Despite flaws in writing / characterization, entertaining action movie with beautiful filmmaking

This action movie has a pretty simple and straightforward premise carried by some beautiful filmmaking and solid acting. It is pretty short but delivers efficiently and brutaly on the action side.

The story is very predictable (even the endingwas super obvious while satisfying) but it is enteraining and well-paced. I wish the characters would have been more developped as well as their respective background but the writing did not really focus on building them. That's why the protagonists and antagonists seems pretty caricatural.

Fortunately, the acting convinced me much more than the writing of the characters. Jeon Jong Seo is quite good in the action sequences and Kim Ji Hoon is adequately playing this repugnant villain.

The biggest asset of the movie resides in its filmmaking, there are really a lot of beautifully filmed scenes and the saturated colors of the decors are working superbly bringing the story together. It gives an indie feel but with big budget at the same time, with some strong artistic choices. The music did not leave a strong impression on me but was okay overall.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an action movie and who enjoy revenge trope. It could have been much better in terms of scenario and characterization but it has a nice pace and with very pleasant for the eyes filmmaking. Be mindful of the triggers as it is very violent and includes a lot of problematic and traumatic elements.

Leia Mais

Very short entertaining princess-guard romance with some flaws in the production and acting

This is my first time watching a short length series with episodes of 2 minutes and I quite enjoyed it despite the flaws that may be inherent to that kind of format.

Obviously due to the short duration of the series, the story is not very deep but I still find it very entertaining. It is about the love story between a Princess and her guard which is clearly a trope that I appreciate. I found the fact that the heroine is the one in charge and more domineering in the relationship really endearing.

Acting-wise, it was more of a mixed bag. Chemistry between the male and the female leads was very present with some well done romantic moments. They did their best despite the scenario being rather minimal and formulaic. The remaining secondary casting was much less convincing with a lot of bad acting.

Production-wise, there was some real defaults with the connectivity between the episodes and scenes felt very choppy. It totally felt like a bunch of scenes put together without caring about the overall picture. This feeling of watching a collection of segments of story rather than a complete series did not bother me too much because it seems to be very much the point of that type of series. If the objective was to efficiently convey the scenario in the most cost efficient way and in very short sections, it was reached.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a very short bodyguard romance with a vague historical vibe. If you want to see a series where the power lies more into the hand of the woman in the relationship than in the man's, and if you do not mind choppy editing, this drama will suit you.

Leia Mais

Thrilling dark BL with master - servant relationship: captivating, wish it was longer!

This BL movie is centered around the master-servant relationship of two guys, as they are intertwingled with each other while facing a dire criminal situation. I really enjoyed the story and I honestly wish the film would have been longer, especially to have more time in the last act of the script and with the conclusion.

The chemistry between the two main leads was very strong and captivating. One of the character has a clear chokehold on the other one, the introduction and the set up allows the viewer to immediately grasp the toxicity of the link between the protagonists. I truly enjoyed the performance of the two main actors but I found the antagonists a bit too caricatural. I think the scenario is really carrying the performances of the cast, it really provided great acting opportunities for the two main males leads but was maybe not developed enough regarding the antagonists and the crime aspect of the film.

The filmmaking was good with an indie feel that I appreciated. I loved the reference to Plato’s "Other Half" speech, it was so adequate with the feelings of the main characters and truly added an additional layer of deepness to their relationship. The soundtrack was pretty gloomy and angsty, very fitting with the dark atmosphere of the movie.

I would recommend this to people looking for a captivating BL relationship with subservient/dominant tones. Given the context in which the characters are evolving, be aware that it is a pretty toxic, violent and triggering story. It is very thrilling and chocking at the same time, I wish it would have been more developed on some aspects (especially regarding the past of the two main characters) but it might be me being greedy.

Leia Mais

Entertained at first but in overall disappointed by the scenario and pace of the story

This series is a sequel to Cutie Pie, focusing on the couple Yi x Khondiao, several years after the end of Cutie Pie 2. I enjoyed the first half of the drama: it had an outlandish and very soap premise as well as a lot of funny forced cohabitation scenes...Unfortunately, my interest strongly decreased in the second half as the pace of the story was getting worse and the plot become more and more ridiculous. I think it would have been better if the story had been told in a much more concise way and with less episodes.

The acting skills were kind of a mixed bag... I was happy to find back some of the actors and characters from the old series (mainly Nunew playing Kuea and Zee as Lian) and I really enjoyed the actor playing Yi's father, who was for me the MVP of the show. I also found the chemistry between the main leads Max and Nat very good and their hot scenes quite believable. Unfortunately they were less convincing to me in the more dramatic moments. I also found the main "villains" of the drama too caricatural and mediocre.

The production value was quite good with some questionable and over-the-top filmmaking choices. Some scenes are clearly filmed and edited to increase the dramatic / soap effect which make it quite entertaining and even goofy (which might not be the exact intended purpose). The moments with the dog were pretty cute and fun, while the CGI tiger made me cringe. The soundtrack did not leave a memorable impression on me and pale in comparison to Cutie Pie/Cutie Pie 2 ones.

I would not recommend this to people. It is a very over-the-top BL story with a cute dog, a questionable CGI tiger and wonky scenario: it is entertaining at times and quite ridiculous at some other times. If you are a fan of Cutie Pie / Cutie Pie 2 and/or of Domundi actors, you might still want to give it a shot for some of the couple pairings.

Leia Mais

Heroine falling in love with her older brother's best friend: such a wholesome and romantic story

This drama depicts the story of Sang Zhi secretly in love with her brother's best friend Duan Jia Xu, who is five years older than her and how their relationship build and develop itself overtime. I really liked the premise of the series as well the pacing of the scenario. There are three acts to the romance and I was particularly seduced by the first one with the introduction and contextualization of the relationship: it kinda broke my heart a little bit but in a wholesome way.

It is a really cute age gap romance and the screenwriter managed to make it sweet, believable and not creepy-like. The several part of the story are well done and allow a slow burn that I felt was quite earnest. It was super rewarding to see the male lead figuring out his feelings and the one-sided crush of the female lead evolving as well.

The two main leads were really great with a beautiful chemistry together. The romantic scenes were lovely and convincing and the character were also interesting outside of the romance, with growth storylines as individuals. The main actress make me care about her character, I liked a lot the heroine with her princess attitude, her relationship with her brother and her cuteness. It was never annoying to me and it could honestly have been too much but the actress really found the right balance even in her voice tone and all the little quirks. The male lead was just super swoon-worthy, it is impossible to not get why she fell in love with him and he is kind of clueless, just there at first as a protector which I found really lovable.

The production was quite beautiful...Some scenes were just dreamy and I enjoyed a lot the little drawings and animations over the course of the series. The OST was participating well to the surreal, dream-like atmosphere of the drama, with some appeasing and sweet ballads.

I would recommend this to people looking for sweet romance with an age-gap trope done really well and convincingly without any cringe factor, just wholesome. At its core, the story is super classic. There is also not a lot to be found in terms of secondary characters and layering of storylines. It is super simple and direct, and sometimes, that is just what you need. A wholesome romance, not too long and sweet to the eyes.

Leia Mais

Interesting for the various directing approaches but not riveting

This anthology series is made of 4 episodes of 20 minutes, each one can be seen as a short movie featuring IU as the main star. Despite it being very different from what I'm used to watch in terms of dramas as well as feeling a bit too short in the episodes' length to be really comparable to a movie, I found the concept quite interesting in itself.

I was not as enticed by all the stories. My favourites are the 1st and the 2nd stories. Even for the stories that I enjoyed less, I still found the directing pretty great and eye-catching. It felt like an experimental project allowing the viewer to get into short snippets of the life of the characters with each time some very high quality production. Like the filmmaking which gave very different colours to each of the episode, I found the soundtrack for each of the story versatile and fitting well with each thematic.

I enjoyed the performance of IU in each of the episode, she plays very different characters and manages to convey a lot of emotions in a very short amount of time and has good chemistry with all the other actors and actresses.

I would recommend this to people looking for a different kind of storytelling, an hybrid piece between series and movies. It is a bit of an OVNI and difficult to really say at the end if I enjoyed it or not, but it is worth giving it a shot (especially if you like IU and given its shortness).

Leia Mais

Mostly dumb but overall entertaining slapstick police comedy

This movie has been a huge hit for the South Korean box office and is starring very well-known veterans actors. It is a police comedy with a lot of slapstick humour which works overall well but lack emotions.

I was a bit disappointed by the story because the team of cops we follow are overly dumb and bad at their job. I know that it is the point of the film to have seemingly "good-for-nothing" police officers trying their best during their investigation and raising to the occasion, but it felt really too much here and I found myself not really invested in their successes.

Overall, characterization was lacking in the scenario. The protagonists are not that endearing to the viewer and seem written quite superficially in a caricatural way. There are very few female characters but I was happy to see that the couple of them more central to the plot were represented as bad-ass and strong women.

The cast did a good job however I think the script was a bit limiting for them, preventing them to express their full potential. It is especially the case for Ryu Seung Ryong and Shin Ha Kyun which are both delivering solid performances (but nothing compared to the outstanding roles they hold in others series I recently discovered them in).

Despite those defaults, I still had a good time watching the movie. I found the production value pretty high and I enjoyed the invigorating soundtrack as well. Overall, it is entertaining and well made.

I would recommend this to people looking for a blockbuster police comedy with a good ensemble cast. It is a fun ride which lack substance and characterization but does the job in term of entertaining value. And sometimes, that is enough for sure.

Leia Mais

Enemies-to-lovers mystery school BL - what an interesting combination carried by a great pairing !

The story is pretty original for a school BL drama with some mystery vibes coupled with an enemies-to-lovers and opposites-attract tropes. It was quite predictable on some aspects and for some revelations, but I appreciated the drama taking the time to discuss important topics such as freedom of speech as well as critical mind regarding the authority's decisions. It could have taken things a bit deeper though it was still a valiant effort.

Despite the interesting scenario, there were some weaknesses in the plot in terms of logic as well as regarding the consequences of some actions being only partially addressed (or even totally brushed off...) with some too easy redemption narrative arc. That's why the resolution felt a bit lacking to me...But I still enjoyed the ending.

There was some brilliant chemistry between First and Khaotung. Their pairing is working very well and they share some memorable instants full of fragility together. They demonstrate great acting skills and really shine all along the series. Thanks to them, the intensity is very present, especially during their beautifully gut-wrenching crying scenes. Unfortunately, next to them, the secondary casting (for both adults and students parts) seem a bit weak. As invested as I was in our main couple, I could not bring myself to care that much for the secondary couple, and it is likely due to a mix of plot but also actors performances.

Production-wise, sometimes I felt the low budget, some of the scenes could have been better filmed to have more impact and I would have loved for the show to have a more scary / dark atmosphere, they could have pushed the concept of the curse further. The soundtrack was alright, I more specifically really enjoyed the opening track sang by Khaotung: un-skippable.

I would recommend this to people looking for a different kind of BL story set up in a school and coupled with a mystery. The writing is not without flaws and sometimes it can feel a bit cheap in terms of production, but the sizzling chemistry between the main actors and their great acting make it very easy to forgive those little defaults.

Leia Mais

Action movie with a sci-fi angle: not that original but beautifully acted and produced

This movie is about the encounter of former intelligence agent Ki Heon and Seo Bok, a human clone whom the mere existence might have a huge impact on the globe if made public. The story is not really original in terms of concept as well as pacing and resolution but it hits at the right times the right notes, making it an entertaining watch.

The biggest flaws in terms of the story relies in its villains which are really dislikeable and lack too much of nuances to be interesting. The dialogs between Ki Heon and Seo Bok with some of their most peaceful moments really strike a chord with me but at the same time, it was totally counterbalanced by the antagonists scenes which were worth quite a few eye-rolls.

The acting was amazing. It is a well known fact that Gong Yoo and Park Bo Gum are great actors, and here they are really stellar and bouncing back on the talent of each other. The secondary cast did a good job overall despite the lack of subtlety and substance for some of the roles. Moreover, the foreigners performances were okay overall and not distractingly bad like it can happen sometimes.

The production value was really nice. I was super impressed by a lot of the action scenes, with both main male leads totally credible in it. The props, accessories and scientific aspects of the film were well conceived and believable. The soundtrack did not necessarily leave a deep impression on me but was suitable.

I would recommend this to people looking for an action movie with a sci-fi angle and some stellar acting. It is not original at all and the antagonists actions and dialogs can be a little cringe, but if you love Gong Yoo and/or Park Bo Gum, it is for sure worth the time.

Leia Mais

Strongly disliked one of the storylines, stayed for the indie vibe and artistry

This short BL drama (5 episodes of about 14 minutes as well as a prequel of similar length labelled separately as "episode 0") is centred around the relationships of two couples and narrated through the eyes of a third one. My appreciation of the series is quite unbalanced as I appreciated only one of the two storylines.

In terms of story, I was indeed quite disappointed by some elements. Given the shortness of the episodes, it is a given that the plot need to move quite fast, especially because the show is about two couples (who almost never interact with each other), but still the pacing felt a bit draggy at times.

Moreover, if I quite appreciated the story of Hayden x Damian, I must admit that I strongly disliked the other storyline around Kelvin x Arche. It involved a crazy / evil woman antagonist, which is kind of a classical trope that I unfortunately particularly did not find entertaining here. It tempered a lot my enjoyment of the show, it could have been interesting but felt messy and difficult to root for them given the context. I honestly wish the drama would have focalised only on one couple (for me Hayden and Damian) in order to better characterize the protagonists and to go deeper in terms of scenario.

Acting-wise, the actors did an honourable job. There was no obvious weak link and the chemistry was good while not memorable.

I really enjoyed the indie vibe and the artistry of the series. It is clearly a slow and atmospheric drama with a more subdue vibe. And there are truly beautifully filmed scenes that are striking. It felt like the filmmakers were able to do a lot in terms of scenography and lighting, with little budget. I also liked the music overall.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people as I only enjoyed one of the two storylines. It is really short so you might want still to give it a go, at least for the artistic vision. It seems that the production team has decided to work on redoing this story in another format (with more & longer episodes)...Not sure if I will watch it unless they drastically improve the content of the storylines in the upgraded version.

Leia Mais

A buddy cop movie with an atypical ghost element

This buddy cop movie is quite atypical as it features a fantastical element with this very interesting concept of "ghost marriage". It contains a lot of the usual elements of such movie with the investigation, the buddying up between 2 very different individuals as well as the comedic aspects but the LGBTQ+ topic approached in addition with the fantastical twist bring some freshness to the genre.

It is quite light and does not take itself very seriously, it has almost a parodic vibe. This makes it an overall fun watch which could have been even better with a tighter writing and a better pacing. The acting is quite good: I was more convinced by the comedic scenes than by the emotional ones...Still, I'm quite certain that it is more related to the script being a bit bonkers at times as well as the filmmaking a bit over-the-top than to the actors themselves.

The music did not leave a lasting impression on me and I'm not sure I will necessarily re-watch the movie but I had a good time watching it for sure.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a comedy with an interesting premise and like buddy cop movies. It is not very memorable, nor very deep, gritty or dark but it is quite entertaining and fun, which is sometimes just what you need.

Leia Mais

Enjoyable with diversity in the couples featured; does not exploit well-enough fantastical element

The story of the series is pretty interesting. I liked the concept and the fantastical element. It is quite different from the norm as the drama follows the interactions of a group of characters while they are teenagers as well as during their adult life. The series features therefore not a unique "main couple" but rather many protagonists pretty diverse in their sexual orientation and preferences.

The scenario discussed important topics almost in an educational way. There are a lot of teaching moment that are meaningful and necessary. Still, some discussions and points made by the show lacked subtlety and were a bit too on the nose for me. More specifically, I found the ending really too "easy": it required a lot of suspension of disbelief to think that all conflicts can be solved so easily... I also found the exploitation of the fantastical element short-sighted: there could be a lot of implications to it but it was used as a simple plot device, bringing no specific difficulties.

I found the ensemble cast pretty good and providing suitable performance. Would I have liked to see more chemistry during the more intimates scenes ? Yes. Would I have liked to feel more emotionally connected to the characters ? For sure. Actually, the drama has quite a comedic undertone, which sometimes undermines the feelings that could have provided some scenes. it also does not leave a lot of room for nuances for the actors. I would have loved to see more maturity in the dialogs and to feel more passion in some of the romances.

Overall, it felt like a western teen show to me. Even more so with its soundtrack being made of almost all English songs. This is not a bad thing, just an observation as it is left me with a very different impression than other Asians productions I have seen.

I would recommend this to people looking for a drama featuring pretty diverse couples. If you liked teen shows like "Skam" or "Skins", or even movie like "American Pie", you might enjoy this. It is comparatively much more tame but it still has a similar vibe following teenagers and young adults trying to figure out themselves.

Leia Mais

Entertaining action sci-fi movie, not surprising and flawed but does the job

This movie takes place in a dystopic world as we follow a crew of misfits working as "space sweepers", therefore literally cleaning junk floating dangerously around various orbit stations. The story in itself is not that innovative for the sci-fi and action genre, the peaks and valleys of the script are quite similar to what's already been done but I still found it quite compelling even if not surprising.

I have two main complains regarding the scenario. One being that I found the nanobot technology used too much as a magical tool able to fix a lot of things but not supported by a lot of well constructed storytelling. The way it is used seems rather random and only there to move the plot along than really making a lot of sense. The other flaw being the writing regarding the antagonist who is totally written as a cartoonish villain with very surfaced-level motivations rather than some nuanced character that could bring some deepness to the film.

Regarding the cast, they are some ups and downs as well. I liked a lot the main cast playing the space sweepers team (especially Tiger Park and Buds) as well as "Dorothy". Other than that, I have more mixed feelings regarding the performance of the actors playing the secondary characters (in particular the foreigners). It was mostly average: for some, I even noticed that the language in which they were playing was not their native one (but the script was implying it was), so it gave a really strange vibe to the dialogs which sounded unnatural.

The production value was pretty high: I found the spaceships scenes really nice looking and the visual effects regarding the robots and the technology looked really good overall. The soundtrack was alright but did not make a lasting impression on me.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an entertaining sci-fi movie. If you enjoy shows like "The Mandalorian" or movies like "Star Wars" or "The Guardians of the galaxy", you might like it (even though you will for sure not be surprised by anything if you have seen / read a lot of similar stuff).

Leia Mais

Despite some production misses, truly a cute, fluffy and entertaining platonic BL

This BL series is centred on the relationship of Tinn (the study body president of the high school) and Gun (the head and lead singer of the school music club). The story had some elements of enemies-to-lovers as well as opposites-attract-each-other trope but goes far beyond all of that. Far from those stereotypical narrative devices, it managed to surprise me with the characters evolution and choices. Despite some of the storylines being a bit non-sensical and some of the humour over-the-top, it never bothered me, I was truly entertained by the scenario which remained overall quite light and heartfelt.

I enjoyed the cast. The two main leads had a good chemistry together: their relationship was super pure and platonic but still interesting to follow. They were super cute together and had some nice emotional moments. I would have loved to feel a bit more the attraction and pining between them, but there was not a lot of room in the script for intense passion: clearly the objective was to focus on fluff and wholesomeness and they successfully conveyed that. The secondary cast was okay overall: some were more average than others and nobody really peaked up my interest.

The drama would have benefited of a sharper editing: there were quite a few redundant scenes which are sometimes dragged a bit the story as well as some unnecessary and quite repetitive flashbacks. There was also a quite soapy feel to the production: it felt amateurish at time but fortunately in an non-deterrent way.

The music scenes were sometimes a total miss for me: there was a lack of quality in their producing (lip-syncing issues, non-convincing acting/pretend play with the instruments, lot of old-fashioned MV style flashback...). Overall, the OST (sang by some of the actors) was pleasant but not remarkable.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet BL high school platonic romance. If you are searching for a solid dose of cuteness and fluff, this one is clearly for you !

Leia Mais

Relevant, impactful and satisfying Season 2, I would have loved to have more episodes

The second season of D.P. takes place just after the events of the season 1, directly following the impact and consequences of its shocking ending. The story takes an almost slightly political turn as the external world (with the media and the overall public) gets more involved in the plot.

Instead of focalising mainly on the internal aspects and almost day-to-day life of the soldiers, the season 2 of the series brings a higher level view, with the cases followed by the D.P. military unit almost all interconnected and supporting somewhat a central storyline. I found this quite interesting, but maybe a bit less poignant regarding the more political parts of the script.

Special mention to the few "side-cases" followed by the D.P. soldiers: the writer still managed to bring something new to the table with topics not discussed in the 1st season and there were some properly gut-wrenching moments. I honestly would have wanted even more of those "side-cases" episodes, as it feels that so many issues regarding the military life could/should be discussed.

The cast is still as amazing as in previous season. The chemistry between our four main characters continues working superbly well. The antagonistic figures are also pretty convincing: it was quite easy to get scared of them and to root for the heroes without them being too caricatural. I was truly impressed once again by the various cameos / guest actors: their parts were overall small but really impactful and they are the ones that will leave on me the more lasting impression.

The production remains very good overall. There are some well-constructed sets that allowed really good action sequences scenes. I was totally immersed by the shift of atmosphere in some of the locations where the characters were brought for some of the storylines. The soundtrack is still not memorable to me but is efficiently conveying an almost gloomy and depressing feelings, totally fitting for the thematic.

I would recommend this to people that have seen the first season of the series of course. Even if I found the first season more striking and powerful overall, this second season is worth it and provide a satisfying conclusion to the story. I cannot get enough of these characters, so I would gladly watch if there are a season 3. There are indeed so much more stories on military life and deserters that could be told...but I also think a sequel is not needed and I am happy as well if it ends on this note.

Leia Mais