Reviews

So proud of Kyungsoo <333

Just finished watching and I LOVED IT!! It has my two favorite things: Space and Doh Kyungsoo :3 My review is probably a bit biased because I'd enjoy a movie with Kyungsoo just sitting there doing nothing for 2 hours lol but I really enjoyed this! The plot was pretty typical of a space movie (The Martian vibes) but there was never a point where I was bored and I actually cried a lot lol.

Like everyone else is saying in their reviews, the CGI is amazing!! I've never seen a Korean film with this good of CGI (might just be inexperienced though). The acting is also amazing! I loved Sol Kyung Gu as Kim Jae Guk and ofc Kyungsoo (I'll get more into his acting in a sec tho lol). Overall, I definitely recommend watching this film!

(SPOILER WARNING):
One thing I didn't love (but not a huge deal or anything) was the typical english acting lol. I just always find it so cheesy and the actors they chose at NASA were so stereotypically American it was hilarious (especially the big boss guy who keeps trying to sabotage the rescue mission (dad from the Incredibles vibes). Kyungsoo did amazing with his english lines tho omg <3

Now onto the most important part: Kyungsoo's acting <333 he is such an amazing actor, he really pulled this role off spectacularly. I sobbed my eyes out when I got to the part where he almost gives up and turns the oxygen valve off ):: His acting is so convincing, I could sing his praises endlessly!!!! I'm soso proud of how far he's come and I hope to see him in more dramas/films in the future.

Leia Mais

This is oe of the worse short K-BLs I've seen. The premise is fine, but how they told the story in the second half made it fall apart completely. Did the people who were responsible not get feedback from someone else?

What I liked:
* I loved the relationship between Yeong Woo and his father. Even if there are only a few scenes with them both, I have a distinct impression on how growing up must have been for Yeong Woo with this father, and for the father, raising is son to be an independent, and kind person. You see, it IS possible to establish how people feel about each other in just a few minutes of screentime!
* Stories not set in college or high school are always a plus for me. I liked that Yeong Woo was of a lower or middle class background. I also found it very relatable that he did not know what to do with his life.

What I did not like:
* The two main leads got too close, too fast for my liking. I've never talked to people I've only met three or four times about my most initmate dreams and hopes for the future.
* The show seems to follow the precept of "show, don't tell". The thing is, if you show only fragments, and we, as the audience have to guess what is going on, we won't be very satisfied. This becomes especially clear just before and after the time skip, where we only get to see disjointed scenes, sometimes without context. If we don't even get clues to guess, then it only becomes an exercise in frustration.
Some examples: Why the crying at the traffic lights? Where was Ki Jin during the time skip? When did Yeong Woo become a model, and how does he balance this with his delivery job? Where is his mother? Why is the friend also back? Did they ever talk about their breakup? What happened between Yeon Woo and the friend in the past? (Were they lovers? Friends? Rivals? Just classmates?)

I don't get why "follow your dreams" and "be with the one you love" have to be an either-or-decision. Long-distance-relationships? Talking about things and then compromising? That's apparently nothing that exists in this world.

All in alll, the drama feels more like an outline for the first few episodes of a longer story, not something you would consider complete and fit for release.

You can watch it, if you like, since the show is rather short, but I'd recommend to give it a miss.

[This is a slightly edited version of the review I posted on Viki.]

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Insanely thrilling

The overall buildup is amazing and had me on edge of my seat! Story was great and they made an amazing mixture of supernatural, folklore, shamanism.

The use of subtle horror rather than giving a physical face in some scenes was amazing and gave more thrill and suspense.

Each actor/actress pulled of their role perfectly - as expected of a star studded lineup!

The movie sets the tone perfectly ; despite having some scenes where it drops, but overall, a very good and enjoyable watch.

Side note: Lee Dohyun and Kim Goeun are so attractive in this film <3

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Todo puede cambiar en un segundo

Partiendo del concepto de que la vida cambia en un segundo y a 0.001 centímetros de distancia, esta película nos lleva por el frenesí de cuatros personajes que se cruzan y se desvían varias veces antes de finalmente reconocerse. Son dos historias de amor, al menos de los inicios de ellos, que se centra mucho en lo que sucede individualmente con los sentimientos. Así también, se centra en cómo las cosas que nos pasan, nos afectan y nos cambian para siempre. Es hermosa porque es sencilla y realista, sin por eso ser aburrida. La banda sonora es muy buena, y el cover de "Dreams" es probablemente lo más hermoso que te vas a encontrar. Así también, el manejo del director de las cámaras y los tiempos es fresco, y nos saca mucho de la postura hollywoodense que abunda. Un regalo.

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“It’s better in the Bahamas”

Way of the Black Dragon was the tale of two different movies spliced into one. The first half was a sleazy sexploitation story about two women kidnapped for hazy reasons and used as drug mules and sold into sex trafficking. In the second half the Black Dragon, Carter Wong, and an unknown Hong Kong actor showed up to try and rescue the women.

This is the type of movie you could fast forward through the first half and miss almost nothing except the degradation of women for sport. I suffered through it so that I could write a review. It starts in Thailand where Allison and friend are kidnapped, forced to be drug mules on a plane to Hong Kong, sold into prostitution, some were murdered, etc. Around the halfway mark, Allison ends up being sold as a wife to Carter Wong. This lasts about 5 minutes. She tells him what happened and he vows to take the syndicate down. At the same time, Special Agent Bill Eaton aka the Black Dragon, an Interpol agent, discovers the trafficking and takes Allison back to Thailand where she is once again kidnapped. Carter, Allison’s brother, and The Black Dragon team up to take down the bad guys with lots of poorly shot car chases, motorcycle chases, and water chases.

The second half of the movie which was completely different in temperament might have been saved with great fight choreography, but the fights were generally poorly planned and underwhelming. Ron Van Clief had quick and powerful kicks and moves at times and at others were ridiculously let down by the slow, awkward choreography. He was entertaining to watch but the movie around him was a dumpster fire. Carter Wong didn’t have much to do other than get thrown into the deep end of the story without much motivation. I’m not sure who played Allison’s brother, I couldn’t find a listing. I’ve seen Hsiao Ho mentioned, and he was in the movie as one of the thugs, but not as the brother. The women were all but forgotten by the end of the movie.

The Way of the Black Dragon had choppy editing, an abysmal story, uninspired fights, and bad acting even for a kung fu movie. At one point Van Clief wears a t-shirt that says “It’s better in the Bahamas”. It would have to be, it couldn’t be any worse than this. Unless you are a completionist and want to finish The Black Dragon trilogy, I’d suggest skipping this one.

24 March 2024

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Ambush...

Well... this was slightly confusing a movie where they spared the blood but not the gunshots with very little plot (if any). A movie where we are left to fill in the blanks quite a lot, I guess you could say this is a movie without a mission therefore they had to call it The Mission.

A movie that has you wondering why is a man who has just survived an attempted assassination always i big spaces where he can easily be shot?

I get it that this was pre covid and pre teams but I am sure they could schedule meetings in slightly safer/more controllable settings. But then again we would not have anything to watch now would we*?

An ok watch that was oddly entertaining at times, stupid as ***

Leia Mais

Wow this was a great movie.

The plot is so insanely interesting. The constant action, a lot of gory and R-rated things, which don't bother me at all but might for others. I love these action movies and this movie surely, gave it to me in the best aspect of it.

Of course the actors did it great too. Especially Kang Seung Hyun. But I'm being biased on that because I love her and she's beautiful. Even though she had just a support role in this movie or what you consider a supportful she's a total badass in this movie. Ending of this movie was interesting too because it's a cliffhanger and kind of a plot that you didn't see coming which obviously leads to the second one which is supposedly on Netflix.

I would say this as one of the best movies I have ever watched as of late.

If you love action, crime and investigation tangling with insanity. You should watch this movie and make sure to get some popcorn.

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Night Owl is critically acclaimed and I loved it.

I really loved the Korean movie Night Owl. The movie covers the same time period as the historic Period dramas My Dearest (1636-1659) and Captivating the King (1636). The major action in Night Owl takes place circa 1645. The period covered is right at the end of the Chinese Ming Dynasty’s subjugation of Joseon ended and the Chinese Qing Dynasty took over. Joseon fared a little better under the Ming Dynasty, and less favorably under the Qing Dynasty. To maintain control, the Qing Dynasty took members of the Royal families from their subjects to China as “Guest” (hostages). The movie storyline is dramatized history, with many real historic persons. Facts are fed around the drama.

Our protagonist (Ryu Jun-yeol as Kyung-soo) is a blind Acupuncturist, but he has some vision in darkness or at night, a fact he does not make known. Treated as invisible because of being blind, Kyung-soo plays that to his advantage, as Kyung-Soo is selected to work in the Royal Palace. All works well until one day someone murders a Royal in his presence. The movie looks polished and elevated. Camera angles are just right. There is always this heightened sense of danger for Kyung-soo, because of his disability.

Also, there is a great child actor (Joo Won as Yi Suk Chul [Eldest son of Crown Prince So Hyeon) in this movie. As you are waiting for the next episodes of your new Korean dramas to drop or waiting to binge upon completion, try out the Korean Movie Night Owl.

Night Owl was nominated for eight Baeksang Arts Awards (Equivalent to the Oscars) and won three.

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Mary was very ahead of her time

I remember stumbling upon this movie on tv when I was around 14yo and finding it very bizarre, confusing and overall I did not enjoy it much. Now, many years later, I didn’t really remember much of it and decided to rewatch it. Needless to say, I was not disappointed at all. Very witty and straight to the point. Mary’s last year of high school could be described as frantic as she went through oppression, loss and rejection in the span of 410 twits (somewhere close to five months). However, the comedic aspects of the movie were what called out to me the most. The plot of it may not be the most original one, as it really is mostly about how a teenager is facing the world in the fragile age of seventeen, but the format in which the movie was made was the turning point which made it distinctive and characterful. I also have to mention that the cinematography was brilliant and it really did pay a lot to the story. Overall, this movie is criminally underrated.

P.S. Mary in 2024 would have definitely been an Instagram poet.

Leia Mais

Awesome Fight Choreography

This is one of the best martial arts movie I have watched. The plot is simple and direct but the way it was directed kept me glued at my seat. It is fast pace, shot in beautiful locations, wonderful sceneries, costumes and wardrobe fit perfectly with the scenes, all artists were convincing in their portrayal of their characters.
One of the best movies in this genre that I have seen.
of there is one thing negative to say, it will be somebofnthe brutal scenes but then again, it's my personal disposition. My brutal may not be anything remotely close to others' meaning of brutal.

Highly recommended watch. I will now watch the season 2. Hopefully, it will also keep me glued.

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ADORABLE highschool romance that requires your attention to fully enjoy it

So m.y review might be abit weird, because for me this movie wasn't near a 9 for the first 45min of it, and that's not because the movie was bad but because I wasn't really paying attention to it.. I was feeling secondhand embarrassment and cringing because I never really recieved the right signal until way later.
The moment things hit me the movie's atmosphere changed drastically! I was drawn in a sea of cuteness and loveliness washing away everything and leaving me with nothing but fluff inside.
I must also note, that this is a really good romance where it stood its grounds without the need of comedy which isn't something I'm used to nor do I like to watch usually.

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Owing Him a Kiss

Overall, I enjoyed this movie, but there was one thing that left me unsatisfied. In several scenes, the female lead (Kenzaki Hiruko) promised to let the male lead (Yuzuru Hamura) kiss her if he did what she asked. This situation happened again when Kenzaki Hiruko ordered Yuzuru Hamura to move the zombie body of Shindo Ayumu from the bed. After that, I thought and hoped there would be a scene where Kenzaki Hiruko would fulfill her promise at the end or before the movie ended. But that didn't happen, and they didn't even slightly mention the promise. Instead, they only showed a scene revealing that Kyosuke Akechi had become a zombie. It was OBVIOUS that he wouldn't survive, and it didn't surprise me at all. I'm sure if the director had decided to include a scene, even just a slight reference to the promised kiss at the end of the movie, many people would have liked it as I did. That's why I call it "Owing Him a Kiss" because it remains a debt. That's my brief review and complaints, thank you.

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