
Our Movie Season 1 Review – An artsy and lively melodrama that fails its leads
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 12 -| Review Score – 3/5
Melodramas tend to be a hit or miss, especially when the execution piles up on the bittersweet plot with equally depressing aesthetics, dark and dreary colours, haunting string music and performances by the cast as if their cat has just died. What saves a melodrama from being too one note is the direction as seen with Our Movie which tries to liven up the tragic romance and give a message of hope and love.
Our Movie is SBS' latest hand at melos and they have had some experience with the likes of Moon Lovers and The Hymn Of Death. Their 2025 attempt has everything from eternal love and hopelessness to ethical dilemmas and movie-making drama.
Our Movie follows Lee Je-ha, a genius director who ends up in a slump after his debut movie wins him several accolades. Focused on a superstitious jinx, he decides to return to the scene 5 years later. However, he takes up an ambitious task of telling a story of a terminally ill patient in love.
Struggling with the concept, he finds a muse in Lee Da-eum, an aspiring actress who has a terminal illness herself. With no cure, she can die any day. He is surprised as she refuses to succumb to the hopelessness of her situation, living each day to the fullest. As director and actress work on the script together, they clash on their very different ideologies on love and eternity. But over time, they start falling for each other.
The cast includes Namkoong Min, Jeon Yeo-been, Seo Hyeon-woo and Lee Seol among others. It is directed by Lee Jung-heum who is known for thrillers like Falsify and Inspector Koo.
As expected, Director Lee does everything in his power to break away from the usual melo cliches and tropes. The supposed antagonists aren't truly the antagonists, supporting Da-eum and Je-ha in their endeavour to make something worthwhile. Lee Seol's Seo-yeong, a fellow actress, is a refreshing character who questions the 'women-beware-women' archetype. Seo Hyeon-woo's Producer Bu acts a little shady to add suspense and tension, but in the end, he highlights the importance of having a strong support system.
Director Lee and the crew also put their all in ensuring that Our Movie Season 1 is a visual treat. Soft and bright scenes make up the majority, even when they are set in hospitals, symbolising Da-eum's optimistic take at life. Certain poignant scenes or emotionally stunted moments are in black and white. And so, when they change to colour, it is that much more satisfying as the characters finally take a leap of faith by accepting their feelings.
The show also plays around with aspect ratio, using it for meta commentary or, once again, to highlight certain emotions. We see the 16:9 ratio when clips of the remake movie or reimagination of the movie are shown for the cinematic vibe. It is also used for difficult scenes when the characters have to make a life-changing decision, creating a sombre effect in all aspects.
Peppy and cheerful music is interspersed with the typical haunting and melodic string music as expected. They represent the ups and downs of Da-eum's life, her relationship with Je-ha and even the progress of the movie being shot.
We can go on and on about how beautifully Our Movie is made but the technical execution isn't able to save the main plot or the leads' performances. The subplot of the movie-making and the industry politics is quite intriguing. Unfortunately, the love story is a little grim in the sense that the female protagonist, the one with the terminal illness, the one who has to suffer for the sake of the story, is mostly a passive character.
She's a prop for the male protagonist, a plot device for him to realise his faults and become a better human and experience love and yada yada yada. While he grows and gets all the juicy moments, whether it is the moviemaking politics or ethical dilemmas, Da-eum is the same from start to end. Remember the lively treatment we were talking about; she's used for that as well.
Jeon Yeo-been plays Da-eum as a bubbly, charming, but innocent girl. Whenever scenes get heavy and sombre, Yeo-been suddenly turns goofy and playful to lighten the mood. Da-eum is the whole package except for the tiny drawback of her dying. Even then, she is the smiling through her pain type of person, so we don't see much of her introspecting on her own limitations and fate.
And sure, Yeo-been's portrayal is a choice, and doesn't really hamper the story. Some viewers may even like how Da-eum comes across, including us, as she has some sweet moments. But we are pretty sure that almost everyone is going to be annoyed with Namkoong Min's Je-ha.
Je-ha is an introvert, a reserved character who comes off cold. Even when he feels feelings, he doesn't show them outwardly. Until he does! 8 episodes later, he is suddenly a whole new person, smiling and joking and laughing and crying. Our Movie is possibly Namkoong's first project where he stumbles with his performance. And he was such a great tsundere turned lover boy in the historical melodrama, My Dearest.
Well, in Our Movie, for the first 8 episodes, when Je-ha is his selfish, stubborn self, Namkoong plays him as a robot, oddly stoic and mysterious. Once he has his character development, he finally acts human. It makes for a boring and lifeless character, and may lose viewers since most of the plot revolves around Je-ha.
Namkoong's visuals are the only thing that may stop viewers from labelling Je-ha as one of the worst K-drama male leads created. No matter how inspiring and artsy the show is, the love story and the performance let it down. And it is a shame as Our Movie does try its best in creating an aesthetically pleasing and refreshing tragic romance with a message of hope.
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The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa to bring eerie storytelling to his first samurai film
Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, known as a master of horror films set within the neurotic realism of the modern day, will bring his signature edge-of-your-seat storytelling to a genre he has never tackled before: the samurai movie. 'I do want to do it once, and it looks like it might be really happening, although things are still uncertain. I may finally be able to make my samurai film,' he told The Associated Press, noting he couldn't give much detail just yet. His upcoming samurai film will not have sword-fight scenes or action-packed outdoor shots that characterize the genre, known as 'jidaigeki.' Instead, it will be the same creepy quiet narrative of Kurosawa movies, where the action takes place almost claustrophobically, in this case, in a castle that just happens to be set in the samurai era. That concept alone is enough to pique a movie lover's interest. The horror master was just honored at this year's Japan Cuts film festival in New York. The festival presented him the Cut Above award, international recognition that follows the Silver Lion at the 2020 Venice Film Festival for 'Wife of a Spy,' centered around a troubled married couple during World War II. Kurosawa, who is not related to 'Seven Samurai' and 'Rashomon,' director Akira Kurosawa, said period pieces are difficult to make due to the extraordinary costs of sets, props and costuming. He also made it clear he isn't interested in directing science fiction, but rather pursues realism. However, he readily acknowledged that his films are all made up, in fact, 'a lie.' 'Maybe this is my weakness, or my characteristic; I want to tell my stories in a setting of a very real modern-day society, yet I want to entertain," he said. "And so it's a contradiction that I aim for every time," 'You create a lie, like a horrific character (in a realistic framework),' he said. Kurosawa, who has managed to produce a film a year over his 40-year career, invests a lot of time researching the setting and backdrop of his films, including much reading, to make it as realistic as possible. In his most recent thriller, 'Cloud,' a man who is down on his luck, portrayed by Masaki Suda, makes dubious profits by reselling items he finds online at far higher prices. It starts harmless enough, except, as the plot thickens, the protagonist is confronted by victims out for revenge. Kurosawa is not one to hold back on violence, often gory and extreme but beautifully shot, sometimes almost comical in its bizarreness. 'Cure,' a 1997 film about a police detective investigating a series of gruesome murders, starring Koji Yakusho, uses continuous shots purposely without cuts to bring out the varied emotions, and the coldness of the characters, sometimes changing viscerally within the same scene, to explore madness. Despite his insistence on realism, Kurosawa, who counts Alfred Hitchcock among his influences, doesn't rule out the addition of tiny unreal elements for that perfectly subtle and eerie effect. But his movies are never happy-go-lucky, he said. 'Everything being happy is not possible if you start with the realism of modern-day Japan,' said Kurosawa. Kurosawa believes that while filmmaking is usually a giant confusing project where multiple players must work together, producers worrying about the box office and actors concerned about their roles, it is ultimately about dealing with what feels right to your deepest self. 'In the end, it all boils down to: I understand there are many opinions, but we must choose what is right. What does being right mean? To figure that out is the creator's job,' he said. ___


The Review Geek
7 hours ago
- The Review Geek
S Line – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
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Next, Hyun Heup checks a video message of her school friend tied up, along with a Happy 17th message and an invitation to the 'room of boundaries.' She calls Detective Han for help. READ MORE: K-drama reviews In the car together, Han is still thinking about Seon-a's horrible S Line. Hyun Heup disrupts him to explain that someone has been counting down to her 17th birthday and that something is required of her. She shows him the texts. Han starts putting the pieces together – how she was lured to the school, how he acquired the glasses, etc. Could it be the same person? Han notes that her teacher, Kyu Jin, doesn't exist. Together, they race into the school building toward the lit classroom. Hyun Heup finds her friend, who says she came to meet Hyun Heup. The girls race out to find Han, but every time they take the stairs, they return to the same floor again. Han heads up to the roof and hearing a door, the girls do too. But they're not in the same place. Han approaches a group of people, one remarking how lucky she was to have met her. She remembers their conversation where Kyu Jin asked if she still wanted to die or would rather kill. The woman testifies that with the glasses, she found a new purpose in life, getting rid of a line every time she kills someone else. She uncovers a man, raising her knife, ready to sever her last sin and be reborn. On Han's roof, he sees Kyu Jin approach with millions of red lines from her head. When she spots him, she uncovers Han's father, who's tied and covered in blood. Handing Han a blade, she wonders whether he wants to save Seon-a. Han turns the knife on her, but she easily takes it from him, stabbing Han's father instead. When he shoots at her, the bullets deflect as she continues to walk toward him, grabbing him by the neck. On their own roof, Hyun Heup tries to explain what's happening, but then see that Gyeong Jin is wearing the glasses. Gyeong Jin tries to strangle Hyun Heup, but when they tussle, Hyun Heup smashes the glasses and Gyeong Jin returns to her senses. She notices that Hyun Heup's eye color has changed. Drops of blood distract Hyun Heup and she finds herself among the crowd surrounding Kyu Jin, who tells her that her ability to see S Lines from birth is a blessing. The crowd removes their glasses, surrounding Hyun Heup. Kyu Jin raises a long sword, ready to slash. But Hyun Heup's mother steps in front, protecting her daughter and falling to the ground instead. Her mother admits that she had the glasses too, that it wasn't Hyun Heup's fault. Getting up from her mother, Hyun Heup runs at Kyu Jin, straight into her sword, but Hyun Heup's blood floats away in droplets. Soon she rises too, lines bursting out of her and pulling her toward a ball of red. After a few moments, she's gently lowered to the ground as the ball comes for them. As Kyu Jin watches, Hyun Heup stabs her. But she says it's too late – they've already done what they came to do. The crowd begins to scream and run as all the glasses are lost, including Han's. And suddenly Han, Hyun Heup and Gyeong Jin are on the roof together. He reaches for his glasses, but they fall. While in the streets, people stare at the red night sky. And everyone can see everyone's red lines. On a new day on the subway, everyone wears glasses and Hyun Heup talks of finally being normal. Seon-a awoke from her coma and was reborn without an S Line. And as for the rest, Hyun Heup is alone again. She visits Jun Seon's grave and hears someone calling her name – it's Kyu Jin. Ending Explained Who is Kyu Jin? Someone working toward a 'rebirth' where every person can see S Lines. It's got the trappings of a cult with some supernatural thrown in. How is Hyun Heup involved? Kyu Jin believes Hyun Heup's blood will trigger the rebirth, giving everyone the ability to see S Lines and some people the ability to cleanse their S Lines. How does Seon-a wake from her coma? Possibly as a result of the rebirth. She's reborn without her non-consensual S Line and seems a lot happier. What happens to Han's father? Although Han tries to save him, Kyu Jin kills him with a stab to the throat. What happens to Hyun Heup's friends? Jun Seon dies in what looks like an accident, but was probably helped along by Kyu Jin in an effort to get to Hyun Heup. Meanwhile, Gyeong Jin survives, but we don't see what happens to her – just that Hyun Heup is alone again at the end. What happens to Detective Han? It looks like he goes back to being himself after all the drama. He does seem to be more protective of his niece and they also have a better relationship. The Episode Review Well, that was unexpected. 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Daily Mail
10 hours ago
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Kanye West and Bianca Censori go viral for graphic PDA at rollicking late-night afterparty
Kanye West and Bianca Censori have gone viral yet again as a video circulated of them tangling tongues during a steamy knees-up. The amorous moment took place in February, during a rollicking Grammys afterparty where Bianca performed a karaoke rendition of Adele's Rolling in the Deep. Hours earlier, she had left onlookers astonished by appearing on the red carpet of the awards show in a completely see-through minidress with no underwear. By the time of the afterparty, she was somewhat more conservatively attired in a skimpy sheer black unitard that rode up to emphasize her rear end. In resurfaced video from the fete, Kanye could be seen indulging in a public display of affection with his wife, running his hands over Bianca's body as their tongues met. As the beano wound down, Kanye appeared stony-faced when he was spotted giving his wife a piggyback ride out of the venue in Beverly Hills. Video of the tongue-tangle went viral this week as Bianca jetted into Seoul, wearing perhaps her most surprising look to date - a completely covered up-outfit. In a departure from her usual flesh-flashing attire, Bianca, 30, showed hardly a shred of skin as she touched down into the South Korean capital alongside her spouse, 48. Quite literally covered from head-to-toe, she wore black leggings, furry leg warmers, and a taupe messenger cap atop her raven locks. Even her eyes were concealed behind a pair of sunglasses, adding an air of further mystery. Kanye dressed similarly in all-black, opting for a zip-down sweatshirt, leather trousers, and suede footwear. The couple's outing comes about a week after Censori appeared in scantily-clad photos, which were photographed by her rapper husband and shared to Instagram. The images showed the brunette posing in white lace lingerie while posing in her hotel room in Japan in shots which were taken in October last year. The defiant post came shortly after West denied shocking allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking made by his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta. Hours earlier, she had left onlookers astonished by appearing on the red carpet of the awards show in a completely see-through minidress with no underwear Days after the fierce rebuttal, Censori showed off her ample assets and tiny waist as she posed in the sheer bra and matching thong-style knickers. She boosted her petite frame with a pair of stilettos and wore her blonde locks in a bouncy blown out style, which covered her pretty features. One sizzling shot saw her crawling across the plush cream carpet on her hands and knees in a very seductive fashion. Revealing that it was her husband behind the lens, she wrote in the caption: 'Japan October 2024 shot by @ye.' A recent similar shoot taken at the same time saw Censori share another set of photos from the private shoot. Cesori has been sharing the polaroid snaps to her social media page. Last week, she gave fans another glimpse at her enviable figure with three more snaps. In one of the photos she was pictured on her knees leaning backwards while wearing a sheer tube top and pulling down her stockings with one hand. Another one of the retro style snaps featured her seemingly naked from the side, wearing high heels, with one of her legs extended in the air. A third image showed Bianca in a shaggy blonde wig and straddling the carpet while shooting a seductive glance at the camera with a hand placed in her mouth. 'Shot by @ye,' she captioned all three of the images. The couple have been caught up in reports that West's former assistant Lauren Pisciotta has filed a sexual assault case against him. Earlier this month, a Yeezy spokesperson issued a statement to criticizing the rapper's former employee's amended complaint against him, which they point out is the 'the fourth version she has advanced.' 'Each new revision contradicts the others; each is more absurd and outlandish than all previous claims combined,' the Yeezy rep insisted. 'Does Ms. Pisciotta actually believe her confabulations? We cannot know. But this breathless new installment of fantasy fiction discredits all past, present and future testimony.' The spokesperson continued: 'We stand ready to annihilate Ms. Pisciotta's tall tales before a jury—an exoneration so inevitable that even she, lost in her fog of fantasy, must surely see it coming.' Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos also addressed the matter, highlighting 'the absurdity of Pisciotta's quadruply revised claims, which now include kidnapping, battery, rape, false imprisonment and even sex trafficking.' 'She picked the one rapper who loathes violence, has never been arrested, and doesn't even own a gun,' Yiannopoulos claimed. In response to the statements above, Pisciotta's attorney, Lisa Bloom, told 'While Kanye West's publicist has come up with a slickly worded (and outrageously false and defamatory) attack on Ms. Pisciotta, Kanye himself has publicly admitted much of what she's claiming.' 'Kanye's publicist is deafeningly silent on Kanye's own admissions, which will destroy him in court. We look forward to seeing him there, where he cannot hide behind a high priced spin team,' Bloom concluded. The response on West's behalf come just days after Pisciotta accused the father-of-four of sexually harassing and assaulting her on multiple occasions. In her amended complaint, filed earlier this week, Pisciotta accused her former boss of forcing 'his penis into her mouth' during a business trip in San Francisco. The oral rape allegedly occurred not long after she began working for Ye in July 2021. She alleged that he attempted to kiss her on the lips, more than once, despite her repeatedly rejecting his advances, which she insists she told him were 'not professional.' After participating in a writing session for his album, Donda, the complaint alleges that West invited Pisciotta to his hotel suite to discuss the record. When she arrived, Pisciotta alleges in the complaint 'Ye abruptly laid down in his bed and insisted that Ms. Pisciotta lay beside him.' She proceeded to 'reluctantly' sit next to him in bed as her then-boss praised her work and shared how he could 'propel' her success in the music industry, according to the complaint. The conversation quickly turned south, she claims, as he began speaking in graphic detail about an unnamed model's genitals and described his sexual encounters with other women. Pisciotta claims in the complaint that West attempted to kiss her again, but that she 'continued to deflect his advances.' She then claimed he began to ask her questions about her vagina, such as 'What's it like?', 'Can I touch it?', and 'I just wanna see what it's like.' According to the complaint, despite her reminding him his behavior was not professional, Pisciotta alleges West 'stroked his penis over his pants with one hand and forcibly touched her vagina with the other hand.' 'Ms. Pisciotta immediately told Ye to stop. Ye soon fell asleep mid-sentence,' the complaint reads. 'Ms. Pisciotta left the room once Ye fell asleep.' During that same stay in San Francisco, Pisciotta claims West went to her hotel room and demanded to use her shower. After cracking the door open, Pisciotta says in the complaint that her former boss 'pushed the door open and proceeded directly into the bathroom.' When he reemerged, she claims in the complaint he was only wearing a 'towel covering the lower half of his body' and approached her while she was sitting in a chair. She claims 'Ye dropped the towel from his waist to expose his penis,' removed her from the chair she was sitting in, and pushed her onto the bed, so that she was pinned against its pillows and headboard. Pisciotta says he used his 'body to pin and restrain' her and restricted her from leaving the bed, before thrusting his penis repeatedly into her mouth, according to the complaint. 'As Ms. Pisciotta frantically pled for Ye to stop, Ye forced his penis into her mouth. Ms. Pisciotta froze in shock and fear but continued to plead with Ye and beg him,' according to the legal documents. After the alleged rape, she alleges he apologized and left. When she confronted him about the sexual assault, she said in the complaint he gave her what she thought was 'a sincere apology' and agreed to continue working for him. Still, she insists in the court record he never stopped his sexually inappropriate behavior and harassment. She claims he detailed sexual fantasies about her, demanded she send him explicit material including topless and nude photographs, constantly remarked on her body and even allegedly called her while engaging in sexual acts with another woman. Other shocking claims in the second amended complaint included that he offered someone the opportunity to have sex with her and that he 'constantly told her that 'he wanted to have sex with her and how he thought about her while he had sex with other women.' She also says he offered 'one million dollars in exchange for her deleting her OnlyFans account, from which Ms. Pisciotta earned approximately one million dollars over the course of eight months.' After deleting her account, Pisciotta claims in the court paper that West refused to pay the 'agreed-upon amount' and quickly lost her substantial OnlyFans following. During her employment, she alleged he interrogated her about her love life, the last time she had sex, how large her partners' penises were and if she would be 'open to engaging in threesomes with her partners, his partners, and other women Ye found on various social media platforms.' After terminating her in fall of 2023, she claims he 'grabbed' her neck and 'squeezed his hand around her throat, restricting her airflow' after running into each other at a concert, according to the complaint. 'With his hand still around her neck, Ye pulled Ms. Pisciotta's face towards his, inserted his tongue in her ear, and licked her ear repeatedly, causing it to become wet with his saliva. Ms. Pisciotta recoiled in horror and quickly walked away,' her complaint says. Pisciotta claims West went on to move into Ms. Pisciotta's same apartment complex, which caused her 'significant anxiety and distress.' She said in the complaint while he lived there he would walk past her place in a 'conspicuous manner' and even 'stationed his security team at various points of the complex.' Pisciotta alleged this pushed her to relocate to 'Florida as a means of escaping Ye.' Following her move, she claims he hired an individual who offered 'swatting' services for purchase, to 'swat' her. Pisciotta, who began working for Ye in 2021 as a music talent scout (A&R) for his Donda album, originally sued West in 2024. While working as his personal assistant and Chief of Staff, she handled his music, fashion ventures (like YEEZY), property management, and schedule. During this time, she claimed in the complaint that he controlled her life and made her ask for permission to shower or take breaks. Additionally, she alleged he verbally abused her, especially in front of male colleagues, demanded 'hugs' where he would press himself against her and spoke about monitoring her social media to masturbate to her photos. She also accused him of assaulting her in 2015 while she blacked out at a studio session. She believes she was drugged and has no memory of the evening, according to the court document. Another disturbing allegation involves a flight to a fashion show. She claims in the complaint that he locked her in a room and masturbated in front of her, until someone from the outside was able to open the door as she 'cried into her lap.' West previously denied Pisciotta's other allegations made in her initial June 2024 complaint. In his initial legal response to her prior claims, West's companies issued a blanket denial of all allegations made by Pisciotta — including her claims of sexual assault. In response to Pisciotta's original lawsuit, West's lawyer called the claims 'baseless' and announced plans to countersue. In her new, second amended complaint, Pisciotta lays out a sweeping list of allegations, including sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, assault, battery, sexual battery, sex trafficking, stalking, false imprisonment, gender discrimination, promissory estoppel, failure to prevent harassment, discrimination and retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Pisciotta's lawyer confirmed to Daily Mail that the second amended complaint was mailed to West. In a statement to Pisciotta's attorney, Lisa Bloom, wrote: 'We are pleased that the judge granted our request to file an amended complaint against Mr. West in the sexual harassment, assault and battery case we are litigating against him in California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles.' 'In a series of recent tweets, Mr. West calls himself 'a walking me too' (we agree) and corroborated many of our client's claims by proclaiming, 'If a CEO don't hug you inappropriately he's a f@gg*t' and 'Life is about using your position to f*k the baddest b!**hes possible' and other disgusting and offensive posts,' she continued.