Completed
Girl Dorm
0 people found this review helpful
3 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Girl Dorm is One of The Movies I've Seen in My Life!

I love being the first person to review movies on here because it usually means 1 of 2 things:
1- It's a super unheard of hidden gem!!!!
2- (more likely) it's not worth paying attention to.

The first spooky thing to happen in this 90-minute "suspenseful" horror movie is at 9 minutes at 13 seconds in. Petty? Absolutely. I was promised a horror movie, bring me the actual horror, other than the way this girl does laundry. Yeesh, who taught you folding?

If you're going to advertise a horror movie, please let there be something more scary than an old mom calling MULTIPLE TIMES FOR NO REASON (as far as we know at this time).
"I hate that you're going to school so far away. Do you like your dorm?"
"I'm on the bus."
"I hate that you're on the bus so far away. What's your dorm like?"
There, just saved you several minutes of generic mom-who-cares-too-much dialogue. You're welcome.

Second Scare: 10 minutes 28 seconds. Main girl does not notice, as per the rules of horror movies. Ultimately, the entire first quarter of the movie is taken up by our girl exploring the dorm and being absolutely stunned at the twin beds, washing machine, shower stalls, and cafeteria. Riveting. She's the only person in the entire dorm which, besides being completely unbelievable, is also a massive waste of money and electricity. Why have lunch staff for ONE PERSON, and then have them say there's no food but she can have leftovers from lunch? Left over from WHAT? WHOOOOOOO?

Spoiler, obviously. But they're NOT ALONE.

Anyway, for all you insomniacs out there, add this to your playlist to save on medication, otherwise it could also have value as a teaching moment for future movie makers. Please understand that there's a reason build-up of tension does not usually run for a large part of the movie. We need to CARE about this girl, and fast, so that we have someone to cheer for. Sad to say, I think her mom should have kept her at home.

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All Men Are Brothers
2 people found this review helpful
5 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
All Men Are Brothers was a sequel to The Water Margin (1972) and loosely related to Delightful Forest. Having shown great restraint in The Water Margin, Chang Cheh reverted to form and brought out the Buckets O’ Blood and high body counts in All Men Are Brothers.

Along the lines of “I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord,” David Chiang’s character plays a tune for the Emperor of Song. The emperor is so taken with his music that he declares he will pardon the Heroes of Liangshan if they can destroy the rebel Emperor Fang La. The heroes begin their quest with great success but also at a great cost. Finally, all that is left is to breach Fang’s fortress walls and bring him down. After a failed attempt, a Fellowship of the Sword is assembled with Yan Qing, Black Whirlwind, Tattooed Dragon, Fearless One, White Stripe, Sun Er Niang, and Zhang Qing. The seven heroes enter the fortress in order to spy on their enemy and determine how to help the Liangshan army get through the gates. Black Whirlwind, whose heart is bigger than his brain, starts a domino effect that results in tragedy.

As short as The Water Margin was on action and death, All Men Are Brothers was long. The film kept the swordplay coming though it began to follow a repetitive and predictable pattern. The same four fight choreographers worked on this film-Tang Chia, Lau Kar Leung, Lau Kar Wing, and Chan Chuen. The fights were much better in this film, at least most of them. David Chiang’s wrestling moves still made very little sense to me. Chen Kuan Tai’s fight used a variety of weapons and moves and as usual, he knew how to sell them. Bolo made an appearance as an evil general decked out in a leopard caveman shirt. Poor Black Whirlwind learned the lesson, “never play another man’s game” too late during their fight. There was also a fight in deep water with swimmers against warriors with spears in boats that appeared inherently dangerous for those involved.

Fan Mei Sheng dominated every scene he was in with his enthusiasm. He all but said, “Hulk smash!” as he gleefully swung his axes in battle. Chen Kuan Tai was able to join the fun in this film after being sidelined in the last, just like Danny Lee. Ti Lung still had very little to do until the end and was still in that awful wig. Though they kept trying to focus on David Chiang’s character, I found his performance uninteresting. The last two of the seven were bland and barely registered though I was happy a woman made the team. Ku Feng once again played Welcome Rain, a leader who felt the loss of each warrior serving under him.

The sets were enormous for the keep, though not as intricately designed as The Water Margin’s sets, it was above and beyond normal SB fare. Shaw Tower, the famous pagoda, made a cameo appearance in this film for an early battle. Once again, the cast of extras was quite numerous. Thankfully, the awful contemporary music from the first film was replaced with a more organic sound. The ‘chicka-chicka-chow’ Shaft effect was still used around David Chiang’s character though.

All Men Are Brothers lacked the subtlety of its predecessor with bodies covered in #2 red finger paint and dropping like flies. Perhaps it was more realistic to paint the cost of war in blood. Or it could have just been Chang Cheh being Chang Cheh. As always, I grade these older niche films on a curve.

28 March 2024

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The Water Margin
2 people found this review helpful
12 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
The Water Margin was based on the famous 14th century novel of the same name. Overly ambitious and only partly successful, the story covered chapters 64-68 in the book. Shaw Brothers brought out its stars for this 2-hour extravaganza.

When Brother Chao is killed by The Golden Spear, the Liangshan gang of righteous outlaws vows revenge. The only problem, Shi Wen Gong is too tough for any of their fighters to confidently defeat. Timely Rain decides they should call upon the Jade Unicorn and The Prodigy to take him down. Two of the members attempt to trick Lu Chun I into helping them but he sees through them with the aid of Yen Ching. Before he can send the two outlaws home, his adulterous wife and her lover set him up with the corrupt Grand Secretary Liang. While everyone escapes, Lu is captured. The Heroes of Liangshan won’t abandon an honorable man who is suffering because of them and the race is on to save his life before he is executed.

This synopsis sounds interesting and it was once the story got rolling, but it was a tediously slow start. The movie spent 12 minutes briefly introducing characters-27 of them! But that’s not all! The introductions kept going. I counted 46 actors introduced as important characters. It could make the mind reel, especially since most of the heroes don’t show up again until briefly at the end for the final fight. Despite the number of characters, the primary focus was on Lu and Yen Ching. Welcome/Timely Rain, Clever Star, Black Whirlwind, and the Fearless One were also integral to the story. Leopard Man/Lin Chong had fights at the beginning and end of the movie.

David Chiang as The Prodigy was an interesting choice. He has legions of fans, I have just never warmed up to him much in these old films. His fights were underwhelming. Yen Ching’s ability meant he barely touched men and they flipped through the air which seemed odd coming from such a slight actor. The stuntmen earned their money twirling and flopping from what looked like imaginary contact at times. Tamba Tetsuro was far more intimidating as the Jade Unicorn. Ku Feng as Timely Rain was truly welcome for me, he’s one of my favorites. Wang Chung threw himself into the energetic role of Fearless. The final fight pitted five of the heroes and their different styles against five of Shi Wen Gong’s men. The two Japanese actors, Tamba Tetsuro and Kurosawa Toshio also had their chance to face off. For 1972, the fights weren’t bad. Some were clearly better than others and more realistically gory.

Shaw Brothers opened up their check book for this film. The cast of stars may have been large but the cast of extras involved was huge. There were three directors and two assistants (John Woo and Godfrey Ho) along with four fight choreographers.
The sets were massive and the costumes were unique for the different characters although poor Ti Lung had a laughably bad outfit and wig. The biggest drawback for me was the soundtrack. It was wildly anachronistic, synthetic music sounding like it came off of a 1970’s US cop show with hints of Shaft and Clint Eastwood westerns thrown in. Somehow if didn’t match up to this ancient story. And story is what this movie had going for it once it actually started. Unlike the hundreds of thinly plotted kung fu films churned out by Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, Water Margin had layers of story within it. There were times it could be repetitive, the Jade Unicorn was rescued and captured several times and the Heroes of Liangshan weren’t always well coordinated in their efforts which nearly led to tragic events. It also seemed pointless to spend so much time introducing the heroes when most of them were never seen again or only briefly at the end of the movie.

If you go into The Water Margin with the understanding that most of the characters in the lengthy introduction will have little to no screen time, it will help. The focus was on Lu being wrongfully charged with a crime and the efforts to clear or rescue him with the revenge against Shi served up for dessert. Though this was epic for a Shaw Brothers production, it will still only be of interest to fans of old martial arts movies or maybe those fans of the novel.

28 March 2024

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What Did You Eat Yesterday?
1 people found this review helpful
13 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

Food and Love

There's something incredibly beautiful about watching two people already in love developing their relationship, handling issues together and just being incredibly in love. It's even better with food.

There isn't anything to say when asked what I didn't like, it's just that sort of wholesome vibe you get when you see a couple who've been together for a while and are just comfortably in love now. Yes, they have their issues big and small, but you get to watch with the confidence that there isn't going to be some overly dramatic, long drawn out fight. You can watch with the confidence that the only overly dramatic moments will be their reactions.

Above anything else, it tackles a lot of relevant and personal issues with a lot of nuance and sensibility. I loved seeing that.

A really sweet movie and a worthy sequel.

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You Are My Sunshine
4 people found this review helpful
15 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Magnificent balancing act of intense emotions. Old school production without high-gloss polish.

"You are my Sunshine" is the international title of this KMovie from 2005 - named after the US country song of the same name from the 1930s. However, the original title is "You are my destiny". Regardless, both are working. The Plot is based on a true story that happened in Yeosu around 2001.

It's about prejudice. About the socially doubtful binding norm and where it is actually coming from. And it's about a man who, fortunately, cares less about what others say and trusts more in what he feels and believes is right. So this is about a positive role model of a man - a man who noticeably sets himself apart from the crowd who dominate the image of men here: Men who buy women, men who buy women abroad as wives, men who beat women without hesitation, men who infect women with AIDS (and don't tell them), men who won't let go of women, see them as possessions and unrestrainedly abuse them... There are the many completely 'normal', 'socially valued' men , husbands, fathers, whose behavior is simply outrageous. As if it were a matter of course, they set the standard of what is right, they set the tone... and yet deny any responsibility.

It's also about love. The sunny, courageous, positive message is embodied by a man who loves sincerely and unconditionally. However, he is generally considered naive. The cattle farmer is considered a hillbilly and a bit peculiar. Not just because he talks to his cow, but because he keeps the word he gave to the woman he loves and stands by what he feels. He is different. (Although, his attitude towards life, women, animals and nature could be considered quite progressive, too...)

And the woman? The female Protagonist could see herself as a victim. On top of that, she might be ashamed of her life. But despite everything that made her tainted and even 'leper' in her life as a prostitute, she was able to keep her soul pure inside. She is straight and clear, she doesn't deceive herself and above all she doesn't get her hopes up, because she knows life as it is - for women like her.

Life in the country is plain, ordinary, vulgar, simple. Also sensually grounded in the changing seasons. Although the ideal of pure, white skin is held high, the story instead focuses on the stigma of the tainted and tanned skin. The everyday scenario of bruises and violets from beating men as well as the darker Filipino and Vietnamese (versus light, pure South Korean) skin of purchased wives thematically dominate here. Finally, it´s about fear of AIDS (spots). That's the rural reality.

Nevertheless, there is this down-to-earth man who puts love above everything else – in good times and in bad... he´s honest, sincere, reliable, devoted, lovable. And there is this woman who can and wants to get involved... until her past catches up with her...

Two wonderful leading actors. Pure KMovie. Intense. Feels lifelike with a deep impact. A magnificent balancing act of conflicting emotions.

Old school production, though. Without high-gloss polish.

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Everyday I Love You
0 people found this review helpful
15 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Real Love is Letting Your Girl Pursue Her Dreams

I watched this in 2015 but I never really appreciated this movie until now. Also, watching this in 2024 feels oddly satisfying. I feel like the real relationship of LizQuen is closest to this fictional couple among all the couples they played (second being the couple from Alone Together) as I get the impression that Liza and Enrique are both passionate in filmmaking and making shows and Enrique is selfless in how he loves Liza. They have good chemistry in all their movies, but the chemitry here is just really amazing. The way Enrique looks and speaks to Liza! Both Enrique and Liza portrayed their characters really well. I really enjoyed the love story, glad the girl Audrey chose someone (Ethan) who lets her be who she wants to be and dream what she wanted to do rather than someone who wants her to change. Wih Liza's hollywood career and both her and Enrique insisting they never broke up, I feel like Enrique's love to Liza is similar to the way Ethan loves Audrey in this movie, he encourages the girl to make her dreams come true and loves her for her true self. Plus he's willing to sacrifice his happiness just for the sake of her own. That's true love!
It may seem to some people that Audrey is cheating on Tristan (played by Gerald Anderson) with Ethan here, but I totally understand why she would fall for Ethan, Tristan was a really toxic boyfriend who wants Audrey to change for him and does not love her for who she is (unlike Ethan).

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I Saw the Devil
0 people found this review helpful
16 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

It's not really that good.

This movie is fcked up. It's a slow burn to get to the point of the whole movie. I expected more from this movie. Personally for a few scenes that I didn't really care for. It kind of wish they weren't in the movie but it is what it is. It's not as good as it was made out to be. The acting was solid. I mean I don't have much to say about the movie. A lot of people recommend it. I'm not sure what they liked about it but everyone has their own taste in movies. I started to get a little bored with it.
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Pipeline
0 people found this review helpful
16 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Easy watch

Seo In Guk and Lee Soo Hyuk are two of my favorites. This movie was full of humor, dirt, sweating, muscles, backstabbing, more humor and attractive men in designer suits. How can you go wrong? I can especially recommend this if you need a break from heavier fare. It wasn't groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoyed it for what it was.
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My Ex and Whys
0 people found this review helpful
17 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Liza and Enrique's Performances Make Up for the Movie's Imperfections

This is very enjoyable but not as good as Alone/Together among LizQuen movies. The acting between Liza and Enrique is very convincing. The movie is also an enjoyable watch for a lazy weekend. However, the basic point of the plot, Gio's "cheating", is not very convincing since he didn't really cheat but was only taken advantage of during a night when he was drunk. I understand that girls get hurt if guys lay down with other women even when they were drunk, but Cali breaking up with him and making her a man-hater because of it makes her character less admirable. I wish they made another scenario of how Gio would cheat on Cali (ex: being taken to a bar after a tiring and disappointing day at school or work where he was really tempted to sleep with another girl for comfort because he was really disappointed with what happened at school or work). However, the fact that Cali's dad cheated on her mom did help add to the pain of Cali as well as make her man-hating personality develop more.
I wish the film was less "racist" though. How could a film be filmed in South Korea and then call a Korean character Kimmychi (joke on kimchi food)? While this mistake can be forgivable since Kimmychi maybe just a term of endearment from her boyfriend, using the term "slanted eyes" is just a little bit too much.
3.5 over 5 for Liza and Enrique's performance and for it being an enjoyable film for me to watch. A Korean person might however find this film a bit offensive.

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If Cats Disappeared From the World
0 people found this review helpful
17 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

The Perfect Japanese Art Film - A Must Watch

This film that will remind viewers of love and loss, but also guide us to appreciate what is special and beautiful in life. Especially cats.
Eight years on from its release, "If Cats Disappeared From The World" maintains its gentle, existentialist, and esoteric appeal, as a possible Japanese homage to Ingmar Bergman's cinematic masterpiece, "The Seventh Seal" (a knight plays chess with Death on the beach), while staying true to Japanese social culture.
Satoh Takeru has enjoyed a powerful career since this film, and is renowned for tackling emotive roles that other actors might find difficult: he can weep big, manly tears and in the same scene, ponder the magical wonder of the universe. And that, my friends, is why he is so in demand today as "The Actor's Actor" and the intellectual person's sex symbol. He turned 35 just a few days ago and has already amassed an amazing acting portfolio. He's headed for Hollywood: watch that space.
Here, the dialogue is beautifully restrained; the music punctuates the scenes with pulsing electronica and gentle piano in alternate scenes of joyful youth and inevitable tragedy. Satoh skillfully balances dual roles, capturing the essence of a dying postman and his irreverent alter ego, amid flashback scenes highlighting the cycle of life.

*** THANK YOU FOR READING! "Follow" to be notified of more reviews. Enjoy! ~Fumiyawagi

28 March 2024

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Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman
0 people found this review helpful
by Judo
18 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Superb and fun to watch..
Hope to get sequel with the same cast for this movie..

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The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion
0 people found this review helpful
19 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Très bon Film

Un 10/10 pour la partie un . c’est un très bon film, si vous aimez bien les films d’actions je vous le conseille. Tout était parfait , les acteurs, les scènes d’action et de de combats rien à dire . Coups de cœur pour l’actrice principale Kim Da Mi ( elle joue tellement bien ) et Choi Woo Shik , meilleure duo. si vous aimez bien les deux acteurs je vous conseille de regarder ( our beloved Summer ) une pépite .
j’espère que la partie deux sera aussi intéressante comme dans la partie 1
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Leap
2 people found this review helpful
20 hours ago
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

Feel the thrill of every spike.

Sports movies always resonate with audiences, especially with the theme of striving to be the best and the story of the underdog. This movie does exactly that without any major flaws.

Instead of making this movie entirely about the volleyball legend Lang Ping, it gives more space that highlights the players during the training and the sports events that the team competes in. The shots and the editing are so impactful, making your attention glued to the screen from the moment it started until the end. The intensity increases steadily.

What amazes me the most about this movie is that the players are playing themselves. Even the young Lang Ping is played by her daughter, who’s also a volleyball player. Without a professional acting background, each player carried out their own story successfully. You can see and feel the honest emotion and reaction in every hardship they have gone through during training and every match they are playing. What’s even more amazing is the fact that players from the USA, Thailand, Japan, and Brazil teams appear in this movie rather than having actors portray them. This is a good approach in sports movies because when a professional athlete plays, the technique and style are more accurate and convincing than an actor who embodies someone’s character. I'm just stating the obvious.

The matches are well executed, as if the movie were a historical re-enactment itself. I can feel the adrenaline rush, as if I’m watching a real match instead of a movie. It makes this movie one of the best sports movies I have ever seen. This is a perfect-10 sports movie.

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We Love
1 people found this review helpful
1 day ago
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 2.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

red flag

this hardest jmovie I had to watch. the fl need some self love and some new friends. for the part of the show the two side friends of the fl and ml were not doing anything to stop what was going. there are not many ml that I hate but this one come straight to top of my list, from the way he treat the fl is disgusting, if really like he would do those things here.

there wasn’t not plot line of there was I didn’t see it

there was not much to note the music

overall : know you self worth and boundaries with other around you
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The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon
0 people found this review helpful
1 day ago
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

I once wandered aimlessly, on the dark night road.....

It is exactly what the synopsis says, but more. Go in blind.

Expect gory action, good cinematography and acting. But also surprising amount of psychological depth and many things left for interpretation.

How do people react to possibility of their own demise? Some cry, some laugh, some are calm, some chose death willingly, some fight to survive to the end.....people don't want to die, and faced with inevitable, they try to give their existence and demise some meaning. Knowing the reason why, or passing away thinking they did something good, trying to find inner peace.....Trying to secure salvation in the afterlife, or making sure they will leave a legacy in the mortal world.

In the end it's just various flavors of cope, because the end result is the same. But the movie doesn't judge which cope is better, it doesn't tell us the audience that "oh this death was pathetic" or "oh this death was awesome". The narrative is non-judgmental, perhaps it expects us the audience to do the judgement?

Also, on a less philosophical note, the mc prayed to Guan Yu, which for me as a european fan of three kingdoms is hilarious. I heard about cult of guan yu in china, but this is the first time I have actually seen it. Do you think if he prayed to Cao Cao or Lu Bu instead things would have ended up differently?

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