishing it because you rewind all little details that didn't make sense & you see them in a totally different light.
— i cried, like a lot.

Leia Mais

An Ending That Feels Like It Was Just There To Shock You

I want to give a brief overview of this movie, because I did enjoy watching it, but there were a few key points that made it more difficult for me to watch:

Some points I liked:
- It shows an insight in how rape victims (try to) overcome the aftermath of being sexually assaulted. It feels painfully realistic, which makes this all the better. Do note that this can be triggering for some to watch, due to the storyline.
- This is one of the few instances where I can condone a teacher-student relationship, because the teacher had no idea the student was his student until the very end. It was very well made in that sense. No creeps in the main relationship.
- The storyline with the main character's wife is wrapped up in the end, when usually it is just left there to hang. It was nice seeing her again and that they parted amicably.
- The main actors acted incredibly well, especially considering Endo Kenshin (Kai) was 20-21 when this was made.
- The two main characters kiss well. I've seen a lot of kisses in dramas, both straight and gay, and these two actors kiss really well.
- Just in general; The two main characters had really good chemistry.

Some points I disliked:
- The ending. It alone made me take off half a point from my rating. As the headline suggests, I feel like it was more there to shock you than anything else. The ending didn't add any value to watching the movie. My suggestion: watch the movie until 1:50:25 and you won't be traumatised by nonsense.
- Jin assaults his wife, and it is not mentioned ever again.
- Jin basically ignores the fact that Kai did a background check on both him and his (ex-)wife after they get closer. It is barely an issue.
- A lot of the characters weren't very fleshed out. The only ones were the two main characters and even then I feel like Kai still has a lot of mysteries.
- For a movie that has rap as one of its key centre points, the rap in this movie was honestly subpar. Jin's rapping also felt more like slam poetry than rap.

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That hurt

Rarely has a piece of media stuck to my brain in the way that Journey to the Shore has.

From the very get go I was invested in these two's relationship and their dynamic. How had they first fallen for each other? When did they start dating? You are immediately put into an established dynamic that only grows clearer by the minute. I truly felt for Ming Ha, wanting to rally around him whenever the world and the bullies around him put him down for being gay. He seemed so strong and ready to stand up for himself and his identity, so surely the world will respond positively to that? Right? But I was constantly reminded of the truth of the situation by way of Sang Bum, as well as the scars on Ming Ha.
Just because someone seems strong and keeps their head up, does not mean that they don't feel pain, even if we don't see it.

Sang Bum was not ready to be an out gay/queer teenager and thus feels stuck in between his love for Ming Ha and the desire to keep his head down and go through school life not being a target for bullying. So even though it breaks his heart he needs to break up with Ming Ha to avoid the homophobia of the school. And the way Ming Ha keeps his head up, holds Sang Bum as he cries, and even makes jokes - just twisted the knife in my heart even deeper.

I truly commend these two actors, they really put in a great performance.

The ending... oh god the ending. To the very end I was holding out for a happy end. I was biting my nails hoping for a 'Ten years later' and the two are happily married and everything is great. But that's not the story being told. The story being told was about two kids facing bullying, and each just trying to survive and holding onto their identity. Sang Bum got out, Ming Ha didn't.

The choice of not directly telling the audience what happened to Ming Ha, does not stop one from putting the pieces together.

It's a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted film, that tells a pretty painful story but remains impactful.

(also want to add that right after this 'the one that got away' by Katy Perry came up on shuffle and I cried like a baby)

Leia Mais

This movie is so great! Kudos to Wang Baoqiang!

First of all, I just watch this because when I was watching youth periplous season 4, Wang Baoqiang gege said that this movie is different from his movies/dramas before because this is about life so when I already finished watching youth periplous, I searched this movie to see if I can watch it now and it shows that I can so I downloaded it. Earlier, I decided to watch the movie without reading the synopsis nor watch any spoilers. While watching it, I really don't know what was going to happen because I'm clueless (it's my first time watching a movie without any clue). But after a few minutes, I wa shock because I saw Yitong so I was what? Yitong is also one of the characters here? Then later, I also saw Haofan and Li Chen so it made me so happy but then when I was in the middle part, I cried because of the scenes especially when it's already about to end, I was hoping so hard that everything is going to end like what I wanted it to end. Then, it turned out just like I wanted it to be. I'm still sad tho because of what happened to Ma Hu ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ Thank you so much to Wang Baoqiang gege the director for making this film, I really liked it!! My mom was asking why I'm crying so hard while watching because she's busy with my nephew so I said, the movie is so great, mama. It's so nice (T^T) GUYS, I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE! PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS MOVIE!!

Leia Mais

A bittersweet journey but worth it.

This is solely my opinion and it's not necessary that you should agree with this.
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"Drawing Closer" is about two 17 year olds who could relate to each other. They both are ill and not much time is left for them in this world. They also share the same interest.

I've been looking forward to this movie ever since Netflix released the teaser and it did not let me down. Also this is my 2nd time watching a Japanese show. I'm a sucker for melo movies or dramas so I could enjoy this to the end. This movie was literally heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It really touched my heart and I'm sure it will touch yours too if you're watching this.

Story: I liked how there were no unnecessary stuff. The characters were nice and cute. No one was annoying and I loved how Haruna's friend and Akito were bickering all the time. I also liked the ending. It was bittersweet but still I loved how it was done that way and in most shows this isn't the case. It had emotional depth. I liked how it was unique in some way. Also those flowers ? Everybody got the spotlight and the leads were so cute.

Acting: Acting was good and I have no complaints. I did not feel any lack of chemistry or anything like that. Its my first time seeing these actors and I'm gonna watch some of their projects soon.

OST: Haven't heard it yet so I'll hear it when I'm free and then write a review on that.

Even if it was a 2 hour movie I enjoyed it till the end. The cinematography and production were remarkable and it did not feel rushed or anything. I also have no problem with the direction too. The background OSTs made this ven more painful. I recommend you watch this if you like heartbreaking/melo stuff. I usually don't cry watching fiction but this one was different. This made me sad but my heart is warm after this. . . It's a rare gem that evoked genuine emotions. This movie will always hold a special place in my heart. Anyway that's it. With that, I'm giving this movie a 9.0.


Thank you for reading! Have a great time watching if you are.

Leia Mais

this is such a good japanese drama!

This is the first time I have watched a Japanese film and I certainly don't think it will be the last. Because I really enjoy watching Korean drama most of the time, so why don't I try watching Japanese movies. And I can say that I really love it! I will definitely watch more Japanese films/series. This film is not only about love, but they also show the love between friends and family.

First of all, I'm so touched that the female lead has a misunderstanding between her friends, but in the end they try to resolve it because they say sorry to each other and it shows that they value their friendship. Secondly, the male protagonist struggles between choosing his sport or caring for his grandmother and younger sister. He wants to give up football just to take care of his grandmother. And it shows that the male lead really has love and care for his family. And lastly, the love between the female lead and the male lead was so cutee. Because of their love, they really can't stop themselves from continuing to write in the notebook. Even when they both knew something was wrong, they continued to write in it. I'm more in favor of kpop songs than rock music, but in the Japanese drama I didn't mind the rock music that much.

Their chemistry is so fantastic. I really like it. The female lead is so cute and beautiful and the male lead is so handsome, especially when he smiles. Which spoils their plot. I didn't know you can like someone without knowing them. he fell in love because she wrote a motivation on that desk. But at the end of the story, I understand why the male protagonist loves her, because she gives him the motivation to follow what he wants to do. That was it. I give this Japanese drama a 7 out of 10! :)

Leia Mais

beautiful but underwhelming

incredible acting, gorgeous sound design, and visually stunning, but the story leaves something to be desired.

this film really picks up after about an hour and twenty minutes. after that it's compelling, but that first hour plus dragged. it felt far too long, but the last forty minutes or so are good.

visually this movie is breathtaking. the cinematography, set dressing, and costume design all deserve a shout out. it is a highly textured and detailed aesthetic. it's a shame it wasn't available in my country when it first came out, as I feel it would be beyond beautiful on the big screen.

my big problem with this film is the story. I didn't find it hard to follow as others seem to have, but it takes far too long to get to it's major plot points, and it frankly isn't that interesting. the twists were largely predictable, the characters a little flat, and the ending somewhat disappointing. spoiler, if you're hoping the main bad guy gets his due comeuppance, you will leave disappointed.

overall a movie that is worth watching, and one that reaffirm my belief that be on cloud are a production company to keep an eye on as they find their grove, but frankly, I'd rather rewatch kinnporsche.

Leia Mais

Its a beautiful story

In order to sort out the genre for you. Yes, its romance genre & with a Happy Ending.
I wonder what took me so long to discover it .
Anyways...

A little peep into the story (spoilers ahead ? )
It's a story about a small town girl from a middle class family, with not so much support from her family, striving to make her life better. Doesn't matter how many troubles life throws at her, she shines bright in all adversities. But obviously, its a cruel world out there and our girl's gonna need some help. So we have a rich spoiled dude helping her out.
And if you havent guess it yet, they end up together. How ? Go watch the movie.

Continuing forward :
What made this movie special to me, was the pace and trust me, the ending. It was epic . Its a journey through school upto adulthood. Putting in the pieces one by one. There are lots of likable thing about the FL. I loved how strong she was, her determination, her discipline and above all her character. When you finish the movie, you realise that you have witnessed Jianxia grow as a person and that's the best part.
The ML is someone good at heart , and during their school years the most precious thing was their friendship, which over time developed into something more powerful, Love.
It was a beautiful transition.
Like the ML described, he was like a scarf to her. "She could use it when it was cold and keep it away when days got warm& sunny ".
The most satisfying thing being the ending. Where, its not the poor girl marrying the chaebol. But instead, a strong independent woman marrying a guy in debt. How do i describe it...... its an empowering story. (You'll get it when you see it). The ending got a little funny, when the ML said "You'll have to sponser our honeymoon " .?

It's an impactful story.
Its a 9 on 10 for me.

Happy watching!!
?

Leia Mais

Uninspired and Uneventful: '#Alive' Strains to Stay Interesting

"#Alive" presents a modern twist on the zombie genre, weaving in themes of isolation and survival with a subtle nod to current societal challenges. However, while the film has an introspective approach and traces protagonist Oh Joon-woo's evolution from a disconnected gamer to a resilient fighter, it often succumbs to a tedious and monotonous pace, making it difficult to stay engaged.

The addition of lead characters injects a brief spark of energy, emphasizing the importance of human connection during adversity. Their evolving partnership enriches the narrative, but even this can't completely salvage the film from its dull stretches.

The film's innovative use of technology in survival tactics is a commendable attempt at refreshing familiar tropes, but it isn't enough to overcome the overall sense of predictability and lack of excitement. Despite occasional moments of thought-provoking exploration of personal growth amidst chaos, "#Alive" struggles to maintain a compelling narrative, resulting in a rather lackluster experience.

Overall, while "#Alive" offers some interesting ideas, its slow pacing and predictable plot points make it a boring watch for those seeking a thrilling or innovative addition to the zombie genre.

Leia Mais

SIMPLE YET HEART-TOUCHING

I watched this in the cinemas, and one thing I regret is that I didn't bring TISSUES!!!! In each corner of the cinema anyone you see is crying...

STORY:
The plot was simple but beautiful, I can't quite tell what I truly feel, but it's a masterpiece.

ACTING:
Everyone acted natural and great, as if it's true— it makes the film more real and heart touching.

REWATCH VALUE:
I WILL TOTALLY REWATCH THIS SOMEDAY. It's just something...

It just makes you realize things, and the more you understand the more you feel it and just exert emotions. LIKE LITERALLY I couldn't stop crying whenever I think about it deeper!!

P.S. When I got out of the cinema I covered my nose with my hands (I looked like Rudolf)

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