Reviews

its was really good

Unlocked (2023) is a film that will make you think about how dependent we are on our phones and how easily our privacy can become someone's weapon. If you like psychological thrillers that are based on reality and everyday situations, this film might interest you.

I liked how the tension gradually builds - it starts out quite ordinary, but soon the ordinary loss of a phone becomes a nightmare. The film works well with the atmosphere of uncertainty and shows how easily the life of someone who becomes the target of a stalker can change. The acting is convincing, the visual style supports the dark atmosphere, and the story is realistic enough to make you uneasy. Maybe after watching it you will start to be more careful with your personal data.

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THIS MOVIE DESTROYED ME

20th Century Girl je film, který vás zasáhne přímo do srdce. Má v sobě krásu nostalgie, sílu první lásky a hluboké emoce, které v divákovi zůstanou dlouho po skončení. Pokud máte rádi romantické filmy, které nejsou jen o sladké lásce, ale také o životních rozhodnutích a emocích, které nás formují, tenhle snímek je přesně pro vás.

Jedna z věcí, která mě na filmu opravdu nadchla, je jeho atmosféra. Dokonale zachycuje devadesátá léta – od hudby přes oblečení až po způsob komunikace. Nemusíte mít s touto érou osobní zkušenost, abyste si tuhle nostalgickou cestu užili. Každý detail působí autenticky a přidává filmu na kouzlu. Zároveň není jen prázdným retro výletem, ale skutečně využívá minulost k posílení emocí a hloubky příběhu.

Další silnou stránkou filmu jsou postavy a jejich vztahy. Nejde jen o romantickou linii, ale také o přátelství, rodinné vazby a to, jak se lidé ovlivňují. Každá interakce má smysl a působí přirozeně, což dává příběhu velkou emocionální sílu. Postavy nejsou jen ploché figurky, ale mají své chyby, obavy i sny, což je dělá skutečně živými a uvěřitelnými.

Líbilo se mi, jak film pracuje s emocemi – není to jen dojemná love story, ale příběh, který ukazuje, že život není vždy spravedlivý a že některé vztahy mohou být krásné, i když nejsou trvalé. Melancholie filmu není přehnaná, ale o to víc působivá. Dokáže vás rozesmát, rozněžnit i dohnat k slzám, aniž by to působilo uměle nebo přehnaně dramaticky.

Vizuálně je film nádherný. Kamera a barevné ladění scén přispívají k celkové atmosféře, ať už jde o radostné momenty nebo ty smutnější. Hudba pak skvěle doplňuje emoce a umocňuje sílu klíčových scén. Díky těmto prvkům je film nejen příběhově silný, ale i audiovizuálně podmanivý.

Důvod, proč by se na 20th Century Girl měl každý podívat, je jeho univerzálnost. I když je zasazený do specifické doby a prostředí, jeho hlavní témata – první láska, přátelství, ztráta a vzpomínky – jsou nadčasová. Každý se v něm může najít, ať už si připomene vlastní mládí, nebo si uvědomí, jak důležité jsou chvíle, které často bereme jako samozřejmost.

Film dokáže být romantický, zábavný i srdcervoucí zároveň, aniž by působil kýčovitě nebo manipulativně. Je to pocta mládí, vzpomínkám a emocím, které nás formují. Pokud hledáte film, který vás nejen pobaví, ale také zasáhne hluboko do duše, 20th Century Girl rozhodně stojí za zhlédnutí.

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Hard Work and Sacrifice toward pursuing baseball goals

The documentary follows one team, coach and his family and looks at the joys, frustrations and consuming passion that surround Japanese high school baseball. The annual summer tournament Koshien is a goal and dream of thousands of high school baseball players across Japan.
This movie doesn't choose to overglorify or to criticize the means and ways the coach works and teaches his players. This does a good job of showing what happens and letting the viewer decide how to feel about it. Another good choice is to follow a program that is good but not an overwhelming powerhouse. Also, a former protege of the coach has gone on to coach a team of his own. It shows that coach's approaches and team to a lesser extent.
This could have easily made a 3 part series that delved more deeply into how baseball shaped the coach, his former players and family. But this provides a good taste and is recommended for anyone interested in Japanese culture or baseball.

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✒Beauty✂Brawn✂Buddhas✂Bypasses & Burials °7.1° °VG°

✂From the start, TB cuts right to it. We cut from an elderly man cutting his last character in a wood tablet, to his gravesite where they discuss how finding the man's estranged family might be a challenge (while the digger is cutting into the earth), to a college prof (Bro #1) explaining that the independence movement was actually started in order to find two golden Buddha☸statues worth billions of won ("That's🇰🇷patriotism!"), while he's cutting off the students' Q&A time, to a group of planners who are looking for a better, more economical way to build a highway after a collapse, while they cut apart their employee (Bro #2) because he has respect for family ⚖rights & 🎑rites - who cares about the family that owns the land that we need? Why haven't you already suggested taking the land if it saves us 💰billions💰? If you can't explain yourself, Lee Joo Bong, you're fired! Those are the legs of the memorial table that is this movie. Big bro, Lee Seok Bong (he's both older and bigger) bought expensive equipment for Buddha-treasure hunting that he can't use, right now, because war has broken out where he believes the treasure is. Little bro is not only in danger of being fired but also being investigated at work for potential crimes because he didn't propose attempting to take private land from a family in order to build the highway. They're both on the highway to trouble, and they also find themselves on the highway headed to their father's memorial.

These bros come from a buddhist family steeped in their own history. They trace their roots to the Joseon Era and they revel in it. 🎎 Historic garb is mandatory for important occasions (I'll NEVER do that!, younger bro, Lee Joo Bong, insists… Who wants to put $ on that?). They adhere to old customs including mistreatment of women, particularly daughter I/Ls. Failing to actually follow the elevated teachings of Buddha, the family is horrible: The oldest, Lee Seok Bong, says his childhood dream was to become an orphan. He later rebels by going to church. Having grown up churchy while watching many kids rebel to become many things, including Buddhists, it makes me chuckle to see this happening from the opposite angle. When it comes to faith, nobody does it perfectly. That's the point. We have to work at these things. Work doesn't mean the external - sitting in a pew, or temple, or saying template prayers; the real work is internal and involves the heart. A handful of weird exceptions aside, there is no belief system on earth that will waive a magic wand and "fix" a person on the spot: You'll not find any group religious, political, or fraternal, where everyone has their act together. It's always a journey, and if we don't walk that journey with humility, we will never stay on the right path. These bros belong to a family that is excessively proud of their institutionalized pride. They don't do humility. That's why their behavior is loathsome.

Our bros got on the wrong path. On the way to the homestead they are talking (not necessarily looking ahead) when the car goes "THUD!" They hit something. They never saw it, but they hit /something/. A quick survey reveals a woman lying in the tall grass. She's breathing, but the ambulance won't get there for hours, they're told, so they decide to take her to the 🏥 themselves. When she wakes up they can see this is no normal person. Did she injure her head in the impact, or was she always looney? This chick gets weirder and weirder, and then she gets outrageous.

The cast is quite good. Ma Dong Seok is big bro, Lee Seok Bong. He has gravitas - hahaha - he's a big man with fantastic presence (he's actually American - represent, 🇺🇸!). Though on the side, his is the character that impressed me the most in Train To Busan-7.8. I have a predilection for teddy bears, so that might be why, but I think there's more to it that that. He has a likable air about him as well as good comedic timing, Lee Dong Hwi is Lee Joo Bong and plays the nervous dweeb well. Lee Ha Nee Aurora must play a somewhat crazy Amnesia victim. She's excellent.

The theme of this film is: Family - Thick and Thin + Legacy. The way we remember our parents may not be 💯% accurate. Most of us have no understanding of their struggles. A family's history is important and it's certainly interesting, but what's most important is the people. If family traditions are making the family miserable, then it might be time for a rehaul. There are many who don't know their family tree. That makes them no less significant and no less deserving of respect. Never forget, scientists and theologians agree: We came from one woman. We are all one family.

TB is 102 minutes and is rated 7.6 on AWiki, so it has been well received. (I find Korean movies are often a little better than their IMDB ratings indicate). Not every attempt works, but TB hits the 😅button plenty. It's an amusing film, and the ending is rather touching. It won't end up where you think it will half way thru, nor will it end up the way it looks at the 90% mark. It finishes stronger than it starts, which is impressive. It's most difficult to stick the landing, and they super-glue it better than mom's orchid pot. So ^before^ you grab any ^hoes^ and rummage for 🗿treasure, pay respects to The ^Bros^ for some light clean fun done right.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.5 📝7 🎭7.5 💓5🦋4 🌞6.5 🎨6.8⚡4.5 🎵/🔊6 😅5 😭3 😱3 😯3 🤔4 💤0 🔚8.8

Age + R rated language; no F💣s

Re-📺? If someone put it on I wouldn't complain.

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~, you may also like:

Mad For Each Other ~ silly fun
My Secret Romance 7 (too many flashbacks just ff thru them),
Start-up 7.5,
Her Private Life 8,
A Witch's love 7.8,
love to hate you 8.9
Touch your heart 8.2,
Romance is a bonus book 7.9,
Boys Over Flowers 8,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's okay not to be okay 9,
Love Struck in the city 7.3,
Hospital Playlist 9,
My Mister 9,
More than friends 8,
I'll see you when the weather is fine 9,
Something in the Rain 9

If you want some fun in old Joseon, check out My Only Love Song(9), Mr. Queen(8.5), and My Sassy Girl(8.5).

Originally 〰️🖊 9/2023

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Cinema at its most, when it comes to political thrillers

Among the South Korean cinema audience in 2023/24 "12.12: The Day" sure was a great success. Production costs were thus recouped after 12 days already. Even beyond the national border the movie is considered among the bests South Korean films of 2023.

The story takes place in a world of uniformed men where stars and suits call the shots. There is talking, negotiating, and telephoning. There is also shooting, but comparatively little. The action is limited, even as various military units are actually invading Seoul to reinforce Chun Doo-hwan's security forces. However, it is cinema at its most, when it comes to political thrillers. "12.12: The Day" is compellingly captivating and knows how to stir emotions.

It wasn't long ago that the military in South Korea was thus actively involved in politics. Yet, Chun Doo-hwan's military revolt in that particular December night is a chapter that has long been given comparatively little attention. This KMovie now contributes to making these decisive events of the time conscious and helps to not having it forgotten. (Perhaps the right film at the right time... without knowing sort of preparing the public opinion for another momentous December night yet to come at the end of the year 2024…)

In any case, the right actors were in front of the camera – the KMovie is consistently high-caliber and lives from the strikingly concise character portraits. The names of the true historical figures were minimally altered to allow for more dramatic freedom. (It certainly helps as a non-Korean audience to know a bit about the political and historical context. However, the dynamics are outrageous even without this knowledge...)

The film offers an exceptionally candid portrayal of a crucial momentum in South Korea's recent history. Despite its politically and historically almost documentary-like dramaturgy, the KMovie manages to stir the emotions of the South Korean public today. Especially among the younger audience, it quickly became common to post a screenshot of their heart rate captured by their smartwatches on social media during the 141 minutes of the film to document their outraged indignation.

Even though "12.12: The Day" sometimes seems documentary, it is not a documentary film. The KMovie understands itself as historically precise. Yet, at the same time equipped with dramaturgically pointed degrees of freedom it allows itself to further increase the emotional density, too, and thus amplify the intensity of those impactful hours of that particular night.

By the way, the original title "Seoul Spring" subtly refers to the "Prague Spring," in which eventually hopes for democratization were also abruptly dashed by military force – however, in another country and ten years earlier.
















-------------------- HISTORIC SIDE NOTE -----------------------
The era of Park Chung-hee's military dictatorship abruptly ended with his assassination on October 26, 1979. Meanwhile, any high hopes for democracy were quickly dashed by security commander Chun Doo-hwan amid the ensuing turbulences and power vacuum. Together with the so called Hanahoe connection, consisting of his classmates from military academy, Chun Doo-hwan promptly and forcefully seized his opportunity: Having the military intervening in politics again… Thus, the hope for true democracy after Park's death was brutally dashed on December 12, 1979, as the new dictator was already waiting in the wings. The KMovie mainly revolves around those 9 decisive hours: how Chun Doo-hwan managed to win over, persuade, or push key people to side with him and carry out a military coup with a momentous impact for the nation.

In April 1980, he became head of the KCIA (Korean Central Intelligence Agency). In May 1980, he declared martial law. He is responsible for the Gwangju massacre, for the suffering of people in various cleansing camps, and for the torture chambers of the KCIA. On September 1, 1980, Chun Do-hwan officially took office as president and remained a rigorous dictator for 8 years.

It is truly sad, almost outrageous, that in the end, during that decisive night in December 1979 only the commander of the capital guard and a vague 100 of his people dared to really oppose the revolting military commanders around Chun Doo-hwan. Thus, not only the masterminds of the military coup and their Hanahoe comrades are to blame for the coup's success. Unfortunately, many more for various reasons quickly became opportunistic or switched sides out of fear. For 9 hours, a bitter power struggle raged behind closed doors of different operations centers in the middle of the capital Seoul. And on the streets of their own country the military pointed their weapons at each other… (…again).

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A Confusing Collaboration That Fails to Connect

"Co-Love," directed by Jill Singson Urdaneta, is a 2025 Filipino romantic comedy featuring Alexa Ilacad, KD Estrada, Jameson Blake, and Kira Balinger. The film centres around two content creators navigating their messy romantic entanglements while attempting an unlikely collaboration. With themes of love, friendship, and the complexities of modern relationships, the film holds promise but falls short in execution.

From the get-go, the film struggles to establish a clear vision. The editing is haphazard, the lighting inconsistent, and the sound design grating. Ironically, despite the protagonists being content creators, the quality of their "content"—and the film's overall technical aspects—is subpar. Awkward framing, poorly edited sequences, and clunky transitions make the viewing experience visually and aurally jarring.

The plot is equally chaotic. Events unfold without cohesion, with forced scenarios and shallow storytelling that lack emotional weight. The characters repeatedly deliver quotable lines, but without meaningful scenes to support them, the dialogue feels hollow. Attempts to tackle social media addiction and self-discovery are muddled, failing to deliver any profound commentary.

The saving grace of "Co-Love" lies in its cast. Alexa Ilacad shines with her effortless comedic timing and emotional depth, balancing humour and drama with finesse. KD Estrada brings intensity to his role, and his musical performance (the song "Di Ko Pinili") is a standout moment. Kira Balinger's over-the-top antics add a layer of charm, and Jameson Blake's understated portrayal quietly resonates. Despite their efforts, even this talented ensemble cannot salvage the film from its messy script and direction.

"Co-Love" teeters on the edge of satire, almost parodying itself with its exaggerated portrayal of influencer culture. While the concept of juxtaposing social media's frivolity with deeper emotional narratives holds potential, the execution here is far too disjointed. The movie ultimately feels like a missed opportunity—what could have been a bold, refreshing take on modern relationships instead devolves into a forgettable and frustrating watch.

The film's attempts to pander to Gen Z audiences with trendy tropes and superficial romantic beats feel patronising rather than engaging. It’s disappointing to see promising actors saddled with such lacklustre material, leaving viewers longing for a more thoughtful and cohesive story.

In the end, "Co-Love" isn’t a collaboration; it’s a chaotic clash of ideas that fail to connect—both with its audience and within itself.

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When Love Turns to Lies

*A Normal Family* is a taut, emotionally charged thriller that thrives on psychological tension rather than explosive action.

What stands out most is the suffocating atmosphere. The film’s confined spaces - upscale restaurants, sterile law offices, and tense family dining rooms - mirror the characters' mounting anxiety. The camera often lingers uncomfortably on faces, capturing microexpressions that betray suppressed panic or calculated control. This slow-burn approach builds an oppressive tension that makes the characters' moral descent feel disturbingly realistic.

The performances are stellar, particularly from the parents, whose escalating desperation feels painfully raw. The contrast between the brothers — one calm and methodical, the other emotionally volatile — drives much of the conflict. The film smartly avoids clear-cut villains, instead exploring how even the most well-intentioned people can justify dangerous decisions when cornered.

While *A Normal Family* isn’t heavy on twists, its strength lies in how deeply it immerses viewers in its characters' moral turmoil.

In short, it's a psychological thriller that prioritizes character complexity over fast-paced action.

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Honey, these guys don't use doors!

The Deadly Duo featured the successful trifecta of director Chang Cheh and actors Ti Lung and David Chiang. This time around the deadly duo’s mission was to rescue the hostage Song Prince. The cast of characters was bulging at the seams. The Shaw Brothers tower and bridge even had supporting roles!

Song rebels discover a dilapidated bridge leading to the tower where their prince is being held hostage by the Jin conquerors. Vastly outnumbered the rebels are finally able to find a fighter who has the best chance of leading them across it. The duo may be deadly but their opponents are as well. It will take sacrifice and fast swords for them to succeed.

This was around the 8th film that Ti Lung and David Chiang made together. Ti was the loyal rebel who recruited the featherweight fighter David Chiang to join his dwindling band. While I’m not a huge fan of Chiang, Ti spent the last third of the film shirtless, making up for my disappointment. Tang Chia has never been my favorite martial arts director but this time he was joined by Lau Kar Leung, a choreographer whose work I do enjoy. Most of the fights involved swords and the usual bizarre weaponry like a sword with projectile exploding balls or lethal giant golden cymbals. Villains hid underground and in trees. Bolo as the River Dragon, had a crew that could hold their breath for a very long time and leap out of the water. He was nearly always a baddie but I like the big guy. Chen Sing played the invading emperor with no kung fu skills which was a bit of a shock. Ku Feng was a dastardly leader who enjoyed the execution field and sported comically villainous eyebrows. With Chang Cheh at the helm there would be no women in the cast, most certainly buckets of blood, and bodies stacked high.

The plot supposedly based on a real life rescue was as simple as they come yet the movie held my attention. Because it was a Shaw Brothers film there was the money for fake forests and to burn sets. Most of the characters didn’t use doors, instead crashing through them or the walls. Although they still saved money with bit actor Tung Choi Bo who played an assassin who was killed and five minutes later the head of the guard with a whole new wig and wardrobe! There was nearly constant action which meant you didn’t have a chance to become acquainted with many of the characters as the body count was high. Ti and Chiang would go on to make over 20 movies together, so far, they’ve all been watchable but I have a long way to go. As always, I grade on a curve for these niche movies, and could only recommend for fans of the genre.

17 March 2025

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A story of hopeless misery

Kawai Yuumi won the best actress award from the 2024 Japan Academy Film Prize for her performance in this film's depiction of drug addiction, domestic violence, prostitution, addiction recovery programs, self harm, child abandonment, social service failures, and the exploitation of the vulnerable in general. If you enjoy films like 2004's Nobody Knows, then this film is probably exactly the kind of thing you would like. It is a well-produced film based on a true story with all the endless misery and gritty realism one could want with fine performances by Kawai Yuumi as Ann and Sato Jiro as a police detective, Tatara, who tries to pull Ann out of the mire that her life is under the unrelenting abuse from her mother Harumi played by Kawai Aoba.

Ann has been forced into prostitution by her mother since she was 14 and has been an intravenous meth addict for a couple of years when the film starts. She gets arrested when an abusive client overdoses, but an idiosyncratic police detective gets her enrolled in his addiction recovery program. She keeps being drawn back in reach of her mother because she loves and worries about what will happen to her disabled grandmother if she completely abandons the family. Any light suggested by Ann's road to recovery is only present in the film to be quashed in the denouement that made the news in Japan.

Both Kawaii Yuumi and Sato Jiro have excellent moments of portraying the anguish, grief and anger of these characters' lives. But, honestly, Kawaii had at least three more effective and moving scenes in her jdrama Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta than anything in this film and I would direct anyone who is catching on to her talent to seek out that series long before diving into this film.

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20th Century Girl was disappointing and surprising in a bad way...

If you've seen 20th century girl, this review will make sense. But if you haven't then read this after because it won't make much sense. I was very disappointed in this to say the least so you will see the bad is a lot longer than the good :)

One sentence description: A nostalgic story about a girl who becomes trapped by the memory of a crush, clinging to the past for over a decade.

The good
A good story line
The fact that he died in the end was excellent, I don’t think anyone watching this was expecting it. In fact, I’m sure we all believed that he would’ve returned years later with an explanation and it would’ve ended happily. Especially since she waited all that time for him. I also liked the scenes they had together, they were super cute and I enjoyed it. Bo Ra is definitely a real good friend for not only pushing down her feelings but also rejecting him even though she felt the same. The storyline was really good and all the characters were amazing- especially facially (**Byeon Woo-Seok**). I did feel bad for the best friend because it was clear that she never had a chance from the start but I did have a few opinions on her (which will be in the “bad” section). All-in-All, this film had a great plot and that’s why it got a 7/10 from me.

The Bad
Why It Got a 7/10
My biggest issue? Bo Ra and Woon Ho didn’t spend enough time together for her to be locked in for 15+ YEARS. Don’t get me wrong, their moments were cute, and I totally get why they liked each other. HOWEVER, in my opinion, it just wasn’t enough. She spent so much time avoiding him and her feelings that there weren’t enough moments to really justify calling it love.
Not only that, but from the way the movie played out, it seemed like they knew each other for less than a year — yet she stayed single for years waiting for him?? That’s wild. Maybe my opinion stems from the fact that I’ve never had a crush, but still — there were definitely not enough scenes that explained why she remained so loyal for 15 years. So while it was cute that she waited, imagine finding out you put your love life on hold for 15 years over a dead man. (And I say that with the utmost sincerity — R.I.P. Woon Ho.)

Yeon Du Was Kind of a Bad Friend
Bo Ra was such a good friend to Yeon Du, but was it really mutual? She knew Woon Ho had no feelings for her, yet refused to let her best friend — who clearly liked him — be with him out of jealousy? Like, please. If the roles were reversed, Bo Ra would’ve sucked it up and pretended to be fine. Yeon Du, on the other hand, waited until the last possible moment to get over herself, and by the time she did, Woon Ho was already leaving. On top of that, it’s not like he was sticking around — he was moving to the other side of the world. She should’ve just told herself “This isn’t going to last” and let them be happy for the time they had left. The friendship dynamic was so 30/70, and it was a shame.

Woon Ho’s Death…?
Okay, so can we talk about how his death was so vague? Like, we’re just told he died in 2000 in an accident and that’s it. What accident? I think it would’ve hit way harder if we had more context.
For example, imagine if he died on his way to the airport to see her. Maybe she was waiting for him with a sign, only for his plane to land…and he never gets off. Then later, she finds out he got into a car crash on the way. THAT would’ve been devastating. Instead, it just felt like a buildup that suddenly dropped. Like in baseball when you think it’s a home run, but then it just…gets caught.

What Happened to the Side Characters?
This is a general issue in many other K-dramas I’ve seen, but why do side characters just disappear? The ending always hyper-focuses on the main leads, and we never find out what happens to everyone else.
Like, did Bo Ra and Yeon Du stay friends? Do they still talk to Hyun-Jin? Or did the whole friend group just dissolve because Woon Ho was the glue holding them together? I need answers! Also, why didn’t she ask Hyun-Jin if he had heard from Woon Ho? Like, wouldn’t that have been the first thing you’d do if someone stopped responding to you? But I guess the story would’ve played out differently if she found out sooner that no one had heard from him.

Final Thoughts
Overall, 20th Century Girl had so much potential, and while it was still an enjoyable movie, some parts just didn’t land for me. The romance wasn’t developed enough, the friend was lowkey selfish, the side characters disappeared, and his death needed way more explanation. A solid 7/10 — but it could’ve been higher if they had given us just a little more.

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Catch and Release

For what it is, this was a very good short movie. It will take only a 10 minutes of your time and give you one scene of "night fishing" creatively done. We see the story through a car camera (dash cam), and luckily this car has 6 of them so we can use different angles to follow what is going on. The supernatural effect was done nicely. without much explanation. All in all, there are no many words in this movie, just a sentence at the beginning and at the end, so this is a visual movie and even if it is very very short, i will surely remember it. Catch it if you find it :)

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