Not my cup of tea despite interesting premise

This BL movie follows the story of one North Korean deserter as he escapes to South Korea and settles there, facing quite a lot of difficulties. The premise of this picture was very interesting but unfortunately I had some trouble appreciating the scenario overall. I usually like love triangle, but it missed the mark for me here because I was not able to empathize with the characters and found some of their actions not sensible.

It is a very raw, brutal as well as surprisingly graphic movie. I think the shock factor was priviledged by the director and screenwriter rather than the likeability (or at least just building) of the characters. It was not a boring watch at all but I would have preferred the plot to focus more on characterization as well as making the protagonists' choices be more reasonable and understandable for the viewer.

The acting was overall okay. The actors had really intense sex scenes and gave it their best. As the relationships evolve and get more intertwinkled, as well as the situation the characters live through gets more difficut, the acting remains all along pretty strong with good portray of the most emotional scenes. I think where it was lacking was mostly relating to the chemistry : I felt the passion and rage, but I had trouble believing in the love and romance...I think it might be again more due to a directing/screenwriter choices but I would have preferred the film to take another approach.

I would not recommend this to people because I cannot say that I enjoyed the movie. As it is quite short ans has an interesting and original premise, so you might want to give it a go if you are looking for a pretty raw BL. It leans strongly into the melodramatic genre which I would have appreciated more with a better characterization and storylines. Be aware that this movie can be very triggering: it is graphic, violent and depicts very toxic relationships.

Citeste mai mult

Fun and light fanfic-like reverse harem movie: a bit frustrated by the ending cop-out

This movie is about a fujioshi (= a person who has a strong passion for Yaoi stories and shipping male characters from anime/manga together) who becomes very popular at her highschool after undergoing some drastic physical transformation. This film is an adaptation from a reverse harem manga with the female lead being pursued by 4 male suitors. After watching it, I must say I would be interested to read the manga, especially given the ending of the film (which felt a bit like a cop-out) and to discover the end game in the original version.

The message and morale of the story is a bit unclear and blurry. The scenario seems to denounce some toxic behaviors but reinforce/affirmate some others. The saving grace for me is that there are wrongdoings on both sides of the various relationships/pairings: both female and male characters are flawed and excert some eyebrow-raising actions. The whole script is lighthearted, so despite the cringe factor and the predictibility of the tale, it is also super fun...Almost like a fanfic becoming alive. There is a lack of subtlety for sure as well as too much levity and naivety regarding some situations, which did not prevent me to really enjoy the watch.

The casting was adequate. The MVP was clearly Yoshino Hokuto playing the role of one of the suitor: senpai Mutsumi Asuma. I might be biaised as he played my favorite character, in any case, I will be really looking forward watching this actor in other works. The two actresses playing the heroine were fun as well, despite some overacting. There were not a lot of opportunities for any of the cast to have strong and deep moments, so acting was suitable but not impressive overall.

The production was okay for a high school movie, it felt a bit cheap at time but there were also some good sequences, particularly for some of the musical numbers / theatre moments. The OST was not memorable but very pop and fitting with the concept of the film.

I would recommend this to people looking for a fun and light high school movie with a reverse harem trope. It is really not deep and there are quite a bit of problematic elements not addressed at all, the morale/message is unclear with an ending that feel like a cop-out...But despite all the flaws, it is a really entertaining and enjoyable watch.

Citeste mai mult

Quite fun despite some pacing issue and unlikeable characters

This movie is about the encounter of a zombie and a quite odd family living in a small village in the countryside. Each member of the family as well as the zombie has his/her own quirks making the encounter and subsequent adventures quite fun to follow. In terms of tonality, the film is really more parodic / comedic than horrific with a smalltown vibe as well.

The casting was pretty good but I never fully felt connected to any of the characters. I was not rooting for their survival at all which is quite an issue given the zombie thematic. Most of the characters are quite unpleasant and I cannot help to feel that some of the narrative arcs and development would have been much more engaging if I liked them. I do not think that it is the actors fault but rather the writing...MVP of the movie is clearly the character of Nam Joo, the pregnant wife, played by Uhm Ji Won, she made fantastic !!!

The production was pretty good, you really feel the village atmosphere and the action scenes were nice. I wish it would have been much more gore and raw...But they went into another direction, more caricatural and comical, and were at least consistent following their filmmaking choice. The soundtrack was quite nice and set properly the ambiance.

I would recommend this to people looking for a "found-family" movie with a zombie twist. It is a rather original take on the zombie genre and is quite fun to follow despite some issue in its pacing. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of emotions and connections I felt toward the characters, I would have love to be more engaged... It is kind of a mix between 2 movies "A Werewolf Boy" and "Extreme Job", so if you enjoyed one of those, you might want to try this one as well!

Citeste mai mult

Caricatural but fun at first, collapsing in its second half with conflicts not handled well

This movie features an arranged marriage between a young 16 year old rich heiress and her handsome high school senpai. The premisse of the story as well as the tone of the film is very parodic and with a lot of humour/over-acting as well as non-sensical elements. I was in need of some mindless fluff and the first part of the story really fit the brief: it was light and fun, perfect to put your brain at full rest...However, I was disappointed by the second half of the story and with the turn taken by the scenario.

I found the acting relatively okay for the main characters and the second male lead. The couple was very platonic and itlacked a bit in terms of tension but I found them overall very cute together. It was even more average for the support roles for which I think the actors and actresses were directed to act over-the-top but it was very dumb and missed the mark sometimes in terms of comedic timing because of the exaggeration.

The production value was standard for the high school japanese movie rom-com and the ost was as well forgettable with some jpop song adequate for the genre but leaving no real impression on the viewer.

I would not necessarily recommend this movie as I think it collapsed in its second half with a shift to a more "dramatic" tone with some internal and external conflicts that were not handled very well and a resolution that I found very expected and quite cringy. If you are looking for a very light movie to watch, easy for the brain and some mindless fun, you might still want to give it a shot. Sometimes, it is clearly what you need and it is perfectly valid as well.

Citeste mai mult

Emotional well-acted roller-coaster romance during the Qing invasion of Joseon Dynasty

This historical drama take place in the Joseon Dynasty, in the 1600s, during the Qing invasion. The invasion aspect is the one that intrigued me the most with some pretty interesting political aspects. The war is quite gutwrenching to follow as it impacts a lot characters you appreciate more and more.

This story is quite melodramatic with a romance that I think is quite nice and with a lot of emotional stakes...The romance is not my favorite part of the drama as it is truly a series of misfortunes and heartbrakes. It for sure take a lot of resilience for the heart of the viewer if you are rooting for some of the couples...

Production and acting-wise, it is very good...The soundtrack is nice with very melancholic balads perfectly fitting for the story but are not necessarily songs that I will keep on listening very often contrarily to some other shows. There are a lot of action sequences that are well executed and the crying/sentimental scenes are very well done as well.

The actors and actresses are very well casted and you found yourself very invested in their characters survivals. Ahn Eun Jin is brilliant as the brave and strong female lead with a super attaching cunning side. Namkoong Min is excellent as the flawed but super intelligent and tactical hero. I love them as individuals but I am less invested in their relationship as it is sometimes difficult for me to understand why they should/need to be together. They have a nice chemistry together but it is not the most sizlling one and I hope to be more invested in the romance in Part 2 of the series. I'm also truly wondering if I'm not protecting my heart by trying to not be too invested in the romance...

I would recommend this to people looking for a very good historical drama with good acting and set during an interesting period of time. If you do not enjoy melodramatic moments and just want a cute / fluffy romance, this is not the drama to watch as it is pretty rough for the heart.

Citeste mai mult

The secondary couple stole this BL series <3 Bonker but also entertaining drama !

This BL drama is centred around the story of a high school student and a gangster meeting in dire circumstances. I found the scenario really entertaining (especially the first part of the series with the second arc being a bit less good). The script is quite flawed with some bonkers plotlines, more particularly with all the gang stuff being totally crazy and making very little sense.

The lack of logic, the overwhelming and sometimes idiotic decisions are more than compensated by the fun and exciting aspects of the series as well as the sizzling chemistry of the main couple and the secondary one. The scenario is revisiting a lot of dramatic tropes and ressorts: despite some narrative choices that I found odd, I truly enjoyed that it subverted some of them in a very exciting and sometimes unexpected way.

The 4 main characters are very well built and I found myself super invested in the romances (especially in the secondary couple story which is not that frequent for me). The 4 actors are beautiful and their scenes together are ultra pretty, sweet, hot as well as dramatic on some aspects. The main actors really gave it their all and were very convincing (even when the story and the editing was not helping them), the really managed to bring all the feels and the angst on screen. Unfortunately, the antagonists roles are much more lacking (both in acting but foremost in their storylines, it got pretty caricatural).

The soundtrack is very good with some pop as well rock aspects fitting well with the romance in this gangsta universe. I never skipped listening to the opening and ending of the show because it was beautiful... However, I would strongly advise to not look at the generics (and rather just listen to it) to avoid being spoiled on major scenes and events. The show was a bit cringy in terms of production value (the blood make-up, the fighting scenes,...), a lot could have been better and it felt quite cheap.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL story with sizzling hot chemistry as well as a lot of dramatic elements. If you do not mind bonker plot and low budget production, I would strongly advice to give this a shot. The story of the secondary couple stole the show, even if you decide to not watch this drama, do yourself a favor and go watch some compilation video about the story of Chen Yi and Ai Di <3 !!!!

Citeste mai mult

BL almost parodic with a fanfic/shipper point of view that could have been exploited more

This BL romance is set up between guess what...engineering (and communication) students with also a soccer team and a music club in the background...Let's say that it is quite classical within the BL Thai landscape. However the story contains also enough of little twists to make it quite interesting to follow.

I like that the relationships between the guys are already established. We are not in a situation where they meet each other, they have some stormy past between them, which makes it somewhat refreshing. It is also litterally fanfiction becoming real which makes it pretty fun and endearing to follow. I enjoyed the delulu / fangirls / shipper point of view with the BL references. It is clealry a nice plot element but it could have been exploited much more.

The humor is too slapstick for my tatse, sometimes I do not mind it but here it is really heavy with some of the sidekick roles. Pacing-wise, they ended each episode on a cliffhanger or some hot scenes, making the show pretty bingeable. Honestly, the chemistry was kind of there but not for everyone and it was difficult to understand how quick the two main couples went from hate to attraction. Eventhough the switch from hate to love was too fast to be believable, with some suspension of disbelief, it gets better.

Acting-wise, I really enjoyed to find back Saint and Zee in a new pairing, very spicy. Their hot scenes are really well done with palpable tension. Tommy and Jimmy were doing an okay job but the light was really shining more on the other pairing than on them. I also appreciated to see some familiar faces among the secondary cast but I had also some real trouble enjoying the sides couples as the script felt very parodic for most of them.

Production-wise, it felt really low budget. It is too bad that the animation parts felt really cheap and poorly animated with drawing that are pretty standard and bland. It really does not bring a lot to the series...In addition to the less than stellar animation, the editing of the scenes and the transitions are also pretty bad, it felt super choppy in terms of continuity. The OST was really forgettable and a bit all over the place.

I would recommend this to people looking for a classical BL in a university set up with fanfiction / shipper reference and parodic/comical elements. It is pretty spicy with a lot of eye candy as well which makes its flaws in writing and in production a bit more forgivable I suppose.

Citeste mai mult

Splendingly messy, highly entertaining ! Hot, wild and thrilling !

This Thai BL follows the story of a group of 4 business students who are friends and open an hostel together as part as one of their university project. They are all somewhat very flawed individuals pursuing love in a very messy and foremost highly entertaining way. They are all entangled together with 4 additionals characters and the relationships they all build along the show are full of red flags but also so wild and thrilling. I was pretty satisfied by the ending as I was afraid of it being full of potential redemption arcs not very believable. Here the choices done made overall sense to me, eventhough some resolution might seem a bit easy, it was pretty nuanced and convincing.

I watched this show religiously every week and I was invested emotionnally in the aventures of the 8 protagonists but not at the same level for each of them. I had clearly 3 favorites characters that I was rooting for: Ray, Sand and Nick. I think what made me so attached to them is the great acting performance of Khaotung, First and Mark. I loved those actors in some of their previous works and once again they truly impressed me here. The other actors were not bad but there is for me a clear difference of skills level between those three and the others. This explains why there is one specific pairing that I adored so much that I was ready to forgive any mishaps happening between them while I was much more severe in my judgement for some other storylines. This pairing had also the most sizzling chemistry and the best emotionnal scenes in my opinion.

In terms of production, I really enjoyed the overall indie vibe of the drama. The soundtrack was pretty nice with its rock sound and it was very fitting with the story as a lot of the scenes were happening in bars, concerts or parties. The styling of the various characters was pretty cool: I rarely notice that much the clothing but there are a lot of noteworthy wardrobe moments.

I would recommend this to people looking for hot, wild and thrilling BL. If you are not afraid of messy relationships, you are in for a real treat. I would have loved for the drama to be longer eventhough the conclusion was good and satifsfying (despite what felt as some shortcuts), that's why I would gladly watch a second season if they decide to make one.

Citeste mai mult

A lot of defaults, quite entertaining in its first half then fizzling out

This BL thai story is quite a classical one: university background, two students part of the music club and falling in love with a fake relationship trope. On one side, we have Mr. Airheaded and on the other side we have Mr. Grumpy. One of the male lead is kind of dumb but in a somewhat endearing way while the other has kind of a creepy look and seem always upset.

It is somewhat stereotypical but it is also quite funny and I enjoyed the first half of the series more that the second half which felt a bit like a let down once the relationship settles. Of course, it is really not deep and you cannot take anything seriously. At least from my perspective, it was enjoyable for what it was but the stakes of the scenario were really never high enough for me to feel invested and really care.

Acting-wise, it was really not good. I might be biased, but Khaotung was the saving grace of the show...It is regrettable he just had a very minor role in the series. Sadly, the two main male leads were not that convincing together. They shared some cute and overall very platonic scenes but for me it was more akin to a bromance than a romance. Still, the main couple was the one I preferred with some of the jealousy as well as bromance aspects. Unfortunately, I did not care at all for the two secondary couples: chemistry was lacking as well as storytelling.

Production-wise, I am pretty disappointed by the musical side of the drama. It has been done much better in other more recent BL Thai drama (such as in Cutie Pie or in My School President ) and I was not subjugated by the singing of Bright (contrarly to what Nunew or even Fourth have shown in their respective series). Bright's character did not feel at all like the "genius" musician/singer he was labelled as during the full duration of the show. In addition to these issues, the editing between episodes and also even sometimes between scenes is quite jaring and the soundtrack is often misplaced, breaking the flow of the scenes.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are much better BL stories out there ,featuring more convincing musical sequences as well as better chemistry/acting. Despite its numerous defaults, I cannot say that it was not entertaining so you might want to give it a shot if you are looking for something very light and fluffy and do not mind some editing issue as well as some poor acting and storylines.

Citeste mai mult

BL movie too short for the romance to make sense

This short movie (about 40 minutes) showcases the meeting of a young male prostitute (quite broken due to traumatic past experiences) with an undercover cop. There are a lot of interesting elements to this story but unfortunately the movie is too short to really exploit well enough most of them.

Even if there is believable chemistry between the two male main leads and some hot moments between them, all the traumas and hardships happening to one of them, as well as the inner power imbalance in their relationship make it very difficult for me to see their story as a romance. Given the dramatic undertones and un-healthiness of the bound between the protagonists, it would have make much more sense for me for the film to take another direction for the conclusion.

Regarding the production, I overall appreciated it with its indie vibe perfectly fitting the rampant creepiness of the plot. I also enjoyed the soundtrack with the main song music video featured after the ending and the credit. It has some poetry balancing well with the story.

I would recommend this to people looking for a dark story. It is lacking in terms of storytelling to make the romance believable but it is not a boring watch for sure. The movie depicts a lot of abuses so be mindful of the tags if you have any trigger as it is pretty graphic.

Citeste mai mult

Youth Romance set in 1999 : painful and healing

This movie could have been another classic romance between high schoolers but was much more than that thanks to the nostalgia throwback (as it is set in 1999) and its bright and pure atmosphere. In addition to be about romance, I appreciate a lot the friendship thematic underlying the whole plot.

The story (especially) in its first half did not surprise me at all, as I guessed from the start the "twist" but it did not bother me as the build up to get there was very sincere and satisfying. The second part of the film levelled up in a simple and beautiful way the stake of the love story. It was painful and healing at the same time and left a lasting impression on me as a viewer.

The cast was good, I was not very familiar with any of the actors and actresses playing the 4 main protagonists but they did very well. Kim Yoo Jung playing the heroine was particularly great in all the emotional and painful scenes. The two main males leads, in addition to be very pleasant to the eyes , really brought life and charisma to characters that could have felt otherwise very thin on paper.

The filmmaking was beautiful: it made very vivid the feel of the 1999 era with the big switch from the 20th century into the 21st century. I enjoyed the music as well, it was totally fitting the story narrated.

I would recommend this to people looking for a youth romance both painful and healing and that will for sure provide you a nostalgic throwback feeling. If you enjoyed movie such as the Japanese "Orange" or the Reply series (1997 / 1994 / 1988), you will likely appreciate a lot this film.

Citeste mai mult

Important staple of the South Korean cinema: thought provoking but not enjoyable per se

Going through the cinematography of the very famous director Park Chan Wook, I was compelled to watch this movie for which he was acclaimed for. I am happy to have seen it for my cinematographic culture but I must admit that it was not a gratifying watch. Even if I recognized the quality of the overall cinematography as well as the concept and ideas behind this movie, I cannot say that I enjoyed it.

I found its pacing kind of sluggish and felt bored more than once watching it. I disliked quite strongly the main "hero" making it impossible to care and root for him. I also found the main female protagonist too meek and passive... Overall the female roles were really not the most developed which is honestly a shame as I feel that would have brought much more nuance and sensibility to the plot. Here, I was just not understanding those characters and was not able to empathize with any of them except maybe the "villain". It is the only character I kind of appreciated and was curious to see more of...I knew the film passed me by when I found myself more intrigued and supporting the antagonist than the hero...

The acting was good with solid performances from everyone casted. Even though their portraying is impressive, I had trouble to feel emotionally involved in what the characters were living through. In addition to a good cast, the production value is very nice as well. There are some really striking shots in terms of production, it is not as refined and polished as the most recent works of Park Chan Wook but there is clearly an already pretty strong identity and style to the work of this director. The soundtrack is not very memorable to me but felt very adequate while watching the movie.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a noir action thriller centred around vengeance and quite enigmatic. It is an important piece for South Korean cinema and even though I did not "enjoy" it, I still think it is worth the watch and that it leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

Citeste mai mult

A bunch of misfits trying their best at football: enjoyable for its last third but forgettable

This sport movie takes an interesting angle tackling on a quite unknown (at least to me) event "The Homeless International World Cup", which is apparently an annual international football event. Even though I found the premise of the film quite engaging, it certainly did not gain me immediately over. Indeed, the tone of the story was almost too comedic / satirical at first making it difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the characters. However, the last third of the movie makes it up and is pretty great with a couple of tear inducing moments.

The cast (and more specifically the two main roles played by Park Seo Joon and IU) was what drove me to watch this. I am clearly satisfied by their performances but it is is for sure not their best and most memorable work. Especially for IU, her role was too subdue to really offer her a lot opportunities to shine. Park Seo Joon has a little more room to play as his character is much more dominant to the storyline. Overall the ensemble cast did a commendable job bringing the story to life despite the writing flaws.

The filmmaking was very good: all the football sequences were rather compelling to follow as well as the more slice-of-life moments. I enjoyed the bright and colourful atmosphere as well as the soundtrack, not unforgettable but pleasant while watching the film.

I would recommend this movie to people that are looking for a different kind of sport movie. If you are fan of one of the actors / actresses, it is worth giving it a shot. Rather than really being about football, it is much more slice-of-life with a lot of misfits characters trying their best all together.

Citeste mai mult

Entertaining survival drama with a good cast but some defaults in the writing and production

I quite enjoyed this drama but was a bit disappointed by its ending and some storytelling elements. It makes sense that the show has an open ending given the fact that it is planned as a first season with a second season coming up end 2023 (as well as apparently already a third season scheduled for 2024). Nevertheless, I was a bit frustrated by the fact that overall this first season is only a big introduction which does not provide any answer to anything really.

Given the low number of episodes and the numerous protagonists, I appreciated their characterization but I would have loved to see more development for most of them. Story-wise, I also found some of the choices made by a few of the characters lacking of logic and seemingly were there more for theatrical effect and impact rather than making sense from a survival point of view.

The casting and acting is the strongest point of the series in my opinion. It was my first time seeing Song Kang and I found him great and touching in his role. He had really a strong charisma who was necessary to carry a part that could otherwise been seen as quite bleak and not as interesting. Similarly Go Min Si is a great discovery for me: she made an impactful performance, making a character that could have been detestable, a relatable and endearing one. It was also a real pleasure to see Lee Do Hyun as well as Go Youn Jung among the cast members even though they were a bit overshadowed by other actors/actresses with more flamboyant roles.

Production-wise, the series is a mixed bag. Sometimes the horror is good with some effective jump scares but a lot of time as well it is kind of a miss. I enjoy the almost circus / freak elements of some of the monsters (it felt a bit like Beetlejuice / Tim Burton style in a way) but some of the monster design choices are so over-the-top with questionable CGI that it become therefore much less frightening and more comical than anything. The soundtrack was good with some deep beat that really brought a lot of atmosphere to the drama.

I would recommend this to people looking for an action survival series with some horrific elements. Despite the flaws in the writing as well as some misses in the making, it is an entertaining show, very binge worthy and carried by a good cast. If you enjoyed the manga Attack on Titan, the Kdrama Happiness or some of the seasons of American Horror Story, you will likely appreciate this as well. In terms of gore and horror, they could have gone further but it was still pretty strong, so be mindful if you have any trigger.

Citeste mai mult

Good thriller in a small town: amazing acting that transcended the material given

Solid thriller with an interesting murder inquiry around a cold case, as well as little town dark vibes. There are some good twists to the story, even though I guessed a lot of them...Some still managed to pick my interest up. The drama might have benefited from a tighter edit, especially in the beginning to make it better-paced but the series gets stronger and more captivating in its second half once the characters are more established. The strength of the story is really the evolution of the protagonists' relationships within the police force as well as with the citizens of the city where the crime took place.

Regarding the acting, I expected range and good performances...and I was indeed not disappointed. All the ensemble cast is great (with maybe one or two minor exceptions). I particularly enjoyed the 2 main leads, they were really bouncing back effectively from each other and truly made the show compelling to watch. I remembered Yeo Jin Goo as a child actor who had truly great abilities, and I was really impressed by his evolution in this adult role. I will be looking more into his filmography for sure. Similarly, after watching this, I want to see more of Shin Ha Kyun. I understand his superstar status and I need to see him also in other roles after his robust performance here.

The production value was nice and relatively standard for the genre. There was quite a bit of impactful scenes but it was still 'cop / law" show coded. I wish they took an even darker / more frightening road to make it more oppressing...But it was still suitable for the investigation atmosphere. The OST was good with some BBC's Sherlock Holmes / theatre vibes. It lacked maybe of variety but brought up the feeling each time it was played.

I would recommend this to people looking for a dark police thriller carried by really good actors performances. If you enjoyed series such as Mare Of Easttown or police novels, you will enjoy this.

Citeste mai mult