ebossert
Member: Rank 3
Damn food poisoning and a common cold messed up some of my movie-watching time recently.
Highly Recommended
Duresori: The Voice of East (2012) (Korean Drama) (repeat viewing) – A class of highschool girls practice for a choir performance, but are pressured by parents and the principal to disband and focus on their college entrance exams instead. This a very realistic, slice-of-life film that feels like a documentary at times. The stress and pressures of success are expressed well, as is the interaction between the students. Lots and lots of singing to enjoy too, both choir and traditional Korean styles. A very pleasant film that is culturally relevant.
Recommended
The Villainess (2017) (Korean Action) (repeat viewing) – A lethal hitwoman (Ok-bin Kim) is captured by the authorities and used as an assassin. The plot is similar to “La Femme Nikita” and more depth could have been added to some of the characters, but the action design is unusually intense because it shifts between first and third person perspectives in a natural way so that each action sequence appears to be one big unedited shot. The fights and chases are filmed in an extremely frenetic style. You can see basically everything, but the camera moves a lot. It’s nicely bloody and violent too, with a mix of guns and knives that are showcased; the motorcycle chase is particularly memorable because it involves knives instead of guns. This is crowd-pleasing, high octane entertainment.
My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday (2016) (Japanese Romance) – A young university student falls in love with a girl at first sight. They begin to date and enjoy happy days together, but the girl reveals a fantastical secret to him. This has a cool twist that I’ve never seen implemented quite like this before. It’s simplistic but thought-provoking, forcing the viewer to consider the perspectives of each scene. Perhaps a few minutes could have been shaved off near the end, but this is good stuff.
The Outlaws (2017) (Korean Crime Action/Drama) – The story follows a turf war that grows between a local gang in Seoul and a gang from China; the police are called in to attempt to bring peace to the neighborhood. Dong-seok Ma is great in the lead role, finding himself in a precarious situation. The antagonist is a really bad guy who brutally murders anyone who is in his way. The fire extinguisher fight is a highlight, but the hard-hitting finale in a bathroom is the best sequence of the film.
Not Recommended
Chatroom (2010) (British Drama/Thriller) – Five teenagers are introduced to each other in a chatroom called “Chelsea Teens!”, all with different personalities. But when one of them shows their darker side, it threatens the life of the others. Hideo Nakata uses an interesting visual gimmick to show the online “chatroom” sessions as physical locations, but the script is muddled and unimpressive in how it tries to portray and develop cyber-bullying and influence. The characters are basic and not that interesting. The acting is a bit awkward. This isn’t terrible, but there’s something missing here.
Flight 7500 (2014) (American Horror/Thriller) – As an overnight flight makes its way over the Pacific Ocean during its ten-hour course, the passengers encounter what appears to be a supernatural force in the cabin. This film by Takashi Shimizu begins with a terribly edited pre-credits sequence. Then there’s a really cheap jump scare where no danger is present. Most of the characters are total douchebags who I wanted to die immediately. Fortunately things do get a gets better afterwar, with a neat twist near the end. This actually had some potential, but it takes too long to get going. Having the twist revealed earlier would have given the subsequent events more time to have impact and would have allowed greater creativity down the stretch. Horror sequences are entirely forgettable, but there are a few decent suspense sequences involving turbulence.
Highly Recommended
Duresori: The Voice of East (2012) (Korean Drama) (repeat viewing) – A class of highschool girls practice for a choir performance, but are pressured by parents and the principal to disband and focus on their college entrance exams instead. This a very realistic, slice-of-life film that feels like a documentary at times. The stress and pressures of success are expressed well, as is the interaction between the students. Lots and lots of singing to enjoy too, both choir and traditional Korean styles. A very pleasant film that is culturally relevant.
Recommended
The Villainess (2017) (Korean Action) (repeat viewing) – A lethal hitwoman (Ok-bin Kim) is captured by the authorities and used as an assassin. The plot is similar to “La Femme Nikita” and more depth could have been added to some of the characters, but the action design is unusually intense because it shifts between first and third person perspectives in a natural way so that each action sequence appears to be one big unedited shot. The fights and chases are filmed in an extremely frenetic style. You can see basically everything, but the camera moves a lot. It’s nicely bloody and violent too, with a mix of guns and knives that are showcased; the motorcycle chase is particularly memorable because it involves knives instead of guns. This is crowd-pleasing, high octane entertainment.
My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday (2016) (Japanese Romance) – A young university student falls in love with a girl at first sight. They begin to date and enjoy happy days together, but the girl reveals a fantastical secret to him. This has a cool twist that I’ve never seen implemented quite like this before. It’s simplistic but thought-provoking, forcing the viewer to consider the perspectives of each scene. Perhaps a few minutes could have been shaved off near the end, but this is good stuff.
The Outlaws (2017) (Korean Crime Action/Drama) – The story follows a turf war that grows between a local gang in Seoul and a gang from China; the police are called in to attempt to bring peace to the neighborhood. Dong-seok Ma is great in the lead role, finding himself in a precarious situation. The antagonist is a really bad guy who brutally murders anyone who is in his way. The fire extinguisher fight is a highlight, but the hard-hitting finale in a bathroom is the best sequence of the film.
Not Recommended
Chatroom (2010) (British Drama/Thriller) – Five teenagers are introduced to each other in a chatroom called “Chelsea Teens!”, all with different personalities. But when one of them shows their darker side, it threatens the life of the others. Hideo Nakata uses an interesting visual gimmick to show the online “chatroom” sessions as physical locations, but the script is muddled and unimpressive in how it tries to portray and develop cyber-bullying and influence. The characters are basic and not that interesting. The acting is a bit awkward. This isn’t terrible, but there’s something missing here.
Flight 7500 (2014) (American Horror/Thriller) – As an overnight flight makes its way over the Pacific Ocean during its ten-hour course, the passengers encounter what appears to be a supernatural force in the cabin. This film by Takashi Shimizu begins with a terribly edited pre-credits sequence. Then there’s a really cheap jump scare where no danger is present. Most of the characters are total douchebags who I wanted to die immediately. Fortunately things do get a gets better afterwar, with a neat twist near the end. This actually had some potential, but it takes too long to get going. Having the twist revealed earlier would have given the subsequent events more time to have impact and would have allowed greater creativity down the stretch. Horror sequences are entirely forgettable, but there are a few decent suspense sequences involving turbulence.
