Who would later participate in the Thai series 'Full House' (2014) and 'Kiss Me' (2015), and in their Chinese counterparts 'Wu Xin: The Monster Killer' (2015), 'Delicious Destiny' (2015), 'My Little Princess' (2016) and 'Mr. Swimmer' (2018), among others, in this film he plays Xiao Le, a university student who has it all: he is young, attractive and has just joined the prestigious swimming team at his school. But he keeps a secret: he is in love with Jia Liang, his best friend and study and sports partner.
After confessing her love and hearing her lover's rejection, Xioa Le embarks on a one-night stand, her birthday, after Jia Liang, following her sister's bold suggestion of cross-dressing him to see if Jia Liang cares about her him or by his gender.
At just 21 minutes, 'Love in the Water' manages to achieve a level of intimacy, intensity and sensitivity that most of the longer films I've seen never achieved. The film points out all the turmoil, conflicts and sexual tension of a young man in love with his best friend with disconcerting acuity.
The dialogues between the two main actors are scarce and spontaneous, they seem more improvised than anything else. The camera captures most of the film during moments so natural and undramatic that their encounters, between deep glances and races around the university campus holding hands, have a magical and electrifying quality... in fact, it made me goosebumps In my opinion, this is the most effective way to portray a relationship that is both so fragile and passionate.
Starting from a dramatic situation as discouraging as not being accepted by the person you love because they see you as just a friend or because they are not interested in maintaining a romantic relationship with someone of the same sex, the director of 'Love in the Water' chooses dramatic material that already has its genre implicit and decides not to overload scenes that already have intensity.
To narrate it on screen, the director uses a linear chronological structure of cut sequences, with that sequence shot in which the camera follows Xiao Le during his birthday party, dressed as a girl, singing his love, approaching Jia Liang to dance with him, while he dances alone in the middle of the stage. All this, while listening to beautiful musical themes, such as the song "Fool", by Yoga Lin, and others performed by the same actor Mike Angelo.
He then breaks down Jia Liang's hurried departure into medium shots and details after confirming that the person he has been dancing with is none other than Xiao Le.
The short film continues with alternating sequences in which close-up shots and more open shots convey the evolving point of view of the two protagonists. A general overall shot that swings from comedy to drama with a simplicity and effectiveness that demonstrates the cinematographic mastery of its director.
In other moments of the film, the director gives importance to the characters of Xiao Le's sister who, aware of his feelings for his best friend, advises him on how he should act to win him over, or to the friends and fellow students of the two protagonists, who are also somehow aware of the feelings that one awakens in the other.
'Love in the Water' has its greatest weakness in a title that is poorly worked on in its evidence, although it may be effective as a commercial claim. It is a very worthy product that joins a wide list of Chinese films with LGBT+ themes.
In particular, it reminds me of 'The Raccoon', a film directed by Tang Shi in 2016, with Weng Hai Bin and Wu Di as the leading actors, as it also reflects a friendship relationship in which a boy is in love with his best friend and it is not reciprocated, also taking place in a university in Beijing, the Chinese capital.
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"Are you happy?"
Autumn Moon was a melancholy story of three lives in transition set in Hong Kong. The blue filter gave an added layer of existential angst to a 25-year-old Japanese traveler, a 15-year-old girl readying to meet her family in Canada, and her grandmother who knows that won’t be the trip she’s making.Hong Kong teenager Lee Pui Wai and Japanese traveler Tokio meet on a bridge where he’s fishing. Tokio’s looking for a great place to eat, having been let down by his guidebook. Wai takes him to her favorite restaurant---McDonald’s. Later she brings him to the home she shares with her grandmother. Wai and Tokio communicate in broken English but Grandma doesn’t speak any and aside from asking his name, generously feeds him. Wai and Tokio strike up a friendship sharing their life experiences and the difficulties they are going through.
I was concerned this would be an age-inappropriate romance but there wasn’t a hint of romance between Tokio and Wai. Tokio had become involved with an older woman and Wai was in love with her classmate. Tokio went through women like a giant Pez dispenser. The casual sex didn’t bring any satisfaction, only reinforcing his alienation from society and himself. Aside from her grandmother, the rest of Wai’s family had already emigrated. Most of her friends had left Hong Kong as well. Once her family found a house, she would be moving. Grandma was the odd person out, unable to emigrate due to her age. The only trip she was planning on was to the Goddess of Mercy.
The available version of this movie that I found was badly degraded and cropped for television. Visually, I could see the potential spoiled by graininess and wavy lines. The dialogue could also be hard to follow when the friends were speaking broken English as there were no subtitles during the common language scenes. What still held up well was Tats Lau’s music which ranged from playful to mournful and always hauntingly beautiful.
Director Clara Law filmed the leads on different locations around Hong Kong. Though the crowded city is usually shown packed with people, Wai and Tokio always seemed to be alone. Surrounded by the unseen people and crowded buildings, they were desperately isolated in worlds of their own. The two suffered from having “trapped hearts”, unable to break through the barriers. Tokio wanted someone to get to know him instead of his 'wham, bam, thank you mam' anonymity. Wai struggled with being separated from her family and friends. Yet she wasn’t prepared to say good-bye to her grandmother and her home. She was also dealing with the complicated feelings first love creates in a young girl's heart and body. Grandma’s legacy lay in the refrigerator filled with secret, sacred ingredients that would no longer be needed.
Three generations of people and two different cultures were lovingly and respectfully shown. The characters dealt with loss, soul shattering boredom, and the unknown. Through their friendship and a private celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tokio and Wai would discover how to revel in the small moments and find the courage and contentment they would need to travel the paths that led to happiness.
“When will the spring flower and autumn moon fade,
How much of the past do we know?
At my home last night the East wind blew…”
21 August 2024
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"You didn't capture me, I came looking for you!"
Directed by Kao Pao Shu and written by prolific writer Ni Kuang, The Jade Fox had non-stop action and all sorts of crisscross double cross action. There was also a female villain with a tricked-out war chair. And it wouldn’t be an old school kung fu flick without a secret map!(I’m just going to use the actors’ names for most characters as there are different names floating around). Kao Pao Shu is plotting to take over the kingdom with the help of a secret map. Her main bodyguard is Lo Lieh. Tien “Roc” Peng/The Jade Fox steals the map from her courier. Kao has Lo Lieh deliver an “invitation” at the end of a sword for Nick Cheung Lik to come to Fairy Land. Doris Lung is Lik’s fiancée and she tears up the Jade Fox’s House of Pleasure looking for his pal Lik. In the process of cleaning out the place with her kung fu, she meets the Jade Fox’s other friend, Iron Hand/Eddy Ko and a young prostitute’s son called “Come Again” who was trained in martial arts by a monkey! Whew! Oh, and the Jade Fox’s ex-lover who works for Kao is ordered to bring him to the villainess.
The story bounces around and bodies begin dropping by the dozens as the Jade Fox attempts to track down the head villainess with the aid of Come Again, Doris Lung, and Eddy Ko. Jacky Chen who played an ill-fated hero who unfortunately discovered the deadly traps hidden in Kao Pao Shu’s chair and livery was one of the martial arts directors. He and Chen Mu Chuan had their hands full designing fight choreography for several actors who were not accomplished martial artists. For the most part they succeeded, keeping in mind this was before all the CGI, slow-mo wizardry done now. One of the best and most brutal fights was at the end between two “good” characters. I enjoyed Doris Lung and Eddy Ko’s performances and fight scenes more than I thought I would. Roc Tien wasn’t too wooden and the child character wasn’t overly annoying. Solid wins in this genre.
The story bordered on convoluted but the cast mostly pulled it off when compared to other low budget Taiwanese kung fu films from the time. The biggest detriment to this film was that it needs to be restored. It was quite blurry and zoomed in too much. The only copies I could find were dubbed and the sound wasn’t always great. There were also advertisements showing it was for sale in South Africa during two different scenes in the movie. These later issues were not the fault of the filmmaker so I had to strain all of the distracting later problems out as best I could. My score is probably a little high, even when grading on a curve, but I really enjoyed the bonkers fights at the end as all of the hidden identities and schemes were revealed. As usual, this is only for people who enjoy old kung fu movies, they are definitely a niche genre.
20 August 2024
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A gorgeously-shot slow burn that missed the mark one too many times
I prefer my horror subtle and restrained. I prefer building dread to jump scares and 80s gore. Chime purports to be exactly that on paper. The story of a man who, supposedly, is pushed to the edge by a kind of tell-tale chime.The length of this short film isn't really the problem. The building dread is accomplished wonderfully. But the plot itself, the characters' identities and traits are such carefully guarded secrets that the ending was more of a "hang on, what?" than "oh, wow, I get it." Which latter clearly was the goal. I'd like to think that I can think fairly abstractly, but the way everything was cloaked made the ambiguity a little too ambiguous. It didn't feel like artful, skilled ambiguity. It felt accidentally too unclear, as if the way in which the director was trying to artistically guide us to the reveal was a little... off. Like a picture that's accidentally a little out of focus. I get it. I get the ending. But it was like we tripped and fell on it accidentally. As such it lacked all the emotional impact that the film was building up to that point. Like someone's telling you a joke and few seconds before the punchline they answer a phone call and by the time they come back to tell you the punch line you've already figured it out.
The other slightly off thing about this film was that a lot of the psychological dread and alarming events felt like horror for the sake of horror. I couldn't see how any of it served to push the plot forward. Looking back on it all as the credits rolled I kind of understood how it fit together, but I was giving the writer a little too much credit, I think. Why the main character was doing the things he was doing made no sense at the time, and thus was very shocking. But even when the credits rolled, even though I could kind of more or less guess why he did those things and behaved that way, there was never enough portrayed on the screen to back up the assumptions I was having to make. I feel like I, the viewer, did seventy percent of the storytelling work.
The final issue is the name itself. The chime figures prominently in the first act, but not for the main character. After that it's only suggested that he even hears it maybe once. We the audience only hear it three times and those times have only loose thematic connections to each other.
The general idea, the story -- insofar as I understood it -- was quite good. The director (about whom I know nothing) is obviously very skilled at this kind of theme. The dread and the discomfort was perfectly constructed.
Ultimately, even though the acting, directing, cinematography, etc, was so excellent and carried out with deft skill, the story was never presented well enough to do any of that -- nor even the story itself -- enough justice.
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A Timeless Nightmare
This remains the scariest movie I’ve ever seen! Takako Fuji’s portrayal of Kayako left me with countless sleepless nights. Her eerie, wide-eyed yūrei is so terrifying that the image still lingers in my mind. The minimal effects used in the 90s and early 2000s truly amplify the film’s eerie atmosphere, making this era unforgettable for horror. It’s a shame that the remakes and later versions couldn’t capture the same essence.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
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Unforgettable Horror
It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a truly great Asian horror film, but The Medium has restored my faith in the genre. Directed by the same brilliant minds behind The Wailing and Shutter - two of my favorite horror masterpieces- this film brings a haunting blend of atmosphere, setting, and escalating madness. Mink's harrowing descent into demonic possession is depicted with such intensity that it leaves a lasting impact. The portrayal of spiritual disintegration and the chilling nature of possession are masterfully done.That said, be prepared for some deeply disturbing moments, including the deaths of a baby and a dog. These scenes are particularly tough to watch, and as someone who usually avoids films with animal deaths, I found myself fast-forwarding through these parts. Nonetheless, the film’s compelling narrative and persistent sense of unease make The Medium an essential watch for any Asian horror fan in search of a profoundly unsettling experience.
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21th Century Girl
I don't know what to say, even though i watched this movie long time ago i decided to rewatch. I like giving myself pain, and i did a challange basically by rewatching this i believe.At first it seems like a cute, highschool sweethearts rom-com movie but they had to put a damn plot twist, which in my opinion was unnecessary, we already had too much heartbreaks in the movie, all comfort we had was their cute moments.
It wasn't just the cute moments. It was all the second hand embarrasments, falling in love, time spent together, yet they all were rushed. Sometimes you think what would have happened if she never got the names wrong and if Bo-ra told woonho about her feelings.
Ending also leaves us with so many questions like:
"What happened to their friends after his death in the future?"
"Why did he act so cold at the start?" (I know about his POV, i just thought it was weird)
"How did she (Yeong-du) fall for him so easily? She only saw him for a second then fell in love"
"How did he die?"
They really wasted Kim Yoo Jung and Byeon woo seok's chemistry, i am still angry about this
Basically, this movie was "how to ruin a basic, cute and heartwarming romcom into a tradegy just to not have a cliché ending."
Cinematography was amazing, really makes you feel in 1900s, OST was cute too.
The way she never was able to read the letter and she thought he gosted her (well he technically did) were so annoying too. Netflix, when i catch you Netflix.
I loved seeing her in 21th century, but this movie broke me. They need to give me an explanation, just WHY?
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why do people hate this?
i waited so long to watch this movie and when it was finally available for me i saw that people rated it rather poorly...i personally thought it was a very interesting movie with a really cool concept that explores something serious and interesting. i also think the actors did a great job, all of them, however i must admit that the storyline was a bit questionable at times and there were definitely some plot holes. i don't think like i fully understood some parts like bai li's husband and i can't tell if it is because they didn't explain it or because i just didn't get it. i would rewatch because it was the perfect amount of tragedy in a movie with a happy ending. the most important part for me was that the movie's idea was really beautiful and provoked me to think about what the future holds in terms of AI and the concept of death. it had its flaws but it was by no means a bad movie.
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A Big CONFUSION!!!
What a waste of 106 minutes!!!!This movie was confusing from start till finish. I have so much I want to pick at…but I’ll keep this short and sweet.
The plot was weak as hell. Nothing made sense and the way it was put together made it even more confusing. Nothing in this movie flowed each scene will have you more confused that the last one.
There were side characters that never added any substance to the film or the main characters. Theyvwere just there to exist and nothing else. No side stories were formed for us to get to know or connect with them. It was already hard enough connecting with the main characters and then we get a shitty side characters too.
AND THE ENDING…..?????? What kind of weird and confusing ending was that?! It gave no conclusion whatsoever and rather left you wonder what the heck did I watch. I’m all for open endings but this one was next level. It’s not clear whether it’s they got together again or if this was memories they both shared during their “relationship”
Overall this movie is a waste of time and will have you confused from start to finish. If you want to go ahead watch it in 2x speed.
Good luck! You’ll need it.
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Masterpiece
For me, this movie is maybe the best romance movie i have ever seen.I'm someone who is really difficult in term of my taste in movie/game/tv show ect.
This film is a work of art. It's represent The love, the real définition of love
The cast, the story, the ost, everyhting is perfect.
I have never cry so much in my life for a movie.
The ending is just beautiful and tragic at the same time. This movie is sooo sad but it's also wonderful and magnificent.
I will never forget this movie in my life that's for sure.
He enter in my top 3 of all time.
I had to put a comment because when i see a work of art like that i didn't have the choice to right the tought's i have in my head right know.
This movie give me hope in terms of loving someone.
This is the type of movie who remind you that pure love exist and you want to expérience it...
But in the world we live in it's really really difficult to find someone like that.
This film is unforgettable. I loved every second of it.
??? :)
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There Is No Greater Purpose Than Service To Others!
As gentle, as simple, and as sweet as the gerbera flowers depicted in this movie, this little romance shares all of the beautiful qualities of those flowers. A vast array of colors and meanings, the gerbera flower, in its short lifespan, is able to convey the full spectrum of unconditional love. After all, it’s not how long you live those matters, but how well you live!This is a touching story about two people, both of whom are terminally ill. Hayasaka Akito is standing on the roof of the hospital, obviously contemplating suicide after learning that he has a year to live when a tumor is discovered in his heart. However, something catches his attention. A young girl (Sakurai Haruna) sitting alone on a bench on the rooftop, drawing in her sketchbook. It’s enough for him to pause and wander over to meet her. Thus begins an especially keen and poignant story of love, friendship, and above all, service.
Akito learns that Haruna has an extremely rare condition, and she has only six months left to live. What baffles Akito is Haruna’s attitude as she tells him that she is not afraid to die. Of course, he begins to visit her often, and he learns that he is her sole visitor. Seeing her bright and cheerful personality, despite her situation, he vows that he can never tell her about his own condition. His action is selfless as Akito realizes that virtually Haruna’s entire life has been mired in pain. He chooses to do all he can to bring some spark of joy to the last months. In this, he more than succeeds.
The true “gem” of the story is that secrets never remain secret for long. It isn’t until after Haruna has passed away and Akito is struggling to fight off the disease that will soon inevitably take his own life. But not before learning that the secret of his own condition was discovered by Haruna early on in their friendship. Determined to maintain Akito’s secret as well as the unconditional love and gratitude for the gift he gave her, she made her own vow to not let him know that she knew. Akito viewed Haruna as an angel, when in truth, both were angels to each other. Akito carried Haruna in Life, and Haruna carried Akito in Death.
It's been stated that there is no greater gift than simply being there for someone. The exchanges between Akito and Haruna are incredibly sweet without being melodramatic. There are no demands for sympathy or sorrow. Each learns to simply be in the moment for each other. Each learns to simply be there for each other. And each learns that there is no love without friendship or unconditionality, and that is the true beauty of this story. The magic of unconditional love. And even though Haruna conveys her love to Akito through the gerbera flowers, we also know that no words are necessary, and she knew that he loved her as well. Actions speak volumes.
Nagase Ren and Deguchi Natsuki have real chemistry on the screen. It’s conveyed in their eyes and smiles, which is a big reason why the story works so well. My other favorite character was the woman in the flower shop.
Love is actually very simple. We’re the ones who make it complex, no thanks to the egoic mind that loves to put conditions on everything. This film makes me appreciate the simplicity of love, much like the simplicity of the gerbera flower. Keep some tissues handy! You might need them!
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Mao Da Bing is a water delivery boy and in a rush on his bike to make a movie’s showing. He accidentally knocks over some bricks and a young woman clocks him upside the head with a brick and then destroys his bike. At the police station she hands him her keys and tells him to feed her fish by writing on a piece of paper. When he enters her apartment, he sees that it is an ode to film and especially Street Angel with actress Xiao Xuan. He finds her diary and begins to read about her life and how she ended up where she is. As he reads her story, Da Bing also discovers they share a childhood connection.
The flashbacks to Ling Ling and Da Bing’s childhood were sweet and an innocent exploration of friendship and films. Before and after this segment was not as entertaining and contained one too many melodramatic and coincidental moments for me. As a cinephile I can understand the children’s love of film and the role it played before television took over. What I didn’t understand were some of the mom’s inconsistent decisions later in the story. Another mystery for me is what kind of job did Ling Ling have to be able to outfit her apartment like a mini-cinema? Da Bing could barely afford to go to the movies as an adult. They suffered similar situations and Ling Ling’s was compounded by hearing loss.
As much as I wanted to love this film about loving films, outside of the children’s story, the film suffered from too many coincidences and underdeveloped character elements. However, if you can overlook some of those flaws there is still much to be enjoyed in this film about childhood friendship, family, and reconciliation aided by the numerous clips of old Chinese films.
19 August 2024
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a sweet romance story
I like rewatching this whenever I feel down, i can sympathize with the female lead so much that it is almost scary, I try to go along with everyone so they can feel happy and go on. i feel trouble expressing myself clearly as well. It is a basic romance story and it's what makes this special. a basic story such as this for someone as basic as me. anywho, there were a few cliche scenes but come on who does not eat them up like that? i like cliches and if you dont dont lie to yourself now, im sure you liked the basketball sceneEsta resenha foi útil para você?
Be ready to cry?
One of the BEST Zombie movies ever made. It zooms in the cruelty of humans against the instinct cruelty of zombies.Excellent acting, directing and an emotional rollercoaster.
I recommend it without a dought.
Even if you dont like zombie movies like my friend did, watch it, you will then change your mind.
Gong yoo is an extremely talented actor and we know that over many of his movies.
Many Korean actors that you will later see in many Korean Dramas and movies, made a debute at Train to Busan.
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Bromance Interrupted
I was expecting a typical angsty teen drama with two boys interested in the same girl, and it delivered in a lackluster storyline. This story was that, but on a repeat cycle. It was obvious, to me. from the beginning who Sei would end up with. She meets Taiyo in class and has a bad first encounter with him. Later, she makes friends with Mizuki who notices her love of stars and introduces her to the Astromomy Club that Taiyo also belongs to. I knew that there was another girl lurking in their past who was bound to make an appearance and she did in the character of Sak, a middle school friend i who was a member of the original Astronomy Club trio.Saki's return pushes Sei to recognize her feelings or at least has her questioning them. The boys also have to face the past and their love triangle. The three were friends in middle school and Saki liked Taiyo, but was jealous that he paid more attention to to Mizuki. She kissed Mizuki because she was jealous and purposefully hurt Taiyo. What plays out when Saki returns is that she expects to pick up where she left off. She was a manipulative bulldozer, playing on Taiyo's guilt for a past incident, none of which was his fault. The decision she made to stand in the rain, knowing she has a heart condition was her own. Had he shown up, they would still have been in the rain and he couldn't have changed anything, especially as a middle school student. She tries to pull him back to her side, playing up her illness in a very selfish way and even admits she refused surgery because of the complications and her remaining ill would keep Taiyo by her side.
There isn't much in the way of original storyline nor character growth other than Sei making peace with her bullies as they encourage her. It ended the way it started - rather underwhelming.
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