Reviews

Boring and uneventful, outside of a few chuckles.

This movie is painfully slow and boring throughout most of the run time. The manager character treats the 3 members of the band incredibly poorly and intentionally starves them of food and comfort, but explains to other characters that she sees potential in them to be a big success. One of the band members dies from starvation and the movie kind of tries to play it for laughs, but because the whole movie is quite dull it just comes off as useless.

The dialogue is drawn out and slow and on top of that it's difficult to hear the dialogue a lot of the time because of the way the movie is shot.

There are two funny moments in the movie, a scene where we get to see a small town talent show, and a scene where we see the 3 band members trying to sleep in a tiny bed together. Aside from that, the movie has very little to offer.

It's a harsh review. But honestly, this movie isn't worth your time. Unless I completely missed the point and/or it just wasn't for me.

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A GOOD CREATIVE COMEDY, FAIR TO GAY BUT MAYBE UNFAIR TO STRAIGHT

What I like about this movie is only the friendship that the two leads have built althrough their searching of who killed the Gay ghost.
I thought I was not going to finish it but since the acting and the comedy is great and entertaining, thankfully I was able to finish it.
the story is good and easy to understand but I don't like it, but since they have elaborated it nicely, It is good enough
I liked also the effects, I notice that this movie have many computer effect and it is really good and looks real !
And having a plot like a gay ghost and a homophobic police being entangled to one another is such a good Idea.
What I realize about this movie is that maybe they are trying to make gays and straight understand one another, because along the way, the police straight man understood the gay ghost when he helped him until the moment where he was talking to the ghost gay's father, which I skipped some parts of it by the way, and yeah, But I think that it is unfair that gays are always the one who needs understanding, even the fact that in this movie the writer MAYBE wants straight people understand LGBTQIA+, I hope that this is an eye opener also for LGBTQIA+ specially gays to be fair to straights people also because it should not always be that gays are the ones who are being understood and have adjusted into.
know that we cannot make every people agree with us, if they understand us that is great if not, we should not push them to eat what we are eating just because we think it is good, I am saying this because I have seen so many unfair things to the straight people in this movie.
That's all

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A Masteful Psychological Thriller In the Hitchcock Tradition!

This is a fantastic psychological thriller reminiscent of some of the best films of Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. In fact, I’m sure he would have been delighted by a plot that has so many twists and unexpected layers that I seriously doubt that most viewers will be able to figure everything out until the final reveal. When a writer can keep the viewers on their toes, you know you’ve done your job well. This film is simply a work of art.

The film opens in a seemingly generic plot of a family of four moving into a new house. Jin Seok has a strange sensation of having been there before, but he quickly dismisses it as a mere afterthought. However, he’s puzzled by a single room on the second floor that he’s told is forbidden to enter under any circumstances. From here, strange workings begin to occur. Noises in the middle of the night. Sounds that seem to come from the forbidden room above make Jin Seok wonder what is really going on. Things culminate one evening when he and his brother, Yoo Seok step out for the night when Yoo Seok sees that Jin Seok is unsettled. As Yoo Seok walks back to the house, Jin Seok witnesses several men abducting his brother by tossing him into a van and driving off. Yoo Seok returns 19 days later, but Jin Seok immediately notices that something isn’t right.

The film truly takes off from here because nothing is what it seems to be, and the viewer begins to struggle with Jin Seok and the reality of his situation. Is he hallucinating or dreaming about what’s been going on? Who is involved and why? Trust me. This movie has as many layers as an onion. Just when they’ve pulled back one layer, and you think you’ve got it figured out, a whole new layer is presented, and you’re left with yet another plot twist to unravel.

The writing, directing, and acting performances are all top-notch. Frankly, this may be the best thriller I’ve seen since “The Game,” which is another thriller that literally has the viewer guessing right up until the very end. That is a hallmark of masterful storytelling at its finest!

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This my first movie korea i watched

This is my first film that made me love korea, especially korean wave, from this film I love the culture, kpop, the actors and actresses, the director, the scriptwriter, the film crew, the series, the TV broadcast, the songs, the AI, everything that I love about korea. about this film, the script is good, the director is the best, the actors and actresses are perfect, I love the sets, after watching this film, I feel like I'm being pulled in, until I finally sink into enjoying the good writing and direction of the filmmakers from Korea, and this film is on the list of the 3rd best film I've seen in my lifetime.

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TEK KELİMEYLE MÜKEMMEL

Empatik biriyseniz mağdurların durumunu düşündükçe içiniz içinizi yiyecek ve karakterlerin yerine kendinizi koyacaksınız. Adaletli olmadığını düşündüğünüz durumda kendi adaletinizi sağlamak düzen açısından yanlış olsa da istisnalar kaideyi bozmaz diyorum. Nasıl olsa kan davası gibi bir olay yok ortada, izleyince göreceksiniz ki adaleti sağlaması gereken kişiler dahi bu dünyada adaleti doğru sağlayamadıklarını görüyor ve kendi adaletlerini yaratıyor :D komik gerçekten. İki şapşalın çok komik ama duygu dolu hikayesi.. Hani her hüzünlü filmden sonra kalbinize bir öküz oturur ya o öküz yok çünkü film o kadar komik ki. Türk komedi havası verdiği içindir belki ben kendimi çok yakın hissettim şahsen tekrar kesinlikle izlenir. İZLEYİN NOLUUUUR.

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Not as entertaining as the original

Sanshiro Sugata Part II was a pale reflection of the original Sanshiro Sugata from 1943. While the original was fun and had a solid story arch, the sequel's story was thinner, more confusing, heavy on propaganda and not very entertaining.

Sugata has been away for two years but hasn't learned much. He helps a young rickshaw driver when a drunk American sailor beats the boy. A Japanese fight promoter hears about the incident and invites him to compete against "Lister the Killer," an American boxer, but he declines. Unfamiliar with boxing, Sugata decides to watch a match and is disgusted by the showy sport, alluding to it looking like dogs or roosters fighting. He returns to the dojo where Higaki Gennosuke's brothers show up looking for a battle with him. Sensei Yano sends the rude brothers away. "The man who knows not himself knows nothing." Later, Higaki Gennosuke whom Sugata defeated in the previous film, who is quite ill but healed in spirit pleads with Sugata to stay away from the unbalanced brothers. Sugata has been suffering from self-doubt wondering whether he should give up judo because of the harm that comes to his opponents but he also wants to fight whenever he can which leads to him not sleeping. He's also concerned about the survival of Japanese martial arts. The three laws of the dojo state that no one is to drink in the dojo, no fighting for money, and no fights without the sensei's permission. Suffice to say he breaks all three, fighting both the American and the crazy karate brother.

This sequel's fights weren't as well done or exciting. The final battle on the snowy mountain was hard to see as the bodies were dark silhouettes on the white background. In the first film, the contests furthered Sugata's growth, in this film, they all seem to be about promoting Japanese martial arts as superior to other forms.

Where Sugata traveled a spiritual path of self-discovery in the first film, he seemed completely confused and erratic in this one. The propaganda was heavy-handed, though it was understandable in the waning days of WWII when the writing was on the wall. While I could easily recommend the first film, this second one may be more for Kurosawa completionists.

8/11/23

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Bad start but get's better

Sometimes you will see a cover and instantly know that this is just not for you.... but then you may look a bit closer and find out that Greg Hsu is the star and all of a sudden you just have to watch it for that smile.... But deep down inside you know that Greg is probably the only thing this movie has to offer.

And well it started off just like it´s cover suggested, annoyingly bad silly humour... Greg Hsu as a homophobic over the top jerk (with muscles) slightly painful to watch second hand embarrassment making me rethink my choice to watch it, but since Greg Hsu is the star and they trowed in a bunch of open minded granny's I stuck to it and it actually got better. Showing me yet again the Greg is a versatile actor (having like 10 personalities in this) and more then just a pretty face. The other male lead did a really good job too. Some twists where more predictable than others, actually most of them where predictable. the character development was however lovely and I think I may almost have shed a tear.

So I am not going to say this is great, but if you are a Fan of Greg Hsu or ghosts, this is not a bad place to watch them just don´t judge the movie by its cover or first 30 minutes or so. It does indeed get better. But honestly it is probably worth a 6,5 or a 7 but the cast and moments of brilliance (few as they are), as well as the presence of a cute dog truly adds a whole lot of stars.

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Please

I cried so hard I couldn't breathe. Both the acting and cinematography are great. Just watch it.

I wasn't expecting much of it, and after watching the trailer on Netflix I thought it was gonna be an overall pretty funny movie with some sad bits. I'd still say some scenes are funny, and I wouldn't say the movie was really sad because as I finished it it's not the impression it left on me. But there was so much regret shown, and yet so much love, it was beautiful and it absolutely destroyed me. After the end of the movie, I stared at my ceiling in silence for a whole 10 minutes. I'm so happy I watched it, I just hope you give it a try too :')

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A buddy cop movie with an atypical ghost element

This buddy cop movie is quite atypical as it features a fantastical element with this very interesting concept of "ghost marriage". It contains a lot of the usual elements of such movie with the investigation, the buddying up between 2 very different individuals as well as the comedic aspects but the LGBTQ+ topic approached in addition with the fantastical twist bring some freshness to the genre.

It is quite light and does not take itself very seriously, it has almost a parodic vibe. This makes it an overall fun watch which could have been even better with a tighter writing and a better pacing. The acting is quite good: I was more convinced by the comedic scenes than by the emotional ones...Still, I'm quite certain that it is more related to the script being a bit bonkers at times as well as the filmmaking a bit over-the-top than to the actors themselves.

The music did not leave a lasting impression on me and I'm not sure I will necessarily re-watch the movie but I had a good time watching it for sure.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a comedy with an interesting premise and like buddy cop movies. It is not very memorable, nor very deep, gritty or dark but it is quite entertaining and fun, which is sometimes just what you need.

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"A lotus will only grow in the mud"

Kurosawa Akira made his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata in 1943. Set in the Meiji era, the story followed brash young fighter Sanshiro Sugata as he learned about judo and himself. Though the plot was quite simple, Sanshiro's journey from thoughtless bully to thoughtful fighter was appealing to watch. (The film lost seventeen minutes of footage after it was cut by the Japanese censors deemed some scenes not appropriate for wartime viewing.)

Sanshiro comes to town in order to learn more about jiu-jitsu. He wanders into a dojo just in time to hear the members deciding to mete out punishment to a rival instructor who is teaching a new version of jiu-jitsu called judo. Sanshiro asks if it's an ambush. "Ambush? It's just a match without a referee." And one where the opponents greatly outnumber the unsuspecting teacher. Sanshiro watches in fascination as Sensei Yano throws the half-dozen men attacking him into the river. Sanshiro quickly changes his mind and decides to train in judo instead. Initially, the young fighter takes every opportunity in town to become involved in a fight to test his abilities. After Yano tells him he knows nothing about humanity and that teaching him would be like "putting a knife in a lunatic's hand", Sanshiro attempts to prove his loyalty and worth by spending the night in a mucky lotus pond. When a flower blooms from the mire, he gains a revelation about life and himself. Much of the rest of the film entails Sanshiro competing against other opponents on his path toward growth as a person and in judo. He develops feelings for an opponent's daughter which complicates matters when he has to face her father in a competition.

Whether or not they were realistic, the fights were engaging. Each match engendered personal progress in Sanshiro. The best fight was Yano's against the rival school's ambush. With a quiet confidence Yano defeated his foes in a humorous manner. The most emotional fight was Sanshiro's contest with Shimura Takashi's Murai, who had fallen away from his practice and was no match for the younger fighter. The older man was gracious and let Sanshiro know they were not enemies which stirred more self-improvement in the young man. The climactic clash against the film's villain, Higaki, reminded me of a samurai duel the way they circled and sized each other up. One man found enlightenment through a flower, the other used one as an ashtray. Without Yano's guidance Sanshiro might have ended up like the arrogant Higaki. The last confrontation was where it truly looked like a Kurosawa film with the wind bending the tall grasses and clouds racing across the sky.

This may not have been Kurosawa's most emotionally or narratively complex film but it had a compelling hero's journey as Sanshiro learned the spiritual aspects of his practice and in life. He grew as a man and as a fighter under the guidance of his wise sensei. Unlike so many of Kurosawa's later heroes who were forced into isolation during their emotional crucibles, Sanshiro remained devoted to his sensei and gained friends from former opponents. I found Sanshiro Sugata to be an entertaining film, even in its shortened version.

8/11/23
Edit: I read there is a DVD version available that was able to include the missing minutes.

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A Very Good Comedy/Action Film!

“Veteran” is just a plain, fun romp of an action/comedy film about a Metro detective who is hellbent on taking down the drug addict man who is the son of a wealthy corporate tycoon. The theme is a fairly common one of a wealthy man who believes that he’s untouchable and above the law. Plus, I needed something to get the bad taste of “King the Land” out of my mouth, and this movie more than fit the bill for me in that regard.

Detective Seo Do Cheol leads a band of misfit detectives on various sting operations. The film opens up with him taking down an auto theft ring, and the apprehension of the Russian and Korean criminals down on the docks is beyond hilarious! Watching Detective Bong howl like a Native American battle cry, and fly out of nowhere to take down one of the operatives, is one of the funniest moments of the scene as she ends up missing the guy entirely and knocking herself out.

Do Cheol finds out that a friend (Bae) who helped him with the sting operation is trying to get his back pay of wages that the corporation is refusing to pay him, and the sadistic, drug addict, Jo Tae Oh takes great delight in having Bae beaten in front of his young son and then covering up an attempted murder with a suicide ploy. Of course, Do Cheol doesn’t believe a word of it as he’s already experienced Jo Tae Oh’s sadistic side first-hand at a party where he delightfully abuses two women just for the sheer pleasure of it.

As we’ve seen countless times before in K-dramas and movies, the rogue detective finds himself up against the system, where he’s forced to deal with high-priced lawyers, corrupt police officers who are being paid, and even high political officials who all want Do Cheol to leave the case alone. Even his wife is approached by Jo Tae Oh’s lawyer and assistant with a purse filled with money as a payoff. However, Do Cheol refuses to back down and vows to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth and take Jo Tae Oh down.

Do Cheol is a skilled fighter, and an above-average detective, and Hwang Jung Min plays him perfectly. He’s a likable guy who seems to take abuse from everyone, from his superiors, his co-workers, and even his wife, who snaps at him as soon as he gets home from a long day.

Yoo Ah In gives us an equally riveting performance as the drug-crazed Jo Tae Oh, a man who delights in the pain of others. He wears a smile like the Joker and before you know it, he goes on rampages of rage and violence. We are given hints as to why he might be like this as his father, while not on drugs, is certainly ruthless and prone to violence himself. Jo Tae Oh believes he has to prove himself in order to be his father’s successor, but his cravings for violence end up being his undoing.
The only part of the movie that had me scratching my head was the end. During their showdown, Do Cheol allows himself to be beaten in order to secure an “assault on a police officer” charge, or even just a “resisting arrest” as their fight is in front of cameras and many spectators all recording the incident on their phones. While it made the fight more interesting, I didn’t understand why he would have to take such a beating. Perhaps the charge is different in Korea, which is why I sort of dismissed it. In the US, after Jo Tae Oh hits him with the first punch—which takes place after Do Cheol is already read him his rights—that would have been more than sufficient for the charge to stick.

Koreans are masters of combing and using different thematic and genre elements in their shows and movies. This movie has plenty of action, laugh-out-loud moments, and scenes that will have you cringing, and the film also gives viewers something to think about. Koreans love using entertainment as a means to try and invoke change. In this case, it’s about not allowing the wealthy to prey upon the poor or the helpless nor allowing the wealthy to simply buy their way out of prosecution. In short, nobody is above the law and everyone should be held accountable, no matter who they are or where they come from.

All in all, this movie was a lot of fun, and I’m already looking forward to Veteran 2!

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Does it deserve the Oscar awards it got, it is your decision to make

I guess everyone has a different interpretation of the story, despite some people's claims that the movie was boring. In my opinion, three classes—the rich, the poor, and the poorer—were represented in the narrative. The poorer people I am referring to are, without a doubt, the former housekeeper and her husband. Most people would wonder why the father had to kill Mr. Park, but someone once told me that Mr. Park's subconscious sudden admission that he thought Kelvin's father and the former housekeeper's husband were the same because they both smelled bad was the final straw that caused him (Kelvin's father) to kill Mr. Park.
The film serves as a metaphor for a number of social problems that exist globally, most notably in South Korea. It focuses on classism and how it relates to capitalism, poverty, social strata, and other issues.
Despite the comedic nature of the film's opening, we are thrust into the spotlight when we discover that the entire family are con artists. We are all perplexed as to why the Parks are so clueless, and unaware of what is happening. However, in reality, when you trust someone, you often naively believe everything they say and do.
The movie then attempts to present itself as a thriller, but it falls short in this regard; in my opinion, it actually presents itself as survival horror mixed with comedy horror.

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You Will Laugh And You Will Cry!

A surprising, hilarious, and touching film about a straight police officer (Wu Ming Han) who gets married to a gay ghost (Mao Mao). The circumstances around his why Ming Han agrees to marry the ghost will make you laugh, and the grandma's adoration and support of her dead grandson (going so far as to arrange his marriage after death) are moving, even while bizarre.

Their marriage becomes the set up for an overarching plot point: solving the mystery of Mao Mao's death. And as the mystery is solved, you will be surprised. Talk about plot twist!

While Ming Han brings Mao Mao justice and needed closure to a certain conflict in his life, Mao Mao brings to Ming Han the love of his grandma and father. At the end of the movie, there's genuine love and affection between them, and Ming Han remains committed to remembering Mao Mao, even keeping his memorial alter in his home. It's clear that Ming Han accepts Mao Mao as his husband.

The film challenges us to stretch our imaginations about what a marriage can be and what loyalty to a partner can be. At the end, Ming Han demonstrates a kind of commitment to his husband that, even if not romantic or sexual, is no less true.

A little detail not to miss in the closing scene: Ming Han picking up his portable tumbler with a rainbow heart sticker front and center on it!

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