"Hold On To The Handle; The Bus Makes A Sudden Left Turn Soon."

Contrary to the film's ending, he was not the one responsible, he tried to prevent it!

This was supposedly made specifically for Park Shin Hye in her popular period before her marriage, according to a KBS review of this movie online..

Lee Moon Gi (Bong Tae Kyu) is hit by a car whose driver was arguing with his female companion.

After being checked out for injuries, the police run his fingerprints; however, before the results are back a lovely female, later identified as Kim Yeon Hwa (Park Shin Hye) appears out of nowhere and tell him his name and address.

He goes home, only to find her hovering over him in the morning. She tells him that she is a ghost and takes him to her funeral.
She later tells him that there is a reason for her being there, but she didn't know why.

He later find out something bad had happened to her, and the rest of the movie is spent trying to find out "Who done it?"

Kim Yeon Hwa is a human in flashbacks in about 33 % of the movie; the rest she is a ghost who eats, drinks, and shows all kind of human emotions, although she is dead.

The main cast worked well together and seemed to fit perfectly and had enough attraction in their acting to make it seem true. We find out later that both of them met each other in the past, and that Moon Gi and Yeon Hwa had followed each other since, but never said anything.

The support cast also did a great job in their acting, lending credibility to the movie and supporting the plot being told by the main cast.

When I found out about who was present at the incident, I suspected the plot twist, which happened; however, if you go back and analyze the scene itself, the plot twist is a lie. Enough about this, already!

What is stranger still, Yeon Hwa must have forgiven Moon Gi...the ending scene proved this.

The ending was sad but this was probably among the the best love stories ever written.. I actually don't like sad endings but this really made me admire the ending of this movie

I really found this movie touching.. no commercial elements, no stupid romantic scenes, no vulgarity or nudity; just pure emotions from mainly Park Shin Hye ; when Bong Tae Kyu showed his emotion, it was beautiful, though.

This movie would make anyone cry; he loved her, and it showed that near the end. Had he had a different start in life this would have ended differently, but his ill-fated childhood made him shy and stand-offish to women.

He could have saved her, but he instead ran and hid after the incident took place.

Can you imagine the sadness, guilt, betrayal, and regret of his character.? To be involved with a lovely lady who was trying to tell him that she liked him, ever since her first meeting together.

This is a very good movie, but heartbreaking no matter how it ends. I thought the director, main and support cast did a great job, even with the limited time the director gave to this film (having a female director and screenwriter probably didn't hurt, either.) I am always saying that the director should have given another 10-30 minutes of some aspect of a movie, but this seemed to be the perfect length for the lesson being taught here!

KBS specials always have great plot twists and good acting; I knew somewhere near the end that would still be some surprise(s) left.

For all the movies that I've watched this is very different and mysterious The twist of this story is somewhat different than most KBS specials as well.

This movie full of emotions and the story is so well written.

This movie also shows the aspects of pain and sadness that can develop in a relationship.

I really recommend this to anyone who lokes a good movie.

This is about a one Kleenex box movie, give or take your personal crying style.

I dropped the overall score simply for the terrible ending!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Defijntely.

I want another movie, where Yeon Hwa assists Moon Gi when he gets out of prison and also helps him meet another great catch, like she was.

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"What A Nuisance.." "Are You Talking About Her or Me?" "Both"

This was a delightful short drama-comedy...until about 26 minutes into the film...I was glued to the screen throughout!

Pam (Aom Sushar Manaying), is a fun-loving single woman who spends her free time partying with friends and enjoying life to the fullest, or at least that's what she wants you to think!

However, Pee, her sister (uncredited on MDL) comes calling with an immediate need: sister Pam has to babysit her naughty "niece" UK ( Ongsritragul Natthaya) while Pee goes overseas on a business trip; no other relatives available!

"Naughty" isn't the best word to describe her "niece"; I prefer "mischievous" instead!

Anyway, shall we say Pam is not too good at first taking car of the little one, but quickly learns about how to take care of a young "mischievous" girl. My heart stopped when I thought both her and the little girl were in danger, but fortunately it was just the next-door neighbor , Best (Best Anavil Charttong) who just may be as "mischievous" as Pam's charge is!

Pam goes through a maturing process over the 8-9 days that she is with her 'niece"; a maturing process that should have happened long ago. Even though she had never been with UK before, Pam grows to the be a perfect 'aunt' as the days progress.

However, just as things seem to be going right, an old 'flame' Tum (Yuan Nithichai Yotamornsunthornre)-appears, one that hurt Pam in the past. Pam is forced to face a long-overdue reality, which almost tears her apart. It's now UK who tries to comfort her "aunt" Pam.

I am going to have to try to watch more Nattawut Poonpiriy's films, as a last-minute "twist", the kind that only a director like Ang Lee or Kim Ki Duk are capable of, changed the whole perspective of this short but great movie! I had to rewind the film to see that it was a flashback rather than a linear scene in this film.

What started out as a simple family member helping out her sister with her "niece" became so more complicated but sad in the last 10 minutes or so!

The cinematography, music and overall effects for this short film were fantastic!

The main cast were great at portraying themselves as a "family" and the support cast also did a fabulous job playing their roles and supporting the main cast in their telling of the main story. I first laughed then wept all the way through and was shocked after the director's final "twist" on this short film.

A movie that will take you from laughter to shock, in less than 45 minutes!

A special kudo to Pompam Niti Chaichitathorn, who incidentally played a librarian here as he did in The Library (2013). His brief scenes were bubbly as in the other movies I have seen him play.

My only wish is that Poonpiriy had shown another 5 to 10 more minutes on the main cast together.

This is a full box of Kleenex movie, even though it is a short one!

WARNING: Although she is young, Ongsritragul Natthaya steals the movie from the adults in just a few scenes!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

Charge (def):
the responsibility of taking care or control of someone or something. "the people in her charge are pupils and not experimental subjects"

a person or thing entrusted to the care of someone: "the babysitter watched over her charges"

a responsibility or onerous duty assigned to someone.

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"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

First, it was very hard watching Cha Tae Hyun play the 'special' young man in this movie.

Even though I have to give him credit for being able to play various roles in other dramas and movies, it was still hard to watch him play the role here. I would have been able to watch it easier had it been a newcomer actor who I had not seen act before!

However, I finally was able to get over the fact that it was hard watching him play such a role, it was a great movie!

Seung Ryong (Tae Hyun) had an accident at night while asleep inhaling carbon monoxide for a period of time when he was young; the same incident killed his father, who was also asleep in the same house where the incident occurred. After that, he was picked on by the students in his school (the same school where his little sister later attended) and he was also accused of things which were not his fault. Fortunately his mother believed him but he was still removed from school.

Later, his dying mother told him that he needed to care for his little sister for the rest of his life; which he did although his sister never appreciated it until it was too late! He prepared breakfast for her every morning, but remembered that his mother told him not to not bother her until she got up herself. Ji In (spelled Jee-in in the Eng sub movie, played by actress Park Ha Sun) never ate the breakfast he made her, but later regretted the way she treated him.

His 'simple' mind could not learn how to make anything except toasted egg sandwiches, something that any 6- to 7-year-old is capable of making at home when they begin to learn how to cook for themselves. Working out of a small street vendor's booth near the school where his little sister attends, he faithfully sold sandwiches for $1 apiece every morning to the students and staff and other customers (including JI-ho's father/local doctor, actor Song Jae Ho), and watched for his little sister to arrive for classes every day.

Afternoons saw him again at his toasted sandwich shop; selling his one and only sandwich and again looking for his little sister to leave school and head for their home by herself. The money he made went to pay for her school supplies, her school clothes, her other expenses, utilities...and all he had was one change of clothes and a bunch of shoes, which he always lost one out of every pair!

Seung Ryong liked a little girl by the name of Ji Ho (adult character played by Ha Ji Won) but since he was accused of a crime which destroyed her piano, she told him to " 'get lost' and never see me again." Even though he waited all his life for her to return, he remembered and still tried to keep away from her afterward, until he told her what she had said a decade ago and she removed the request.

Ji ho received inspiration from Seung Ryong when she froze in front of a school recital when she was a kid; suffering from stage fright, and stage fright again struck her at a European concert a decade later. Ji-ho left the stress of her European recitals and returns home for support from her father, and it seems also, the love and support that Seung Ryong had given her in her early days of her playing piano. Ji-ho had forgotten that he wasn't always 'special' before the home accident, and re-establishes her friendship with him after her aunt reminds her of how he became the way he was.

Unfortunately, Seung Ryong's best friend, Sang Su (spelled Sang-Soo on the Eng sub movie, actor Park Hee Soon) ] runs a low-cost 'booze and women' establishment in the vicinity, where women are forced to "work" to pay off debts to a mob boss. Sang Su/Sang Soo was actually the young kid who caused the fire that Seung Ryong was accused of in school! They were best friends however after Sang Soo finished school.

A girl that Sang Su likes is working there by the name of Hee Yeong (Park Gri Na). Hee Yeong is tired of working at this 'job' and threatens to quit, only to be told that the boss has photos of her! After a beating of the boss by Sang Su, the boss sends goons to teach him a lesson; and as Hee Yeong comes back to warn him to leave Sang Su alone, he tells his goons to "follow her" and she would lead them to Sang Su. Unfortunately he also tells them that they will know Sang Su by the 'bandages on his hands'...

Unfortunately, Seung Ryong has fallen asleep in his business waiting for his little sister to come by his shop after school a day earlier; she had taken another route home and he falls asleep at his griddle and drops his hand on the hot griddle accidentally, burning it enough for the hand to have to be bandaged (by Ji ho). The next day, with his hand bandaged, Hee Yeong stops to talk to Seung Ryong before going to find Sang Su, not knowing the boss's goons are following her, and looking for a man with his hand bandaged.

Earlier that very day, Ji In/Jee-in is taken to the hospital by Seung Ryong, after the kids are talking at his toast booth and casually remark that his sister was bent over in pain at school that morning; he runs to the school and carries her to the hospital. He tells a teacher trying to stop him that he is her older brother, in a way that showed his inability to communicate effectively.

Running without thinking about anything but getting his little sister to the doctor, he loses the pair of new shoes that Ji ho had just purchased for him; Ji ho waits in the visitor's lobby with him, letting him lay his head on her shoulder and sleep.

In the hospital, Ji In/Jee-in's doctor (and Ji ho's father) tells Ji in that she should be proud of her big brother and that all the money he makes from his toasted egg sandwiches goes to pay her bills and keep the utilities up; he points out that her big brother has NOTHING of his own except one pair of clothes. The doctor is a regular at Seung Ryong toasted egg sandwich booth, supporting him since he knows where Seung Ryong's heart is, a 'special' man with a 6-year-old brain who doesn't want or need handouts.

Ji ho buys Seung Ryong a new pair of shoes, warning him not to lose this new pair (again). As always, Seung Ryong smiles on receiving them.

Going home after the fateful meeting with Hee Yeong, Seung Ryong gathers things from his and his little sister's house which he thinks she will need in the hospital; on the way to the hospital the goons, thinking he is Sang Su/Sang Soo, beat him to within inches of his life. He barely makes it in front of Ji ho's family residence before collapsing.

Earlier he had asked Ji Ho to play her piano for the stars to appear; to show themselves while his little sister was being operated on.. When people die like his father and mother, Seung Ryong was told, they become stars! He doesn't understand that the stars are always there, but were being hidden by clouds that evening!

With Seung Ryong's insistence, Ji ho finally finds the nerve to play again, and as Ji ho begins playing again after a long hiatus, Seung Ryong is shown bleeding to death in front of her house, listening to her play and looking at a photo of his parents and his little sister in his hands, and trying to recover the shoe he just lost a few feet behind him, the last pair that Ji ho had just bought him!

The music was basic but very supportive to the plot when used; the cinematography, the locations, the ambiance, everything seemed perfect in this movie! All...except the ending, that is!

The main cast seemed interested in each other but as I said before, it was so hard watching the main male lead in his portrayal of a 'special needs' person here. Ha Ji Won had taken piano lessons as a child, and another professional actor/piano player brushed her up for the scenes where she needed to look like a professional pianist; her treatment of Tae Hyun's character grew throughout the movie as well: she played her part here well as in the other movies I had seen her in after this one: Ditto (2000), Sex is Zero ( 2002), 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004), Sex Is Zero 2 (2007), His Last Present (2008), and Sector 7 (2011).

She, JI-ho, recovered her ability to play in front of crowds and she is seen in the last scene after a magnificent piano performance with a symphony in what I believe was Europe, recovering from her stage fright, and I believe remembering
Seung Ryong afterward in the process!

The support cast played their roles magnificently, supporting the main characters and the main plot.

However, in my opinion, Park Ha Sun as Ji In/Jee in stole the entire movie in her last scenes!

After the doctor told her how her older brother took care of her, she treated him nicer when he came back to visit her again, not realizing that this would be her one and only chance to make up for years of treating him poorly!

After her big brother's wrongful death, Ji in reads all the notes that their mother had made to tell Seung Ryong how to take care of her, his little sister, because 'he' is all that she (his/her mother) had to offer her daughter: make her food every day for breakfast; don't wake her up, don't bother her though; etc.

However, the scene that stole the movie from Ha Ji Won was her trip to the Recorder of Deaths office; I am not going to tell you about it, but I would have moved her last scene to after Ha Ji Won's last scene myself.

After seeing it, let me know what you think!

This is a two boxes of Kleenex movie...

If you are in the doghouse with your girlfriend/wife, watch this movie with her and she will forgive you for whatever you did to make her mad at you to begin with!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!



Cha Tae Hyun movies I have seen already are My Sassy Girl (2001), Lover's Concerto (2002), Windstruck (2004), Sad Movie (2005), and My New Sassy Girl (2016).

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"Oh, Are You Here For Mizue? Can We Take Up Where We Left Off?"

The main casts in this movie, Yuriko (Eguchi Noriko) and young Doi Tetsuya (Sometani Shota) start a relationship when Yuriko only wants to smell his hair after he has sweated.

First, it just is not my bag of tea...

"Smell" does have a effect on relationships. For example:

In relationships, 'trust your sense of smell, it's often right'
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/in-relationships-trust-your-sense-of-smell-it-s-often-right-20190619-p51zay.html

The smelly truth about romantic relationships and health
https://theconversation.com/the-smelly-truth-about-romantic-relationships-and-health-131171

and

Love Stinks: The Association between Body Odors and
Romantic Relationship Commitment
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj3zuitraX2AhUTKH0KHckIBg8QFnoECAgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2F2076-3425%2F11%2F11%2F1522%2Fpdf&usg=AOvVaw252z_J2r3e-iWiYVnlnTwc

Napolean Bonaparte exchanged copius letters during his military campaigns with his wives: Empress Joséphine (m. 1796–1810), and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (m. 1810–1821),

If you want some interesting reading try the letters between the wives and him!
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I agree with Tom Mes of Midnight Eye, who called the film "sexy as sin'; but it is so WEIRD otherwise that I had a problem
watching the whole movie.

Second, I have nothing against nudity, Yuriko and Ayama (Saori Hara), Yuriko's trainee, both showed their breasts. Being a guy, it was erotic, but not in 'bad taste'. Most other guys would agree with me.

Third, the movie itself is not that bad and if you want to try something different, be my guest!

I just cannot wrap my head around someone sniffing my head all day like that!

The music and cinematogrphy was great on this film, and the main and support cast were effective in making the story seem real and such...and I thought the interaction between Ayame (Hara Saori) and young Doi Tetsuya was so cute and natural; best part of the movie!

Again, I am not knocking the cast members, main and support, but the movie 'subject' would not let me get into it the way I would another, better movie!

A kudo to Miho (Kijima Noriko) in a movie where she kept her clothes on for once

RE-WATCH VALUE: Not from me, but if you like weird movies - GO FOR IT!

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"If You Blow On It, Your Wish Would Come True...What Are You Wishing For? For You To Grow Up."

I was torn between using three quotes from the movie...

"I'll Forgive You For Dumping Me...Forgive Me For Hating You."

(Your Grandfather) Told Me to Give It To You When You Found Something That You Value So Much To Give Up Everything Else."

I settled for the one in the headline, mainly due to its length.

Kang Jae Kyung (Hyun Bin) is the typical spoiled millionaire's grandson, arrogant, self-centered and making more money every day (through his grandfather's corporation he will inherit) than most people would be able to make in their entire lifetime!

However, the day after turning 18, he finds that his grandfather realized how spoilt and arrogant he was; and 'arranged' for his
being brought down a few notches before getting his inheritance...

Leaving for his grandfather's birthplace to learn how to be more human in order to receive his inheritance, he doesn't realize that his grandfather had made arrangements for his 'easy way out' being blocked!

More importantly, he meets someone from his past, a young lady by the name of Choi Eun Hwan (Lee Yun Hee), but it takes some time for him to realize it.

After travelling to his past, through memories, and finally being exposed to where he grew up, Jae Kyung begins remembering what is really important in life, but too late for Eun Hwan to be a part of it.

The scenery, music and cinematography were excellent in this movie! I personally would love to live in such an area portrayed in the movie myself. I found myself 'wanting' to live in this tiny, but close-knit community as the movie progressed!

The main cast were excellent together, and you could feel the magnetism, between the two cast members; the support cast also did an excellent job, making individual contributions to the story, while supporting the main cast in their roles and the main story as well.

My only complaint is that although some of the movie 'lagged' I felt the director should have spent another 10-15 minutes in developing the relationship...but still it worked for me!

A special mention of Choi Eun Hwan's mother (Lee Kan Hee), for her excellent expression when finding out that Eun Hwan was the child she gave up 19 years earlier was in front of her...great performance by her!

She teaches him how to love and he becomes the 'man' that his grandfather knew he could be, with a little encouragement!
As I have said before, it takes a woman to make a 'boy' into a 'man', in more than one way!

All I can say is WATCH IT and prove me wrong if you can, but I don't think that you can!

Even though the main character was Hyun Bin, Lee Yun Hee stole that designation from him halfway through this movie. Having shown this movie to others, everyone is rooting for Lee Kan Hee to live, and tears are very profuse at the end of every showing of this to others.

This is a one, to one and a half box of Kleenex, so BE PREPARED before watching!

Choi Eun Hwan got her wish; unfortunately, it was too late for her!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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"Only The People Who Yearn Over The Death Of Their Loved Ones Can See Me"

Being a Religious Studies major, I am attracted to movies with the theme of "religion" or "heaven" or such in their titles, and I am rarely disappointed with them!

This movie is built around the topic of people who loses loved ones and have unsettled questions, problems or such with their loved one passing without closure...and writing letters trying to find closure.

First, the cinematography was excellent, and I loved the music as well; it seemed to perfectly match the scenes and mood . I also loved the way bright lights were used by the director for a fantastic effect in some scenes of this movie (if you watch the movie, notice how his play with bright light made the scenes look 'other wordly!). The locations made the ambiance of the movie so peaceful and conducive to the story.

The subject of 'lying to make others feel better' was also a major theme in this movie; if you have ever had a girlfriend (or boyfriend, for that matter, you know where I ma coming from!)...and what mother has not lied to their children to soothe over minor problems, injuries or bullying by others?

Also, add the theme of losing a loved one (which everyone has, or will!), with or without issues still left unsettled and with a good, simple but moving script, it is a winner in my book...

The movie also touched on making others feel better as being a medicine for those who have been done wrong; relieving them of their pain by helping others...something that millions of volunteers do every day around the world!

What also was nice is that the movie was simple yet still covered the main themes/topics of the movie fairly well; however, it needed more development in two places. Everything together made this movie captivating through and through!

In the film's beginning , Jo Ha Na (Han Hyo Joo) writes a letter and posts it to a special mailbox, whose mail is collected by the special postman, Shin Jae Joon (Kim Jae Joong). Some narration attempts to give you an idea of what is happening, but one of small problems of this movie is that it fails; more on this at the bottom of this review.

After meeting the special postman she starts working for him, and finds out that her 'problem' with her former, dead,, boyfriend are minor compared to the ones other people have with 'their' parted loved ones!.

After being offered a job to assist Jae Joon, she starts trying to help those with unsettled problems or such with their past loved ones...the little white "lies" that made the letter writers feel better was so touching; something which I have not seen in many movies before! This and encouragement from Jae Joon helps her forget her grudge with the now-dead former boyfriend, the subject of the letter she sent to Heaven early in the movie.

While doing this, she develops a 'crush' on Jae Joon, which (unfortunately) leads to other problems not easily as fixed as those of other people's.

Not many movies address the concept tackled here, and except for the American movie Jacob's Ladder (1990,) its remake which I have not seen and the under-rated Asian movie Roadkill (2019), very few movies even tackle the subject of 'Pergatory' or those left behind with still-pending issues with deceased loved ones, either..

However, Shin Jae Joon seems to have some brownie points coming his way through his interaction with Jo Ha Na ; briefly hinting at Pergatory-like kudos from this movie's 'god'.

Ha Na was the most expressive of the main cast, and whose crying and such went far in the authenticity of this movie.

This is the same actress that gave such an outstanding performance in Always (2011, her next movie). Her ability to express emotional; extremes are shown both in this and the next movie she made.

I have never seen Kim Jae Joong act before (in the All About Dong Bang series) so all I can say is that he did a pretty good job here.

Both main cast showed a range of emotions and they seemed to pull off being individuals genuinely interested in each other as bf/gf, through their . The support cast also did a great job, both performing their roles and supporting the main cast members in making the movie seem real; I especially liked Moon Gyo's wife (Yook Mi Ra) and her interaction with Ha na, and their trying to get her father-in-law to be less depressed..

Denying it a full "10"...

I felt that both the introduction and ending were rushed; I would liked to have seen more explanation about the "letters" and also the ending seemed a little rushed as well. All of a sudden, NO ONE could see the postman, and he even acted surprised when this happened in the coffee shop once it happened!

I would liked to have seen more development between the two main casts before falling in love A few more minutes would have accomplished both these points, IMHO.

I would like to see more movies tackle this subject and to have cast such as this movie to bring it to life, keep you captivated and leave you begging for more!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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Religious Theme All Th e Way Through This Kim Ki Duk Masterpiece here!

This is the tenth movie written and directed by Kim Ki Duk...known for his "way out" movies and plot twists all through his films.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Significance of the word "Samaritan":
A Samaritan in the Bible was a person from Samaria, a region north of Jerusalem. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan, or in their eyes, "false" religion.

The historian Josephus and Jewish tradition trace the origin of the Samaritans to the captivity of the northern kingdom under Assyria in 721 BCE. Jews of the northern part of the old kingdom intermarried with Assyrians after their captivity and produced the half-Jewish, half-Gentile Samaritan race. When the Jews accused Jesus of being a “Samaritan” in John 8:48, they were rudely suggesting that He was a half-breed, born of an unfaithful mother.

The Jews of Jerusalem wanted NOTHING to do with them!

However, Jesus told a parable of a man in need, portraying the Samaritan as the hero in the story, the only one who would help the person in need. This story of the "Good Samaritan" shocked his audience of the other, stuck-up Jews. The Protestant Jesus showed that His love must transcend all human boundaries of race, religion, nationality, economic class, and educational status.

With this brief explanation, you can undertand the title of this movie better.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Girls Jae Young (Han Yeo Reum) and Yeo Jin (Kwak Ji Min) want to go to Europe; and without money, they must make it 'somehow'... therefore, Jae Young acts as a a "socail worker" and Yeo Jin schedules her "working" gigs with clients.

Everything is fine until Yeo Jin fails at her second half of her job (security) and Jae Young jumps from a hotel window to avoid arrest by the police.

Jae Young and Yeo Jin are very close, as in "kissing" and otherwise personal 'closeness', but Yeo Jin hates the businessmen whom 'work' with Jae Young; but she has to get the one business worker that Jae Young loved so much, (as she was dying in the hospital) she then is forced to take the plunge herself. Jae Young has said that she 'loved' the men she worked with, but I feel that she would never have left Yeo Jin for any of them, as she said to Yeo Jin earlier .

What follows is a kind of penance of Yeo Jin as she is returns all the money: however, I cannot decide if Yeo Jin is doing simple penance or simply regretting not helping in the "working" part of the business that they got themselves into. I am going to say a little of both!

I see so much in this movie that I have to watch it over and over, seeing more each time that I watch it. Kim Ki Duk combined so much in the three segments, especially in the first segment, setting up the relationship of the two friends and their differing opinion on the men they obtained money from.

Yeo Jin is thrown into turmoil over losing Jae Young, and she takes her notes and returns the money to the men who had paid Jae Young in the beginning. All of the men, if i remember right, have a catharsis of sorts after sleeping with Yeo Jin and having their money returned.

Another Ki Duk's movie plays on these same themes (maybe more, since I have not seen all of them yet!); Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring (2003, where Ki Duk plays the old monk).

I am pretty sure that Yeo Jin felt remorseful in her failure to protect Jae Young, and I believe to a lesser extent, for her not 'working' as hard as Jae Young in making the money they needed for their trip.

In the process of returning the money, Yeo Jon's father Yeong Ki (Lee Eol) catches her, as he is working a case where another young girl, possibly a under-aged prostitute, loses her life. Her father is already distraught over losing his wife, and senses that his daughter, for whatever reason, is about to become a homicide victim as well.

He starts following his daughter around after class, watching her see different men (not knowing her and Jae Young's former relationship with each man encountered.

I look upon his relationship with his daughter as with the father and daughter(s) in 'Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)' or ''The Gangster's Daughter (2017)' or even 'The Closet (2020)' a father who loses the wife/mother too early and has problems talking to his daughter; had he been able to think rationally, he could have asked her what she was doing with the men and not have taken his own personal vengeance on them!

I also believe that he called his police friends and turned himself in, knowing the last trip to his wife's grave, with Yeo Jon, would be his last for quite awhile.

The film's ending, with Yeo Jin desperately trying to catch up with her father in his car but spinning out after only one driving lesson is perfect, although I didn't at first. Both of their futures were changed by unanticipated turns f events.

I hope some young, free-thinking director in the future gets the two main cast members together again, and have him tell us what happened after years of prison for the father and years of isolation of his daughter, Yeo Jin...or did she find someone to trust and live happily with while 'daddy' was in prison?

I also liked Yeo Jin's dream just before the driving lesson, another example of Yeo Jin seeking forgiveness for what she allowed happen to jae Young! Again, I see more and more religious motifs every time I watch this movie.

There are 'images' in the film that also appear to point toward this as well, with under-aged prostitution and her father's self-serving justice being only the dressing for the more important underlying themes of redemption and penance.

As a Religious Studies major, I feel that is the reason that I fell in love wit this movie, from the first time i saw it!

The imagery (cinematography) is somewhat jagged but this adds to the story rather than detracting from it, and the music was fine for the scenes in which it was used.

The main cast members, the two girls at first and then Yeo Jin and her father in the last segments, acted perfectly, making their pairing in the segments play very well, with you believing the relationships as being real.

The support cast all did their parts as well, with their acting adding to the main story lines and making the main casts' work all the more believable.

My major complaint is that I would like for father and daughter to have talked, and possibly coe to some other conclusion.

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely, and watch for all the religious iconography in the film from start to finish!

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"You Should Say Something Wise"....Ma Yuan - "Shut Up"

I would recommend you NOT watch this movie.

If I had known this was a Jackie Chan movie, I would have skipped it completely.

He is not funny, he is lousy in martial arts, and he is a pain in the butt, according to his co-stars.

Even so, I guess that I am gong to have to buy this movie as well; I buy each and every one of his movies because they are so bad!

When I have friends over, I always show one of his movies to show how BAD his acting and kung fu really is!

(Someone has to show people how bad Jackie and his movies really are!)

The cinematography was terrible; the music was terrible and the actors, main and support, are all terrible.

Especially, Yamaguchi (Ikeuchi Hiroyuki); the actors playing Yuko (Zhang Lan Xin) and Huang Yi Feng (Na Wei) probably had to get rabies shots after the one scene was filmed with him...Terrible!

Also, do not watch this movie is you have a bad heart; you could DIE from not laughing while watching this movie!

RE-WATCH: only to show your friends how bad of an actor Jackie Chan is!

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1993 versions of this story were better, in my opinion...

I agree with everything said by the first person to write a review here: The Butterfly...

There was also too much 'choose your side' moments in this movie; to would have been better to stick to the original story rather than add to it, as this one tried.

The 1993 versions placed more emphasis on the love story rather than the political story, which I believe were better.

The two main cast were great, in their acting and in their showing attraction/affection to each other, but the director tried to "rush" the love portion of this movie.

Some of the other support actors, although they were sufficient and all, had their parts re-written in this version of the telling of the great story from which they it came. Although, they did their parts well, and added mostly to the overall theme and support to the movie and the main cast, the script itself that they followed left many holes that no one even tried to fill nearer the end: first they were wanted; then they were forgiven.

The other main problem is that the director, Jacob Cheung, couldn't decide whether he wanted to make a martial arts/'carve-them-up" movie, a love story movie or a political movie; and since he tried to do all three, the movie failed miserably!

This could have been a great war movie, if properly developed; a great love movie, if properly developed; or a great political movie, if properly developed. However, none of these options were fully developed and that is why most reviews on the Internet give it a low rating, as I am.

It seems that all Chinese movie are pushing the "either you are For Us (China) Or Against Us" mentality over the last decade: I wonder if President Xi or the infamous party he belongs to had anything to do with this turn toward the "FUOAU" mentality?

I don't think that I really have to answer that question: President Xi became most prominent political leader in China, since 2012, two years before this movie was made.

I loved the cinematography and music, probably because I thought it fit well with the scenes where it was added: I did like the ending music as well.

I loved the costumes and such, giving it an appearance of a time when most in China were all poor, except the Palace people.
It is important to remember WHY the people were so poor then: greedy Ming Dynasty politicians...

I disliked how the events were rushed through; more time should have been spent to fully develop the scenes and the cast members and their outlook, giving us a better understanding of WHY they did what they did...

For example, first Wudong disowned Liang, then they offered the fight with him; no discussion of his actions in between the two actions or why they changed their minds.

What is funny: most reviews say that the red pills (delivered by Liang) killed the emperor and Liang becomes a wanted man; in reality, the head eunuch and not the emperor took the red pills, so why does everyone keep saying that the red pills killed the emperor?

I want to give a special mention to the character of Ke Ping Ting (Tong Yao): she seemed to be the only cast member that wasn't out for money or power; she simply wanted to be loved and begged Liang not to kill her father, chief eunuch Wei Zhongxian ((Ni Dahong) after the incident in the palace ; she is the ONLY ONE that actually thought about someone else besides herself, besides the male/female main cast, in this movie!

Today's directors should take lessons from the late director Akira Kurosawa, and his Seven Samurai movie: develop the movie and don's leave any loose ends in the telling of it!

Even though The Butterfly was right in her assertion, I still think that this is worth a re-watch occasionally.

RE-WATCH VALUE: moderate, but there are so many better love movies to watch out there!

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Another couple defeated for not being able to communicate of sacrifice for each other!

This is another example of the superb programming of the KBS Drama series from Korea...

Chae Ha Kyung (Hong Soo Hyun) divorced her husband after only three weeks of marriage, due to both of them being immature and unable to communicate.

Five years later, she is a successful wedding planner with a promotion ready to come to her in a different city, after one last job where she started her chosen career.

The last local job is for the daughter Eun Min Se (Fujii Mina) of a very, very important investor to the wedding business she works for,. Although the young client is hard to handle, Ha Kyung handles her firmly but gently, knowing that her 'pie-in-the-sky' wedding plans she wanted would be changed before the actual big day arrived.

However, Ha Kyung is thrown a curve ball after only a few days into helping Min Se: the young lady's groom is none other than the man, Seo In Jae (Kim Ji Han), she divorced five years ago but still had feelings for.

She later finds out that he hasn't changed his door pass code (her birthday), he still has photos of her in his apartment and he still has her 'cheap' wedding ring he bought for her.

While helping Min Se. she starts thinking about all that went wrong five years ago: she was concerned about her mom buying expensive gifts for his family, but she didn't get anything in return; she gave him a lot of money; but got nothing in return; he bought her mom a fancy gift, but not her. His parents gave them a house in his name, but she is going to have to help pay the remainder of it off . He wouldn't ever let her inquire about a more expensive ring, and she still thinks that he bought her a cheap one. She was making more then than he was at the time; MONEY and equity were her shortcomings!

As far as In Jae, he admits to her that he was still a kid back then, he used to have to win unimportant battles with her and others and he was very insecure in the relationship with her. More importantly, he wanted her with him in the evenings, but her job as a manager made her routinely have to go into work at this time. He couldn't communicate his wants and needs at the time to her, his new wife!

More importantly, neither of them wanted to 'compromise' or 'communicate' about their problems and insecurities; they were too immature at the time.

Newlyweds cannot always spend the money they want on each other when they first marry; not can they always do want the other wants them to do, especially if they haven't matured completely yet.

We see these themes through other Korean and Asian movies as well, and everyone can learn that life’s little lessons can be found in these movies; this and Fall In Love Like A Star (2015), Jenny and Juno (2005), My Fuxxxxx Romance (2020), Ang Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy, The Library (2013), and especially On Your Wedding Day (2018) and My Love (2021),,,those mentioned movies where the couples or families (or group) practiced tolerance, self-sacrifice and communicated with each other found peace and harmony - with the individual's sacrifice for the others(s) in their lives!

The main cast were great and portrayed a couple who looked like they belonged together and showed mutual affection to each other once they were re-united; the support cast also performed their parts well and added to the
main cast telling of the story.

Min Se was bubbly as her ex-husbands new love interest and was used by the director to verbally say many things that Ha Kyung finally realized was true about marriage, things she wished she had grown to realize - five years ago when she was just married!

Although others reviewing this movie didn't think the music was significant to the story, it was perfect, adding ambiance and setting the mood for the individual scenes throughout (I am learning to pay more attention to this aspect of cinema!).

The cinematography was excellent and I just loved the church that was chosen to at out the last of the movie.

As the movie progressed, everyone is rooting for the two to get back together, since they have matured

I fell in love with this movie the first time i saw it, and I rate it at the same level as More Than Blue (2009), Wedding Dress (2010), Seven Samurai (1954) and the much under-rated Mural (2011).

My only suggestion for improving this movie is adding another 10-15 minutes in order to better explain some of the scenes of the movie, scenes that didn't explain themselves well.

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

A word of advice: do not leave your seat or turn the movie off until after all the credits have ran; you will miss a very important part of the movie if you do!

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Three females escape their reality for a brief time...and find new family members!

I really enjoyed this drama it wasn't overly complicated and had funny moments;it was a cute movie about three females escaping their reality for a brief time period...if the scriptwriters could keep the momentum going, this would make a great drama series as well!

This movie also shows that 'family' is not always blood..

The grave misunderstanding just made the story so hilarious yet emotional; the sad part is that Chairman Yoon (Jo Young-Jin) was so out of touch with his daughter that he allowed the situation to become so bad to begin with...men should understand that birthdays, anniversaries et al, are important to ladies.

I love the chemistry between all the actresses; the dram part, the comedy, the underlying lesson, the friendships that developed, the understanding that the men acquired after the women ran away, in effect EVERYTHING!

This is heartwarming film with its unexpected twists and turns, while being quite funny as well! The screenwriters more than earned their salaries putting together this movie!

The main cast acted as if they were actually quite good together, and it reminded me of how real women I know act when they get together and have a girls' night out. The support cast also did an excellent job and more than supported the main story presented by the interaction of the three main female cast.

Soo Ji (Seo Yea Ji), Kim Yeo Jin (Jang Hee Jin) and Hyung Ja (Park Hae Mi) all have various reasons for running away; two of them their home lief an the third, Yeo-Jin, is escaping a tyrannical and abusive boss.

They all are victims of men who don't appreciate their individual talents and they are all being forced into situations which they detest.

On different platforms, there was talk about the female playing Soo-JI (Seo Yea Ji) being in her mid-20s,playing a high school student; All you have to do with a good-looking female is change her hairstyle, clothes and makeup.... and through 'acting' older or younger she can pass herself off for a wide range of 'age' in a movie.

That is how a female actress can play any certain character for a motion picture which requires the main or support actress to BECOME a younger or older person to fit into her role (showing the passage of time in a movie or drama), especially if the director/script requires it.

Also, 20-25 year olds portray "teenagers" in American soap operas (A 'soap opera' or 'soap' for short is a radio or television serial dealing especially with domestic situations and frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers in the early days of American radio] The term was preceded by “Horse opera”.)

Asian "dramas" are basically Eastern 'soap operas' themselves.

The story of this short movie was really nice. From 3 different strangers turned into family and best friends. Worth it to watch.

The music was just right and the cinematography was all-around perfect. I also like the way that the men working for the Chairman used the public security cameras to trace the women; however, I felt it was cold and inappropriate the use of a tracer on Hyung Ja's phone. I don't believe that spouses should ever do that!

This movie reminds me of the problem that developed in "The Closet" (2020) where the father Sang Won had a problem relating to his daughter Si Na after his wife died unexpectedly, or "Eat Drink Man Woman" (1994) where Chef Chu couldn't relate with his daughters after his wife died as well. In all these films, the characters did not really realize how important a person (their wives) were until they were gone!

I deducted 0.5 points overall only due to the corny over-acting of Chairman Yoon in his last scene; he could have said teh same thing in only half the time the director gave him to say what he said!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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Whatever you do , DO NOT WATCH THIS SERIES!

If you watch this series and are in bad health, you may have a heart attack - from laughing...

If you have a heart attack and live through it, you may try to sue me....

Since I am poor, you won't get anything from me....

That will make BOTH OF US MAD!


Both Park Kyu Tae (Choi Woo Shik) and Sung Gi Jae (Jang Ki Yong) are terrible actors with absolutely no chemistry between them here; therefore, why would you WANT to watch this series anyway?

Kim Min Ah (Jang Hee Ryung) is really, really ugly and contributes absolutely nothing to the main plot, about two guys who everyone 'thinks' are gay! Again, why would you want to watch this series anyway?

The rest of the support cast are also terrible and contribute absolutely nothing to the main story in this series... why would you want to watch this series anyway?

I hate the cinematography, music and most of all the main cast members, since everyone thinks they are gay...

The series takes so long anyway to watch, a whopping 1 hour and half, and a few minutes...which most people, such as you, would never finish anyway...

By the way, the two main male leads are also terrible lip-synchers!

If you do watch this and pee your pants for laughing too hard, don't blame me ' I tried to warn you!

Then again, I may be totally wrong on most of the above...

If I am wrong, sue me then...you still won't get any money from me!


P.S. Choi Woo Shik is also terrible in another series, called Ho-Gu's Love (2015); do not watch it, either!

RE-WATCH VALUE: If I were to re-watch it, I wouldn't tell you!

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WARNING: Do not watch this movie by yourself, unless you have one and a half boxes of tissue handy!

I did like this movie over Middle Student A, but the director, Luo Luo, left a few unanswered questions at the end of this one.

WARNING: Do not watch this movie by yourself, unless you have on and a half boxes of tissue handy!

(I just LOVE the idiots who 'edit' movies like this, trying to change the outcome or such; I originally wrote this review after seeing the 1 hr, 34 min version of this movie online; however, after finding the full movie of 1:43, a few of the dandling ends were found!)

First of all, my compliments to the director for taking a chance on so many new faces in making a movie like this; only one of the support females had any experience in movies prior.

I also want to give a compliment to Vivian Wu the veteran actress who played Yi Yao's mother, Lin Huo Feng; if i had a way of contacting her, I would like to ask her if her response after finding out how her daughter got her 'ailment' was improvised or not. Her response was something that a veteran actress would have improvised if it was not in the script!

She played a great support role in this movie; turning her daughter away when she thought the kid just wanted new things, but became a very caring mother after finding out the real need for the money! I do not blame mother one bit in telling her to wear last year's uniform to school. I also understand her asking Yi Yao not to come around at her place of work.

I don't see her mother as being ashamed of her, as much as I see the mother being ashamed of what life has given her after losing her middle-class family life when Yi Yao was younger.

My main criticism of this movie is so many unanswered questions at the end that were left dangling or not answered at all.

Young school girl Yi Yao (Ren Min) went from being part of a middle-class family (shown through a flashback) to going up with a mother struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for the two of them. Luo Luo could have added a minute or two on the movie in explaining what befell the two females.

The next-door neighbor boy in the same grade, Qi Ming (Zhao Ying Bo) was nice to her and fed her and looked after her, even stealing for her. However, Qi Ming is also cute and also a model student at the top of his class.

Everything was on a level where most situations could be handled; but the movie needed some adversary to happen!

Two twins, [Gu} Sen Xi (Xin Yun Lai) and his twin sister [Gu] Sen Xiang (Zhang Ruo Nan,) appear at Yi Yao's school; Sen Xiang has been seen by Yi Yao before, but she denies it.

However, Sen Xiang develops a crush on Qi Ming, and follows Yi Yao to a shady part of town, and stats a vicious rumor about the young girl who is struggling inside already.

In dealing with wife and child abuse, those who have been 'abused' in the past are those who continue the cycle of abuse; while Sen Xi tries to start a relationship with Yi Yao, his movie sister reinforces her inner struggles the only way she knows how, and Yi Yao is her victim! Others join in on what they think is easy fun!

However, Sen Xi teaches Yi Yao to stand up for herself, and the students get some of their own medicine back!

Unfortunately, things get worse for Yi Yao!

I liked the topic being addressed by a mainstream movie, but I wish the characters would have been developed better; another 10-15 minutes could have meant a better movie!

The main characters I felt actually acted as if they were high school students and the chemistry, for so little time together were good!

The support cast made the main cast look good and made the movie flow well, as in real life! I already complimented the senior actress Vivian Wu for their support role!

The movie has a couple of "twists" in it that I didn't see coming; I will let you find those out yourself!

For a brief moment after the mother pays for her ailment to be healed, Yi Yao can hold her head up proudly at school, knowing her mother's true feelings about her, and she witnesses one of the students who bullied her get the same treatment; but of course, this is the calm before the storm!

Th ending really sucked! Much is basically left up in the air.

First, whether or not Yi Yao dies is a question that most people watching this movie want to know later. I even had to refer to the original manga to find out myself.

The tables are turned on one of the main female characters near the end of the movie and it does not really give any setup for what happened, and the followup that happened (if you blink, you will miss it!)

I was able to hold my tears until the speech Yi Yao gives Qi Ming after the class trip to the museum (1:05:00 on), where she told him that she wanted to be one of the girls who used tampons with scent (not generic!)...i grew up as poor as Yi Yao did, and I know where she is coming from!

No reason is given for the death of one of the main female leads near the end of the movie; as I said, another 10-15 minutes could have answered this question for all!

Other unresolved plot twists with no further info:

Near the end of the movie, Sen Xi tells Yi Yao that his sister Sen Xiang is going to Australia as an exchange student for the next three months;

The parents of Qi Ming are devastated by the death of one of the female leads right after that...was Qi Ming 'connected" to her in any way, or was he the reason she was going to Australia as an exchange student?

(Actually, I was glad that Qi Ming's mother got taken down a notch or two.)

Why did anyone suspect Yi Yao as being involved with the death of the other female lead? The only clue was someone dragging a pipe on the concrete; Yi Yao didn't need a pipe to whoop another female's butt if it needed whooping!

The other person who was listed as a main female cast member Tang Xiao Mi (Zhu Dan Ni, who wasn't a main cast member, since she didn't show up until the last few scenes of the movie) received a phone call about the time of the death; only one other very brief screen mentions this as the credits are rolling!)...was she the one that killed the other female lead, and why?

It showed a news reel of " Tang, less than eighteen years old, committed the crime..." Did she kill the other female lead?

This could have easily been a '10' movie, but there were so many unanswered questions at the end before the credits rolled.

I cried again when Yi Yao was attempting to scrub the graffiti off the concrete and crying - though I don't know what the graffiti said!

Why did Yi Yaos' mother move out of the ghetto? How did Yi Yao's mother move out of the ghetto? Was it with the money she was saving for Yi Yao?

Sen Xi changed schools; did he move somewhere in China? Or did he take his sister's place as the exchange student?

Did Yi Yao die? Or did Sen Xi talk to a ghost in the end?

Did the ghost of Yi Yao smile at the sight of Qi Ming in the last scene?

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Part 2 of Director Ang Lee trilogy on "Father Knows Best"

Director Lee’s trilogy ("Father Knows Best") in bringing together family members to create tension and tender comedic moments shine in this trio of PUSHING HANDS (1991), THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993). and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994).


I knew that this movie was going to be at least 'good' movie when i saw the part where Wai Tung Gao (Winston Chao) and Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0509033/ ), his gay lover made up the "requirements " for his future wife that was sent to Tung Gao's mother Mrs. Gao (Gui Ya Lei) and I knew it was going to be a"great" movie when his mother comes back in the next scene finding a female that met the two lovers' "outrageous" requirements of a potential wife!

As i said in the review of "Pushing Hands" review, Ang Lee has a tendency of throwing you a "twist" near his movie's end when you think you have the movie figured out already. However, this movie has TWO "twists" in it, but I am not telling you what they are!

Trust me, both of the remaining part of this trilogy (including this one) are no exception as far as plot twists!

The main characters are great at making you believe that they are actually living the life of their characters in this movie; and the support cast is also very good and believable, including Mrs. Gao and her husband Mr. Gao (Lung Sihung from "Pushing Hands"). I especially like Mr. Gao's playing 'dumb' in this movie; believe me, he isn't!

The parents actually find out what is actually taking place; as most parents usually do!

The rest of the support cast are also believable in their roles, lending their support for making the main cast seem more legitimate.

The music is not overbearing and helps set the mood at various places in the movie. The cinematography is also very good in this movie.

I like the two male leads in their attempt to fool Tung Gao's parents, and I just LOVE the parents actually showing that they were not born yesterday!

Wei Wei (Kao Chin Su-mei /Chin Su-mei/May Chin/Ciwas) put on a great performance as the love-struck renter and bride of Tung Gao; too bad she retired from acting and became a politician. She is part of the "twists" of Ang Lee's direction in this movie as well!

This movie may be watched as a separate movie or as a part of Ang Lee's trilogy; either way, it is a great movie that should make Ang Lee proud for decades to come!

It is available for free online.

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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Part 1 of Director Ang Lee trilogy on "Father Knows Best"

Director Lee’s trilogy ("Father Knows Best") in bringing together family members to create tension and tender comedic moments shine in this trio of Pushing Hands (1991), The Wedding Banquet (1993). and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994).

The movie begins with senior Mr Chu (Lung Sihung, who is in all three of this trilogy) trying to pass his day without getting in the way of his daughter-in-law Martha Chu (Deb Snyder, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0811438/), who is suffering physical and psychiatric problems after her father-in-law has lived with her and her husband/his son Alex Chu (Wang Bo Zhao) for only a month.

Neither senior Mr. Chu or Mrs. Chu are really trying to do anymore than "tolerate" each other. Mrs. Chu doesn't eat right and she cannot tolerate his Chinese traditional movies, and senior Mr. Chu spends his time "Pushing Hands" Tai Chi and watching traditional Chinese movies without headphones and getting on his daughter-in-law's nerves, causing her writer's bloc on her second book.

Junior Mr. Chu is stuck in the middle, trying to see both of his loved one's viewpoint but doesn't have the time to do any more than 'referee' his Significant Others' relationship with each other; he has worked hard in college and also now in his job to provide for his family and to bring his father (senior Chu) to America after years of his father's working hard to get him, his son, through college. He believes in his filial piety of caring for his father in his father's old age.

Caught in the middle of the adults' love-hate triangle is senior Mr. Chu's grandson, Jeremy Chu (Haan Lee) who only sees glimpses of the three adults interacting in the afternoon after school and on weekends. He misunderstands his grandfather's diagnosing people with his ancient Chinese techniques, thinking he is hurting them instead.

A couple of unrelated incidents causes Mr. Chen to try to set his father up with another older Chinese lady, who escaped to Taiwan with her former husband after the Communist takeover of the mainland.

Mr. Chu, realizing his effect on his son's household, takes off for NYC and gets a job and small apt here. I will let you find out what happens next when you watch the movie.


I love this movie since Ang Lee likes to place "twists" near the end of his movies, changing everything around; you know nothing about what is going to happen until director Ang Lee pulls his switch-a-roo on you!\

The main characters are believable in their roles, especially junior Mr. Chu, who becomes more troubled as his wife and father continue to butt heads together every day.

Support characters also pass themselves off as competent, adding depth to the developing main characters as they interact with them in this movie. Special mention should be made of the main female support actress, Wang Lai, who appears as Mrs. Chen a widowed cooking instructor at the Chinese neighbor center and 'wiggles' her cooking class into sharing the gym where senior Mr. Chu's Tai Chi classes are being held!

I had already seen the last two parts of this 3-part series and both of them have plot twists near the end: Ang Lee did not fail me here,, as this movie also has a plot twist that changes everything you thought you knew about what might happen next!

The music is really good, being used as a segway in some places; also, the cinematography is great as well: you find yourself in a world by and for Chinese expats where young professional Chinese are able to live the American way but still hold on to many of the traditional Chinese values that they want their children to obtain and imparted by their older relative expats.

My only complaint is that it would had been a '10' movie had Mr. Lee had invested in more time (ie, longer movie) telling us about the main characters, letting us see why certain things happened the way they did.

All in all, I recommend all three of these movies if you ever have time, love family movies or love plot twists near the end!

I have already watched other films by Ang Lee, including the last two of this trilogy an others; I just wasn't aware of his being their director or how talented his directing was!

This movie may be watched as a separate movie or as a part of Ang Lee's trilogy; either way, it is a great movie that should make Ang Lee proud for decades to come!

It is available for free online.

Re-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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