Reviews

We're going to need a bigger boat---of butter!

Monster Seafood Wars could have been good campy fun if it had given me even one human to root for. I started out octo-mistic, but as it was, I was on Team Kaiju right up until near the end when a surprise hero came to the rescue and almost made the other 74 minutes worthwhile and I'm not squidding.

As someone who has seen her share of Kaiju films, I'm prepared to go along with almost any convoluted storyline they want to hurl at me. This one started with Yuta taking his father's offering to the priest for the annual blessing at the shrine when he's knocked off his bike and his offerings of octopus, squid, and crab are stolen. They end up in the river with ominous bubbles floating over them and the next thing you know, the octopus and squid are ginormous and fighting each other in the city's skyline. The news media names them Takolla and Ikalla. Turns out Yuta had developed SETAP Z which causes animals to become huge. He was fired for going over budget and coincidentally his formula was also stolen. Yuta is hauled into the police station and interrogated by a SMAT (Seafood Monster Attack Team---seriously) commander and his childhood crush who works for the defense minister. He and his ex-work rival and rival for Nana, Hikoma, join SMAT to determine the best way to rid themselves of the seafood infestation. Hikoma has developed giant vinegar canons (I can't make this stuff up) that will spray the beasts and weaken them. It seems to work but then the giant crab, Kanilla, appears and lops off a few octopus and squid arms. Kanilla is unaffected by the vinegar attack and it's back to the drawing board for our heroes, and I use that term loosely. The positive thing that came out of the fight? Apparently, Kaiju meat is enormously delicious. Every restaurant in town tries to get their hands on the rare meat and patrons swamp to the select places that do carry it.

Monster Seafood Wars' writing was more damaging than a Kaiju romp around Tokyo. Yuta, Nana, and Hikoma acted like petulant 12-year-olds throughout the movie causing me to hope they ended up as steak tartare for the beasties. In a scene that harkened back to the sexist 70's, the two males made a bet that whoever won got Nana. Girl was sitting right there next to them while they were pounding their chests. Nana wasn't much better, other than saying derogatory things to Yuta and having expensive dinners with Hikoma, she didn't do much for someone with such a haughty attitude. The boys did nothing but fight and hurl insults at each other, refusing to work together even for the fate of the world. Go Team Kaiju! The only thing that turned this film around for me---spoiler alert--- was Yuta's buddy who unleashed a giant chef robot named Jumbo Cook near the end up the movie to carve the Kaiju into sushi. The last ten minutes were actually good campy fun.

This film was extremely low budget which wasn't a problem for me. I've watched a number of super cheap Kaiju movies and enjoyed them. The sets and props were about as low tech as it gets. The Kaiju looked more like the inflatable stick figures used at car dealerships than guys in rubber suits. Worst of all for me, the focus was almost entirely on the terrible three and their childish behavior. Listening to them bicker for nearly 86 minutes was more painful than whatever the squid with the big eyelashes could have hammered me with.

If you grew up watching Saturday morning children's tv shows with guys in monster or action costumes dancing about and bad acting this may give you a sense of nostalgia. But even the most stalwart seafood lover might find The Seafood Bowl nauseating. Far from being ex-squid-sit, it was clawful.

7/5/23

Leia Mais

his was ok, nothing more. 1st have to point out the subs r bad (guess whomever translated, used google translate). so it's English but not related to whatever we see in the scene. let alone the Japanese dialogue isn't translated & if that wasn't enough, the vid kept buffering. so this took ages to finish (which wouldn't mind, if the plot was interesting). it had it's moments, but on a whole this was meeh...

i like Ma Dong Seok, think he is a very versatile actor in-spite of the look. but cause of his look, most of his movies r him portraying a human wrecking ball. which seems repetitive IMHO (been there seen that). also cause of his "Might" (even though he's human) seeing anyone stand-up after one punch from him, is ludicrous - like come on, there's no freakin way they weren't punched straight into an ICU

side note: what kinda shocked me, took me a while to recognize Lee Joon Hyuk (loved him in Stranger) here idk what the makeup artist did, but he looks bloated & bad.

about the movie/plot; a generic plot which was ok. wasn't blown away by anything. there were a lot pf plot holes if anything. the fights were brutal, but grew monotonous as we went from one fight to another. a one off

Leia Mais

Short but Packs a Punch

Wow, this was amazing. I never expected to get so much out of such a short video but it was very moving. It didn't feel like the relationship was rushed, it was outlined and felt comforting and real. I wondered if they both knew what the other did, it seemed like they were both hiding that aspect from each other until they were standing face to face on opposite sides.

I could feel the heartache he felt as he was looking at his partner standing against him. As someone who has protested before, I can feel his passion for his cause and I know what it feels like for people to misunderstand protestors.

The only downside was the ending, it wasn't really resolved. In a way that left us even more impacted but I really want to see what happened after this event.

Leia Mais

If you Live by the Sword...

The actors were fantastic and the action scenes with
Jang Hyuk really good. I have enjoyed their talent in
other shows.
I just watched Jang Hyuk in The Swordsman 2020 and that
guy has awesome moves. His character in Tomb of the River
(2021) has a project in mind and nothing will stop him,
nothing will get in hisway. He is like a steamroller. He
doesn't seem to have strong affections for anybody. He
is like a machine.
Please remember this is my humble opinion I share with
you. We do this because we very much enjoy these shows
and we love to share our views with others.

Leia Mais

the minuses; the vid i found kept buffering at the wrong times & half way through the subs get really weird (can understand but not 100% sure my assumption r right), also the quality is iffy at parts.

the pluses = the whole movie (i don't like sports, it bores me). u will Never catch me watching any type of sport where a bunch or people (regardless of gender) r running after a ball. the only sports i've watched to date (if u can call them so...) r movies/drama's themed around them. so as far as i am concerned, this was a gem of a movie.

usually in movies like this, the underdog comes out on top & does a 180 by the end - this is a bit different in that accord, but still really enjoyed this movie, very funny & yet touchingly realistic at points. don't think there is a character i disliked. there a load of character's with heartbreaking backstories & i teared up more then once.

know everyone was waiting to watch this was cause of the mains (which were the ones that brought this movie to my attention) but i loved that even though Park Seo Joon & IU r the mains (& do play a main role) they don't take away from any of the other character's screen time - everyone gets a time to shine.
a feel good movie for sure, wholeheartedly recommend & this going on my rewatch list ?

Leia Mais

Use your words!

Aizen Katsura AKA The Tree of Love was a melodramatic love story with a plentitude of nice people who excelled at communication except for the two people who mattered most. But how else to keep two pleasant people apart except with timeworn misunderstandings and lack of communication? Katsue and Kozo would test the Tree of Love's blessing and patience to find out if it was strong enough to grant them everlasting happiness.

Gentle Katsue earns a living as a nurse supporting her daughter as well as her older sister. The problem being, that nurses have to live in the dormitory and are expected to be virgins---no married women! When Katsue is caught in the park with her daughter a fellow nurse convenes a late-night accusation party. After Katsue explains she's been a widow since she was eight months pregnant and had been forced to marry at eighteen, her fellow nurses declared solidarity with her. The hospital owner's son returns after his medical training and promptly falls for Katsue when she sings at his party. They begin seeing each other and Kozo makes what amounts to his declaration at the Tree of Love. His father has arranged a marriage with Michiko, an American educated young woman, whose father is also a doctor, a plan Kozo rejects. When he decides to travel to Kyoto so that he and Katsue can be together she agrees. Unfortunately, her daughter falls ill and she doesn't make the train. Kozo assumes the worst, that she's dumped him and doesn't contact her again. From there it's a series of more misunderstandings and near misses.

The romance in Tree of Love was pretty thin even though it was a popular movie in its time. As many films from this period did, it highlighted the plight of single women and single mothers. Few jobs were available to women, much less married women. Aside from having to work to survive, as a young widow, Katsue wasn't going to be most parents' first or tenth choice for a child's spouse. One of my favorite aspects of this story was the generous support of Katsue's fellow nurses. Not a jealous, spiteful woman in the lot. From beginning to end, they had her back which I found delightful as positive women's friendships tend to be scarce. Even Michiko, the possible fiancée, was understanding and kind, looking out for Kozo's best interests even if she didn't end up as his wife.

Tanaka Kinuyo was lovely as the gentle Katsue believably portraying a nurse and caring mother, a genuinely likeable heroine. Uehara Ken had little to do but sit around looking dashing, which he did well and Kozo was never cruel to Katsue even with the misunderstandings. Though it was billed as a melodrama, with people this beautiful and amiable, supported by Katsue's cheerleading squad of friends, this sweet couple didn't need a Tree of Love, more like a Tree of How to Use Your Words. If you enjoy older movies, Aizen Katsura is not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

7/4/23

Leia Mais

Good movie, worth a second rewatch

This is a gritty movie about espionage during war time.

Good:
1. The fight scene between WYB and Tony Leung's characters
2. the plot twist
3. WYB's acting improved as the story went on. He was a bit wooden in the early scenes.
4. The build up and suspense. It always felt like your favorite character was in danger of getting killed
5. The set design and costumes really made one feel that they were present in that time

Bad:
1. Non linear story telling made it really difficult to follow the plot
2. No linear story telling device also made some of the scenes repetitive for viewers

Leia Mais

Action Hero

From beginning to end Action packed. I totally enjoyed this movie.
I was searching Jang Hyuk's profile and found this movie.
He done so many genres and he is excellent here too.
The translation was kinda cut, so I don't know if I lost some
info on the way.
Happy I got to see Jang Hyuk in action. I've been
following him for years. He played a cool guy, almost expressionless,
saw him smile at the end of the film. Funny, he always
was drinking out of a cup. Reminded me of Robert Downy Jr.
always snacking on set.
I enjoyed this movie.

Leia Mais

Not terrible, just average

This was your average military movie. There is a mentor, an under dog, a rival, mentor dies, rivals become buddies, and so on. Movie wasn't terrible, just not memorable enough for a second watch. Acting was fine.

The okay:
1. Acting
2. sentimental moments between a few characters
3. CGI was ok
4. musical score and official sound track
5. fighter jet flying scenes

The bad:
1. very little character development
2. supporting cast is not memorable, i can only recall 3 character names from the movie
3. WYB's character did not need a love interest, but I guess the producers needed to insert a few females into the movie
4. no real connection between WYB's character and his parents

Leia Mais

Madness continues!

Just 5 minutes into this I was "mad" confused. 10 people, 7 madmen, 1 werewolf, and 2 villagers consisting of a prophet and bodyguard. And supposedly, If the lone werewolf wins the madmen win too. So then everyone will just want to kill the bodyguard and prophet? That's certainly a new twist on this game. And per usual, our girls are the main protagonists/antagonists. But this time, with the new rules (as you would expect), things get mad-crazy! This movie was a thrilling watch as it took things to a whole new level, and the suspense were certainly intense -- after all, potentially 8 people could win the game, if they somehow manage to kill off the prophet and bodyguard right away. Somehow I doubt the game masters would allow that to happen though.

Leia Mais

It was good if you want to be damm emptiness

I watched it for Cheng yi. It's worth trying to watch
Cheng yi is really a great actor .

I watched all of this movies and drama I really liked it as long Cheng yi is there.

Though his dramas are most enchanting and best . But movies are good too.

80% Cheng yi dramas are wuxia , watching modern Cheng yi now I just got used to it. But he nails wuxia dramas . But I hope there will be modern drama of Cheng yi with great actress .


Tho I didn't liked it much cause sad ending hurts but for Cheng yi it's worth watching.
It's a good movie If your heart is hard .

Leia Mais

Gay-themed short film, not BL

Warning: not a happy ending

It is easy to tell what is happening in this short film, but it is much more difficult to say why everything is happening.

We know it is practically love at first sight for Soon-ho, the delivery boy who frequently delivers Yu-jin's meals to him. In contrast to how transparent Soon-ho is as a character, Yu-jin is very much opaque to the end. Perhaps it is meant to be this way--the intention could be to show the struggles of a gay man who won't know the attitudes of other people towards him when they find out he is gay. There can be a 180-degree change in attitude.

Yet the film is can be rather baffling. The simplest reading is probably that Yu-jin is homophobic and turns nasty when he realises that Soon-ho is gay. But it is anyone's guess when Yu-jin discovers it--does he assume that Soon-ho is gay when he sees Soon-ho sniffing his (Yu-jin's) shirt? If so, why does he have no apparent immediate reaction to Soon-ho (whose action actually is admittedly inappropriate)? In fact, he proceeds to start eating his meal without seeming affected until he picks up a piece of friend pork and pauses . . .

Perhaps Yu-jin is put off by Soon-ho's action (not necessarily because he is homophobic but because he finds it disturbing). Or perhaps he is actually homophobic. Or perhaps he is trying to repress his own sexuality and emphasize his supposed heterosexuality by getting a woman to go to his apartment at the time when he knew Soon-ho would turn up, acting intimate with this woman AND even telling her about the delivery boy who is gay. Things would be easier to grasp if we can see malice or cruelty in Yu-jin as the woman taunts Soon-ho, but he keeps quiet and appears quite expressionless (perhaps even coldly hesitant). After closing the door at Soon-ho, he says something sexual to the woman (despite not even showing any interest in her while Soon-ho is looking at them), but is he deliberately saying it loudly enough for Soon-ho to hear?

It is easy to focus on Soon-ho's heartbreak and his friendship with his employer. However, Yu-jin is ultimately the truly intriguing character. I do wish there were more in the film to nudge us towards a more concrete interpretation of Yu-jin's character. He is either a really poorly written and acted flat character or an unsuccessful attempt at creating a truly interesting character within the span of 20 minutes.

Leia Mais

enjoyed the movie version more than the series version

Overall: this is a condensed version of the series which was 12 episodes about 40 minutes each = 480 minutes. The movie version is 125 minutes long and I liked it more than the series version because it cut out boring side couple stuff and stuck with the focus of Ai and Nhai. You can read my full review of the series here https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/233757/ I'm going to point out some differences.

What I Liked
- left out the cute rooftop/coupon scene and there might have been other cute scenes they left out as well
- better ending with the stargazing instead of that random store/shoe tying scene
- had transitions between scenes to help make it feel more cohesive/time had passed (though it can feel a bit choppy)

Room For Improvement: if I had edited this I would have changed a few additional things and then I would have rated it an 8.5
- in the flashback (which I would have shortened) cut out the dads being awful to Ai, the dads lied to him and he has a right to be angry/confused
- added back some of their cute scenes

Leia Mais

Please give this movie a chance to hug you.

I read the book-the book made me cry. When that happened, after learning there was a movie I was hesitant to watch it, despite my baby Yamachan starring in it... Because i thought, there's no way it will be able to make me feel the way that book did.
That book made me stand back and study this world, and the people I'm with everyday. That book made me scared because of thinking that if I don't hurry up, I'll only become a torch for someone else's dream... and that book made me cry because how can so many people not believe that God exists when we are all connected, when life makes sense in such a complicated way.
But time went by and I forgot a little. So i watched this movie. And it made me remember-more than that, it took away my fear; Even if your life is really only meant to encourage the other dreamers to achieve their dreams, and yours is un-reached... That's okay too. Dreamers-don't we dream to encourage others anyway? Most often, with becoming a singer or a writer, an actor or a doctor-isn't that what you want to do? You want to reach others, and help others...and be remembered.
So not just the authors, the singers, the pilots, the fashion designers and the presidents make their mark here...The people who encourage us. . . They turn into memories too.

Every actor and actress did well. The music in this film lingers long after it stops... perfect feelings were captured in 'Reborn'.The only thing that holds me back from giving this movie a complete 5 stars is that some letters were left out,and i wish they showed more anguish for the musician-there was not enough longing shown there, there was not enough cinematography for him.
but i love the way the movie retold the book, and i love what details it added. If you're ready to remember what it is to live, watch this movie. Or, maybe you just need a hug? Okay, watch it then.

Leia Mais