Reviews

proceed with caution

In my memory, the Crucible/Silenced is by far the hardest film I've ever watched. It is bleak as the dense fog covering the area of Mujin, and the ending is undeniably the most realistic given the context, where corruption goes the distance with money.

Initially I went into this film for being an avid fan of Gong Yoo’s work in 2018, and knew it was not going to be a light watch. But it must be emphasised that nothing could prepare the viewer for the harrowing true story and extremely graphic scenes depicting abuse of the children at the school. Even at the time of writing this review, the recollection of the man poking his head above the bathroom stall is the stuff of nightmares.

The performances were praise-worthy and difficult to criticise, the children especially in encapsulating the immense suffering the victims had endured in its most unrelenting form. The silence throughout the film was insufferable, and by no means an accident. Accompanied with dark palettes with barely a stretch of light and the many enclosed spaces in the building, there was never a moment of release for the viewer from start to finish. Every scene is unflinching as it is unsettling, with the deep rooted fear of not knowing what you will see next.

While most now would recognize Gong Yoo for his cameo in Squid Game (same director), many kdrama fans would remember his role in Goblin. In my humble opinion, his appearance as the school teacher remains his strongest and most memorable performance. It was said during his scene with the car, the injuries were not done by make up, and through it his overwhelming emotions were expressed from knowing what happened to the children. His dedication to the role couldn’t go unnoticed in his raw expressions of anger, disbelief and the sheer helplessness of an adult against the myriad of corrupted and disgusting individuals.

With these being said, this isn’t a film I recommend lightheartedly, nor it's one that begs a rewatch. The Crucible/Silenced would linger in your mind many years after only seeing it once. It’s an important work that managed to spread awareness of horrifying events that could take place behind closed doors, especially in institutes that many may view in a good light and hence avoid suspicion. After all, the worst monsters come as wolves in sheep's clothing.

Leia Mais

A little bit too good to be true

If the summary doesn't state this adapted from the true story I'll not gonna believe this could happen in real life. At least not in my country. Haha...

One hella cooperation from policemen to doctors to flight crew members to the flight passengers make the mission possible. We life in the world that, full of chaos and fraud and all the bad thing happen in the world today, make we think sometimes good heart or humanity is like missing from the picture. But when you watch this act of contribution between people we still can believe that humanity still alive in human heart.

Watch this just to heal your heart. Relax and believe that human basicly good & helpful.

Leia Mais

A must watch heartwarming and entertaining viewing experience.

"Seoul Vibe" is a South Korean movie that was released in the year 2022. The movie is a romantic comedy that follows the story of a young couple who navigate through the ups and downs of their relationship while trying to maintain their individual freedom and personal goals. The film explores themes of love, independence, and the challenges of maintaining a relationship in modern society. With a cast of talented actors and a well-written script, "Seoul Vibe" delivers a heartwarming and entertaining viewing experience. The film is set in the vibrant city of Seoul, which provides a beautiful backdrop for the story. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, "Seoul Vibe" is a must-watch.

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"My Sassy Girl" a heartwarming and hilarious movie.

"My Sassy Girl" is a 2001 Korean romantic comedy that is widely regarded as a classic. The movie tells the story of a college student who falls in love with a quirky and unpredictable young woman. The film's strong script, well-developed characters, and excellent performances by the lead actors make it a highly entertaining and touching film. The movie's blend of humor, romance, and drama is perfectly balanced, making it a must-watch for fans of the genre. The film's timeless appeal has made it a beloved classic not only in Korea but also around the world. Overall, "My Sassy Girl" is a movie that is both heartwarming and hilarious, making it a perfect choice for a date night or a night in with friends.

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“Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.” — Bill Watterson

Learn from Experience 2 picks up where part 1 left off. Instead of focusing on Toyomi and Shintaro's ill-fated love affair, this film focused on the friendship of the three women at the center of the story. Given that their friendships were by far the most compelling story element in either film, this was a good thing.

Toyomi has left home and is working at a dress shop having hidden her pregnancy from all but her best friend, Michiko. Yurie and Shintaro became engaged and he is now working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yurie, in that standard movie feat of incredible coincidence, walks into the dress shop where Toyomi works. They end up becoming fast friends unaware they have shared the same man and that Toyomi is carrying his child. When Yurie and Shintaro go on their honeymoon, Toyomi gives birth to her baby girl. Toyomi leaves the dress shop and stays with a friend of Michiko. Yurie hunts her friend down and generously invites her to come live with her while her husband is stationed overseas for several months. Toyomi resists but Yurie is a bulldozer and soon Toyomi and child are safely ensconced at Yurie's house. The viewer knows eventually Shintaro will return home and realize he has a child which of course he does. And that he will muck it up as well. Which he also does.

This film was more enjoyable for me for much of it because of the focus on the women and how Toyomi was cared for by her old friend and her new one. Even Toyomi's mother accepted Toyomi and her pregnancy. The strength and understanding of the women made this film and it was all the better for the lack of screen time for cowardly Shintaro. Even his friend could read him. "You can't say no to a rich girl."

In the end, Yurie asks Toyomi to give her daughter up so that Yurie and Shintaro can raise the little girl. They will make the child their heir as further enticement. Knowing the uphill climb before her and her child, in 1937 an illegitimate child would not be readily accepted, Toyomi acquiesces. Yurie dearly loves the baby making it easier for Toyomi to let go. As the sweetly uplifting music plays during the finale it feels like we are supposed to think it's a happy ending for everyone. Toyomi has become a kindergarten teacher, finally dressed in western style clothes. Shintaro is playing with the baby and Yurie has introduced the child to her parents. I still found the ending concerning Shintaro galling. The rich, entitled, man married the wealthier of the two women he was involved with and not only gets Yurie and her money, he also gets Toyomi's child. It would have been easier to swallow if Shintaro was constantly stationed overseas, or died when his conscience fell on him, and Toyomi and Yurie like a couple of sister wives raised the little girl together with help from Auntie Michiko and Toyomi's mother.

Perhaps part 1 could have been the only film and let Toyomi walk away tall, finding her way in the world with her unborn child. While giving her child up might have made it easier on the child and Toyomi, Toyomi's grief was not touched on in the "happy" ending. And Yurie never seemed daunted by the character of the man she had married. Naruse was never afraid to twist the knife so I'm surprised everything was wrapped up with a big pink bow on it regardless of the source material. The film had a melancholy slice of life feeling going for it and the nearly 3 hours for both films felt stretched rather thin. The compassionate and resilient women and their stellar performances will be the only memorable things I take away with me from these films and that's more than some films.

2/6/23

Leia Mais

Hyped at first but disappointed in the end.

I loved the anime so I was so hyped to watch this movie. I was disappointed. Everything felt forced; the acting was mediocre, and the plot had me puzzled. The ending scene where Watanuki is shown to act like Yuuko and a few scenes before where the spider demon laughs to her heart's content to show how evil she is felt rather awkward to me.

Moreover, the music was loud and kind of irrelevant to the movie's aesthetic as if someone hit play and hoped for the best!

The only saving grace of this movie is the cinematography. It's shown that a lot of effort was put there.

If you are a fan of the xxxHOLIC series and want to watch this movie, watch it without expectations!

Personal Overall: 5/10
Rewatch Value: No need

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"She cries and calls his name, but there is no answer"

Director Naruse Mikio developed a two-part movie from a novel written by Kicuchi Kan. As with many of his films, he centered the film around a woman, one who had been done wrong, and must find her way by herself.

Toyomi and Shintaro were in love and planning to marry, that is until he visited his family. His father who had brought their rice company near bankruptcy needed Shintaro to marry someone who would bring in a large dowry. Toyomi's family was comfortable but not able to afford the money he needed. The father also wanted someone whom he felt would be a better fit for Shintaro's future as a diplomat. Initially, Shintaro agreed to meet Yurie, knowing he was not going to marry her. This being a Naruse film, Shintaro fell for modern Yurie almost immediately. And before you could say, duplicitous jerk, he was ghosting Toyomi way before cell phones were invented.

The best part of this film was that the women were portrayed as individuals. Toyomi was a traditional young woman who always wore a kimono. She was devoted to Shintaro and to her friend. Even with her devotion she could still see the writing on the wall with Shintaro. Her best friend, Michiko, who wore Western clothes and appeared more modern was fiercely loyal to Toyomi even as she readied for her own wedding. Yurie, was not the devil in disguise, even though she wore the most stylish of Western clothes, rode horses and spoke her mind. She might not have been head over heels in love with Shintaro, but she was willing to go along with her family when he didn't seem like he was unreasonable. Good luck, girl. As Toyomi and Michiko had discussed, "marriage is something of a gamble."

Shintaro was the weakest character. He used Toyomi and then on the turn of a dime he was in love with Yurie and willing to completely abandon Toyomi. He had loved her until someone better came along. His personality was bland and selfish. If he'd been honest with Toyomi, she might have been more understanding. The problem for her was that he tried to place the blame on his family, but unlike her he wasn't devastated which spoke volumes. To make things worse, she had a secret she was going to share with him until he enraged her with his false heart. Part one ended with the revelation of Toyomi's secret in a letter to Michiko.

Irie Takako gave traditional Toyomi a backbone and clear eyes. Takehisa Chieko made the other woman, Yurie, energetic and sympathetic. Aizome Yumeko as Michiko brought just the right amount of energy to the best friend's role. Takada Minoru was saddled with uninteresting, cowardly Shintaro and did nothing to elevate the character or performance.

I'm looking forward to the second part to see how this story plays out and how life turns out for the three women. My concern is that there may not be enough melodrama to fill two films and that Shintaro won't receive proper retribution for his disloyalty and poor treatment of Toyomi.

2/6/23

Leia Mais

A for effort

I watched this movie to see if the value and aesthetics of Korean Movies could be carried on to a Fiiipino one since it is a collaboration movie.

Sceneries were great and the perspectives were good enough. The script and the acting, not so much. The movie felt a bit off from the start for me. The acting was just all over the place, it felt more theatrical than cinematic, although you really couldn't feel much emotion being conveyed from the entire movie.

The script was just cringy and the only character I could actual feel any empathy for was Kim Gun Woo's. It felt like the other actors were in training. Bella's acting was ok, but it aas far from what I've seen her do in her other movies. It felt like something was just holding them all back from giving it their all.

I finished the movie, and it was wrapped up without any obvious loose ends. A for the effort. :)

Leia Mais

Curious blend of history, LGBTQ comedy and harrowing battle scenes

An historical parody with a very unexpected ending (for me anyway ... I was watching it after midnight and missed the inference of the movie's name). The comedic effects are similar to that in the two Pee Nak movies. A group of villagers from Kung Raga (part of Asoraya) volunteer to spy on Yasotharavadi to acquire military intel.

The Kung Raga spies are made up of three straight men (Krai, Boontueng and Saeng) and five transgender men (Horm, Duen, Fang, Soi and Gon). Most of the humour centers around Horm, Duen, Fang, Soi and Gon and their antics ... I thought were hilarious and incredibly brave at the same time.

However, the smile was wiped off my face at the very end by some harrowing battle scenes and the fact that for the Kung Raga villagers, it turned out to be a battle to the death ... the 'good' guys didn't win. (´╥︵╥`)

This mix of humour with the blood and guts and death of war and no happy ending left me feeling rather strange at the end as I felt guilty for having laughed so much before the battle scene ending. So, it was an interesting and kind of bizarre experience watching it.

Leia Mais

This is so exciting!!! As an exile/LDH fan and nctzen, the idea of having them cross over is so cool to me. And even after watching it, the fact that I saw Yuta in the same frame of so many Japanese actors and singers and dancers who I also like was hard to believe. And Yuta did a really great job as Suzaki.

So, without being bias, I will say it's my favourite film out of all of them. Seeing all of Oya High together and friends was the best part for me. And of course, Kazuma's character (Fujio) is as friendly as ever which makes him endearing to watch.

I also think the character stories for Amagi and Suzaki was unique compared to other friends in this franchise. Suzaki especially because you can see in his actions and gaze that he's conflicted about a few things. And the overall message that is conveyed, mostly about friendship and unity adds to the story.

The directing and fight scenes have also gotten much better and it was really cool to see the transitions from one fight to another. And the OST was also so great, I really need to add all these songs to my playlist.

After months of anticipation and excitement, I can proudly say they they exceeded my expectations!

Leia Mais

Sometimes it's better to travel alone

Jackie Chan had a big budget to make a sequel of sorts to Armour of God in Operation Condor. He once again plays Asian Hawk, simply referred to as Jackie, this time hunting Nazi gold in north Africa.

The movie opened with one of the most spectacular motorcycle and car chases I've ever seen. One stunt in particular was death defying enough that Jackie shows the scene three times from slightly differently angles just to make sure we appreciate it. Near the end of the chase, he repeats the viewing for another ambitious stunt. I was ready to sit back and be entertained by this high velocity ball of energy. Instead the movie came to a screeching halt when Carol "Do Do" Cheng's character was introduced. The stereotypical "know it all" female control freak was to accompany Jackie and be in charge of him on his trip to find the Nazi gold. As if one annoying female character wasn't enough, Condor adds another. This time the granddaughter of one of the Nazis who was in charge of the treasure base will also be making the trip. Later, they would add another useless female character. They all had the ability to do exactly the wrong thing at the right time to make everything worse. I'm also pretty sure they must have been paid per scream. There was a lot of screaming and needing to be rescued. If this is your idea of humor you are in for a real treat. For me, it made the center portion of this film interminable. To make matters worse, the fights in the middle portion of the film were scarce and uninspired.

The final segment of the film picked up. The female characters still managed to behave absurdly, but at least the stunts were better. Jackie had to fight two foes in a giant wind tunnel for testing planes. Here at least was some inspired action and humor involving Jackie and his fighting style.

There were also some questionable representations of other cultures. The 1990's might not have been the most sensitive time, but I found the portrayals offensive. Even more offensive was the idiotic portrayal of every female character. I finally had to mute the TV during some of the scenes to be spared the screaming and the "save me Jackie!" cries.

This is a highly popular Jackie Chan film, especially from many people's childhood memories. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. The beginning of the film and the end were stunt triumphs. The cringeworthy middle left me wishing the bad guys had been better shots. This was Operation Turkey* for me.





*turkey is not only a bird, but American slang for a dud

2/5/23

Leia Mais

heartbreaking, yet beautiful

This has to be one of the most underrated films of 2022.

The director, Tanada Yuki, did a fantastic job portraying the ups and downs of life through gorgeous scenery and profound dialogue. At times, the pacing felt a bit slow, and some of the scenes seemed to drag slightly, but it did an effective job of creating an emotional experience for the viewer. This film touches on issues of mental illness, various forms of familial and relationship abuse, and toxic work culture. Certain scenes contained heart-wrenching and quite graphic depictions of self-harm and abuse, so be forewarned. The slower paced scenes ultimately allowed the viewer to reflect on the serious issues presented in this film. This movie is relatively short, and the plot isn't that complicated, but everything about it is impactful.

What makes this film amazing is the acting. Nagano Mei truly become the character of Shiino Tomoyo. I could feel her anguish, frustration, and helplessness through the screen. Her character felt like an anchor for the viewer to hold onto. Her reactions felt very real, in the face of tremendous heartbreak and anger. All the characters had fantastic line delivery, but Nagano definitely owned this movie.

Even though this film is incredibly sad, there are elements of humor sprinkled throughout. It felt very real, as life is filled with beauty, tragedy, and comedy. I can't emphasize enough how gorgeous this film is. It's definitely an emotional roller coaster, so prepare tissues!

Leia Mais

Fate is on my side!

Jackie Chan's Dragon Ma is back for this sequel to Project A without Sammo Hung. He has to face not only the criminal Tiger Au, but vengeful pirates, rebels, and most of all a corrupt police officer who wants him dead. Dragon has his hands full and sometimes handcuffed all while trying to navigate the conspiracies and death threats. This is vintage Jackie Chan with plenty of hard- hitting fists, kicks, falls, and laughs.

The plot is fast moving as Jackie has to take down the criminal element, deal with rebels and their secret book of names, avoid being killed by his superior, and escape the pirates' flying hatchets sometimes all at once! The story has weak areas as the double crosses and changing alliances take place, but the action is non-stop and the main reason for watching the movie to begin with.

One of the funniest scenes takes place in Maggie Cheung's home as a stream of good guys and bad guys revolve around her household searching for places to hide, often unaware of the others. Another inspired bit has Jackie and his nemesis Chun handcuffed together as a hatchet wielding gang(plank?) of pirates chases them through town.

The stunts often end with someone hitting the ground hard or smacking into a giant vase or poles on the way down. In one of the last scenes, Jackie runs down a falling wall and afterwards the building façade lands on him with little room for error to avoid a calamitous injury. This film is full of some of the most inventive fight and stunt scenes you are likely to see. Though the final fight scenes are long there is so much variety with Chan and different fighters and stunt elements it would have been hard to be bored.

Chan avoided the obvious mugging from some of his later movies and was a joy to watch as he ran up and down walls, cleverly finding ways to escape perilous situations. The cast was solid. Rosamunde Kwan appeared as a rebel. Michael Chan provided a great foil for Jackie in one of the early fights. And Lam Wai as the corrupt Superintendent Chun managed to keep up with Chan while they ran, flipped, and fought handcuffed together in a memorable sequence. My only disappointment was with Maggie Cheung's dipsy doodle role. She's so much better than the idiotic female she was often asked to play in Chan's movies.

The spectacular stunts and fights made up for a less than compelling story. This film was when Jackie Chan was starting to hit his stride as a choreographer, director, and star. Other films might have had more dangerous stunts but Project A 2 had plenty to keep your attention.

2/5/23

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