Completed
Love Will Tear Us Apart
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 15, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

ML & FL chemistry is amazing

I enjoyed the story even though there are so many movies/shows with similar messages. I understand love isn't always enough to make a relationship work because unfortunately living costs.

The lengths the ML goes through to earn is great but does he really love her or is he just trying to prove his worth? I couldn't help but wonder if the FL and ML were switched, how much happier would they be?

I really enjoyed the acting.
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Greedy Neighbours
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

"Better to be broken jade than cheap tile intact"

This forty-one minute film fragment managed to fit in lots of Greedy Neighbors. This was one of director Ren Peng Nian’s early films which also starred his wife, Wu Li Zhu. Originally, the film was around 100 hundred minutes, but enough frames survived to get the gist of the story.

Hua Ren inherited his considerable wealth which includes prosperous farmlands. His wife, Guo Fen, is the daughter of a famous fighter, which will come into play later in the movie. She and his sister Si Wen try to keep things running smoothly as Hua tends to spend money frivolously. The local warlord, Wild Dog, decides it’s time to bully his neighbor into giving him his farmlands. Another scoundrel, Smiling Tiger, also has his sights set on fleecing the wealthy fool. Smiling Tiger convinces Hua Ren to take his sister, Zhi Hua, as his second wife. Zhi Hua quickly mesmerizes Hua Ren and drives a wedge between him and his sensible first wife and sister. Having fallen into the clutches of Wild Dog and Smiling Tiger, the clueless Hua Ren is in for some challenging times.

Hua Ren was not a sympathetic character. I was far more invested in Guo Fen and Si Wen, who coincidentally, were excellent martial artists and protected their own. Perhaps in the longer version of this film they had more time allotted, they certainly deserved it. I’m not sure if Zhi Hua and Smiling Tiger were actually related or if she was a plant because they had a very, uh, tactile relationship.

Once Hua Ren was about to lose everything, his sister and male servant helped to turn things around and galvanize him into action. “Today’s world is run by might…Better to be a broken jade than cheap tile intact.” The events that followed in the last part of the film were confusing as Wild Dog had to be confronted twice with no explanation. Given the mood of the film, it did seem to have a proper ending which is always a concern with film fragments.

If you have an interest in silent films from this era, Greedy Neighbors did give a little insight into the political happenings of the time and the vulnerability of the people. Ren Peng Nian and Wu Li Zhu would go on to make numerous martial arts and wuxia films together, with Wu often cast as a heroine. I’d be interested in seeing some of those. This film was a struggle watching the pampered and easily manipulated Hua Ren letting the important people in his life suffer while he partied. He was lucky enough to have two strong women who had his back or at least tried to. More than he probably deserved.

14 June 2024

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Completed
Hello Ghost
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
I was expecting the movie to be a comedy. The start was funny but I never expected the ending will make my tears flow endlessly. The ending was so unexpected but it was so good. You suddenly realize everything is almost connected. The actors' acting were really good, especially the main actor, Cha Tae Hyun. This movie just prove that he is really such a talented person. I love everyone in the cast. Great movie indeed. I will definitely rewatch the ending over and over again.
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Completed
We Made a Beautiful Bouquet
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Life happens

The best movies are the ones that make you feel something or make you think. I'm sure anyone can relate to the characters' struggles.

The movie depicts the transition between carefree student life and adulthood. The evolution of the characters and the effect is has on their relationship is really spot on.

Acting is top notch, and the music is great.

This is the most watched movie of the online Japanese Film Festival 2024 (until June 19), for a good reason.




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Completed
Lighting Up the Stars
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Bonds beyond blood relation.

Nobody tells a kid how to deal with death. While they are still wrapping their heads around the situation, they hardly grasp the emotions and impact of losing someone close to them.

It wacks your soul, where you see a meaningful and heart warming bond between people who aren't related by blood. The movie evolves around deaths, so can be disturbing and an uneasy watch at times.

It's a rare sight to see ML's job being of funeral service so it adds a unique touch to the story and also how it was inculcate in the movie.

I loved the dynamic between San Mei & Xiao Wen, which was the main highlight🤧✋🏻So many moments between them which had me sobbing, I've to say!

The story was heartwarming, and made me sob a bit as well. And the end was wrapped, very well too ♡

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Completed
Just Friends?
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 10

So ahead of its time. Bravo!

I’m surprised I’m only just watching this…although it does feel like I’ve watched it before. I won’t be surprised if I watched it before ….It was so ahead of its time. Even though it’s short, it’s definitely better than some of the recent stuff that’s come out of Korean LGBTQ+ productions. It was also really nice to see many familiar faces in this. What a brilliant watch.
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Completed
Cry Me a Sad River
2 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 4.0

Endless suffering like a river;)

Cry me a sad river, flowing through the heart of a teenager, endless in its pain, sorrow, suffering, and agony. The river runs deep within, its currents heavy with the burdens of youth.

Ren Min's portrayal of Yi Yao was absolutely phenomenal! Her facial expressions had such a depth and emotion that I was truly impressed.

Qi Ming is the most uncalled character, bro was pretty much a jerk, in the name of her childhood bestie.

Gu Sen Xi was my favourite character, he was an wholesome support to Yi Yao; I liked his character, their bonding and story line altogether.

❌ The backstory related to the main message of the movie was brushed off in flashbacks which made it extremely disappointing and confusing as I couldn't emotionally connect to the suffering of the character.

❌ Inconsistency and no proper closure to certain story lines.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie, but I wished everything wasn't so fast forwarded and was more detailed. Still worth a shot!

7.7/10

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Completed
Our Secret Diary
1 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 8
Overall 7.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Very cute and easy to watch

I randomly came across this movie and decided to just go ahead and watch it. I was pleasantly surprised, this movie was actually pretty good!! The acting could have been a little better, but I wasn't expecting much anyway for a high school movie. The movie keeps you thinking the whole time, it almost felt like a puzzle because they give you little clues about how the movie ends throughout the whole thing! Keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss them!!
ALSO there is a clip at the end of the credits so wait till the very end to see it!!!
Overall it's a good movie to watch on the weekend when you're chilling at home and want something light and airy to watch like I did!!

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OMG! Oh My Girl
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

komedi

Awalnya, tujuan nonton karna pgn film komedi dan biasanya movie thai lucu. jadi ga berexpetasi film ini endingnya gimana. adegan awal film ini lucu, tengah juga lucu, bagian akhir kurang suka sampai endingnya. terlalu complicated. tapi overall bagus, untuk teman makan. untuk ending aku lebih suka dibikin sedih, kupikir bakal ada plot twist lain wkwkwk. banyak adegan yang di luar nalar aku sukaa 🤣🤣🤣. adegan di luar nalar itu lah yang aku cari dari film2 thailand!! kutunggu film gdh lainnya!!!
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Completed
12 Suicidal Teens
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

It’s not what you think it is

If you’re looking for a thrill-filled and suspenseful movie, then you’re in the wrong place. The movie focuses more on the psychological reflection and aspects of life. Simultaneously discussing diverse human situations with regards to the choice of life or death, while navigating through the characters’ interactions with each other and how they collectively decide their choices.
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School Meals Time Graduation
0 people found this review helpful
by Saeng
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

Very funny script, excellent comedic acting with impeccable timing and a serious message.

School meals are not just school meals.
Eating is more than consuming nutrients.
Giving children food that will be good for them tomorrow, might not be the right thing for them today.

I love how teacher Amarida is so over-enthusiastic about his life passion -- and how nobody in the school bats an eye at his antics.
Ichihara Hayato's teacher is almost childlike in his joy about school meals. He dances in his seat in anticipation; his face, no, his *body* shows every emotion he feels while he's eating. Some call Ichihara's acting style pejoratively "over-acting" -- and if you do too, then you probably won't like this film much.

Like all of the great Japanese comedies, the film has an underlying message or two.
For the message Ichihara Hayato sees: "He loves what he loves and celebrates life no matter how much he's laughed at." (https://youtu.be/aOJa8KjDSA4?)

Maybe this film speaks to me more than to other people because I have been working in education in some way or other for the last 20 years, and I hear things that other people wouldn't. I hear a lot about what education should be.
If we take the "school meal" as the metaphor for the education we give to our children -- it's easy to see the parallels, right? -- they say "food for thought" in English and in German they say "das muss ich erst verdauen", if I get a hard/heavy piece of information, I'll have to digest it first.
We give the children "meals" that we think will be beneficial for them later -- which ingredients we choose, how we prepare them and how we present the meal, we should not only think of tomorrow's benefits but also if the children will even eat the meals joyfully. Why are the children who enter schools eager to learn at six years old -- why are most of those children apathetic to learning some years later? It's because we give children school "meals" that might be nutritious but don't give children joy when they consume them.

There was also a very poignant scene where a student tries to voice his opinion on the school meals in front of a whole room of powerful adults -- and not only do they not listen to him, they also laugh at him. The adult who are responsible for the children's well-being are not interested if the children are really happy. So, there's also this layer of meaning I can find in this comedy.

In conclusion, "School Meals Time Graduation" is what Japanese comedy can be when it's at its best -- very funny script, excellent comedic acting (if you like this style) with impeccable timing and a serious message.

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The Dude in Me
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Funny, Action-Packed, and Fun-Filled

I want more, more, MORE! Honestly, this could’ve been so so million times amazing if this were a series but nevertheless, the movie is standalone good. The direction and execution is good. Acting is topnotch. I love the relationships and interactions of the characters. The world-building is definable. The story knows what it is and what it WANTS. If the direction is supposed to be comedic and fun, then it is served right. If the direction is supposed to be serious and dramatic, then it also served with proper justice. This is the perfect movie to watch to let your brain loose and enjoy a heart-warming antic-filled portrayal of youth, action, and life.

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Spaceless
2 people found this review helpful
by Shasha
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Regrets?

And here goes another sad, sad, gay, unrequited/restrained love story. And they are tugging on each and every heart string. And it is annoying! But it is also probably very real!

This short film stars two BL actors but it is not a BL: it is a gay story. It is not fantasy, it is the real life.

Two young actors meet at a film workshop. They hit it off immediately and one falls for the other immediately. But the other has different plans for his life: he wants to get married and have kids. So the first one carries on with the crush for years, making it seem real only while filming different BL films. Until he dies of heart failure.

Spaceless is, thankfully, a very short film but even so they managed to cram a maximum of useless flashbacks (they do so love those flashbacks in thai bl productions!). I would have preferred to see that time used differently: to show their relationship in depth, to explain their life choices, to see how his wife takes the eternal presence of her husband's love of his life through their daughter's name. Actually, I found it creepy and not fair to her: it seems like she is the second chioce, someone he decided to be with in order to comply with the society's requirements of what is acceptable!

It was never really clear, to me at least, if he loved him as a friend or as a man but refused to act upon those feelings. Whichever it was, it was tragic and useless. But on the other hand, they managed to remain friends! So go figure: I guess he accepted any crumb that came his way. A life (8yrs!) spent pining after someone who refuses to accept his feelings, though he recognized their existence, is such a waste.

The actors were good, they had correct chemistry for the story. The cinematography is very pretty and the music unfortunately unremarkable considering the film was based on a song!

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Family Plan
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Definitely worth a watch

This feels like the kind of moody, complex stuff that I expect from Japan and I was surprised to find that it was korean. If you've watched older japanese bl shorts, it feels a bit like that. The story is happy but in a kind of bitter way. I loved the dynamic between the two leads and how rich it felt compared to most gl shorts. Overall, even though the video quality is bad, I'd very much recommend watching this little gem.
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Portrait of Madame Yuki
4 people found this review helpful
Jun 14, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

"Am I a coward?"

Portrait of Madame Yuki was a strange and twisted tale from Mizoguchi Kenji. Ostensibly about male domination, it felt more like a toxic relationship based on S & M.

Yuki and her husband live apart most of the time, but have reunited over the death of the family patriarch. All that they have left is the estate she owns. Her husband has a mistress and is a wastrel with money. Yuki and her friend, Professor Kikunaka, decide to open her house as an inn in order for her to make money and become independent. The servants all believe she’s in love with the professor but their relationship always comes across as platonic, though his feelings may run deeper. Her husband isn’t afraid to bring his mistress home or even to force himself on Yuki. Regardless of how badly he humiliates her, Yuki can never tell him no. The professor tries to convince Yuki to divorce her husband, but the “demon” inside her won’t let him go even when he attempts to steal her home out from under her.

The version I watched of this film was difficult to follow at first as whoever/whatever did the translations completely messed up the English pronouns. Yuki was often referred to as him, her, or it. Plural pronouns were also used for singular people interspersed with singular ones in the wrong tense. It took a while to figure out if it was Yuki’s father or her husband’s father who died and whether it was the husband, Yuki, or himself the professor was talking about in a conversation. Other than that annoyance, the story itself was not a pleasant one. Despite the professor encouraging Yuki to be strong and stand up for herself and do the things that would make her life better, Yuki usually collapsed into a heap blubbering about how she was a coward, defeated, and not strong. Ultimately, no matter how badly her husband treated her, she could not resist whatever he did in the bedroom. Instead of embracing this part of herself or cutting ties with her husband, she chose to suffer. She always seemed to be slumped over, most likely because she was lacking a backbone.

This film was beautifully shot both indoors and outdoors. Mizoguchi certainly had an excellent eye for framing scenes. The acting was all very good, Kogure played Yuki as a pathetic creature ruled by her demons, Yanagi gave the husband a twisted sense of resentment toward his wife, and Hamada with her gum snapping duplicitous Ayako rounded out the reluctant ménage à trois. Based on the synopsis, I thought that Hamako would have a bigger role, but she was mostly relegated to the background after Yuki was introduced.

Portrait of Madame Yuki ended up being a depressing look at a woman who felt trapped by societal constraints and her own despised appetites. If you are looking for a tragic film with an open attitude toward sex (1950’s style) and are a fan of Mizoguchi’s work, this might be one to try.

*If suicide is a trigger for you, please do not watch this film. There is a lot of talk about suicide, a suicide attempt, and completion.*

13 June 2024

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