Release date: 2021-02-12 Genre:Drama $14.99
Comments
1. A Window Into The Immigrant’s Experience - As a second generation immigrant, this movie allowed me to relive the triumphs and struggles that my parent’s experienced when they arrived to this country. It also offered me the opportunity to peer into my own childhood experiences and feel just how awkward and out of place I felt when among the community my father had chosen for us. I extend my thanks to the film makers for creating such an accurate picture of the immigrant experience, they proved that the subject matter came be depicted with quiet dignity and respect … devoid of prejudice and stereotypes.
2021-07-24
2. No Finish - I was rooting for this family. Understood the struggle they were dealing with. But the ending frankly sucked! Meaning, you didn’t close it out clean. Left story lines unresolved, no conclusion. Vague and obscure ending. It was like a dump and run. Disappointing! Never fails to astound me how people’s standards for a good story have been so corrupted.
2021-07-18
3. BORING - Dreadfully boring and no idea what the point was. Was this supposed to be a rip off of The Good Earth? At least they reversed the typical racist stereotypes to the “normal” Asian and the ridiculous caricature white Americans for a change of pace. Don't know why they didn’t want to have any African Americans in the movie.
2021-07-18
4. Reminded me of my family story - This movie is somewhat a love letter to immigrant families. My parents immigrated to the USA when I was a baby so even though I am not Korean, some of the struggles the family faces in this movie are very similar to my own. Parents arguments due to the financial struggles, culturally trying to fit in, trying to set up new roots, the pull from two different cultures growing up and more. I don’t want to spoil the movie too much but I can’t recommend this movie enough. Go watch it.
2021-07-04
5. A lot of malcontents on here - So far the majority of complaints on here appear to be “this isn’t like another movie I liked so I don’t like this one”, variations of racist complaining and of course the cheapskates that don’t understand that when a movie rents for $ it’s because it’s currently playing at the movie theaters. Probably best for you to watch the movie understanding there are subtitles and there isn’t going to be bald guys in sleeveless t-shirts racing through the harvest while being chased by helicopters. With that expectation you will be better prepared to decide whether or not this is a movie you should watch or avoid. If a slice of life of a multi generational Asian family struggling to follow their dreams with wisdom and humor and perseverance is some thing you’re interested in, perhaps give it a try.
2021-05-24
6. Slow and Not Much Happens - Dumb Korean couple with almost no money but several children move to Arkansas, live in a manufactured home and grow labor intensive speciality vegetables that they run out of water for and have trouble finding buyers for and then granny burns down the vegetable shed and it ends with the dumb Korean family decides to do the same dumb thing all over again; grow a few acres of labor intensive, speciality vegetables, that they have no money to grow and no buyers for. Who would have known that such stupid people exist in Korea also? They must have raised the IQ of both countries when they left Korea and came to America.
2021-05-12
7. Disconnected - I really wanted to like this movie and the story, characters and setting all seemed promising but it resolves itself a little too little and a little too late. Firstly, none of these people seem to want to be together or even like each other. The wife is a complete pill and the husband doesn’t really listen. They seem completely mismatched and we rarely see any kind of affection between the two, so, who, exactly, are we rooting for? Secondly, it’s not clear whose point of view is being told. The story jumps from one character to another and one scene to another, almost randomly, and very little happens, especially for the first /’s of the film. Even “slow” films have a continuous story unfolding and the characters arc along the way. Instead, in this story, everything happens at the end and the characters’ arcs are brought upon by an external event rather than an internal one. The performances are fine but there is no chemistry between any of these characters It’s almost as if these are separate people telling separate stories. Again, really wanted to like this film but I think it’s overhyped and way overrated.
2021-05-06
8. Funny heart warming, a perfect covid antidote - I love this movie. The family is endearing, the characters struggle to find their normal in a foreign area. It’s the dream of many immigrants to make it. To provide their family and this movie speaks to me and my family’s history. You must watch this movie. Totally worth it.
2021-04-28
9. Great Start, No Conclusion - The camera shots and angles were good, and the plot was overall great. However, there was no conclusion. It's a five paragraph essay, but they forgot to write the fifth paragraph. There's a Christian theme, but nothing happens with that. The farm fails with the crops burnt (not to mention that they pulled a bunch of crops into a corner of the BURNING rather than bring them outside the barn. There's a hint of hope for the farm, but there's not a big conclusion of success, nor is there a conclusion with the grandma, perhaps a bit of redemption, but does she get better? What about the marriage of the parents? It's left hanging? What about the minari? It had a very little significance to the story. Or David's heart? It's getting better, but it was as emphasized. This movie tried to do a lot but ended up doing all of them poorly. There should have been one central theme. I enjoyed watching the film but was dissatisfied because of the lack of conclusion. It was a film with great potential that failed miserably. I give it two stars because of the importance of family and the well designed start of a plot, but it cannot gain any more because it doesn't end well.
2021-03-28
10. Very good movie. Pricing is dumb - I really liked this movie, it was touching and absolutely relatable (my parents are also immigrants who started in America with nothing). It was a bit slow but had lots of heartwarming and devastating moments. Acting was fantastic, what an unbelievably talented cast of actors, young and old! Impressive work. ./ The pricing is really dumb, I feel. I think an option to buy for $ would be fair but a rental for $ is just annoying. It really prevents a movie like this, an important and timely portrait, from being seen by a larger audience.
2021-03-24
11. Minimal Minari - For those of us that have come to this country in search of the “American Dream” while working illegal or hour days in the freezing cold or the scorching heat, Minari translates as a “so what” kind of a movie. Before you start throwing burnt egg plants and tomates, let me explain. As a movie fanatic and as a former migrant worker I have to take into account my personal experiences as well as past movies that have in more impactful ways have told a more convincing story of struggle and hope is accomplishing the American Dream. The one obvious movie that comes to mind is the movie El Norte by writer and director Gregory Nava. (We’ll get back to this reference at the end of my review) While I’m thrilled to see a movie like Minari receiving substantial attention from critics and the academy award nominations, I believe political correctness is driving a lot of this movie’s hype. The reason I’m sending this out there is the overwhelming shallow and disconnected story telling in Minari that failed to draw me in and convince me that the family’s situation was unique and telling of golden nuggets of unspoken experiences. The closest the content comes to delivering anything remotely original and wise is the grandmother telling David not to throw rocks at the snake because it’s better to see and know where scary things are instead of them hiding. This story needed some raw, dirty ugliness for it to grow into something believable and worthy of my empathy. It consistently failed to draw me into their world of struggle. A lot of this failure came from giving the viewer an extremely sterile existence: it was predictable, fragmented and slow. I wanted this movie to drag me through fields of pain, struggle and a dissection of cultural nuances. Instead the movie left me regretting the $. rental and : minutes of non productive time. If you’re looking for a better version of the struggle to reach the American Dream, watch El Norte and get ready for a life changing experience.
2021-03-21
12. Honest family movie - As a Korean American, this movie made me cry when David was running to save his grandmother. I think this movie has a universal message, family struggles and love. Mothers and fathers try their best to keep family together in difficulties. We fight each other in family sometimes, but the most important thing is family. Family comes first than anything else.
2021-03-07
13. Great story on the American dream - Albeit mostly a Korean American / Korean cast this is a very American family drama movie. After all unless you’re American Indian all of us have some ancestor that immigrated to the US and had their struggles. The only thing was I didn’t like how it ended, it wasn’t awful but somewhat abrupt. But overall very good film.
2021-03-06
Release date: 2016-06-03 Genre:Horror $6.99
Comments
1. Nice imagery, but ... - I was looking forward to this movie, but (as others have noted) the incompetence of the police was a problem, and it feels like the "message" behind the movie was more disturbing than the movie itself. One foreign stranger, and he's immediately (and xenophobically) blamed for everything that's happening. Unsettling enough, but I was waiting for a twist that never arrived. Nope.
2017-03-18
2. Devil in the Details - Hong-jin Na brings the old tale of "good vs. evil" in this terrifying and high-paced thriller "The Wailing". Korean cinema has really taken off lately and even though Hong-jin took six years to write this masterpiece, it was worth the wait. The devil does exist in the details and every scene keeps you on the edge of your seat, making you guess twice. The actors are well portrayed and very believable, giving the audience a good run for their money. Pay attention to the story, because it can easily be misread.
2017-03-13
3. What.. - This movie really really confused me. Overall it was a good film, amazing camera work, great acting, good overall story, but... the ending made absolutely no sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something but the ending left me with more questions than answers. Also due to other reviews I went into this film thinking it was going to be beyond terrifying but I think my expectations were a little too high. It was definitely scary conceptually and their were certain visuals that are still stuck in my head til this day. But one of my favorite aspects of Korean horror films is the incredible endings and this one just confused the hell out of me and I found my self going "wait......is that it..." at the end even though the movie was and a half hours long.
2016-12-07
4. Well developed storyline. Tense, funny at times, well acted. - Refreshing to watch a film that is not predicable. If you like films that build without giving the ending away and finish with an realistic ending, rent this film. It's for those who want to get a little lost in the plot and enjoy thoughtful storyline. Well written and acted.
2016-12-04
5. yeah, it's the wailing alright - You will hear a lot of waling by idiotic crybabys and cowards. None of the characters motives in this film make any sense whatsoever. The main characters are so stupid, it hurt to watch. The story goes round and round, none of the elements introduced in the setup have any meaning throught the rest of the film. It had a lot of potential, but the directing and script killed it. You can pass on this, save those minutes of your life for something else.
2016-11-26
6. For Sure Not a Real % on Rotten Tomatoes - Online reviews are becoming less reliable. This is not a % on any scale. It's well done and mostly entertaining but would be an % tops on Rotten Tomatoes. Wonderful camera work but the story has errors in it. There are too many pieces that dont make any sense, and it's not an abstract arty thing, just a poorly scripted thing. I would of given it stars but I have a feeling a lot of the star ratings are artificial or friends and family :)
2016-11-24
7. It was good! - Some of the bad reviews on here are from people I'd never want to watch a movie with. Or really hangout with and care to even know. I'm not saying this movie was super amazing. But it was pretty darn good, kept me entertained. It was dark and yes sometimes I got a small laugh. But to me that seems almost typical in some Asian films. Kept be guessing at the end too. Great story, a few zombie type people, evil, bloodshed and a caring father. I can dig.
2016-10-16
8. great movie - This movie may be a bit difficult to understand without understanding Korean cultural and religious background. It has elements of shamanism (objects hanging on the doors, ceremony, animal references, idea of spirits, possession) and catholicism. This is not a zombie movie like some of the negative reviews here say. The protective spirit is trying to protect the village's people from the evil spirit, while the main character (police officer) is trying to figure out the village's strange murders/behavior in the mist of trying to protect his daughter. There are characters that you can't really figure out whose side they are on until the end of the movie. There are many hints (seen during the ceremony, timing of events) but it was hard for me to catch all of those until I saw the movie twice. There are many themes layered within the movie but to simplify it, it all boils down to trust and faith (as seen on the biblical reference at the beginning of the movie and what the evil character says to the priest at the end of the movie). Small thought or doubt can snowball into great mistrust that alters someone's actions and lead him/her to "sin." The evil spirit/character is seen fishing throughout the movie and it's literally referencing that he's spreading bait (doubt, mistrust) in the village and waiting for people to fall into his traps. This movie is worth watching and re-watching. It's a well-done scrary movie.
2016-10-03
9. A warning - If you're like me, and find genuinely incompetent people TERRIBLY uninteresting, don't watch this. The main character is a buffoon, at best. Granted, real evil is afoot in this idyllic village, but the characters chosen as the exposition of this evil will drive you NUTS. Case in point, TWO policemen and a priest are in the foreigner's hut and DISCOVER damning evidence, but do they do ANYTHING? Nope. They just drive away. This movie is probably good, but I simply can't watch anymore. Its clueless, befuddled characters are simply too much for me.
2016-09-19
10. Beautiful, grizzly masterpiece - This movie is absolutely gorgeous. Hands down some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. Some of the shots in this movie remind me of Stanley Kubrick's vision of The Shining. This film opens like a horror comedy, mixing a zombie film with an occult film. As it progresses into the second act, however, this film becomes darker and more gory. It is extremely suspenseful and terrifying right up to the final shot. This film is most definitely not for everyone though. Those who do not appreciate a slow moving thriller that's almost hours long will hate this movie. I, personally, did not see a problem with the lengthy runtime. Also if you hate blood and watching lengthy exorcism rituals, then just stay away as this movie is one of the bloodiest I've ever seen and those ritualistic scenes drag on for quite some time. My favorite performance in this film, although they are all good, is the daughter. This kid has some major talent and I see her being the next Linda Blair. Recommended for mature audiences who want to see a different and dreamlike film. Truly a cinematic gem.
2016-09-11
11. Blacker than that new Iphone - Yup, this here film is GRIM. Yessr. It's DARK, BLACK, and SCARY. It's got all kind of sharp objects, people running around, with their mouths wide open and eyes back to front. It's got a SCARY KID that breaks wind loudly in police stations. CHICKUNS hanging upside down, DAWGS a barkin' up a storm and GOATS acting all scared. It's got a busload of SHAMANS jumpin' up and down and squawkin'. It's got RAIN, THUNDER an' LIGHTNIN'. Save me Jesus! Had me all jumpin around like a box of frogs etc. etc.
2016-09-10
12. Wasn't sure what to expect - I actually listened to the critics this time (something I rarely do because they are so often well off point) but this movie flew by, tense, sometimes funny (at first), pretty dang scary, and tons of twists and turns to keep one on edge of seat. The acting though, that's where it hit home for me. All the cast members did a terrific job at their roles. Add to it the cinemetography and I have to give this a five star rating, subtitles and all. The Director nailed it. I'll wait six months and watch this again, I'm certain.
2016-09-07
Release date: 2018-10-26 Genre:Thriller $7.99
Comments
1. Instant Classic: La Dolce Dance! - There are some films that make you forget you are watching a film—those are the good ones. And there are the handful that transcend their medium, making you forget you are forgetting and bringing right into the film, to the "here and now" of its cinematic action—those are the precious ones. Among manyn memorable scenes, Burning has an electrifying dance (and I'm not giving anything away) that makes one think of the hipnotizing dance sequence in classic La Dolce Vita; this film is that powerful! It is certainly one of the best films of , and it is simply incredible that it has not received a single Oscar nomination; it would easily win best adapted screenplay (from a Murakami short story) and best supporting actor/actress—to not say anything about best foreign film, where it would be a clear contender. Watch it; sell all your belongings if you need to, because this film can save lives!
2019-02-24
2. Artful, subtle masterpiece - I hardly ever leave reviews but I had to put a good word in for this film. Burning has insanely subtle performances by the three leads (Steven Yeun, Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo) and is incredibly photographed -- highly recommend you to watch if you're looking for an artful mystery film that doesn't sacrifice anything for the story. You'll have to pay attention to details to feel satisfied at the end, since the director does a great job of weaving the answers into the film rather than spilling everything at the end. Wish it got nominated for Best Foreign Film this year because it deserves it, but please watch this!
2019-02-02
3. This film is a work of art - Burning was one of my favorite films I saw last year and deserves way more recognition than it has gotten. The film is incredibly simple and relies on nothing more than beautiful cinematography and amazing acting to tell it's story. Sad to see that it wasn't nominated for best foreign film because this was such an enjoyable watch to me and I'm still haunted by it.
2019-01-31
Release date: 2017-08-25 Genre:Action & Adventure $7.99
Comments
1. I wanted to like it... - I was really looking forward to this film and I really wanted to like it. But unfortunately the plot is absolutely incomprehensible - I gave up even trying to understand what was going on about halfway through. Furthermore, if you are watching this for the action you can just watch the trailer and skip the movie altogether because viturally all of the action that's in the movie is included in the trailer. There is no additional action sequences in the movie that are not present in the trailer.
2017-12-31
2. The Villainess knocked my socks off! - If high speed video game, anime inspired action/violence is your thing (Dredd - John Wick) it doesn't get better then this. The cinematography was superb, almost creating -D effects by POV camera manipulation. The plot was thick with characters played by more then one actor with a non-linear story presentation that was interspersed with action sequences that made the fight scenes special. The film avoided a numbing non-stop onslaught of destruction. It took two viewings for me to fully sort the story out, but the second viewing was even more enjoyable then the first.
2017-11-29
Release date: 2014-04-15 Genre:Action & Adventure $4.99
Comments
1. Excellent movie - At first I wasn't sure how this movie was going to play out....you kind of get the impression the killer reveals himself and the cop is determined to catch him.....well to my surprise, this movie was so much more then a basic cat & mouse game. Awesome action, great story line with multiple mind blowing twist. I completely recommend this film.
2014-05-27
2. Simply amazing - An extremely well done thriller where nothing is what it seems, and those that appear guilty might not be, after all. Just another of a long string of excellent South Korean films that deserves to be seen by anyone whom enjoys good movies. Don’t let the subtitles keep you from seeing this gem. It is one of the best movies of , in any language. Wholly entertaining.
2014-04-17
Release date: 2013-11-29 Genre:Action & Adventure $4.99
Comments
1. Really Great Movie, Especially with Choi Seung-Hyun! - I wanted to watch this movie mostly because Choi Seung-Hyun is the protagonist! He is such a great actor, besides this movie had a great theme. Though, I have to say that I didn’t like the unexpected end and by that I mean that it was so sad Choi had to die! I would watch it as many times as possible just to watch him!
2020-11-20
Release date: 2012-04-20 Genre:Foreign $12.99
Comments
1. Unusual cinematic grammar unfolding the very simple truth of life - This movie is weird. More accurately, abnormal. We sometimes realize how unrealistic the movie is. Movie is a drama. It is a complete fantasy that assembles the logical events one by one. The uncomfortable truth is that, life, however is full of coincidence. This movie is not based on the logic. 'The day he arrives’, therefor reach the simple truth of life.
2015-02-18
2. Simple Film With Deep Undertones - Repetitive human behavior, that what makes us who we are by the choices we make. Conversations, interactions and impulses. This is a quite, beautiful black and white film of a Korean ex-director visiting a friend in Seoul. It plays with time in sort of a “Groundhog Day” way, but not exactly. It works well and has a way holding your attention through its tone.
2014-02-22
Release date: 2020-10-21 Genre:Foreign $9.99
Release date: 2017-11-17 Genre:Drama $12.99
Release date: 2018-03-09 Genre:Comedy $12.99
Release date: 2019-02-11 Genre:Foreign $12.99
Release date: 2013-01-25 Genre:Thriller $12.99
Comments
1. You Can't Deny Perfection……….. - I travel to Asia frequently, all over Asia. I love independent films, and this one is a true gem. This film has beautiful cinematography, and a very sleek truly wealthy contemporary style throughout. The characters are well developed, and all possess extremely powerful methodically played roles in this cinematic masterpiece of Asian dramatic suspense. I felt that the movie needed a stronger close, however, I have to give it five stars based on the raw talent and delightfully bizarre storyline. Anyone that would downplay the genius of this film, has little to no knowledge of how absolutely complicated Asian culture is. When you take a film based on Asian culture of this caliber and add absurd amounts of austerity it's delightful.
2013-02-12
2. Korean movie fan?...This one isn - Horrible acting, ridiculous story line, I couldn't make it throught the first half! They tried to mix in some english into the script and it's just absolutely horrific. They must've been going low budget for english actors cuz they got a guy that sounds homosexual to play the rich currupt American and a ghetto fillapina woman to play as the house maid. Just downrigth horrible. nothing like the housemaid! If you want to rent it just to see how horrible it is go ahead.
2013-02-04
3. A GREAT Guilty Pleasure!!! - I loved THE HOUSEMAID so I was really looking forward to this next chapter in the story and it didn't disappoint! Sex, intrigue, tons of money and a completely dysfunctional family all made for a great ride! I especially loved that the most dominant personality in the film was a woman particularly because the film is set n a society where men seem to control everything. Definnitely worth $.!!!
2013-01-31
4. A sleek and smooth adult Korean drama - It doesn't take a genius to classify The Taste of Money as one of those well-made Korean dramas. But wait, there's more. It has lots of intrigues, spicy characters, flashy production design and world-class cinematography to complement the fast-paced plot. I love how all the details are so meticulously crafted. The English subtitles tend to simmer down the sharp script, but it won't spoil your enjoyment of the whole movie. Give this movie a try. It won't disappoint, especially if you're a fan of modern Asian cinema.
2013-01-26