Reviews

Who are you - the question we don’t have an answer to.

Realistically speaking, I understood around 80% of the movie. There are many things that are just hinted at, especially about the details of the resolutions/conclusions. Does it bother me? No. If anything, it makes me more interested in potential rewatch to see if I missed anything. The movie presents a lot of questions, but not all the answers.

How much do we change and curate ourselves to match social expectations and responsibilities set by the roles we decide to take? On the other hand, is following our desires the true freedom or just another cage? Driven by desires or led by society - where is the freedom in both, where is the place for personal choices?

These are the questions I kept thinking about while watching Cure. It also reminded me that we as humans love to simplify everything - binary thinking is easier. Extreme solution to mundane problems - that’s how I saw the freedom Mamiya was spreading. Momentary freedom that led to more restraints. Because living is not as simple as always doing what others expect you to do, nor is it simply following your current needs. Forcing others to adhere to your narrow definition of freedom is not setting them free, it’s just taking the leash in your own hands and controlling them by your own standards.

Cure is a great psychological mystery that masterfully crafts the tension. The longer I watched, the more I wanted to get the answers, but by the end, I was fine with still wondering. Strangely it felt as if I was given the freedom to find my own conclusion. It’s not a typical crime movie where we want to know who did it. Rather, we desperately try to figure out why it was done. It’s slow and atmospheric.

With a script like that you need charismatic actors to pull it off. And I was blessed with Yakusho Koji’s performance as Takabe Kenichi - a detective and husband, who struggles with maintaining these two roles, slowly cracking under the pressure. Hagiwara Masato as Mamiya Kunihiko was simply terrifying. Something about that detached, but piercing presence made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Editing and production was truly perfect. From longer and uncut scenes that created the tension, or the quick cut flashes of moments and frames, that in addition to giving important clues, served as a good indicator of the shift of perspective and the connections the main lead made.

Overall, highly recommend to all the folks who liked to be asked questions and not get conclusive answers, making your own brain do the work. Less investigation, more philosophical. Slow pace might deter some people from watching - proper watching conditions might be the key to enjoyment.

Leia Mais

Interesting plot but the overall impact falls short

This is one of the rare shows I occasionally watch impulsively after seeing a short-form video highlighting Suzy and Park BoGum's story. At first, I actually thought it was a series and thought that the main story was about Suzy and BoGum but as it turns out, their story is just one of the mini-stories within the bigger picture of the movie.

Personally, I think the premise is really interesting and I do love sci-fi. I've watched a couple of K-movies that made me change my mind positively towards their films (like Space Sweeper, etc.), but this one falls short for me. The plot seems to be underdeveloped. I didn't feel as immersed as usual because I think the key with the sci-fi genre is the storytelling that makes you believe it can be a reality -- in the not-so-far future or even if it can't be, it's at least emotionally relatable. I feel like I needed a lot more context to feel the characters fully.

It was kind of disappointing specially seeing some star-studded Halyu star faces. I felt like their potential was not maximized more than how we usually see them on other shows. Still I feel like it's a decent watch. The CGI is definitely high quality -- not the best but better than most.

This still could be a good weekend watch. Might be something you would enjoy. Personally, after watching a lot of shows, I felt like being a critic that minor details feels off for me.

Leia Mais

Right person, not enough time

Yall better get ready for a bucket of tears because it's a bittersweet movie. It's about two 17 year old people who are going to die, one of them is dying in 6 months while the other one will die in a year. They met each other on the hospital rooftop and then forward Ren started visiting Natsuki in the hospital. He would bring her 5 flowers (gerbas) every day every time he visited her. I'll stop spoiling it here but from then forward you will have a bucket of tears at the end of the movie because it's the fact they both died and left Mayuu on her own. I'm so sad that they didn't confess to each other that they liked each other, but atleast they would get some time in heaven together. I absolutely recommend this movie if you're into sad love stories. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!!!!!!!!!

Leia Mais

[Spoilers!!] A Mini Rant Review

Overall, a good movie. Great Casting, especially loved Wi Ha-Joon's & Jin Ki-Joo's acting.
The jumpscares [especially the scenes inside Kyeong Mi's House] made the movie absolutely thrilling + the background Ost. [Atleast In my Opinion]

[☆Mini Rant as a review☆] [Spoilers Ahead!]

The story was good but I wish they gave Do Shik a more in-depth Back Story or at least gave him one. Do Shik [The Character] had a lot more potential than just dying in the end.
I wish they revealed more about his motive behind killing people... How he ended up like this... Why he's continuing in this path...

The Police Station Scene where The drunk man mentions his Family looked like it triggered him. Wish they make a Prequel movie on his Back Story.

Plus the Scene where Kyeong Mi rushes to explain to Do Shik about her Life Plans and him just listening to her ??‍?
Could have ended the movie at the part where he drags her away after that convo, allowing the audience to speculate on the ending, maybe even allowing them to create a part 2 movie that expands a bit more on the story.
I did like the plot twist ending but it wasn't exactly satisfying either.

Leia Mais

In 1958, Japan passed the Prostitution Prevention Law and began shutting down the red-light districts. Street walkers were sent to “care shelters” to be rehabilitated. As I watched the opening for Girls of the Night aka Girl of the Dark, I’ll be honest I was afraid this was going to be reminiscent of the Irish Magdalene Laundries known for their cruel and abusive treatment of the “fallen” girls confined there. What I found instead was that the Shiragiku Ladies Dormitory had the least judgmental and most supportive people the former sex trade workers assigned there would encounter. This story followed the challenges Kuniko, a former prostitute, would face as she ventured out in ‘pure’ and ‘polite’ society to find respectable work.

Mrs. Nogami, the headmistress of the Shiragiku Dormitory finds Kuniko work as a live-in worker at a shop. No one there knows what Kuniko used to do for a living. Her boss works her from morning until night and after her living allowance is subtracted from her wages Kuniko will only be making 10, 000 yen/68 USD a year. After her past is revealed, the shopkeeper is determined to demean and replace Kuniko. Rather than be humiliated and taken advantage of, Kuniko takes the situation literally into her own hands. At her next job in a factory, Kuniko tries another tactic and reveals her past to the women in the dormitory. Instead of being supportive her female co-workers violated Kuniko in a disturbingly violent scene. At her third job she finds love, but also runs into the limitations of societal forgiveness and acceptance.

Girls of the Night was one of the few films from this time that was both directed and written by women. Tanaka Kinuyo filmed a fairly progressive film given the timing of the new law. Far from condemning the ex-prostitutes, the film tried to show that the majority of the women sold their bodies due to tragic situations pressuring them from society, family, or personal relationships. Mrs. Nogami time and again supported Kuniko and the other women in her care. When Kuniko asked why it had been okay for her to use her body as she wished before and now it was illegal, Mrs. Nogami had no good answer for her. Girls of the Night also had a lesbian character in a small supporting role, the first I’ve run across in this era. Whether due to the source material or concerns of how the audience would receive the film, they did hedge their bets by having Kuniko be harshly critical of her own past actions and decisions.

The pure and polite society Kuniko interacted with might not have had to sell their bodies to make a living but they also showed they were far from the moral ideal. Kuniko had more than her share of encounters with vile humans but she also found healing in the people who accepted her. The most important person she had to convince that her past could be forgiven was herself. Tanaka’s 5th film in the director’s chair once again showed Mizoguchi Kenji was wrong and that she was quite smart enough to direct a film.

10 August 2024

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I would have given this an 8/10. But...

I'm not one to stomp my feet when an ending doesn't go exactly the way I had hoped/expected. I actually like being surprised or shocked. However, most movies of the thriller/horror/suspense genres tend to do this absurd thing where they have an initial "false" ending. And then they have the "real" ending that suggests that everything might not ACTUALLY be resolved. Like the thing at the end of all the Jumanji movies when you hear the drums and some random new kids go "hey, do you hear that?"

I don't know. About 1 out of every 10 instances this works. This movie is not one of them. I don't want to spoil it in case you end up watching it, but putting aside any conversation about "good" endings or "bad" endings, I at least expect the ending to make sense. Or, if nothing else, not to make the rest of the movie effectively pointless.

This was one of the most impressive suspense films I've ever seen....

Until

that thing after the credits started. The movie ends, the first cast credit appears on the screen and then randomly several more minutes of film get shoehorned in. In a way, by the way, that made it seem like even the filmmakers didn't think it belonged. Basically, just watch until the first credit pops up on a black screen and then IMMEDIATELY turn the movie off. Then it will be a perfect film.

Every time I see a false ending + second ending horror or suspense film I feel like the writers didn't actually want us to take the story seriously after all. It was all just for scary funzies. And selling popcorn. Or whatever.

Leia Mais

Death is a part of Life

I think I liked this a little bit more than the previous one because historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and it was incorporated so well in the story.

The suspenseful vibe of this drama movie still feels very accurate and the plot twists, even if some were foreseeable, made the story so interesting that it could transport right into the fantastical universe!

I liked that we found out more about the grim reapers and that this time, the story happens on two plans. On one side, we have the typical story of guiding one's soul and on the other side, we have an adventurous action in which gods are implicated.

This movie also felt so peaceful at some points, letting you reflect on the characters' lives and also on your own. It is so emotional and yet it shows you the fragile beauty of life, the human suffering and yet it teaches you to appreciate the time you have on earth.

Both movies are masterpieces!

Leia Mais

Your life choices determine your future

A movie with so many things: drama, mystery, cool action, and mythological fantasy. It also has some comedy which I truly appreciate because it makes the movie easier to watch.

The philosophy behind it is so meaningful. You can learn to be a better human by watching it. The whole universe was created with good craftsmanship. The visuals are fantastic!

I loved watching the grim reapers helping the "paragon" find his way through the afterlife and also helping him evolve even after his death. The accent is put on the life of a family after one of the brothers dies and even if he has a noble soul, he still have to pass through 7 trials corresponding to human sins. He had a complicated life just like any of us, and that's why this story is also relatable.

I also loved the relationship between Won Maek and Duk Choon, cause they reminded me of a big brother-little sister relationship. Even if Duk Choon is the youngest, I find her character to be a wise one. The actors did an amazing job portraying the dark, yet guiding aura of the grim reapers.

Leia Mais

Gut-wrenching story

This movie is not entertainment but a depressing story about a town without hope. The title of the movie is truly fitting. There seems to be no hope for our main character and neither for other people. So this was all emotionally very hard to watch. Few scenes were hard to watch because of brutality but the entire movie is hard to watch emotionally because it is just sad to see peoples lives going downhill. In fact it is more than sad. There is sadness that purifies but when you don’t have hope it is even worse. In a sense this is what hell looks like.

Actually the real title of the movie is Hwaran – 화란. That is transliterated from the Chinese word for Netherlands. Our main character Yeon Gyu has a dream of going to the beautiful Netherlands. However, Hwaran can also be transliterated from another Chinese character with the meaning of disaster and chaos. Very interesting detail that says a lot about the story of this movie too. In short, don’t watch this movie if you want to have a good time, watch it at your own risk.

Btw. the version of the movie I saw was 1hr 58min and not 2 hr 13 min as stated on the info.

Leia Mais

A Good Action, Spy, Thriller

This is a movie with many familiar kdrama faces and then some. The actors, made it all seem effortless but entertaining at the same time. Hwang Jung Min doesn’t make many films or dramas, but when he does star in a show, it’s always worth a look.

Overall, it was a decent spy/action/thriller that starts to hit its straps around the 45 minute mark. Up until then, it was a bit ho hum for me and not all that interesting except, however, I knew at some point, the leads would start to deliver - and they do.

This movie had a decent budget and the action scenes bear this out. The movie sets were utilised well - not too many, so the budget was used effectively.

Yum Jung Ah as the jaded detective captain who relies on her house husband turned in a very relatable performance. Jeon Hye Jin turned in another good performance and I would like to see her in more roles like this one.

At the end of the day, it was a movie well worth an afternoon watch on the weekend. Grab some lunch or popcorn and a drink, settle in and enjoy the ride ?

Leia Mais

Actress Jiang Wen Li wrote and directed the film Lan. This was a slow, slice of life and coming of age film set during the Cultural Revolution. Grandfather Tang and Jiang Xiao Lan had only each other after her parents were sent to the countryside for re-education. Xiao Lan not only had to bear the shame of her parents' situation but politically it was a trying to time to have the same surname of a loathed political figure.

During the 1960’s at the age of three, Jiang Xiao Lan’s parents were sent to the “countryside”. Her 89-year-old grandfather was left in charge of her. Initially enforcing his authority with a ruler style whacking stick, the neighbors convinced him to use his words instead. At school Xiao Lan was ridiculed and taunted mercilessly as a “bastard of counter revolutionaries.” Grandpa wanted Xiao Lan to have a skill so that when she grew up she would not be sent to “the countryside.” She joined gymnastics but was never accepted and always considered an amateur. Lan missed the parents she scarcely knew. The only connection she had to them were their letters that Grandpa read to her. After a time jump, not much changed for Xiao Lan as she entered adolescence.

Lan was beautifully shot as if each scene was a painting, featuring both photogenic actresses who played Lan. Most of the scenes contained either rain or snow with Lan carrying her ubiquitous umbrella. Lovely music accompanied Xiao Lan’s growth from small child to teenager. Zhu Xu as Grandpa Tang gave a tender performance as the man who cared for and tried to shield Xiao Lan from the harsh realities of her life. Yao Jun and Zhu Yinuo seamlessly portrayed the melancholy Xiao Lan who desperately wanted to fit in somewhere and longed for her missing parents. Director Jiang created several whimsical scenes such as Xiao Lan flying across the Huai River with her umbrella to the north to find her parents. There were also several references to missing teeth, the meaning of which eluded me.

Jiang Wen Li composed a touching film showing the consequences of the cultural revolution on families. The relationship between Grandpa Tang and Xiao Lan came across as loving and realistic. While it was beautiful to look at it, I kept waiting for some sort of emotional climax which never came. I enjoyed Lan and maybe on a different day would have rated this graceful film higher.

9 August 2024
(7.75)

Leia Mais

worth watching

didn't even noticed it came out today ahah saw the date here, random watch on Netflix tonight

I wasn't expecting much, but I enjoyed this movie. I read the synopsis and I thought it could be interesting
- I think the idea of the plot in general is interesting.
- the acting was good
- had some funny moments
- For me a bit slow at first and I was waiting for her to find out
- I enjoyed the action and fighting scenes
- I like the part when they rescued the guy. I was like how the hell will they out, but the plan was pretty perfect after all. I'm still sad he died. When he said his wife disappeared after ML stopped working... I was like well damn! but later on it all made sense why it seemed to easy to get him out
- I was truly shocked with the plot twist for the villain, didn't saw it coming
- the ending was okay

It's a good watch to pass time in my opinion, I would recommand

Leia Mais

Amazing movie

This movie shows what humans will act like if a disaster appears but then again we, the humanity cause and destroy the world, are selfish and don’t let others in when they need somewhere to stay, music is good too and the whole movie is interesting, if only the world was peaceful then we won’t have anything bad like a war but we destroy this world and are selfish, humanity is what destroys the world and harm the climate.

Definitely recommend this film to everyone as it’s an amazing film to watch and shows the truth of us humanity, shame on our humanity, we need more of the video’s I’ve seen online where people are friendly and willing to help and not these people in this movie who let everyone die in the cold.

Leia Mais

Unique premise but predictable story

Bastards are more despicable than dogs

Look, this was really fast-paced, 20 minutes in, there's so many things going on, from the main characters and side characters, action scenes are GREAT, cgi is average, but the characters didn't have that depth that i was looking for, like, the connection wasn't there, i guess they could've used more gore on this but it's still a good watch for a political, action , sci-fi, and drama kmovie

The last scene's parallelism between jung won's paternal love to kyung min and e9's maternal love towards her children :( a really sad reality..

RIP Lee Sun Kyun, I'll miss you and your works, such a great actor, and the child and the granny from train to busan is here too!such an interesting crossover

Leia Mais