Reviews

Hwang Jang “I don’t need no stinking wires” Lee directed, wrote, and starred in Hitman in the Hand of Buddha. Like Lo Lieh, he was often relegated to villain roles. Because this was his baby, he was able to shave off his iconic mustache and be the one to pummel the bad guy and not be the one pummeled.

Wong Chin comes to the town where his sister and brother-in-law live looking for work. Chasing a pickpocket leads him to their boss, Beggar Fan. After the two fight, Beggar Fan takes a liking to the brash young man. Not long after Wong ends up in a fight with the annoying Shan Hao. Shan Hao’s boss Tiger/Uncle 33 takes unction at the upstart’s disrespectful action and visits Wong’s family with deadly consequences. Ignorant of what has happened Wong fights with Tiger when the villain comes calling and is losing badly. Beggar Fan steps in and negotiates to save Wong’s life by having the young man leave town. Beggar Fan sends Wong to the shaolin temple for him to learn new techniques that might save his life in the future.

I love watching “Thunderleg” Lee fight, especially when he’s kicking. A 9th dan Grandmaster in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo he’s the real deal and his high-flying acrobatic kicking needed no wires or CGI. The early fights and the end of the last fight were the best when Hwang Jang Lee was using his Thunderleg. The hand to hand and pole fighting were overly choreographed although they did display Hwang’s athletic ability and agility. A chopstick scene was quite creative in a fight against Tino. I was happy to see him able to play the good guy, a very rare event. Eddy Ko lacked in speed but made up in menace as Tiger/Uncle 33. Whenever there was a need for a smarmy or rapist character producers must have had Tino Wong on speed dial.

The story is one done a hundred times and I wished that Hwang had avoided the rape in his story. The rest was typical. Good guy comes to town, stands up for the little guy and is beaten by the bad guy. He studies a new form with training montages and then returns for the rampage and pay back. This movie was filmed in Korea so at least there was a new shaolin temple for a backdrop. There was a Hong Kong cut of the film and a Korean cut. I saw a version with English dubbing, sometimes a necessary evil with these older kung fu films, but it was also interspersed with German!

Hwang Jang Lee is one of my favorite fighters to watch and being able to enjoy his turn as a hero was a bonus. The kicking fights were fluid and exhilarating. I only wish the rest of the slower fights, while complex, had been as thrilling. As always, I grade these old niche films on a curve.

13 March 2024

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2 hours and 20 minutes of suspense

I had this movie on my "to watch" list for quite some time, but I finally got around to watching it, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Initially, I hesitated because I thought it might be too long for a plane hijacking movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by its depth and complexity.
The cast, as expected in Korean cinema, delivered stellar performances (Veterans never miss).
The first half of the movie hooks you with its mystery and detective work, while the second half delves into deeper emotional territory, prompting contemplation about how you would handle similar situations.
In summary, I highly recommend it; it's truly worth every minute.

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A movie that falls into place once you're done watching

This movie was somewhat hard to place in terms of rating, but overall I think it did good.

The story revolves around comedians and their attempts at becoming successful. It feels more like a slice of life peek into their lives rather than the movie having a singular narrative during its course as it spans over many years.

Masaki Suda has really shown proclivity for roles that portray characters which struggle to do what they love and find their place in this world. There are moments where it feels like he's speaking from his own personal experience and those emotions are really well conveyed.

I would've loved to see more on some other characters and where they ended up and how their life turned out. I feel like the movie is lacking closure, but I also feel that it's designed to be that way - as long as you're alive, you can try time and time again.

If I had to explain it in a more direct way, I'd say that this movie makes you expect an apple - and when you bite into it, it turns out to be sweeter than anticipated and you think to yourself "Aaah, this is a nice apple." It's not the best meal of your life - but how many of your meals are? The movie accepts itself. And you should too.

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It fulfills its objective of serving as a link to the long-awaited sequel

The group of friends from Golf High School ("Fluke" Teerapat Lohanan) and Bank ("Fluke" Sripinta Pongsatorn) have gathered (hence the title) in a house to spend a day of vacation dissipating the summer heat in a pool. They have left high school behind and are now pursuing university studies. Despite having each embarked on their own path, they maintain friendship and contact with each other.
While they are having fun between games and jokes, Golf appears, who acts as host and has invited his friends, as on other occasions, to share time like this with him. The attentive public expects that at any moment Bank will join the group and resume the love relationship he had with Golf. But this does not happen.
This is how the viewer understands that contrary to what was narrated in the film 'My Bromance', Golf did not die of a brain disease as Bank was led to believe. Golf, along with his friends and parents, have lied to him about him being dead. While Golf tells Tar (Worakamon Nokkaew) that he still misses Bank, Tar and Parn (Varatchaya Comemamoon) respond that they also feel bad for cooperating in the lie.
'My Bromance: Reunion' (Thai: พี่ชาย, RTGS: Phi Chai), also called 'My Bromance Special Episode: Reunion', the Thai BL and LGBT-themed short film directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun, is not intended to follow the romance between these two boys.
A question that the public asks: why the short film? The story of Golf and Bank had its end with the death of the former while the latter would remember him not only for having been his youthful love, but also for saving his life by donating his kidney. But the impact of the film, both inside and outside Thai borders, led the filmmakers to take up the story in a later sequel, but to do so they needed to explain that Golf had not died.
Regardless of whether or not you like what is shown on the screen or how unethical you can see behind a lie for whatever reasons, the truth is that the short, released on May 18, 2015, fully fulfills its function of continuing the events narrated in the film 'My Bromance', by the same director and released a year earlier, as well as serving as a link to its long-awaited sequel 'My Bromance 2: 5 years later', from 2020.
In this way, the creators could resume the story interrupted with the "death" of Golf, to introduce the viewer to the subsequent continuation of the romance: after the traffic accident they suffered, Golf has not died, as they made Bank believe. . Golf continues with his studies, although he still suffers from the aftermath of the tragedy.
Instead of confronting his parents, his immaturity led him to lie to the person he loves, because he considered that the farce is a good idea to make Bank forget him and thus be able to turn the page on that romantic relationship so frowned upon by his parents. both boys.
However, Golf has not been able to forget Bank, and he will ask his friends to continue giving him a gift from them every year, on Bank's birthday.
The sad, distressed looks of everyone show that, deep down, they do not agree with the situation and they hope to be able to reveal the truth to Bank at some point and that the two boys, if they wish, can continue with their romance. .
And so it will happen, but it will be reviewed at another time.

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A very easy movie to watch

I don't really understand the fuss about the ending of the movie. So lets go back to the movie itself :

Yanase Maki is gay, he has a sick and blind grandmother Midori who wish for him to travel to America. To make his mother happy, he makes ASMR audios for her to relax and make her "see" his various journeys. During his struggles, he meets Ari Naomi. His father Tamotsu is a selfish man who gamble money and ask his own son for money. He will be the reason of his son's unhappiness. Naomi has a girl who is in love with him. But he struggle to have any relationship with her due to his father's dangerous behavior. While Naomi gets closer to Maki while doing ASMR together, he slowly open his heart to him. Maki fall in love with him, but Naomi is still not really completely open to him, for the same reason he can't be with the girl. But Noami decide to leave his father as he has some money on the side to be independent and be with Maki.
Maki, wanting to make his grandmother happy, pretend to have left to America, and with the help of Naomi, give her ASMR to make her believe the story. She died happy, yet Maki think he let her down.

One day, people beat them up because of his father's gambling. Then, when he tried to get his money at the bank, he realised his own father stole everything from him. After facing his father, he has Makino options or he may get killed because of his father, and need money quickly. He decide to steal for a rich woman he knows. But he get caught and go to prison.
Maki came to visit, but Naomi break up with him as he see himself as a failure and want Maki to be happy with someone who can give him the love he deserve.
The conversation is not obvious, but the intension while knowing the story behind his words can't be missed to those who can see more than just the lines said by the actor.

When Naomi left prison, he got closer to the girl he know and they get together as a couple. From my point of view, he just want a quiet, trouble free, life. He already has a record, so working can be a problem, and being with a man (in japan) can be even more difficult. So he has chosen his head instead of his hart (like many people do).
The final scene is the same as the opening, when they see each other in opposite cars. Maki seems relax, yet Naomi will always linger for the one he can never have.

The ending reminded me of More Than Words (2022), when parents have their hands on their children's happiness. Even if japan is not a dangerous country for gays, they are not yet fully accepted. Especially for parents with gay children. But here it's not homophobia, it's the dominion of parenthood over their children's life. It's all about pretending :
Maki fakes his own life to his blind grandmother for her to be happy, hiding behind a picture perfect he made up for her.
Naomi fakes his own love to become normal and escape his father. He also escape his own "prison" made by his dad by listening and playing with Maki.

I get that many people would have loved a love story with happy ending. However, many Japanese BL are close to the French dark movies. Very close to real life, were people are facing the society and the culture of their country while struggling with their own love life. The movie is good. No violent ending and no real homophobia. So it's easier to watch than some other movies. It's a movie to watch at least once.

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Kind of complication to be in another country

It is not bad overall the story and they are like illegal immigrants to another country. Many complications no doubt and many of the parts are like shortcuts thus make it confusing. If you watch this movie it is like today's immigrants whp do not have a citizenship have to stay put and make sure there is no problem. In all countries there are many illegal immigrants where these people have nowhere to run to due to many things, they have to run all their lives. This is what this story is about . I am surprised Song Joong Ki was picked to this movie but anyway it is emotional too. Thanks for the movie and the excellent casts chosen

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Swamp Thing Meets Species w/Some Jurassic Park

Another prime video laughingstock about a lake monster or two in Thailand that kills people on land in a very disbelieving fashion while those trying to get away and screaming isn't at all believable. Cars supposedly driving fast are obviously going no faster than 10 mph. One dude becomes like of one mind with the smaller monster and sacrifices himself to get rid of both. No one is panicked ever. Just walk quickly, chant, and pretend the thing is horrifying which is the only thing CGI got right. Thailand definitely needs more money in their entertainment industry because this was sad. Not a recommendation.

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If you can't understand the synopsis, this will help.

First of all, if you are not into old movies, don't waste your time on this.
This is not my generation. I only decided to watch it since the title suggested the legend of foxes. Also, HongKong movies are very popular before.
Story: As a whole, it is good. I did not expect the ending. I thought I would see more of the "legend" part but that's me, I expected a lot. If you have HK film exposure, you will expect some action scenes. Again, of course, it's unlike the modern action scene performances. The story showed how foxes (or wolves as per the subtitle) were portrayed in ancient times, the females are seductive, alluring, and has to possess beauty. "The more beautiful, the more dangerous." This is the mentality- humans are dangerous and wolves are dangerous. And that's how the story started. There is a skillful hunter hunting a powerful prey, the only one who can dispell her spells. The romance here does not include intimate kissing scenes, actually, there's none of that, it did not show it like that. Even so, the love story is not as boring as you can imagine.
Cast: However, the ones listed here did not include Brother Ten's name (this is according to the sub of the link shared in the comment section), the female lead's love interest and the FL's mother's name.
FL: The only daughter of what I would refer to as the wolf queen/fox queen (the sub used "wolf" throughout). She fell in love with a human, the apprentice of her mother's enemy.
ML: The 10th son of the Wei family who guards the only object that can make the wolves perish forever. He freed the FL who was caged when he was young.
Hunter King: Appeared to be like an hermit, the only skillful hunter who can defeat the mother of the FL, the 'wolf queen', he knows spells, has fighting skills, and can use magic. He became the master of the ML after the guardian of the ML died.
Wolf Queen: She lives to seek revenge for the hunter who hurt her. She left her daughter to escape but used her once she was freed to get the object and the human heart she needed to revive their master or the wolf king (?) to kill his enemy- the hunter.
ML's guardian: Skillful, handicapped, but always protected the ML and the Wei family's treasure.
Music: Well, the 90s sound effect ? okay but not really my cup of tea.
The acting is overall good, I think I would have enjoyed it better with better sub?. Each did their role justice. The love story is not bad. I would love if there were more fight scenes. I thought I'd see more of the ML and FL in action, but yeah. The costume is okay, the effects are of the old film setting. I would watch it again if I find a better sub.
Watch this at your own risk.

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Scud is a concept for me, originality, and we have several of his creations here, of which I was most interested in Permanent Residence and partially Amphetamine. But this was seriously a ride ... and as usual pre-selected nice actors, nudity, erotica. Crazy story. The spirit of the "curious person in the shower" gradually visits three other Asian countries, even Spain, and one of the characters is his trans sister. Pleasantly chaotic, light, and the only unpleasant point for me was the bodyshop, I would completely throw it out of the story, that's why I put three minus points for the story and the film in second place behind Permanent Residence in Scuda. Viewers with an open mind will appreciate the film rather with insight and light comedy...

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"I'm old, but I'm not dead yet!"

The Comeback is an old school violent film with old school actors. Even the young guy, Andy On, was pushing 50! Best not to look too closely at the uneven script and just enjoy it for the mindless action film it was.

Mr. Hua runs an antique shop on an old street and takes care of everyone. He’s especially close to Sister Zhen who works at the orphanage and one of her charges, Xiaoye. Officer Qiang looks up to him and has his back whenever he needs it. Hua dutifully brings homeless Old Cao who lives in his vehicle food every day. A gang wants to demolish the street for developers and has been intimidating people into signing away their property. But these guys are pesky demons compared to the devils coming to town. Hua who has suffered from amnesia the last three years has forgotten his previous profession and the reason he has 21 scars on his body and a nail in his brain. The bad guys are going to be in trouble when he remembers his particular skill set.

The story took too long to gain traction, especially since the audience already knew what caused Hua’s amnesia. The gang who wanted to demolish the neighborhood wasn’t set up very well either. Suddenly, the big bads arrived, relegating the gang to the back burner as they began kicking up the body count in search of a USB. Numerous cops moved in on Officer Qiang’s territory convinced Hua was the prime suspect for something and then everything. Because of the amnesia trope there were also numerous flashbacks. A simple story was made more complicated than it needed to be. Regardless, Simon Yam and Yuen Wah working together was a delight. Simon at 68 and Yuen at 73 showed how old school charisma can cover over a multitude of sins. Sixty-eight-year-old Norman Chu also made an appearance. Andy On conveyed enough menace to be a proper traitorous villain.

The Comeback provided plenty of things that go bang in the night---weaponized drones, guns, bombs, missiles, and a weaponized motorcycle. I was happy to see Yuen Wah have a short fight scene. He was one of the more skilled martial arts experts in old kung fu films. They worked around Simon’s age in a couple of different ways during his hand-to-hand encounters which worked fairly well.

As uneven as the writing was, The Comeback was entertaining and had some heart. It didn’t offer anything unique but it served up a heaping helping of action scenes showcasing older actors aging to perfection.

12 March 2024

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An obsession that haunts human beings: seeing people who hate each other love each other

Golf (Teerapat Lohanan) is an 18-year-old young man who lives in a wealthy house but with a dysfunctional family, whose parents have barely taken care of him. Her mother has died and she now lives with her aunt and her father Vut, who is constantly on business trips and whom she blames for her mother's death.
After being orphaned, he has changed his behavior from being an athletic and active young man to behaving aggressively and temperamentally. His friends describe him as a playboy and foul-mouthed. From his father he has only obtained little love and inattention, but a lot of money that does not fulfill his life. Circumstances have caused Golf to feel resentful towards his ancestor and this animosity has an impact on his personal and student life.
The Thai film 'My Bromance' ("พี่ชาย My Bromance", Phi Chai My Bromance) revolves around this axis, filmed in 2013 and released on February 20, 2014, which tells the moving story of two teenage stepbrothers who go from hating each other. to love each other passionately against all odds.
Set in Chiang Mai, this romantic youth drama with a BL and LGBT theme, has its turning point when Bank (Sripinta Pongsatorn), a gentle, kind and sweet-tempered young man, ends up moving to Golf's house, since the father of He and Thara (Chiangmai), his mother, have just gotten married.
Bank, a teenager four months younger than Golf, hopes to be accepted into his new family. However, his new stepbrother will make his life impossible, as he does not accept his father's new marriage or the fact that he now has a younger brother.
Directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun, the film follows the toxic and sentimental relationship that arises between these two young high school students who, due to their parents' marriage, begin to live under the same roof as "brothers." Despite initially teasing Bank, he and Golf can't help but get closer. Before accepting each other as stepbrothers, they must learn the art of living together, overcoming environmental obstacles and falling in love little by little. Will the feelings of love between siblings grow beyond that?
However, despite the abyss that separates them because they are socially considered "brothers" and their enormous differences in characters and personalities, both will begin to feel an irresistible attraction that will soon become pure fire and unbridled passion. Neither the continuous rivalry between the two nor the opposition of those around them will be able to prevent them from ending up lost and secretly in love, which will put their forbidden love to the test.
The synopsis of the film already tells us several keys to success, as previously demonstrated in other filmographies and generations 'Grease', 'My Fault' or 'Three Meters Above Heaven'. A teenage romance with hints of forbidden love on all sides, first because the family members resist the idea of ​​the boys being homosexual and, secondly, the refusal to accept that both violate their status as "brothers."
Marked on the component "hate and love, between which there is but one step", the film narrates an obsession that haunts human beings: seeing people who hate each other love each other.
The chemistry between Golf and Bank is super special, it transcends the screen, and is totally enjoyable and emotionally impactful. It is a very passionate story of young love, which is the most intense, and above all loaded with a lot of action, in addition to being very visually beautiful.
If there is something that really stands out in 'My Bromance' it is the team formed by Teerapat Lohanan and Sripinta Pongsatorn, who give us great performances of their characters and share enormous chemistry on the big screen.
The first, within his leading role, performs a masterful characterization of Golf, taking into account that it is a complex interpretation on a psychological level. Perhaps at first he seems to us only a young man marked by the circumstances that have led him to disrupt his own life and he shows us an obsessive and somewhat egocentric and even selfish personality by not accepting his father's new relationship, which is why he comes to hate his stepbrother, but how with the passing of the minutes a change occurs in him that floods us with inspiration and hope.
Refusing to issue a single spoiler, it remains to say that the film has continuity in 'My Bromance: Reunion' (2015), 'My Bromance' (Channel 9/Line TV, 2016) and 'My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later' ( Line TV, 2020). About these related titles… we will be talking soon.

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"Everything comes with a price"

Soul of the Sword is one of those films that did not appeal to me on several levels. Ti Lung was at the height of his career as the Nameless swordsman whose only desire was to kill The King of Swords and take his place. The problem being none of the characters were likeable and my only desire was that they would all meet a gruesome death.

A young boy sees a man and a woman being carried out of the prince’s palace to be buried. The King of Swords had killed the young swordsman and his lover had killed herself. The boy determined that one day he would be a great swordsman and claim the title. Ten years in the future he proceeds to cut down other swordsmen, monks, swordswomen, anyone with a title on his way to the palace. After fighting his way through the royal guards, the prince tells Nameless that Lu Tien Kang is out of town but that he can fight him when he returns. Nameless keeps seeing visions of the young woman who killed herself. He also makes friends with an amiable old doctor. When Nameless sees a woman who looks like the woman in his visions, he determines to have her, with or without her consent. This upsets Mr. Yan who loves He Lian. While waiting for Lu, Nameless is challenged by numerous fighters, most are killed except for those willing to slink away.

Nameless was no hero or even anti-hero. He was amoral, a rapist, and a murderer. The fact the writers mansplained the rape away only made it worse. Ku Feng made the doctor Zhao Yi a wise friend to have until his dark intentions were revealed. Ku is one of my favorite character actors from kung fu movies and he helped make this movie a little easier to swallow. The dialogue often praised reprehensible behavior as something to be admired because of the dedication to one’s self and skill. Everyone took for granted that cutting your way to the top was an honorable pursuit. During and after some fights there were plenty of gratuitous bare breasts and sex as a weapon scenes.

Fight choreographer Tang Chia’s sword fights were good for the time. Nothing was too fast, but came across fairly fluid. I usually enjoy watching Ti Lung in battle mode but Nameless was a despicable character and I waited for him to get his comeuppance. Even then the lesson Nameless learned was still all about himself despite the horrific harm he caused.

“Will you regret that what you lost is actually more than what you gained?”

The film may have had nice sets, costumes, and a strong cast, but it lacked heart. Instead of finding the fight scenes exhilarating, they left me cold. Yes, there was the lonely lesson about cold steel having no mercy and that those who lived by the sword had to be utterly ruthless and prepared to die by the sword and could afford no emotional baggage. That violence and self-centeredness bled over into other aspects of their lives. Which left the movie with just a bunch of vicious killers leaving bodies in their wake. The sharpest weapon to pierce Nameless was when he learned the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.”

12 March 2024

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I'm not sure

I don't know how to rate this, so I just rated it, middle of the road. On one hand, it's based on a true story and I don't like rating true stories because you can't rate someone's life, but on the other hand, it had very graphic drug usage and I don't particularly like to see it up close and personal, it also had some X scenes that were extremely graphic that I was not prepared for, nor did I want to see. I like spice probably more than the average person but that was too spicy, like P*orn spicy and I didn't like that. I appreciate the light shed on the whole "what happens when you get involved with this stuff" it showed the decline that Fei had to face all up till his death. I also feel like it was a little too realistic and it needed trigger warnings for sure.

Also, we saw the dealer upset over Fei's death BUT I wanted to see the friends that he called because they blew him off, I would've liked to see their reactions to his death.

Also, the breaking of the 4th wall was. not my thing. I could've done without that.

Then the end when the dealer goes back to dealing as soon as he got out of jail was crazy to me, I mean he was already clean from being in jail for 8 years and he was distraught over Fei's death, so you would think he would change his life but he goes right back to it.

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