A truly difficult, insightful, and a moving masterpiece. Despite the low ratings on MDL (7.17), the film is slow with limited romance but it needs every ounce of your attention to be seen as a wondrous film. For those who find it hard to watch an actress transforms herself into a handicapped woman who suffers celebral palsy and how a discriminating society treats these outcasters, I do not recommend to watch this type of film.

This film inspires others on what true love exactly means and how their love for each other is shunned and looked down upon within society. Not everything in this film is simple and easy on the eyes to watch especially certain behaviors portrayed by the male actor and the suffering mental illness of the main female lead.

So-ri Moon's performance was outstanding. She truly shined that made others believe she actually has cerebral palsy. Kyung-gu Sol also transforms into a character who behaves and thinks like a 8-10 year old boy who is evidently in an almost-thirty year old body.

Why watch this film? To be honest, this film is not a typical Saturday night and needs to be seen in a mature yet understanding manner. If you have an interest in social and discriminating issues within society, this film is definitely for you.

What's my favourite scene? It is when So-ri Moon's character imagines herself as a normal human being in front of Kyung-gu Sol's character. It also portrays how their love truly exists and how they long for each other even when their families disagree with their relationship and attempts to destruct it completely.

Love is for everyone even for these odd couple.

Citeste mai mult

To describe this, a Korean idol focused film collab with Chinese actors/actresses gone stray and pretty well average..beyond average......I originally gave this movie a 7.5 rating, however with much thought, I think it was overly cliche and extremely cheesy with very predictable scenes. I am not biased by any means to the main actor and main actress. As being a huge romance genre fan, I felt the film was too short to portray the love between the two main characters and explain how they fell in love with more depth and thoroughness. The acting presented by EXO's Chanyeol was not anything special especially his character almost mimics his actual life as a Korean idol. It was great to see a collaboration between Korean and Chinese actors/actresses but I expected better.

Story: One word.....RUSHED. The plot did not have enough time to develop itself which led to actors/casting scenes being rushed and had too many plot holes. The romance was very undeveloped and didn't brought the viewer out at all. The character's personalities were not flushed out enough and needed more time to build. The supporting actors/actresses' side stories and motives were barely explained and this area should been more developed. There were scenes that were definitely shoved in especially at the end.

Acting/Cast: Chanyeol. It is hard to judge his acting as his character is too similar to his actual life. They chose a typical arrogant and jerk celebrity typecast for him that is quite easy to portray when you are already a huge idol in her real life. Yuan Shanshan was bright spot on. I believe her role kept the film going to assist with its strengths to cover its weaknesses. Seohyun (Girls' Generation)'s role was barely in the film and had very few lines and random scenes of her being dropped in. Her character needs more of an importance instead of 3 lines. Her motives as a character in the film was not clearly explained as well.

Music: I heard Chanyeol in the OST which was a great hear for him to be solo instead of having minimal lines in EXO. Other than that, nothing is special.

Rewatch Value: Normally, I will rewatch a film to see any parts that I missed because of the detail or fast-paced depthness of the story. This plot was very 'average' and very easy to follow. There is not anything motivating me to rewatch a second or third time.

This film should been made into a drama instead. There was a lot of areas to be developed, thus without enough time, it was forced to be cut into a 2 hour film with many areas under-developed and rushed. The main characters felt more like a pair of friends than a couple in the film. If it was a drama, it would have been more believable and less plot holes. I watched this because of the 'hype', I came out of it with a face of 'disappointment.'

Citeste mai mult

An acclaimed directed, settled, powerful, and imagery type of film where the theme of buddhism plays a significant role in the five segments of each season. The character's dealings/actions are all judged by Master's words of wisdom, hidden messages, and the presence of Buddhist symbols.

This film may seem lengthy and quite slow, however if you take the time to fit the puzzle pieces together, you will be able to see how each stage of life is quite important for the main character and how the Master assists him with his difficulties to find inner peace.

Mainly, this story is about the life of a novice Buddhist monk and his old teacher where one or two of them goes through the five seasons within the film.

The acting was amazingly well done and the tradition music was greatly portrayed on how each scene flows to the next.

I highly recommend this film to people who have patience, great appreciation to nature, and religion, and those who enjoy learning the lessons of life.

Citeste mai mult

Leave no stone unturned. I'm glad that I didn't it! Another jem in my books. Who knew this film was nominated for best actress and best screenplay? Based off a banned short story, this film takes a serious, clear, hard anti-war stance with its various issues including war crimes, handicapped veterans, and spousal abuse during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. Questions arouses throughout the film. Similar to this, is this Lieutenant that other proclaim a "god of war"? Or a war crime offender who brutally rapes his victims, dismember body parts, rampaging, pillaging, and killing bring one honor of glory? And many more. Not only this offender suffers, his wife suffers the most in order to keep up the dutiful wife expectations of the Japanese society.

This film mainly focuses on the hardships of Japanese women during war and the pressures placed by society that they must endure. The true message to this plot is that war does not create heroes, but more or less, victims.

**Warning** This film involves many sex scenes, and uncomfortable images. This is more geared towards a mature audience.

Shigeko Kurokawa fabulously puts on a brave performance of the husband's wife who was nominated and also won awards in result. As well, Tadashi Kurokawa's portrayal of his character is genuinely moving.

Caterpillar's hard messages and out of this world acting will take a toll on you even after the credits of the film. I strongly recommend this to those who are mature enough to withstand the sex scenes and gain a deep understanding on the issues that lie in layers.

Citeste mai mult

It knocked me out of my socks and for good this time! It's not your usual scary movie, however I'll warn you that you're in it for some toss 'n turns, confusion, and unexpected scenes. This film isn't a film to be watched only once. In order to comprehend it well, it must be watched for a second time. Pay close attention to clues, scene details, and make sure you know how to connect the scenes together in order to unravel the actual storyline.

By the time the end arrives, your brain will result in confusion, however you'll find the film hits a full circle. You'll know this when you see it!

Storyline: Mysterious, dark, and disturbing. The house well sets the setting of the story with its old style furniture and flowery wallpaper.

Acting/Cast: Remarkable applause to the acting of the stepmother. Very convincing! The sisters' relationship is well portrayed. The father adds the extra which he is quite significant.

Music: The OST fits smoothly with certain parts of the story and well done with the spooky and horrific effects!

Since I never watched 'The Uninvited', this is my first horror film done by the South Koreans and I believe the original are always the best! If you're a true horror fan and enjoy stories with a psychological twist, take this movie for a whirlwind ride...

Citeste mai mult

Taking the "GOTHIC" approach to the life of high schoolers. What appealed to me is the film 'Goth' captured the dark and obsessive side of human beings and this was a different approach instead of attaining a story similar to School 2013 or It started with a Kiss. In no instance, I have read the manga nor had a skim look at it in any way. This review is my vision without the manga background.

I liked how two high school students discovers each of them have an obsessive interest in corpse/dead bodies. Soon after, they take on a homicide case where they can reach their full potential in order to see a corpse themselves.

Since viewing this drama, I realize through J-Rock, EmoRock, and PunkRock music and the subculture within Japan not a lot of this subculture is being portrayed within dramas. It's great to see a variety of characters where high school romance and cutesy isn't as heavily portrayed within the drama. From the beginning, it's confusing to tell what's going on, however as the story progresses, you start understanding the characters, the settings, the main story, the distance between the character and the family, and the socialization between the popular and unpopular high schoolers.

I fully enjoyed this type of drama as I'll never see this if I did not take on a psychological/thriller challenge. The drama itself may be disturbing, more artistic, not as bloody, and eye-opening towards high school life than any other drama. It's one that should not be overlooked.

Dark, Suspense, Psychological, Crime, Artistic, and Obsessive are the key words in this drama. If you like any of these themes above, the movie should be on your 'PTW' list.

Citeste mai mult

Keep Calm and Hang On....This isn't your ordinary game show within this drama. I'm going to alter this review a little differently than I normally do since this is a part of my Psychological Challenge requirements. Check it out.

How is this plot differs from other psychological dramas?

This plot involves a setting of a Giga Television produced show named 'The Quiz Show'. The show offers an alternate approach where a new contestant appears on the show each show along with the wacky host. The contestant must answer a series of questions in order to make it to the 'Dream Chance', however little as they know, the questions later involve their deepest darkest secrets where each contestant highlights one of the Seven Deadly sins. The question is 'Will one admit one's own deadly sin or will one be unable to admit it?'

First Thing I Notice About This Drama:

The opening theme song consists of Metal and Screamo Japanese music with English lyrics surprisingly. My keyword: Unique is what I'm calling this opening since many openings are bright, vibrant, and not as an attention-grabbing as this one.

Is the acting any good?

When I hear this type of question, I automatically think of the main characters within the drama. The wacky host, MC Tazaki portrays two sides of his character-the side of him who is ill-mannered, locked up, lonely, and loss of memory, and the 'host' side of him who is outrageous, abnormal, crazy, and energetic. His acting is done phenomenally which I mainly watch this show solely based on his outstanding acting.
The show's producer, Yamanobe Kengo is a dark character where he portrays a sadistic, evil side as well as an insecure, jealous man. His body in one of the episode blow me away! On the other hand, his acting is brilliant. No doubt, both of the main characters portrayed their roles well.

Are there any twists within the drama? Is it bloody or gruesome?

There is barely any scenes with blood involved. Most of it is well hidden and shows some blood in a scene or two. Nothing is too major. In most psychological dramas that I've watched, there are always twists presented. To answer this, yes, there is a twist. Unluckily, I was not able to solve the story itself before the drama started unraveling the story. I did pick up a clues here and there. Not enough for me to figure the ending.

Overall, I recommend this drama to anyone who is a fan of game shows, psychological, suspense, and adores 'twist' types of dramas. I had tremendous amounts of fun figuring out each contestant's darkest secret and whether they will win the prize or not.

Have fun and keep on guessing!

Citeste mai mult

Definitely a movie to watch! Sweet & Down-to-Earth.

A drama about learning to accept the environment around you and being able to accept the changes that come along with it.

Let me organize this into categories:

Story:

Unique storyline. A Mixture of Cute Comedy. The former "Pride" mature female lead is being forced to be downgraded into an airline company called "Cherry" where she previously worked at a prestigous airline company for 10 years. With lack of employees, they decide to hire new trainees in order to make their company a "low-cost", "affordable", and "cost-efficent" airline. Her struggles is from losing her high-class airline reputation, attempting to "fit" in with the low-cost airline company with previous training experience in excellent customer service to handling her bosses' beliefs for the company and their unexpected behaviours.

If you like a light comedy with a business side and tiny lessons to be learned, this is a drama for you.

Music:

Constantly playing random, cheesy Americanized (1990's, early 2000's) songs being played throughout the movie such as
"Survivor by Destiny's Child,"Like a Virigin" by Madonna, "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce (x2), "American Pie" by Don McLean, "You Gotta Be By Des'ree", "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carleton, "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, "Some Say Love" by LeAnn Rimes, and many others....

-Music needs to be transitioned better and most of time distracting the plot and cast of the story. It made absolutely no sense and no attachment to the storyline.
Barely any instrumental music in between except the Americanized songs.

The only recognizable song at the end of the film is "Poster Girls" and the only song that fitted well with the film.

Acting/Cast:

At times, a little overreacting but a nice ensemble of characters that are well-fitted together. Clownish, yet cute. Enjoyed the main female lead's character and her expressions! She's quite good. The adorable, silly trainees is a necessary addition for the cast.

Overall, this movie have some powerful lessons that are portrayed, all mixed in together with comedy, life and the power of friendship and career dedication.

Citeste mai mult

While working in the fashion industry, I've dealt with many models, MUAs, hair stylists, fashion designers, photographers, etc. What drew me to this film is the topic of modeling and fashion.

From the beginning, I did enjoy the caloric intake of breakfast for a typical model. However, when I heard she was eating 600 calories per day, I was very surprised. Normally, a model would intake 1000-1500 calories per day depending on her metabolism and she would use her daily meals intake differently each time in order for her body not to reach stabilization or a plateau.

The movie was OKAY. It had great potential but it blew it. It didn't astound me nor it wasn't consistent all the way through. At first, it seemed normal at the start and later on, I see this unnecessary comic/graphic approach with cutesy sayings and actions being blurted out on the screen. It just seemed to jump all over the place and I couldn't really feel like the movie was decent.
This is where it lost its vibe.

As a former model, I did not behave in front of photographers and assistants in the studio like she did. Nowadays, you have to wear what the photographer/wardrobe stylist wants you to wear and put your emotions aside. It's not your photoshoot, it's a collaborate thing. You can't put a hissy fit on what you want to wear to a professional shoot. It want your own shoot, then do one as a creative for yourself. You choose to be a model in this specific area then that's your choice.

For me, this movie was not a pleasurable experience since I have background experience in the industry.

Highly not recommend this movie to others. For those above reasons.

Citeste mai mult

This drama overwhelms me in a good way! My best friend recommended me this drama since I love psychological thrillers. It kept me on my feet and at times, I had to rewind back to closely read the subtitles while figuring what's going to happen next. There are many lessons to be learned in this show and undoubtly, this show is an unexpected jem that I came across. No moment in this show made me feel like a certain scene was completely unnecessary and must be taken out.

The excitement that the show has produced for me has taken me to the next level of psychological dramas. I definitely would re-watch several times just to intake the amazingness of the drama. The cast, the soundtrack, and the fast-paced story all melts well together. If you're seeking for a thriller that allows to think consistently and make you guess what will happen next, this show must be for you. The emotions that were played out moved me to the point where I believed that these events actually happened in real life and was loosely based of a true story.

I cannot compare this drama to anything that I've seen before. On the whole, the best part were figuring the reasons for the student actions based on the student childhood and background. This thought-provoking psychological thriller is a-must see and should not be overlooked.

Citeste mai mult

"If you find any mistakes, you may keep them." & "Happiness cannot continue without sacrificing the other." Keep these statements in mind while watching the film. The film is more than what I expected it to be and lets me think 'outside of the box'. We always blame a certain event or person but it's difficult for us to realize the big picture. When watching the film, many questions were being pulled up and it amazes me how this plot responds to my questions. Even though, there were some questions left unanswered. I felt it was appropiate to do so.

Warning: This film does start with a slow beginning and needs time to develop slowly. The story advances later on in the film. Half of the film consists of flashbacks with repititiveness. If you're not a fan of flashbacks, I highly recommend not watching the film.

The flashbacks give the film edge with the story in different human's perspectives. This was a major plot development which will interest the viewer quickly and be convinced to finish the rest of the film.

Story: Dark, Suspenseful, Psychological, Thought-provoking, Little Romance, Melodrama (Cried a little in certain parts)
-Slow Plot, Boring at times, Fast-Moving from middle to end

A young girl who works at a convenience store falls in love with a boy. She has a pen pal named Night who comforts, protects, and aids her for the 10 years that she has lived in. She writes to him in order to seek advice, stop loneliness, and express her true feelings and the truth of her past life. Since after, complications occurs when Night prevents the boy from seeing the young girl, memory lost, the boy becoming distant and fearful, and the young girl's feelings being torn apart.

Acting/Cast: Former Japanese actress from Hana Kimi, Maki Horikita's role is excellently portrayed. The boy's acting is normal (nothing too special in my opinion) Maki Horikita outshines her parts in this film and this is what makes the theme in the film out of this world!
The father's role is a typical Asian father role where education and status is the main goals. He did a decent job showing the viewers his character's personality.

Music: Piano Playing mainly. Nothing interests me with the sound effects and the music.

This type of film is rarely portrayed in modern society. It takes on a new approach on how to handle this type of situations.

Citeste mai mult

MUST-WATCH JAPANESE DRAMA!!
This month, I watched this drama and at first, I did not have anything to watch since I was up-to-date with the current dramas. However, this drama is totally underrated. It has reverse main lead roles unlike most dramas. I enjoy the main characters esp. Shota and Wakaba.Wakaba's character had a great mixture of seriousness, quirkiness, and ambition side to her. Shota is very laid back and care-free. He mainly focuses on his life as a father to his child. Quite opposites.

Try it! If you're bored of having the ditzy, care-free, and annoying female main lead, this is a great change!

Citeste mai mult

Ruby Ruby Love is a short, sweet and cute fantasy and romantic webdrama, full of strong aegyo moments. This is a first time seeing a jewelry designer themed webdrama, where Seohyun from Girl's Generation is the main female lead with an unrecognizable male lead and supporting leads. I loved seeing the jewelry and how it was cut, etc. It doesn't even appear to have a credited director or writer. My feel is, the webdrama with some cliches was filmed on a spontaneous basis without any specific instructions and didn't have any intentions for any story depth.

Story:
I enjoyed the story the most out of all the aspects in the webdrama even though it is very archetypal. The story revolves a young jewelry designer suffers from socialphobia and having troubles with self confidence and uses magical powers to help succeed in her career and learns not to use the magical powers in order to have important business meetings. I'm lovin' the contrast between the two disparate personalities of Ruby. The wish fulfillment aspect of the story achieves the story's purpose very well. I love the idea of being a successful assistant to a success like Ruby gives her the assurance and confidence to be the best she can be.

Acting/Cast:
Seohyun's distinct two personalities were fun to watch. I liked the male lead and how he was the understanding, supportive character for Ruby. The rest of the characters for me weren't there and on the back burner.

Music:
The music was all over the place and there was a mix of English songs and Korean songs (currently popular and non-popular ones). I wasn't a fan of any of the music presented. I felt that it was randomly picked and used. It was not the main point for this webdrama.

Rewatch Value:
Once is enough. No motivation to watch it beyond the first time.

If you like cute and romantic rom-coms that can be watched within a hour, don't miss this one. It's clearly a hit compared to other ones I've seen lately.

Citeste mai mult

I rarely gave 10 in most areas as I did with Signal. Oh, Signal. Even the title is a bit of a plot giveaway. This crafty masterpiece is the meaning behind marathoning these episodes with endless cliffhangers. It is a well-executed series with actors that have not seen before in my eyes. These actors are pure talent and not only this, the series have excellent background music that gives you eerily feelings in between scenes.

You hardly see dramas that keep you going from episode to episode to the end before you know it. This drama does just that! I think this drama is a gem in the hidden mine, waiting for those to discover it, to know it's true beauty.

I rarely watch psychological and suspense crime dramas that are not top-rated. I am always afraid to be disappointed by the time the end episode is released. This is where I normally drop the dramas and cannot go back after a long period of time, if lucky. However, this series left me on a note wanting more. I have to tell you all, you will not be bored with any of these episodes and you will feel like each episode in this drama feeds your craving "just right". Not the Got7 way.

If you find the first episode not intriguing, do not let go of this drama. I guarantee you that by the next try, you will be forever hooked and on-edge.

BEST KOREAN SUSPENSE CRIME DRAMA OF 2016!

Nothing more, nothing less.

Citeste mai mult

Don't Know How to Describe this Drama!

It's quite good!! And I'm hooked.

I am not a big fan of family dramas because they are long, too many conflicts involved, and becomes uninteresting as episodes move on. This is definitely something different.

On the other hand, this drama quite surprised me with this underdog tale of unlucky and optimistic,Lee Soon Shin and arrogant, cold-blooded (hides his feelings) character, Shin Joon-Ho. With lack of confidence in both characters, this is neat way to build a story from scratch from an ordinary girl into a famous actress and from an arrogant president to a changed person. This will help build their romance and understanding.
Each character has their own background and this drama takes time to expand their stories so each have time to tell their tale and how they got to this point in the story.

After watching 2 episodes, I realized that this drama will be 50 episodes long. Did not expect this at all. Great start in the few episodes with its quirky yet interesting story-telling plot. Impatiently waiting to watch for more!!

Citeste mai mult