Reviews

Homage to Jimmy Wang Yu's One-Armed Swordsman

Wu Xia aka Dragon was a nice homage to The One-Armed Swordsman, even casting Jimmy Wang Yu as the Big Bad. My review is based on the shorter international version which was thankfully subbed and not dubbed but was still almost 20 minutes shorter than the original version.

Liu Ji Xi makes a living making paper and lives with his wife, stepson, and young son. Their lives are quiet and idyllic until one day two notorious criminals who have escaped custody break into a shop and brutalize the older couple who own it. Ji Xi clumsily stumbles in and intervenes. Afterward when the village is celebrating Ji Xi’s heroic acts, Detective Xu Bai Ju arrives. He believes that there may have been more than luck involved when the simple papermaker defeated too skilled killers. His suspicions are confirmed when the 72 Demons Gang attacks the town in search of Ji Xi.

Donnie Yen played the papermaker with a mysterious past giving the kind of performance you’d expect from him. He also choreographed the fights which meant they were entertaining to watch. Tang Wei played his wife, Ah Yu. Sadly, she didn’t have much to do in this film. Ji Xi’s bespectacled antagonist was the investigator played by Kaneshiro Takeshi who had his own murky past. I suspect some of the edits came at the cost of Kaneshiro’s character as there was more to him hinted at than what I saw. I would like to think Tang Wei’s time was also cut because in the 97-minute version she was criminally underused. Jimmy Wang Yu played the nefarious Master of the 72 Demons gang who was a formidable martial artist. I was never a fan of Jimmy’s old kung fu flicks, even blasphemously the original One-Armed Swordsman. To my relief, he gave a more nuanced, if menacing, performance here. Kara Hui (My Young Auntie!!) bounded in as one of the Demons and at 51 years of age held her own with Donnie in their choreographed fights.

Dragon had superb fights, two male leads with painful pasts trying to make the best of their lives, and a thriller element when the 72 Demons came to town with swords drawn. The film called into question whether there was room for empathy in enforcing the law. Dragon might not have broken any new ground, but it was stylishly filmed and well-acted. Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

7 November 2024
Trigger warnings: Body parts went flying in three different scenes as well as a tooth

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All the Liquors (and Food)

Let me start by saying first and foremost, I think Won Do Hyun did an excellent job for his first main role. I had watched Kim Jun Hyung previously (definitely has talent) and hope to watch more of both of them in the future.

Now, about this movie version of the series.
(TL;DR AT BOTTOM)

I love the premise as of course food and alcohol are a timeless pairing. It makes sense to have these type of situations come up in marketing. But it is a little bit far fetched in this. The Chef Ki Hoon is an unknown with zero social media presence and no culinary background to speak of other than Grandmama had a tteokbokki shop that he grew up in that has been since renovated into a small restaurant with an exposed kitchenette that he cooks in.

Before I go further let me focus on our cute main lead Ji Yu. How is he not gaining weight? All this character does is eat, drink, eat again, sleep, repeat. We see him at work a couple of times talking about food and soju. We see him at a variety of places eating and drinking. Bestie Ji Ha (Jeong Ho Gyun - he needs a main he’s hilarious and so expressive) meets up to: you guessed it! Eat and Drink. Kind of hard to give any depth when the character is stuffing his face constantly. But we love him anyway and his personality is like a confused chipmunk.

Back to Chef, he is strict and stern. Kind of. For a minute. No Alcohol! Okay, let’s have some alcohol because cutie Ji Yu wants it. Huh? That quickly? I think there were a few steps missing. All of a sudden, Chef is taking Chipmunk on a trip and agreeing to this contract and how did we get here? It’s disjointed and in a way that left me rewatching scenes to make sure I didn’t miss something. So my complaint is the editing or the storyline itself. No idea who is to blame but it is a tough few cuts and jumps while watching.

Then we have the kisses. The actors looked so uncomfortable and there was zero passion or feeling in those couple of kisses. I don’t need tongue so don’t take it like that - I do need something other than camera angles trying to make it look like they are doing more than barely touching lips. They sold their relationship as though it was building up to something but that wasn’t anything. The director should have done better. Workshops or coaching to help and different camera angle may have helped. It just was nothing. I felt it did a disservice to the characters (no matter how disjointed and underdeveloped they were). And the final blow was the fact that their relationship wasn't even established until the last scene even though they already had (implied) slept together and at least a couple weeks had passed if not months. Weird choice.

TL;DR:

So much eating and drinking by cute chipmunk male lead.
Chef storyline made no sense (no social media or culinary accolades but hired for big corporate event?).
More eating and drinking.
Corporate Job for Chipmunk? Huh? Where?
No character depth anywhere to be found.
Why is there so much food & soju and so little actual story?
Flirty with no chemistry.
Kisses that were completely bland.
Needed more of Bestie here or elsewhere.
Wait - they weren’t even a couple? Was this a bromance disguised as a BL?
Ooooh more food and soju and wine this time too!

Eh. It’s forgettable but still I like the actors and they did the best with what they had. I don’t fault them. I blame the scriptwriter(s) and Director.

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imaginary history but still tugs at yr heartstrings

I cried tears of happiness at the ending -- one through-line from pansori to kdrama! The drums, some poetry, flashbacks, magical events, a family reunites and right on cue, we weep!

A great watch, imaginary history of course with a nice back-and-forth between the "invention" of the second great pansori tale, the Simcheongga, which involves a dragon-king under the sea and a noble self-sacrificing maiden with a blind father, and the plot of this movie, involving a blind daughter, a mother kidnapped to be used as slave labor and a poet-singer father. Not to mention a gosu drummer, a very shabby monk, an aristocrat in disguise as a drunk and many good pansori village audiences. Eolsigu! (yippee!) Jalhanda! (well done!)

simultaneously posted on viki

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One of the Best Movies I've Seen

Honestly, it's widely known to many that Kim Woo-bin never misses with anything he acts in. But this movie is not only one of the best pieces of work he's taken part in but also genuinely one of the best action movies I've seen. The plot is engaging; first capturing your attention with the ML being an adrenaline junky. He spends most of his days practicing, sparing, or playing video games while also making deliveries for his father's restaurant. Maybe doesn't sound great at first but the way it's filmed makes you (at least it made me) almost feel the adrenaline too.

The ML is almost innocent in his lack of knowledge about the criminal world but he's got a good heart. Never turning away from a challenge and not turning his back on anyone in need. And I could feel the growth he experienced throughout the film as he went from someone who was just in the job temporarily because he thought the concept of fighting a bunch of "ex-cons" all day/night was fun to someone who found purpose in what they were doing. The ML captured my heart in a way that I could feel his pain when something went wrong or someone got hurt. He cares and he makes you feel it with him.

I'll definitely rewatch this and recommend this to anyone wanting a great action film that really gets you invested in what happens on screen.

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Stick with the series version!

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Again, it was bizarre that I had to wait over 1 ½ years to do a comparison review.

The series: This had a cute storyline. I like that the script was simple and not overly dramatical, but it may be too simple for some people. However, the script had some weak elements. On the positive, the cast did a great job with their characters. I enjoyed watching the development of the friendship group throughout the series. I also liked the additional scene that was added at the end of most of the episodes. It had inconsistent sound quality/volume throughout the series.

The movie: The main problem with the movie version is the editing. I know they probably had to cut scenes for timing purposes, but many of the cut scenes somehow made this cute, simple storyline bland. It didn’t affect the overall relationship development, but slightly effected the story progression. The cut scenes also added more context. By cutting one scene in the beginning, one of the scenes in the end made no sense. They did a decent job editing it into a cohesive movie. There were only a few times the editing was choppy. As to be expected, they cut out the opening credits and additional scenes from the end of the episodes.

Random Notes:

I strongly recommend watching the series version (on Viki if you can).

The movie’s English subtitles on GagaOOLala were not bad, but I prefer the ones with the series on Viki (I did not take points off for this).

******Spoiler Alert******

The kissing scenes were actually not that bad for a change. Yes, the actors still looked awkward but they at least showed some emotions.

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A litter bit disappointing, but the couple is still adorable

The only good thing I want to see is the interaction between Buchou and Hotaru as a lovey-dovey newly married couple, and I believe other viewers watch the movie because of that too.
However, the movie’s main focus is around some kind of a stranger woman that I don’t even bother to remember her name, and couldn’t care less about her story. She and also all other characters are annoying, and she is the worst, and the plot is weird and stupid. The movie is supposed to be their honeymoon trip, but then it’s ruined for someone not important and not relevant at all. It would be okay for me if they put the woman's story as a very side plot, not playin a big role in the plot like how it is. It just doesn't make sense.
I still give it 6 out of 10 just because of the moments between Hotaru and Buchou. They are still sweet, adorable and funny as before. It's finally a happy ending for their love story, although I expect to learn more after that. I want to see their baby!!

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A celebration of love

Falling in love is easy; falling out of love is harder. This is where Comrades, Almost a Love Story succeeds; its tragic beauty is undeniable. It's a heartfelt story of two mainlanders caught in fate's grand design, an incredibly moving film full of soulful looks, lingering glances and averted eyes. Director Patrick Chan and writer Ivy Ho throw every romantic convention imaginable into the film, Chan's direction remains restrained and respectful, holding back from too much sentimentality; while Ho's script is rich with wonderful details, drawing upon the culture and the history of recent Hong Kong. Although she eventually falls upon clichés to bring the film full circle, the plot devices don't feel like plot devices but combined with a beautiful piano-laden score means its no deal breaker. Maggie Cheung is wonderful here; her luminous screen presence just lights up the film, while Leon Lai turns in an admirable performance of his own, although occasionally wooden at times, it's lovely to see him inhabit such a real character. Destiny is a force that fascinates Hong Kong, which is understandable as they've felt themselves swept along by the river of history, with little or no control over their eventual fate. Yes, there's a certain drag to it and sometimes it's even a little melodramatic but ultimately Comrades, Almost a Love Story is a wonderfully beautiful celebration of love and all the challenges it brings.

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Impactful

This heart wrenching movie is a gem! Definitely contains some adult scenes and material. This was a coming of age movie highlighting a kind intelligent gay young man. By the end of the movie there are tears. Even though our world is becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ community, it's frightening and disconcerting to realize that the homophobic attitudes are still strong. The casual indifference and irrational hatred portrayed by adults and bullies was disturbing and unfortunately not removed from reality.

On a different note the progression of the two ML 's relationship added complexity and eventual warmth.
The movie is not a BL but more of a bromance. It's a story that needs telling if for no other reason than to make you question your own attitudes.

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oof...

That took a turn.

What starts as a one-night-stand, awkward testing of interest via small talk and slight kink included, ends as something ... very different.
(tw for violence, maybe murder, rape)

This is only 16 minutes long, and the plot could be summerized in no more than three sentences, but there's so much to pick apart in the characterization of one of the main characters, especially in the second part, that it easily feels much longer.

Everything, from the dialogue (small talk to sex talk to only few words), to the use of space (the short film is only set in the apartment and the short hallway outside, and in the end it focuses more and more on tighter and tighter spaces), the use of light and shadow (brightly lit to shadowy), and to the excellent acting by both the actors -- all of it forces the viewer deeper into the darkness, and in the end it's clear that there will be no escape.

I'd recommend watching this at least once, but only if you're prepared to know that this is not a fluffy piece but a graphic depiction of the lengths an obsessed person will go to get what they want.

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Mahjong? more like Nahhh-jong

This is an odd film. The story centres around the competition between two family members vying to inherit a Mahjong house.

At least I think that was the plot? Honestly, it was pretty boring so I had it on in the background while I was doing work. I'd say the first and last 20 minutes were the only vaguely interesting parts of the film.

The pacing is slow, the stakes don't really seem that high, there's little intrigue, the characters feel flat, and the eccentric humour is...well....eccentric.

Personal highlight was Betty's hair, makeup, and costuming; it gave the aesthetic a touch of retro cool.

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If a film from Japan is 60 minutes long and has an 18+ rating, then there's a good chance that it is a pink film -- with all that entails about crass sex scenes, random nudity, production quality and sometimes questionable plot.
For more info, I recommend RandomUsagi's introduction to their list of gay pink films (https://mydramalist.com/list/1xrm2893) and a comment of theirs about the distinction between BL and gay pink films (https://mydramalist.com/list/1xrm2893#comment-19083260).

I haven't seen a lot of gay pink films yet, but what I appreciate about some of those I've watched is the way they use soft porn to tell stories about the universal human experience -- love, loss and gentle heartbreak.
This is one of those.

The main character (Takeshi) is torn between familial obligations and wanting to live his own life -- this resonated deeply with me, and maybe other people who are or have been in the same place in life.
Love and loss play a big part in this story: His boyfriend Kazuyoshi, who left Takeshi to pursue his own career while Takeshi remained to care for his elderly and disabled father, returns, but only for a short while. His sister leaves the house to get married. The gift from the ocean, the man without history, Akira, might have been a temporary person in Takeshi's life.

What is not said is at times more important in this film than what the characters tell us. I liked the use of silence and the chosen soundtrack.

I am impressed by how the director managed to give the obligatory sex scenes some meaning -- the first, before the break up, is loving, on the dry part of the beach, warmed by a nearby fire -- the second, the reunion, is harsher, on the wet sand -- the third in the liminal space between land and sea, doused in cold ocean water, bodies smeared with black sand -- and the in last scene at the beach which, in contrast, is not even a sex scene, both men are overwhelmed by their emotions and, in accordance, by the waves crashing over them.

The acting was not bad, I've seen worse in other modern gay pink films, and the plot holes are not that bad, considering the film is only 60 minutes long -- it's not about the plot anyway but either about the sex or the emotions (whichever the viewer prefers).
If you don't mind the way sex scenes are done in pink films, and are willing to look beyond the plot holes, it's a not-bad way to spend an hour.

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Heavy tearjerker

When I first watched this it was fairly new and I was going thru a tough patch in life I just wanted to cry out but Every single drama failed to do it this was that movie that hit very deep and I cried I cried uncontrollably I couldn't imagine how every scene was so cruel. The fact that none of them (akito, haruna and ayaka) could see each other for the last time was tragic. My heart goes to akito and haruna tho they were simply meant for each other but cursed with a limited time in life and in that limited time they had enough love for each other that people that live lifetime would never experience. I have grown up watching tragedies where either the female lead dies or the male lead but what hits me the most is where both of them pass out it's like a closure that makes me hope that, yes they found each other in after like. I have never gone back and watched any tragedies ever simply cause the initial depth it lost ( and yes I feel scared ) when you know it's inevitable but this I couldn't stop myself and trust me I cried all of the times I went back to it.it crushed my heart again and again but I don't regret it I love this I will cry every single time I'll watch this

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