Reviews

Love comes in different shapes and forms.

This story is about the 2nd love that comes later on in life, from the perspective of the ML.

When you fall in love for the first time it’s deep and profound and everything feels right. But if somehow it ends suddenly, together with your plans and dreams, you remain with nothing else but a deep hole, unanswered questions, lack of closure, bitter taste and a broken heart. Then life goes on. In a mechanical way. Later you meet someone new, someone who stands out from the crowd, so you get another chance at love. But by being stuck in the past there’s no room for magic, there’s no deep nor profound nor anything else but living and acting mechanically, thinking it’s the normal thing to do. You also start compromising hoping the relationship will not have the same ending as the one before.

The big question of this drama is : How can we prevent love from coming to an end ?
The answer is : Nobody actually knows. What you can do is something you haven’t done before. In this scenario it will be holding on. Just don’t let go.
Did the ML get the answers in time to save his 2nd chance in love ? Let’s say it ended in an optimistic note.

A NO NO for romantics. A great drama for it’s kind.
I personally watched it because of the actor Takeru Satoh. If it’s Takeru Satoh it’s just great, no matter if it’s a drama, a rom-com, a live action anime, psychological or not, it’s a 10/10 for me. Because he is proving it every single time. He also chooses great scripts, all his movies have a great execution to the minimum detail. And this drama is just another example.

The female leads were chosen perfectly, both of them. One is the first love (young, dreamy, sweet, happy, taking love for granted, not prepared for obstacles), the other is the 2nd love (mature, deals with depression because of past experiences, scared that she will lose her partner, wishing to be happy and loved). They might get misunderstood or fade away because there are not many details about them, although the information is there. And that is done on purpose. Because those details are irrelevant. The accent is on the ML and only him. His life, his choices, his memories, his actions.

As for the ratings, I always score high because I only score the dramas that I enjoyed watching. I refrain from scoring something that I can’t understand, nor something that is not on my preference list. As for the rewatch value I would say if you get it from the first time that’s more than enough.

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If you’ve ever watched Rashomon, this is another story of an incident happening with different witnesses having different accounts of the same situation. The Viewpoint differs in that we are shown what actually happened and the inherent bias the people involved had.

When a smiling distraught man approaches a woman, she assumes he has something nefarious in mind as does a male witness. As does the police officer who questions everyone except the wounded man. When Haneul, the wounded man, finally breaks down and gets their attention the story comes tumbling out.

In this world there are many biases that cloud our vision and interpretation of events. Every experience is sifted through cultural and social prejudices and norms often to the detriment of marginalized people. The Viewpoint showed the weakness of eye witness accounts and the harm caused by assumptions. A short and powerful reminder to open our minds to those we feel are “different” from us.

15 December 2024

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That's what friends are for

Louisa at Guada showed the value of friendship in the golden years. I watched this short film a few years ago and felt the need to revisit these lovely older ladies. Louisa and Guada teased each other about their age and supported each other with love and care.

Every morning Guada rings Louisa’s doorbell with something for them to do whether it’s a game or talking about celebrities. They discuss how they haven’t seen their kids in the past year. Guada is active on Facebook and uses the internet to communicate with her kids. Louisa is interested in finding a boyfriend so that she won’t have to die alone. Guada is all too eager to help her sign up for a dating site and to give her buddy a glow-up.

Louisa and Guada were as giddy as schoolgirls playing together and sharing their mornings. They brought a zing to each other’s lives. Getting older can be accompanied by isolation and depression, but these two women had the perfect antidote... an enduring and enthusiastic friendship.

15 December 2024

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My Mother was a short mockumentary directed by Kim Ki Duk, starring his mother and himself. I enjoyed this short better before I read about the late director’s problematic history which took much of the delight out of the film for me.

The story itself is universal. A son calls his mom and says he’s coming over. The mother lights up and though physically disabled hobbles to the store in order to purchase ingredients to make a quick meal for him. Mothers everywhere with children at any age want to make sure that they are well fed and happy. Any time they can see their child as they grow older is a gift.

The director's reflection was shown in the mirror while shooting the film when his mother is in the grocery store. My Mother was a sweet short film about the tenacity and generosity of a mother’s love, even for a problematic child.

15 December 2024

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Nothing good happens after midnight

The Woman in the Taxi is the extended version of the short film 3:00 AM. Where 3:00 AM showed the ending of the grisly film, this film tells what actions led to the culmination.

A young woman is dressed up and standing at a bus stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere at around midnight. She is talking to her younger sister on a walkie talkie. A taxi stops near her which causes her to take a picture of the tag. Another man in a mask and heavy coat lurks in the shadows near a tree. In the typical fashion of someone who doesn’t want to overreact, she makes mistake after mistake.

As I said in my review for 3:00 AM, I'm not a connoisseur of horror films so I’m not sure how this matches up against other short horror films. A Woman in the Taxi appeared to be a lesson in human paralysis and denial in the face of danger. Or human stupidity often prevalent in horror films. If you enjoy true horror films this might be something you’d like although it was nothing original.

15 December 2024

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This two-minute film titled 3:00 AM provided little context for the story and basically just showed the ending of the longer version of this film called The Woman in the Taxi. Based on an urban legend of the night cab, it tapped into the fear of things that go bump in the night, especially for a woman alone in the middle of nowhere at 3:00am at a bus stop.

I'm not a connoisseur of horror films so I’m not sure how this matches up against other short horror films. This film felt more like an exploitation film by excluding all of the story leading up to the incident which was the ending of the longer film. Better to just watch The Woman in the Taxi to see a lesson in human paralysis and denial in the face of danger. Or human stupidity.

15 December 2024

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"Have I ever caused any problems?"

Ma Dong Seok returned as the loose cannon cop who doesn’t play by the rules in The Roundup: No Way Out. Officer Ma Suk Do became even more impervious to pain and injuries in this follow-up. Next time they need to put him in a cape and tights to help better explain why he could punch people through walls and take blows that would be deadly for any other cop. But this was Ma Dong Seok, my favorite ahjussi hitter and I adore him so he can get away with almost anything supernatural and I won’t question it…much.

Ma Suk Do is up against big time drug dealer, Joo Sung Cheol, the yakuza, dirty cops, and an assortment of other criminals. When a bag of dope goes missing, everyone is either racing to find it or figuring out a way to use it to their advantage.

Ma Dong Seok is a charismatic actor and fun to watch. As much as I enjoy watching him slap, punch, and body slam people, it became ridiculous that his character was nearly always fighting solo against a group. Where’s this man’s backup? Even when his partner was with him, it was a detriment because after all the years, Kim Man Jae, has never learned adequate self-defense. The film also highlighted for me that police officers need to be able to carry a gun, especially when constantly facing groups of ruthless criminals who are armed with bats, knives, and even a katana.

There wasn’t anything innovative about the story. The age-old trope of adding humorous low-level crooks gave the film some much needed humor during breaks of police brutality. The problem I had with the movie was that there were too many ill-defined criminals. It had a conveyor belt of baddies who were hard to keep up with and some who only popped in for a quick shot or two. I didn’t find Big Bad Joo Sung Cheol particularly menacing or effective. Kunimura Jun had a couple of brief appearances as the head of the yakuza gang and I found myself wishing he had a more substantial role. Katana wielding Aoki Munetaka also made for an interesting character though he too needed more screen time. The police department was just as plagued with poorly drawn characters whose only job was to show up AFTER Ma had clobbered all of the baddies. They’d come in and cleanup the crime scenes and call the ambulances for all the broken bodies.

This Roundup sequel wasn’t as strong as the previous movie largely due to uneven pacing and poorly drawn characters. It was an entertaining watch due largely to Ma Dong Seok’s screen presence and appeal. He loves what he does, but his physical health seems to be deteriorating which always concerns me. Through the years he has suffered various injuries and also has no cartilage in his knees. It was sad watching him struggle to walk upstairs, but as long as he continues to make films and dramas, I’ll continue to watch them even if he’s taking down criminals with his walker or cane.

14 December 2024

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A heartfelt movie with an ending that I take with a graint of salt.

Another great performance from Dongyu Zhou and the FL. I was on the fence about this movie, in the beginning, but the ending did it for me. I like the relationship between the two even though the FL is definitely acting like a typical gold digger who is trying to take advantage of a lonely guy. That is partly true, but he later finds out the daughter she killed, because she was put in prison for murder, was actually not the daughter of the drunk driver who killed her parents, but someone unrelated. She used the ML's money to pay the settlement to the family. This made me so teary eyed as I knew the next scenes were going to be heavy. Now I don't rate this a 9 or 10, because you could see the ML taking care of the vegetative FL, as she tries to commit suicide after finally paying off the settlement to the family of the daughter she killed, as a selfish move and I kind of see it that way. People have a hard time letting go and he seems to have good intentions, but sometimes you just have to let go and allow for a death that would be less hard on the individual, especially when recovery seems improbable. I know that the director wants to go for an over endearing ML with the FL having an improbable prognosis and family members not willing to help, but the FL could be in immense pain and need multiple forms of pain management therapy to just get through the day. With this sort of treatment going on endlessly makes me question the ending as something that should be seen as endearing. I'm just iffy on the ending, but the reasoning behind her swindling the ML for that exact amount is definitely not the best, but you know that makes for a good twist in a movie, and I see why she tried to paint herself as a bad person, so he would eventually give up on her when she did dissappear. Still a good movie despite the ethical differences I have with the ending.

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Finally, at the end....

Synopsis: Kevin and Jamie were close school friends who drifted apart before Kevin emigrated to Australia. Kevin was willing to embrace himself and Jamie was not. Years later, Jamie goes to find Kevin after attending a school reunion and hears his ex school mates discussing Kevin's situation. He had been hospitalized at some point for depression. They meet and discuss their lives. Then Jamie asks him if he has any desire to return to Hong Kong. Here the story begins.

Kevin openly talks with Jamie about his need to be on medication to keep him functioning. He accepts this as part of his life. He knows those who see him, recognizes how closed off he is and keep their distance. All except Fai, a teenage gay student, who takes a liking to him. Jamie, who has placed his mementos of their relationship in a box, watches on. After dinner, Fai realizes that Kevin is into Jamie and after a brief altercation, walks away. Kevin, lost and lonely, turns to promiscuous sex to get some sort of feeling within himself. Frustrated, he throws the pills away.

His agitation off of the drugs, the actions he takes, finally culminate in his decision to go back to Australia. There he was at peace. Living in a world in which Jamie is so close but still unavailable to him, proves to be too much. Jamie, previously disengaging himself from his past by dumping his mementos in the bin and proposing to his girlfriend, follows him into the street from another reunion. He can not deny himself or his feelings anymore. He begs him not to leave.

The unknowing element of this film creates the interest. There is a stillness felt throughout which builds to a climax at the end. I loved this film for the realistic depiction of depression. The drugs manage his depression but also diminishes any response to stimulation. He feels empty. Nobody, ever discusses this. Lei Jeun Sek nails it. At every stage, he allows the viewer into his desperate mind and what he is feeling without saying a word. The flashbacks and pacing are perfect. My mainstream heart would have loved to see more interaction between Jamie and Kevin. They acted well with each other but it is with Fai that we get the honest responses. This was definitely a palate cleanser from the generic bl being offered and a good watch. Try it, at least once.

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Lust in the Rain 2024
★★★★★ Watched 30 Oct 2024 at TIFF 2024

I was very fortunate to attend the world premiere of this film in Tokyo at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2024, held in the luxurious Toho Cinema. After the screening, I had the opportunity to meet actors Ryo Narita, Eriko Nakamura, and Li Xing. I’ve been following Ryo Narita’s films and series for a long time, and my wife, a huge fan, was thrilled to see him in person.

I previously watched Shizo Katayama's film "Missing" at the same festival in 2022, and thanks to Tokyo International Film Festival, I was able to meet the director during a Q&A session that time.

I won’t go into detail about this film since it hasn’t officially been released yet, and also I definitely plan to rewatch it.

The film opens with a somewhat absurd and surreal narrative, which might be a bit confusing at first, but it eventually leads us to the core story.

Despite its darker themes, I found it to be quite entertaining, especially due to Ryo Narita’s natural performance. There are also comedic moments sprinkled throughout that will surely make you laugh.

Ryo Narita mentioned during the Q&A that we need to watch the film multiple times to fully understand and appreciate the deeper story it conveys.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film and can’t wait to rewatch it again.

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It’s definitely one of the best film I’ve seen this year!

I attended the screening of 'Ravens' at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2024. The film tells the story of Masahisa Fukase, a famous Japanese photographer whose work is recognized worldwide.

It’s about how Fukase lived his life and the process behind creating his masterpieces. The story really amazed me.

After the screening, there was a Q&A with the director/producer Mark Gill and the director of photography Fernando Ruiz. They shared how happy they were to make a film about Fukase, with Tadanobu Asano, one of Japan's top actors, playing the lead. Mark Gill mentioned that he wouldn’t have made the film if Asano hadn’t been involved.

Overall, I loved the film. Even though it was an early screening at 10 AM, I didn’t miss a single moment. It’s definitely one of the best film I’ve seen this year!

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