Reviews

The best out of all of them!

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

The series/original movie: This had an interesting storyline. The script was simple but good. However, I’m the first to admit it had some weak parts to it. Although it had one story element I’m not a fan of, it does make sense in this series. The cast was incredible with their characters. There was only one exception which is often seen in Korean BL series/movies. As for the 2020 movie version, they did a great job editing the episodes into a cohesive movie. There were a few scenes that were deleted or cut short. There were also a few major scene placement changes towards the end of the movie. My only complaint was they removed the internal monologues from the two main characters. Both had beautiful cinematography, but the coloring in the movie version was more vibrant.

The director’s cut movie: The biggest plus for me was bringing back the internal monologues that was missing in the 2020 movie. Just like the 2020 version, they did a great job with the editing. There were some scenes that were deleted and some major scene placement changes towards the end of the movie. There are a few added scenes in this version. In my opinion, all of the changes greatly improved the quality of the movie. I also enjoyed the added behind the scenes footage at the end of this version of the movie.

Random Notes:

After watching all 3 versions, I strongly recommend watching the director’s cut because it incorporated the best qualities from the series and 2020 movie.



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

The usual exception of course was the kiss scene. if they are not going to show an actual proper kissing scene, I would have settled with a kiss on the check or them hugging. Not every BL series has to end, or have, a make-out/kiss session at the end.

Although it had a three-year time jump, it does make sense with this storyline.

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Too short but still worth it for the interesting context and the cast

Disclaimer, this review only relates to the 29 minutes short film, not to the additional bonus making of / behind-the-scene which lacked subtitles.

In a nutshell, I found the premise very interesting and quite subversive (especially given the fact it was released in 2009) as it features the romantic relationship between two guys separated while one is doing his mandatory military service. In a very short time, I found the movie made some very compelling points, with scenes showcasing how somewhat taboo their relationship is seen by Korean society. Unfortunately, the film is too short to really get to the bottom of the conflict and remain relatively superficial on the turmoil faced by the characters.

The acting was good and it is quite pleasant to watch some familiar actors that I had seen in other works, here at the very beginning of their career, in an indie movie. The production value is quite limited, you feel the budget constraint. Even though it felt very strange because of the shift of tone, I enjoyed the opening and ending generic. It was quite fun to watch with some joyful folk music that I appreciated.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an indie BL short movie. It approaches love between men within the mandatory military context in Korea, which is not a very common topic. It felt unfortunately a bit short in terms of storyline and what it is trying to say, mainly because of its short length format. Still, given its short duration, it is worth giving it a shot, especially if you want to see performances of Yeon Woo Jin and Lee Je Hoon at the beginning of their career.

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Exciting adventure thriller with excellent performances

All the Hollywood action thrillers want what this movie has. The plot starts mid-action and always keeps moving, the tension never lets up, the fight sequences are nail-bitingly visceral, and the soundtrack balls out the whole time. Pair these with layered leads plus some scene-stealing side characters, and you have a winning addition to the North/South Korean political action drama pantheon. Besides, in this era of bloated scripts, Escape deserves extra points for its refreshingly trim 90 minute runtime.

Not sure why this only has 8/10 on here; it deserves at least a 9 in my book. Go and watch it!

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How is it possible for an horror movie to feel so boring ? Cast could not save it

This horror movie about a MMA fighter confronted to evil had too many flaws to entice me. Its main qualities reside in its cast as well as in its filmmaking. Indeed, the esthetics was quite good as well as the special effects, you can feel there was quite a big budget.

However, the scenario in itself felt poor and repetitive. The editing could have been better to amp the angst as well. The villain is quite a blank canvas and the introduction of the hero to position him in the action takes up almost half of the movie. The pacing of the film is sluggish at best, which is kind of a big issue for a movie belonging to thriller/action/horror genres...

It is my first time seeing Woo Do Hwan and even though I found the character clearly lacking in terms of motivation and background, I'm curious to see what he can do with a better script. I am quite biased toward Park Seo Joon, so he was the saving grace for this movie to me. He is always good and believable in action scenes, and here again he brings the charisma up. Unfortunately, as for the antagonist, there is not a lot offered by the scenario for him to do much acting-wise with his character.

I would not recommend this movie to people unlike you are really a big fan of one of the main actors. If you are an avid fan of horror movie, you might like it but honestly because of its very generic story and strange pacing, I don't think it is worth the watch.

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The emotions are on fire!

I don't really know how to rate this one, my emotions are so mixed

Okay, lets say, logically, the movie is well-done but emotionally, it's not satisfying for me, lol.

The movie depicts exactly what it says, method acting. It shows how 2 MLs really show us what method acting looks like, leaving us unsure if what they have is real or unreal. I must say, I get totally immersed into it myself and totally think they are in love and want them to stay that way, which obviously is where I tripped myself up emotionally

Acting is SOOOO good for both actors, its definitely top notch KBL with quality acting, the emotions they express, especially by Seung Hoon. Their chemistry is sooo good and the kiss scene is hot af

The play itself is very dark and its quite hard for me to watch honestly, so I don't really enjoy this part, nor the ending

But then, again the movie is well done, its just not my liking as I prefer happy ending, So i'm rating logically, although ive such a mixed feelings. I so badly wanted them to be together. Oh well...its just, method :)

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It's a film that stands out for its ability to create an eerie and immersive atmosphere. Kim Jee-woon's direction is masterful, with an impeccable use of tension and suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The narrative is complex and layered, inviting the viewer to unravel the mysteries and relationships between the characters.

The performances are outstanding, especially those of the two leads, who manage to convey a deep emotional charge and vulnerability. The cinematography also deserves a special mention; each shot is carefully composed to heighten the sense of unease and beauty at the same time.

However, while the story is captivating, it can be somewhat confusing at times, which may leave some viewers a little lost. Still, the film manages to be a memorable experience that stays with you long after the end credits roll.

Overall, it's a standout work in the psychological horror genre, with an execution that almost borders on perfection. A film that undoubtedly deserves its place among the greats of Asian horror cinema.

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It is a horror masterpiece that masterfully blends Korean folklore, police intrigue, and supernatural horror. The atmosphere of the film is incredibly dense, filled with meticulously built tension, enveloping the viewer in a world of mystery and darkness. The performances are exceptional, especially that of the protagonist, who manages to convey a sense of growing desperation that feels very real. The plot is complex and full of unexpected twists that keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. In addition, the film addresses deep themes such as faith, doubt, and the internal struggle of good versus evil, which adds a layer of depth that elevates the experience beyond simple terror. It is a film that leaves a lasting impression and deserves to be seen more than once to capture all its nuances.

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It Just Feels Edgy

I'd heard some vague things about this one before watching and assumed it'd be similar to Dangerous Drugs of Sex (DDoS) in quality. I was incorrect..

Copius amounts of sex, but thats to be expected considering the setting. One thing I did like was that the sex scenes, literally every one of them, were not particularly sexy. Explicit, but they all maintained a relatively high level of discomfort and....anxiety, almost? The explicit scenes do feel a bit like they exist primarily for shock value because the story kinda fizzles out and loses itself. There's one implied gore scene that could have been interesting, but it's potential was castrated, making it also feel like a shock value prop.

Really good use of silence to build discomfort. Awful use of tongue, I've never seen a better campaign against french kissing. Good storytelling/editing for the first lart at least. Awful use of a goat, sir please.

Aizen type ending. This is what really ruined it for me. Its like the screenwriter just said, "fuck it whatever" at the end and used the laziest, most tired bs plot point. And the main character is just like "omg no youre so crazy anyway heres some money. okay lets fuck." Like Im sorry, what?????? The story was mildly interesting but they spent so much time adding sex scenes every other minute that they just nuked the ending.

A really disappointing watch. I enjoy watching dark content, but this was just....bad? Its not really dark, just edgy. I imagine one might rewatch this if offered a large sum of money to do so and literally no other reason.

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A good movie to pass the time

It's a good movie to pass the time. Cliché, but still good! However, I would have liked to see a few passages from Gib's life at university and the difficulties she encountered. What she liked and didn't like about her classes, whether she had any friends, etc. I'd also have liked to see a few more romantic passages between Gib and Tor, to see their relationship develop over time. In addition, a little time lapse at the end of the film, about the couple and Gib's new studies, would also have been a good addition to the movie to end it all on a high note.

Otherwise, the side story with the youngsters was also good and a good touch to the film.

Overall : 7/10

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"Everyone has their limitations"

Director Marilu Diaz Abaya crafted a daring film about four female friends in 1982. Moral talked about martial law under Ferdinand Marcos while he still held power. There were frank discussions about premarital sex, married sex, sex between men and women, men and men, and women and women. One character spent as much money on weed as she did on cigarettes. Marital rape was brought up as was abortion. No subject seemed to be taboo in Ricky Lee’s script.

Pregnant Maritess and Dodo tie the knot in the opening scene with guys taking bets on how long the marriage will last. Present at the wedding are Maritess’ best girls-Kathy, Sylvia, and Joey. Maritess moves into a large house with Dodo’s even larger extended family. Kathy is determined to become a famous singer and isn’t afraid to use any of her wiles to make it happen. Sylvia is a divorced mother with a child around 5 years old. She still loves her ex, Roberto, but Roberto loves Celso, a dancer at a gay bar. Finally, Joey is adrift with no place to call home spending the night with whoever will take her in. She dulls her emotional aches with marijuana and sex with strangers. Her heart belongs to Jerry, who is heavily involved with the fight against the government and is in love with Nita. The women are about to graduate from university with many decisions personally, professionally, and socially to come to terms with.

There were less love triangles and more love conga lines. At one point, teacher Ernie loved Sylvia, who loved Roberto, who loved Celso, who loved sleeping with other men. Sylvia’s relationship with Roberto and Celso was the most endearing. The three became emotionally involved if not sexually. Maritess found herself repeatedly pregnant and caged in a house with 20 children with little say in her life. Like a trapped raccoon she was ready to chew her arm off to escape. The price for fame began to take its toll on Kathy as it became more apparent she wasn’t a very good singer. Joey lagged behind the others in growing up until she hit bottom and had to make some hard choices.

Moral showed the moral choices the women had to make that were breaking new ground in a conservative society. Sylvia was deemed immoral for not wearing a bra to work, imagine the horror if someone found out she shared a bed with two men. Joey was talked about for being promiscuous, something that was a right of passage for male students. Kathy slept with a woman in order to further her career. Maritess had to decide whether to be a voiceless babymaker or stand up to have a life of her own. All four women were three dimensional characters who had their own growth arcs. The men were not vilified though some of them behaved in the entitled way they were accustomed to in 1982.

Scenes from the film were censored for being offensive to the army, not surprising with two characters actively involved in the New People’s Army. Moral was not a box office success or one with the critics back in the 80’s. Over time people were able to see its groundbreaking themes and emphasis on women’s challenges and lives in a changing society. The negatives of the film were badly degraded, damaged by time and mold. L’Immagine Ritrovata spent 2600 restoration hours working to salvage it with the restored film being shown in 2017. There were still some issues but nothing distracting.

Even here near the end of 2024, films about women, directed by women are all too rare. In 1982 I cannot imagine what it took to get this film made and distributed. Especially a film where women were the powerful agents of their own lives. No wonder it didn’t get a positive reception, Marilu Diaz Abaya and Ricky Lee were treading on new territory and it would take time for people to catch up with them. The film had its flaws and some performances were stronger than others, but given its age and the courage to make it I was generous with my rating.

Favorite line---“Next time you see Ernie, tell him his mother is a whore.”

29 August 2024

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A man who once owned the world

Just by reading the movie description,if u dont appreciate this genre.. dont watch

For the rest of you who have a mature taste , with a soul made of whiskey mist and leather seats, The type of people who can withstand a heavy cigar smoke , in a black and red room.Then this one is for you.


The music is amazing, it carries an air of sophistication despite the violent and aggressive parameters of the movie.


The love of this gangster man , is unlike what u heard of before.. very innocent and pure... a love that he was never able to express in words, but was translated in his gaze, his walk, his tone and sadly his death.

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Czy nasze życie to też maraton?

Ten film czekał na mnie latami. Pierwszy raz usłyszałam o nim w 2016 lub 2017, kiedy to dopiero wchodziłam w świat koreańskich filmów i seriali. Zapisałam go sobie w pamięci i na tej stronie żeby na pewno go nie zgubić. Nie zgubiłam go i nie zapomniałam, jednak nigdy nie czułam się na niego gotowa. Mój własny starszy brat jest autystykiem i obawiałam się jak zareaguje na ten film. Dopiero teraz jako 24 latka w trudnym momencie mojego życia postanowiłam, że potrzebuje tego filmu, zarówno żeby się wypłakać jak i po to by może lepiej zrozumieć siebie. Po seansie łzy dalej napływają, jednak obraz staje się bardziej klarowny, a nie mglisty.
Współcześnie prawie wszyscy wiemy, że autyzm to spektrum, więc jedna diagnoza autyzmu nie jest równa drugiej. Mogę jednak osobiście powiedzieć, że to właśnie ten autyzm pokazany w Maratonie jest jednym z najbliższych popkulturowych ujęć autyzmu mojego brata. To ten autyzm, który nie jest genialny i nie sprawia, że jesteś ludzkim kalkulatorem, za to sprawia, że relacje międzyludzkie są ogromną trudnością, a twoje słowa to zazwyczaj nie twoje myśli, a kalka z tego co usłyszałeś, czy to od drugiej osoby, czy w reklamie. Mój brat nigdy nie został biegaczem, żyje dużo normalniejszym życiem, chociaż w wieku nastoletnim biegał i tak jak główny bohater, ograniczał tym swoje zachowania autoagresywne wynikające z nadmiernego przebodźcowania lub zbyt małego odczuwania bodźców. Nasza mama nigdy nie wymuszała na moim bracie tego co mama głównego bohatera, jednak widziałam między nimi ogromne podobieństwo, choćby w życzeniu, by niepełnosprawny syn umarł chociaż dzień przed nią. Widziałam też podobieństwo między mną, a bratem głównego bohatera, mimo że od dawna nie jestem już nastolatką, a moi rodzice wkładali dużo wysiłku w to bym nie czuła się w ten sposób. Nie jest to jednak w moim odczuciu film dla rodzeństwa, dla tych z nas, którzy stali się "glass child". Jest to za to film dla matek autystyków, który, jeśli dobrze odebrany może pomóc im zrozumieć, że ich autystyczne dziecko to osobny byt, z własnymi pasjami, potrzebami, wadami i osobowością. Że one (matki) wcale nie są przedłużeniem swojego dziecka, że nie zawsze je rozumieją i że życie ich dziecka może trwać nawet wtedy, kiedy ich nie będzie jeśli dadzą mu faktycznie żyć i zaufają innym opiekunom.
Bardzo ważnymi elementami w filmie są sceny, w których główny bohater zachowuje się nieodpowiednio wobec kobiet. Często pomija się te niewygodne tematy i ukazuje wyidealizowany obraz autyzmu jako genialnego dziecka, a następnie dorosłego. W tym filmie tak nie jest. Dodatkowo wieczna nieobecność ojca wiernie oddaje rzeczywistość wielu rodzin z niepełnosprawnym dzieckiem.
Maraton to samozaparcie, bieg, który wymaga od ciebie zrozumienia swoich granic. Bieg, który cię wyczerpuje i uczy, że nie zawsze szybkie tempo oznacza sukces. Czym innym jest opieka nad autystycznym dzieckiem, jeśli nie pewnego rodzaju maratonem, w którym rodzic musi połączyć samozaparcie z pokorą. Zrozumieć inność swojego dziecka, ale nie wiązać jej ze słabością. Czym innym jest życie każdego z nas jeśli nie maratonem? Biegiem, w którym musimy wiedzieć kiedy zwolnić, kiedy trzymać tempo, a kiedy przyspieszyć. Biegnąc go pierwszy raz zawsze popełniamy błędy, na którym jednak powoli się uczymy.

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experiência SURREAL

uau, apenas uau.

esse filme tava na minha lista há anos, e eu continuava adiando, até que finalmente tive a oportunidade de assistir como queria.

acho que descobri a verdadeira definição de "absolute cinema", que experiência incrível.
não sou de ver filmes, é algo raro pra mim, sou mais das séries, mas nesse caso me senti preso do começo ao fim, mal vi o tempo passar por total e completa imersão.

plot atrás de plot, a cada ato eu ficava mais boquiaberto, achando que o vilão era um e no final era uma pessoa que nem tinha notado tanto no começo, e, CARALHO, que vilão, o absoluto DESGOSTO que essa construção de personagem traz, chega a ser até meio incompreensível, precisei de um tempo pra raciocinar depois do lore drop, e na cena da árvore também foi tudo tão chocante, que filme incrível aaaaaaaaaaaa.*

em questão de elenco, não tinha familiaridade com ninguém além da kim taeri, então foi uma surpresa e uma introdução muito agradável a todos esses grandes talentos, principalmente a kim minhee, tô vidrado na atuação e micro expressões dela como hideko, simplesmente sensacional, taeri não fica pra trás, na cena da biblioteca arrepiei todo, o absoluto ódio e rancor que ela sentiu pelo que a hideko teve que passar foi palpável.

menção honrosa também aos roteiristas que proporcionaram esses diálogos absurdos de bons, trouxeram desde risadas até puro nojo.

trilha sonora sútil porém extremamente necessária, complementou divinamente a ambientação, ambientação essa que poderia facilmente me enganar se passando por um filme realmente gravado na década de 30, impecável.

the handmaiden foi, definitivamente, minha melhor watch do ano, além de definitivamente ter entrado pra minha lista pessoal de favoritos atemporais, que experiência incrível.

*edit 1609

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