Secret Spectacles (2017)

I just noticed this was by Strongberry which means, as a die hard fan of LTNS, I had to watch it. So, this is short, but worth a watch, provided you can find it.

Story:
By far the weirdest premise I've seen moved to screen. In manga/hwa, I wouldn't be surprised by it at all, but I did manage to surprise me since it's not as cliche in this medium. That said, for all that the premise, which I am doing my best not to spoil, shocked me, it was executed well. The beginning of the short film is meant to confuse you a bit, you're meant to make some leaps and jumps and assume some things which will later be proved wrong. I like that.  I was thinking at first that this would be more serious but there's comedy and token cringe-humor spinkled heavily throughout.

Acting/Cast:
The actors did very well. I'm pretty used to short films having generally unconvincing acting, but they held their own okay. The actors weren't revolutionary or anything, the kiss scene was awkward as all get out, but, overall, I didn't actually focus on their acting at any point, which typically means it wasn't blatantly obvious that they were acting.

Music:
I remember a few (namely, two) tunes that I heavily considered Shazam-ing. Make of that what you will.
EDIT: no, I'm definitely going to go find the song at the end, it's cute. Kind of. Like amusing cute, I don't know.

Rewatch Value:
I had to watch it twice, actually. Mostly because cringe-humor is my kryptonite and I have to skip to when everything's okay, then go back and watch the awkwardness. That said, I'd give it three watches at most, and spaced out watches at that, before it's degraded too far to watch again. The premise can only really grab you once, the awkwardness can only curl you up into a ball of cringe so many times. As much as I already think realistic awkwardness might be Strongberry's forte, this is a short film, so it's not strong enough to support that weight. Nor would I expect it to be. It was a fun watch, both times. But I think I'll watch it maybe once more in the future, if that, and be done with it.

Overall:
This is a stupidly long review for a short film, I have no idea why I have so many thoughts on it so I'll be concise here: worth a watch, worth your time, but won't knock your socks off.

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Cute But Not Much Substance

This 15 minute short film was cute and simple, and that's about it. While the premise of a pair of glasses allowing the wearer to see beyond the surface of who's in front of him is interesting and has potential, the time constraints of this work did not really allow the creators to take full advantage of that. Further, although the synopsis does not actually describe much of anything, I was still expecting more in terms of the glasses' function and role in the plot than what we got. In other words, without giving away spoilers, the magic effect of the glasses was rather shallow in that I could not see how it would move the relationship forward. This felt more like a concept piece rather than an executed story.

As far as acting goes, Choi Woo Jae was great, but I thought Jin Gyu was a bit stiff and amateurish. Whereas the former felt like a more seasoned actor, the latter felt like a rookie. That said, Jin Gyu performed well enough; I just think he needs to hone his skills a bit more. I also didn't feel a lot of romantic chemistry between the leads.

Finally, the production value and cinematography felt high budget, whether or not it was, as I'm sure we've all come to expect and appreciate from Strongberry.

Overall, it was short and light so I would recommend.

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