Reviews

A continuation of the series

I'll be honest, the beginning was not as riveting as the previous two, it took me a few days to get through 40-50mn, but once the action started it was sustained mostly to the end. Continuing honestly, I started watching these for Yamazaki Kento (a Naruto-like character) and the action scenes.

The action is good, choreography of fights is cool but... this movie especially (iirc), less believable than previous ones? It's not MCTNA quality, let's say, barely killing enemies as they go, I sincerely doubt enemies would attempt to tackle someone rather than lead with their swords but, characters must survive, I get it.

The cinematography is good, the costumes too (armors excepted, they do have that fake/cheap look but alas).

The acting is as good as it always is, in a... very Japanese fashion (no duh, yes), the dialogue is, well, also simplistic.

I haven't read the original (book? manga?) the live action is based on and can't judge the accuracy of the plot, just that it's simplified for the 2hr format (probably). As seems to be the trend in Japanese productions, women are scarce with a similar amount of lines (we met a new one but naturally died for the cause), there was a lot of backstory I'm not entirely sure was necessary in the way it was done, though we get to understand Eisei's motivations, we don't spend a lot of time developing other characters. Kyokai continues to be awesome, sadly never enough screen time for her skills hahaha, I loved her and Shin sparring. And once again I wonder why Karyoten is still here, probably so they have an excuse to explain strategies to the audience (but does she *really* still need that costume!? Ahem). Shin's on his way to fulfilling his dream(s)? If Hoken doesn't kill him first, lol (he won't, yes yes).

I did not expect OGURI SHUN to show up but omg, HELLO! More please!

tl;dr, it's a pretty fun watch that continues the series, if you watch just for the action you're likely to skip halfway through. Solid production overall, though if I were to rewatch anything of the series it'd be the action (or Shin's good looking face).

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"You helped me find my ladder"

From birth to death, we all have the need for food in common. Tampopo put a weird twist on the food genre by combining it with a Western, with the emphasis on weird. The film’s main course was the search for the perfect bowl of ramen. The side dishes ran the gamut from heartwarming to sexual food fetishes. When the character in the opening scene breaks the fourth wall, hold onto your popcorn because you are in for a wild ride.

On a dark and stormy night, two truck drivers ride into town looking for a place to eat. Goro wears a cowboy hat and his trusty young sidekick loves ramen so they stop at small shop. Tampopo is a widow with no experience cooking ramen and it showed. Goro and Gun give her advice on her ramen and before long are helping her to improve. Team Ramen begins to expand to include a homeless ob/gyn, a chauffeur, and a drunken contractor. And this is the most normal story in the film.

Just when you think it couldn’t get any weirder, director Itami Juzo says, “Hold my Heineken.” Like tag team wrestling, a passerby will be tagged in and their story of food begins. Professional and international dinner etiquette, con artists, fetishes, first times, and last times all pop in and out with circle wipes. Tampopo delves into the connections we have with food and dining. How much do we savor and pay attention to what we eat? How memories and food are tied together in a family. There were some scenes with the 18+ food fetish couple that I would rather not have seen but for the most part the vignettes were PG, kooky, and entertaining. When the last breaths of a character were for a wild boar intestines recipe you know the director is hard core about food. While I found myself invested in one of the romances, the true love of the film was for food.

Tampopo will not be for everyone, nor will all the stories in it. I enjoyed Team Ramen as they explored the world of ramen, experimenting, failing, improving, and building a comradery. Some of the vignettes were more humorous than others, but overall, I found it quirky and entertaining. As someone who grew up watching westerns with my dad, I fully expected one character to shout out, “Come back Shane!” at the end of the film. If you are in the mood for something different, grab a snack, and settle in for a film dedicated to food in the many ways we celebrate it.

7 February 2024

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very good if you like imperfect realistic portrayal of people

after reading the negative critiques of this movie I understand now that its a case of kdrama delusion. they want everything and everyone to be perfect and soft and cute with nothing bad ever happening ... well this is not that kind of movie.
here the relationship and the people are realistic and flawed. every action has its consequence negative or positive. same with the inaction. nothing felt forced or like a plot device to make things move forward. the writing was excellent, smart and simple.
here the villain of the story is the timing. it seems like they barely miss each other every time but also the ML not taking its chance and regretting it. the acting and the chemistry was really good as well. the direction, cinematography and the colours were perfect. 10/10 for sure !

ps: we're the dog and monkey cgi ???I think so bas of the credits

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emptiness and warmth

I remember watching it a while back and I saw it on my recommendations on YouTube so I watched it again.Loved it the story just touched my heart I don’t know if it was because of heartbroken I was aldready due to some things that had happend to me today but when I was watching it every little detail touched my heart ❤️ love it 😊

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Sadly Disappointing

I have been waiting for this movie with bated breath.
I love these two actors together. From all I have watched before, they have great chemistry and good acting skills.
Sadly none of that was evident in this movie.

For starters the story was seriously mediocre and bland. The visual effects were not effective, just a bit of fading in and out to make a ghostly figure. The directing was cringe worthy.

And I'm truly sorry to say this, but the acting from the leads was wooden and weird. Zee's facial expression never changed and NuNew constantly looked like he was on opioids, with this strange dreamy expression in every scene. There was no chemistry between them like I've seen in other dramas.

The setting was about the nicest thing about the whole movie. It was very pretty. :(

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A shining star in Brandon's filmography

Notable for being the late Brandon Lee's first starring role and his only Hong Kong production, Legacy of Rage is an explosive extravaganza and highly entertaining little jewel of Brandon's tragically short career. Yeah, the plot and melodrama are standard eighties action fodder, but Ronny Yu's direction, Lee's reverting presence and exceptional acting chops more than carry the film through the more clichéd aspects of its story. The action possesses a raw intensity and some exceptional choreography which makes it rather a shame there isn't more of it sprinkled throughout the film, however, there's an outstanding climactic car chase and final shootout that feels very much in the vein of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow, all accompanied by a badass score courtesy of Richard Yuen. Given this is the film where Brandon fights Bolo Yeung (who had fought his father in the iconic Enter the Dragon) and featuring a gloriously slimly Michael Wong as its villain, you'd be hard-pressed not to love Legacy of Rage's rough and ready emotional camaraderie.

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"Love and marriage aren't always the same thing"

Late Autumn was in many ways a reworking of Ozu’s classic 1949 film Late Spring only this time focusing on a widowed mother and her daughter of marriage age. Three friends of her late husband decided they knew what was best by finding not only a mate for the daughter but the mother as well! Regardless of what the women wanted.

At the memorial service for their friend Miwa, three old friends, Mamiya, Hirayama, and Taguchi ask Miwa’s widow, Akiko, if she would like help matchmaking for her daughter Ayako. She agrees and after she’s left the men discuss how much each one of them had a crush on Akiko when they were younger, not always in the most respectful ways. The men get to work finding a suitable prospect but run into a wall when they discover Ayako doesn’t want to wed for she fears leaving her mother alone. That knowledge only spurs them on. Mamiya finds out by accident that Ayako has started dating one of the prospects she’d rejected. When he called her on it she said it didn’t change anything. Love and marriage were not necessarily the same thing. The men change tactics and decide to have Akiko marry one of them which turns her small, quiet household upside-down!

Despite their sometimes crass language, the three men’s hearts were in the right place. They wanted the best for Akiko and Ayako. There was more innuendo in this film than most Ozu films. I really didn’t need to hear about the men’s “itches”. Akiko and Ayako had a close relationship that was tested. Fortunately for all involved, Ayako’s friend, Yuriko, stepped in and sorted the men out in the best scene of the whole movie. She then went to work on the mother and daughter.

Ayako feared marriage would cause her to lose her friends as she’d seen with her own friends that married. She also feared becoming distant from her mother and leaving her mother alone, with no one. Despite not being as independent as Yuriko, she enjoyed her independence and feared losing it, too. Akiko, with Hara Setsuko playing her, was the epitome of grace and generosity. The three men were all a little in love with her which even their wives knew.

Ozu’s palette was much the same-muted colors highlighted with green, yellow, and his favorite color red. His red teapot was replaced by a prominent yellow one here. The steady camera set low with the people moving instead was a constant as well as the intricately composed frames. Many of the same players from previous films showed up here like old friends. There’s a comfort and familiarity with his post-war films.

Despite having covered much of the same topics in previous films-the changing Japanese family, aging, and loneliness, he still had more to say. I enjoyed this film more than Late Spring with Hara as the mother instead of the daughter. Okada Mariko’s presence gave the film a jolt of energy when the talking began to go in circles. As bachelor Ozu aged, so did it seems, the boys from his silent films. Still incorrigible with good hearts, only now old men sitting together drinking sake and meddling in other people’s lives…with good intentions of course.

6 February 2024

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Will we ever see an Imjin War movie that respects history?

Noryang: Deadly Sea depicted its namesake, the Battle of Noryang, which was the last major battle of the Imjin War, one where Ming/Joseon forces pursued a fleeing enemy, the Japanese invaders under Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Realizing the war was shifting rapidly against Japanese interests and with domestic unrest brewing, Toyotomi had made arrangements for an orderly retreat even while he was still alive. The sudden death of the Taiko however, meant whatever plans he had in motion went haywire. An opportunity where Ming/Joseon forces were all too happy to exploit.

For the most part, the production values were excellent. Although it was obvious the actors were standing in front of a green screen on numerous occasions, the special effects team strived to render battle scenes and large fleet maneuvers as realistic as possible, something even Hollywood would be hard-pressed to replicate. In terms of costumes, I was particularly impressed with the costumes of all parties involved, which provided distinctiveness and displayed careful research. I was especially impressed by the movie's depiction of Ming armor, which was the most accurate yet in a Korean production, and even Chinese media companies could learn a thing or two from.

The uneven acting and abuse of artistic license unfortunately, was where this movie faltered. Japanese characters were either tyrannical villains or sniveling cowards, lacking any humanizing quality. Chinese characters were no better, as they were portrayed as arrogant buffoons with one sole exception. Then, once these 'foreign' characters started to speak, whatever seriousness this movie managed to muster at that point, instantly fell apart. Chinese and Japanese characters (played by Korean actors) also spoke in what should be their native tongue, but uttered their lines with great irregularity accompanied by the occasional over-the-top performance. This was obvious as most of them probably had no idea what they were saying. Japanese characters conversed with notable disconnected syllables, thick accents, pause in the wrong areas and overall seemed as if they were just reciting their scripts verbatim. The Chinese characters were even worse as their 'Chinese' was difficult to comprehend and became complete gibberish when delivered at a faster pace. The lack of understanding in how Chinese terminology should be applied also contributed to numerous instances of unintentional hilarity. For example, Chen Lin addressed Yi Sun-Sin as 'Lao Ye', roughly meaning old-master or lord-master depending on context. Except this would never happen since Chen Lin was actually older than Yi Sun-Sin, and also the latter's superior officer. Yi for his part, would never consider breaking protocol and suggest parting ways as that would have amounted to treason. Moreover, the relationship of the two men were known to be amicable, thus it was unfortunate that this movie chose to fabricate their mutual intense-friction for the sake of drama. To further signify Yi's skills in naval strategy, Chen also had to be made a moron, which led to the death of another key character, that of Deng Zilong. In reality, the latter met his demise by friendly fire while fighting onboard Admiral Yi's own flagship in midst of enemy formation. It was actually Yi's ship that was surrounded, and Deng was killed in action alongside Yi. But we cannot have Admiral Yi's reputation tarnished now, can we?

Furthermore, the plot was inconsistent. The movie informed us early on that Japanese forces were seeking to retreat and sought safe-passage in their negotiations with the Chinese since all parties involved at that point realized the Japanese could no longer maintain a presence on the Korean peninsula. Though near the end, somehow the battle became one of desperation for Ming/Joseon, and the Japanese fleet seemed as if it was more than capable of committing another serious naval campaign. Whatever the original objectives of the Japanese forces (that is to retreat) were lost at that point.

With all the modern media revolving around the topic of the Imjin War produced by South Korea, there seems to be an implication that South Koreans believe Joseon Korea could actually win the entire war by themselves. This implication can be both blatant and subtle, depending on the production, but difficult to miss. In order to reinforce this notion, very often Joseon's Chinese allies were made feeble while their Japanese foes degraded to near cartoonish levels of villainy all for the purpose of portraying Joseon's efforts during the Imjin War to be more significant than it actually was. Especially when Admiral Yi is involved, and this movie is no different. While the production values were marvelous, excessive artistic license to prop up Joseon efforts marred by obvious language barriers in this movie reached a point where certain segments ranged anywhere from cringe to downright laughable. No one is disputing Admiral Yi's prowess as a naval strategist and leader of men, and stories focused on him should not require the degradation of everyone else around him. It is entirely possible to highlight his qualities while staying true to historical sources. It is not difficult.

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Japanese romance and fantasy - what's not to love!

Aesthetics of Japanese architecture, kimono fashion, culture, beautiful men and women combined with an excellent fantasy genre - don't blink or you'll miss it. Time just flew past watching this film. I expected more of a Mills & Boon 'he hates her - she tries her best to win his affection' but whoah, how quickly he was enamoured by Miyo but she was so deserving of his affection. It was a fast paced film which could easily be made into a 20 part series, showing us the relationships, past the present, of Kudo, then with Miyo, then introducing us to the Special Skills soldiers - which alone warranted a much lengthier exploration of each character and their particular 'magical' attributes. Actually, if they made a series about this alone, it would still be a winner - Japanese X-men... yes please!

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How does the gaze of others affect an a priori perfect homosexual relationship?

In this 2018 short film of only 15 minutes, Taiwanese director Ching Chi Hu captures a youthful homosexual experience with a good deal of sensitivity, but also with the same taste for taking the dramatic conflict to a practically extreme situation that crushes the audience's heart. more sensitive.
The first part of this deeply personal portrait of a newly discovered love, draws the love relationship between the two protagonist boys, Kai Chang (Xuan Qi Chen) and Hao Tsai (Bo Yao Wang), the latter co-writer with Chi Hu, in a of those intense and unique connections that occur over six magical months, while both frequently skip classes at a Taiwanese high school to discover the universe within their reach.
Between jokes, laughter and complicity, what emerges as a friendship quickly transforms into a more intense bond. However, with the same speed and simplicity as this pure relationship is created, it is affected when moving to another socialization environment, school. As Hao rides the bus with his fellow students, they express an obvious aversion toward homosexual people. In fact, the girl next to him, presumably a girlfriend to hide his homosexuality, asks Hao about the boy with whom he spends many hours together every day and they are very close.
As the connection between the two strengthens, Hao grows increasingly certain that they will not have the possibility of a future together. Therefore, against her will, she decides to break up with her lover. The scenes, which show the mutual discovery of secret desires until one's lips want to eat the other's, are filmed with a tender and tactile lens.
Through ellipses and in a naturalistic tone, in its second half, 'Grounded' becomes a drama around the loss that Kai suffers, first due to the death of his mother, and then due to the tragic breakup with Hao .
Instead of jokes, laughter and complicity, now there are half smiles on the faces of the two protagonists and involuntary grimaces of pain, with the boys' lips closed and those dark, very dark eyes, shining with shed tears and others without shedding.
Hao wants to “marry the sea and embrace freedom, but he is afraid of the wind and the waves and the limits of painting.” The homophobic society in which he lives and where marriage between people of the same sex is not recognized until the year after the filming of the short, does not allow him to conquer his dreams. Hao does not reveal himself to the circumstances and ends up being a victim of them. This foresees serious consequences for the loved one.
The short film thus becomes a sharp portrait of how the gaze of others ends up affecting an a priori perfect relationship. The audiovisual offers us, on the one hand, a window to other realities, and on the other hand, it places a mirror in front of ours.
With a little more development of the characters and events, I have no doubt this film will be able to remodel the belief system of many viewers, make them think and reconsider our immovable truths.

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Unflinchingly tense

A gripping, often uncompromising look at the Hong Kong drug trade, Protégé takes a tried and tested storytelling formula and marries it to compelling cinematic finesse caught up in a cobweb of drugs, loyalties and deceit. Mercifully unpretentious, the film is directed with remarkable proficiency by Derek Yee, offering a look at both sides of the drug coin: those who profit from it and those who ultimately suffer from it. By keeping it more personal, Yee's film feels more intimate and urgent, more satisfyingly intriguing, helped in no small regard by its star power. A greyed-up Andy Lau is as great as ever, offering up a sympathetic spin on an otherwise purely business-focused drug lord, while Daniel Wu plays off of Lau with a subtle and controlled rage. With its smart script, solid acting and tight directing Protégé varies from intense drama to dreamlike to subtle shades of black comedy yet never feels like an afterschool special or an obvious morality tale.

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Barely a lawsuit away from that of Steven Seagal's Under Siege

Aegis is much more in the mould of Hollywood productions than of your typical Japanese action thriller. Gently paced, carefully plotted and thematically complex, the film raises plenty of points for discussion amidst the myriad of generally uneven political undercurrents about Japan's role in the current world but manages to overcome its rather simplistic outline with a degree of class filmmaking. Director Junji Sakamoto (whom I didn't have the best of introductions with) takes his time building suspense and laying out the state of play before kicking everything into gear. In conjunction with wonderful photography and the red hues of the ship's interior comes always reliable Hiroyuki Sanada turning in a fine performance as the reluctant everyman forced to save the day. While a little too long for what it is, Aegis makes for some enjoyable entertainment harking back to the US' golden years of action.

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Um filme simples que deixa nossos corações quentinhos

a meu ver, a prota, ao longo de sua jornada, devido alguns eventos, desenvolveu transtorno de ansiedade e sua máscara era a barreira que ela encontrou de esconder seus traumas, evitando gatilhos e camuflando sua dor. Passou a aguentar todos os fardos sozinhas, trazendo a solidão como principal consequencia. O protagonista em tantos momentos quebra essa barreira construída, sendo um pouco duro, contudo, necessário, pra faze-la sair dessa zona de conforto. Apesar de ser uma zona cômoda, a feria mais que a protegia, e ele via isso. Seiji um dos poucos protagonistas com tanta coragem e dedicação, antes do amor, ajudar verdadeiramente a Akane.

O meu único sincero desejo é que existe uma continuação ): e claro, não diminuindo em nada a beleza desse filme!

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Three coincidences equals Fate or lazy writing

Tough as Iron with Yoo Ah In was a film with an identity crisis. At its heart it was a movie that seemed inspired by Gilbert Grape right down to the opening scene. To make it more exciting they threw in gangsters and the Yakuza. Then for good measure they wedged in a love story. Sometimes too much is too much.

According to the synopsis Gang Cheol was a legendary street fighter. Maybe it was Sesame Street? The fight scenes weren't very well choreographed and his most powerful skill was a killer stare. Cheol's life entailed a job working on the docks and caring for his mother. His mom often accompanied him so that she wouldn’t wander off, which she still managed to do quite often. Not only did she have dementia, she was a diabetic with kidney failure. Cheol went to great lengths trying to find a way for her to receive a transplant. Cheol’s buddy, Jong Soo, wanted to be somebody and get rich so he joined a gang with a sashimi loving boss with a hotheaded brother. Of course, the trouble magnet entangled Cheol with his criminal co-workers. In moments when he wasn’t dealing with his mother, his troublesome friend, working, trying to find 100,000 won for his mom's surgery, or dealing with the gangsters, Cheol ran into a pretty photographer visiting Busan which meant it had to be fate.

The gangster angle was weak and took away from the relevant story of Cheol and his mother. Maybe the writers felt that Gilbert Grape would have been more interesting if he’d gotten mixed up with gangsters instead of planning a birthday party. The romance in this film wasn’t a lifeline or an insight into a better life, it seemed more like vacant window dressing. Yoo Ah In and Kim Hae Sook had wonderful chemistry together. There was more than enough story to tell as they navigated the stage in life when the child becomes the parent with little time for himself. This story could have used a romantic involvement to show him what he was missing. But Tough As Iron’s incoherent gangster escapades pulled too much focus from the heart of the film leaving no room for a well-developed love story.

Tough as Iron had the potential to be a powerful and meaningful film, especially with the caliber of actors involved. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the interplay between Cheol and his mother, the good days, the bad days, the exhaustion, heartache, and love. I found their relationship much more fascinating than a maniacal killer who stuttered.

5 February 2024

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