Reviews

World's longest training arc

Offset by the longest training montage known to man, Liu Chia-Liang's trend-setting classic, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin mythologises the true story of a monk who took his martial teaching out of the temple and into the secular world and in turn boiling the revenge drama down to almost abstract levels, one that is often heralded as one of the most influential martial arts films of all time. Leung directs this movie masterfully, making fabulous use of the epic and colourful surroundings while the exceptionally choreographed fights fill the frame. The acting is great all around with Gordon Liu more than carrying his weight but the show is really stolen by Lo Leih's villainous turn as General Tien. The music is nothing overly special but works for the film. Ultimately, it's hard to fault The 36th Chamber of Shaolin regarding its technical and landmarking achievements for the kung fu genre, although granted it does take a little bit too long to get going but once it starts, it doesn't stop.

Lees verder

The last scene is just wow!

Oh my, the last scene is SO beautiful! This movie is beautifully done- gosh, this is one high quality BL, seriously.

It's not as lighthearted as the poster seems to be, yet it's luckily not as dark as I thought it'd be

it somehow has deep dark theme underlying, yet it's not too heavy to watch. Yes, its emotional and all but beautiful

I really LOVE the scene that's being shown in the poster- one of the sweetest and cutest romantic scene!! So pure and innocent. Also, love the subtle way they say love to each other, such as the last scene

It's a really nice movie- with lots of little hints here and there. I love both actors, especially the one who played Su min. And I can't believe the other ML is the same guy who is in Fiery Priest!!!

Highly recommend this show!

Lees verder

Surprisingly Candid

This old BL was exceptionally good. The story line was confusing at times especially when Su Min continued to reject Jae Min. Jae Min's instant infatuation and continued pursuit was touching. Once they became a couple their love was poignant. Considering the year this was filmed and in an ultra conservative nation the development of the entire script was realistic and explicit without actually showing a great deal. Definitely not a movie for minors, but adults should be able to handle the down to earth dialogue and sexual actions. I have to assume the ending was meant to be profound in some way, but Jae Min putting his hand on Su Min's privates in view of the policeman kind of seemed strange. Again, I can only assume since communicating wasn't the main couples strong suit that the gesture was meant to be one of reconciliation and acceptance of their tabu relationship. I'm glad neither lead died and apparenting their relationship would continue.

Lees verder

linda história

rindo que eles se conheceram porque um deles tava afim de fazer banheirão!!!!


Esses dias eu estava pensando em umas coisas que conversa muito com uns dos discursos no final do filme que é sobre ser uma pessoa velha e lgbtqia+. De quanto na mídia como na vida real não parece ter muito espaço para essas pessoas que não seja em um lugar vexatório. é uma virada de chave quando você percebe que pra ter acesso a determinados direitos pessoas anteriores tiveram que abrir mão de muita coisa. o número de homens gays que construíram uma família para se encaixar em um padrão é meio assustador e só de pensar na ideia de viver uma vida inteira presa nesse padrão fico em pânico. Passar anos da sua vida com medo e vivendo na sombra de algo para ter uma galera mais nova tirando sarro de você aproveitando fragmentos de uma vida que você poderia ter tido é um desrespeito sem tamanho.

Enfim, o filme é lindo. É muito bonita toda construção da relação dos personagens que acontece durante a obra. Os momentos de felicidade são genuínos e te faz vibrar pelos dois!

Lees verder

At first I didn't understand anything, at the end it seemed like the beginning.

This was the most confusing movie I've ever seen in my entire life. I spent the entire movie with my eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand what was going on. The synopsis has nothing to do with the movie! When I read it, I thought it was an exciting and normal romance, but this is completely out of the "normal" standard.

The lead actress's acting was great. I mean, she totally fooled me. Her mind was like mine during the movie: confused.

Anyway, based on the synopsis, the movie had everything to be great, but I just wasted my time watching it. If you are a lover of movies that make your head explode: this is a great movie.
I just wish you good luck watching it.

Lees verder

Cute family movie. Simple. Predictable. But not in a bad way.

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2008 Soith Korean comedy drama movie with a run time of 108 minutes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Nam Hyeon-soo (Cha Tae-hyun) is enjoying his 30 something life with some remaining fame from being a teen idol turned radio show host. He revels in his single bachelorhood. His talk show is enhanced by the story of a young woman named Hwang Jeong-nam (Park Bo-young) shares stories of her life as a young single mother who hopes to meet her biological father. Little does Hyeon-soo know that when he is encouraging the young mother to bravely meet her father that he’s encouraging her to meet him himself. It is all rebuild when Jeon-nam shows up at Hyeon-soo’s place with her young son, Ki-dong (Wang Seok-hyeon) in tow. Hyeon-soo at first vehemently denies she could be his daughter until Jeon-nam/Jae-in tells him her mother’s name and it turns out it was his first love and a woman he had intimate relationships with (Jae-in was originally using her deceased mother’s name but starts going by her own name). Despite her father at first discouraging her lest the scandal around her birth be revealed, Jae-in realizes her dream of becoming a singer. With public exposure, Ki-dong's father Park Sang-yoon (Im Ji-kyu) finds Jae-in. Hyeon-soo slowly realizes that he actually enjoys being a father and grandfather. Despite his early worries, when it is discovered he has a child and grandchild it does not have the career ending consequences he feared.

Review

If you’re looking for a quick watch, mostly feel good family drama, then this fits the bill. One of my favorite aspects of this is the relationship between the grandson and grandfather. There is no strong, romantic component to it. It’s good particularly if you take it within the context of the time frame it was produced. I would not seek it out to rewatch it, but I would watch it if somebody else had it on again. I recommend it for those that like any of the actors as it is enjoyable to see them acting at younger ages. It ends happy and is happy through most of the show..

Spoilers

I am such a fan of series. I am often to say with movies. It would’ve been better if it had been done in a series format there was so much that could’ve been into deeper. I would’ve liked to have seen more on the relationship that developed between the daughter and father, never portrayed them having a super relationship. He seem to grow to really like her, but they were never those warm fuzzy moments where they talked about how they felt about each other.

Spent a lot of the movie being frustrated with the mail lead because he was so concerned about optics. I know that’s the reality a lot of times when someone finds out they have a child they didn’t know about particularly after was verified. I was like dude you have an actual daughter and a grandson, it would’ve been best if he had found a way to bring it out to people and let them know a positive way

I also really wanted to see the daughters career takeoff even more than it did. It was like OK. You got to sing a little, but it didn’t really show her game thing or anything like that that would’ve made it even more enjoyable.

I love that there was some focus on the grandson and the grandfather‘s relationship because that was super cute. What was he probably my grandson to accept it it came out, but he never really touted it himself. That would’ve made it a level better.

#ScandalMakers. #ChaeTaeHyun #ParkBoYoung #WangSeokHyeon. #ImJiKyu

Lees verder

There were no Dinos or Monster Birds here

Taking the formula established by the success of Jaws and combining it with the domestic kaiju film, Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds had a decent amount of potential but ultimately shot itself right in the explosive tank before it could fully realise that. The DNA of the film feels ripped right from Nessie, the tragically cancelled collaboration between Toho and Hammer, with climate anomalies and seismic activity reviving prehistoric reptiles to terrorise the residents around a legendarily monster-haunted lake. One of those creatures is a Plesiosaurus with the film even referring to poor Nessie at a few points during its runtime, Toei was evidently listening at the walls of Toho studios one summer day. Director Junji Kurata seems to have failed to fundamentally grasp the premise of a huge monster operating by stealth and picking off its victims individually in secret, regardless, his direction is nonetheless passable. The film doesn't allow you to bond with the characters, there's little reason to care for them beyond their base archetypes, however, the actors all turn in decent performances at least. The ill-fitting and often hilariously juxtaposed music by Masao Yagi is usually the film's talking point, combining a catchy mixture of disco, funk, and jazz. Despite a healthy dosing of gory violence and some great effects work, Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds is a really outlandish film, odd and sometimes surreal, it's at least capable of keeping your interest from beginning to end.

Lees verder

"A Cheng's Heartbreak: A Soul-Shattering Tale of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption"

This film is an emotionally devastating yet deeply moving experience, one that leaves your heart shattered but your soul profoundly touched. A Cheng’s journey—from a misunderstood enforcer to a man haunted by the shadows of his past—is portrayed with such intensity that it leaves an indelible mark. His dynamic with Hao Ting is an electrifying mix of passion, quirks, and raw vulnerability, immersing you so completely that every emotion they share—love, despair, and sacrifice—feels achingly personal.

This story transcends the boundaries of romance. It’s not just about love but also delves into family bonds, the grip of past mistakes, and the overwhelming challenge of transforming yourself in a world that refuses to forget who you once were. A Cheng’s battle to outrun his history while facing judgment resonates with the quiet struggles many of us endure but rarely voice.

What makes this film truly exceptional is the depth the actors bring to their roles. You don’t just witness their lives unfold—you feel every moment with them. Their fleeting joys feel like treasures you want to hold on to forever, while their heartbreaks hit like a blow to the chest, leaving you breathless. The exploration of sacrifice, loss, and resilience is so honest and unflinching that it strikes a chord few films manage to reach.

This is the kind of story that lingers in your thoughts, haunting you long after the screen goes dark. It’s not an easy film to watch—it’s too emotionally intense to revisit frequently—but it serves as a poignant reminder of life’s fragile beauty and the importance of treasuring our connections before they slip away.

Despite its heartbreaking nature, the craftsmanship of this film is so remarkable that I know I’ll revisit it someday, if only to relive the profound emotions it evokes.

Lees verder

não entendi muito bem

diferente de algumas obras sul-coreanas que são Bl eu não vejo essa daqui sendo tão comentada o que sempre me pareceu meio estranho pois as cenas que postavam parecia ser algo bem promissor. eu entendo agora o motivo de não ser tão comentado. não é o tipo de obra que muda a sua vida mas acredito que tem muita coisa boa para se tirar dela. existe um aceleramento na história que embora seja fácil de se acompanhar deixa uma sensação estranha de não saber como as coisas evoluíram até certo ponto. acho que o ponto alto é o suspense que se cria nos minutos finais, deu outro valor ao filme.

Lees verder

A realistic depiction of gay life end of the 1980ies...

While nowadays so much BL crap is produced, this is a very serious story about how life was for teens at the end of the 80ies. It's especially important because this movie begins when the martial law ended in Taiwan. They discover themselves, they discover how cruel the world is, discover that the end of martial law does not change people over night and also what role the church played against homosexuals.

It's one of the masterpieces Taiwan always produced in the BL-World where the story matters, where the characters matter, where the acting matters and where the production quality, direction and execution matters. All is done so well and all makes sense.

This movie does not have a happy end, so I advise caution before you watch it because it could make you feel terrible, sad or even depressed. Still, it's a masterpiece and leaves a strong impression.

Lees verder