Reviews

Memorable slice-of-life story, beautifully acted and filmed

I really enjoyed the story. It follows the character of Hirayama who finds joy and light in the simple things of everyday life. It addresses strong societal but human issues: loneliness, shadow workers, can you feel surrounded but alone, can you be alone but satisfied...There is very little dialogue in the first half of the film, and it is the part that seduced me the most. The second arc allows more introspection on the character and also calls a lot of things into question. The ending scene shook me and was memorable in its simplicity... It is bittersweet and concludes in a sober but strong way the film which values ​​the concept of Komorebi all throughout.

The acting performance of Yakusho Koji is incredible. His acting is the cornerstone of the film. There are so many moments that are solely relying on the way he looks at the world and the people he meets. As there are not that many dialogs, without an excellent actor, the ideas that the script conveys might have not be transmitted as well as it was. Nakano Arisa (in her first role here) was very good as well and brought a fresh breeze to the story through her part.

Music is an important part of the movie. Our main character listens to a lot of tapes while he rides, and it is so acutely fitting with the vibe of the film. It is a common thread to the story and I really enjoyed being carried on by the music which is part of the life of Hirayama. The piano pieces also contributes to the masterfully crafted cinematographic experience that this movie provide. The filmmaking is beautiful, very atmospheric with some sets I found really interesting.

I would recommend this movie to people that enjoy slice-of-life genre and introspection. It is a very chill film in its pace, very simple in its story and therefore which might not please everyone. That said, the poetry that pores through this slice-of-life story, the fact that I got so attached to the main protagonist as well as the beautiful filmmaking featuring stunning shots of Tokyo (and more precisely Sumida) make it for me an excellent discovery really worth the watch.

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A review for those of us who didn't do the manga/anime/90s 00s frenzy

Listen, I don't really go here. I love Japanese cinema. I have read one or two mangas and I would consider watching an anime at some point. I never read Death Note. Never saw the anime. Never even knew what it was about until like 2019. I didn't just have no expectations going into the film, I also had no prior knowledge. (I always wondered why pictures of the notebook always had an apple...)

My guess is, the manga/anime is better in certain key ways. The film had one huge glaring problem: Light's character development occurred in so many huge jolts that it repeatedly defied logic and believability. I've watched the first episode of the drama series and that one seems to be taking a smoother route. Basically, I can see how he could potentially get to where he got at the end, but the path was not A, B, C... It wasn't even A,C, E... It was like A,V,Z... And we lose so much skipping those essential parts of his arc.

The other issue I had with this film was the character L. Again, my guess is that if Death Note was a part of my cultural consciousness then I would already, like, KNOW. But it isn't. So I don't. As such, his unnecessarily aggressive antagonism made no sense because no time was ever spent addressing the nuances of his character beyond an obsession with sweets.

Anyway. I really like Fujiwara Tatsuya. He was excellent in Memoirs of a Murderer. He made a convincing Light. I would have enjoyed watching him really dig his teeth into the many layers of that character. And I prefer the subtler acting of the guy who plays L in this film to the almost silly behavior of the guy in the live action drama series. But I guess we can't have our cake and eat it too.

Probably better to skip this one. As an adaptation of the source material, my guess is it's not very satisfactory. As a stand alone film, it's not very good, unfortunately.

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"The society is harmonious but I am bullied!"

Director Zero Chou gave a Taiwanese interpretation of how mainland Chinese gay couples are received in We Are Gamily. Her view of the complexities of loving someone that a conservative society will not accept was important but I found the interpretation on the screen lacking.

“Any conflicts and unharmonious relations existing in a society, require us to actively harmonize them to achieve a stable, harmonious, and orderly outcome.”

Wu Gang and Yang Duo are both in relationships that their families would never approve of and that are not believed to contribute to a harmonious society. Gang and Sam have been lovers for over three years as have Duo and Liya. In order to get both of their families off their backs, Gang and Duo marry but continue to live with their lovers. Their plan goes array when their mothers decide they need to have a baby as soon as possible and Gang’s mother moves in with them to push the matter along. How having a live-in mother pressing a couple to have sex would enhance their performance is something I don’t want to know. Neither Sam nor Liya are happy about the new living situations. Complicating matters, Gang’s lesbian sister Rou moves in as well.

The comedic set-up had possibilities but didn’t work for me. The writing, acting, cinematography, music, and sound were all a “C” at best. Ang Lee made a similar movie nearly 25 years before this one on a shoestring budget that delivered a more emotional punch. In a two-hour movie, We Are Gamily had very little character development. Gang and South African Sam had been together for several years but all I knew about them was that they loved each other and had a penchant for phallic shaped art. Duo and Rou had similar development issues, but at least we were told what they did for a living. Ruo and Sam were both ready to rock the boat, while Gang and Duo were more concerned with their mothers’ acceptance.

Gamily started out with a comedic tone and then morphed into a more serious one as the couples began to wonder when they could stop acting and start living their lives. I found it hard to become emotionally invested in the story as Rou and Sam were dragged into the play neither wanted to act in. Rou was the character I could most connect with. She accepted who she was and was willing to live away from home in order to be honest with herself, even if she couldn’t be honest with her family. When societal harmony was brought up, she replied, “The society is harmonious, but I am bullied!”

We Are Gamily was a lighthearted look at a serious subject about being different and upsetting familial and societal harmony, when the lack of “harmony” or sameness should never have been the responsibility of those being judged. The social and familial commentary were elements to appreciate about this film. However, the overly contrived situations, poor camera work, and often terrible sound challenged my attention span.

14 August 2024

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Simple, heart warming, friends to lovers . Loved it.

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Korean romance movie with a run time of 119 minutes.

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review.

 Synopsis

 After having multiple romances end at or before the 100 day relationship landmark, Ha Joon (Lee Eun Bi) has a tendency to cling on to the relationship even when her boyfriend wants to break up.  Which is why, when her current boyfriend, Nam Tae Ryeon (Cha Hun) wants to break up before their 100 day anniversary, she strikes a deal with him to delay the break up until her birthday.  They come up with a “break up grace period” agreement where they both see each other, just more casually and less frequently, while they consider and possibly pursue other romantic interests.  The deal ends when they find someone else, or when it is her birthday, whichever comes first. 

 Ha Joon wants to make Tae Ryeon change his mind so she makes another agreement, with her best friend, Kang Jin whom she has known since college.  Reluctantly Kang Jin (Kim Jin Woo) agrees to be her fake flirtatious dating relationship with the goal of making Tae Ryeon jealous so he will realize he still has feelings for Ha Joon. 

 This sets up a love triangle that is sure to not come out the way any of them expected.  Once Kang Jin starts his flirtation with Ha Joon in front of Tae Ryeon in the place they all work, Tae Ryeon finds himself immediately jealous.  And he decides he wants Ha Joon back.  But, Kang Jin realizes that he liked Ha Joon since college and the feelings he had never went away.  So rather than Kan Jin simply making Tae Ryeon jealous he decides to confess his feeling to Ha Joon which sets Tae Ryeon up as his romantic rival.

Will Ha Joon choose the safe and comfortable relationship that makes her heart race, or the risky but exciting relationship that makes her heart race?

 Review

I loved this movie!  I like heart warming romance and this was certainly that.  I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a quick, but very well developed Korean romance.  I highly recommend it and would watch it again. 

Spoiler

 This is one of those rare movies/series where the 2nd guy actually gets the girl.  He isn’t a classic second guy in that he gets more airtime than 1st guy but the role he plays is second guy.  One of my favorite tropes is friends to lovers.  It showed just enough of their back story to get a clear sense for when their feelings started. 

I typically root for the main couple to get back together but, in this case, you could clearly tell 2nd guy was a better match for the lead girl. 

#RomancebyRomance  #LeeEunBi   #ChaHun  #KimJinWoo

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"it would be awkward if we just sat in silence.."

"should i shut up now?"
...
...

" I can't do it.."

I just love this scene where Gabriel joins the stranger for a joint in the car. It's very engaging, and I've been rewinding to that scene just to see the sweet interaction between these two men who only crossed paths a minute ago. The chemistry is palpable, and the dialogue is witty, natural, and realistic.

I am left wishing they got together again in another circumtances.

Does anyone know the name of the actor who plays the 'grab driver'/stranger in that scene?
I don't seem to see him in the cast list.

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It’s a bit metaphorical, nobody knows. Even with through investigation, knowing both sides stories, you can’t do anything but speculate

I did find the movie slow and everything was revealed at the end without actually spelling it all out because no matter what, you’ll never know the whole truth

In this case, both parties were severely emotional, drunk, angry, suicidal, depressed they weren’t fit for driving
The dark road, the deer, everything was set up for the “accident” and that’s what an accident is, unplanned, any small element can cause it

The what ifs are as strong as the clues left by the encounters

The daughter blamed herself, the wife feared blaming herself, the mom was left with so many burdens taking care of a sick husband

Does the “truth” change anything? How does it effect the events

Yes they were unfit for driving, yes an unexpected deer was like a domino effect, move away from deer, move away from oncoming car, too angry to focus…. The daughter running away, the truth, the pain, no matter overthinking, over feeling, things need to be let go

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Youth Begins With Love

This movie had been on my watch list for a few months and I just now found where to watch it. Even though it is now 7am in the morning, I can't regret watching this movie. SWL is a classic favorite of mine, ever since I saw him act in Go Ahead. And, I have to admit, this movie was on my watch list solely for him and because of a fmv I found with a song called "I dont think that I like her". LET ME TELL YOU. Hao Cun, who plays the FL, ATE DOWN. Her acting was natural and the way she played her character was genuine. Watching Yang Yi & Nian Nian fall in love - at different times !! - was a treat. Both characters are honest about who they are, what they believe in, and with each other. The misunderstanding that occurs gets solved rather quickly and neither character are people to hold grudges or fear being wrong. This is a very simple story with a very simple plot but what made it special and rewatchable for me was the chemistry between the main leads, the ACTING from both leads, and just the peaceful world that this story was a part of. A bonus for me was the background characters: yang yi's parents were hilarious, and i loved the friend group that he had because they were very supportive of each other albeit goofy. and nian nian was very personable - she exuded positive and adorable energy but she was also not one to be bullied or wronged. I liked the relationship she had with her family, though they were short scenes, because it just felt like familiarity.

I think what else made this movie such a fun and relaxing watch was the way they dealt with the character's trauma. I love a good crying sesh and I live for angsty moments, but this film was not about that. Angsty scenes do exist, but they're short-lived, and both characters mention going through hard times, but it is very evident that they both found healthy ways to cope and heal from what happened to them/the situations they were in. The film feels very present (kind of like "Not What I Expected") and I love that. Though we get flashbacks, we're actually WITH the characters, tagging along with them while they experience first love. The music in this was 70 out of 100 in my opinion, but I loved what they did with it so it got bumped up to 7.5.

I would definitely recommend this as a watch and PLEASE WATCH THE END CREDITS - ITS SOOOOO CUTE.

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One of my favourites

Okay, so this movie is pretty fucking good. The concept in itself is really interesting. And how they showed how hard it is for a person who has nowhere to stay, really made me feel bad for him. The backstory with his mother was very emotional and you can understand why he is like he is.

The introduction of the female cast really made me angry, when she randomly appears and steals his wallet. The wallet with a picture of his mom in, the only one he has left of her. But after we got to know her situation, I kind of had an understanding for why she did it. After she heard about his wallet and the importance attached to it she understood how important that wallet is to him.

She promises to get it back to him, which she does and it showed that even though on the outside she looked like an asshole at first. She wasn't a bad person.

This show taught me that you can never know what someone is going through. Neither he or she knew what the other one had gone through.

Kiwan truly showed us how a person truly can fight inconveniences to survive. Many people maybe looked at refugees and didn't think any deeper than. "They fled their country and came here" most of us never consider the hardships they've gone through.

I think this movie helped me realise that. I think that I've never been this emotional towards any movie ever.

The romance between the two is adorable, but it felt kind of like it came out of nowhere. I mean, she saved him from an overdose and then he said something like "If you do drugs, I'll do drugs. if you hurt yourself, I'll save you." type shi.

And they just got together. Other than that I kind of feel bad for the Chinese woman. Because she wanted to be able to earn money and she lied about Kiwan to then just get sent back anyway. She ruined her "friendship" with Kiwan and tried to repair it bit never really got the chance. Until she sent that newspaper in the end.

The antagonist who got shot in the end, didn't rat them out and that was honorable.

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"We're just like everybody else"

37 Seconds was billed as a sexual liberation story for a young woman with cerebral palsy. While the film acknowledged that Yuma had desires like any other woman, for a film often set in the red-light district it was surprisingly chaste. This was a coming of age film as Yuma sought to break free from her mother's control and explore the world that couldn't see her as a real woman.

Twenty-three-year-old Yuma leads an insular and highly controlled life. She works as a manga artist for her friend, Sayaka. What the world doesn’t know is that Sayaka can’t draw or write stories, Yuma does it all. Sayaka merely plays the part on YouTube and keeps Yuma a well-guarded secret. At home, her mother cares for and treats her like a child refusing to let her have long hair, use makeup, or wear dresses. When Yuma attempts to sell a manga idea she’s told to stop copying Sayaka’s work and be unique. She ends up at an erotica manga publication. The editor likes her work but tells her she needs some sexual experience to understand what they want. Yuma starts breaking free from her mother and Sayaka when she meets sex worker Mai and her assistant Toshi on a trip to the red-light district. Her new friends encourage her to explore what she likes and not be afraid to try new experiences. Advice her mother will absolutely not agree with.

This film was decidedly aided by hiring Kayama Mei, a woman who has cerebral palsy, instead of an actress mimicking what she thinks CP looks like. Kayama with her delicate voice showed Yuma's resolve as she fought to live her life for herself. Yuma wanted to be seen and heard, something her mother was afraid of. A gifted artist she was closeted away by her “friend.” The film bestowed Yuma with enormously helpful new friends which may not have been realistic but they provided her a gateway to independence. There were a couple of adult moments if you are sensitive to such subjects, when Yuma attempted to hire a sex worker and later when she and Mai visited a sex toy shop. Films about people with handicaps can be condescending and patronizing. 37 Seconds managed to avoid those pitfalls. Soft spoken Yuma demonstrated to herself and others that she was strong and despite her physical limitations, she was just like everyone else. Her transformation as she gained confidence was beautiful to watch. I loved Mai’s words to her, “You’ve taken a big step. Better not f*ck it up.” Of course, most of do on occasion whatever our life circumstances.

Yuma made friends, carved out a professional path for herself, gained independence, and even had an adventure to Thailand. She learned that sometimes you need to know where you’ve been in order to figure out where you want to go. 37 Seconds can be gone in an instant or its effects can last a lifetime. The memory of this tender, unique coming of age film will linger far longer than the title.

13 August 2024

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Parents : Guardians of Guilt and Extend of Love

Movie Summary: IN FEW POINTS

1. Perspective on Justice: As long as wrongdoings affect others, they often go unnoticed. However, when the tables turn, it suddenly feels like a grave injustice.

2. Karma's Play: The movie emphasizes that you will inevitably reap what you sow.

3. Unconditional Parental Love: Parents' love for their children knows no bounds, even when those children have strayed down dark paths.

4. The Power of Influence: The film illustrates how bad company can lead even a good person astray.

5. Cost of Meddling: Never interfere in others' affairs, or you may end up facing the consequences.

6. Unexpected Twists: The story unfolds in a straightforward manner, but two pivotal twists elevate it to another level: one involving a parent’s encounter with a store lady and the other being the twist at the end. These moments transform the movie into something truly memorable.

7. A Critique of Professional Portrayals: One lingering complaint is the film's portrayal of professions or organizations, which often disregards the actual rules and regulations tied to them.

Overall, this is a compelling movie that everyone should watch.

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