Reviews

An era where the Sexual Revolution collided with the Vietnam War---and the world was never the same.

Not sure how or why I missed this movie for so long, but this is the astrological time when many aspects of our lives in this incarnation are appearing for maybe another layer of lessons or a deeper awareness of what was happening at the original timing of events. As a point of clarification...when a movie/drama appears in my feed via multiple paths...I will watch it. I stopped trying to make sense of these synchronicities years ago. Their appearance is always an unexpected set of knowings.

I came of age in the Vietnam era....it was a socially explosive time as thousands of baby boomers across 3.5 decades of birth headed to universities at higher rates than ever before in history. It was also the end of an era in the US of mandatory military service. Thanks to what some would see as unexpected partnerships between tens of thousands of college students and the wives of POWs applying political pressure to the Washington decision-makers. The political power of those two groups, along with an outraged citizenry sick of seeing hundreds of body bags arriving in the cargo holds of aircraft daily on the 5 o'clock news. In the 60s, 70s, 80s, everyone had different triggers, but for many of us, it was selfish...we just wanted our classmates and friends, who were drafted, forced into fighting for one of the many wars for profit, being used as pawns in the "no intent to win" war.

Understanding the context of the time is a layering of understanding of the many possible definitions you could assign to the word "obsession". The scriptwriting was a blend of simple human reactions/actions and the accompanying physical/psychological aspects that drive each of us into our own obsessions that drive us. The script is simple with the selection of dialogue well chosen, moving throughout the roller coaster ride of the relationship between the Colonel and the Captain's wife, relationships within the military ranks, and ultimately the final choices that leave a lasting impact in your memory. Sometimes doing what is right is not the optimal choice, but few of us realize it at the time. There is an element of inspiration in the relationship between the leads that reflects the same desperation of the Vietnam era.

The ensemble of actors was authentically believable. As each scene unfolded, many of them reminded me of people, I knew in those times who were doing, thinking, and behaving as depicted. When the "letter arrived", my reaction was visceral. I knew so many families who received similar letters. The "love" scenes were realistic and were an intersection point between the sexual revolution of the era melding into military duty/risk/destruction to lives.

Song Seung-heon as Colonel Kim Jin-pyeong ; Lim Ji-yeon as Jong Ga-heun---their characters were far enough apart in age and life experience yet despite their differences, their similarity of thoughts converged in their dialogue. I rarely watch Kdrama/movies....which could be an error on my part as a Gold Star daughter whose father gave his all for South Korean freedom...they are sometimes quite difficult to watch. That was not the case with this drama.

Our life journey has many phases and twists...this movie brought many of the events back into the conscious framework of my reflection. Sometimes a movie is a better book....but in this movie...the acting, direction, and visuals bring depth to the story even when the Colonel was sitting in the meeting remembering his "experience" with the Captain's wife in the front seat of his car... no, it was not his memory I found interesting (although---) it was his posture in the meeting as he gave the appearance of attention to the war discussion while mentally being at a place of personal ecstasy that was having a secret window into his thoughts...a private secret between the character and the audience. This is not a movie for everyone (as shown in the other write-ups), but I knew as the ending credits were rolling, I would not only re-watch this but purchase it for my own movie library. Happy Watching....Hope.

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simply mediocre

There was nothing special about this story. It was entertaining enough to finish it, but there was nothing memorable about it nor anything that would make me want to watch it again.

There were some good things about the film, the music was good and the characters, bar the creepy nerd guy, were likeable. One part of the film that I thought was done especially well was the sudden switch from Win's innocent love confession to the student dying. It was an excellent use of the shock factor but it was disappointing that this was the only shocking thing when the film had so much more potential to strike a chord with the audience.

The plot of the drug trial itself was weak. There were no real consequences as the only person to die was an unnamed student. If they wanted to leave an impact on the audience, one of the main four should have died, particularly Win or Jane. I also believe they should have kept the whole thing as something organised by a large company and the twist should have been that the teacher worked for that company and was grooming kids into taking part in the trial.

In general, the entire thing was rushed. It would have worked better if they had paced it better, perhaps using the story for a mini-series rather than a film. As it revolves around a lack of sleep, by slowing down the pace they could have enhanced the agony of sleep-deprivation very well. However, it would still fall short on delivering a message. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't think the story actually had something to say. The only thing I really got was that sleep is good and I don't think anyone needs to watch this film to understand that.

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Could have been worse

Lotta flaws in this production but some good parts too.
The script sounds like a draft that needs a lot of work. In the right hands the anime might have been a new franchise series, but (I didn't read the anime) I suspect a lot of background material was left out. Some expansion on the why of the characters' motivations and background details would have helped. Given the wide variety of creative inputs it's surprising it worked as well as it did (not very well at all). The Korean and American actresses went on to active careers so they did what they could with the material. The movie was too short (1.5 hours) and even that was padded with excessive chopping and slashing scenes as if someone thought that would distract from the wooden acting and dialogue.
Once the big reveal happens I was curious to see more of the Saya character and what she would to do going forward. This movie should have been the set - up for a great series revolving around Saya.

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A Monster Calls.

The only Godzilla movie I have watched is that 1998 which, I would later learn, was universally panned by critics. So, this is my second Godzilla movie. (Or rather the first one from Japan.)
What I liked about this is not the monster or the CGI, which without saying, was stunning enough to land an Oscar.

In the backdrop of a war torn Japan, a kamikaze pilot, Shikishima Koichi, who, instead of going to fight a losing war, evades it by lying that his plane had mechanical troubles. The island in which he had landed for repair is soon attacked by a dinosaur like creature and when he is asked to shoot at it using his plane, he becomes frozen with fear, resulting in the death of the mechanics who worked there.
He returns home grief stricken, only to find out that his family was wiped out in the air raids. Now, slowly struggling to make ends meet, he accidentally picks up a lady, Noriko and a child whom she had rescued.
However, he is plagued with guilt and endless nightmares which hinders him from moving forward. Fate comes in the form of Godzilla, which had now become even more indestructible. Shikishima decides to set things right once and for all.

As usual, Japanese movies make simple events seem touching and this one was no exception. It dealt with grief, guilt, loss and the courage to move forward inspite of that all. Noriko, who has just lost everything as he had, had a much more positive disposition whereas Shikishima's inner monsters a him mad.
I liked the simple banter he shared with his co-workers. The movie stressed along on human feelings. All the cast members were excellent and managed to invoke the necessary emotions without overdoing it.

The Godzilla was plain scary. The way it crushed and destroyed everything on it's path was terrifying. I mean, some of the dog's barking as it approached and people screaming and fleeing is the stuff that triggers your worst nightmares. And the radioactivity thingy coming out whenever it was pissed was beautiful, yet, frightening.

All in all, I really enjoyed the experience. It's one of the few rewatch worthy movies I've seen in recent years and it's definitely worth a try.

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Incredibly slow movie

A first observation is that it is past two hours long. The time is justifiable to help us better connect with the MC family and understand the village culture. For me, most of the scenes felt like just clips of the village, no explanation let me better understand the situation before the direction had us diving into its issues.

The characters aren't really loveable. I didn't feel the appeal to empathize with them. Or even pay attention to the movie while it was playing. I got really bored. But I appreciated not getting jump-scared by a whole bunch of random, ugly, dirty zombies that yeet out of nowhere.

If you have bad attention, this may not be your favorite film. If you enjoy films that english or literature classes would use to admire the literacy art- this is the one for you. You'll have so many parts to gawk over when you realize how your points have connected.

Another thing is that it was hard to understand who's the "good" guy or the "bad guy"
So I watched an explanation... instead of rewatching the movie- it's ridiculously long.
If you want to know... then keep reading? Because it's going to be a spoiler.

The Japanese old man - Bad. He is the devil. The taking photos.
Strange woman in a white dress - good. She set up protection for the families. When families are tempted with fear, they break the protection and acted with the Japanese man's intentions.
Shaman - bad. Working in cahoots with the Japanese evil. has a box of photos. Also removed the white dress lady's protection.

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Aldult content-18+

Toxic relationships are not healthy for anyone as they have major consequences in your life from dependency to trust issues and yet we see a toxic relationship.
At first, I thought Tae Kyu was his younger brother as he seemed so needy and the way he treated Jae sung and wanted what he wanted not realising just how hard it is to get money and have to pay everyone. But maybe I thought wrong as he did state he had no friends or family to support him,

Yong Joon I was most sympathetic towards him as all his life he has faced hardships that seem that he isn't appreciated for as Tae kyu always wants more from him. This makes me understand why he does prostitution as it is the only reliable way to make money and he was so in conflict with himself as he knew his actions would have consequences.

The pacing at times were slow but overall it matched the plot

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my roman empire lawl

genuinely keeled me… i don't even wanna speak on it but
the cinematic experience was crazy and i never look at plums the same anymore...

To me personally, bora is one of the most selfless and realistic depictions of a loyal friend, despite yeondu being an obvious complication for woonho and bora's relationship i think it's good to remember the age of which this takes place for both bora and yeondu.
Many may think bora is stupid for her choices but imo they're realistic to her age and true to her personality which can be referenced when yeondu confront's woonho about her and bora's feelings and how much a genuine friend she is, as bora prioritises and values her friendship with yeondu over everything. Additionally, bora's decisions remind the audience that she is still a young girl in highschool and went about her life as she thought would be best for everyone, which can apply to yeondu too. The only reason why the viewer may feel frustrated is due to being able to see woonho's perspective throughout the film and the drag of their love story. Still, a story will always need a complication lol.

I went into this with no knowledge of the plot besides the teasers as I watched it upon its release to netlfix in 2022 expecting a wholesome nostalgic romance and then was left feeling like I got shanked at the end IJBOL. (wooseok PLEASE stay alive i beg)

Youjung and Wooseok's performance here was so refreshing to watch and their depictions of the feelings of the characters despite only having so much time for a movie to convey the plotline made this so enjoyable to sit down and watch (They need their flowers fr).

Finally, when we skip to the future bora in 2022 I think a part of me died seeing mother han hyojoo's 5 minutes of screentime for acting excellence when viewing woonho's final tape for bora... I lost years from my lifespan after this movie lol.

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Dorian “Flash Legs” Tan starred as a high kicker in Hand of Death. John Woo was the writer/director for it as well as taking a supporting role as an imperiled scholar. Jackie Chan played a supporting role as a younger brother seeking revenge in this Hong Kong movie filmed in Taiwan and South Korea.

The Manchus decided the Shaolin temples had too much power and too many trained fighters. They found students willing to betray their brothers for money and soon the loyal shaolin students who remained alive were on the run. Commander Shih and his sidekicks Du Qing and Smiling Fox rule their little empire with iron fists or more accurately, Killing Crane fists. Faithful shaolin student Yung Fei has been chosen by the rebels to escort a scholar with a secret list to safety and also to kill Commander Shih. No easy feat, as Shih is protected by 8 Tiger Generals who work as his bodyguards. After failing in his endeavor to kill Shih, Yung Fei convinces two fighters to help him---The Master Sword, a wandering swordsman with a score to settle, and Little Tan, a blacksmith and delivery boy whose brother was killed by Shih and his men. Even with the extra help, it will take a miracle for the men to keep the scholar alive and to take the life of Shih.

Dorian Tan is always fun to watch with his quick, high kicks. His film career ended for the most part around 1985, but he went on to teach Taekwondo in Korea and the United States. This was the fourth film a very young John Woo directed. It was interesting seeing the larger than life director as the fearful scholar depending on others to protect him. Jackie Chan was almost unrecognizable in the role of Little Tan until he started moving and some early Chan mannerisms showed through. James Tien made for a believable villain if not fighter, with poor Sammo wearing prosthetic teeth as his #1. Never one to avoid hitting the ground or anything else, Sammo put his body through the mill during his fight with Dorian in the latter part of the film. Korean actor Kim Ki Ju made for a smarmy and dangerous #2. Yuen Wah played one of the 8 Bodyguards and was unable to hide his quick moves even in this small role. The overall fight choreography for the movie was adequate, oftentimes stilted but avoided kung fu posing. Some fights were better than other, some faster than others. You could tell a number of kicks didn’t really land, but that’s one of the safety concerns with fast, powerful kickers. Ask Jackie Chan about the tooth he lost when filming with “Thunder Leg” Hwang Jang Lee. Even at that, one stunt did go wrong involving a cable with Chan being knocked out.

Like so many kung fu movies filmed in Taiwan and Korea, most of the settings were outdoors in nature. John Woo didn’t break the mold with his story or directing, but as a young director with little experience he did an admirable job of taking a stock story and not overcomplicating it or making it a sieve of plot holes. I only wish they'd sprung for some better wigs. These hairpieces looked like they'd been shoved into a box, stored for ten years, brought out and plopped down on the actors' heads without even brushing them out.

The story was standard. There was a secret list and an almost invincible bad guy. The good guys had to train to improve their skills and weapons or be destroyed. The actors were able to lift the characters slightly above the page, but this was still average at best. The final fight was exciting because by that time, through the little band of fighters’ skills and sacrifices I’d become invested in Shih being taken down…hard. But most of all, I wanted Dorian to flash those legs of his which he kindly obliged to do. As always, graded on a curve.

3 June 2024

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When a film changes the law!

Artists can move society forward. France has the Coluche law, Korea has the 'Dogani' law (the Korean title of Silenced). You may find this film exaggerated, but it describes facts that have been well established since the various trials (see Wikipedia "Gwangju Inhwa School"). By using the book that exposed the facts, and by giving a little more heroism to the teacher at the centre of the story (who was a little less courageous in the book), the film mobilised the Korean population to the point of changing the law and retrying the guilty parties (12 and 7 years in prison this time).

We might also add that this success is due to the determination of Gong Yoo, who, having just been demobilised from his military service, set about putting into pictures the book that had been given to him.

The icing on the cake is that the film is so well shot and acted (yes, precautions have been taken for children, see Gong Yoo's interview on You tube) that it's enough to recommend it.

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Quality Meh

If this movie was made in an age with less media saturation it might have been something special on the back of the narrative qualities. The setting is beautiful, and the costumes as well. Special Effects were a bit lacking, so was some of the choreography but not enough to harm the main plot. The main characters were given similar arcs, but benefited from what seem to be skilled and experienced actors. Japanese movies are notorious for favoring eye candy over developed skill, so this was a welcome deviation from it. The plot is the weakest part of the story. There were a few unnecessary plot threads which slowed down the pacing of the story, some characters weren't even needed. Some plot threads needed more fleshing out, and might have benefited by giving some characters a bigger role, and more of a narrative arc, but the movie is long as it is.

It's merits as a movie shine quite brightly. The music and camera work are nothing I can complain about. They must have had a good director, and producer. I will watch the sequel, despite my mixed feelings. It's an excellent dramatic narrative to watch, tackling some heavy themes. It can be the launching pad of a great many discussions. For that reason it is worth watching.

It's the kind of story that benefits from slow build ups, that was the right call. It was hurt by not being able to beef up some plot threads. That made it too slow in some parts. So I deem it to be quality meh. The good parts are good, The bad parts are bad. Some scenes are not needed but most people won't regret watching it.

But don't watch it with you kids, unless you want to tackle discussions most parent find uncomfortable. The story itself doesn't give meaningful answers save on the central conflict.

High scores for the music and acting, average score for the plot, and I doubt anyone will want to rewatch it. Thumbs up. Will be there for the sequel but if you miss it, you won't miss much.

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Ridiculous fun

What have I just watched? Madness. It was a crazy ride. Sort of James Bond-ish. Sort of superhero-ish, but without super powers - a bit like Batman not having powers like the other superheroes. It was funny and sombre and outrageously ridiculous. Loved it!

There was a scene that surprised me and I don't think I can erase it from my memory. Let's just say he's a playboy and not shy!

If they made a sequel, I'd gladly watch it.

What I liked: the silliness of it all. The feisty Kaori.

What I didn't like: sometimes the silliness was over the top, but not so much that I wanted to stop watching it. The feisty Kaori (sometimes).

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Message to fight homophobia and internalized homophobia

Chai is a lonely young man who recently graduated. Dissatisfied in his courtship, he ends up with the girlfriend with whom his father, a man who continually dictates to him how to live, hopes that he will marry one day and have a happy life according to his criteria of happiness.
One night, fed up with this situation, Chai gets drunk in a bar where he meets Raffe, a friendly stranger who takes care of him.
'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man! (ราฟกับชาย), is a Thai LGBTIQ+ themed romantic short film, released on December 22, 2023 by Wayufilm Production.
One of the benefits of the film is to introduce us to two new faces in the BL universe: those of the young Euro Pratchakorn Nokaew, the actor who plays Chai, known for taking on the role of Hope in the miniseries 'Her', and Novel Paruntawatt Wittayarutt, who precisely makes his acting debut with the role of Raffe.
Despite being a simple story and, incidentally, we will know very little about our protagonists, the tension and conflict created advance the story and keep the audience interested.
Scripted and directed by filmmaker Nicchi Nitchapoom Chaianun, the film seeks to make us reflect on parents who accept the homosexuality of everyone, except that of their children.
This is evident with Chai's father, a man who lives or works in a space where two clearly visible giant posters that allude to love between boys hang on the wall. One of them is obviously that of the film 'My Bromance' ("พี่ชาย My Bromance", Phi Chai My Bromance), from 2014, directed by Nicchi himself, in which two young people of the same sex can be seen hugging.
However, this character, played by the renowned actor Pug Raywat Peanpojjananarth, despite being inserted in an environment surrounded by homosexual images and symbolism, does not accept his son's homosexuality.
Other topics addressed are internalized homophobia and acceptance. Chai doesn't love his girlfriend and this is why he argues with his father. Thus he ends up in a visibly gay bar. He is approached by a boy who politely asks if he can keep him company. Raffe's interest is evident as he approaches Chai. After drinking with Raffe, that's the boy's name, Chai rejects him because he is gay.
Then, the conflict, organic and arising naturally from the story, is established: the two characters have opposite desires or objectives.
While Raffe seeks to establish a romantic, or at least sexual, bond, Chai, who tries to erase with alcohol the treatment his father gives him every day, hides himself behind not wanting to be linked to homosexuals.
However, being drunk, he ends up allowing himself to be driven to the young man's house, with whom he will establish a deep loving bond. Chai has overcome internalized homophobia.
What does the character still have to do after falling in love with a boy?
Meeting Raffe will also result in Chai gaining courage and confronting his father, in the most dramatic scene of the short film. And not only this, but his father finally accepts his son.
It is interesting that the film is designed to be narrated many of its scenes without the spoken word, with the support of music and moving images, specifically in some moments of interaction between the two protagonists in which they animatedly converse.
And in that, we understand Nicchi, who, from the audiovisual resources of montage and shot, opts for this structure to advance the story.
Telling a story with limited use of dialogue is a rigorous exercise in cinematographic terms. One of the main resources used in cinema is oral narration, almost always descriptive, and serves to complete what cannot be resolved by visual means.
But in the case of 'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man! There is even more, because it is a film that breaks down each moment shot by shot, in a fluid narrative and without unnecessary editing tricks. It always prevails a conception of space as a place to be explored by the eye, without cuts and with a lot of imagination.
With good performances, commendable production values ​​and fluid narrative and scenery, 'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man' leaves us with a profound message of fighting against homophobia and internalized homophobia.

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This movie is one of those I find it really hard to write a review for -- anything I would say would spoil it, since this movie is one of those which are fascinating because there's no way to know what will happen next.

So, I'll just point out only some aspects:
* Trigger warnings for explicit depictions of excessive violence, suicide, human trafficking, drug use rape and forced sex work.
* The movie is very slow and quiet, except where it's not.
* The movie is definitely not fluffy. But heartwarming all the same.
* There's a love story that is told in less than six minutes, from beginning to the end -- and I still cried for both lovers. (But it's still not a romance movie.)
* The young boy actor was impressive.
* A lot of the story is told not in dialogue but in silence. The movie expects the viewer to pay attention not what the characters say, but what they do.
* When people are victims, over and over, all of their lives, is there a chance to get up again? -- The story can be read as some social commentary. But maybe not.
* The sombre tone is lightened by the group of neighbours, whose loving antics are hilarious.

This is not a movie I will rewatch any time soon, it's just too intense for that -- maybe in a few years. But I can recommend it for anyone who is not disturbed by the themes mentioned above and wants something different that engages the mind.
It's probably best if you see for yourself.

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