Reviews

a Reverse Heist that alone sounded intriguing

I loved every minute of this movie from the beginning to the end. I'm just a sucker for such movies where a group of people with different set of skills and abilities come together and work as a team it's just so pleasing and entertaining to watch as viewer

the characters are so fun and enjoyable to watch none of them felt like a side character , this entire team really made the movie stand out. the casting for this movie was done perfectly.

that's why this movie overall is a 10/10 for me

so if you plan to watch this movie all I say is enjoy the ride cause it's gonna be a fun one ??

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what and why?

1. what happened in the past credits roll scene? like, i didn't understand why hyeonsoo (wooshik) and his mother were laughing at the end.

2. couldn't understand how the wonderland program worked. the dead people's mind were there in their AI versions or weren't?

3. couldn't even understand if or how the characters had feelings for the AI versions of their beloved ones. we can clearly see that they hug up the phone calls without saying goodbye or anything, showing that they don't really care cause the AI people aren't real at the end of the day. so why they signed up for the wonderland program anyway?

4. why taejoon (bogum) was totally different when he woke up? why jeongin (suzy) ran to taejoo only when he was far away? why taejoo was mad or confused (didn't get how he felt) when jeongin showed his AI version?

5. why sung joon (gongyoo) had romantic feelings for bai li (tang wei) if she was dead?

6. if sung joon could enter in bai li's program, why they didn't bring her child to see her? and as they had the possibility to enter in the AI world, why this wasn't the main program instead of the phone calls one?

7. when haeri (yumi) canceled jingu's (jungsang) program cause apparently his grandmother was dead, why she told him instead of just stopping the program? and she was being serious or just wanted an excuse to end his program cause he was bad towards his grandma?
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besides all my doubts, i didn't felt any compassion for the characters as they weren't well developed.

i just rated 5.5 because the cast was full of amazing actors and they did awesome. it's a pity that the screenwriter didn't gave them a good story and development.

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Alien + Time Travel = Why not?

I really love this one- it's so much better than the 1st part, although we kinda need the 1st part to build up to where we are.

This one is more lighthearted, funny, action packed and faster pacing. I love the combination of sorcery and science, past and future, young and old, and everything in between

More than one plot twists and its real good. It's also touching in the end, got me in tears.

I love the casts too- like everyone of them did really well and play very important part

I become a fan of Kim Woo Bin after this too! Highly recommend part 2!

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A self-assured exercise in style.

I wanted to start August off right and I knew August in the Water just had to be watched after my experiences with Gakuryū Ishii back in January. Mixing New Age spirituality, animism, astrophysics and advancement in technology, August in the Water can easily be described as the quintessential vaporware film, often feeling like several overlapping films that somehow complement and deepen each other's various mysteries. Ishii crafts a film that largely unfolds as a succession of mood pieces, remaining optimistic as it deconstructs the meaninglessness of our existence while simultaneously offering a hallucinatory analysis of coming-of-age malaise. The direction and framing are just sumptuous, it's all handled in a familiar and comforting style not too far removed from other Japanese filmmakers of the '90s. Part of that comfort comes from the film's incredible sound design and gorgeous musical score by Hiroyuki Onogawa, new age sound blending with classical synthesisers. Exceptionally intriguing and self-assured exercise in style with wry observations about modern Japanese life, August in the Water is simply beautiful in its deliverance, one that I can't recommend enough.

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فيلم و لا اروع

الفيلم مبني على قصة حقيقية ... تعود لسنة 1971 حادثة اختطاف طائرة
الفيلم حرفيا بيحبس الانفاس و انت بتحضر بتحس بضيق نفس و كأنك من ضمن ركاب الطائرة .. الكاست كلهم ابدعوا من دون استثناء ..
تمنيت لو تعمقوا شوية بالظلم اللي تغرض له الخاطف لحتى يقرر يخطف طائرة و يدخل كوريا الشمالية ..
بس الفيلم ككل روعة من احلى افلام 2024 ..
تقييمي للفيلم 10/10
A masterpiece ♥ .............................................................


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Fist is still strong

The Crime City movie series has not run out of fuel. I would say that the previous sequel was slightly better, but the tone of this new film is the same as in the previous part, good and brutal action with a touch of comedy. Those who liked this series before will also like this sequel. Charismatic Ma Dong-seok has aged a bit, but he is still the main asset of the film. More precisely, it is his fist that smashes everything in front of him. It surprises me and makes me laugh every time when I see enemies fall from the force of his blows.

An important part of the film are the criminals, who also have strong personalities here, and it is interesting to see how they clash with each other. They also created the best action scene in the film, where instead of fists, they fight with knives and we practically see the entire fight choreography in one shot. As for the story, it's good enough to hold attention, but it doesn't have too many twists and turns.

P.S. for the Croatian translation. Our translator was very creative in translating Korean curse words, so he would invent a new curse word for each F word and thereby increase their influence on the plot, which bothered me a little because I'm not a fan of rude words.

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Tugs on your heartstrings

"The story was great. It allows you to experience the two characters' dilemmas, goals, and feelings as they consider why they take certain actions. Was it all destined to happen? The film progresses in a melancholic way with beautiful cinematography and excellent symbolism.

Bible's acting skills are top-tier. He has proven himself in roles such as Vegas in 'Kinn Porsche and Kan in this short film. Jes, as Tul, was also fabulous. Their chemistry was sizzling, and the acting felt natural and right. The music combined gave a heartbreaking feel to the film.

I don't think it had a bad ending as many are portraying; instead, I would term it as a "tragic" one. Right from the beginning, I could foresee the impending ending, and as a viewer, there was nothing I could do to stop it. TulKan I'll forever love you. I loved every second of it.

I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a captivating and emotionally resonant story, with top-notch acting and beautiful cinematography. It's worth a watch!

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A good starting yet a laughable ending.

A woman who struggles everywhere she goes from the workplace to her own house. She is always the target of I'll rumors and gossip-lusting eyes always surround her.

Like they said sometimes you get the best out of the worst and just like that she got something that's horrifying yet somehow works in her support.

Talking about the movie production, music, cinematography, and everything was below average. The erotic scenes were kind of okay type and the acting of every cast is average, you can't blame them when the character depth and dialogues are shallow themselves.

In short, the story had potential but the execution was done poorly. Even if it's a B or C grade Horror, Erotic movie, the efforts were still low. They could have used more screen time to explore more things but I guess they don't have that much budget to begin with.

There's nothing to the ending and honestly, it's laughable that the small build-up they had throughout the entire movie was thrown into the trashcan in the end.

So watch it if you have much free time and don't mind a low-class movie.

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Still Human. Still Dreaming.

Still Human is the kind of heartwarming, healing film that is like catnip to me. I’ve seen this paradigm before of the Filipina maid changing hearts and breaking down barriers, but Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji put their own stamp on it.

Cheong Wing has been confined to a wheelchair ever since a construction accident. His wife divorced him and is now remarried. His son is in the States studying to be a doctor leaving Cheong Wing alone in his miniscule public assisted housing. With his closed off persona believing himself to be “rubbish” and having special needs he hasn’t been able to keep a maid. In walks Evelyn Santos from the Philippines. She speaks no Cantonese and he only speaks a little English, at first glance it does not seem like a match made in heaven as he confiscates her passport. Other Filipinas in Hong Kong tell her to play dumb and never let him know if she learns Cantonese or else her workload will be greater. As Evelyn and Cheong Wing come to know each other and see the other as human, healing and growth occur.

This film highlighted the marginalized people in the community. Evelyn and the other maids were on duty 24/6, with only Sundays off. She suffered derogatory comments and treatment almost everywhere. Cheong Wing struggled to keep his head up as he felt like a burden on his family and friends. Director/writer Oliver Chan hammered home the message that despite a person’s circumstances, as long as they were breathing, a person could have dreams. Everyone needs a purpose, a dream, something for them to reach for in life to give their experience meaning. It didn't matter if the person was old, handicapped, poor, or an other. The two characters broke down those barriers to otherness with respect and compassion.

Oliver Chan made this charming film for around 3.25 HKD/415,000USD. Anthony Wong was said to have forgone a salary. With or without pay he gave a complex performance of a man, father, friend without a reason to live only to be given another chance at meaning in his life. For the most part, Crisel Consunji held her own with Wong as the goodhearted Evelyn with a delightfully wicked sense of humor. “Sir, you even learn Japanese” as Cheong Wing attempted to hide his Japanese porn.

Still Human. Still Dreaming. If you are in need of an uplifting film to remind you that we are all neighbors, all family on this beautiful blue marble, that no one is less than, Still Human is just the ticket.

31 July 2024

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Invitation or Cancellation?

While researching films directed by women, I found this appealing short film by Jang Yi Je. I tried to discover more about the people involved with the making of this film, but this obscure short was lost in the vast space of Pluto titled films and shows. I suppose the numerous Pluto named entertainments could offer solace to the poor bullied planet that was kicked off the starting team of planets in our solar system. #justiceforpluto! But I digress…

Yeon Woo is getting married soon, but has one person she needs to see first. She visits the best friend of her childhood, the person she can’t forget. Se Jeong has a pottery studio and is less than thrilled when the familiar face drops by after too many years apart.

Pluto teased a more complex story of familial and societal expectations and judgements. As happens so often in these stories, one person gracefully accepted who she was and the other bowed to the pressure to fit in and be “normal.” How far was Yeon Woo willing to go to please others? Small hints piqued my curiosity. Based on one comment I wondered how controlling was Yeon’s boyfriend. Se Jeong had hated the pottery studio as a child and now creates works of art. I would like to have known her backstory as well. My biggest complaint other than the blown-out photography was because it was a pottery studio, the film succumbed to the overly used Ghost trope.

These short films can be maddening when they seem to have enough material for a full-length film. In a mere twenty minutes, I began to feel invested in these two women and their stories. Was their love deep enough to forgive the past and courageous enough to walk hand-in-hand into the future?

1 August 2024

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A beautiful concept

Wonderland,I found the concept intriguing, but the execution left much to be desired. The film would have benefitted from more backstory on the main characters. For instance, with Jung In, it was hard to empathize with her when Tae Ju wakes up and acts differently because we have no context for what he was like before. It felt like we skipped the entire first half of the story and jumped straight into the second. Additionally, the film hinted at Tae Ju being insane and potentially dangerous, but it never clarified who started the fire, leaving important plot points unexplained. Overall, the movie had potential, but it needed more development and clarity to fully engage the audience.

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Kanta Sato's acting was spot on!

Although the narrative was very simple and not much happens between Yu and Fumika when it comes to the romance side, I still appreciated the authenticity shown by the Kanta Sato when he portrayed a blind masseuse. The way he navigated the subway and streets with his white cane and even moving his face and hands similarly to a blind man was so accurate. There were moments of prejudice towards Yu's blindness, and an uncomfortable but confusing moment where Jerry, Yu's friend seemed to be jealously annoyed that Yu was on a date and came home late. Overall, I still give it a rewatch value of 10 because the blindness was perfectly and authentically represented here.

Blindness is not a burden or a jarring situation in a relationship. There's always somebody for everyone.
(I'm also married to a blind man.)

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Little bit suck

EP1 - Actually as everyone saying EP 1 was good but the ending was kinda not giving. ( Maybe you can say it is an opening ending..that's how i changed my mind ). there acting were so good but there are some wrong points..Such as if I am a her then i would quit the Job right away but she just started to prove that she is right to her manager...( That's not right...Your doughter is with a stranger and you are trying to prove you are wright and not trying to get fired) Maybe that's just a mistake of the writers.

Ep2 - Everyone saying it's boring but for me it was kinda good...Because I am not into too much blood , disgusting things..and to me this episode kinda funny though...:) If you are not that much like those thriller. genre but want to watch something bizzare then this episode is for you.

Ep3- This Episode is the reason why I am writing this review..because I am so uncomfortable. Start up was so good also the middle parts..but ending part was too much for me actually..Also I was wondering why he didn''t received any help...because his coworker knew that he is going to visit that girl because he is the one who suggested to make him go there again but look how measurable he is at the end...Maybe she took 3 or 5 days to make him that Misérables. Let's say 2 days but don't you think that his coworker should help him by that time?

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