The finiteness of love and the infiniteness of loneliness...

The film's visually crafted around a very delicate topic at the beginning but turbulent at the end: love within marriage and love outside marriage - people often call it adultery. I wonder if love really exists in marriage. And outside of marriage, why can't there be love?

Mr. Chow is a normal man, polite and attentive to his wife - even though his wife is rarely at home for him to pay attention to. He had a sacred belief in fidelity. He believes that he always lives with boundaries and moderation and absolutely will not set eyes on married women. Mrs. So is an elegant, somewhat reserved woman who respects her husband - even though he is often not home to receive that respect. She is careful in communication, keeping her distance from strangers. A virtuous woman with traditional dignity.

But when they discovered that their husband and wife were having an affair, what did they do? There will be no stalking, hiring detectives, rushing to catch red-handed, or attacking love rivals. They calmly arranged to meet for coffee to verify the situation. The calmness is humane but also very strange. Does a person who still passionately loves his wife or husband have this calmness? Maybe it's because they are very well educated, or maybe the love in their hearts has died a long time ago, so they just feel it's time to accept that truth: they don't have enough courage, so the husband and wife instead commit adultery.

The relationship between two hearts that are both bored and longing for love has blossomed within them. They loved each other while unable to love each other because of the constraints of their marriage. The marriage where they should have been loved, but in the end, they were not loved at all.

Maggie Cheung's acting is excellent, her elegant beauty and the way she acts with her eyes are so expressive, from flirtatious to confused and self-controlled when realizes that feeling is wrong. Tony Leung, his eyes, his facial expression whenever he looked at Maggie got butterflies in my stomach.

Unique cinematography style, expressive language instead of dialogues, images with hidden meanings, concise content, delving deeply into people's hearts in a social community with close relationships where the value of Asian spiritual culture is still relatively deep-rooted. The soundtrack is selective, sometimes it evokes deep sadness, and sometimes it overflows with love.

Lees verder

A rolling coaster of emotion & superb cinematography visualize.

With well-written characters, post-war sequelae, and exceptional acting... this movie just proves that it is one of the masterpiece movies this year.

First, I never thought I would love a MonsterVerse film, and admittedly looking forward to watching this so badly because heard it won an Oscar, even watched "Shin Godzilla" while waiting. I already watched some Hollywood Godzilla movies and never liked them at all, these movies are all just dull and meaningless which created a showcase for the development of their excellent cinematography.

★ The Plot:
The movie unfolds two years after the end of World War II, when Japan's economy was severely impacted and focuses extensively on postwar living and rebuilding the country from the ashes. Japan was embargoed during the time, and not only the economy but nearly every other aspect of life suffered greatly. Godzilla emerged out of nowhere, bringing the country, which was already in disorder and instability, to the edge of disaster.

--> In contrast to Shin Godzilla, which depicts the conflict between the young and old generations in the Japanese government apparatus, as well as the evolution of this monster, Godzilla Minus One focuses heavily on the personal tragedy of "each human face" to highlight the trauma they were forced to endure. All of the characters in the film had traumas following the war. When the situation pushes them to rise and confront a monster they know little about, the characters try to keep going because they believe the sun will shine again one day.

★ Characters:
While the human character arc is often ignored in Hollywood films, in this film it is the focus and core of the plot, contributing to the film's success. Our protagonist is one of the symbols of all the post-war suffering: survival guilt, and the loss of family that every person and soldier in that era went through. Even the supporting characters have ample screen time to express each of their emotions adequately.

★ Acting:
Kamiki Ryunosuke surprised me with his acting skills, he's nailed it as a kamikaze pilot character, the scared eyes to determine eyes, hands trembling, and lines... are all excellent. Other supporting and background actors also give their best in their roles to make their characters vivid.

★ Cinematography:
A big appreciation for the art of the screenwriter & director Yamazaki Takashi he's absolutely talented and one the best ever by making this art with just 15M$.

In the end, congratulations to the director and all the actors for won a best winning award for their efforts.

Lees verder

It's a fun-to-watch action film.

The film begins with Ryo and his colleague investigating a case in which a gorgeous girl mysteriously disappears, maybe as a result of some strange happenings in the city. While researching what occurred, Ryo and his partner become entangled in something deadly that could cost them their lives.

There are many adaptations, so we already know ML's characteristics: he is brilliant, charming, has excellent communication skills, and, ultimately, he is proficient in martial arts. There is no doubt about Suzuki Ryotei's acting skills, his lines, facial expressions, and body language are exceptional. While Kaori, I'm not invested in her character at all because she is a little bit annoying.

I felt a little bit frustrated about the plot because it lacked some intense scenes, character development that make you blend and invest in the character's story, but after all this movie is worth watching because of its humor and relaxation.

Lastly, I thought it was a mini-series at first though.

Lees verder