Reviews

it’s a masterpiece not a regular movie

No matter how many times a person rewatches this masterpiece they will cry, I watched it a million times and I still cry, the feelings and the actors who made this even more beautiful, words can never explain the how beautiful this masterpiece is. I felt many feelings not only laughed and cried. The actors are good, they portrayed the characters so well, the story was also good, but what annoyed me the most was the police, they didn’t even bother to investigate, like Yong yu already seemed to have an illness. I will definitely rewatch this movie, or should I call it a masterpiece

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The story revolves around a girl who lost her family due a tsunami. And even after like 10 years, she still hasn't gotten over it. And that's clearly evident from the girl's mannerism. The cast for the girl was right on spot for this particular role, her natural look+ make-up+ acting totally brought out the misery she was in throughout the story. Since the girl was in her teens, we get to see a kinda rebellious phase of her life, as she ran away from her aunt's home in hopes to visit her original home. Throughput this journey she ends up meeting several people who share the same misery as hers, losing their loved ones due the tsunami or some related cause. Everyone of them tells their story to her, but she never really returns any meaningful response. She goes on aimlessly and puts herself in pretty dangerous scenarios but somehow strives though with the help of some kind people.

But that's pretty much it. The story literally just covers the sorrow of this girl and the people she meets along the way, kinda portraying how even with all that sorrow and misery they are still striving on and persevering for a hopefully better tomorrow.

Towards the end, when the girl eventually gets to visit her original home she does express her sorrow and kinda emotionally breaks down as expected but somehow it doesn't feel as emotionally moving, maybe that's because the girl expresses so less throughout the movie that we literally never get to know much about the character apart from her sorrowful side.

The actual wind phone is mentioned at the very last part of the movie and actually been shown for like 5-10 mins, even though the movie is literally called 'The Wind Phone'. So that didn't particularly make sense to me.

Overall the movie does feel pretty sorrowful yet empty, going over the themes of loss and perseverance yet never fully committing to expressing something truly valuable and unique to the viewer.

The cinematography was okay-ish. The music not so good. The screenplay was weak. Perhaps, the acting was the only strong point of the movie. Clearly the execution didn't quite catchup with the imagination in this case, in my opinion.

Really not good enough for recommendation.

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Half-baked but the baked part is pretty good

The film is at its best when threading unusual vignettes through various Tokyo landscapes, such as when we follow an unstoppable multicolored guitarist, or when a slightly ridiculous cosplayer suddenly jumps from a rooftop, inexplicably surviving only to flee on his moped just as white as his costume.
These scenes, though fun enough and appropriately tied in with the main plot, just don't mesh sufficiently well. Two films seem to be fighting for the right to exist here, a limp absurdist comedy and a hastily spliced family drama.
The patchwork approach is viable, but the absurd intensity should have been pushed far beyond what is presented, and the dialogue crafted with greater flair.
The interludes with the dead wife's colleagues are entirely dispensable.

That said, nothing is mediocre, the actors play well, Tokyo is beautiful, and the group scenes in the final act are touching.

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comforting and depressing

“You missed me too much. So, it was your imagination.”

When grandpa called his wife Xiao Xiao… but his wife isn’t Xiao Xiao…

Grandpa’s letter… I almost made it through the whole movie without crying, but then the letter came… I’m very upset now.

This was beautiful yet heartbreaking and the actors played their characters so naturally and masterfully. Time moved so quickly while watching this movie, which means a lot in my book because I'm not a movie person at all. This felt comforting and depressing at the same time, and I liked how his game was represented in the present timeline. The scenes were in black and white because they didn't end up together. I guess the end becoming colorful meant they found peace in their breakup because their love for each other still persisted even if they aren't together? Whatever it is, this movie was beautiful, but I will NOT watch it again??

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Realistic And Quietly Touching.

Spoiler only at end of review. A beautiful, somber yet hopeful film. Thoughtful, touching, and deeply resonating. Addresses multiple thoughts and internal struggles in a realistic way. I really appreciated how the film explored the relationship between a gay man and a heteroflexible man. The story shows how insecurities from past experiences, societal expectations, and different gender identities can influence someone to hold themselves back from happiness out of fears that are often warrented in the real world.

I found on YouTube (in The USA Jan 2024). In the comments I learned that the word written on the cigarette box means "forbidden". This is really helpful to know because it has a symbolic tie-in with the characters.

The physical intimacy was a little stilted but part of that could have been the editing. It ultimately didn't detract from the film.

The thing that frustrated me was how many wide-angle shots there were. Even though it was beautiful cinematography, it was emotionally distancing. Watching scenes from half a room away meant that I often couldn't see the actor's faces clearly (and sometimes not at all). I think the film could have been even more emotionally powerful had I been able to tune into the character's emotions playing across their faces as they talked and looked at each other. This did impact my satisfaction and my rating.

Otherwise, the cinematography and lightning is gorgeous and had a beautiful lonely feel to it that underscored the long-standing psychological state of the characters. The composition of frames and the contrast of light/dark and colors was masterful, especially in the longer still shots. The instrumental music was understated and complimented all the scenes well.

Side note: I also like Yuan's review on MDL.

SPOILER ON THE ENDING:

While the technicalities of how the two will proceed when they work in different cities is left up in the air, the reunion and reconciliation is successful. The ending is mostly satisfying. The end shot felt like an add for Marlboro cigarettes though, which wasn't to my taste (and it wasn't like that in the manga). Update: However, after learning that the translation of the word on the cigarette box is "forbidden", the ending tableau makes a lot more sense.

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A waste of time.

I can't recommend, it's a total waste of time.
I'm not sure what it was trying to be but manages to do nothing right or interesting enough, and acting is generally quite forced and over the top. Only FL was better and her character was probably the most interesting of the bunch but they don't dwell much in the characters themselves. ML wanted to be a butler because he likes to serve? what? haha I'm sorry, it was lame, it would have been more believable that he said something about wanting to travel, see other places in the world or even learn other languages.

The movie is boring, slow (for what is the plot) and the writing is bad. It's difficult to make a movie in a single location and for it to be engaging and entertaining enough, they didn't succeed at all in this movie.
Sub-plots are brought to the front and back depending on what is convenient to the point they feel forgotten (like the murder "mystery"). The "mystery" is one of those that seems obvious but then it's revealed to not be what you thought just for shock value and where they didn't take you along the journey at all, completely pointless. It wasn't even shocking as a reveal though, because they didn't make me care at all about anything in this movie. The crime here it's calling this thing a suspense, romantic, mystery or amateur detective movie. It's just a mush of nothingness in my opinion.

There obviously are also unresolved questions at the end of the movie, like what happened to the mother of the kid, what happened with the will in the end, what happened to the son and wife of the man that died, they might not have ultimately killed him but they were accomplices of murder in a way and of trying to falsify a will. Why are the two kids dancing happy in the end? There is just no answers.
Also, I'm sorry but that's not kissing. If they're going to make the actors "kiss" like that might as well just not have any kissing scenes, it was weird and cringy to watch.
FL arrives in the cruise with absolutely nothing, yet she manages to have a different outfit daily.

If it had been fun and entertaining I could tolerate some of the other negative aspects of this but it really wasn't, it was a chore to finish.

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Unmasking the Digital Menace

In 'Target,' the narrative delves deep into the chilling world of cyber exploitation, where a malevolent hacker seizes control of every electronic facet of a girl's life. The film unfolds as a nerve-wracking thriller, keeping the audience on the edge as the protagonist's life becomes a pawn in the hands of a faceless adversary.

The relentless misuse of technology adds a sinister layer to the plot, where the perpetrator, demanding ransom, plays a dangerous game. The escalating tension keeps both the victim and the audience in a state of perpetual suspense, and even the police find themselves grappling with an elusive digital phantom.

'Target' stands out for its portrayal of the dark side of cyber intrusion, elevating it to a cautionary tale for the modern age. The film's ability to render law enforcement powerless in the face of relentless hacking creates an atmosphere of uncertainty, making it a riveting and thought-provoking cinematic experience.

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Not the ending I'd hoped for

As the ending of a trilogy, Always Sunset on Third Street '64 isn't that great, it feels more like the build-up to the finale but ends before we get there. It also gets very confused about what sort of messaging it wants to send towards how to treat your children, but it ties up all the hanging threads it starts without losing the shtick that made the first two so special in the first place. Great performances, exceptionally wholesome and very well directed, Yamazaki could very well deliver one more film if he so wished, but I respect him for leaving it as a very personal trilogy to both him and his viewers.

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The Beginnings of an Auteur

Its very weird watching As Tears Go By after seeing Wong Kar Wai's later works. His directorial style is very much in its infancy here: saturated colours, slow motion fight and chase scenes, shooting in the dark -- contrasted against more orthodox forms of camerawork.

The story itself is much more traditional. Being in the mind of the characters' takes a backseat to a formulaic plot about street gangsters. The ending is clear before we've even hit the halfway mark. But its set apart from the others because of its atmospheric love story.

What shines most here is the romantic atmosphere that Wong creates. And I don't mean between Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung (who are playing first cousins, ick). Its the passionate devotion between Andy Lau's Wah and Jacky Cheung's Fly that's the heart and soul of this film. Both men want the other to live a good life. To be safe, happy, and thrive. Their push and pull is painful to watch. They're like magnets and it makes sense that one cannot truly live without the other.

I absolutely adore Maggie Cheung - she's talented, gorgeous, and commands the screen. But she has very little to work with and is probably the thinnest of the characters in this film. Ngor suffers from being nothing but a love interest. Forgotten by the plot and her man, unless its convenient, and ultimately one of the most forgettable of Wong's female characters. If I had watched this film first, instead of In The Mood for Love, I might never have continued with Wong's filmography as I would have thought he's just terrible at writing women.

I'm glad I watched this -- even if it was just to see where Wong started and how he evolved for the better.

*copy and pasted from my Letterboxd review*

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Nice twist

Don't expect all to find here a revolutionary movie, but does have a nice twist toward the end. You need to become a devil to catch a devil, although things never go as planned and you get burned and as well you make collateral victims.
Plenty of gore for those who like blood and violent movies and the main characters deliver their characters well.
I must say I do feel sorry for one of the characters, but it seems one of the mc's never learned his lesson from the past and revenge and catching the killers did blind sided him thinking he has an upper hand overlooking an important thing.
Others might not enjoy it, but this one is on my plate so yeah,
If to rewatch? Don't know, because for me this is one time movie because once you know the twist already loses its value for me.
It is the same type as forgotten. You see once and it is great.
Overall enjoyable, at least for me.

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I WAS BAWLING BY THE END.

The headline says it all. I thought thia movie was amazing. Although it did have some questionable details, it was still good. The ML fell in love with FL. And ofc FL ends up falling in love with ML. What I liked about it though was the fact that he knew he wasnt good for her. He still wanted to be with her, but he wanted to change for her. Cliche... maybe. But I think its cute. I also felt really bad for ML. His life became shitty because of his brothers business mistakes, and he decided to take on the burden. While doing so he remained as positive as possible while doing what he needed to do to protect his family. I think its adorable how even in the end he made sure that his family was taken care of and the ML too.

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Fists and Guts was a frustrating combination of inane comedy and entertaining, well-choreographed fights. How much you enjoy this film may depend on your ability to tolerate slapstick and haphazard storytelling.

Gordon Liu in a terrible wig worked with two inept conmen to try and recover family heirlooms stolen by a treacherous housekeeper. The conmen were played by the director Lau Kar Wing and usually bad guy Lee Hoi Sang. The story wandered around even going so low as to have the conmen travel to a leper colony. The story itself was redundant as they searched for the “housekeeper” who could disguise himself, with Team Inept choosing the wrong people or being led astray by the real thief. Most of the pointless endeavors were designed to highlight the comedy which fell flat for me.

Just past the halfway mark the fights kicked into gear, if not the story. You had to slog through a gross poop scenario to get that far though. Gordon Liu and Lai Kim Hung had an inventive silent fight as they both tried to steal a jade Buddha from a general’s well-guarded home. They stifled cries and prevented vases and furniture from crashing to the ground as they engaged in a desperate fight. Later, Gordon had to teach the two conmen moves that would help them beat the booby-trapped system in the “housekeeper’s” secret lair. This was one of the few times the fools came in handy. The highlight of the film was the life-or-death fight between Gordon and Lo Lieh. By this time the real identities of both men and their motivations were revealed and the ridiculous wigs were removed. This was one of Lo’s best fights I’ve seen, Gordon and the Laus brought out the best in him. The moral of the tale wasn't as righteous as they might have thought it was.

The story was aggravatingly circular and the comedy could be irritating, albeit those who love old kung fu comedies may be enraptured by the comedy in this film. Regardless of your threshold for slapstick, if you enjoy kung fu movies from this era, the second half of the film shone through with at least two worthy fights to watch.

6 Dec 2023
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More of what made the first one so damn special

Always Sunset on Third Street 2 offers more of what made the first one so damn wholesome, at times much more bittersweet, it retains the goodwill and warmth of its predecessor. Still just as unabashedly nostalgic and touching, Always 2 is exceptionally self-indulgent, very saccharine and perhaps a bit overlong, but it's also an excellent example of an emotionally satisfying drama with likeable characters and a wonderful sense of place and time. One that doesn't fail to get the tears welling, making for a feel-good film with loads of laughs. Extremely refreshing and just the tonic in these austere and pessimistic times. It shines bright. Although you just know every Godzilla fan has seen the opening 2-minutes of this and then nothing further, a huge injustice if there ever was one. However, you can certainly see why Yamazaki was chosen to helm the latest outing for the Big G with this sequence... I can't wait.

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