Reviews

"All people have different faces so that they can live different lives"

Here me out!! I usually don't enjoy korean movies but this one is an absolute masterpiece. It's realistic unlike other korean shows featuring "perfect lives" "perfect friendships". This movie is so sweet and made me tear up at the end. It shows how your soulmate doesn't have to be your romantical partner rather it can be your best friend who knows you the best , who understands you the best. I love how the friendship between two of the bestfriends isn't perfect. Its so simple yet it gave a new way to think about life and the friends I have around me. I absolutely loved this movie.

_**Cast**_
The cast was amazing. The directors used the right people to star in this movie. Byeon Wooseok has been talked about alot lately and he is also present here so if you're his fan then just start watching this movie already. Kim Dami and the other actress ( I don't know her name unfortunately) did an excellent job too. Didn't watch any of kim Dami's projects in a while but this made me want to see her in more shows and movies.

_**overall thoughts**_
I want to keep this short and spoiler free so all i want to say is that I highly recommend this movie to anybody. Even if you really like romantic movies ( it doesn't have that many romantic scenes ) i highly suggest you to watch this. Trust me you won't regret it. And you'll most definitely get another meaning to friendship after watching this movie.

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Truest coming of age movie

This coming of age movie explores the usual themes of the first love, being rejected and self discovery. And the main point accepting your family for who they are, and trying to be real with them. Zheng Yuxing played by Leo Wu/Wu Lei, and Chen Chen played by Zheng Zifeng. These young actors nailed it, I don't think I have watched any coming of age movie without skipping any scenes. But this movie made me watch it without skipping anything.

A Girl who failed her college entrance exam, because she found out a truth that was supposed to be hidden. A Guy who blew off his entrance exam because he lost his first love, that was not his. They met because of a lie, that was not meant to hurt anyone but unfortunately did.

Zheng Yuxing a highschool guy, music enthusiast, the cool kid, lives on the internet and uploading tiktok videos hoping someday his first love will see them. But to no avail, afterwards he decides to help and support Chen Chen with the lie she told her parents.
Chen Chen a highschool girl, meticulous student, quiet girl. Failed her exam, because she found out something about her parents, that was supposed to be hidden. She's conflicted about what to do now. When she's inquired about the reason of her failure, she lies. Which brings Yuxing and Chen together.

They form a mutual connection, and understanding eachother. Chen wants to help Yuxing, knowing he's become her crush now, can't help herself. She decides to go on a trip with Yuxing, that changes everything for Chen Chen, her parents and Yuxing.

A Dialogue from the mid part of the movie - "In the future, if the people we like, can also like us, how nice would that be."
It showed such emotions, and it was so touching.

The actors portrayed the emotions so beautifully and the story was good too.

And ending the movie with the Dialogue: "When will the future arrive? If right here, right now, the one you like happens to like you back, then right now is the future"
It shows that love is not that simple, even it's concept is complex. And not everything you want can be achieved in terms of affection.

The reference of Coldplay songs was really good. And the Drone show, the EDMs and the music festival and all the lightings and the stage the decorations. It was all so lovely. And I was impressed by it.
The background music good too.

What I liked the most: 1. The Meaningful Dialogues. 2. The Intro. 3. EDM 4. The Drone show and the music festival stage decoration and lights. 5. How simple straightforward story it was but yet it was so meaningful

So finishing my review, I'll admit I watched it only for Wu Lei but it was worth it. I love his works, they're always good, but I'm satisfied that I decided to watch this movie. And Zheng Zifeng too, her acting was so good.

Hope you'll give it a try, The story was much more but I'm not good with writing reviews, I've so much to learn.
Have a great day ahead!

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Cold Fish but worse.

Basically Sion Sono's Cold Fish but worse. I think when they aren't found footage Shiraishi's movies feel noticably more amatuerish on a low budget. I don't get how this is a dark comedy, it just felt deathly serious to me the entire time.

The acting from everyone kinda sucked as well, Shohei Uno being the highlight as usual, as although delivering a somewhat dull performance by his standards, he still manages to be extremely intimidating and him sitting still in a chair made me more on edge than I've been watching any supernatural horror movie.

Although not horrible, Cold Fish accomplishes similar themes to this in a much more impactful, thought provoking, and confronting way and has some of my favourite performances and movie characters ever in Denden's Yukio Murata (equivalent to Uno's character) and Mitsuru Fukikoshi's Nobuyuki Shamoto (equivalent to basically everyone else in this movie).

It was nice to watch another movie from Shiraishi-san after a while even if this was a bit of a letdown, there is not much enjoyment to be had here and I'd probably rank it the worst of the full length movies I've seen from him so far.

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J’aime les thrillers, j’adore ça, malheureusement, que ce soit en livre ou en film, je finis souvent par être déçue par ceux-ci. Que ce soit parce que l’histoire manque de suspense, que tout se passe trop vite ou autre. J’avais vraiment espéré que «Intruder» serait un des rares positifs… Ce qui n’a, à ma grande déception, pas été le cas. Je ne remets pas en cause le jeu des acteurs, surtout ceux principaux qui étaient tous parfaits ! Mais l’histoire elle-même. La base de celle-ci n’a rien de bien unique, mais j’étais curieuse de voir comment les scénaristes allaient l’utilisé. Le film est bon, mais sans plus. La seule raison que je donnerais de l’écouter, ce sont les acteurs, parce que sinon, mis à part réellement vouloir passer le temps, je trouve qu’il y a mieux à regarder. Le scénario me semble assez vide, manquant de piquant et bien trop prévisible, en plus de laisser avec bien des questions sans réponse. Vraiment dommage…

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*Avis Complet sur mon Blog :*
https://lamagiedeshistoires.wordpress.com/2024/11/26/novembre-2024-en-rafale-dramas-films/

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« My Brillant Life » est un film incroyablement touchant. Triste, tout en réchauffant aussi le cœur par moment, ce film ne peut laisser indifférent. Mais ce que j’ai particulièrement aimé, à propos de celui-ci, est d’apprendre à connaître la Progéria. J’apprécie toujours quand les maladies plus rares (et dont souvent peu connus) sont présentées au public et expliqué. Je sais ce que c’est que de voir un proche en souffrir et surtout de voir comment les gens peuvent réagir face à tout ça. Une autre chose qui fut explorée ici, et que j’ai adoré ! Avec des acteurs incroyablement doués, une histoire intéressante et émotionnelle, qui nous en apprend beaucoup sur un sujet peu connu, je ne peux que recommander de regarder ce film au moins une fois !

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*Avis Complet sur mon Blog :*
https://lamagiedeshistoires.wordpress.com/2024/11/26/novembre-2024-en-rafale-dramas-films/

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Felt like the trailer for a cute GL Chinese historical and fantasy drama - they should make it

It is a super short movie (3 minutes !) that almost feel like a trailer for a cute GL Chinese historical and fantasy drama. Of course, given the short length, it felt a bit disjointed, but the compilation of scenes was enough to give a very good idea of relationship arc between a Fox demon and a Priestess and what could be a series around them.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a cute short (very short - 3 minutes) bite of GL Chinese historical and fantasy drama. I'm left to wish they would make it into a full length series because there is a lot of potential in the relationship featured between a Fox demon and a Priestess.

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A short queer story : interesting point of view but too short to really leave a memorable impression

This very short movie (a bit more of 15 minutes excluding the outro generic) is centered around a delivery guy from a Chinese restaurant who has a crush on one of his customer.

The story shows in snippets of life experience of the main character how difficult it is to be gay and accepted in South Korea. The intentions are good but it is too short to really get deep into the discrimination details and it remains at a quite superficial level. Similarly to the story, the characters are very simply brushed up, not for lack of care but rather because of lack of time to deepen them more.

I don't think the cast did a bad job but neither is it very memorable. I found the camera work quite sluggish and maybe a bit too slow, which dragged the storytelling.

I would not recommend this to people because I have seen other short films that impacted me more around similar thematic. I feel here it remains at a relatively superficial level which prevented me to really connect with the story.

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"My ammunition is my speech"

Apostasy was a muddled criticism of the caste system in Japan set in the early 1900’s. I learned some new things about the feudal system and their utter disregard for the burakumin. The burakumin were social outcasts due to their jobs that related to uncleanliness and death. Fascinating how eating butchered meat is okay, butchering the meat makes you less than. Everyone wants their dearly departed loved ones taken care of, but undertakers were less than. Segawa was a young teacher who came from the burakumin caste who was sworn to silence by his father so that he could live a normal life.

Kazama, an older teacher from the samurai caste is forced to resign months before he could retire and collect his pension. Young progressive teachers Segawa and Tsuchiya attempt to argue his case with the principal but are promptly shut down. The principal’s “modern” nephew is hired to take Kazama’s place. Inoko, a burakumin who has come out and is leading the charge for equal rights for outcasts is constantly threatened. He is looking for a successor and hopes Segawa will take his place. Segawa is in love with Kazama’s daughter Oshiho, but afraid to push forward as she is from a higher class and he is secretly an outcast and terrified of being found out.

In older Japanese films, it is usually a solid rule of thumb that the good guys/girls are dressed in traditional clothes, while the bad guys/girls are dressed in Western style clothes. While Segawa and Tsuchiya were progressive in their ideas, they wore traditional clothes. The principal and immoral nephew wore suits. The lower middle class that had taken over the school board in this time of change drove out the samurai for financial reasons. They were just following “the rules.” The once ruling class was initially shown sympathetically. Yet those whose standings were raised were oppressively prejudiced against the outcasts and unwilling for them to have the same chances opened up to themselves. It was the same game, just different players with the marginalized still suffering the most. The outcasts were refused medical care and told they were not welcome even in small backwater towns. When one burakumin was murdered it wasn’t seen as a crime. The film also alluded that it would be these new people stepping into the power structure that would support the militaristic ideas that led to WWII. And of course, this film was largely dealing with men’s ability to have access to better opportunities. If Oshiho had told Segawa she wanted to train to be a doctor, he’d have thought she was out of her damn mind.

Segawa should have been the focal point of sympathy but he behaved so emotionally and at times cowardly that it was hard to relate to him. He was surely torn between his father’s mandate to keep his heritage secret and his mentor’s mandate that only by stepping into the light and demanding equality could the outcasts ever lead normal lives. Examples of abusive behavior toward the outcasts was often shown and Segawa who lived a respectable life did not want to be run out of town or beaten to death. Part of the disconnect for me was Ikebe Ryo’s performance which was overwrought, bordering on hysterical, even by 1940’s standards.

Apostasy was an example of people not wanting to give up power and refusing to share it. A stalwart attitude of total collectivism with certain people relegated to the bottom was difficult to shake up. Old superstitions and pecking orders did not give way easily to egalitarianism. This rigid way of thinking still plagues societies today, marginalized people who harm no one are forced to stay on the outside of society for no better reasons than what was portrayed here. Stepping forward and demanding equality is a daily and dangerous business.

“If you still look down on villagers or honor the samurai or the noble, you are still bound to the feudal way of thinking.”

25 November 2024

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Who deserves to die?

I was eagerly waiting for the chance to watch this movie, and it did not disappoint. Admittedly, the movie is a bit uneven—it starts as a silly action comedy but later turns into a serious action thriller. It also felt odd that the movie clearly hints at the villain from the beginning. However, this was executed quite well, even better than having a shadowy figure revealed only at the finale. So, watching this movie from start to finish, it gradually became better and better. The final scene of the movie adds the icing on the cake, helping us viewers to put our emotions in the right place as we follow the plot. This comment may sound abstract, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

The action is very well executed, and the actors did an excellent job in their roles. There are a few brief disturbing scenes, almost horror-like, but ultimately, this is an entertaining action movie. I wouldn’t have given it such a high score if it didn’t have a meaningful message and some food for thought, particularly regarding taking justice into one’s own hands. The best scene in the movie is the moment when the main character, veteran detective Seo Do Cheol, addresses the bloodthirsty onlookers.

The movie is great on its own but even better in the context of the original "Veteran (2015)" because it ties into many details, especially when you grow attached to the main characters. In my opinion, this sequel is even better than the original, and it seems to have the potential to become a full-fledged series.

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A tear-stained, blood-splattered odyssey

An odd mix of hardcore visceral action and contemplative sentiment, Night in Paradise suffers from being an overly long plod in need of some major narrative tightening and its occasional blasts of directorial panache that are ultimately squashed by its uncompromising fatalism. Melding the gangland revenge thriller and the terminal illness romance, there's real inventiveness to the way director Park Hoon-Jung wrong-foots the viewer and handles the operatic displays of gunfire and death, unfortunately, the connective tissue that the film only pretends to be interested in and beyond basic action sequences renders it rather dull. The production values are the best things the film has going for it, the photography is frequently fantastic and the music does a decent job of matching the dark tone the film carries with some decent acting all around to boot. Unfortunately, there's a serious lack of personality permeating throughout Night in Paradise, one that sometimes plays like a road trip, sometimes like a romance and sometimes like the idle imaginings of a serial killer. A tear-stained, blood-splattered odyssey in whether revenge is warranted or even capable of bringing personal satisfaction that could have been so much better.

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Underground resistance fighters battle the occupiers, moral ambiguity and romance complicate things

A good watch, 2hrs and 20mins, a spy thriller from 2015, very successful at the box office in SK. Good costumes and sets, very cool acting.

Do not watch on a whim late at night as I did, only to realize 15 minutes in that I had completely lost track of events. The first scenes are set in 1911, in the 6th year of the 40-year long Japanese Occupation of Korea, and the main assassination plot takes place in 1933 in the 28th year of the Occupation. If you prefer to prepare with a complete spoiler the Wikipedia article on the show itself is very clear. I dont do spoilers but I offer two pointers, one to plot and one to perspective.

1. The premise is set up clearly in the first few scenes but do not be kdrama lazy and assume all will be made clear, this is a spy thriller and you have to keep on your toes. Pay attention to Yem and to Kang later on, respectively the resistance fighter captured after the weird attack on the rich collaborator, which results in the killing of Kang's wife, and the loss of one of his twin baby girls (spirited away by a chinese midwife).

2. Try this rough imagination hack to understand the twisted lines of loyalty and love in 1933 Korea. So, if Germany, France and the British Isles correspond to Japan, Korea and China imagine:

-Germany had successfully invaded France in 1940 and set up a puppet govt which was only ousted after a gigantic international war in 1975-1980 (cruelty, torture, massacres, the suppression of the French language in schools and all civil institutions).

-Meanwhile Germany used France as a base to wage a protracted war from 1968 to 1980 against a distracted UK riven by an internal civil war (coastal British cities sacked and occupied, war crimes galore).

-An assassination plot targeting a 1968 wedding in Paris of a German general's son to a rich Frenchman's daughter falls into chaos like Casablanca on steroids due to the usual divided alliances and survival needs of the people involved and the way romance and family have a tendency to transcend allegiances. Love espionage, nothing like it.

simultaneously posted on viki

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A Great introduction to a grand story

Kingdom is based on of the many manga I've bought and which... I haven't gotten around to read due to lack of time. Seriously there's 70 volumes already published in my country, I have all of them and I haven't read a single one.

By the same token, from what I remember the anime already has 5 seasons... and I haven't watched a single one yet.

Only bought the series because it is apparently popular so I didn't know anything of its story.
Since I've been burned by Japanese live actions I don't know how many times before, I was really wary about this one, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I thought it delivered an entertaining story with lots of action and a hero easy to root for. The fighting scenes were a bit too long for my taste. We get a useless "comic relief" in the character of Ten that I just couldn't care about and it was honestly a bit weird to have subtitles in which the names were spelled in Pinyin when characters are pronouncing them the Japanese way. Sometimes the Japanese and Chinese pronunciations were pretty close, and other time not at all, but I got used to it at some point.

I've seen several projects by Yamazaki Kento, all live actions and didn't think much of them because honestly... well they sucked. But checking my list, I realized all the projects he acted in which I hated were from the beginning of his carreer. I haven't seen a single project of his in the last 5 years that I disliked. He seems to be choosing his projects more carefully now and I'm starting to feel, he's slowly but surely becoming my favorite Japanese actor.

Anyway it had some minor flaws but I was thoroughly entertained and it made me want to finally take the time to read these freaking 70 volumes accumulating dust in my library. Not gonna do it because I don't have the time but you never know....

A solid 9

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