Reviews

The Boys from Fengkuei was a coming-of-age film from Hou Hsiao Hsien. Three aimless teenage boys waiting to be called up for mandatory military service move to a larger city and find themselves to be small fish in a big pond.

Ah Ching, Ah Jung, and Kao Tzu spend most days drinking, playing pool, playing pranks and getting in fights. Ah Ching’s mother is constantly criticizing him hoping to set him straight. When the boys have a brush with the law they travel to Kaohsiung for work. They are looking for independence and new experiences before they are called into military service. Hsiao Hsing is their cute neighbor with a sleazeball boyfriend who is stealing from work. Ah Ching begins work at the factory where Hsiao is employed while the other two friends seek alternative income sources that puts a strain on the friendships.

I enjoyed this film more than some of Hou Hsiao Hsien’s other films. The characters weren’t as remote and unknowable as in his later films. Ah Ching was relatable and despite his poor behavior in his hometown, he was more sympathetic than the other two boys. The teens went from being cocky fish in a small pond to insignificant fish in a big pond. They weren’t well educated and lacked marketable skills. All three faced uncertain futures and were still learning who they were as young men. Complicating things, it was the time of life when relationships were made and broken with friendships in flux.

The Boys from Fengkuei was an entertaining slice of life film more about the experience of watching it than any sort of compelling plot. It evoked emotions of a last summer vacation before adulthood kicks in and wanting a little romance and adventure, but not knowing how to manifest either.

18 November 2024

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"Men like us don't deserve a woman"

Soul on a String was an unusual combination of cyclical revenge and spiritual journey, fantasy and reality. Somehow, it worked…for the most part. Beyond the story and acting the breathtaking scenery of Tibet starred as the main feature.

“Treasure your new life and be kind to all.”
After he kills a deer, Tabei finds a sacred stone in the animal’s mouth. Lightning promptly strikes him. He is revived by Buddhist monks and the Incarnate Lama Zatroe. Because the holy Tibetan treasure chose Tabei he is tasked with delivering it to the Palm Print Land. Tabei will also be given the chance to redeem his sins and awaken his soul. Along the way, Tabei reluctantly ends up traveling with a female sheepherder and a small, mute boy. Hot on his trail are an enigmatic cowboy, two vengeful brothers, and numerous shady men who desire the priceless stone.

“The distance is under your feet and the road is on your back.”
Soul on a String felt like a cross between fairytale and reality. It could be hard to tell where the lines between the supernatural and natural crossed. More than one mystical being guided the characters to where they needed to be. While there were plenty of people who wanted to rob or murder Tabei, this was not an action film. The cyclical nature of revenge did take center stage though. Two brothers spent their lives hunting Tabei because his father killed their father in a fight. One brother killed several men named Tabei during his relentless search creating new enemies for his family. Though Tabei understood the brothers’ need for vengeance, he’d never even met his deceased father yet still was held responsible for his actions. As Tabei crossed the endless landscape in front of him with two people who cared for him, he began to gain some introspection and appreciation for life. All life.

“With a snap of my finger, I can take all of you out of this universe.”
Most of the actors gave natural performances, nothing too complex or nuanced. Without a better working knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism there were a few elements in the story that were somewhat confusing to me, but most of the story was easy to follow. The timelines were fluid and didn’t always move in a linear fashion. Because much of the action took place in the vast, scarcely populated areas of grasslands, desert, and mountains, where a person could die of thirst or hunger, something as simple as a Walkman seemed anachronistic. The cinematography showcased extraordinary landscapes that often competed with the actors for attention.

Soul on a String explored the useless blood feuds that destroyed the next generation’s lives and created more feuds for the continuing generations. Without being heavy-handed Tabei gained his redemption arc, step by agonizing step. Accompanied by a woman who cared for him whether he liked it or not and a pint-sized supernatural helper whether he liked it or not. I freely admit I may have rated this film too high, redemption stories are like catnip to me. 7.75 rounded up to an 8, on another day it might be a 7.5

“To turn spiteful curses into forgiving smiles
Let me understand others
Without asking to be understood
Let me love others
Without asking to be loved.”

18 November 2024

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*Sob sob* I'm not crying . . . you are!

When I was first reading the comments to decide whether or not to watch this, all of them were somewhere along the lines of, "oh my freaking god, I haven't cried so much since I found out that my boyfriend cheated on me with that one hot bartender that I used to have a crush on like a year ago." Okay, not really, but that was kiiinda what I was seeing.

So I was like, it cant be that sad right? So I went out and found the movie on youtube and watched it. I first discovered Bible around a year ago when I binge watched kinnporsche on my couch with my cat. And, just like then, I was amazed with his acting. The way he showed all of his emotions was BEAUTIFUL. His performance was so moving, and if you came up to me and said what happened in the film was real, I would believe you.

The film is short but filled with so many emotions that even full-length dramas can't compare. I was surprised by how perfectly it was delivered. Their relationship was realistic in a melodramatic way and even though the story is simple, their acting gave it so much depth.

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A little too formulaic

Just my personal opinion, but I REALLY don't like watching needy people. The FL was so desperate it really irritated me. I also wasn't feeling their relationship on a romantic level. I appreciated that they became friends, but it felt like the ending was forced to make is a HEA ending. When I watch shows, I'm all about the ML and FL ending up together, being the ultra-romantic that I am, but maybe because it was movie, there wasn't enough time to show why they fell in love. It also would have been good to have more of a secondary story about someone's choice to remain single. This movie definitely touted -- single is bad.

That being said, I did enjoy it for what it was.

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This by no means was a comedy and shouldn't have been labeled as such

This was a hard movie to watch due to the subject matter. The evil in the world is never easy to watch. That said, I really enjoyed the acting and the action. Kim Woo Bin does such a fine job with micro-expressions, and I really liked the development of his character. There was a possibility of him going down a certain path, and I'm glad they didn't take that direction. Also, thank you for not trying to add in romance. (though I'd love to see him in a romance!)

I thought that the action sequences were very well-done.

Personally, I was glad this was a movie and not a series. It got straight to the point without wasting time.

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An inspiring story about rising from failure and transforming into a better person.

Overall, the movie's narrative is successful-it communicates a clear moral message to the audience. However, I feel unable to give an objective assessment of a movie with LGBTQ content. This movie not only hints at but explicitly tells the story of transgender. Therefore, what should have been a positive rating for this movie is reduced by the content. In terms of acting, the cast has performed adequately. They managed to express emotions that can be felt by the audience. The music in this movie is adequate, not too dominant but also not disappointing. I assure you that a movie with an LGBTQ campaign would not be something I would consider watching again.

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Great adaptation!

As everyone else said, I think the actress who played Hachi didn't fit her. The Hachi from the first movie played her excellently. I will say that the Shin in this movie was a better cast.

I don't think I noticed this in the first movie, but for this one, wow! The wardrobe and accessories were very accurate; I think they did an amazing job. This is such a great adaptation; the script, cinematography, and clothing are spot on and it was satisfying to see. It felt rewarding to watch this after finishing the anime, I enjoyed it.

Overall, it is an excellent adaptation and movie; well done. I'll love the story of Hachi and Nana forever.

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it's too sweet for me ?

this is what sequel need to be made! even with different cast, they success to set their cast to be the exact same as the previous sequel. how takagi act as takagi it self so good. ofc for nishi too! overall it's too much sugar in it, it's too sweet <3

lastly, it yet slow paced but melancholic. how the acting, set and the storyline are perfectly balanced. easy one of the best ending for a series in my opinion, i hope if some production want to make a series from manga or aanime adaptation this is how they should be made. opinion are opened, but this is what my pure base on my honest opinion are.

once again, T H A N K S ❤️

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Uncut edition

One of the most iconic cult martial art films of all time, the influence felt by Master of the Flying Guillotine can still be seen in pop culture to this very day. Nothing captures the imagination of genre fans like the notion of a mechanical device being hurled through the air to behead its victims. With its nonstop flurry of fighting, ersatz bloodletting and incidental hilarity, this sequel to Jimmy Wang-Yu's earlier One-Armed Boxer doubles down on what made that film work, ultimately leaving this film as his most fondly remembered and signature work, very few films can compete with having a one-armed hero, a blind antagonist who wields a Flying Guillotine and a stolen Krautrock on its soundtrack. The main plot is completely nonsensical and only serves as window dressing for the film's bloody trail of vengeance and tournament antics, one that Yu directs with exhilarating energy. After a series of ultra-cool martial arts set pieces, choreographed fiercely and imaginatively by Lau Kar Leung, Yu eventually faces Kam Kong in an awesome coffin-tossing, wall-climbing, one-arm boxing, guillotine-throwing finale. As writer, director, and star Yu proved to be an extraordinary showman whose creativity, experimentation with genre conventions, and knack for surrounding himself with great talent results in a recipe for a marvellously manic film, Master of the Flying Guillotine needs to be seen to be believed, and even then defies belief.

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I watched the series and the movie side-by-side, and here's what I've found: in the series, there are several scenes that are cut out off the movie version, and which I think contribute to understanding the characters and the plot a bit better.

What I liked:
* All of the characters in the boarding house. They each have their own personality, which we can see even though the story's so short.
* The acting. All of the actors make it possible for us to get to know the characters and their thoughts.
* I liked the friend from college, Bong Deok, the most, who showed remarkable depth of character. Kudos to his actor, I'd like to see him in more dramas.

What I did not like:
* I think they people responsible for the project chose the wrong story for their format. For these short dramas / average length movies you cannot have an ensemble drama and expect a cohesive storytelling that has enough depth to be satisfying. Something will have to be left out, and it shows. I imagine the original work this is based on is much longer and allows for more character development.
* Why did they bleep out the swear words, even put a flower over the actor's mouths? I don't understand why they did not just put a different text for the actors to speak there, if they wanted to keep their low age rating.

Overall impression:
I do not regret watching this show, as the story was cute, the characters likeable and the actors did well. But this is by no means a must-watch; we have enough BL dramas by now that we can choose those of higher quality.
If you have not yet seen it, but want to, I recommend watching the series, not the movie. Although the change between episodes is a bit annoying due to their shortness, the scenes which are not in the movie are entertaining. Also, the movie's background music is sometimes a bit too strong.

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"Women are like products for sale"

Burden of Life was a short Gosho Heinosuke film from 1935. Not going to sugar coat this one. I hated it. Even taking into account the time period, it was so overtly sexist that it made my blood boil.

There might be a couple of elements below that could be considered spoilery:

The film starts out safely enough (sort of) with a playful bantering of the sexes. Itsuko is the middle sister married to an artist who paints semi-nude portraits of her. They live beyond their means and rely on her parents helping them out with money. Oldest daughter Takako is married to Tetsuo and are always fighting. He disapproves of her buying anything for herself, yet he spends his time in hostess bars drinking and buying drinks for the hostesses. Machiko, the youngest daughter, is about to be married which is costing her dad more money. Nine-year-old Kanichi is the baby of the family. He stays away from his dad as much as possible, even eating dinner in the kitchen to avoid him. Shozo has nothing good to say about the boy. His mantra is, “We never should have had him.” Finally, the mother has had enough and begs the father to be kinder to him and plan for the son’s future as well.

I’ve watched numerous older films, but the gaslighting of the mom to prove that the father knew best and women were overly emotional was too much for me. There appeared to be a tiny softening of Shozo near the end but it was not nearly enough for me to accept any real character growth. I found the father’s attitude deeply disturbing. Shozo didn’t know Kanichi’s age and had no plans for the boy to be educated. He considered the boy too short and too ugly to ever be married. Surprisingly, this was one of the first times I’ve come across a father wanting to be rid of a son. Daughters were often lambasted as being useless, but sons always seemed to be coveted. Shozo’s domineering attitude toward his wife had me hoping she’d smother him with her pillow while he slept. He kept saying he wished Kanichi had never been born, being as brilliant as he was, surely he knew how babies were made, didn’t he?

Despite the age of the film and knowing attitudes have changed in the last nearly 100 years, I could not enjoy this film at all. Other early directors had a modicum of respect for their female characters and audience. A child being continually rejected by his father destroyed any enjoyment I might have had with this film otherwise. If you are a fan of Gosho or can tolerate bad parenting and dismissive attitudes for women, at 67 minutes it’s worth a try. I gave myself a day to think about it and try to rationalize the father/husband’s behaviors and the neighbors’ but am still mad. Given this was supposed to be a lighthearted slice of life, I don’t think that’s the response Gosho was trying to elicit.

17 November 2024

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A slow burn and communicating as if you can speak no more than 100 words a day.

I was super excited to watch this movie after the adorable drama, but it fell flat. Why? Because the characters lost the charm they had as students! The teasing that was once playful and fun now felt dull, and the reactions were as lifeless as a soggy noodle. It was all very sophisticated, mindful, and demure lol... and honestly, kind of boring for a two-hour movie. We knew they liked each other, but they could’ve taken the story in so many directions. They could’ve shown us their funny dating life or made them realize their love was more than just a teenage crush. But nope, they just kept circling around.


They threw in a side plot about two other students, but if you’ve seen a Japanese romance that isn’t a tragedy or comedy, you know exactly what’s coming: aesthetically pleasing shots, actors delivering deep “poetic” speeches about love and life, and supporting characters acting like they’re in a serious art film.


My main frustration? Nothing really happened.

They met, they were in love, and after five or so encounters and 10 minutes of vague, “what are we doing” dialogue, they finally confessed.

I’ll give credit where it’s due—the visuals were gorgeous, and the actors were cute, but the story? Meh. You’ll watch and think, *Oh, young love is so pure*, but honestly, they didn’t build on the solid foundation they had. It’s like having a fancy cake and realizing it’s just made of frosting—pretty, but empty.


But I did rate it 5+ so it's worth a try!

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Disconnected

This review was difficult to write because I came away from this movie confused and unsure of how to put my feelings into words. I’ve come up with a starting point which is that the movie felt flat. The story plateaued the entire time. There were no ups and downs. There were no highs and lows. There wasn’t really a climax, a low point, and a satisfying resolution that felt earned. I knew what the result would be at the end but when that result came to be, it felt like it wasn’t deserved or rather, it felt empty, it felt hollow.

The characters and their relationship:

I felt like on a conscious level, in my brain, I knew the characters liked each other because I was told that. I could see some of it manifest in their behavior but it felt more like I was being told something was true when I couldn’t really feel it. There was a disconnect between what I knew and what I felt. This was the biggest point I had trouble putting into words. The plot made sense and the ending made sense for the characters and was expected and yet it felt like it came out of nowhere and yet everywhere at the same time. Maybe there was a lack of chemistry between the actors but I’m not so sure that was the problem. It was like there was a disconnect between the narrative script and the movie we watched. It’s strange because they should be one and the same and yet they weren’t.

The characters themselves:

I think the characters felt stuck at 14 years old because that is where we left them at the end of the drama. It felt like because we just skipped 10 years and didn’t see them grow within that time, we weren’t able to see evolution. Their fix for this was just to keep the characters stagnant and the same as they were when they were 14. They didn’t feel like 24 year old people, they felt like 14 year olds disguised as adults. It was strange and threw me off. I know why they did that. They also needed to make sure we could associate them with their younger selves but it just felt off. They felt like giant versions of their middle school selves instead of their middle school selves who have aged 10 years.

Overall, it felt like it was trying to be heartfelt, and yet it just felt empty to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and watched the entire thing but I think it was because I kept waiting for that moment where something big happens, then something goes wrong, and then there’s a resolution. But nothing ever goes wrong, nothing really happens much. There are plot points and yet the plot feels hollow.

Give it a watch but don’t expect much.

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