pinokiyo

Decided to watch this recently because the actress, Takeuchi Yuko, committed suicide. The story's premise is a little eerie.

I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for this review, but someone has to say it...

Most of the reviews seemed positive and a rating of 8/10 seemed promising; I was excited to watch it... but if you got better things to do, this is a movie to skip.

First of all, I'm Japanese, so there's no weeaboo bias here for praising things just because it has cool Japan scenery or superficial stuff.

The pacing is absolutely awful. I know Japanese/foreign movies are slow, but this movie really drags with barely any interesting dialogue/scenes and just dull, flat performances. There's no real major conflict/twists. Just straight forward wife comes back from the dead and they relive their memories together. Yawn. Major cheesy galore.

I can't tell if they intentionally made the acting sooo bad like they're all mentally slow or what, but I couldn't really feel for them because they just ALL talk and act like slow robots, including the doctor and kid's teacher. EVERYONE.

And we've all seen the cliche "coming back from the dead" movies so there's really no interesting or shocking twists here.

This movie is just filled with corny cheesy scenes like it was all produced and written by a teenage girl. I can handle movies like The Notebook, but this movie is in a whole new level of the most corniest cheeseballs ever made one after another.

The only good thing about this movie was the ending credits/song used "Orange Range - Hana". I loved that song back then and had no idea this movie used it.

A really good Japanese movie is something like "Shall we Dansu?" or "Eternal Zero"... or watch "Love Letter".

Reading the recent reviews, I can't believe dumb kids these days who can't appreciate this classic film... clearly, they have no taste in movies, fashion sense, or any sense at all.

This is a cult classic. I'm a guy and I'm not ashamed to admit I love this movie and one of my favorite movies. Easily one of the best "teen" movies ever made. It is 90's GOLD.

Alicia Silverstone was PERFECT for this movie. You cannot cast anyone better for the part. She is gorgeous, likable, and just plain out gorgeous. Everyone wanted to be like her.... Barbie/Girl Next Door

The story is interesting, pacing is great, music is great, cast (with many stars that later ended up being big as well).

Yes, the ending is a bit creepy but that fits perfectly that she is clueless. Nevertheless, it's a feel good movie.

Don't forget to check out the music video "Iggy Azalea feat. Charlie XCX - Fancy" that pays major homage to this movie; it's sooo well done.

Seriously, the first one is pure perfection - how can you expect anyone to make anything better than that?

Peter Weller even came back for this second one because he knew the script was solid... now he made a really smart decision to not end up on that trash Robocrap 3.

This is a solid sequel that is actually more violent than the first one. The villain in this one is just as creepy and the whole scenario is quite creative.

The script is quite interesting and it has many memorable moments.

I'm a huge fan of the first one and this an excellent sequel.

Now avoid the other Robocops that came after this... the 3rd one is especially garbage.

Rea(l)ove adds a new twist to a dating show where every participant has a dark secret that makes it difficult for them to date.

The secret is "randomly" exposed throughout the show so everyone's behavior can change drastically before and after they find out their dark secret.

Some of them are actually not that big of a deal and others are a bit hard to accept. What's interesting is how they added similar dark secrets for the male side and female side; seeing who gets attracted to who before they know the secret and after adds another layer of entertainment.

I also watch Terrace House, Ainori, but this was a fresh new twist. The camerawork isn't nice like Terrace House and seems a bit amateurish at times, but it is entertaining.

The contestants may seem like "freaks" to some viewers, but most of them had faced major trauma and you realize how they ended up that way. I think having those flaws and being able to own up to those to the public makes them more human/real; that's what I like about this show. The show has some emotional moments.

The host is Atsushi Tamura who was known for a famous show called "London Hearts", where it also involved exposing cheaters/dating related and was a huge hit back in the day. It seems like he turned into a grumpy old man as he's really brutal and doesn't hold back at all on his opinion to the contestants.

The random cards the host is selecting seems a bit fishy because the last few cards left were the two that both happen to like the same person/adding greater drama.

--- SPOILERS: --- If you want to know what the "dark secrets" are, continue reading, if not, don't read further:

The dark secrets were being porn stars, sleeping with hundreds of people, cross dressing, transgendered, and the rest that were more tame compared to those were being in financial debt ($10,000), trauma from being cheated on, being an action figure collector, sent to prison for money laundering...

The worst one was definitely the dreamless bum guy who moved to Tokyo with no purpose -- who can't get it up unless he sees another couple having an affair... he had nothing going for him. It's funny because nobody wanted him even before he exposed his dark secret... and that just sealed it even more.

The 40 year old office worker who does livestreaming crossdressing was probably the most entertaining dark secret twist. Surprisingly, his secret made him even more popular. The financial debt girl who paid $8000 for a crappy music video was super weird but hilarious. It's funny the weird crossdresser old man was attracted to her... they match.

I thought it was funny how the biggest jerk on the show, who got into a fight with the another guy, has a short temper/seems like an idiot, where he has no right to make fun of other's dark secret -- ended up falling for a transgender. I was thinking, "Like really? you're making fun of everyone and you're technically falling for a dude..."

It was especially funny how insensitive and dumb he sounded to her when he kept asking "Wait, but you're still a girl, right?!"

But then again, it makes sense for him because his dark secret was being molested by a girl when he was young, so he's okay with a transgender. Everything is just crazy. What's also interesting though is that they ended up being the most legit couple.

Overall, the show made me binge watch the whole thing and it was pretty enjoyable for me. I mean, if you've seen London Hearts, it's typical Atsushi production.

I hope they come out with a season 2, but change the whole random card thing.

If you love cats, you will be so disappointed with this movie. Even if you don't care about cats, the movie is so boring. The whole cat thing is a bait gimmick.

The story is more about a dude having writer's block, but the cat part supposedly inspiring him to write better is extremely weak and boring to watch.

The way the whole film is shot, especially with the cats is so amateurish student film like you're just seeing random cats being shot as opposed to having some thought to the scene.

When the movie was first announced, I was excited, but thank god I didn't waste money or time to go see this in theaters. EXTREMELY boring. Skip it.

A better Japanese cat movie is "Cats Don't Come When You Call"

I swear I couldn't help but imagine they were fighting Kate Mckinnon the entire time. The whole thing was just corny.

Clearly made for little kids/teenagers.

Nothing innovative/creative or nothing new to see.

Same old cheesy formula, CG-filled, Transformers/Pacific Rim half hour fighting sequences. Yawn.

The original power rangers theme song/intro alone kills this entire movie. A movie with that soundtrack would have made the movie... who doesn't get pumped up from that theme?

Robin Williams was perfectly casted for this movie. He just shows that lovable side, yet the versatility of the dark creepy lonely side.

The movie is dark and goes deep into the psychological effects of sexual abuse; people may grow up and seem "normal", but one really doesn't move on.

Michael Jackson was sexually abused as a child -- and he definitely repeated the same horrors to the children he invited to his home.

This one easily goes in my favorite movies list.

I just love the whole vibe and music.

The movie really keeps you engaged throughout leaves a lasting impression.

There is actual evidence proof surveillance video that resurfaced (not shown in the documentary) recently from 1989 where Michael is disguised shopping around for a wedding ring with a little boy that accurately describes James Safechuck's credibility and consistency with his story.

I actually went into this documentary being on MJ's side and giving him the benefit of the doubt (that he had "Peter Pan Syndrome", being a 'kid' himself, and just has this 'innocent love' towards kids with all his charity image). I even had doubts about the victims telling the story from the start... But after watching this - and looking into it more closely - Michael Jackson is definitely guilty and a total manipulator.

Honestly, the documentary is way too long (because it even goes further detail into victim's father suicide) and the drone shots get really annoying and repetitive. However, from the stories, it's clear that MJ groomed not only the child victims, but also the family to gain their trust (flying them over, shopping, sending them to vacations while MJ stayed with the victim child alone) to allow all this to happen; not to mention MJ already gets a special hall pass/trust, especially from the fans, because he was like a super idol-"God" worldwide, as if he's already part of everyone's lives/comforting.

Super MJ fans will try to argue that people are just after MJ's money, but I was surprised that the victims were famous in their own right. The victims weren't just some bum nobodies from the streets that hardly ever met MJ; I was shocked Wade Robson, one of the victims, was even successful growing up working with N'Sync and Britney Spears.

The MJ supporters also try to argue that Wade lied in the testimony/changed his stories; and that Wade was an "adult" (so he's supposed to be able to think on his own) when he defended MJ in the second trial; however, when you really think about it, Wade was still 22 years old then and generally speaking, most "adults" still party/do stupid things at that age and are still easily influenced -- most really don't fully mature until they're 30 years old (or not even at that age). The second victim, James Safechuck, is about 4 years older than Wade and he did in fact refuse to defend Michael during the second trial, which really upset MJ and ended their relationship.

But you can understand the conflicting emotions when you're groomed and manipulated; you can tell the victims still clearly love MJ despite what he did to them. I believe Macaulay Culkin is in the same steps as the two victims in this documentary (Robson/Safechuck) denying/defending MJ -- but a big difference is the two victims are now married and have a child of their own (realizing they don't want that same abuse to occur to their own child)

I mean, it's not just this 4-hour documentary alone that shows MJ is guilty: there is no denying Michael slept with little boys; in the famous 2003 "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary where the boy, Gavin, brings up about MJ telling him "If you love me, you'll get on the bed" and if you really look closely at MJ's reactions, it's obvious he tries to cover it up by trying to emphasize "No... I slept on the floor" and then goes off on his usual manipulation technique speech by bringing up about God/religion and he sees God/innocence in the kids, so there's nothing wrong with sleeping with them. You can also tell MJ is a true manipulator because he argued that he was proud to be Black, but we all know he tried to make himself look White.

Even back then, Latoya Jackson, Michael's own family member, accused MJ of witnessing inappropriate behavior and how he was not into women. There is no denying MJ repeatedly "selected one child" and they were always boys. This Leaving Neverland documentary is also consistent of what MJ told the victims that his marriage was all for publicity and he believes women are evil. Also not in this documentary, even the personal maid, Adrian McManus, coming forward saying she felt it was odd just seeing bunch of boys there, saw the inappropriate touching and kissing of them, and also had to clean up the underwear left in the jacuzzi, etc with "yellow crusted stains".

If you look back now at Wade talking to reporters when he was a little boy defending MJ, you can really tell by his tone he was trying to oversell MJ's innocence.

I think it's interesting what MJ said to Wade's mother: "I always get what I want" (wanting the boy for himself for an entire year, but the mother refused.). I thought it was also interesting how Wade's mother still felt sad when she found out about MJ's death, while Safechuck's mother celebrated and danced when she heard the news.

I can understand the difficulty for fans of MJ to accept it; I mean, it is their idol, someone they look up to and if bad things are the real truth, their perfect world would end up crumbling down - that is living in denial. For the fans, it's easier to blame it on the victims and to say that it's all about money. I feel it's the same with 9/11; people have a very hard time to think our own President/country would be behind 9/11, living in denial when you have a bias, and it's much much easier to blame it on terrorists/Bin Laden. There can be several accusations like the ones that finally brought down Bill Cosby/Harvey Weinstein, but MJ fans/supporter will still argue "There's no evidence! We need DNA or video footage of the sexual acts..."

I still like R. Kelly's - I Believe I Can Fly (Space Jam); I still like Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll Part 2 (one of the best sports anthem made); I still like MJ's music - but what do they all have in common? They're all pedophiles.

It's a shame the movie played it safe, with having such an amazing cast, instead of really going further on the real dirty deeds/details of Cheney/Bush and 9/11.

The movie portrayed Cheney/Bush more as an opportunist instead of having prior knowledge; Cheney being part of "Project for New American Century" thinktank, Bush just sitting there in the Kindergarten while the plans go accordingly, and both never wanting to testify separately or under oath.

The story/message really takes a backseat. It's Christian Bale's performance as Dick Cheney that stands out. And Sam Rockwell as Bush is also spot-on it's just too hilarious to watch - it's more entertaining when those two are on the screen together.

I never thought Steve Carell could pull off a Donald Rumsfeld but even he was believable.

The performances are a 10. But as far as information/story goes, it doesn't add anything riveting. The over-the-top satirical storytelling simply takes a backseat to the performances.

Wasted opportunity.

Can't wait for the next Fast and the Furious instead....

People overhyped this movie too much. This movie is definitely overrated. Bohemian Rhapsody has a lot of praise too but that one actually lived up to the hype. If you have better things to do, avoid this as it will be a waste of your time and you'll constantly be looking at your watch/time.

The movie is honestly really boring/slow/predictable. It's more of a promotional concert/music video than a storytelling movie; surprisingly, on the other hand, Bohemian Rhapsody doesn't drag it to make it a musical/concert but more of a storytelling - that's what makes that film more entertaining.

The romance between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is extremely forced from the beginning and not heartfelt/romantic at all - I'm sorry but this is no Jack/Rose chemistry.

If you actually bought the romance between the two stars, you probably believe in the "romance" between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in Passengers. They're both very superficial.

While I did like the music and there is a sad moment, it doesn't merit the praise it is getting because overall the movie really is dragged out about really nothing.

There is some theme about alcoholism and mental stability, but I believe that part is a major afterthought/falls in the background and the movie is spent too much time on the concert/music performances. Overall it's more of a superficial film.

If you had a choice between this movie and Bohemian Rhapsody, definitely see Bohemian - that one is a must-see performance/story wise. I think people are overpraising Gaga's performance too; I mean, we've seen it from Cher and even Mariah wasn't THAT bad in Glitter.

Everyone was praising this movie and I finally watched it - it still lived up to the hype!

I don't know what's the deal with all these musical movies this year, but this one should win Best Picture.

I saw "A Star is Born" right before this movie and I have to say THAT movie is definitely overrated. (Super boring with no real story/just a concert movie.)

Then I saw Bohemian Rhapsody. It was entertaining from start to finish with great pacing. This actually has a deep great story and not just a long promotional music video.

Rami Malek's performance was just absolutely mesmerizing. He stole the show. It reminded me on the same level of the movie Amadeus.

The way they brought in the music was perfect. The whole "wayne's world" reference was hilarious too. The casting is perfect. (Surprised little Timmy from Jurassic Park starred in this movie!)

This is definitely a must-see movie, unless you don't like the music from Queen... then you have poor taste to begin with.

Yes, it will definitely Rock You.

This is a legendary timeless cult classic. 32 years later and the pacing/story is still excellent and fresh.

They just can't make movies like this anymore. This movie has the most realistic brutal villains in movie history. Honestly, nothing tops them - they are legendary in their own right.

The special effects (the stop-motion/film is so much superior looking than cheap videogame CG of today), design, music, casting, acting, story/writing - best one-liners, directing is just pure perfection.

There are so many best one-liners in this movie, it's that good. How many movies are able to do that today? The social political commentary is brilliant and this movie isn't heartless and bland like action movies today (Transformers, redundant Marvel superhero movies) where it goes actually deep into human psychological emotions.

The remake is forgettable and what Robocop shouldn't be (as well as that mess Robocop 3). This was made 30+ years ago and I can watch it countless times and it never gets old.

I saw an early screening of this last week. I've never heard of the book before, but I am a fan of movies, 80's, retro games and this being directed by Spielberg finally got me interested in a movie I would actually watch these days.

The movie runs 2 hours and 20 minutes (almost 3 hours) but it doesn't feel long at all as it doesn't drag much (maybe around the 3rd part it slows down)

This movie basically reminds me of Willy Wonka meets Wreck-it-Ralph. Instead of a candy factory, the competition deals with a virtual reality 'gaming' world where the first one to find all 3 secret "easter egg" keys would become ownership of the world. It is actually perfect timing today and not too far fetched with all the VR technology and avatar/gaming society going on.

I wouldn't say the movie is powerful or intense on the level of Spielberg's Minority Report, but the movie definitely does have its moments, especially the beginning racing scene.

The movie is definitely a must-experience in theater, especially with the thunderous Dolby Atmos pounding the chairs when the T-Rex from Jurassic Park and King Kong is smashing everything.

The most exciting, interesting, fun parts of the movie is when you see all these nostalgic iconic things appearing on the screen at the same time; I wish the whole film could just be that.

The movie will be more enjoyable if you've seen or know anything about Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining.

The best parts for me was definitely the beginning racing scene (the Delorean, but I wish it would have actually flown too instead of just being grounded most of the time driving), with Jurassic Park and King Kong; The Shining; and last battle where Gundam shows up did give me slight chills.

I saw Chun Li, street fighter characters but they were so brief, like it would have been cooler to see more of those iconic characters fighting. The final battle, there's too many characters on screen at once, it's too hard to spot what they are.

Goro from Mortal Kombat is in it.

There's a lot well known soundtrack in this movie, even the original Japanese Godzilla theme song was a nice touch.

One thing I found odd was how it seemed like this IOI company was the mafia and running all these drones around the public and suddenly at the end the movie, we find actual police officers existed in the movie... like where the hell were they this whole damn time???

I wish we could see more of these nostalgic infused character types of movies. I wish they would have had Johnny Five from Short Circuit or Robocop.... come on that's 80's!! Maybe they couldn't get the rights I guess.

While the movie is enjoyable, it is typical Spielberg campy family-Disney ending with a pretty goofy villain. There's a cute "twist" but not really any major shock when it comes to the plot. Overall though, it's a movie worth checking it out in theaters, IMAX, 3D, Atmos, the best you possibly could.

This is one of those movies that is better watching it the second time than the first time. The first time, I honestly hated the movie and the pacing was awful and a bit of a torture. It definitely requires a lot of patience, focus and investment. The second time, it goes by a lot faster and is more interesting.

The reason is watching it the first time, it is an absolute bore/slow/mundane just seeing the guy interview people and all you wonder to yourself the entire time is why you should even care about these people. The interviews itself is really not even exciting or interesting either unless you know the ending.

I agree with the other reviews that it takes too long for the payoff. I thought the twist was predictable, but if you watch it the second time, the beginning boring mundane scenes are what becomes more interesting to watch.

You also pick up little detail symbolic clues like the wreath in the murder home and coffee shop; I wondered why the camera would pan in a weird framing shot to show emphasis on the wreath. There's a lot of symbolic scenes that make you interpret and think instead of how Hollywood directly shows it in your face (instead of directly showing sex, the multiple hands that look like something from a horror movie; you feel trauma and disgust of what the character went through)

Watching it the first time, it can be very confusing to follow the characters/names because the actors also end up looking quite different/hairstyle of themselves being interviewed from their past time.

Natsuhara, is the rich perfect beautiful girl everyone wishes they could be. One of the movie's theme really deals with how society treats people based on their family background, status, sorority groups and some evil things people end up doing just to fit in.

Hikari Mitsushima, playing Mitsuko, definitely steals the show here. She really delivered a genuinely convincing poor abused mental character.

I think the movie would have been better if the pacing was refined more. The movie could have been half the length and still tell the same story. However, if you have the patience and focus and into psychological thrillers, you'll find it intriguing, especially viewing it the second time.

I don't think the twist was a major shock or had that huge impact as when I saw the Korean movie "Oldboy", but the movie is really dark and depressing the more you think about it.

Although the plot is entirely different, the pacing and main character/behavior of movie reminds me of a lot of the American movie called "The Drop" (2014) with Tom Hardy. (so if you enjoyed this movie, I would recommend that)

Most of us enjoy the Fast and the Furious series knowing how stupid it is going to be; when you watch this expecting it to be on the same level, then it can be a dumb, fun movie rental to enjoy. From start to finish, it's a movie where you completely turn off your brain.

However, when people start praising it to be anything more than that, you will be disappointed. It's super cliché with many stereotypical characters.

While the plot has absolutely nothing to do with it, this movie reminds me of the 1998 Wes Anderson film "Rushmore" (EXTREMELY horrible movie that's overpraised) for its own pretentiousness "art" of itself; the movie is really dumb, but when directors put a collection of good soundtrack, making it more like a music video than a movie, then that gimmick starts to fool some audiences to enjoy the "movie" when it's really the music doing most of the work. I mean, how can you go wrong with Barry White... he got that sexy deep voice... I love that song.

The movie is definitely geared towards the teenager audience with its A.D.D editing, the most cheesiest dialogues (the relationship between Baby and the waitress, especially the dialogue they have together is extremely cringe vomit-worthy) and super cheesy flashback/backstory of Baby with his mother.

Everything is in-your-face, so even the most dumbest low-attention span viewer can understand, (they show all these cassette tapes and there's one labeled "Mom" clearly right in your face too; even the laundromat, they put matching colorful clothing spinning in the machines just because it looks cool, really throwing out any real sense of realism)

The movie is extremely silly, not to mention so many outrageous moments (Don't even get me started on the double red cars with sunroof and super random cowboy 'agent' dude in a truck), where people conveniently appear and end up at the same time/place just for the sake of the movie, it seemed more like a major comedy.

The movie is super straight forward that there really is no depth to the characters. Everything and everyone is just so plastic Hollywood production, like something you see out of a Michael Bay Transformers film.

Without Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx, the movie would have been a lot worse.

What's actually really funny or creepy or awkward, is after all the Kevin Spacey scandal, it just makes watching him talking to Baby, his lines in the movie, really ironic.

For me, a more interesting, deep, intense robbery movie is something like "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012). Baby Driver is like a teenager wrote the script for the teenage audience with teenager editing.

Wow. Just wow. 8.1??? Most superficial film ever.

The ones who gave low ratings speak the real truth... this film really has no characters to really care for and there really is no story at all...

The little girl flashbacks Mad Max was having??? Pointless.

It's just chase/running away and then they decide to head back and chase/run again! Seriously??????

I guess people don't really care about stories anymore.

I heard the action was supposed to be impressive, but even that wasn't worthy of the hype or praise. Water World has way better action and is more interesting. The pacing is horrible. It's so repetitive and boring.

Production set/value alone doesn't make a movie deserve a 8/10... ridiculous.

One of the worst most overrated movies ever.

Doesn't Hollywood understand less is more?

Anyone saying they enjoyed this is not a true Terminator fan. Currently this has a 6.5/10... That is WAYYYYY too high and forgiving.

This is easily the WORST one in the entire franchise. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD. SOOOOOO BORING. I honestly rather watch that crappy McG Christian Bale Salvation than watch this mess again.

Terminator Series Ranking:

Terminator 2 - Terminator 1 - Terminator 3 - Terminator Salvation - Terminator Genisys (SOOOOOOOOOOOO CRAP!)

I went with low expectations, obviously nothing is going to top Terminator 1 & 2, but Genisys was just soooooo damn cheese balls and lame boring actions. There is nothing cool about the film at all. I watched the film in 3D and even that didn't impress me.

This film should not exist at all. It's that bad.

Just judging on action scenes alone, it is not even remotely entertaining.

Most of us all hated Terminator 3 for taking that previous dark tone to making Arnold really corny with the "talk to the hand" cheesy image... yet Terminator Genisys has taken the cornniess and cheese balls and lame action sequences to a whole new level.

It's shocking the plot, acting, action, special effects were superior in the first Terminator made in 1984, and Terminator 2 in 1991... made over 24-31 years ago!!!! YET everything in this 2015 film Genisys, the special effects and acting is a major major major step backwards. It's up there with Robocop 3 (what absolute trash).

The acting is sooooo bad (Jason Clarke is always in crappy movies and acts the same way... he's not a good actor), pacing is awful, no tension, absolutely horrible story.

This is the most superficial plastic typical Hollywood trashy product.

James Cameron makes side characters like Dr. Silberman, Miles Dyson really shine and memorable characters with their excellent acting... yet the main characters/actors in Genisys acts like third-rate characters... It's so sad.

Clearly they ran out of ideas and the actions are unimaginative, they tried to recycle and bring back some nostalgia but it doesn't live up to it at all -- it's just BOOOOORING. This FILM is SOOOO Boring! I can't tell you that enough. You've been warned.

It's like they even recycled ideas from Resident Evil movie, making Skynet's "image" like the little girl from Umbrella Corporation... This is TERMINATOR. SOOOOOO LAME!

This film actually makes Terminator 3 quite decent. At least Terminator 3 had some decent action and thrills.

This film is just filled with boring same old same old action and even more ridiculous unexciting generic villain... these writers/creators can't think outside the box at all.

They really screwed up the plot in a whole new confusing bad way.

Everything was just soo bad. There is no heart, no humor, everything in this film is flat. It was so bad I feel like throwing up thinking about the film again. Avoid at all costs.

The movie feels like "All About Lily Chou-Chou" (2001) meets "Battle Royale" (2000) and "Oldboy" (2003)

I initially didn't really get the hype when I started watching it, but after finishing it and watching a second time, it's quite an unforgettable experience. It's quite tragic how one thing turns into another with a domino effect. It's sad but very true to reality how attention seeking cowardly criminals involve innocent victims to try to fulfill their empty void.

It definitely stays with you. I would say it's definitely one of Japan's best films along with Battle Royale (Confessions' story is much deeper).

I heard this film was similar to 2003 film Oldboy (incredible and one of my top favorite movies), so I decided to check it out; the similarity being that it's supposed to be a sweet revenge story. Actually even the editing cut from one similar action scene to another scene transition is used in both films.

I wouldn't say this film is better than Oldboy. Personally, Oldboy was more engaging/mysterious from start to finish, but Confessions is psychologically also great in its on way with a right-back-at-you payback. Both films have brutal violent scenes.

While Oldboy's curiosity is experiencing and wanting to know who the bad guy is just like the character is feeling, the movie Confessions straight out exposes who the bad guys are right from the start of the film; the movie's hook is finding out why the students did what they did and how the teacher is going to get her payback.

The movie covers topics like bullying, vulnerability, puppet teacher, manipulations, parental trauma, the value of life...

To be honest, the first time, it didn't really engage me from the start of the film, as I had a hard time getting into it because it felt more like a dream world/sequence with lots of student distractions going on while what felt like the teacher was just rambling on forever.

However, when you watch the movie the second time, it makes a lot more sense and it's easier to follow.

The entire movie image is stylistically shot as if it's a surreal dream/slow-mo music video, which can feel quite odd or distracting the first time around. I believe this style/surreal dream/feeling actually gives misdirection to the audience during the final scenes. (read spoiler if you've seen it)

Great acting by the kids. Shunya fits perfectly as the troubled student. Ai Hashimoto is super cute.

------------------------------- SPOILER ENDING: ------------------------------- When I first saw the film, I thought the explosion actually killed the mother. However, it seems to just be a point of view of the child's vision.

It seems the teacher does not want to stoop to the child's level and physically harm anyone; just like she didn't actually put the HIV in the milk; she even mentions she had easily disarmed the bomb. (it's a bit slightly hard to assume she actually twisted/taped it back together and made it working again)

Two things that bother me and maybe perhaps a plot hole, but the kid isn't too bright; first of all, he should make sure his bag/bomb is there before even making the speech (of course I know at the same time that would have less movie dramatic impact); second, he should call her bomb bluff again since the HIV milk was fake knowing he was HIV negative, especially since she said she disarmed it. ----------------------------------

Just like Back to The Future, even decades later, the pacing is fantastic and it just lives up to the test of time.

Honestly, if you haven't seen this film, you must be living in a cave or born yesterday.

This is THE film that has everything. It appeals to everyone because...

1) best soundtrack ever; so many classics it's crazy how much royalties they must have paid for it.

2) fantastic cast and acting. You just can't imagine anyone else playing the part of Forrest Gump other than Tom Hanks.

2) it has everything from romance, comedy, drama, history, special effects, action, best storytelling/script... I mean, what movie contains all that in one perfectly?

It makes you laugh to the highest point and it makes you cry your eyes out.

It's just an incredibly perfectly made film.

I gave this movie a try because while the critics gave it a harsh score, there seems to be quite a bit of positive user reviews - it currently has a 7/10 - well, the critics were right this time. I can't understand the positive reviews by the regular users... The movie is so predictable, cheesy, and dull. No real smart thrills or twists. Just plain point A to point B.

It must be the kids of this generation that haven't seen many films enjoy this movie, while critics and avid movie watchers have seen this movie before.

It's many ideas stolen from Wall-E (2008), Gravity (2013), Interstellar (2014), The Martian (2015)... but done on the IQ level of the movie Transformers; it seems like a grade school student wrote this film. The story is generic and uninspiring. The pacing is awful.

It's just so cheesy and predictable ("Oh Mr Robot, please keep this a secret.... I'm positive you won't tell anyone but I feel like telling you anyway just to get some twists going") - there is no shock value or real thrill to the film.

The plot seems more like a short story TV episode where they dragged it out with pointless scenes like virtual dancing, basketball, and swimming. The movie probably would have worked as a 30 minute short film story, but it's dragged out to 2 hours of unexciting bad pacing fill-ins.

I saw this film in 3D (being a big 3D fan), and you'd think even the most mundane scenes would still be more enjoyable because of the 3D advantage, but it wasn't. I know the movie "Gravity" actually has a pretty dull "story" as well, but at least the 3D for that film was spectacular and thrilling.

The script was bad enough, but the casting is probably worse; Chris Patt and Jennifer Lawrence is like the most superficial horribly balanced combination ever. You just can't sympathize with them.

There's also nothing romantic about with the chemistry/setup with the characters, especially from the script - both have done creepy actions. While Chris's action may be unforgivable, how could one fall in love with someone who goes complete psycho ape sh*t kicking your face and everything?

It would have been more interesting to have Chris react differently towards the Bartender after the "incident", but a wasted opportunity yet again because the movie always likes to play it safe.

This is one of those rental movies where watching it once is enough and is pretty forgettable.

• Emma Watson is undeniably gorgeous, especially in that iconic main ballroom dance yellow dress, and her singing is fantastic

• They threw in new additional songs/soundtrack in the movie, but they were all EASILY FORGETTABLE and POOR! It sounds soooo generic and not catchy at all... did not want to listen to those singing parts; the original songs were instantly catchy and what made them all classic, regardless of the the nostalgia factor. Seriously, all the new songs stink, very uninspiring, plain and uncreative.

• The beast CG is soooo bad. They should have just went with a physical makeup artist. I mean, I'm sure we've advanced in the physical makeup department. It seems like we're stepping backwards in CG quality. The beast also isn't as charming/memorable/likable change as the original.

• The chemistry between Belle and the Beast just isn't there like the animation.

• While some of the "twist"/new elements they changed around with the scenes with Gaston were interesting, the extra backstory they threw in about the mother and Paris is so bad.

• Gaston doesn't seem that much of a jerk in the beginning. Where's the muscles and him gulping bunch of eggs?!

• The best scene is the iconic ballroom dance. Emma Watson looks so beautiful there and that iconic Beauty and Beast music just sends you chills. The sets and everything makes this really magical.

• The ending Ariana Grande/John Legend version isn't that good... the version they used in the trailer is waaayy better and sounds more epic. Also Celine Dion's "How Does A Moment Last Forever" isn't that great either.

First of all, the whole "gay scene" controversy is totally overblown and ridiculous; did I miss something? It's honestly not there. There's more direct blatant sex on TV and ads daily all the time, yet there's actually people complaining or spreading this silly false propaganda of a "gay scene"?

And another thing, what the hell are people complaining about Emma Watson's singing? So hard to please people. Yet another ridiculous controversy rumor floating around about "auto-tune" is another overblown false accusation. Haters are just always haters. Emma is an amazing singer and has a wonderful voice... Jealous, crazy people out there.

The first scene when Belle talks to her father, she bends over way too many times... that seemed almost too deliberate and calculated.

Josh Gad as Gaston's side kick is spot on. It's very risky and hard to top a classic legendary film, you can't expect this to surpass the original - I mean, nothing is going to take away the original anyway. Obviously it's not perfect, but it's still a nice addition. I enjoyed the set, hearing the classic songs again, totally didn't care for the new songs/new backstory - but it was still a magical experience.

This is your typical example of "The Emperor's New Clothes"

If you have better and more important things to do, this is not a film to watch.

You're really not missing anything by skipping this film.

It's one of those sleeper films that you'd play during midnight and eventually fall asleep to.

Don't get me wrong, I was actually excited to watch this, but I mean seriously, somebody has to speak out the truth -- this is really just your average movie where nothing really happens.

So it has a cute cast, especially Suzu Hirose, and it's by a well known acclaimed director (seems where most of the bias is coming from), but there's no real suspense/drama/conflict or anything.

It's just like another overrated film "Linda Linda Linda", where nothing really happens, but people seem to love it just because of the girls.

One might argue, "Well, it's showing the real life day in the life of that Hollywood can never make!" Well, of course they won't make something like this because it's just simply boring; just showing sisters taking care of each other is absolutely boring. (I mean, honestly, I don't care for Hollywood blockbuster/action films/especially all the superhero movies either, I'm obviously not expecting that, but I also watch a lot of foreign/Japanese films and this really is overrated stuff.)

Sure, to a foreigner, just seeing the countryside location taking place in Kamakura, Japan, and random bike riding scenes under the cherry blossoms is all beautiful and all, but that's all superficial. Where's the story?

Too many Weeaboos, or people exclusively watching this at film festivals, overpraising this film than what it really is.

Wow, major downer!

This is not really a film to sit down and watch if you have other important things to do or want to have a good time; the pacing is typical Japanese/foreign slow-paced style where they have scenes of just showing a family eating dinner/playing the harmonium, etc.

However, if you are able to tolerate that kind of pacing, especially the first half, you are in for a major emotional downer. The movie really takes a sudden turn that it feels like a completely different movie.

If you invested in the first half, you will definitely want to know what's going to happen.

Unfortunately, it's one of those abrupt, somewhat unsatisfying endings that make you shout "OH, COME ON!!!!!" where it leaves you hanging way too much, almost a cop-out, and really makes you wanting and needing more; you start drawing all kinds of conclusions and interpretations because it leaves you with many unsolved questions that will bug the hell out of you just like the characters are feeling. It will probably leave you with a lot of frustrations, shock, or depression. The movie almost feels unfinished.

There is some religious theme and imagery going on with this film.

Although we've already seen "the creepy/odd/mysterious neighbor/stranger/former buddy" entering another sweet family type of movie plot many times before - and we all know how that usually ends up - this film adds some unique elements to it that feels more raw and full of sympathy. It really makes you think about the consequences and emotional realism outcome that each and every character must feel.

The acting is great by all the cast. You just feel so bad and shocked like what the hell are you doing?!?!!

Again, this is definitely NOT an uplifting film. It's a pretty heavy movie that will certainly make you shake your head.

The beginning had a strong opening where I was actually engaged/intrigued, but after the main character makes a "run for it", that is when everything just falls apart, literally (story/pacing), and just becomes a plain, super dragged out, extremely silly and dumb, where things just conveniently happen just for the sake of happening (old man in the hospital... come on now), boring adventure. I can suspend some disbelief, but they end up taking things way too far.

It's like the opening starts out really accelerating with a big bang that grabs your interest -- and you'd think it would be more intense after he makes a run for it, but instead the whole film after that just never picks up the pace/just slows way way down/drags and decides to take a huge cartoon world/scenario approach instead.

It's very obvious things just unnaturally, forcefully occur just for the sake of the director/writer to connect it with another ridiculous silly plot (Oh, those memories of making out in an abandoned crummy old Corolla... oh! let's bring back that nostalgia and have a wife, who knows absolutely nothing about cars, hook up the battery herself to come to the rescue... Just silly.)

The writer of this film clearly is a Beatles fan and believes in the JFK assassination conspiracy/media manipulations.

The plot is about the Prime Minister of Japan being assassinated instead, and it ends up being framed on the main character, where he then makes a run for it. The film is a satire of "Lee Harvey Oswald" being framed for JFK, or "Bin Laden" for 9/11, where the media just needs an "image"/scapegoat.

The idea is very interesting and I was really engaged and excited at first where it was going to end up, but the rest of the film is just absolute torture and disappointing.

Although I cry easily when watching movies, I could not even cry once or find anything touching for this film; I can tell the director tried to throw in all these cheesy touchy moments, but it's so forcefully done, it just makes you roll your eyes and cringe instead. (Seriously... fireworks coming out of manhole covers??? Come on now... That had to be the stupidest thing ever. The wife is some sort of superwoman.)

The problem with this film is that it doesn't know whether to be completely serious or end up going so over-the-top ridiculousness turning into an anime world.

When people start behaving like they do in anime and really over-the-top silly things start to happen, it actually backfires on the realism/suspense - it really takes the audience out of it. It seriously loses its suspense because you just can't take it seriously anymore. It needs consistency, which this film doesn't have.

What made movies like "The Fugitive" suspenseful and exciting is because as over-the-top Hollywood action it may have had, it was still grounded.

The ending "twist" is also not that clever/not worth all that time for that pay off. I felt like the movie was more like 3 hours long; it just really felt that dragged on.

The positive reviews are giving this movie way too much credit than it really is. Overall, the plot had potential, but the film decided to take a cartoon silly approach with an extremely cheesy flashback "going back home" story.

This film has an all-star cast. The acting is excellent.

The dialogues are long, but the script is interesting and well-paced, especially since they're delivered by veteran actors.

It's about a guy who owns a matchmaking business, and one his best long- time client/accomplice/old lady who go on a scam/scheme to steal money from wealthy men by inheriting their wealth.

However, things go wrong for them when two sisters find their father's death/money problems to be highly suspicious; they hire an investigator and try to put a stop to it.

Somewhat over-the-top, the writing is witty and humorous, thanks to also the delivery by the veteran casts. The film has some silly twists and turns.

There is nudity and sex in this film.

I feel most Japanese films drag, but the performances/dialogue made this one interesting throughout the entire film.

Overall, it's a "cute" movie. I enjoyed it.