Reviews

“If it's something only a few people can have, it's not happiness."

Monster (2023) directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda who's very famous both in Japan and internationally for his heart-warming and humane stories. I watched this in theaters and it was one of the best experiences of my life. To think I'd be able to watch Sakura Ando and Nagayama Eita on the big screen is a dream come true for me as I'm a big fan of both of the actors. The screenwriter is again, a famous screenwriter in Japan called Sakamato Yuji . The music composer for this movie was Ryuichi Sakamato and he was an Oscar winner. This is his last work. So you can see how this is a collab of the year and can guess how excited Japanese people were for this, including me as I too am a big fan of these people. The movie actually lives up to the hype.

It's hard to talk about the movie without giving spoilers because it's best to experience the movie without knowing anything about it. But as it's my job to tell you, so I'll try to talk about it in vague terms. The movie is essentially about a single mother who noticed that her son, Minato , who's in middle school has started acting strange suddenly, when asked, it seems to be because of harassment from his homeroom teacher, Mr. Hori . The movie is about her trying to get to the truth to protect her child. But in actuality it's more than that. The story is told from different perspectives and how the truth gets lost because humans always try to protect themselves as their survival instinct so they try to believe in the truth that suits them the most unconsciously. There's no good or bad character in the movie, they are all very flawed, complex and humane . In the end of the day, the movie was about being human, not a monster ( In which all of the characters believe themselves to be the Monster) .

It was just so beautiful, I felt deeply touched by it. It's just a masterpiece. No more words. The only flaw is I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I wanted a bit more closure but it’s forgivable. You should watch it if you've loved other Koreeda movies! If you're new to his or Japanese movies in general, I suggest this movie is for people who enjoyed character driven stories and portrayal of human emotions. The fan inside me wants to say that everyone should watch this movie at least once as it's essentially about being a human but if you can't digest some disturbing themes like bullying and parental neglect, I'd suggest to not watch, but otherwise I feel it's worth a try for everyone.

My rating: 9.5/10

Leia Mais

What a pile of crap

The only redeeming feature of this movie is Philip Keung in the third story, but even then the story is really weak and the only scary thing was the terrible script Philip was given to work with. He did his best but it was as immersive as a dirty toilet bowl.

The first story involved two friends, one who wanted to be a screenwriter and one who wanted to be a director. They go to a special props shed with many preserved animals, where the scriptwriter writes this amazing serial murder script and wants to be the director of the movie. The aspiring director gets upset at this and claims the screenwriter was being selfish, there is a scuffle, and the screenwriter predictably dies. Aspiring director guy panics and, predictably, he put the screenwriter’s body into a suitcase and pours formaldehyde all over him to preserve the body. The director guy later is able to make the movie using his friends script but then oh no, the cops ask him questions about his missing screenwriter buddy. He claims he hasn’t seen his friend in months and realises the cops are gonna find the location where he killed his friend so decides to go back to burn the place down. This is when - somehow - he discovers his screenwriter buddy had murdered 3 people in different ways as inspiration for his script and had the bodies hidden around the prop shed, which he somehow also discovers. Plot twist, the screenwriter wanted to be the director because he knew it would be the first and last film he would make as he would be arrested soon after it. Oh no, I don’t care.

The story was boring and the deaths were all so crap and had no stakes at all so I didn’t care what happened to anybody. I didn’t even care about the two male leads because they were so unlikeable as well. My biggest issue with this story is that a few months have passed already since all the murders, but when the director guy finds the bodies they are all still fresh and not rotting at all. Do you think corpses stay fresh for months and not rot when stored in the Hong Kong heat? I don’t care how much cling film you use and formaldehyde you use, no body can look that fresh for that long. Also, won’t some dude who doesn’t work as an undertaker be refused purchasing of large quantities of formaldehyde? I am sure you need a lot for 4 cadavers. And also that suitcase where the screenwriter was thrown into must have been made using some legendary material because it was clearly a cloth-like material suitcase and yet none of the formaldehyde leaked out, not even through the zipper gaps. They should have gotten a suitcase sponsorship to promote how great the waterproofing was inside and outside.

The 2nd movie was a slightly better story about 2 girls as aspiring screenwriters (see a trend here?) and the younger girl copying some of the ideas of the older girl to write a great screenplay. The older girl was slightly upset about it, but ultimately let it go. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the younger girl goes missing and the older girl starts seeing the younger girl and thinks she’s a ghost. Oh no! We find out later the younger girl got into a taxi and the taxi driver murdered her because… I dunno. The older girl was hypnotised to try and bring back any useful information about what could have happened to the younger girl. The taxi guy just so happened to work at the same studio as the older girl so he tried to silence her. Suddenly, as the older girl was riding in his taxi and realised the taxi man was likely the murderer, the cops arrive and arrest him. Older girl’s colleague appears and says “yeah I totally suspected him so I called the cops.”

My biggest issue with the 2nd story is that we do not get given any context into why the taxi driver killed the younger girl. We do not truly understand his motivation, the story just goes “oh she died he killed her” and that’s it. We get one scene where taxi man talks to his wife and his wife shouts at him for a variety of things, as if it was trying to imply he was looking for a way to release his pent up anger but it wasn’t enough and I wasn’t convinced. And the “ghost” situations were all in the older girls mind as a result of hypnotism. That was lame.

The third story is the best of the bunch but that’s not saying much, that’s like saying the diahrrea I did today was better than the diahrrea I did yesterday. This is the story that has Philip Keung, who wakes up on a wet floor with temporary amnesia. As he runs around this warehouse he keeps seeing ghostly figures appearing and disappearing around him. Eventually he meets a woman and starts talking to her as if he was very familiar with her but she won’t follow him as he is trying to make her leave with him due to the ghosts that were there. She eventually goes with him and in a room where he saw a ghost there was no ghost there, so she tries to leave and kicks Philip in the balls using a very fake and terribly unconvincing manner. Later we discover Philip was a triad boss and his wife wanted to leave him, so he killed his wife and poured acid all over her body so she wouldn’t leave him, and then be became a vagrant out of guilt. Later some guys drugged him and his friend and took them to a warehouse to conduct illegal experiments as a way to cure this disfigured and ill woman at the behest of some guy. Philip woke up and killed a lot of the people at the warehouse out of anger and passed out due to being injected with something during one of the scuffles. All the ghost stuff and the woman he was talking to were all in his head as he was recovering from the injection. He catches up to the disfigured woman and is about to lill her when all of a sudden someone smacks him at the back of the head and kills him and the story ends.

Story 3 was a confusing mess and what illegal experiments were being conducted to fix what ailment of the woman? Nothing is explained. The story started off pretty good as Philip was dealing with possible supernatural stuff, but it immediately fell in quality the moment the woman - as his hallucinated wife - kicked him between the legs. It was poorly edited and looked incredibly fake that it took me out of the immersion immediately and the rest of the story just fell apart.

Avoid this mess of a movie.

Leia Mais

I FINALLY FOUND IT!!!!

Ive been looking for this for MONTHS. I dont remember how I found out about it but its been on my mind. I finally found it and immediately watched it. What else can I say but AMAZING. The story line had enough drama to keep you hooked. The actors and actresses played their parts so well, even the side characters were amazing. Early 2010s K Movies and Dramas are really IT. It had the right amount of comedy and drama. And the characters had the right amount of dislikable and likeable moments that have you screaming at the screen in annoyance and laughter. AMAZING AND WOULD TOTALLY RECOMMEND. It does have some ??? so definitely a movie to watch on your own time.

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¿Quién es el Monster?

Fui a ver Monster sin haber leído la sinopsis, y sin haber leído reseñas. Fue la mejor decisión que pude haber hecho.
Monster está narrada desde tres perspectivas y todas ellas son fundamental porque al final la pregunta de reflexión es, ¿quién es el verdadero monstruo?
La cinematografía/fotografía fue bellísima, especialmente las tomas al aire libre, siendo incluso mi favorita la toma del final. La banda sonora también agrega muchísimo al desarrollo de las escenas "complicadas". Sinceramente, una película perfecta que todas y todos deberíamos de ver.
Yo, personalmente, diría que los pequeños detalles alrededor de la película construyeron el final, yo no consideraría que fue un final abierto.
No voy a mentir, la película duele y me dolió en el alma.

Leia Mais

Masterpiece

I initially watched this movie because of Ando Sakura. I am glad I did it, because it is a masterpiece. The screenplay is really well written, making scenes of the same situation from different point of views be equally thrilling and mesmerizing. The screenwriter was able to reveal bit by bit the details from the perspective of each character in a brilliant manner. From the beginning, you are induced to search for a unique culprit for the whole strange situation. Then, after understanding the story as a whole, you realize the complexity of the plot. Every one has their share of contribution. They unconsciously and unintentionally pressure the children. It is a contradiction, because every character is true to their own sentiments and intentions. Some misunderstandings happen on the way, causing mainly Hori to be unfairly punished.

In the end, the story is about the discoveries of Minato and Yori in a movement towards inside uncovering their sexuality. They ponder if they are wrong to be who they are. This inability to accept themselves and feel accepted by their friends, family, and teachers is the real cause of all the problems. And this is a real problem in today's society. It is really painful and heartbreaking to see such lovely children as Yori and Minato to suffer bullying, and, in the case of Yori, physical violence from his father.

At the same time, their connection is beautiful. They find each other to be the only people who could understand each one's feelings and anxieties. But the thing is... They are only children. Their parents and teachers aren't able to understand and give support, although they really care for them (of course, except for Yori's father). They are loved but not seen as who they are. Instead, they are perceived as idealizations from their surrounding people. The ending was good and symbolic of a freedom in an afterworld without external expectations.

"If it's not everyone, it's not happiness"

P.S.: the acting was reeeeally good!

Leia Mais

Claudine-Rico Love Team ??

In the 90’s this was one of it not the biggest love team in and off-screen. They filmed this in the middle of their big soap opera Mula Sa Puso. This is a classic love triangle high school story nothing that stands out, but what I love is the leads. Their chemistry with each other especially Rico and Claudine is chef’s kiss. Their moments are just to cherish, R.I.P Rico Yan. The theme song by Roselle Nava gets you into your feelings and compliments the movie well. if your looking for a high school teen movie that has fluff and classic filipino you’ll enjoy this late 90’s love team movie !

Leia Mais

Loved this movie!

Just loved this movie so much. I saw the Anime first and spotted a short video letting me know the movie existed - the search was on until I found it. I have already watched it several times and have shared it with so many others.

Love the leads. When he first meets Miyo and tests to see if she is "...just another in a long line..." type girls - his reactions to how she responds are so perfect - you could almost miss them (and, by reading other reviews - I see that people do).

When an actor becomes so immersed in their character that nothing needs to be said - that is a rare talent. After a first watching of the movie - I bounced over to a BL - Dangerous Romance - that had a stellar cast as well. There is a moment when one of the leads acknowledges/appreciates something done for them and the other characters reaction is so pure - you know it is unscripted and from the heart. It's beautiful to watch and experience. This happens many times in this movie as well.

Some of my favorite parts have no words. When he challenges/threatens Miyo when first meeting and she doesn't respond as expected. When Miyo visits him at the headquarters - worried he isn't taking care of himself and he runs across the room to see her. When Miyo cries after being appreciated for the meal she has prepared. There are so many more.

Put this one in your library so, you can come back to it for a fix when you need it. And, yes - to have that perfect hair.

Leia Mais

I’m happy. I’m Runner.

Cukup nyesel karena ga kesampaian nonton di bioskop. Jadi bayangin betapa kerennya scoring dan soundtrack yang penuh emosional menggema di sana. Wajib menang best score/music sih atau minimal masuk nominasi.

Salut sama akting ketiga main role, ada Ha Jung Woo, Im Siwan, dan Bae Seong Woo. Mereka bertiga sukses menciptakan kemistri yang ngena bagi penonton, terkhusus gua. Beberapa scene juga menarik perhatian, seperti scene ketika kakinya Yunbok yang bergetar karena kelelahan terlihat sangat realistis dan karakter ini diperankan dengan totalitas oleh Siwan. Selain itu, alurnya dikemas dengan baik dan sederhana namun tetap menyentuh hati.

Ini film biografi yang bakal memotivasi lu buat lari sih wkwk. Asli deh selama scene maraton dimulai bener-bener nonton dengan hikmat.

Leia Mais

Cross-section of the lives of Ricky and Roger and not only them. I was thinking how much time they are moving forward, and finally in 2029, same-sex marriages are legalized, which is of course just an idea of the creators, which probably won't happen even by mistake, because more than twenty years ago, HK fell back to China. At the R+R wedding, two pairs of lesbians get married, and this is the only "lesbian plot" in the entire film, which is otherwise exclusively dedicated to gays, their families, activism, which I don't really need, and it primarily maps the deep human destinies of two men, and the story would he also published a small series.


Průřez životy Rickyho a Rogera a nejen jich. Říkal jsem si, jak moc časově utíkají dopředu, a nakonec v roce 2029 jsou legalizovány sňatky osob stejného pohlaví, což je samozřejmě jen idea tvůrců, která se zřejmě nebude konat ani omylem, neboť před více jak dvaceti lety připadl HK zpět Číně. Na svatbě R+R se berou i dvě dvojice leseb, a to je jediná "lesbická zápletka" v celém filmu, který se jinak výhradně věnuje gayům, jejich rodinám, aktivismu, což moc nemusím a mapuje především hluboké lidské osudy dvou mužů a příběh by vydal i za malý seriál.

Leia Mais

I'm slightly underwhelmed by this movie, not that I want to give a low rating. The creators must have known why they created it this way, but for a long time I had nothing to grasp the picture. It was saved by the likeable actors. Nevertheless, I would probably cut the film into a medium-length or downright short film.

Z tohoto filmu jsem mírně v rozpacích, ne tak, že bych chtěl dát nízké hodnocení. Tvůrci jistě věděli, proč zrovna takto to vytvořili, ale já jsem dlouhou dobu neměl za co snímek uchopit. Zachránili to sympatičtí herci. Přesto bych zřejmě film prostříhal na středněmetrážní nebo vyloženě krátký film.

Leia Mais

Do you know the answer?

That's the question this movie asked. Not in the end, not in the first or not in some particular scene, they asked it again and again and again throughout the whole show. If you know the answer then you don't have to search for your soulmate or wait for a perfect person and if you don't know the answer then in the end you may be left all alone.

'Secret Love' isn't just a movie about an extramarital affair or about twin brothers who make everything confusing. This movie is about finding the true meaning of love.

The story is twisted, which is about how twin brothers love the same girl and the feelings of the girl for both of them and who would she choose. So this was engaging enough to hook you until the end.

The excitement of first love, the despair of losing them, the guilt of doing something unforgivable, the helplessness of not getting what you deserve, and finally the sadness of losing the tiny existing hope. This movie was full of many kinds of emotions and until the end, maintained its consistency.

The cinematography, music, acting, everything felt so real that it made this story which may seem like a dramatic &/opera type into a real-life heartbreaking story.

I didn't like the female lead solely due to her character in the story as how much she was unsure about her true feelings and making the 'Saving from the Mountain' as her deciding factor for her love. But I can't complain about it as that's one of the important elements of the movie.

Also, I admit I liked those occasional sexy scenes which I shouldn't have(?) Thanks to the creators for taking the love scenes as side elements and focusing more on the story and emotions.

Now coming to the most debatable and confusing part which is, "Who was it in that scene Jin Ho or Jin Woo?"

The first encounter was on a winter day when Yeon Yi greeted him with a heart shape on the glass wall, it was Jin Ho who was sitting as you can see the marine life book on the table. Then when he went away to clean the coffee(?) stain, Older brother Jin Woo came with a gift and formal dress and greeted Yeon Yi.

About the bathtub-loving scene, it was the husband Jin Woo (Many are confusing it with younger brother Jin Ho) as you can see the confused look on his face when Yeon Yi calls him Jin Ho while leaving the bathroom. Also, another proof is that Yeon Yi would never have slept with the husband because of her guilt but she did it thinking it was the younger brother as the ring perfectly fitted his finger. We know while the husband was in the hospital someone mentioned that he had lost so much weight, that's why the ring fitted his finger.

About the ending scene, it's hard to figure out who survived, but the movie creators exactly wanted to do that. On that note, there can be three possible things,

First is, Maybe it's Younger brother Jin Ho who survived. As you heard him narrating the story at the start of the film. Also, the handwriting in the letter he sent to Yeon Yi and the note he left for her about sleeping on the couch while facing the tree is kind of similar and Yeon Yi must have noticed that.

Second is, Maybe it's the husband Jin Woo who survived. As you know he didn't want to return home and forced his younger brother to go back because he thought Yeon Yi would never accept him again as her husband or love partner. Another thing is while he was falling from the bridge he requested his younger brother to take care of his wife. So, on the whole, he didn't want to meet her again and that's why after surviving he lived in a foreign country. Also, the mountain photo he had with him in the end(while sitting in the wheelchair) can be a hint too as he loved mountains.

Third is, It's up to us to decide who survived. None of the above hints, evidence, or clues are definite enough to prove who survived. So it's up to us to decide who Yeon Yi loved or did she love both of them but in a different way?

Again do you know the answer?

Leia Mais

For me, the film was definitely not interesting, on the contrary, because of the overall story and its ending, it was embarrassing, shocking, wtf? Little logical, skeletal character development. Other aspects of the evaluation were slightly above average. But you won't change my recommendation that all of this, even if someone can and will manage to get over Japan, despite the girls' Japanese hairstyles with landscapes, that I don't recommend the film.



Pro mě rozhodně nebyl snímek zajímavý, naopak, kvůli celkovému příběhu a jeho konci to byla trapárna, šok, wtf? Málo logické, kostrbatý vývoj postav. Ostatní aspekty hodnocení byly malinko nadprůměrné. Ty ale nezmění mé doporučení, že toto všechno, i když Japonsko někdo může a zvládne se přenést i přes ty dívčí japonské účesy s pejzy, že snímek nedoporučuji.

Leia Mais

This subtle BL romance (bromance) between Qing Ming and Bo Ya takes us to a historical period in East Asia, where demons rule, and the whole film is filled with action fantasy and mysticism. But the actual story is very convoluted and sometimes I almost got lost in it. Apparently, it should have been like that because of Onmyoji's design (or to simplify it a little?), anyway, the lowest rating from me for the story out of all the evaluation criteria. Played excellently, convincingly (Mark Chao, Allen Deng), there is a huge potential of actors in China. Fantastic fights, spectacular visuals, great effects and design really impressed me. But the music, it was absolutely the BEST and in the final passages of the film it directly communicates "something" very subtle between the two main characters, only the actors can't express it better because of Chinese regulations. Nice experience.



Tato subtilní BL romance (bromance) mezi Qing Ming-em a Bo Ya-em nás zavádí do historického období východní Asie, kde vládnou démoni a celým filmem prostupuje akční fantasy a mystično. Vlastní příběh je ale hodně spletitý a někdy jsem se v něm téměř ztrácel. Zřejmě to tak asi mělo být kvůli předloze Onmjódži (nebo malinko zjednodušit?), každopádně ode mě za příběh nejnižší hodnocení ze všech hodnotícíh kritérií. Zahráno výborně, přesvědčivě (Mark Chao, Allen Deng), v Číně je obrovský potenciál herců. Fantastické souboje, velkolepý vizuál, skvělé efekty a výprava mě hodně zaujaly. Ale ta hudba, ta byla úplně NEJ a v závěrečných pasážích snímku přímo sděluje "to něco" hodně jemného, co mezi oběma hlavními postavami je, jen to nemohou lépe herci kvůli čínským nařízením vyjádřit. Hezký zážitek.

Leia Mais