Reviews

A movie for those who miss someone.

A mom and her young teen daughter looses the dad of the family in death. The whole world of the young teen girl is changed, new town, new school, new people. One boy at her new school seems to annoy her. He is free to cut up, be a slacker. He has no clue why she is shy and very reserved. He learns to be patient with her. He wants to be patient with her.
For those who miss someone or need a little push to cry, try this movie and know that people are willing to help, even if they really don’t know how. Please Don’t Save Me is a simple story that is built upon a Mom and her daughter and a boy who learns to give of himself.

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Freezing and terrifying.

Lady Vengeance appears at first sight as a strong emotional drama, seemingly almost a pleasant film. But if you just scratch the surface a little with your fingernail, you'll soon discover a print mood so unsettling you can almost touch it.

For over 13 years, Geum-Ja has been imprisoned. The reason is that at the age of 19 she pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old boy. But the confession was not the whole truth and a burning desire for revenge now hangs in the air.

Starring Lee Young-ae performs pure magic sweetly. Her face is at times so incredibly innocent - Completely glowing with warmth and good intentions, then, in the blink of an eye, turns to a harsh emptiness, tart and defiant anger and contemptuous nonchalance.

Every frame in Lady Vengance is so well thought out that it amazes you. Small surreal details inserted with a sure hand reinforce the impression that it is a unique film. Geum-Ja's story moves easily and smoothly between flashbacks and the present, while the fates of her fellow prisoners are inserted like puzzle pieces into her detailed revenge plan. Through an incredible manipulation, Geum-Ja connects more and more people in the prison - Each one fulfills a purpose and is used just as obviously. In the prison, people begin to discern the two faces of our Lady Vengeance, as she is called Geum-Ja the Kindhearted and Geum-Ja the Witch. One expressed with warmth - The other with an involuntary respect. Because for 13 years she has successively won over, exploited and helped all the people she coldly expects to need in the future and wrapped them around her fingers. Because vengeful women banded together are capable of anything.

As a film, the action moves continuously, which helps to keep the tension razor sharp. Although it is calm and serene, there is a constant awareness that it is an apparent calm that heralds a violent storm and the air crackles more and more with charged electricity. With simple means at hand, one becomes disgusted, saddened, imprisoned, All the while one is unsure which of the faces Geum-Ja shows is her true self - Or if she even knows it herself.

What makes Lady Vengance such a remarkable film? Because it is probably not a film that suits everyone. You mustn't be too restless for this movie, you mustn't expect classy action and choreographed fights, you mustn't expect a fast pace.

The contrast is most dazzling when all the slow, beautiful stillness is set against the raw and brutality of revenge. Nevertheless, if you have seen director Park Chan-Wok's previous films Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy, you risk being disappointed. Lady Vengance puts an end to the director's revenge trilogy and is light years from the previous ones. It is characterized by incredibly less violence and at the same time manages to create a greater discomfort than the other films. It is closer to the Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters because it creeps up on you like cold ridges along the spine.

The violence we see has nothing hollywoodized about it, there is no high tech Matrix aesthetic here, it is close, harsh and leaves most to our own imagination. When a group of middle-aged people discuss weapons, draw lots for turn order, and protect their clothes from blood splatters, logical reasoning about the execution of revenge is one of the scariest things I've seen in a very long time.

If revenge is best served cold, then Lady Vengeance is perfection. Frosted so cold you get goosebumps just being near it. When you take it in, it's like swigging a whiskey on the rocks.

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Not Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' Familia '' is a family drama that blends in the stories of different people from different backgrounds, as they, eventually, become a family.

The movie starts out quite weakly. The first half actually was boring, as the story was trying to find its footing and get a grip on what it was going to be about. Things started picking up in the second half though, however, that also meant that there was little time left for anything proper to develop. So, the movie suffered, in the end, by the false passing and the confusion of what it is going to narrate ultimately.

The acting, on the other hand, was enjoyable throughout it, especially by the father, who was really strong when it came to the emotional scenes.

So, overall, three out of ten stars for the movie '' Familia ''.

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Not Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' Kazoku '' is a drama that blends multiple stories of four men and their families.

The movie has a brilliant cinematography, with smooth shots and nicely handled light and shadows. The sharp editing also helped with the story's mood, with some scenes bringing to mind home movies.

On the other hand, the movie suffered a lot due to its short length. As it is a film about four different characters and their families, a one hour and twenty minutes run time is too short for the stories to develop properly and for the message to come across. Thus, the whole film felt like a music video, with half-baked storylines; storylines that had so much potential, especially Kenji's and Takeo's.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable and really strong by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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Simple and worthwhile

This movie was a lovely surprise. It's a straight-forward, well-realised coming-of-age story with a strong focus on sports and friendship, as well as a delightful romance.
The audio and visuals are strong, the script - while not perfect - is solid, and the story quite skillfully tackles some more serious issues like sexual abuse and homophobia even if it doesn't focus on them too heavily.
Watching this honestly felt like watching a classic 2000s teen sports movie, it had such a wonderful sense of nostalgia about it. It reminded me slightly of Bend It Like Beckham except, you know, actually gay.
If you consider the story by itself it may be nothing too special, but it's earnest, fun, and delightfully queer - a perfect watch for a cozy weekend.

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A movie that will annoy you

A movie that would want you to jump and intervene through the screen. The bullying scenes made me squint my eyes I was fighting the urge to skip in some scenes.

Now regarding the story I wouldn't say it is far fetch from reality in a way. Social status, wealth, and reputation are something that is known to us. After hearing about teachers quitting and committing suicide due to student-teacher bullying, this drama made me think how bad it is in real life (hopefully not to this extent). This drama is a friction but I also felt it represents a desire and 'IF ONLY'.

I have read someone write that the villain was straight from hell and I couldn't agree more. His acting is next level, it wouldn't be too far-fetched if I say he is a psychopath cause that wasn't normal. One thing I'm not a big fan of is when high school bullies don't look like high schoolers. in this case, the villain looked way older. the fighting scenes were top-notch (coming from someone who knows nothing about it).

Now about the ending I don't know, it was somewhat of an open ending but not really, we know she will expose and turn the school into a safe place. we also get that her former colleague might have told her to join this new school.

Overall, I wish this was a drama instead, I think I might have enjoyed it more. Maybe cause I love backstories and also love to know if the villains are facing the consequences of their actions. but as a movie, I will say it is okay not the best and not the worst too.

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Not my cup of tea, but still worth watching

So this one just wasn't for me. I'm usually a sucker for soulmate stories but here the concept didn't really work for me.
I will say, however, that the production quality is fairly high for a short little indie movie and I very much enjoyed the final message and the spirit in which the story was told.
This was clearly a passion project for the film makers and that love really shines through.
I am beyond thrilled about how YouTube and the like have become platforms for queer creators to realise their vision over these past two-ish decades and this short film is a perfect example of exactly such a vision come to life.
Give it a shot, maybe it'll hit just right for you even if it didn't for me.

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A joyous roller-coaster ride

Oh but I adore this little indie production.
I have a weak spot for that inimitable shoe-string budget charm a lot of these small projects bring to the table and this film is an excellent example of why that's the case. You can tell how much love and effort was put into every single aspect of the movie and that passion is what makes it shine.
The story covers more ground than quite a few full-length shows do but the pacing is well done and the individual performances are all so excellent they lend a feeling of authenticity to the story that I greatly enjoyed.
I hope to see more from these film-makers in the future but for now I am more than happy to simply watch and rewatch this little gem ad nauseum.

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There is a fish

Why does the synopsis reveal the entire plot of the movie? Luckily there is a fish in the movie that can be related to our main character, the mysterious woman Ji-soo who collects and examines garbage from other people, and this comparison is the most interesting thing about the movie.

The idea to be able to know other people through their garbage is not bad but it is highly unrealistic from the perspective of this movie. The main character, Ji soo has only around 10 Folders but she documents every trash piece of every tenant?! If I knew someone with this kind of "hobby" I would surely think that this person is crazy although it could be a product of an introvert person who is interested in other people but is afraid to approach them directly. This is where we as viewers can sympathise with our main character and wish her to open up for the real human contact. The movie is good for what it is and it manages to emotionally connects us with the story and characters.

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Now this is what I like to call, a remake done right

The original movie is iconic and forever engraved herein in the hearts of those who saw it. I recommend watching it for those you haven't yet. However, this remake certainly hits differently. It's a bit sadder, more poignant and yet it retains a certain beauty to it with the message it delivers. I think it's mostly because of Jing Hua's ability to portray emotions like he does in his roles, and in here is no different. Or the way they made this storyline become even more symbolic with every single detail.

Honestly, I really enjoyed the pace of how this remake was made.

The changes into the plot were nicely done, the most important details and essence of the original movie from 2010 was kept and replayed with the same lines and meaning and even improved in some ways in this version of 2023. They balanced out the comedy breaks with the blue vibes and sensible theme this story already has quite evenly. The flow of the whole composition as well as the connection between the two main characters made more sense in here. I even have to praise that the dynamics of the four ghosts felt more in unity too, oh and let's not forget that the new integrated elements, the changes of characters, their professions or life troubles, and overall moral messages turned all of this remake into a great symbolic masterpiece.

A word of advice I can give, is to try and read between the lines. Since, every sentence has a deep meaning.

Praise to whoever thought of using Tamagotchi toys in this remake. For example, in the original it uses Bopki also known as Dalgona candy which is no less iconic in providing some sweetness to such a bittersweet life. The value of both elements varies from Korea to Taiwan and the contribution to the plot. However, it's the sole part of raising the Tamagotchi pet, caring for it's basic needs, making all kind of efforts to prevent it from dying, or just the meaning of a new start that is beyond thoughtful. :')

Incredible how the noise they make can resemble heartbeats. :')

There are parts that will make you laugh and question when the sadness will start. Truth be told it hits more than once, but it's all worthy until the end. The cinematography is great and the effects are good enough too. This movie really makes you value the little things that we often take for granted and revaluate life and death priorities, or the importance of second chances in forgiveness and the will to try again. Although it deals with sensitive topics... the message it tries to convey is more of a beacon of hope to those of us who have been or are still lost for quite sometime now and on the brink of giving up... No one is truly born and living "alone" in this world, there is always a connection with anyone we meet in our lives, and that leaves a mark. A mark we chose to neglect or to remember, to cherish or to hate it, to embrace or to surrender. After all, amid all the laughter there can be some hidden pain, amid endless tears there can be a strong painful motive, amid any troublesome addiction there can be a guilty conscious, amid every heart aching loneliness there can be a strong desire of a loving bond or dream of a family.

For all that and more I actually recommend both movies. The original and this remake are worth watching.
Take your personal pick on which one you manage to like best. I liked the original, and yet loved the remake. ;)

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An ambitious firework without a foundation.

To save Earth from colliding with Jupiter, a group of young people must work together to save humanity. Despite an enormous ambition and budget, the film is let down by one-sided characters and sometimes excruciating dialogue.

The Wandering Earth is by far the biggest science fiction film made in China. Based on the book of the same name, with a production budget of $45,000,000, this is a major milestone in China's film industry.

In the near future, the Sun has begun to expand, and within a few years all life on Earth will cease to exist. Humanity then hatches the idea to build 10,000 giant mountain-like engines that will cover half the earth's surface, and turn the earth into a giant spaceship that will then fly away from the sun in search of a new source of energy. I'm not making this up.

During the flight from the sun, the surface of the earth is frozen and all the people have been moved to underground cities, but one day two young people want to sneak up to the surface and experience it for the first time since the expansion of the sun started. Suddenly, they are drawn into a rescue mission, when Earth's engines stop working and must be repaired before our planet ends up on a collision course with Jupiter.

This film is ambitious. Incredibly ambitious. We get to see everything from gigantic, detailed space stations, to frozen cities, to pictures of planets that could just as easily be beautiful paintings. It's noticeable that a lot of time and money has been spent on the production value, and it makes the whole film feel bigger than many other disaster films we've seen in Western films in recent years.

There are exceptions when it comes to special effects though. Unfortunately, the characters spend a lot of time driving around in cars, and the car chases look like they're from any playstation game from 2004. It's immediately apparent that it's 100% made in a computer, and it's eye-popping when you see it.

As ambitious as the film is, it is action-packed. It feels like they have moved away from the classic structure with three acts, and instead went straight to the third act. You start the film with a disaster, and from the fast start the film doesn't want to slow down. It is certainly something that is common in disaster films, but it would have been nice to have a couple of scenes where you can catch your breath. However, the film gets better in the second half, when the main characters come together and are given a mission that is easier to follow.

What brings this movie down is unfortunately the characters. One character is supposed to be a typical humor sidekick, but just comes across as a screaming, annoying form of Jar Jar Binks. Another should be the restrained protagonist who only sees darkness and negativity. It is hard to care about them when they are so one-sided and exaggerated in their behavior. Then add that the supporting characters spend a lot of time in their spacesuits, which makes it difficult to keep track of who is who.

Something else you could have put more love into is the dialogues. At times you might think that a beginner has written them. When our main antagonist tells his sister about the 10,000 engines and why they exist, it's clearly a conversation that exists for us as the audience to get that information. The sister of course already knows this, as it's the reason they've been living underground for 10+ years.

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time getting into The Wandering Earth. After a bad start with subpar special effects and hard-to-love characters, I can't appreciate the huge spectacle that the second half of the film offers. It's ambitious, lavish and brave, but when I don't get a sensible human entry point, it stops at superficial fireworks instead of something deeper.

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A battle you won't soon forget.

The opening film at the Berlin International Film Festival took a full 9 years to complete. Veteran perfectionist Wong Kar Wai is putting in the finishing touches, spending so much time on In the Mood for Love that the staff behind the Cannes festival worried that the film would not be able to enter the competition where it was scheduled to have its world premiere in 2000.

The year is 1936 in southern China. Gong Baosen (Wang Qingxiang) has passed his glory days and is about to retire. It is celebrated according to tradition at the Gold Pavillion brothel where Baosen challenges a younger man with the potential to take over the title of kung fu master. Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) - Who in real life tutored Bruce Lee and trained in Wing Chun - Accepts the ordeal and takes over as the film's centerpiece.

War breaks out in Foshan between China and Japan and in the meantime Gong Baosen is murdered by his disciple Man San. Before leaving Earth, he wishes his daughter, Gong Er (Ziyi Zhang), to renounce a life in the world of martial arts, live in peace with a man by her side and not seek revenge. But can she resist the temptation with her father's fighting spirit in her blood?

The Grandmaster is told as a memoir with an eye on the past where the fourth wall is broken, jumping between romances and civil wars. The film spins on for two decades with clanging swords, pattering rain and kicks left and right. Sound, special effects and saturated lighting work together to form a kaleidoscope. Clouds of smoke and the sound of lovely strings in the background are earlier characteristics that can of course also be found in this work.

One could go on forever about the precise technical skills that make one drool with fascination. There is no doubt that the material has been handled with precision and the stylistic beauty is both a credit to the direction and script by Wong Kar Wai, as well as the impeccable work of cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd and William Chang Suk Ping who edited all of Wong's films. The camera records every little detail and every frame is a photograph or a painting.

The product is a film that, due to its dedicated cast, probably offers the most sensational and beautiful fight sequences ever seen. It provides a crash course in martial arts etiquette, different styles and holds, as well as the history of the Chinese nation with conflicts between the south and the north.

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Well made and shocking.

Director Zhang Yimou does not shy away from horrors. He avoids pushing our noses into the violence, The Flowers of War is after all a drama and not a splatter film. And it is a drama, a well-made and thoroughly well-acted one.

Christian Bale notwithstanding, The Flowers of War was not made with American money (and apparently only the second all-Chinese film ever with a Hollywood star in the lead role), which may explain why it never made it to cinemas in Sweden. Because films that are not Swedish or English rarely do. It's certainly not a masterpiece, I don't intend to go that far, but surely there would have been room for a larger audience.

In The Flowers of War, Christian Bale plays a not-quite-clean funeral director, John Miller, who goes to a Catholic church in Nanjing, China, to take care of the dead priest there. But it is not very simple, because it all takes place during the so-called Nanjing Massacre, and there is chaos both on the way to and in the church. Where there is also only a group of children, with one exception consisting of girls, left. The not-quite-clean-haired undertaker decides to stay for a while, he has to get paid, and soon finds himself in a protective position he never asked for.

A history lesson might be in order, if you, like me, have never heard of the massacre in question. There was a six-week period after the then-capital of China, Nanjing, fell into Japanese hands, during a Japanese invasion of the country in 1937 (the Second Sino-Japanese War), when invading soldiers in the most heinous ways raped and murdered mostly Chinese civilians in and proximity to the capital.

Director Zhang Yimou (who has, among other things, fairly well-known Hero and Flying Daggers to his name) does not shy away from horrors. He avoids shoving our noses into the violence, The Flowers of War is after all a drama and not a splatter film, but it is somehow, in or out of picture, ever-present. From the initial attack to the aftermath of inhuman acts. Efficient. Nasty.

And it is a drama, a well-made and downright well-acted one, and without checking numbers I'd venture to guess that it was made on a sizable budget. Then it's a bit of a shame that it falls a few times along the way. There are no deep pits, but various small shortcuts in the story and one or the other forced emotional moments can still disturb. Although it's clear, by all means, it's still a lot better than the average modern Spielberg film.

Comments regarding Christian Bale's effort should be redundant, at least if we assume that people generally think his efforts are shitty. And I belong to these general types.

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