Reviews

Loved it

This is a sequel to the original pornographer series and in my opinion this is the best out of the pornographer francize. I loved how the pornographer francize are told from the pov of one of the main characters. Mood indigo from the pov of Kido, Pornographer from the pov of Kuzumi and finally here from the pov of Kijima. We finally come to know the thoughts of Kijima, who is such a mysterious character even till now. He tend to keep stuff to himself and has a hard time to depend on someone. We come to know that Kijima is very lonely and afraid. He is afraid and not confident in himself that Kuzumi would need someone like him. He gets irritated and lashed out or runs away without notifying anyone. He also doesn't think about Kuzumi's feeling and he gets the consequences of it. So I really liked it when he went to Kuzumi and apologized to him without expecting him to forgive him and to get back together again. It was really wonderful.I also loved it that Kijima tried hard on his work so that he is not totally dependent on Kuzumi. A really wonderful sequel.

Leia Mais

A beautiful painting

Very weird, very strange, and absolutely beautiful with this weirdness. Another example of a low budget gem, a beautiful magnetic picture, where the faces features are not too sharp, but you enjoy watching silhouettes and lights surraunded with this strange sounds, and all this creates an amazing atmosphere.
The plot of the film may seem illogical, but the way the story goes you accept it all and you are not disturbed. A naked man standing on a highway claims to be from Mars and is picked up by people who just simply accept his story and later on teach the ET everything about the Earth and earthly interactions.
Initially, I thought that the BL thread would be someting superficial or of less importance, but it's the axis of the film. Actually the theme is simply love, love that connects living creatures regardless their sexes, and their origin.
The scene when an Earthling explains to a Martian how love is expressed on Earth, the naked silhouettes and vibrant colors and calm, is simply a cult scene for me. The next one in which the Earthling and the Martian finally show this love to each other is simply hypnotic.
Yes, I know, the film may irritate those who like fast action and a realistic story, but for me it's just a wonderful picture that I can't take my eyes off of.

Leia Mais

A little bummer

You see, I've read the Manwha long before I've seen the movie and i really really loved the Manwha so i was excited to see the movie.

Needless to say I was disappointed, they let out many many sweet scenes which were in my opinion relevant for the plot amd character development, the acting also lacks a bit but it is okay. In the Manwha the storyline was conclusive in itself and very sweet. As I said before i think they let out relevant scenes which makes it a bit hard to really emphasize with the character and understand rhe storyline to its fullest.

Overall I think it is still a good movie if you just want to watch something without thinking too much about it but if you are really interested in it you should read the Manwha (it has the same name).

Leia Mais

All the ingredients are right and in the right quantities, but there's no food

I watched the movie from the get-go, so I have no idea whether or not there are differences compared to the series. These are just my thoughts about the story. I haven't read the webtoon either.

The premises of the story are interesting, and the very beginning was funny. I was expecting it to be a romantic comedy for the most part: even though some parts were more embarrassing than fun, I didn't mind all that much. The characters all had the potential to make the story lively and memorable as well.
...so I really don't understand why did the writers decide to set all the elements of the plot and the interesting quirks of the characters aside, only to utilize two of the most annoying plot devices in existence (the miscommunication and misunderstanding tropes) and create one of the most boring BLs I've watched.
Out of all the elements in the synopsis (Seon Ho being an adult webtoon artist, him having lost his libido entirely until Mu Young becomes his assistant, Mu Young secretly being his fan), NOTHING is relevant in the plot. At best they are background elements, only introduced and not brought up for almost the entire film.
These are all things that I could easily let go of if the story was still good in some way, but it just isn't. Nothing relevant happens in most of the film. Unfortunately even the actors didn't do much to make it better: they spend more time thinking about what they (allegedly) feel, rather than showing it to us at any moment. Even when things actually happen in the story, the acting and the poor editing made the events feel unimportant and bland.

I don't recommend watching this nor the series. I'm usually nicer with shows that I was able to complete and give them at least a 6 out of 10, but this time around I can't. At some point I was feeling so bored and annoyed with everything that I almost dropped this title entirely, so I can't even say that I was entertained.

Leia Mais

The landlord of my dinosaur world has emerged!

If you love movies like Dynocroc, Sharktopus, and Cowboys and Dinosaurs, Metamorphosis may be right up your alley. If you felt like the Jurassic Park series had too much story and character development and too many darn dinosaurs, Metamorphosis may be the movie for you! Metamorphosis stars one lethal ever-evolving dinosaur and two, count them, two giant snake-dinosaur hybrids. All that and web movie CGI-what more could a B movie enthusiast ask for?

Deep in a secret genetic laboratory, a cleaning maid with an entrance card to everything, even inside a dinosaur's cage, finds out the hard way that the caged T-Rex can "camouflage". Meanwhile, Chris Pratt, I mean Liang, is chasing down an enormous snake to take back to the endangered animal sanctuary. He finds out that someone crossed a Monty Python (Who knew the Chinese were Monty Python enthusiasts-'Tis but a scratch!) and a Triceratops. He immediately visits his ex-girlfriend who works in the super-secret laboratory just in time to see the T-Rex's leftovers in the hall and the race is on to get everyone out of the building! But of course, the evil scientist in charge has locked the place down! It doesn't take much imagination or movie experience to see where this story is going.

You know you are in a B movie when even the Chinese take every chance they can for the women to lose their clothes. There are no true nude scenes, but it is funny how often they are losing their shirts. There is also the requisite idiotic female character who is supposed to be the comic relief, with the huge glasses and big fluffy ponytails who always screams at the wrong moment. I kept hoping she would turn into dinosaur chow. There is also the arrogant, in it for himself character, who you know will be eaten sometime.

The main male character spends most of his time running down hallways trying to lure the dinosaur away from others. He's heroic that way, and the movie lets you know this fact constantly. The two main female characters are almost interchangeable. Though daring they need constant saving. There is also a second ML who is usually trying to guide the group to safety while the ML is running furiously from giant creatures. The acting was serviceable, but bland and uninventive. None of the characters had any real personality to them.

Though everyone keeps calling the creature a T-Rex, the female lead said it was a mixture of Velociraptor, crocodile, and chameleon. You are in for a real treat when it uses a long tongue to lasso his prey. The CGI was okay for the ever-changing dinosaur. This is not Jurassic park level CGI, this is strictly B movie CGI. The two immense snakes were far less convincing.

Though the CGI wasn't great, there was a lot of monster action which made up for the lack of story and character development. The ending was strictly by the book for a B movie, right down to the last scene. If you are in the mood for a dinosaur movie and don't mind the lower quality, this one will give you something to watch until they make Jurassic Park 18 or Dynocroc 5.

2/3/23

Leia Mais

The average rating doesn’t suit the deeper layers of this film. You should watch it.

It’s a typical deeper meaning Japanese movie. I forgot that I already watched this film a long time age. That’s because I watch a lot of movies and series. But the feeling of how beautiful the deeper layers in especially his behavior (being damaged in his past, with forthcoming behavior as consequence) struck me directly again.

The movie is softer than the manga, from what I read. It also doesn’t the complete story and the years after. I’ll leave the manga and the behavior in that out of the evaluation and rating.
(Has spoilers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Girl_and_Black_Prince)

He was ‘wearing’ a shield to defend himself, because of harm in the past. That shield was his behavior, in order to not get further harm in his live. Behavior always has a reason. He’s not just a jurk, born this way. Behavior is often a reaction to (a) certain event(s), which brought about thoughts and feelings. If you change your behavior, you change your life. That is not easy. It requires awareness, insight and the courage to dare to change. That's what we've seen here. This takes time. Fall and rise. At the end of the film, this process is not yet complete. Not with both, because se also changed, with as outcome the decision she made in the end (I won’t spoil that).

I love the acting of both. Yes, he looked like a cold person. But that was his shield role, right?

The music suits the film.

I’ll surely will watch this movie again. .

Leia Mais

Sometimes, what we need is to repeat things before we fully understand them

Now, this is how you do a decent love story. The Blue Skies at Your Feet is not the best love story out there but it is a really good watch. One of the things that I look for in a love story is a good chemistry and that is what they have here. I really did enjoy the story of Miyu and Shuya. Well, it is basically a romance version of Groundhog day where we kept on repeating the same day that Shuya died but what made the movie so good are the characters. Why? Because they are so good. The romance aspect of the movie is just the same as any new love stories out there. It is about a young love face adversity but what it did so well is to make us slowly invested with the relationship by putting them in a fictional setup where they had to repeat things and the same results kept on happening. These moments established not just the story or the climax of the film but it brought the audience to fully invest with the relationship. We are invested in the relationship that we are not a part of becauae we are slowly falling for the characters. We are slowly seeing who these characters are within this relationship and outside the relationship.
My favorite scene, and not surprisingly, is the final loop that she was in. The reason why I thought of that loop as the strongest is because we finally get to see Miyu fully commit to how she feels. This is a more mature version of the character. This is, in a sense, when she learned that what she really needed to do is to fully be honest with herself and be vocal about it. She also trusted him more in that scene and we even got a really romantic moment. I live for these moments and to see it there is just everything that one could hope for. This may not be breaking barriers or anything but I like the idea and the concept. Plus the execution is pretty good. This would surely be targeting the right audience and the performances by its cast is really good. I just really want to commend that too because they really nailed it with the sweetness and the more dramatic scenes. I really enjoyed watching this movie and I don't mind watching it again.

Leia Mais

A precautionary tale for possible bioterrorism, but a mindless one

A bluish, hazy lens flare focuses to a young man inquiring about a flight that would have the most passengers in the busy Incheon airport on a busy summer day was not the strongest opening for a disaster movie. Yes, one might be curious for that young man's intentions, but the camerawork obstructed me from focusing on the screen. Instead, I just couldn't wait for a normal camera angle and coloring.

However, it redeemed itself with the succeeding scenes once the lens toned down. The tension about the apparent "attack" is now building up as the said young man is now trying to pull out the trigger for a what seems to be a bio terror attack on a plane bound for Honolulu. Also, the passengers of said plane whom he would victimize are now being introduced on the screen. I felt pity towards them being innocent on what would happen next, but at the same time, I couldn't take it much seriously knowing that there were also teenagers aboard wearing their uniforms on their way to vacation.

This disaster movie, as with most disasters, is divided into 2 parts: the 1st half talks about the disaster itself and its victims; and the 2nd half is about the consequences of that disaster to its victims, and the society to an extent.

The 1st half was purely genius in terms of balancing grit, suspense, and thrill. The outcome was already predictable, yet it felt that it was not. Im Si-wan's portrayal as the young man mentioned earlier named Ryu Jin-seok was absolutely terrific in terms of characterization. He really was fit for the role of an innocent-looking yet dangerous and narcissistic terrorist, and he was able to convey the necessary emotions well. Also, the plane attack in itself was brilliant in terms of how carefully-planned it was. The pacing from the first scene at the airport towards the attack itself was spot on, if not top notch. The attack though, felt too abrupt when it was done, and I was wanting for more intense scenes.

Meanwhile, the 2nd half now focused on the consequences of said bio terror attack and how the passengers and air crew dealt with it. It had the same pandemonic vibes as "Train to Busan", but unfortunately, this movie took the story potential for the worse. It attempted to compress several actions into one big story which dragged the movie's run time. The events that occured post-attack felt too emotional and illogical, even for the basic movie viewer like me. It seemed that there was a different approach for the direction, but ultimately turned out to be unnecessary.

The movie could have been more impactful had it been more explicitly tragedic. A sad outcome based on the events of the attack and its consequences to all of the plane's passengers and crew would have been more logical and acceptable. The "vague" ending in itself felt safe to be open for interpretation. As the credits rolled, my first thought was that this movie wasted immense potential and that it could've reached the same critical response as "Train to Busan" or even beyond, but it did not.

On the other hand, I have to commend the well-shot scenes inside the plane. The movie showed different angles and perspectives of the plane on air, and added tension to the impending disaster. Korean disaster movies are really world-class in terms of showcasing the disaster itself and really convinces the viewer with its great camera work aside from the mentioned earlier.

비상선언 (Emergency Declaration) overall was like the air turbulence shown in the movie, it was bumpy. It tried to incorporate several genres within a disaster movie, but it was not successful in doing so. It wasn't able to maintain the amount of thrill and suspense it had at the first half, but was still able to portray action thanks to its talented star-studded cast, despite some ending up being under utilized.

In the end, this movie served its purpose - to be a precautionary tale for possible bioterrorism, but a mindless one.

Leia Mais

Finally a closure! <3 Hearbreakingly awesome movie!

So after Huang Yu Xuan sacrificed herself in the ending of the 13 episode drama, she was reincarnated and eventually met Li Zi Wei again as a young girl.

In the movie, the reincarnated Huang Yu Xuan grew up and reunited with Li Zi Wei again. Not knowing that they already had a “past” as all vanished into thin air because of her sacrificed, they managed to fall in love again. During these part, Mo Jun Jie and Li Zi Wei are still bestie but Chen Yan Ru was uncontactable.

However fate starts to repeat itself again. Li Zi Wei died in a accident leaving Huang Yu Xuan in despair.

There was a new character i guess? Suddenly became Yun Ru husband and when her husband reads Yun Ru diary about going back to the past, he was not able to do it and eventually he let Yun Ru (who is in comatose state) listen to the cassette tape and she went back to the past which eventually she died there again claiming that everything is her fault and she and Yu Xuan should vanished. Thus in real life, Yun Ru who was in comatose state, eventually died

Fast forward, the cassette tape belongs to Wang QuanSheng bestfriend who died because of sickness. The whole thing started from the cassette. Letting it go, they decide to officially burn the original cassette away.

The confusion is when all 4 characters meet. The death differs from Li Zi Wei timeline and Huang Yu Xuan timeline. They are literally in the parallel world and no matter how they time looped they can’t save each other.

What makes this drama a official “goodbye” is that when Huang Yu Xuan cried saying that no matter what she just can’t save anyone and which then Wang QuanSheng said, “atleast this time I get to say goodbye”. That broke my heart apart

Everything just got reset and everyone is alive with their own love and friendship at their own timeline

Leia Mais

If there was a God, would he know about this shit?

Another hard-hitting film from South Korea that talks about bullying, injustice, abuse of power, and the struggling youth. The movie would embed itself into your head hours after you had watched it. The progression of the movie was just right, I absolutely loved the cinematography and the way the music and silence were used throughout the film. I believe they helped in the storytelling, allowing us to feel Il-Woo's emptiness.

I believe the little details in the background of each cut are also worth mentioning, as this immensely helped shape the film. The script and the individual characters themselves were very well-written, the way Chon Son Woo's character shifted after the event had passed was so real you could have convinced me it was true. You could tell that they studied prior to creating the script.

You could feel how genuine, volatile, empty, and desperate each character was throughout the film, creating this experience that just leaves you pained and flustered. It was simply so raw, and emotional. I've watched Heo Dong Won from Insider, Park Jin Young from The Devil Judge, and Song Geon Hee from Alice: The Final Weapon. But I truly believe that this film stands as their best film, with such a short amount of time they managed to create a story that was so painful it leaves you with a spot inside your brain that you could never itch.

As much as I loved this film, I believe it isn't something that anyone could digest. It talks about:
- S*xual Abuse
- Bullying
- Abandonment
- Murder
- Abuse of Power
- Mental Illness

So, if you find any of these triggering, I sincerely would like to ask you to stay away from this film as the scenes aren't downplayed and are portrayed realistically. This is the same reason I rated it very low for it's rewatch value, simply because I don't think it would be a healthy choice for me to watch it again.

This film stands as one of the best examples to justify just how amazing an actor Park Jin Young is.

Leia Mais

A Heartwarming Feel Good Chinese New Year Movie

I came into the taiwanese cinema, thinking it would be a silly comedy to rest my brain but i found myself near tears at some points of the movie.
Came with low expections, was very surprised.

I think the movie is well constructed, the wrapping up / ending was amazing too.

I think most of the characters were well developed even though a few of them got left out a little bit. You really feel for the characters.


The actors played their roles perfectly.

I simply loved watching it.

The only negative point I would say is the cheap CGI or cheap humor SOMETIMES but it doesn't make the movie bad.

It's not a life changing movie, it's a feel good movie.

Leia Mais

Taboo emotions w/uncomfortable psychological issues

I agree he's a dick, but how does a teenage boy deal with sexual expression? In the US, these emotions are usually portrayed as getting a girl drunk and raping her.

Someone here said Japan is not afraid to tackle uncomfortable and or forbidden situations. I agree ? percent.

Being a dick is not an unnatural response to extreme psychological confusion. It seems to me that many commenters here are either disappointed that there's not a lot of titillation in the film. Or they find even the idea of experiences portrayed here unnatural.

I found the film very realistic though it might have been more clearly portrayed in a dorama with more time for the viewer to tackle these taboo subjects.

Perhaps I understand more because I speak from similar (not identical) personal experience with incest.

As the movie progressed I recalled an article or discussion on twin obstetrics. Twins are naked and in extremely close contact for the first 9 months of life. There have even been cases of C-section births where the siblings were found to be in a close embrace. Toddler twins can go through emotional distress when parted.

Leia Mais

Safety is Life

The Unjust took direct aim at the abuse of power and systemic corruption from the institutions who were supposed to be arbiters and bastions of justice. No layer within the buildings designed to protect and serve was left unsullied from the top to the bottom. This film was a bleak political thriller and at times, dark comedy.

Chief Choi, brilliantly played by Hwang Jung Min, has been repeatedly passed over for promotion. He throws in with his boss never dreaming of the cost. There are cases intertwined that end up in a stranglehold around him. A building development with bribery issues with the prosecutor in league with one gang and Choi working with the rival criminal developer and a serial killer where the suspected perpetrator is killed by a cop with ties to one of the victims whose body must be disposed of and a replacement needed to take his place. The political intrigue and corruption flows from the Blue House down. The two departments end up at war with Choi being illegally investigated by the prosecutor and Choi working with Sang Suk Gu, the criminal developer. Sang has the resources to help Choi find a replacement and clear up loose ends. But in the end, who all will be considered a loose end?

The story was not exactly taut and had pacing issues. There were times when an already complicated and occasionally convoluted story wandered down a violent path not integral to the plot. It could also be difficult watching a film where there weren't any good guys. Well, there was one, but like the original conscience, Jiminy Cricket, he was squashed. The main characters were ready to sacrifice anyone to get ahead or to make a buck. As the conspiracies progressed the stakes grew higher where their lives and freedom were on the line making them all the more dangerous and desperate.

The acting was a mixed bag. Hwang walked the balance between cocky and trapped as he navigated the deadly game. In contrast, Ryu Seung Beom as the corrupt prosecutor, Joo Yang, chewed all the scenery within reach, making his character not only despicable but laughable as well. There was a who's who of today's ahjussis on screen. My favorite was seeing a young Ma Dong Seok, noticeably smaller, but still strong, with a peek into his future muscular best hitter ahjussi status.

The action was plentiful, quickly paced, and bloody. Cho Young Wuk created a fantastic score for the film, perfectly setting the mood for each scene. The film looked and sounded great.

At the disputed building site and the location of several murders, a sign hung that read "Safety is Life". The unprotected played without a safety net to their misfortune. In the end, those with powerful friends and family, and those in the highest levels of power were left untouched by scandal and blood. It was the players on the ground who became crushed by the building they helped maintain.

"Good job, bad job what does it matter at this point. What matters is that we believe it."


2/2/23

Leia Mais

Creepy, Disgusting People Do Creepy, Disgusting Things

A middle aged cop continually has sex with a 15 year old girl as they, um, "fall in love." We're supposed to accept that this is ok, and that it truly is "love" because the 15 yr old girl is weird as fuck and spouts gibberish about Chinese proverbs related to the Chinese symbol tattooed on the cop's back. But the film does nothing to denote any kind of love between the two, and the constant tattoo gibberish simply comes off as an excuse to show an old man diddling a little girl.

Others in the town know about the affair and a cop at the precinct simply jokes to the main character cop, "So you've moved on from married women to school girls, huh?" The 15 yr old girl's grandfather (and her caretaker), not only approves of the relationship, but gives his blessing and asks the cop to take good care of his granddaughter after he dies. In other words, the affair is played as ok within the social context of the characters' world as another way of making the viewer accept it. Note to the director: it did not work. Because the viewer still does not accept it. Indeed, the viewer is still repulsed by this affair.

All of the characters are unrealistically weird, and have backstories of parents who are either suicidal or sexually abusive. The 15 year old girl's brother is mentally disabled and her grandfather is an undertaker. Her job is to put makeup on corpses, and we see her doing this a number of times. The movie is packed with such scenes that are designed to be meaningful but are, instead, simply disturbing. This makes it worse than pretentious, because even the pretentiousness falls flat. Ultimately, it's just a movie where creepy, disgusting people do creepy disgusting things.

Leia Mais