Artsy and unfathomable Chinese thriller - will leave you pondering

This Chinese thriller is centered around Detective Ma Zhe as he investigates a series of murders that happened in a rural area nearby a river in 1995. It is not a typical "Who's done it?" mystery as it focus much more on psychological aspects (with some quite crazy / feverish scenes) and an unreliable narrator... The spectator is left to ponder about the resolution of the mystery. I'm unsure if I enjoyed the film or if I am more perplexed by how to interpret it. I also think pacing could have been better.

Acting was good. Especially the performance of Zhu Yi Long who brought a lot of gravitas to his role. I personally enjoyed as well the actor playing the sidekick of our main detective. His role was a much needed relief to the overall pressure felt by the main character in his resolve to find out the truth.

Filmmaking is properly impressive as it clearly makes the viewer feel that the movie is shoot in the 1990s. The dark colors, the gloomy atmosphere of the story under a lot of rain contribute tremendously to the heaviness and almost thickness of the unfathomable plot. The background music with a lot of classical tunes has a melancholic vibe properly fitting the story.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a thriller supported by good filmmaking and acting. It features rural China in the 1990s and is quite dark with the scenario deeply rooted in exploring the darkest aspects of people in small town. If you enjoyed series like "Mare of Easttown", you will likely enjoy it. However, there is a part of frustration bounded to the resolution of the mystery as it left a lot to the viewer's interpretation.

Citeste mai mult

Well-acted & filmed, interesting story twist but wished for more in terms of relationships

I enjoyed the nostalgia throwback of this movie. The bound between past and present as well as the different timelines is interesting but I think the romances fell a bit flat. It was cute but no as heart-fluttering and gut-wrenching that I would have wanted.

I still fell a punch in my gut as the events unfold but it is more due to the fact that I loved the main character played by Yeo Jin Goo rather than because I was totally convinced by the romance from the past. The characters from the present had a better romantic storyline. Still, I found the pacing adequate, they spend enough time at the beginning for the viewer to be invested in the stakes...I would have loved to be even more immersed in the romance and to see even more of the friendship that develop across time.

In terms of acting, I think it was solid overall. Especially Yeo Jin Goo who is carrying most of the movie. I am not sure that I would have enjoyed as much the movie with a less talented actor in the role. I also enjoyed Na In Woo in his role, such a dream boat <3. Cho Yi Hyun and Kim Hye Yoon were also quite good in their respective roles. I think Kim Hye Yoon had a not easy role to play as the character on paper can feel a bit flat and relegated to a love interest without a lot of agency. Overall, I will keep an eye out for other works from this quartet of actors/actresses that I enjoyed.

The filmmaking is youthful and bright in both timelines, fitting the atmosphere of the movie. I enjoyed the OST, there were some sweet and soft songs but not very memorable as well.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a youthful romantic movie mixing different timelines, with a nice 1999 nostalgia throwback. The acting and filmmaking is pretty great and even if I have some details that could have been better regarding the story (or at least the development of some of the relationship), I still found it to be a lovely watch with a nice twist.

Citeste mai mult

I binge watched it: ready to dive into Part2 for my favorite participant and a few others <3

I binge watched the first part of this survival show. The objective was to create a new Japanese boy group following the footsteps of the successful NiziU Japanese girl group launched through the same process by JYP in 2020.

From what I understood, there were some delays into production and release of the show, first auditions were held in the first quarter of 2022 and the survival show was only released into two parts in the last quarter of 2023. I did not watch the girl season but I was very curious to see the show as the boy group made their official Korean debut on the 20th May 2024 and I wanted to catch up with the show without knowing any of the members to keep the suspense going during my watch.

I enjoyed it overall. And I am glad that my favorite candidate made it to part 2. There were some really talented individuals and I am happy that at the end we have a mix of experienced JYP Japanese trainees as well as newcomers that grabbed the opportunity and got to the next step of the program. In terms of casting, I am overall satisfied. I was a bit surprised at first to see that there were cities in which auditions happened where none candidates made it. Out of the pool of participants, there might seem at first sight to be a bit less number of extremely talented people to chose from (compared to some other survival shows I have seen)...but some of the ones that made it have clearly a lot of star power quality.

The show could have been edited to be better paced. I liked the audition process with the various challenges, it was a bit formulaic but at least allowed us to see the cast under various angles and also under quite a bit of pressure. JYP is sometimes tough in his critics (you feel the pain especially when one of your favorites is under it) but at the same time, I felt the program worked because of his presence and (not always but sometimes) insightful sentences. There are no dramatic moments between the candidates: not sure if it is because they are all Japanese and that culturally it plays a role in their interaction on screen, or if it is more linked to the way they edited the show...I did not miss the angst but without JYP insufflating a bit of pressure, the show would have fell a bit too flat.

I enjoyed the music overall, all JYP company ones of course (Stray Kids, NiziU, 2PM, JYP,...). But I must admit it was a bit repetitive sometimes...I would not have minded a bit more variety and hopefully it will be the case in Part 2.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy boy group survival shows. There are no evil editing between the candidates and overall I found the participants quite likeable and driven. Not all, but enough candidates spark my interests thanks to their performances, and I feel it is always fun and motivational to witness the progress of young people trying to do their best and honing their skills. Show was a bit formulaic with some repetition in the songs but still it is pretty enjoyable.

Citeste mai mult

Truly entertaining : a combo of a bit crazy plot, outlandish humor and feelings that worked for me.

This movie features a totally bonkers story: the encounter of a yakuza and a middle school choir boy through karaoke lessons. Does it seem a bit crazy ? For sure, but it was so right. I went through a lot of feelings following their journey: laugh and emotions. It is very simple tale with some very outlandish humor that worked very well for me. Maybe the background of the characters could have been more developed to reach a higher level of emotional investment from my side, but I was for sure truly entertained.

Ayano Go who plays the yakuza was top notch. Saito Jun was a suitable younger acting counterpart, maybe a bit green on some points but he succeeded at the most touching scenes. The relationship between them felt right : mentor-mentee vibe (in both way). While I think it could have looked strange or creepy, it never did and I think it is a testimony of their good performances that they were able to avoid what could be a serious pitfall to the scenario.

The OST was good, full of karaoke songs sang with more or less talent which was really the fun aspect of it. The filmmaking was colorful presenting the yakuza life in a vibrant way. It felt disconnected from the reality but that was the point of that crazy but touching story.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy music and/or coming-of-age movie. If you are an aficionado of karaoke, it will for sure bring you up some memories. In overall, it is a good comedy around an atypical mentor-mentee relationship.

Citeste mai mult

Flawed in terms of romance but some elements of the story resonated with me...

An enjoyable Korean BL from which I expected maybe too much. I enjoyed the very different dynamics between the two couples as well as the way the series showcased characters flaws and explained why they acted the way they did. However, I wish the secondary romance would have gotten more screentime as it was the most interesting to my eyes. I also found the romance arc of the main couple a bit too expected and forced.

The acting was okay overall but once again, I clearly found more believable the chemistry between the secondary couple rather than the main one. They looked cute but it felt a bit lacking somewhat. I enjoyed the variety in the character as well as the female role, a bit more atypical than the usual BL formula but still quite superficial (which is understandable given the short length of the drama).

Regarding the production, I found it pretty good with some nice clothing choices for winter. It was rather low budget but fitting the context of college romance. The soundtrack was good, quite relaxing but not memorable.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL in a college set up. It is a bit unbalanced in the way it approaches some topics: it feel sometimes deep on some aspects as well as totally unrealistic on some others. Despite its flaws, it is still a nice watch...I just would have loved for it to leave me with a more durable impression.

Citeste mai mult

Yamazaki Kento shines so much as an anti-hero host! Great concept solidly acted!

I truly enjoyed the scenario of this drama which mixes time leap concepts with a host club as a starting point. I always liked "second chance" and "revenge on life" stories and I found it was done here in a particularly exciting and rather innovative way. There are unfortunately some loopholes inherent to that kind of supernatural element but it never really impacted my enjoyment of the series, except maybe in the last episode where I felt the solution chosen was a bit too abruptly put together and not very coherent. I was there for the emotional payoff but a bit more time for the resolution would have been appreciated.

Yamazaki Kento did an incredible job as the anti-hero, a host without morale and caring only about money, using women as tools. He managed to make the evolution of his character really believable and had some incredibly well-executed emotional scenes. It is probably my favorite role of his so far. Mackenyu, who I discovered here and who plays the antagonist, was a really good counterpart in terms of acting skills. I was totally invested in his character's storyline: it was so painful and dark. Not sure if it is due to the writing or the actor's performance (or more likely the combination of both), but I found it super interesting. Kadowaki Mugi and Araki Yuko were also very good in their respective parts, even if their characters had seemingly less agency than the male roles, they evolved all through the show, becoming stronger in advocating for themselves.

I liked the overall production of the series. It was super efficient in conveying the various time leaps. At no point as a viewer I felt confused about where we were on the timeline, it was very simple to understand. I really appreciated the opening generic and the OST as well. Suda Masaki’s character singing, as a street musician, was such a highlight in the drama. I loved it.

I would recommend this to people looking for a drama that will take you on a journey alongside its (anti-)hero. It mixes genres well with supernatural, thriller and romance elements.The acting is very solid with some passionate and captivating moments. There are some loopholes and the ending would have benefited from more time but I honestly found the watch incredibly rewarding with a lot of emotional payoff.

Citeste mai mult

Memorable melodramatic love story with great cast and filmmaking

I enjoyed the movie overall and found the story quite gripping. There were some direction in terms of plot that I felt was a bit heavily handed and somewhat predictable but at least the choices made by the characters made sense as the scenario provided sufficient background story to depicts their motivation and inner turmoil.

The cast is overall excellent. I truly love Han Hyo Joo and she tackes brilliantly the role. You cannot help but feel for her character and the tragic elements of her life story. The other main role, played by So Ji Sub delivers a performance matching hers in quality, full of charisma, passion and dramatic moments.

The filmmaking was very good. Even watching it 13 years later, it is still very up to nowadays standard for pictures in that specific genre. There were so many particularly well filmed and beautiful romantic scenes (e.g. the staircase one, the river,...) as well as so many little details in the production allowing the build up of the characterization of the two main protagonists.

I would recommend this to people looking for a good romantic story full of turmoil and emotion as it is centered arount the encounter of two broken-by-life human beings. The story in itself is not without flaws but is quite poetic and the sincere performances of the two main leads brought up to a higher level the scenario.

Citeste mai mult

"Don't be afraid of the cracks. That's where the light comes in."

I really enjoyed the main love story featured in this BL series. It is a forbidden romance concept well done in terms of sorrow and angst...It firmly tugged at all my heartstrings. Unfortunately, the scenario is not without flaws regarding the build up of the secondary romance as well as some stupid decisions made by characters (...yeah my pet peeve aka noble idiocy is back once again). There were also some pacing issues in addition to some shift in tones not always very successfull.

What really made me forget about these little defaults is the excellent chemistry between the two main actors who are pretty good together. They sell super well the main concept of "Didi's puppy love for his Gege who is blind to his feelings". Kurt Huang impressed me so much as his character grows the most during the show. He is very compelling to look at and his evolution was very well acted. Given his charisma, I will be for sure looking forward for more series with him in the future. Chris Chiu is a solid counterpart as well. The secondary cast made less of a lasting impression on me, except for Sam Lin whose I wish the character had more screentime.

I liked the production: it has a very raw style on some scenes that I enjoyed (especially in its first episodes). The filmmaking of most of the romantic scenes had my heartbeat increasing. There so many pretty and exciting moments between the leads. The office setting was more mundane and standard but very suitable overall. I truly enjoyed the OST, especially the ending song which is so charming and fitting perfectly with the thematic of the series.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a forbidden romance concept with a lot of angst and chemistry. I watched it week by week but I think it would make an excellent binge watch. The script is not without flaws in terms of pacing as well as narrative choices but overall the payoff in terms of love story is so good that it is really worth it and you forgot all the defaults thanks to the good acting and chemistry of the two main male leads.

Citeste mai mult

Beautifully filmed autumnal & sweet BL story

The most outstanding aspect of this simple and sweet BL story is its production. I found the filmmaking amazing: there were so many beautiful autumnal sceneries. It made the romantic moments so pretty, you can feel the care in the directing of the actors. Some scenes that could have felt very mundane became in fact really stunning. The fashion in this series was also very on point. There were a lot of pieces of clothes (sweaters, pullovers, accessories) that I would love to have...In addition to being mesmerized by the clothing, I quie enjoyed the soundtrack. Even if the main song was a bit overused, it was understandable given how central it was to the plot.

The writing was a bit weaker compared to the production value. There were too many flashbacks which made it seem like they screenwriter and director were trying to fill time. I enjoyed a lot all the fluff and cute sequences...Despite some backtracking in the relationship in the second half, seemingly to again add a bit of content and act as filler, but not necessarily making sense with what was known of the long established relationship between the main characters.

I enjoyed the acting. The two main leads managed to make their chemistry very believable. Their kissing scenes were lovely and the evolution of their intimacy made sense and was convincing. The antagonist was properly a jerk and the actor who played the role made my blood boil which is a good sign as it was clearly the point.

I would recommend this to people looking for a cute BL series with a friends-to-lovers trope as well as in the youth and music genres. It is not super deep or revolutionary but very enjoyable to watch thanks to the amazing filmmaking and fashion. A feast for the eyes with a lot of fluff.

Citeste mai mult

Interesting and fun concept but very repetitive story with too little character growth

I have seen quite a lot of Japanese school drama featuring fights between "bad"/"misbehaving" students and therefore I might just feel a certain weariness towards the genre and be more critical of it compared to when I discovered it. The story is quite classic but I enjoyed the location and time period (Chiba in the 80's) and also the fact that there is no "hero" teacher fighting like it is often the case in that kind of drama. Here, the leads are the students and everything needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. There is no moralizing teaching moments, just very shonen-like confrontations between rivals.

The acting is over-the-top which makes sense given the fact that it is a manga adaptation clearly more oriented towards heavy gags and comedy rather than emotional moments. It is quite fun and the performance of Kaku Kento is really the highlight of the series. In my opinion, it is thanks to his huge physical comedic abilities that the drama jokes are landing properly. The other actors are suitable but less good, they fit the over-exaggerated tone of the show but have much less variety and range in their acting. I enjoyed the bromance between the two main characters but I wish it would have been more developped.

The drama is funny but it has quite a lot of flaws as well. The main ones are that the story gets very quickly super repetitive and also that the characters have almost no room for growth. There is not really any evolution between the first episode and the last episode of the series which is a bit of a shame.

In addition to that, the production value is very low. The fight scenes are laughable at best: the fake blood and the theatrics of it all are fun but they could have been much better filmed and conceived. On another hand, I liked a lot the intro song with its 80's japanese rock band vibe and with the yanki theme, it was totally fitting given the concept of the drama and the generic scene was unskippable.

I would recommend this to people looking for a mindless but funny Japanese high school drama. It is quite classic for the genre but set in the 80's which bring up a bit of a different flavor. I think that I have seen similar series that are better but it is still an entertaining watch for either the real afficionado (or in contrary people that have not seen a lot of dramas in this genre and will have therefore less fatigue regarding the repetitive side of some scenes).

Citeste mai mult

Not really a BL but rather a strong, raw and brutal psychological story with a lot of trauma

This movie is very difficult to describe: it is about a very traumatic event happening to a school teacher as his life falls literally into pieces. It is raw, brutal and violent in addition of featuring a community of outcasts and a darker side of the Japanese society. It confronts the viewer to the ugliness of the reality of dealing with abusers and how it is difficult to receive proper help to heal as well as to find justice and peace. In term of story, I was pretty impressed by the choices made by the screenwriter. Pacing could have been a bit better, especially toward the ending.

The acting was good overall: especially regarding the two main characters. I would have expected maybe a bit more from the secondary casting who did ok but where in some case it could have been stronger (especially when comparing with what the main leads were providing). Even at the level of the two main male leads, it could have been even stronger but they did a very good job given the raw scenes in which they were acting.

The music is pretty central in a way to the film. It is super interesting to see how poetry, language and then rap and music are used to deal with trauma and as part of the healing process. The filmmaking was great: it had an indie vibe totally fitting the scenario, with some camera movements giving an angsty vibe which brought me shivers.

I would recommend this to people looking for a strong psychological story with a thriller / dark side and involving very traumatic events happening to the characters. It is completely gripping and gut-wrenching. This film is full of triggers, shocking scenes and very graphic: be mindful and check the tags (or even maybe the spoils if you want to make sure this is a movie you will be able to digest).

Citeste mai mult

Enjoyed the slice-of-life aspect and nostalgia throwback, romance could have been better

This movie follows the life of two high school students in the early 1980's: one being the female leader of a brutal gang of girls and harboring a crush for the second who is the goofy playboy of the school. I liked the slice-of-life tone of this film, mixed with some teen angst / gang wars elements but I found the pacing of the scenario quite sluggish and the romance aspect relatively lacking. I found the ending enjoyable but quite rushed compared to the introduction which took really a long time to set up the story.

The cast was pretty great. Lee Jong Suk is totally credible as the quite lame but attractive playboy and Park Bo Young is charismatic as the main female protagonist (even though given her size, it is not that believable that she would be the strongest fighter among the other students). Kim Young Kwang as the male antagonist was very badass and cool, I will be looking forward watching him in other roles.

The production was very good overall: it has a real old school / nostalgia vibe, totally fitting with the thematic of the film. The soundtrack is pretty nice and suits well the vibe of the story. There are some really cool fight sequences that are not repetitive and that keep you on your toes regarding the well-being of the protagonists.

I would recommend this to people looking for a coming-of-age story set up in a South Korean high school in the early 1980's. It has a strong slice-of-life tone, romance being more secondary than the main focus of the script which is more about the growth of teenagers living through high and low of high school in the countryside.

Citeste mai mult

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 privileged 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 intertwingled, as well as the situation the characters live through gets more difficult, 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 and 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