Reviews

Using a stick to hit a metal chain and expecting it to work is dumb.

The female lead annoyed me in the beginning, why are you screaming and drawing attention to yourself? Also why tf are you hitting a metal chain and lock that is looped around a door, with a stick to break it? What is that going to do?!

I thought once you got bit that was it, the vaccine couldn’t help you, yet Rider 50 was bitten and his bracelet showed green? Also how are you gonna take a van and not even check to make sure it’s safe? Really?

Fah’s reaction after seeing her supposedly dead boyfriend after 5 years is so lackluster is unbelievable. Also her reaction to him being the package/the cure and him not remembering anything about her or himself is, honestly, terrible.

I do love the trope of “a person is bitten but doesn’t turn and they turn out to be the cure/savior”.

I also wished it went into more detail about the plant they eat, because that is something I’ve never seen before in a zombie movie (and trust me, I’ve seen just about every zombie movie ever made) and its a really unique and amazing concept.

Not the best zombie movie but not the worst I've ever seen....It is up there though..

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I just came back from a screening of Train to Busan! In my country is rare that asian films make it to the big screen, so I was very excited to be able to watch it and I’m happy to report I wasn’t disappointed.

The story is generic, nothing we haven’t seen before, but the way the film is shot and the how the characters related to each other is what makes this movie worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed how the film demonstrate that humans’ survival instinct is linked to certain selfishness (embodied in Kim Eui-sung’s character) I was on the edge of my seat through the two hours and whispering to the characters what to do so they could survive and get to Busan.

Gong Yoo has always been a good actor but lately he has being excelling with his performances and this time is no different. He really made me connect with his character and what he was going through.

Ma Dong-seok, as you would expect, stole every scene he was in. From badass warrior to doting husband and comic relief. Jung Yumi and Kim Soo-ahn are the ones bringing all the feels.

By the time we get to the final scene I was holding my breath, praying the survivors would make it to through the tunnel. I really enjoyed the film and if you have the chance to watch it on the silver screen, do it!

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The premise of this film isn’t something we haven’t seen before but it’s the actors and the way they portray their characters and how the story develops that makes it enjoyable to watch.

Xia Liang (Ni Ni) has been in a committed relationship with her boyfriend for the past ten years. She basically lives as a housewife but without the ring, wedding nor official title. It’s not like she’s expecting him to propose in a obvious and annoying kind of way, Liang is happy to just be with him. But when she finds a diamond ring in his jacket pocket, she starts to get ideas. Of course, it all explodes in her face. Isn’t that the way?

That’s when with the help of some magical (or should I say spiked?) chocolates, her 17 year old self starts to take over her body. After the initial confusion, 28 year old Liang and her younger self start to work together in order to regain youthful boldness while reclaiming and achieving long lost dreams.

The rest of the characters are also a lot of fun to watch. Liang’s boyfriend (Wallace Huo) has a lot of reflecting and groveling to do in order to correct his mistakes, while the other love interest (Darren Wang) is the dreamboat we all fantasize about. But does the fantasy hold a candle to the real thing?

Liang’s best friend (Ma Su) was hilarious and supportive, and added another layer of the girl power portrayed in this film.

Overall, this was a very sweet film to watch.

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I watched this movie years ago but even now remains one of my favorite on-screen romances, particularly because its leads are two of my favorite korean actors but also because they share an amazing chemistry and their meet-cute it’s anything but typical.

Hyung-seung (Ji Sung) dated for almost a decade what he always believed to be The One until -to his utter shock- everything comes crashing down when she leaves him. The days and months pass by, drinking away, when one night he receives a phone call from an unknown number. The caller it’s a woman who tells him to be quiet and puts on an entire show over the phone, which ultimately ends in phone sex. The caller it’s Yoon-jung (Kim Ah-joong) who was hoping to lit the fire on her dying relationship by giving her boyfriend a little surprise over the phone, too bad she misdialed his number and ended up sharing a very intimate moment with a complete stranger.

The rest… you have to watch it.

Ji Sung and Kim Ah-joong share an incredibly chemistry together and built a relationship based on friendship and trust even when they don’t even share any physical space for the better half of the film. There’s good storytelling on this rom-com that not only has it’s focus on the main character’s love lives but also how they perceive themselves, each other and their professional lives. I love how it’s thanks to this new found friendship that the leads find a new sense of security and self-steem where they reach a common place of understanding of who they are, the goals they set for themselves and who they want in their lives.

And I like how the movie isn’t shy nor apologetic about any of the leads own security about their sexuality and mutual attraction. Relationships don’t always go the way we would like to nor have conventional starts, and that’s okay.

I really recommend you watch My PS Partner. It made me laugh and fall in love with the story and characters, all accompanied by a really fun soundtrack.

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I’m down with the flu, so instead of studying for my finals I have been watching a lot of films and series. That’s what you are supposed to do, right? Last night, I watched Love 911, a korean dramedy from 2012, starring Han Hyo-joo and Go Soo as leads, and with a really good and solid ensemble of supporting actors.

Mi-soo (Han Hyo-joo) is a doctor studying towards her goal to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and working through her residency. She has a tendency for being a smartass and quick judgement, but it backfires when she misdiagnosed a woman, whose husband she assumed to be an abusive thug. So when the patient takes a turn for the worse, the husband decided to sue.

Kang-il (Go Soo) is the epitome of the wounded hero. A former soldier now turned firefighter and widower. Despite having a great team of friends and co-wokers at the station, Kang-il refuses to move on with his life, carrying the guilt of his wife dying alone while he was busy saving others.

Fate and some machiavellians ways bring these two together. The relationship between Mi-soo and Kang-il didn’t feel forced, their chemistry is fiery since the first moment. Her carefree personality brings a much needed light tone to his brooding, and his way of taking everything serious gives her a newfound weight to every decision she makes and how they affect other people’s lives.

I enjoyed it was Mi-soo who very cheekly and endearingly pursued Kang-il first. That’s right, he was the one being wooed not the other way around. In this film you will find a leading lady, willing to take risks and rejection, but also in control of her life, not letting anyone tell her how to be proper. What’s more, this way she has, actually gets her out of almost all the troubles she starts.

Kang-il’s grief was harder to watch, mostly thanks to Go Soo’s acting, which carried a lot of weight through the film. You could feel his heartbreaking and denial to move on, even when he was clearly falling for someone else. But he had lighter moments too, like when he interacted with his friends or Mi-soo, and then you could see glimpses of the real Kang-il.

The rest of the cast it’s what really made the story so enjoyable to watch. Ma Dong-seok (Police Force 38, Train to Busan) is the adorable and though Chief, who behaves like an older brother and father figure at the same time. A true leader. And then you have Kim Sung-oh (Fight for My Way, My PS Partner) and Hyun Jyu-ni (IRIS, Descendants of the Sun) friendship-turned-romance which is both hilarious and endearing. My favorite part is the cameos from Jung Ji-hyun and Yang Dong-ge, the detectives who befriend Mi-soo at the police station.

Overall, Love 911 was a fun romance with enough gravity to have actual character development and a lovely message about the meaning of happiness and living your life.

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A really fun film about passionate youth!

Let me start with saying that Tori Girl was the film I needed in my life and didn’t even knew about it. Everything about this story is outstanding and here’s why.

Japanese films about university students when done well are some of the best and most endearing stories you will ever find. There’s a particular rhythm and feel to this slice of life productions. Usually, in this stories, universities aren’t a place where you study: they’re a place where you join an incredibly interesting club, filled with odd and good hearted characters. Perhaps you will even find love or at the very least a crush. And Tori Girl has all this elements… with a twist. A twist so refreshing that makes the film stand out from al others.

Drifter Yukina (Tsuchiya Tao) has no aim in life and hates her university, where there are mostly male student and almost none of them is as cute as the usual leading man. Everything changes when she meets cute Kazumi (Ikeda Elaiza) and smooth talker Kei (Takasugi Mahiro) who is captain of the Team Birdman Trial, the Human-powered Aircraft Society. Convinced she will be teaming up with him, she gives her all to the team until her path crosses with apparent delinquent Sakaba (Mamiya Shotaro), with whom she develops an antagonistic relationship and must learn to bond with in order to win the competition.

Yukina is an incredibly amusing and gutsy protagonist in a journey to find her calling, who demands to be respected by her peers. This is only emphasised by her first meeting with Sakaba, who changes up the entire tone of the film. Mamiya introduces Sakaba in the most hilarious way, pushing the film to a heightened level and it leaves an impression.

The rest of the cast is equally great and while I would have love to see more of them, I am satisfied with what we got. I know these kids will keep on getting on each others’ nerves and grow stronger as friend long after the closing credits end.

Heavy on team-building with a team captain who is a cheeky bastard that knows exactly how to play his cards, but most importantly a fun dynamic with two leads that will keep you entretened until the final minute, Tori Girl is literally an uplifting film you can’t miss out on!

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Super fun!

This is one of my favorite films to watch when I am having a bad day, it always manages to make me laugh. Steal My Heart might not be a masterpiece but it certainly is entertaining and hits all the right notes with me.

The story follows Lee Tae-ho, a hot shot criminal profiler who is currently working on a serial murder case. Thanks to his ability, the police force finally has a suspect and just when they are about to catch him, the culprit becomes a hit and run victim. Now, Tae-ho must find the driver who got away… little does he know that the person he is looking for is Yoon Jin-sook, his first love and nowadays a famous white collar criminal worthy to lead Danny Ocean’s team.

Between Tae-ho’s sense of duty and Jin-sook’s smarts, they need to find the way to do the right thing and not end up in jail at the same time, but when old feelings start rearing their head, will they make it?

Starring Joo Won and Kim Ah-joong who play their parts to perfection as the mismatched couple who are perfect for each other. The rest of the cast is incredibly funny as the clueless detectives, and one random cameo from Chae Tae-hyun.

I really recommend it to, at least, give a chance.

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Perfectly imperfect.

I am blown away. I’m not sure if it was because I knew nothing about the film or didn’t know what to expect, but what I found was a true gem.

Us and Them is a bittersweet decades long romance about two people meant for each other but can’t seem to find the way to figure out how to be together and achieve their dreams at the same time. Yes, this is a story of young love but it’s also a story about family and those people who we choose to be part of our lives that changes us forever.

This film is also the directorial debut of Rene Liu, a singer-songwriter-actress from Taiwan. It’s hard to believe this is her first time behind the camera because she manages to tell a multilayered story, of everyday normal people, and the complexity of their relationships with amazing ease.

It helps that film counts with the participation of two of Asia’s raising stars, Jing Boran and Zhou Dongyu, and veteran chinese actor Tian Zhuangzhuang.

While Jing and Zhou bring out the most passionate and restlessness feelings of youth, it’s on Tian to be the steady and unyielding presence of family love. The three managed it with such a deep understating of who their characters are that you can’t help but feel connected to what they are going through.

I don’t want to tell you more because the movie is told in a way, going back and forth through time, where you are trying to figure out how this love story ends until the very last minute. I highly recommend everyone to watch this beautiful story, I promise you will enjoy every minute of it.

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This isn’t the first Korean period drama to depict a commoner with a particular set of skills gaining intimate access to the royal circle, only to become a pawn in a web of murderous court intrigue. But “The Royal Tailor” stands out with its attention to technical details, conveying beauty in an especially tactile way.

The first half to the story is light-hearted and plays fast and loose with history, devising sights gags to send up Joseon fashion crimes like shoulder pads, push-up bras and platform shoes, which are amusingly anachronistic. But the scenes also serve to paint commoner Kong-jin’s personality in vibrant strokes, such as his preference for the company of gisaeng, who model his provocative designs with sexual confidence, to his habit of hobnobbing with high-ranking snobs.

Meanwhile, Dol-suk is the hands-on artisan who excels at embroidery. He too is from humble origins but has managed through hard work to achieve the title of Royal Tailor, being in charge of making the clothes for the King and Queen, and some nobleman when their highnesses want to give them gifts. Dol-suk is also a few months away from becoming a nobleman himself, this is a very important point for what’s coming in the second half of the story.

Kong-jin, being able to work for commoners, is quickly recognized as the quintessential artist, experimenting with shapes and forms, and drawing inspiration from such mundance objects as a wine jar. His consciousness of style as an individualist statement is epitomized by his habit of burning his logo onto his costumes, the Joseon version of a fashion label.

And the rivalry between the two tailors is loaded with class implications; appalled by Kong-jin’s out-there designs, a nobleman proclaims, “A garment should reflect social status and rules,” echoing the law of the period that prescribes, legally, what each class can wear. While buttressing the hierarchical system, Dol-suk is ironically its victim, barred from donning any of the fancy clothes he makes.

A serie of events leads to Kong-jin entering the palace in order to repair his majesty’s clothes and he soon becomes enamored with the Queen, a breathtaking beauty rumored to be untouched by the king since their wedding night. Kong-jin’s intentions are pure: he wants the Queen to be happy, and she wants the King. So, he embarks in a Joseon make-over the turns more than one head and cuts some others because nothing it’s simple inside the Palace, and getting the attention of the King is of out most importance.

The complexity of the relationships between the four main characters, played effortlessly amazing by Han Suk Kyu, Go Soo, Park Shin hye and Yoo Yeon seok, is one of the many aspects of why this film is a must watch. The pretty clothes are breathtaking but the people wearing them do it in such a manner that’s impossible to take your eyes away. Each movement, color and embroidery has a meaning for the story.

I highly recommend it!

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A great romcom!

Sometimes, when I am having a bad day, I watch this film. It helps that rom-coms are my crack and I absolutely adore this cast.

Most of the story takes place in the span of one day and on the road. Bae Soo-jung (Moon Chae-won) is the team leader for a cosmetics company and in order to get a prime location at the department store display, she needs to secure basketball star Kang Jing-chul as the company’s brand ambassador. Sadly, the sportsman isn’t anywhere to be find and with his grandfather recently passing away, people are speculating he might have returned to his hometown: Busan. Soo-jung has no other option but the hop in the train and try to find him.

Kim Jae-hyun (Yoo Yeon-seok) is a successful sports agent and all around man about town. Always with a ready smile and a pretty girl at his side. Jae-hyun has spent the last few months in talks with Jing-chul, his former underclassman from school, trying to convince him to join the NBA. However, Jin-chul is not interested and time is running out for the signing of the contract, so Jae-hyun has to take the train to Busan in order to find him and convince him to sign.

As destiny will have it, Soo-jung and Jae-hyun -who are looking for the same person- end up sitting next to each other in the train. Hilarity and romance ensues.

This is a light rom-com, with some really lovely scenes and other times funny moments that will make you laugh out loud. The chemistry between Yoo Yeon-seok and Moon Chae-won is really good and I really like the way they portray their characters. At first glance, you would think they have most of their respective lives figured out but soon you see there’s more than meets the eye.

For example, Soo-jung is not so put together as she appears and I like that once she’s sure of something, she’s a woman who is not afraid to make things happen. Whatever that might be or where it might lead. On the other hand, Jae-hyun might have all the tendencies of a player but as the movie helps us get to know him, you can see that he actually takes his life and work very seriously. That he’s actually a responsible man that does the right thing when it calls for.

Some of the conversations about love, sex and relationships that the two of them have are very interesting, sometimes showing the more traditional point of views of female vs. male but other times showing something different.

We all know how the story ends, of course, it doesn’t change the fact that watching Yoo Yeon-seok as a cheeky playboy flirting with Moon Chae-won, who can win over the most cold heart, is a lot of fun.

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I highly recommend it!

Upcoming Summer is not love story but a story about love. The film touches on themes like learning to be brave by accepting life’s difficult realities. Through their friendship Chen Chen and Zheng mature and are left to explore the people they want to be as they grow into adults.

I really like this film and I recommend it. It’s fun, endearing and touching. Wu Lei and Zhang Zifeng deliver really good performances and have great chemistry with each other, and the rest of the cast. The story has a few twists that I know have caused some buzz in China but I personally found it to be beautiful.

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Mistaken identity?

What to say about this little film that has not been said many times already? It is a cute high school romcom.

Every few years these movies are made for new generations of public: a story about a mousy girl who falls for the most popular guy in school (here it is through letters in a notebook). This one has an added twist since it is obviously an adaptation of the classic Cyrano. The girl thinks that the boy had fallen for her much smarter and prettier friend but since she is not interested in him, the girl decides to continue corresponding with him while pretending to be her friend.

I liked that even though this is a film made recently, there is practically not a single phone in sight: the mobile phone interactions have been brought down to a strict minimum for a change. The communication is often verbal, written and even through songs (I loved the song they used to apologize!). In today's world, where young people seem to have their fingers glued to phone screens, this film is a refreshing change, a throwback to romcoms of about 20 years ago 'complete with an accidental school radio live confession!)

This is nothing earth shatteringly new or particularly original but it is well produced and filmed. The actors are cute and portrayed their characters well, having decent chemistry. Nice watch for a Sunday evening.

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