Reviews

An Outstanding Must See Action Movie with a Story

I have to confess I saw the 1954 Godzilla movie with Raymond Burr when I was a little girl and I fell in love with the whole idea of Godzilla, Mothra, and other monsters over time but as time went on the series faded into cliques and boring plots with this mechanical looking monster that did do roaring and fire breathing. So the interest faded. However, heard this movie had gotten the highest Rotten Tomatoes ratings and highest customer reviews ever, so I had to go see it. Was not disappointed - from beginning to end. There was everything you wanted in a drama, action movie. Great graphics, good character development, impeccable editing, and a screenwriter who did not compromise telling a story that was believable and so good that you even forget that 2 hours have passed because you are so engrossed in the story and its outcome. It is worth every dime of movie dollars to go see and it is beyond a masterpiece and brings the Godzilla franchise a new life if not exploited with cheap plots like the past 60-plus years.

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She shoots, but does she score?

She shoots, but does she score? Well, between the copious amounts of histrionic, clichéd melodrama with scenes that go on for way too long, She Shoots Straight provides some genuinely uproarious and well-done action that wouldn't be out of place this side of Michelle Yeoh. Corey Yuen certainly brings variety to the film's kinetic style, particular standouts being a shootout shot in infrared and the storming of a ship with every manner of melee weapon imaginable, Yuen understands when to add a dramatic weight to make a true impact. Complimented by a decent if cheesy score by Lowell Lo, while the performances of Joyce Godenzi and Carina Lau balance out the deranged villainous antics of Yuen Wah. She Shoots Straight isn't bad by any means but the story doesn't make me really care about any of its sapy soap opera characters beyond a surface level while the action is too few and far between but finally delivers that explosive Hong Kong finale that you wait the whole film for, it just really needed some spicing up during the sluggish first half.

Also, Joyce Godenzi should have totally lost that final fight against Agnes Aurelio.

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Asinine, yet heartbreaking. Garish, yet beautiful.

Story: "Killing Romance" is mainly a story about abuse, and quite a poignant one at that. Although the plot is extremely simplistic, at times utterly silly, at times borderline obnoxious, it never fails to deliver its message perfectly and without cheapening it. That being said, there are many times when the things happening on screen feel disconnected, almost arbitrary. I get that this is done in the name of comedy, but still, I don't think it landed.

Acting/Cast: I love, love, LOVE Lee Ha Nee! She has this amazing combination of gorgeousness and hilarity that I find extremely charming. And she did not disappoint! She was stunningly beautiful, appropriately nutty, but she also exuded a certain vulnerability in the more sentimental parts of the movie that really resonated with me.
Lee Seon Kyun was perfect for the role of Jonathan, I can't think of anyone else who could play him better. He was the embodiment of kitsch. Unrelenting, over-the-top each and every moment he was on screen, ostentatious, ridiculous but also very believably threatening and cruel.
Gong Myeong was.... fine. I don't feel like he contributed anything more than an inoffensive performance and a cute face.
The rest of the cast (apart from Oh Jeong Se, who I found hilarious in his tiny bit) was perfectly average.

Music: Not my cup of tea, but I appreciated the performances. I especially liked Johnathan's last performance and how gradually more and more unhinged it got.

Rewatch value: None really... Maybe once again with friends to share the novelty of its style.

Overall: I feel like the weakest point of the movie is the comedy. I am one to admire absurd humor (huge fan of The Mighty Boosh), but I found most of the bits too silly for my liking. The ones that landed though, were very good. (The planning montage was a highlight in my opinion.) I also found myself quite bored at times, and I think it was mainly due to the disconnectedness I mentioned above. It was very disappointing because I could tell that the writers and the director KNEW how to make things work, but the whole thing was rushed and thus failed.
Apart from the performances of the two main leads, the other very strong asset of this movie is how aesthetically pleasing it is. This movie is f***ing STUNNING! The colors, the shots, the costumes, the makeup, the mustaches.... Everything is polished and very well thought out.
Ultimately, the absolute saving grace of "Killing Romance" is how deliciously camp it is. It never takes itself too seriously, but at the same time respects the seriousness of what it's trying to say. It's extra, loud, flamboyant, and, despite its many failings, FUN!

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Seriously underrated madness

One part ET, another part Indiana Jones but a Wong Jing movie in every other sense, Magic Crystal has everything and the kitchen sink cheesed up to the max, but dosed on adrenalin too. Wong Jing's signature chaotic direction, balls-to-the-wall pace, brutal stunt work, cheesy yet ridiculously charming effects and humour that ranges from childish to outright offensive but it's presented in such a way that it remains hilarious. Topped off by an incredible cast that includes the likes of Andy Lau, Cynthia Rothrock and an awesomely villainous Richard Norton all of whom commit 100% to the film's stupidity. It's over the top and knows it, delivering endless, ferocious and well-choreographed action all set to a rocking synth score that has become a staple of most 80s Hong Kong movies. Daft, dumb and oh-so-fun, Magic Crystal is one you owe yourself to watch if you are in any way a fan of shlocky excellence. Then again I also gave 5 stars to Future Cops... so you decide.

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Sammo does John Woo

If you only know Sammo Hung for his more happy-go-lucky roles, then Eastern Condors will be a massive shock to the system, going as far as to tread into John Woo's territory of heroic bloodshed. Taking the idea of The Dirty Dozen but setting it in Vietnam, Sammo got serious with this one, even cutting his trademark hair and slimming right down. There are no mincing words about how brutally violent Eastern Condors gets... Hands get chopped off, Vietcong kids play Russian Roulette and people are shot point blank with no hesitation, in the wrong hands it's distasteful stuff, but Sammo treats it all with sincerity, marking this film out as one of his finest accomplishments as an actor, martial artist and director.

Although the majority of the action is hyper-intense gun fights occasionally punctuated by a familiar moment seen in Western war films like The Deer Hunter or the Rambo franchise, there is a spectacular final bout of full-contact fisticuffs for the patient ones among you. The cast is populated by plenty of familiar names and faces, although I do wish they got a bit more characterisation outside of their nicknames and who plays them, they all commit often coming away bloody and bruised from the hyper-dangerous stunt work. For better or worse, Eastern Condors has a gritty edge that makes it truly stand out amongst Sammo's filmography often feeling like what Heroes Shed No Tears had originally wanted to be, it's an absolute must-see!

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Exhausting

Exceptionally convoluted and deliriously nihilistic, Genocide is appropriately harrowing and periodically bonkers if a little middling around the second act. The second of only two movies from director Kazui Nihonmatsu, having previously helmed The X from Outer Space, Genocide is all over the place with enough hair-brained ideas to fill two movies let alone a single 84-minute one, primarily the hallucinogenic bees being bred by an insane holocaust survivor. Nihonmatsu handles the film with considerably more skill than his prior effort, there's a wider variety of shots and a better building of suspense thanks in part to the photography of Shizuo Hirase and the passable score from Shunsuke Kikuchi. It's very much an accident of a film, suitably ambitious and apocalyptic in its finality, ultimately hinging on the potential detonation of a hydrogen bomb and the single mother who may have to single-handedly repopulate a country. Genocide is an exhausting yet very rewarding experience, showcasing so pretty damn good filmmaking for its small budget but, as noted before, has too much plot for its own good.

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Watch the HK Cut

The answer is Jackie Chan. Who Am I? sees Jackie tackle the amnesiac spy thriller years before the Matt Damon shaky cam series and although a lot of the acting from its supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired (almost to the point of brain dead), the action more than makes up for it. The story feels unnecessarily complex and often messy but makes for an otherwise very compelling mystery (provided you watch the right version) in one of Jackie's more serious turns ala Crime Story. Benny Chan's direction is all pretty solid and Nathan Wang's score is decent if very dated, but seeing it paired with Jackie running around causing mass destruction in the Netherlands all while clad in a pair of clogs was truly a sight to behold. Despite a tepid first half, the film picks up steam with some great action, a fantastic car chase and the usual death-defying stunts in the second, with the rooftop fight easily ranking as one of his best, it's all just as imaginative and energetic as his early works even with Chan's advancing age.

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Overly sexed cheese

Even with its mean-spirited streak, Body Weapon is a rather daring psychological thriller that combines the twisted sexuality and flamboyant savagery of Naked Killer with the physical masterstrokes of Jackie Chan in high gear. It's a relatively infamous Category III movie, but despite its status as one, it rarely goes above what one would expect from a sleazy exploitation film based solely on its gimmicky title. Between the tonally confused yet hilariously cheesy jokes, plodding sentimentality and overly sexed-up gimp-suited villain, Body Weapon offers up a tantalising amphetamine rush of brutal martial arts and steamy eroticism that impacts the senses with delirious intensity.

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Lavishly heartwarming

Takashi Yamazaki's lavish screen adaptation of Ryōhei Saigan's immensely popular manga, Always Sunset on Third Street is unashamedly sentimental, a glossy, big-budgeted soap opera remaining captivating in its swoon of admiration for the period it is portraying. It's not intended as a serious examination of the tribulations faced by post-war Japan, though hints are thrown in now and again, instead, it focuses on the daily lives of its larger-than-life characters. Although it sometimes feels episodic, the cornerstone of this movie's success lies in its charming essence, lovable performances and overall warmth, sweeping the viewer along with its energy, tugging at the heartstrings every step of the way.

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Exceptionally charming adventure film

Drawing heavily from kids' adventure films, ergo The Goonies just minus the gritty edge of the 80s and early Spielberg, Juvenile marks the directorial debut of one Takashi Yamazaki. He weaves together an engaging coming-of-age story primarily following the child characters and invoking a sense of imagination many kids partook in during the early years of their lives, retaining an old-school sci-fi charm along the way. It all feels genuine and is helped by the performances of its cast, although it does struggle to make many of the relationships organic. Its musical score by Yasuaki Shimizu is pleasant on the ears, with a beautiful theme to close the film the visual effects however, are more of a mixed bag. The CGI has aged horribly as was par for the course in Japan during this period but the practical effects work is fantastic, especially Tetra who is freaking adorable. Despite its faults, Juvenile is a competently made movie and an exceptionally charming one at that, capturing that feeling of childhood nostalgia with relative ease, Yamazai had a lot to offer and Juvenile was the first stepping stone to that success.

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Exceeded disappointments

I LOVE FMA. Love it. I adore the manga, which I reread about once a year, I watched the original anime, and was over the moon when they remade it into FMA Brotherhood, and I was so, so, SO excited when this was announced. I suppose I should have tempered my expectations to Bleach live action level, not Rurouni Kenshin quality levels. I'm going to place some, if not most, of the blame on Netflix because they're known for doing things quick and cheap, and this was no exception.

Now, I've watched this twice, when it first came out, and... a few months (?) ago because, surely, it couldn't be as bad as I remembered. Sadly, it remains terrible. They should've done a live action *series,* not try to squish what is a very intricate, intentional, and tight plot line into this-- mess.

I do appreciate most of the casting (Hughes is a blast, Ed is pretty funny), the costumes are pretty good, but that's about where I stop with the praise.

Now, for the rest...
- I agree with the other reviewer who said the casting for Envy isn't great, and I do love Kanata Hongo but not in this role. The personality feels prosaic, something's missing (maybe overall hating whenever he shows up? Lol), which ties into my next point...
- Characters/relationships: we're not given time to get to know characters, their relationships aren't drawn out or portrayed with any depth so we have no time to grow fond of them and thus want to root for them, which makes it hard for anything to have any emotional impact and so... why bother watching? (I'd say don't, go read the manga or watch Brotherhood instead)
* Related: Sho Tucker's portrayal, meh, I really don't get his craziness, that whole arc doesn't land (especially with the plot changes), which...
- Story/plot: why? T_T Why did you hack it into pieces and rearrange it like this? (Time constraints, blah blah, I know, but NO)
* It really doesn't explain anything to anyone unfamiliar with FMA, so again, why bother with this?
* You can't take Scar out of the Tucker/Nina plot line?? Or take Scar out at all, from this first movie??
* Using too many characters now instead of later (again, glossing over relationships), discombobulating whatever sense could be made from the story resulting in low emotional stakes
* Really?? You're using the immortal army NOW?? What the hell is gonna happen in the sequels!? (More disaster)
* Winry really was in this too much (and I like her!), and it didn't do shit for the plot, which leads me to...
- the Japanese-ification of... everything. To sum up my chat with a few Japanese friends, who don't watch Japanese productions for these and other reasons:
* the sexism is showing - female characters being mostly "useful" as long as it's being a love interest (re: Winry) but losing agency or being, frankly, out of character (see: Hawkeye), which is devastating because the characters in the manga are so much more (I hate losing that for all of them, but especially for the female characters where it's most visible)
* the acting is... Like That. I used to love Japanese productions, truly, but anything I've tried watching lately has felt obviously fake, the acting not credible because you can always predict the script and the characters reactions. Maybe it's stylistic? But I'm rarely surprised so it becomes boring and unimaginative after a while. Maybe I'm just used to Korean quality now and everything else now feels too obviously staged, I don't know
- the amount of (bad) CGI. This isn't just this movie but Netflix, and others, as a whole, but UGH, no! Al looks terrible, the automail looks meh, even the alchemy I'm underwhelmed by, and the "sets" (green screens) are also ehh (some of them are pretty, yes)

Watch it if you want to cringe, or can only watch it 15mn at a time, otherwise honestly don't bother, stick with the manga and anime and go watch the actors in something else.

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Two Friends Moaning On Every Bite Of Food.

If you like watching other people eat while exclaiming their exaggerated pleasure loudly then I would recommend this, otherwise there's not much there. It's kind of cute but I mainly found it annoying. 50% of it is over-the-top "OMG" noises when eating and 40% is yelling/screeching so the 10% when anybody talks normally I had to briefly turn the volume up for before turning it back down again.

EVERY bite of food (or drink) is the SAME level of moaning/squealing inducing "orgasmic", lol! Rice with mayo is just as amazing as a gyoza with kimchi and cheese, or a sip of beer, or a sundae, or ramen with vegetables, or a plain baked sweet potato, etc. It's ridiculous and boringly repetative. The only thing that got a normalized "yum" was the corn soup (likely because it had an emotional tie-in with the characters' joint history).

General Spoiler below.

The movie also felt like only part of a story. It's a slow burn bromance that barely grows before the movie is done. The characters individually come to some conclusions about how important the other is to them in a way that is alluded to vs spelled out. With each other, they confirm they will continue on together as they have been without really saying why. And that's it. The movie does stop at a good pausing point, but that's not very satisfying as an ending.

The acting is decent except Aki is vocally childish. There's not much plot or script that isn't noise for the actors to work with so it's a bit difficult to ascertain their talent.

Cinematography was good and soft.

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Cute & Fluffy With Manga-style Acting & Humor.

An easy 84 min watch; low plot and low angst fun with a happy ending. As it's based on a manga, it's not surprising that they employ a purposeful silliness in telling the story. The exaggerated situations and acting are not everyone's cup of tea, but it's done fairly well here even though it's a low budget production. It succeeded in making me smile and quietly chuckle multiple times. (The slippery sock chase around the sofa was my favorite bit.)

Mahiro (as Izumi) is the strongest actor. Even within the acting style chosen he shows range and some nuance. The others are flatter in their abilities but no one really drags the story down.

The camerawork needed work. Everything seemed hand-held (even still shots) and any panning movements were slightly jerky/stuttering. I was able to ignore it most of the time but I would not have wanted to watch a full series of this as too much of it would give me a headache (but my eyes are sensitive to this kind of thing).

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Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' Tokyo Revengers 2 : Bloody Halloween : Decisive Battle '' is the second part of the second movie of the Tokyo Revengers series, which is based on a manga series with the same title and has been also made into an anime.

The movie showcases the decisive battle, as its name suggests, that will alter the future depending on its outcome, a battle that was built up in the first part of the Bloody Halloween arc. And it does not disappoint. It is indeed bloody, and emotional, and full of action. The fight scenes were well executed, the characters showed character development, and the twists were enjoyable.

In addition, the all star cast did a great job with their performances and enhanced the entertainment of the viewer.

So, overall, eight and a half out of ten.

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