Reviews

Nauseating

I didn't realise I was watching a movie I tried watching 3-4 years ago ..well I dropped it then and I dropped it now again .. first of all the plot itself is weird and nonsensical like I grew up watching anime and reading manga and trust me there is no way anyone would be made fun of, for having firm and voluptuous bosoms ..entire shonen industry is running on the appreciation of women assets but they showed a girl is bullied in school for that ..gimme a break ... Second the stretch mark issue .. dude 99 percent women (even men) in this world develop stretch mark during various stages of life. Why are you treating this like an epidemic ...

This movie made me conscious about the things I never even cared for ..like stretch marks ..who the hell cares about something even Kardashians and jenners are experiencing???

The story itself is so boring and bogus that other things like cast acting music XYZ didn't even grab my attention.

Strongly not recommended

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You won't want to do anything else until you finish watching it.

• CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is one of the main points here, The cinematography was so beautiful and fabulous. I liked all the scenes and point of views, and everything.

• MUSIC
The music was on point for eveything, from the drumming for the exorcism to every intense moment, and then scary horrifying sound effects from time to time, it was perfect.

• STORY
The story was so good too. Showing about the history etc. And the movie's about Exorcism, Shamanism, Feng Shui, Buddhism and Christian too if you look at it. I didn't even know it before that a job of Geomancer exists. He tastes the soil and identify about the land. I got so immersed in it. The four characters work together their roles are different but they make a team and work together.
At first there was a family case, in which their grandfather's coffin ⚰️ was opened and he went on to a bloody killing streak of his descendants.
Then another a more bloodthirsty monster case came to light, but this is just my opinion that, in the end that (lord) died too easily, like it didn't fight back (well he was shown undefeatable). The ending was good, but just a doubt he died too easily.

• CASTING
The casting was perfect each actor was perfect. Kim Go Eun's performance was fabulous, her acting was so good and all other actors. I totally loved them.

I recommend this movie, 10/10.
Just that nothing else, Have a great day ahead.

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A fable of human love caught in the current of nature's wrath

An adaptation of the 1913 play of the same name, Demon Pond blends theatrical artifice with cinematic surrealism offering a compelling lesson in the power of superstition and mythology; defined by a pervasive tension between the ancient and the modern, superstition versus scientific reason, an aquatic tale of life and death. We live as long as we have it, but if we lose it, we die, except the film's true subject is love. We can live without it, but is that really living? In Masahiro Shinoda's lush, romantic, bigger-than-life take on Izumi Kyōka's text, the answer is a resounding no. What starts as a folk horror fantasy with a psychological thriller vibe gradually shifts into full-on action-adventure-meets-disaster film mode once all watery hell breaks loose. Shinoda's is extraordinary in its dreamlike decadence, it's the kind of film that could get by strictly on aesthetic terms, such a feast for the eyes and ears, that it almost wouldn't matter if the story didn't make much sense or even had one to begin with. Set to the swirling strains of Isao Tomita's utterly hypnotic synth score and bolstered by some great acting from its cast, Demon Pond is a fascinating experience; one that arguably runs a little long at two hours, but which remains endlessly captivating thanks to its beauty, elegance, and portrayal of a fable of human love caught in the current of nature's wrath.

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Worth it watching!

Have to say that a while ago I I started the movie but never finished watching it.
But the last I dared to watch it "again" and it was awesome!
~Story~
I've never watched a movie with a marriage like that but it was soo interesting!
~Acting~
I liked the actors too!
Especially the main actors.
They seemed to have experience and I'm glad that these actors got the roles.
The music was also fitting depending on the scene.
~Rewatch Value~
It wasn't really a bl like I'm used to,but it was a funny,
action packed movie,which I would definetely watch again!
I don't really know if I'm happy with the ending,but it's OK:)
And you can see from the quality and some scenes that this movie is very qualitative.
It was worth watching,even tho I sometimes cried lol They touched my heart with this story and these roles.
It was really good.:)

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Nothing goes to waist in this short film!

I started this short film trepidatiously due to the title---My Wife Got Fat. Too often fat shaming is condoned and can be cruel and demoralizing. Thankfully, there was no judging or taunting here.

When a wife wakes up to find she’s gained 2.2 kg/ 5 lbs she becomes frustrated that she’s gotten “fat.” Her husband doesn’t say much but begins to observe her. What he discovers touches him and he makes a plan.

Jang Young Nam played the anxious and loving wife and mother. It was hard for me to think of this slender woman as “fat.” I kept hoping her husband and sons would tell her how beautiful she was and to not be discouraged. Kim Tae Hoon brought a tenderness and understanding to the husband. Kim Joon as the youngest son is one of the most adorable child actors around. Fortunately, Ahn Ji Ho’s teenager wasn’t awful like so many teens are shown as being and was also enlisted to help the mom out. Throw in a cute dog and this family was about as perfect as they get. The resolution made the husband even more endearing.

With all of the dysfunctional families in Kdramas it was a joy to see a loving, supportive family. Though not even in my dreams could I aspire to be as “fat” as this thin mother. The mom was beautiful, active, and cared for her family and never should have felt less than. Apparently, not only beauty, but fat is in the eyes of the beholder. Thankfully, the beholder in this film saw his wife through the eyes of love.

21 November 2024

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Standalone from Its Prequel, "Veteran"

Upon hearing about the rave reviews of this movie, I waited patiently until I could finally watch it. While waiting, I found it was connected to the movie, "Veteran" with majority of the same cast, so I watched Veteran first. I really enjoyed watching Veteran as it had both funny and serious tones throughout the whole movie.

Now back to "I, The Executioner" (ITE), I enjoyed it also but for those who haven't watched "Veteran" yet, you do not need to watch it first before watching ITE. This movie can standalone by itself.

While ITE is good, there is one vast difference between this one and its counterpart. Veteran had more funny and crazy moments sprinkled throughout the entire movie while still keeping to its serious undertones. Even in Veteran, the main lead's wife had a shining moment when they tried to bribe her. Whereas in ITE, the only funny scenes are in the first few minutes of this movie. After that, it's basically a :cops vs vigilante" serious movie but they did ramp up on the action scenes.

There is one great fighting part with Anh Bo Hyun on the rooftop and in the rain. Those fight scenes were really good in terms of camera angles, cinematography and fight sequences.

The only drawback I think that it had was that earlier when they showed drug addicts upon drug addicts, their make-up looked realistic. But then when they finally came to Bo Hyun's character, his make-up looked too "clean" compared to the other drug addicts' make-up. He just looked pale and not like the other drug addicts they previously showed. You could obviously that the make-up artistry were completely different. But what can you say? Bo Hyun is just too handsome. Lol! Also, in one scene at the police station, his make-up looked more "drug addict-like" but then in another scene his make-up just made him look pale. I did like the way he acted when he looked at Jung Hae In and he just knew that Hae In was psycho.

Speaking of Jung Hae In, I'm still on the fence about him as the villain here. He was good but I wasn't entirely convinced by his psychotic side. There was that extra something that I felt was missing but please don't come at me Hae In fans! This is just my opinion. I think it had to do with the way he was normally around everyone. His character seemed off in normal settings anyways. I think it would've been more convincing if he acted more like a really nice and normal guy in front of everyone so that they would've had a hard time believing he could be the villain. But instead, his character was always that "awkward-dude-that's-kind-of-weird-but-you-can't-put-finger-on-what-it-is-that-makes-him-creepy" vibe.

While I thoroughly liked this movie, I do think that it was missing some of the funny and crazy moments that made Veteran more "charming". In Veteran, the team has some pretty funny moments where they "lose" it and go crazy but not so much in ITE. But both movies are good in its own right. Like I said before, you don't need to watch Veteran first before watching this. Make sure to watch the post credit scene. It's at the end of the credits.

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"In this vast universe, all mortals' lives move in parallel lines, alone and ahead.

When somehow the lines meet, the moment of encounter, even if it was fleeting, is a miracle."

TLDR: A Balloon's Landing was both beautifully written and beautifully executed. Definitely worth a watch, hell a rewatch even. Also, Guava is the best gps in the history of humanity.

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This movie is about a novel writer, Tianyu, going on a journey to locate the Bay of Vanishing Whales where he believes, and has been told in a letter years ago, that he can find a paradise. Does it sound slightly odd to go looking for a paradise and put your whole faith into a letter? Probably, but once you discover the reason behind this, it no longer sounds as odd. Many of us have moments in our lives where we feel completely lost and emotionally detached from everything (and in what he was suffering from, depersonalisation is common), not so much different from a balloon drifting aimlessly and looking for a place to land, yearning to call something home. And all I can say without giving away any spoilers is that, Tianyu is the same and have been feeling this way for quite a long, long time due to his past. Both that letter and the 'paradise' is what tugs at him, becoming his sole focus and (although a bit flimsy) connection to the ground and life itself.

He meets A Xiang in this same journey, perhaps exactly when he needed someone the most. A Xiang who initially started out as the seemingly not-so-reliable tour guide he never asked for, ends up becoming the person who helps him find his landing and feel like he belongs somewhere. These two are opposite in nature yet fit together like puzzle pieces, as differently shaped as these pieces might be (as in different pasts, goals, personalities and perspectives) they still belong to the same jigsaw puzzle; once they meet, they're bound to click in place. Perfectly. Because some people are just meant to be and they're definitely one of them.

Storytelling-wise, it was an experience for sure! almost made me feel as if I'm on a journey with Tianyu rather than just watching this. One of the things I absolutely adore about this movie is that it shows, not just tells. The characters won't grab the camera, look you dead in the eye and say, "I currently feel [insert] emotion, I am [insert] type of person, we are doing [insert] thing." They let their actions speak, their expressions speak, even the shared glances and comforting silences between them speak for itself. All of that makes each scene feel so alive because they actually seem like real people going through real situations, and the entire cast portrayed their characters so naturally which only made it even more believable. Plus, the seamless integration of weighty themes with a touch of humor felt perfectly balanced, it didn't undermine the very sensitive topics it dealt with imo.

It also played gently with the old-time romantic idea of destiny, but without making it the focal point or trying to convince everyone that their entire lives are predetermined, instead it showed that change is possible, that relationships evolve, and that love doesn't need grand declarations to be profound. Honestly, what I saw and felt in this movie was simply love that felt like home, it wasn't the steamy kind, it was simple, quiet, but undeniable love and it goes without saying that both types of love can be beautiful on the screen. Love comes in many shades, there's too many people in this world to expect everyone to love and express their love the exact same way, that's why varieties are important when it comes to movies about human feelings and experiences. I wouldn't call the relationship in this movie 'subtle romance' either when it mainly just didn't have any breathless make-out scenes or bed-breaking bedroom encounters that'll make their neighbours think there's an earthquake, since it doesn't really fit my definition of subtle when it had enough intimacy that didn't make it even slightest bit of ambiguous to me. They are 'only friends' the same way historical gay couples are friendship goals to historians and they are about as 'straight' as Sappho’s poems about women. There was no love triangle, no unrequited love, just mutual love for life and for each other with the best gps dog (Guava) in the world making a cameo.

Along with that, the cinematography was gorgeous. The beauty of this film lies not only in the characters and their journey but also in how it's all wrapped in the atmosphere of the movie. There's a sense of calmness, like the world outside has been gently paused, allowing the characters to simply be. I especially loved how there wasn't constant background music, sometimes it can be an overkill and there's some scenes that require silence or at least a quieter background so the characters' expressions and dialogues can do all the work. The cinematography, colour grading, and musical score was all perfect, every element of A Balloon’s Landing works in harmony, watching it felt like curling up in a warm blanket when it's really cold and listening to the soft sound of the fireplace. Just perfect.

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All in all, there's a paradise, but it's not by the Bay of Whales, it’s in this movie.

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A musical movie or a music video with added dialogue?

If you have the choice between the series and the movie, then watch the movie. It has several scenes that are missing from the series and round out the story.

What I liked:
* I loved the two female characters! They did not have much screen time, but showed some interesting character traits nevertheless. The team leader is obviously under a lot of pressure to produce music that sells well, is a real career woman who can be ruthless at times, and at the same time she seems to want to produce good music as well. The deputy is similar, and she does care about the people who work under her, at least Sang Yi. It is a delight to see women who are people with their own ambitions, even if they are supporting characters.
* I liked Lee Sang's acting. He did a good portrayal of his crush in the beginning and his shyness to speak to In Soo.

What I did not like:
* The story was thin, very thin. The premise has great potential for more, and it's saddening to see that it wasn't developed more. On the other hand, it was a good decision to not put too much into the short time frame.
* The lighting was at times a bit too much on the mood lighting side.
* I wish the scenes the singers would actually sing what we hear, not just be shown as a bautiful backdrop to the music.

I am torn about whether there was too much music with pining stares and montages or not. On the one hand, it is nice that the story took its time to unfold -- and it is about two people who fall in love with each other's music first, and then with the person. If there was less singing, I would maybe have complained about that.
On the other hand, those scenes took away time that could have been used for more plot or character development. Sometimes I fellt like I was watching a music video with interspersed dialogue.

You can watch it if you have some time on your hands and can use a pick-me-up, but you won't miss much if you don't.

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Delicately crafted and emotionally engaging

If you've had a bad day or are feeling down, I can't recommend this short film enough. Come walk with a 90-year-old woman as she puts on her best dress and shoes to go out and buy tangerines in A Day.

Grandmother finishes the last tangerine for her breakfast as the good spirited, but invalid Grandfather lies on his mat. On her way to the fruit stand to purchase more tangerines she meets women in various stages of life---a child singing on her tricycle, a harried woman in her car, a middle-aged woman hustling for every cent, and a young girl creating paper airplanes out of memories. Grandmother observes and interacts with them with humor and generosity.

The acting is beautifully natural and compelling with few words spoken. Gentle, classical music flows in the background. History reminisced becomes reality rewarded with a tangerine. An undercurrent showing the hardships of elderly poverty never drives away the hopeful mood. Oozing with kindness and bittersweet reflections, A Day is a day trip worth visiting.

“All the time it is the same, ‘Tick tock, tick tock.’”

20 November 2024

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