Reviews

My impression of ” I miss you” the movie

My review for * I Miss you* with Tan Jianci and Zhang Jingyi

I watched the movie *I miss you* with Tan Jianci as main lead and Zhang Zingyi as the female lead. with name Wang jinjin
I really like the story plot, it's very close with the *these days* story in life.
Tan Jianci as Bai xiauyu .
They met at the end of final examen of senior high, Bai Xiaouyu fell inlove at the first sight to Wang jinjin . Any way that moment at examen day ..that the last time they saw each other.
Somehow that first encounter remain in Bai Xiaouyu mind..After some years passed, at the one event the fate emerging ..they meet again. With some trick Bai Xiaouyu talk with pretending applying some work opportunity. Then Wang jinjin actually also was having him in her mind...
Since then they go together... building the career and future by living together.. Both were content....
The love that have filled between them were sincere but from Wang jinjin side .., she is very insecure in the heart. She doesn't dare to have commitment because she doesn't believe that anything can stay good and fine ....
On the other hand Bai Xiaouyu is in full commitment in loving her, he is such kind of tender, loving , supportive boy friend, but in the middle of his love insecurity...even the most sincere love can not keep their relationship.
To avoid too much information to those who is yet will watch the movie, I can say, this kind of VERY positive and lovely way how young couple put their pride down when the realization that all ambition, insecurity and sad traumas from the past should not be the reason to let your sincere love to the one you are the most content and appreciating life with to be broken.
They both did'nt give up of each other even it seems like it is so hard.
So I think, that they both come to the honesty of themselves...which lead them to do the right decision.
It's worthied to watch and ...after watching the movie, it leads contemplating to ourselves....what would we choose...if it was me as Bai Xiaouyu, or as Wang jinjin.
Very emotional plot of story...as well so much good time.
Tan Jianci's art acting has always been captivating and inprinting...He made the movie very likable, enjoyable very much❤️❤️
Maybe I am the only one who was impressed in this way...

Leia Mais

Awesome movie. Already enjoyed theatre version, waiting for Netflix release .

Already watched the entire movie on theatre. It was great experience.
At 1st had normal expectations, as it is already made twice. But detailing changes in Thail version is welcomed suprised.
Both the lead artist is testimony why they are popular worldwide. Bright solidified his position as rising star with this performance. This was not his regular romantic boy role. He brought his own nuances to the character. The Pataya boy influence. Yaya as innocent beautiful with strong presence, emoting subtle expression apt for her character. Both the artist did justice to their roles.
Overall professional performance. Would recommend not to miss watching it, if it's getting released around you or in your country online

Leia Mais

Great performance by the main leads and decent adaption

Great efforts noted by both the main artist to adapt to the already hit version of the movie. Bright transformation throughout the movie is commendable. His transition from happy go lucky to serious whenever character demand is obvious. Yaya the senior artist proves yet again why she is one of the top Thai actress. Her helpless innocent girl character is great.

Awesome chemistry is already making waves within the industry. You will get butterflies seeing them together onscreen. They support each other well as lovers on screen.

Thai influence on the storyline for the Thai adaption is intelligent move. It gives new outlook to the story. Changes in story and other casts for this adaption.

I rate high because of the clean adaption and artists performance. Must Watch

Leia Mais

Memorable slice-of-life story, beautifully acted and filmed

I really enjoyed the story. It follows the character of Hirayama who finds joy and light in the simple things of everyday life. It addresses strong societal but human issues: loneliness, shadow workers, can you feel surrounded but alone, can you be alone but satisfied...There is very little dialogue in the first half of the film, and it is the part that seduced me the most. The second arc allows more introspection on the character and also calls a lot of things into question. The ending scene shook me and was memorable in its simplicity... It is bittersweet and concludes in a sober but strong way the film which values ​​the concept of Komorebi all throughout.

The acting performance of Yakusho Koji is incredible. His acting is the cornerstone of the film. There are so many moments that are solely relying on the way he looks at the world and the people he meets. As there are not that many dialogs, without an excellent actor, the ideas that the script conveys might have not be transmitted as well as it was. Nakano Arisa (in her first role here) was very good as well and brought a fresh breeze to the story through her part.

Music is an important part of the movie. Our main character listens to a lot of tapes while he rides, and it is so acutely fitting with the vibe of the film. It is a common thread to the story and I really enjoyed being carried on by the music which is part of the life of Hirayama. The piano pieces also contributes to the masterfully crafted cinematographic experience that this movie provide. The filmmaking is beautiful, very atmospheric with some sets I found really interesting.

I would recommend this movie to people that enjoy slice-of-life genre and introspection. It is a very chill film in its pace, very simple in its story and therefore which might not please everyone. That said, the poetry that pores through this slice-of-life story, the fact that I got so attached to the main protagonist as well as the beautiful filmmaking featuring stunning shots of Tokyo (and more precisely Sumida) make it for me an excellent discovery really worth the watch.

Leia Mais

A review for those of us who didn't do the manga/anime/90s 00s frenzy

Listen, I don't really go here. I love Japanese cinema. I have read one or two mangas and I would consider watching an anime at some point. I never read Death Note. Never saw the anime. Never even knew what it was about until like 2019. I didn't just have no expectations going into the film, I also had no prior knowledge. (I always wondered why pictures of the notebook always had an apple...)

My guess is, the manga/anime is better in certain key ways. The film had one huge glaring problem: Light's character development occurred in so many huge jolts that it repeatedly defied logic and believability. I've watched the first episode of the drama series and that one seems to be taking a smoother route. Basically, I can see how he could potentially get to where he got at the end, but the path was not A, B, C... It wasn't even A,C, E... It was like A,V,Z... And we lose so much skipping those essential parts of his arc.

The other issue I had with this film was the character L. Again, my guess is that if Death Note was a part of my cultural consciousness then I would already, like, KNOW. But it isn't. So I don't. As such, his unnecessarily aggressive antagonism made no sense because no time was ever spent addressing the nuances of his character beyond an obsession with sweets.

Anyway. I really like Fujiwara Tatsuya. He was excellent in Memoirs of a Murderer. He made a convincing Light. I would have enjoyed watching him really dig his teeth into the many layers of that character. And I prefer the subtler acting of the guy who plays L in this film to the almost silly behavior of the guy in the live action drama series. But I guess we can't have our cake and eat it too.

Probably better to skip this one. As an adaptation of the source material, my guess is it's not very satisfactory. As a stand alone film, it's not very good, unfortunately.

Leia Mais

"The society is harmonious but I am bullied!"

Director Zero Chou gave a Taiwanese interpretation of how mainland Chinese gay couples are received in We Are Gamily. Her view of the complexities of loving someone that a conservative society will not accept was important but I found the interpretation on the screen lacking.

“Any conflicts and unharmonious relations existing in a society, require us to actively harmonize them to achieve a stable, harmonious, and orderly outcome.”

Wu Gang and Yang Duo are both in relationships that their families would never approve of and that are not believed to contribute to a harmonious society. Gang and Sam have been lovers for over three years as have Duo and Liya. In order to get both of their families off their backs, Gang and Duo marry but continue to live with their lovers. Their plan goes array when their mothers decide they need to have a baby as soon as possible and Gang’s mother moves in with them to push the matter along. How having a live-in mother pressing a couple to have sex would enhance their performance is something I don’t want to know. Neither Sam nor Liya are happy about the new living situations. Complicating matters, Gang’s lesbian sister Rou moves in as well.

The comedic set-up had possibilities but didn’t work for me. The writing, acting, cinematography, music, and sound were all a “C” at best. Ang Lee made a similar movie nearly 25 years before this one on a shoestring budget that delivered a more emotional punch. In a two-hour movie, We Are Gamily had very little character development. Gang and South African Sam had been together for several years but all I knew about them was that they loved each other and had a penchant for phallic shaped art. Duo and Rou had similar development issues, but at least we were told what they did for a living. Ruo and Sam were both ready to rock the boat, while Gang and Duo were more concerned with their mothers’ acceptance.

Gamily started out with a comedic tone and then morphed into a more serious one as the couples began to wonder when they could stop acting and start living their lives. I found it hard to become emotionally invested in the story as Rou and Sam were dragged into the play neither wanted to act in. Rou was the character I could most connect with. She accepted who she was and was willing to live away from home in order to be honest with herself, even if she couldn’t be honest with her family. When societal harmony was brought up, she replied, “The society is harmonious, but I am bullied!”

We Are Gamily was a lighthearted look at a serious subject about being different and upsetting familial and societal harmony, when the lack of “harmony” or sameness should never have been the responsibility of those being judged. The social and familial commentary were elements to appreciate about this film. However, the overly contrived situations, poor camera work, and often terrible sound challenged my attention span.

14 August 2024

Leia Mais

Simple, heart warming, friends to lovers . Loved it.

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Korean romance movie with a run time of 119 minutes.

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review.

 Synopsis

 After having multiple romances end at or before the 100 day relationship landmark, Ha Joon (Lee Eun Bi) has a tendency to cling on to the relationship even when her boyfriend wants to break up.  Which is why, when her current boyfriend, Nam Tae Ryeon (Cha Hun) wants to break up before their 100 day anniversary, she strikes a deal with him to delay the break up until her birthday.  They come up with a “break up grace period” agreement where they both see each other, just more casually and less frequently, while they consider and possibly pursue other romantic interests.  The deal ends when they find someone else, or when it is her birthday, whichever comes first. 

 Ha Joon wants to make Tae Ryeon change his mind so she makes another agreement, with her best friend, Kang Jin whom she has known since college.  Reluctantly Kang Jin (Kim Jin Woo) agrees to be her fake flirtatious dating relationship with the goal of making Tae Ryeon jealous so he will realize he still has feelings for Ha Joon. 

 This sets up a love triangle that is sure to not come out the way any of them expected.  Once Kang Jin starts his flirtation with Ha Joon in front of Tae Ryeon in the place they all work, Tae Ryeon finds himself immediately jealous.  And he decides he wants Ha Joon back.  But, Kang Jin realizes that he liked Ha Joon since college and the feelings he had never went away.  So rather than Kan Jin simply making Tae Ryeon jealous he decides to confess his feeling to Ha Joon which sets Tae Ryeon up as his romantic rival.

Will Ha Joon choose the safe and comfortable relationship that makes her heart race, or the risky but exciting relationship that makes her heart race?

 Review

I loved this movie!  I like heart warming romance and this was certainly that.  I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a quick, but very well developed Korean romance.  I highly recommend it and would watch it again. 

Spoiler

 This is one of those rare movies/series where the 2nd guy actually gets the girl.  He isn’t a classic second guy in that he gets more airtime than 1st guy but the role he plays is second guy.  One of my favorite tropes is friends to lovers.  It showed just enough of their back story to get a clear sense for when their feelings started. 

I typically root for the main couple to get back together but, in this case, you could clearly tell 2nd guy was a better match for the lead girl. 

#RomancebyRomance  #LeeEunBi   #ChaHun  #KimJinWoo

Leia Mais

"it would be awkward if we just sat in silence.."

"should i shut up now?"
...
...

" I can't do it.."

I just love this scene where Gabriel joins the stranger for a joint in the car. It's very engaging, and I've been rewinding to that scene just to see the sweet interaction between these two men who only crossed paths a minute ago. The chemistry is palpable, and the dialogue is witty, natural, and realistic.

I am left wishing they got together again in another circumtances.

Does anyone know the name of the actor who plays the 'grab driver'/stranger in that scene?
I don't seem to see him in the cast list.

Leia Mais

It’s a bit metaphorical, nobody knows. Even with through investigation, knowing both sides stories, you can’t do anything but speculate

I did find the movie slow and everything was revealed at the end without actually spelling it all out because no matter what, you’ll never know the whole truth

In this case, both parties were severely emotional, drunk, angry, suicidal, depressed they weren’t fit for driving
The dark road, the deer, everything was set up for the “accident” and that’s what an accident is, unplanned, any small element can cause it

The what ifs are as strong as the clues left by the encounters

The daughter blamed herself, the wife feared blaming herself, the mom was left with so many burdens taking care of a sick husband

Does the “truth” change anything? How does it effect the events

Yes they were unfit for driving, yes an unexpected deer was like a domino effect, move away from deer, move away from oncoming car, too angry to focus…. The daughter running away, the truth, the pain, no matter overthinking, over feeling, things need to be let go

Leia Mais

Youth Begins With Love

This movie had been on my watch list for a few months and I just now found where to watch it. Even though it is now 7am in the morning, I can't regret watching this movie. SWL is a classic favorite of mine, ever since I saw him act in Go Ahead. And, I have to admit, this movie was on my watch list solely for him and because of a fmv I found with a song called "I dont think that I like her". LET ME TELL YOU. Hao Cun, who plays the FL, ATE DOWN. Her acting was natural and the way she played her character was genuine. Watching Yang Yi & Nian Nian fall in love - at different times !! - was a treat. Both characters are honest about who they are, what they believe in, and with each other. The misunderstanding that occurs gets solved rather quickly and neither character are people to hold grudges or fear being wrong. This is a very simple story with a very simple plot but what made it special and rewatchable for me was the chemistry between the main leads, the ACTING from both leads, and just the peaceful world that this story was a part of. A bonus for me was the background characters: yang yi's parents were hilarious, and i loved the friend group that he had because they were very supportive of each other albeit goofy. and nian nian was very personable - she exuded positive and adorable energy but she was also not one to be bullied or wronged. I liked the relationship she had with her family, though they were short scenes, because it just felt like familiarity.

I think what else made this movie such a fun and relaxing watch was the way they dealt with the character's trauma. I love a good crying sesh and I live for angsty moments, but this film was not about that. Angsty scenes do exist, but they're short-lived, and both characters mention going through hard times, but it is very evident that they both found healthy ways to cope and heal from what happened to them/the situations they were in. The film feels very present (kind of like "Not What I Expected") and I love that. Though we get flashbacks, we're actually WITH the characters, tagging along with them while they experience first love. The music in this was 70 out of 100 in my opinion, but I loved what they did with it so it got bumped up to 7.5.

I would definitely recommend this as a watch and PLEASE WATCH THE END CREDITS - ITS SOOOOO CUTE.

Leia Mais