Reviews

Not a review but my thoughts

The movie is about how concept love, sex and marriage is different for different individuals. I have lot of qualms about the narrative decided, but need to praise lot of choices made as well. I am curious about how these characters will live, in future. Music, acting, direction and cinematography are all top notch. The abundance of sex scene somehow felt very organic and necessary.

I am not sure what Ikka sees in Ryosuke and what's her future plan. I am not sure what's Ryosuke's plan either. All he does is cheat and lie, sometimes does some introspection on his behaviour and that's about it. Ikka is clearly ruining herself and him just like stated since she thinks sex was the problem and not the lies which he is feeding her. And she wants to keep doing this forever, like that will never explode on her face.

Other than the age gap (somewhat necessary for this story), the storyline in the bookstore felt very heartwarming. You can understand him to larger extent with their interaction, and I wish the ending was slightly better, because she is still 16 /17 and he is 30 in the end. She will 💯 leave him later when she matures and he will get hurt.

But the treatment of this frail story made the watch much enjoyable.

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A feel good, comfort movie

If you're looking for a movie that feels like a comforting hug, Hear Me: Our Summer is the perfect pick. Directed by Cho Sun-ho, this 2024 South Korean romantic drama gently pulls you into its world with a quiet, heartfelt story and characters who’ll stay with you long after the credits roll. It’s a remake of the Taiwanese classic Hear Me, but it’s got a charm that’s all its own.

The story revolves around Lee Yong-jun (played by Hong Kyung), a 26-year-old delivery guy working for his parents’ snack shop. Yong-jun doesn’t exactly have his life figured out yet—he’s drifting, not sure what his next step should be. But everything changes when he crosses paths with Seo Yeo-reum (played by Roh Yoon-seo) during a delivery to a group of deaf swimmers.

Yeo-reum is a fiercely supportive sister to Ga-eul, an aspiring Olympic swimmer who is hearing-impaired. From the moment Yong-jun meets Yeo-reum, he’s captivated—not just by her beauty but by her warmth and resilience. And here's where the film deviates from the usual tropes: Yong-jun already knows sign language. There’s no dramatic “learning to communicate for love” arc because he’s been using sign language in his everyday life, and this feels refreshingly natural. It allows their connection to develop organically, without any heavy-handed gestures or over-the-top romantic clichés.

What makes Hear Me: Our Summer truly special is its atmosphere. It’s a warm, feel-good movie that doesn’t rush or try too hard to tug at your heartstrings. Instead, it lets the small, quiet moments do the work. A lingering glance, a shared laugh, or a simple gesture speaks volumes. The chemistry between Hong Kyung and Roh Yoon-seo is understated yet electric—they don’t need dramatic proclamations or grand gestures to make you believe in their story.

Roh Yoon-seo is especially captivating as Yeo-reum. She has this effortless way of pulling you into her world, making you feel her joys, struggles, and quiet determination. Hong Kyung, as Yong-jun, is equally endearing. He perfectly captures that aimless, slightly lost feeling so many people in their twenties can relate to, and his journey toward finding purpose through love and connection is deeply satisfying to watch.

The film also deserves credit for its respectful portrayal of the deaf community. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into ensuring the representation feels authentic and meaningful. The use of sign language isn’t treated as a novelty or a gimmick—it’s just a natural part of the characters’ lives, seamlessly integrated into the story. This authenticity adds a layer of depth and sincerity that sets the movie apart.

Of course, no film is perfect, and Hear Me: Our Summer has its flaws. The pacing in the second half slows down a bit, and some viewers might find themselves wishing for a little more drama or tension. But for others, that’s precisely the point. This isn’t a movie about big, sweeping moments; it’s about finding beauty in the everyday, in the little things that make life—and love—worthwhile.

Visually, the film is stunning. The cinematography leans into soft, natural tones that perfectly complement the story’s gentle, comforting vibe. Scenes of summer days by the pool, quiet evenings lit by golden-hour sunlight, and simple yet meaningful settings like Yong-jun’s family shop add to the film’s intimate charm.

If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming, feel-good movie that doesn’t demand too much of you but still leaves you with a full heart, Hear Me: Our Summer is a lovely choice. It’s the kind of film that reminds you of the simple joys of human connection and the power of just being present with someone.

By the time the credits roll, you might not feel like you’ve watched a life-changing masterpiece, but you’ll feel like you’ve spent two hours wrapped in a cozy blanket of warmth and understanding. And really, isn’t that exactly what we need sometimes?

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One nation and two regimes.

One nation and two regimes. In one, one man decides everything and everyone, in the other, he would like to decide (see recent political problems). I was completely shocked by the beginning, where behind the propaganda texts read by crazy North Korean announcers, two North Korean soldiers are greedily kissing and then having sex in an explicit scene. The film probably won't be for everyone, but it appealed to me with its harsh reality to the bone, the ending is different than I expected, but I have to admit that, fitting the story and at the very end, the scene with Jae Sung brought tears to my eyes. An immense symposia by Kim Tae Hoon in the role of Youn Joon, even though with a Thai cap on his head. The acting is superb and all three gentlemen had a great time in those revealing scenes. A deep, sad, misunderstood by many and depressing film with beautiful, subtle background music about relationships between men, hard life and a divided Korea.

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retrata o amor de uma forma linda e calma ao mesmo tempo que fala sobre crescimento

É um filme que enquanto você assiste você pensa "acho que erraram aqui" pra no final descobrir que não era furo de roteiro, e sim, o plot twist.
Como ela dirige sem nenhuma identificação? Que diferença faria ela estar no apartamento durante o incêndio? Pq ela questiona a mãe se a vida de quem não comsegue ouvir é difícil, invés de levar em consideração a própria vida? Pq na cena da piscina ela quase chora e fica imóvel, como se realmente estivesse ouvindo ele? — ai eu já tinha sacado 100%, impossível ignorar isso — Foram momentos que deixaram uma pulguinha atrás da orelhas mas eu considerei que provavelmente era só um vacilo da produção, mal sabia eu.
Ele abrange muitos aspectos levantando muitas questões sobre crescimento, o medo que ela sente em se relacionar com ele por achar que por ele ser "deficiente auditivo" ela teria que se dedicar a cuidar dele assim como ela faz com a família – por exemplo na cena que ela questiona a mãe se ela não sentiu medo das filhas nascerem com deficiência e viverem uma cheia de dificuldades. Toda a responsabilidade que ela mesma coloca em si também vira uma questão, ela achar que por nascer do jeito que nasceu era obrigação dela viver pelos outros se deixando sempre por último – e no final percebendo que ela nem mesmo sabia quem ela era mais.
É tão fluído, tão leve, você nem ve a hora passar. Vale muito a pena!!!!

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Hong kyung in this movie looks like that sad hamster meme <\3

Overall, I liked the movie.
It has this chill vibe and makes you reflect on people with hearing loss. Most of the film is in sign language, which I thought was amazing.

Yong Jun (played by Hong Kyung, an incredible actor) is such a lovable character—I absolutely loved this guy.
Seo Gaeul (Kim Minju, who I just discovered today after watching this movie) is such a supportive and lovely sister! I loved her character.

- A few critiques -

I didn’t like how Yong Jun was the only one who showed interest and concern for Yeo Rum (Roh Yoon Seo, who’s an amazing actress, by the way). It felt like the feelings weren’t mutual.
Also, what she said to him after the fire kinda rubbed me the wrong way... Like, she told him it wasn’t his fault, but then immediately said he was exhausting her and she didn’t want to talk to him anymore? That didn’t sit right with me.

I thought Yong Jun’s love confession to Yeo Rum was beautiful, but it lost some of its meaning with the plot twist that Yeo Rum was actually a hearing person.
The scene where he puts on noise-canceling headphones showed how much he wanted to understand Yeo Rum better, but... she was hearing. 😭
I think the plot twist could’ve been something else—it would’ve worked better.

I really liked the part where Seo Gaeul (Kim Minju) argued with her sister about her dreams and how she felt. It’s a wake-up call for people who tend to forget about their own lives to prioritize someone else’s.

There should’ve been a deeper explanation of how Yong Jun spoke sign language so fluently. For most of the movie (up until this super shallow explanation near the end), I was left wondering how he was so fluent.

The "secondary couple" that only officially met in the post-credits scene felt unnecessary. They should’ve developed them more or just left them out entirely.

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"Water, water..."

Rhapsody in August was a bittersweet viewing for me. I’ve now watched all of Kurosawa Akira’s films where he was the writer and director. I have immensely enjoyed many of his films, this wasn’t one of them. While it was watchable, it lacked the bite and depth of previous films. Perhaps it was his age, perhaps it was writing without a partner. Whatever the reason, as he worked through the focal traumatic point of his generation, it came across historically evasive and heavy-handed.

Kane is the grandmother of four grandchildren. Her son and daughter have traveled to Hawaii to meet with her older brother. The children are staying with her while their parents are away. Kane has no desire to travel to Hawaii as she has no memory of the brother who immigrated in 1920 and made a fortune with pineapples. The grandchildren desperately want to go to Hawaii and are disappointed to be stuck with their grandmother in a house with no television. Kane is always looking backward to the bombing of Nagasaki where she lost her husband. She tells stories to the children who are both intrigued and frightened by them. With her husband’s memorial approaching she has no intention of leaving the country which causes the children to rethink their approach.

Women and children rarely figured prominently in Kurosawa’s films, here they took center stage. Some things never changed, the boys’ names were oft repeated while the girls’ names were scarcely mentioned. Much like the wife in Madadayo who never had a name even though the cat had one. The film fell upon the shoulders of the child actors with limited success. They went from acting like typical children upset to be without television to spouting adult social platitudes. The oldest girl, Tami according to the cast list, read off pages of exposition at the Nagasaki memorials from the Eastern bloc countries and at the school where the grandfather died. She opined how younger people had no memories of the fateful day’s event and no one bothered to learn even as crowds visited the memorials and school. Her opinions and history lessons seemed far beyond her years and felt completely out of place. Thrown into this mix was Richard Gere as the son of the wealthy brother who visited Kane and the children. Sympathetic to their suffering and acknowledging the tragic loss of the grandfather, he came and then left, awkwardly shoehorned in.

The ghost of the bombing was ever present in this film, especially for Kane who envisioned it as a great eye. For her the war never truly ended. The irony of the lost family living in Hawaii was never brought up when Kane blamed “war” for the bombing. In Kurosawa’s older films, the main character had to suffer and deal with painful challenges in order to grow and transform. Here, Kane is old and near the end of her life, ever reminiscing. Each generation had a different response to the bombing. Rather than a source of familial conflict the gap between the generations was easily bridged. The children who were largely unfamiliar with the bombing listened to Kane’s stories and visited the places she mentioned. Their parents who had known poverty as children and lived in the shadow of the bombing, were ever on the hunt to make a buck. All too eager to use the new wealthy relatives to improve their station.

Unlike his earlier films, Kurosawa fell into the tell don’t show trap where much of the action either occurred in the past or off screen such as a death and a family reunion. The bombing in this story happened in a historical vacuum, lacking any context and complexity. Perhaps because Kurosawa was near the end of his life and feeling more contemplative, so were his characters. Kane’s mind started running in reverse, driving her back to the day of the bombing. Steadily determined against the wind and rain to reach her destination and maybe this time change the ending. But only memories can run backward, time moves ever forward, with any luck carrying the lessons hard learned.

3 January 2025

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It could be better

Story 1: I found having the power to communicate to the dead cool. The ending did get me for this story. 3.5/10

Story 2 Cliff: I thought this was an ad for Snickers when seeing it. They would be weak and tired from no food or water. How would they be able to fight for the Snickers? It doesn’t make sense to me at all. They would be so thirsty after eating that Snickers. 2/10

Story 3 Accident: It was predictable since drinking and driving leads to accidents. I feel like it was a better than the first story. It does have jumps cares and the ending was interesting to me. 6/10

Story 4 Escape: I feel like this one was the best story out of the others. It reminded me of the elevator game he is playing. It’s hilarious how scared the trainee teacher is being in the other world. I felt bad for the trainee teacher for the ending. 8/10

Overall, I enjoyed the fourth story the most for this group of horror stories.

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A Heartfelt Masterpiece

As someone who enjoys stories that blend genuine emotion with cultural depth, this movie hit all the right notes. It’s more than just a film about love—it's a tale of resilience and the quiet battles people face in their pursuit of happiness - even though at the end, the "happiness" is indeed a question.

The story is deeply rooted in the cultural backdrop of a durian farm, which adds a unique charm. It’s not just a love story—it’s an exploration of identity, societal expectations, and the courage to live authentically. The visuals are stunning, with lush farm landscapes that contrast beautifully with the characters' tumultuous inner worlds.

Jeff Satur as Thongkham is the soul of this movie. His portrayal felt so real that it was easy to forget I was watching an actor. The way he captured Thongkham's inner struggles—his vulnerability, strength, and determination—was breathtaking. Jeff’s expressions and body language spoke volumes, even in moments of silence. It’s clear that he poured his heart into this role, and the result is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The soundtrack sung by Jeff Satur himself is another star of this movie. It’s beautifully intertwined with the narrative, amplifying the emotions of each scene. Jeff Satur, being a talented musician and songwriter, brings an undeniable magic to the musical elements. The hauntingly beautiful tracks stayed with me long after the credits rolled, becoming a part of the emotional journey the film takes you on.

This movie invites you to reflect on love, acceptance, and the price of staying true to oneself.
This isn’t just a movie—it’s an experience, one that lingers in your heart and mind long after it ends.

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My Jan 2025 Recommendation Challenge

Watch this for Recommendation Challenge by KDramaMama. This one sit quite a while in my PTW, but really reluctant to watch because I'm not too fond of watching remake. But here we are finished watching this one.

Story about Hwang Woo Yun (WY) & Hwan Seung Hee (SH). WY & SH met in high school, due to some circumstances SH move away without saying goodbye. WY finally found SH after seeing her in some mags, and WY chase her down & they met again in the university. Unfortunately at that time, SH already got a boyfriend, so they got separated again.

Years later, they met again, but this time is WY that got girlfriend. Although WY got GF, he still can't forget SH, so when there's a chance to went alone with SH, WY took it. And with all the feeling that's linger between them, WY decided to break up with his GF & try his chance with SH.

But the unfortunate thing is irresistible, the day WY tell SH is the day WY got injured because of he tried to save SH. Although WY & SH ended up together after this, but that's incident like the thorn in flesh in their relationship. & once again they separated.

Until one day in the future they met again. It's happen when SH give the news to WY that's she's about to get married. WY have conflicted feeling about the news, one side he still can't forget SH, but one side the thorn still linger in the air between them. So... What's the ending of their relationship...?

That's pretty much the story without giving any more spoilers. Once again, this really remind me to what you consider light word is sometimes cut deeply into someone heart & more hurtful than a mouthful full of sharp words, especially if that said by someone important for us.

Overall this still one real story about the one that got away. Unfortunately for me, this version not leave much impression, it's easy to forget.

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It’s an okay Horror Stories

Story 1 and 2: This one is the best part of the film. They did reply on jump scares a lot on this section of the film. I did like the approach more for this one. This section actually did do well with the silence and slow motion. The second half did show that people can be the most scary than supernatural. 8/10

Story 3: I feel like this one was the most boring one. The supernatural wasn’t that scary. The idea is good just to be a thriller. It didn’t work as a horror film. 0/10

Story 4: I felt like there was too much happening for a short film. I believe if this was a longer film. The story could flow better. There was too many themes happening at the same time: the rivalry of sisters, the killer husband, and supernatural. If they stick to one and made it the focus. It would behave been better. I would say overall it was more funny than scary. 5/10

Story 5: For a zombie movie it was mediocre in my opinion. The plot seems the same like any zombie movie. If it took a more unique approach it would have been better. 1/10

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Troublant...

Bah, tout est dans le titre. Si la première partie du film captive, la seconde devient prévisible au possible.

Cette suite est hilarante de ridicule, mais capable de proposer des scènes prenantes (notamment sous l'eau dans sa première partie). Je ne vais pas faire l'éloge du scénario, il est médiocre. Avec en plus un petit pitch qui se veut écolo bien qu'on se doute que les gentils écolos ne le sont pas tant que ça. Ah, l'argent ! Je ne vais pas non plus m'attarder sur Jason Statham qui semble vouloir détrôner Chuck Norris. Cependant (et comme pour le premier film), l'ensemble du casting est bon, mais manque encore une fois d'émotion, malgré quelques tentatives.

En réalité, ce n'est pas surprenant qu'il soit tant critiqué, mais il reste divertissant et je plaide coupable de l'avoir été. Il m'a tiré plus de rires que je ne le pensais parce que c'est absurde, mais avec une bonne mise en scène. Il est dommage de voir qu'en fin de compte, on passe peu de temps sous l'eau.

En bref, The Meg 2 est exactement ce qu'on attendait. Une suite médiocre et ridicule qui nous tire quelques rires.

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Le parfait film pop-corn un soir d’été, les pieds dans l’eau

Ce n’était qu’une question de temps avant que Jason Statham veuille prendre possession des océans. Faisant face à un requin géant, on pouvait espérer des effusions de sang dans une démesure typiquement hollywoodienne. Si le film n’est pas une révélation, il aura le mérite d’être idéal pour une soirée pop-corn a barbotter dans l’eau. Parce qu’on le sait, le public ciblé est large, notamment lorsqu’il s’agit d’une collaboration entre les US et la Chine.

En Eaux Troubles (The Meg) ne prend pas de risques et reste sur une base simple afin de séduire son public. Peut-on lui en vouloir ? Cela dépendra de ce qu’on attendait de lui. Ainsi pas de mare de sang (dommage), pas de scènes trop violentes (encore dommage). Certes, on n’attendait pas vraiment un Piranha version Mégalodon d’Alexandre Aja, mais peut-être un peu plus qu’un petit saignement.

Cependant, le film est visuellement bon (notamment les scènes sous l’eau qui sont bien agréables), bien qu’on note un manque de tension. Jon Turteltaub décide de ne pas trop tarder pour nous montrer la grosse bête qui est réussite.

En revanche, on ne pourra que pointer du doigt les personnages qui semblent incapables de montrer un soupçon d’émotions. Personne ne semble effrayé par l’attaque d’un requin préhistorique de plus de 20 mètres. Les pertes humaines sont rapidement balayées sous le tapis. Aucun ambiance particulière ne se dégage, même lors des scènes d’action. L’humour n’a même pas atteint le premier étage, sans parler de la pseudo-romance inutile.

En bref, c’est un bon divertissement qui ne se tarde pas d’être révolutionnaire. Les personnages sont des clichés, l’enchaînement est sans surprise et certains dialogues sont même prévisibles. Cela dit, il répond à sa nature première : divertir.

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