Reviews

perfect movie

man where do i begin…
first off, i started this movie because i kept seeing edits of it all over tiktok (yeah my source is tiktok unfortunately ?) but doesn’t matter because either way i’m grateful i got introduced to this banger of a movie.

the beginning of the movie was lowkey insane and confusing, me and my friend watched it together and we kept having theories of what was going to happen and what was happening throughout it, it was really fun to try and guess how predictable it is.

regardless of its predictability, theres a whole other side to the movie in which you will NOT be able to predict…like…at all…? the movie takes the craziest turns and then mellows it out by giving us a sweet coupley scene and then something crazy happens again- the thing is, i would’ve thought this whole movie is just a big nothing burger if it wasn’t funny- but the movie is HILARIOUS!!! ? like genuinely, i don’t think i’ve ever laughed this much at a korean movie. their humor back in the day was truly unmatched.

although this movie was like, 2hours, swear it did not feel like it was that long at all. it went by so fast and after it ended it made you feel that strange empty feeling. that feeling that gets you like “oh man, i wish this didn’t have to end.” that type of feeling.

this movie also doesn’t have any kissing scenes or anything of that nature which honestly surprised me since it kept going in the most provocative direction in the beginning (and honestly throughout the movie too) , the entire thing was so adorable and incredibly done. the plotwist in the end had left both me and my friend in shock and excitement- although it gets you a bit frustrated by the time the couple clearly fall for each other, the story has a very beautiful ending that makes the entire movie come together in a beautiful way.

the chemistry between the actors was also a thing to note, so beautiful, till this day i have no idea how actors don’t fall for each other when they have these type of roles lol

overall, the movie is great! comedy, romance and entertainment- you have it all packaged right there. the only reason i didn’t give it a ten is because some parts of the movie were a lil too weird for me (and somehow brushed away lol, like the constant motel scenes and the ML’s lowkey pervvy thoughts throughout the movie although im glad they didnt make it into a huge part of his personality) and the movie was honestly super confusing at times that i genuinely had trouble figuring stuff out , the cut scenes were sometimes a bit sudden and would leave you confused but i guess that was the movies whole point since its very uhhhh,,, well, you just gotta watch the movie to get it!

nonetheless, i won’t act too nitpicky, the movie was really good and thats all you need to know- the nitpicks i pointed out are just some things that bothered *me* personally but overall its really good and i enjoyed it very much. i was invested the entire time and loved both of the characters despite them both being crazy lol.

super great movie! and if you love old-esque looking movies + korean movies then you’re especially going to enjoy this! (lil tip, you can watch this entire movie on youtube…thats what me and my friend did lol…enjoyyy)

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A short with a queer touch and a universal story

"Each person who passes through our lives is unique. They always leave a little of themselves and take a little of us with them. There will be those who will take a lot, but there will not be those who will leave us nothing. This is evident proof that two souls do not meet by chance", Jorge Luis Borges.
'The Stranger' is a drama that addresses a chance encounter between a young university student and a stranger with whom he seems to create a deep bond, and whose presence attracts him spontaneously. Likewise, the short film portrays the chemistry in relationships, and allows us to observe a series of behavioral and physical manifestations that show the existence of a deep affinity between both.
The protagonist of this story is Him, played by Cheerafat Keowlek in his acting debut, a lonely and shy student from the province, who, with a camera in his hands, arrives at the emblematic Lumphini Park, in the Thai capital, to carry out a university project. Bath (Pongrak Chulanon) walks through the place, known for playing a supporting role in the 2021 series 'Loveless Society', who on this occasion plays a young worker, somewhat older, who has been waiting for a long time for his girlfriend to finish the workday to take it to her house.
The encounter with a stranger guides the protagonist of this story to a place equally unknown to him, full of doubts and uncertainties, but also well-being, joys and emotions.
The film begins when two strangers exchange a couple of words. The plot begins in that brief one-on-one conversation in which the characters, uncomfortable, measure distances and points in common, establishing a development that determines the plot of the next 22 minutes. The truth is that the interactions bring emotions that will not allow us to leave our seats, and from minute zero we fall in love with the two protagonists, waiting for their frugal meeting to lead them to embark on a romantic love story.
I like how the characters get carried away by the moment, leaving their lives on hold, and somehow ignoring the objective of why they are there, giving themselves over to the other person and the advancement of the plot brought about by their meeting.
'The Stranger' tells of an awakening towards friendship, but it could also be towards something much deeper, when a young man realizes that he is attracted to the stranger who sat next to him on the shores of a city lake, after reaching him a few lost hearing aids.
The short film, written and directed by Pipat Wattanapanit, director of 'Loveless Society', also tells us about the search for trust, security, shelter, understanding and complicity in a stranger whom we may never see again.
Based on the film 'The Stranger', by Miranda, the script is concise and all the dialogues, although quite simple, well establish the closure of the audiovisual production on how the two protagonists relate to each other in their brief meeting.
The performances are correct and complement the idea that the protagonists create a bond that could be the prelude to a beautiful friendship and, why not, a love relationship. The two characters embody their roles and well convey the emotions and discomfort present at the beginning of the meeting, with Cheerafat Keowlek acting as a reserved young man who little by little opens up to the nobility and delicacy of a stranger who catches his attention a special way, and Pongrak Chulanon as a relaxed, optimistic, self-confident individual, but with an aura of mystery that equally captivates the viewer.
It is a pleasure to see the two actors interact, that their different personalities collide and convincingly show the attraction through curiosity, non-verbal language, contact, including visual contact, the fluttering of pheromones to have a feeling.
The production is well shot, making good use of location work and different angles, with powerful images, photographed by Pratchaya Pethwisit. Each scene integrates well with the other, giving the film a nice flow from the first frame to the last.
The soundtrack deserves special mention. The music is written and produced by Sarakorn Rujirawannakorn, whose main theme is titled "Stranger", a song performed by actor Pongrak Chulanon. Well chosen, it also does a great job of making transitions between different scenes and recreating the feelings and emotions that overcome the protagonists.
The narrative is presented as a clear vision with a great flow that will keep the viewers engrossed till the end.
The director is a talent that must be paid attention to and followed in his future productions.

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So heartbreaking I couldn’t stop crying

On a light note, the way the movie started with how everyone was so clueless about planes, those simple joys before everything went wrong….


I’ll add my comment first then add more on my review

The thing about this is that it’s based on a real story
So the backgrounds of each characters, the pain, the fear, the choices and regret, it was all so raw and heartbreaking

Yongdae wasn’t just a hijacker, he was tortured as a kid by psychos who labeled anyone as a communist
Taein lived through the first hijacking with his choice of letting them pass the boarder, was that the right choice? Or would he choose differently

Everything was just so heartbreaking and the acting honestly they couldn’t have picked better actors, my jingoo, my heart ached for him and being his fan, I could sympathize with that backstory, but his actions of course didn’t make it easier so that’s the whole emotional turmoil, everything was so intense I couldn't stop crying


It’s like a domino effect “what if”
Taein letting the first plane pass which resulted in 11 people being unaccounted for till now, it only means they were imprisoned or murdered or worse, labeled communists

And thus, this time he decided to make sure everyone is safe, and if he died, atleast they’ll know and won’t live in dread
That’s a heartbreaking choice, he literally threw himself on a bomb to save people.

Those times honestly are so confusing for me, were they witch hunting people and calling them communists just because?
Cuz yongdae’s life, he was abandoned by his brother, his town threw hot water on kids, they put false accusations on him, and his mom died…. When “normal” people labeled others so easily, doesn’t it make sense he turned out so messed up?! Who’s to blame?!

And we will never know the truth past that first hijack, did they really give the first hijacker money, did they choose to stay behind cuz they were done with their government
Did they ask for money for returning the hostages? Did they use the plane technology? Did SK refuse to pay more for the government workers that they didn’t return them?

But all those things fueled taein, to protect them and hide their identities, to return their bodies, or to return them safe

He was a hero, yongdae was a victim, who’s to blame? Atleast things did change, those were really black times for Korea
With this dire action, it also stopped others from trying I guess

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Natsukashii

So far the latest movie of the late and great director Yamada Yoji. Known for his legendary Otoko wa tsurai yo movie series, the samurai trilogy and all the others. Now the third time with legendary actress Sayuri Yoshinaga, among the finest selection of supporting actors / actresses: Min Tanaka, Kankuro Kudo, YOU, Mei Nagano, Akira Terao and even Yo Oizumi who I usually dislike, did an amazing job.

Yoji Yamada was 91 years old, telling this story from the point of view of someone of his age. The story takes us to the old style neighborhood in northeastern Tokyo, similar to the Tora-san movies.

Otoko wa tsurai yo? Yes, this may be the theme here: The family man played by Oi Yuzumi is struggeling in his job as HR manager. And here he is losing his connection to friends and his family: his wife, his daughter and his mother and we see how these connections are being rebuilt.

A much softer tone than in the Kazoku wa tsurai yo movie trilogy, much more natsukashii, just like in the old Tora-san movies.

And to those wo don't know the works of Yoji Yamada: If you've enjoyed the recent movie Perfect Days, then this one is surely one for you.

Highly recommended.

BTW: why do I have to rate the music for this review? So I rated it 10 out of 10 and please put it to blame on MDL.

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Weaving together chaos and hope to explore the future of AI and its impact on humanity

‘Wonderland’ is an emotion-driven movie that puts forward the pros and cons surrounding the idea that artificial intelligence can be used to transform death into a renaissance of lost hopes and dreams.The film presents a platform that attempts to blur the line between the living and the deceased through new technology. It explores AI’s power in manipulating human emotions by altering the subconscious mind’s memories, making it possible to forget a loved one is gone and give the illusion of forever being able to interact with them. This opportunity presents the possibility of closure and continuation in relationships for the one activating the deceased through the platform.

Overall, the movie is especially touching and scary because of its resemblance to the real-life possibilities that may await us with AI’s rapid progression in intelligence. It explored the circumstances that can stem from its usage, using the Wonderland platform as a way to take a look at the possible future AI can bring to the world all while exploring the public’s many different opinions surrounding this topic.

The film starts off by providing viewers with a depiction of the service’s negative impacts on those who use it. It prevents the user from being able to let go. This effect on the characters’ daily lives is shown through different scenes. Firstly, there is Koo Jeong In, the girlfriend of a man in the comma missing out on the occasion to date someone new because she’s convinced her boyfriend is an astronaut coming to earth soon. Then, there are two individuals who pretend to be a couple in order to satisfy the woman’s deceased parents who are constantly pestering her to find a boyfriend. The platform allows lies to easily be believed and shared, distorting reality by presenting a different face to those who are actually long gone. For example, instead of remembering her deceased Mom as someone who is always there but never paid attention to her, Jia will now believe her Mom is someone who always listened to what she had to say but was never actually present. It additionally gives an improper ending to those deceased and severs relationships using the AI that changes their personalities, giving these generated people a life of their own. This was shown through the grandma spending her last moments with her grandson feeling like she wasn’t doing enough for him even though she kept buying him whatever he asked for because he became greedy.

By diving into the life of Lee Yong Sik, a dying man, viewers can gain a sense of understanding regarding the AI platform ‘Wonderland’ as he follows through its policies and braces for his ‘new life’. He disagreed with his wife’s opinion that one lifetime was enough and wished to go elsewhere, thus perhaps putting more distance between the both of them than death would have. With the storyline of his possibility in being Kim Hyeon Su’s Dad, he also allowed viewers to dive into the life of the one prominent character who wasn’t yet explored. Their interactions, such as playing ping-pong through a screen or an awkward video call provided some comedic relief amidst the movie’s heavy themes of loss, grief and acceptance.

The relationship between Song Jeong Ran and her grandson showcased how AI uses humans to evolve instead of the other way around. As for the relationship between Bai Li and her daughter, it suggests the opposite idea. Jia uses the platform to accept reality and emotionally process the loss of her Mom. This relationship between them also showcased the prominent barrier between AI and the real world. This was shown when both were trying to physically reach each other, building up on a climax that teased that the impossible would happen. The movie put focus on how these actions of theirs would result in breaking their invention because of how nonsensical the idea of AI forging its way into the real world as actual humans would be.

The AI Mom brought to the scene a person struggling to accept and process their own death instead of realizing the platform’s goal of making the deceased forget it even happened at all. Instead of continuing her ‘life’ by satisfying her own childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist, she wanted closure to it, wishing to come closer to the reality that she was gone so that she could settle things with her own child. Through the journey she took to the airport in her universe to help Jia accept the truth that she was gone, she herself accepted that she was deceased and could no longer continue her life. She admitted to being dead so that her daughter could move on even if it meant ending her dream life where she would stay stuck in the idea of who she had wished to become .

This particular scene where they reunited showcased the stark contrast between both worlds. Jia can move on, but her Mom can't. She’s an idea, mirroring how IA is simply just an invention. All the daughter wants is to be with her Mom in that very moment, showcasing her human need for love. The Mom (who is AI) is only there to provide her with it, mirroring the reality of this platform. AI is fake, and will never be anything more than an invention. It doesn’t have the emotional complexity of a human, making it impossible for it to take on a true form of life. What’s so scary about it is that it can give the impression that it is a real human being to us in terms of emotion even though it isn’t there physically.

Jia’s desire for the impossible, for her Mom to be more than just a face on a screen, was driving her crazy. She was literally losing herself by chasing after the part of her Mom that was long gone and unable to come back. The shadow of someone lost behind is represented through Park Tae Ju, who woke up from his coma as a different person. In the airport, he got a call. Unlike the time where it was a delusion that awaited to be picked up, it was a call for reality. There was no astronaut Park Tae Ju from the past that was trying to reach Koo Jeong In who never let him go and was convinced she was still dating him. Bai Li used the AI service’s phone line to reach her daughter and reveal the truth. When Park Tae Ju saved Jia from getting hit by a truck, it represented how he saved her from losing herself in the lie that her Mom was alive and still yet to be found. He provided assistance in Jia’s journey to wait for her Mom and Bai Li ended up providing her daughter with solace.

In the end, the reunion that concluded their search for one another was as heart-touching and realistic as could be. They learned that even though they remained in two different universes, they would always remain together at heart. Instead of trying to get to her deceased Mom and create new memories with her, she’s now content with just having their old memories to keep her company. This was represented through her being happy that she can at least communicate with her AI version, who is like a keepsake of moments they spent together in the past since she was only able to come to life as AI using old pictures and videos.

As for Koo Jeong In and Park Tae Ju’s relationship, it unveiled an unhealthy face to the ‘Wonderland’ platform. It delved into both sides of the sea of people that were affected by the platform. The heartbroken user, and the unconscious individual whose life was mimicked in a distortion of reality. He had finally woken up from his coma though it was as if he was by his girlfriend’s side all along since she would wake up and fall asleep to the AI version of his voice every day. Whenever she would experience whiplash from his drastic change of personality, she would run back to his past version of self using the service, wishing his normal self would come back rather than supporting him in his journey of recovery.

The day their relationship started going up in flames was the day their apartment was set on fire just moments after Park Tae Ju exited its entryway. This significant event gave meaning to the earlier scene that showed him eyeing all of the couple’s old pictures that were still put up in the house. He wasn’t admiring what they used to be, but wishing she’d let go of his older self. Something that added to these feelings of his was the scene that preceded the fire incident, where he saw that someone with his exact name kept calling Koo Jeong In on a second phone. This made him realize to what point she was still attached to his post-comma self and unable to let go.

By setting the apartment’s entirety on fire, he’d be attempting to get rid of his old self and cut its link to his girlfriend in the present. Not only does this give him reason for purposely starting the fire, but there are also small details that hint at it. After leaving the apartment, the first place he looked was right into the hallway’s camera. Secondly, when Koo Jeong In proposed different ways that could have led up to the incident, he denied them all, insisting it wasn’t him. Perhaps he meant that it was the other, past version of himself that caused the chaos in their lives: the fire and their relationship.

This tactic of his failed in getting his girlfriend to let go, and the subject of the ‘Wonderland’ platform introduces itself between them. The moment where he asks Koo Jeong In about her decision to make him an astronaut enables us to see an earlier scene from a new perspective. She answers that space is the farthest place she knows of and he had felt so distant from her, giving light to the prolonged moment where he sat in a seat by the window at the airport. He wasn’t just watching his girlfriend’s airplane fly into the sky, he was watching her approach space and getting closer to the old reality of who they were. This time, she was the one leaving him and getting farther away into the sky as he waited for her to come back down below.

After speaking with him about it and coming to terms with the truth, she calls the company for a favour, still emotionally connected to the AI version of her boyfriend. The only way she’d be able to let go was by providing him a happy closure. To satisfy this desire of hers, what she wanted was for the company to set up his arrival back to planet earth to make him believe that he’s coming back home during his last moment before deactivating that last trace of Park Tae Ju’s past self.

The couple settled things between them as Koo Jeong In spoke to Park Tae Ju with his new personality traits. Speaking about the matter allowed her to reconcile her feelings for the lost version of her boyfriend and move on. By stopping those feelings of hers from lingering, she has let go of her past relationship and Park Tae Ju walks away as a goodbye. Despite knowing that he's almost like a new person, she still runs back to him, not wishing to continue what they had, but start anew.

Seo Hae Ri, the woman who works for ‘Wonderland’ and picked up her call seemed almost disappointed to hear that her beloved came back because she’s aware that her deceased parents never will. Even though part of her knew their AI versions weren't real, in her mind, it was the only possible way to speak to them. It reminded her that it isn’t reality, helping her process the fact that her parents won’t ever be their real selves again. This jealousy of hers shows how despite knowing the truth, there will always be people who put AI in favour by choosing to seek comfort in pretense.

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Very much an anime-style live action.

Overall, it is what it says on the tin. A mind-free action comedy.

Personally wasn’t all too sure about Raul’s yankee talk, felt a little idol-actor to me (which, to be fair, he is), however Tsuchiya Tao really stole the show here. The eccentricity and costume paired with, by far, the most entertaining and interesting character.

Plot wise it felt pretty standard, and as far as live action adaptations go, visually, they went the eccentric, anime-style route, which, to their credit, worked well paired with the over the top, anime-style acting.

Personally, the music detracted in a few moments for me. Might be a personal taste thing but there you go. Personally won’t revisit this.

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Weak

The entire concept of the film confuses me and I have to wonder what was the point of each of these stories. I don’t understand why people’s whose subconscious was uploaded can’t be aware they are death or in a coma. It seems like the people that invented the Wonderland system is setting it up to fail.

Despite its star studded and incredibly talented cast, this film is flawed on its storytelling. They could have done something interesting with the concept it is based on, and about human nature, love, grief and how to move forward. Instead there’s a lot of unjointed nothing.

Overall the film is well produced. It’s not a bad or good film, it’s okay.

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Soulless story with a ridiculous plan

I’m quite disappointed in this movie to the point where I didn’t even finish it. The plot, or rather the plan the ML has is so dumb that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough for it. Also, the FL was okay with his plan which is mind blowing in how dumb it is.

SPOILERS!

His plan is basically to fake being a piano player to trick the FL, a pianist who is blind, to fall in love with him I guess. He says it’s to make her happy but he could have gotten someone to just play the piano for her and not pretend it’s him and manipulate this vulnerable woman who he thinks won’t be able to tell that it’s not him because she is blind. Anyways, he is basically broke but to go through with this ridiculous and idiotic plan with a payoff that I’m not sure he even knows what it is, he gets a night job and is barely sleeping basically breaking himself so he can afford to pay this guy to play the piano and pretend to be him. Dude, what the hell man?! How is this something that makes even remote sense.

Also, the direction the actor received was to act like a zombie. He walks around with this blank look on his face, hunched posture, really weird gait. I know it’s supposed to look like he’s given up on life but it’s not executed well.

Then we find out that the FL knew that it wasn’t him the entire time and she was just okay with this person lying to her, cool, so that’s dumb.

It also felt quite soulless for some reason. The whole plot is supposed to be so moving but it just felt empty to me. Maybe it was the direction the actors were given, maybe it was the stupidity of the plan the ML had, I don’t know. It just felt lacking.

I just don’t get it. I watched the majority of this movie (before I dropped it) in bursts. I couldn’t even watch it for too long before getting too annoyed and bored to continue. I had so much hope for this movie and I’m sad to say it was squandered.

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Nearly Perfect

This film is what I would describe as a youth film, it explores a certain chapter of the female main characters youth. The acting, cast, directing were all perfect. This was a nearly perfect film. Even if it contains a couple of plot twists, the first was executed well, the second plot twist left questions that needed answering. At the end there were gaps in the stories of the characters, there wasnt much closure in terms of side characters and even the main characters themselves and that left me wondering and slightly annoyed. HOWEVER, this is definitely still worth the watch, it was not left completely open ended there was some form of closure. The acting and overall atmosphere of the film means its definitelty worth watching, its an experience I would pay to watch you see.

I would not rewatch but once you also watch it, Il think you will see why. :)

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This is what a mini drama should be.

A clean and clear script of palace intrigue, re-incarnation and the ultimate revenge!

Lately I have stumbled across mini dramas. 20 or so episodes of 3-7min each. Eventually someone puts them all together to make a movie version. It's a good thought but its ultimately botched because we have to depend on the person editing and their perspective of what scenes are relevant to the storyline. Not a good idea.

Anyway, back to this review.
This movie was the perfect version of what a mini drama should be like. Even the flashbacks made sense. The characters actions and conversations made sense. Great continuation without overwhelming the audience.
It might not seem fare to compare this movie to the mini dramas and I'm not. I'm just saying this movie was great and can be mistaken for the mini dramas.

The ending was timely, not dragged on like other historical dramas. Perfect for back to basic drama watching. High quality set, costume, actors and plot. I would definitely recommend it to friends and family and even newcomers to the Cdrama world.

P.S I watched it on YouTube and the tittle there is "The Queen's Revenge".

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A Must Watch for Ardent Gun Atthaphan Fans

This is a serendipitous find and what a find it is. Sometimes one needs to go back in order to proceed forward. Admittedly, this is a movie that goes way back and by today’s standards in the BL world might be considered ‘old’ and maybe thought of as remote. Its reviews were less than stellar, which is incredulous, and I think based on a misunderstanding of what this movie was all about. I hesitate to reference it as a BL, however. More aptly, it certainly is a gay film. A gay film highlighted by elucidations from the inner thoughts of a mind of a tortured young gay boy, struggling with his ‘coming out.’ If you see it as that, it will have more meaning.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/08/01/the-blue-hour-movie-review/

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The price of loneliness

Aloners is a film written and directed by Hong Sung Eun, the only full-length film she’s done thus far. Which is disappointing because I quite liked her take on the price of loneliness and would love to see what else she has to offer. This film followed a young woman unable to reach past her own defenses to connect with anyone around her, further pushing her deeper inside herself.

Jin Ah works at a credit card call center where she has to daily deal with rude customers and a frustrated time traveler. She lives alone. Eats alone. Smokes alone. Rides the bus alone. At a job where the employees have been zombified by the mind-numbing monotony, she works alone. Her relentless routine is challenged when she’s ordered to train Su Jin, the bubbly new employee. Su Jin has moved from her hometown to work in the bigger city and has no friends or family, leaving her alone. The only family Jin Ah has is her estranged father who had abandoned their family and swindled her as well. Jin Ah’s equally reclusive neighbor is found a week after he died buried under a fallen wall of magazines in his apartment. Suddenly and achingly, Jin Ah is forced to face her solitary existence.

Gong Seung Yeon perfectly captured Jin Ah’s tightly wound personality walking through her life where every day was just the same. Jin Ah was a prisoner in a castle, surrounded by a crocodile infested moat, a prison she had created herself. Earphones ever present to ward off any potential human contact, her only companions were her phone and television. A new neighbor asked, “Do you make a habit of being pissed off all the time?” And that was the key to Jin Ah, she wasn’t just an introvert, she was a tight ball of repressed anger and pain. Each new hit cracked away at her immaculately structured defenses

Being alone is something everyone faces at one time or another, chronic loneliness is a silent destructive force and the pain of it was palpable with the characters in this film. Director Hong slowly and subtly showed varying viewpoints on how people deal with loss and grief and the importance of human connection to help heal those wounds. If you are a fan of slow, slice of life films this might be one to try.

1 Aug 2024

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