Pethushka

Amazingly written, brilliantly acted. I could easily end there, but I'm tempted to be at least a little more specific. Jin-goo Yeo is clearly an immense talent who manages to play the scared clown, the cruel king, and other emotions beautifully. The king he gradually becomes is probably the best I've seen so far. Finally, someone has succeeded in breaking out of the usually set character of a completely incapable king who is just a puppet. There is no point in commenting on the other characters individually, suffice it to say that they all fitted their roles beautifully. Especially those closest to the king. The story has no blind spots, maintains its quality throughout, and often surprises the viewer a little. The music was a little different than usual, thumbs up for that. Another important thing is that there were "those" moments when my heart ached and my cheeks were wet, and that is an important indicator for me with historical series. 5 stars.

Koreans are finally looking at relationships through a more realistic lens and it's not all one big predictable script. It addresses sex, prostitution, abuse, and other unpleasantness that usually doesn't exist in Korean soap operas. And it also beautifully shows what strength and support a friendship between women can be. Even if they get in each other's hair once in a while, even if they don't talk to each other over trivialities, even if they only see each other sometimes and have lots of secrets. This series is just very different from the usual Korean series. Just by the sheer number of main characters. An overlooked piece that definitely deserves more attention. 4.5 stars.

The subject matter is interesting and if you like thrillers, and you've seen the most famous ones, it might be time to watch this one. A film about a random witness to a murder and a killer who knows he had a witness, but doesn't yet know exactly who it is. Sounds like a decent drama, right? Just be prepared for the fact that the film has its flaws. The main character could have been better developed, and as a viewer I would have liked to know more of his feelings. As it is, his – I would say abrupt – actions didn't make much sense to me. I think more could have been extracted from his character and others as well. And then there was the ending itself, which was very out of place, and I would have liked a more extensive explanation. My verdict? It's a good and suspenseful film, but unfortunately a bit underdeveloped. 3 stars.

So I wanted to see what kind of movie blew my Oscar favorites away. If it wasn't for that, it probably would have passed me by and by next year I wouldn't even remember they ever made anything like it. So thank you, Oscars! Green Book entertained me from the very beginning to the very end. Largely because of the subject matter and the actors, and also because I have a soft spot for movies about true friendship. And this one moved me incredibly deeply. 2018 has brought me some great films, this one being one of them. It's beautiful, 5 stars.

Okay, on the one hand, I'd like to debate whether the film is too naive, and whether the main character's actions had sufficient justification at all. On the other hand, I have to say that I really enjoyed the lead actress, and was totally with her in the scene where she drives across the border. Otherwise, I had no major problem understanding the plot point that some here are describing, everything seemed perfectly clear to me. And of course, the clincher for me is that I really enjoyed the film a lot and I gobbled it up in one go. 3.5 stars.

What kind of movie is this anyway? A horror movie with a mysterious room whose closed door is definitely hiding something unpleasant, or a psychological drama with a strangely behaving brother? Or something else? The denouement that occurred here was completely shocking and unexpected. And I'm sure I won't be the only one surprised. I do have some minor gripes about the ending, and I didn't enjoy the beginning of the film, but on the whole it's a good film with a sharp plot. 3.5 stars.

I'd really like to review the series as a whole, but in this case it's impossible. I consider it a wonder of wonders that I lasted through the first few episodes that I didn't just give up. And when I say the first episodes, I don't mean the first two or three episodes, but an entire third of the series. I didn't enjoy everything that happened in the school, I didn't enjoy the wingman or wingwoman, I certainly didn't enjoy the main character, and I was waiting in vain for In-guk to save the day. I couldn't imagine how the two of them were supposed to get together, and how I, as a viewer, was supposed to be entertained by it. Well, the impossible eventually became a reality. I went from initially watching in small chunks while cooking to voluntarily giving three episodes a go without doing anything else while doing it. In-guk eventually won me over, and he and Ha-na Lee managed to align themselves into a nice, slightly offbeat couple. The ending was devised in a very original way, and they finally made it to average with me. 3 stars.

But yeah, there are a few jokes in there that are amusing. And ones I didn't particularly need to see. The main character just fills the role of a handsome guy that at least every Thai woman would want, and the main character is actually quite nice. The story falls into the classic average love story column. But since I'm happy for any Thai movie where I can feel the atmosphere of Bangkok, and where they even take the subway, I have to give it 3 stars.

Somehow I don't want to find out how much of this is or isn't based on fact, because for me it's not about facts that would somehow influence me going forward. In any case, I had fun and I was looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. I've always been fascinated by what well-constructed marketing can do. It's ingenious in its own way.

After the initial setup of the plot, which made me want to roll my eyes at the simplicity of it, a great and very, very funny ride begins. A great bunch of kids, the very original Zachary Levi, and jokes that will nearly rip your guts out. Shazam was just good.