benwkwu Reviews

Emma. (2020)

Horrible casting

[2/10 · 4 April 2024]

This is really a horrible version of Emma which I have ever seen. The leading actress, the leading actor and those main supporting actress and actors are all look rather ordinary, it simply cannot bring out the charms of the original story. We do not need eye candy or supper handsome beauty but for such kind of romantic movie it certainly needs actresses and actors with a better pleasant look. The acting of these actress and actor are terrible too. I simply don't know where and why they have casted these two. The acting is wooden and not natural at all. Even I can act better than them. The direction/production of the movie is also bad. OK although in the book Emma has done things not all right but down deep in her heart, she is someway somehow a kind hearted lady, but in this movie Emma is presented like a mean girl. The 1996 version is not top and not perfect, but when compared with this one, it is far much better.

The Scandalous Four (2011)

What a nice lovely encouraging little movie!

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

I really like this wonderful movie. Some viewers complain about the acting and production value. Yes, it has no famous actors actress, and no big budget, so what! It someway somehow brings out our emotions, sorrow, pain, joy and love ; and probably even one's experience and memories. Look around those movies of nowadays, how many you will find a good one which can achieve this goal?? Those movies might have taken a well famous director, beautiful and famous actors and actress and supporting stars, but if the story itself is empty and tasteless, it will just mean nothing at all. If those awful Odd-Scar winner movies like Bla Bla Land, Bla Bla Bi and QueenSinger etc. Can get a rubbish price, this encouraging lovely little production certainly deserve 9 points from me. I do hope that someday some one will remake it with a bigger budget, with a new and bigger team to make an even better one.

Tulip Fever (2017)

Casting problem

[5/10 · 9 August 2022]

I find that all the actors and actresses have done a good job for their role. Unfortunately, it still cannot help much. In my opinion there is a big problem of the casting. There is no chemistry between the main actor and the main actress at all. In such infidelity story movie, you need to have a handsome and nice body figure male actor to back up all the romance and sex scenes to push up all the love and passion to induce the infidelity. Now in this movie, the main male actor just looks like a high school boy. The same problem finds also in the film Bel Ami (2012).

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Too much blood, too violent. Not complete with the whole salvation meaning

[3/10 · 17 April 2022]

I don't really completely like this movie. I also don't think that it is such a good movie as so many people have praised. Even I myself is a Christian but I don't really feel good to watch this movie, I simply cannot watch it whole till the end and have skipped a away a lot of violent scenes. It is simply too much blood and too violent. Of course as a Christian, from the Bible we all know that Jesus had been tortured cruelly and had suffered painfully and hanged in the cross. But what is the aim to show the event with so much in a film which might be watch by a lot of non-Christians? The non-Christians will then believe in God and become a Christian? As a Christian we all know that Jesus has sacrificed himself in the cross is not for nothing. He did it for the salvation for us. Although part of the process is sad but with the resurrection and ascending back to Heaven the whole event is the good news of salvation which God gives to us. The whole event at the end is with joy and hope. This movie has cut out the first part of this whole event, showing a lot of blood and violence and completely deliberately has not continued with the resurrection part, has not talked about the message which Jesus has told to his disciples to spread the good news of the salvation to the world. Therefore to me this is just a movie for those people and those Christians who only love to watch such cruel scenes which Jesus has suffered, but this movie is certainly not for a Christian like me who would like to memorize the whole event especially the moment when Jesus promises us that he will come again before he has ascended back to Heaven. A movie just talked about Jesus dying in the cross but does not talked much about the things he has taught his disciples and followers during his whole life in earth till his resurrection and his ascending to Heaven is a movie means not much things to be enough for the message about salvation.

Letters from the Heart (2019 TV Movie)

A TV film which deserves better points and marks

[8/10 · 8 September 2020]

After I have read the three negative reviews of this tv movie, I wonder how bad it really is?? Therefore I decided to watch. To my surprise, it is not so bad at all. In those negative reviews, they have all pointed out predictable, bad acting etc. and what coincidence that they all left few lines and given 1 star/point? Strange is that similar preditable and even worse acting Hallmark movies then well get above 6stars/poimts. In my opinion, although the story is familiar and preditable, and the acting is not in high level; it has presented in a way much better than a lot of similar Hallmark movies which I have seen. It is not a award winner , but just a comfortable feeling good movie to enjoy in the evening. Therefore I have specially given it 8 stars (6 stars for the film production and 2 stars for against those ridiculous low score reviews).

Mamma Mia! (2008)

What a terrible movie!

[1/10 · 3 September 2020]

The dancing is bad, The singing is horrible. The story is nothing than empty. The acting is banal. The elder actors and actresses are aging. The younger actress has eyes like those of gold fish. What else you want more??!

A Holiday Boyfriend (2019)

Interesting enough to keep me watch till the end!

[8/10 · 17 May 2020]

A nice Christmas movie to watch. Acting and the way of the directoring may not be super, but it someway somehow has been presented much better than those Hallmark movies which we normally get. No handsome actor, no beautiful actress, the topic and the plot is also not new; but it has shown a better depth than those Hallmark shallow ones. I enjoy watching it.

The Music Teacher (2012 TV Movie)

A good movie in TV film standard

[9/10 · 27 April 2020]

I totally don't agree to the comment of the other reviewer who has complained a lot and given low marks to this movie. Anyone who has a brain will understand thagt this is not a musical movie like those big musical films which have been made in the 50s and 60s. This is a heart warmed small budget tv film talking about tender, love and caring in relationship among people. It reminds me another great Hallmark TV movie "The Last Dance" (2000). Unfortuately, different than those always the same type so call Hallmark romantic but actually boring movies, both of these two nice movies are not really appreciated by the studio, and very difficult and rare to find it on DVD. Just hope one day a studio will wake up and put these two nice TV moives on DVD!

My Husband's Lover (2013)

A wonderful idea has badly handled and developed into a cheesy ordinary soap production

[6/10 · 29 June 2018]

This production is now really so good as some viewers have praised. The idea of the story telling a gay who has not accepted his sexual identity, getting married and suffer the pain when he later crosses his previous lover boyfriend actually is not bad, quite a interesting plot to develop a nice series. Unfortunately this wonderful idea has been badly handled and produced in a very poor old fashion way. The development of the story is really too slow by wasting too much time on some sub-plots which are not relevant and not interesting at all. However this is not the real problem. The main problem is the whole story has been scripted with a lot of ridiculous development, and hardly will be found such happening in the real world. For example hit man, kidnap, military camp, all and all just drives the series into a cheap cheesy ordinary soap production. It is so pity for that, and waste a good chance to make it great. I have given 6 stars not for the story and not for the production but for all the actors and actresses because they all act good. They have saved this production a lot. The only thing which makes me keep on watching this series is their wonderful performance. I hope that someday a better production team will take the idea of a husband's lover to make a much better production.

Fleeing by Night (2000)

A nice good film!

[9/10 · 30 April 2018]

There are two reason why I write this review. First, I like this movie, it is a good film. I only feel pity that the film concentrate only around the three main characters but not much about the relation between the rich man and the theatre actor (Lin Chung). It has only shows a bit but immediately hide it. In their "love" scene, it seems that Lin was not really forced but someway somehow consensual. At the end of that scene, they are a kind of "holding/leaning on each other's naked body. At the "running away" night, when the rich man was watching the opera without Lin in, his eyes are red, there were tears in his eyes. It would be much nicer and richer if there was a sub-plot for that. The movie talks about gay love, the encounter between the young guy and the theatre actor is simply not enough for that.

Secondly, please do not compare this movie with films from Wong Kar Wai as one of the viewer has done. This movie is far much better than those artificial films from him.

Noah (2014)

Horrible trash film!

[1/10 · 1 April 2018]

This is such a terrible film which is not worth to waste even a minute of you to watch it. No one has right to steal a name from the Bible to make such a horrible movie. What a trash!

Love by Chance (2016 TV Movie)

Actors and actresses are OK, but the story plot is stupid and terrible!

[4/10 · 7 February 2018]

The actors and actresses are fine, especially the male leading actor Benjamin Ayres is doing well. He is actually quite handsome and cute. Have seen him playing minor role in other tv film before, it is good to see that he finally has got a leading role. However the story plot of this film is really stupid and terrible. The whole one and a half hour has not much real story at all. Just hope that the other tv film Falling for Vermont with also Benjamin Ayres as leading role will be a better one.

Ex Machina (2014)

Quite a predictable movie

[4/10 · 6 February 2018]

I don't know why, but after the first 5 minutes of the movie after the main actor has arrived the assignment "lab", I have already got a feeling how the movie will further go, and it turns out exactly as I have thought and predicted. It is not something new and actually quite a common plot. - that thing wins!

Carol (2015)

One of the Most Overrated Films I Have Ever Seen

[5/10 · 6 January 2018]

A rating of 7.2?? You are not kidding me, right?? There is nothing particular or interesting in this movie.

Love? I don't see any real love between the two women in this story. Lust may be!

Passion? If one decided to leave your husband and family for the truth love, one should have the gust and passion to go for it. But when the wife got the telegram she was already behaving like a chicken. When the other woman wanted to have a true love from an affair with a married woman, why could she have just honestly confessed to her boyfriend instead of blaming him annoying her. Nothing has this affair shown or told something beautiful.

Chemistry? The casting is not good. I don't know whether the two actress are lesbians, straight or bisexual, there are simply no chemistry between the two. The love scene has shown not much passion too.

Five stars is already far too much for this movie. I would rather prefer via youtube to watch those web BL movies like Uncontrolled Love, The Third World, Lost Love, History - My Hero, and Red Balloon etc. They are low budget productions for web sending but brings and shows much more love and passion!

Man in an Orange Shirt (2017)

A nice drama to watch, but not yet perfect!

[7/10 · 7 August 2017]

After I had seen the 1st part about the heartbreaking love story of the two lovers Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Michael Berryman and James McArdie as Thomas March, I was looking forward to see how their love story would be going on. Unfortunately it has actually stopped at the end of episode 1. Episode 2 is actually another gay love story about the grandson of Michael. You can say it is a drama crossing generations.

That is exactly the problem, two hours for two love stories is simply too short to achieve a better outcome. Especially the love story between Michael Berryman and Thomas March is simply too short and that I guess and believe most of the viewers would like to watch a longer story for that part. The casting of the two actors Oliver Jackson-Cohen and James McArdie for the two roles are really perfect. They have the chemistry as that pretty pair. Their acting is perfect, watching them in this film just feel like that they are a pair of real lovers.

On a contrary the casting of the love couple of episode 2 (Julian Morris and David Gyasi) is not good. They are good actors but there is no chemistry between the two at all. If one has seen the chemistry which Oliver Jackson-Cohen and James McArdie have delivered in episode 1, one will feel the difference like fruit juice and plain water.

Also the story plot of episode 2 is also weaker too. It does not bring out much passion and spirits. However with crossing generations story lines and add with warm family love and tie between grandma and grand son, it is in a way still a nice episode to watch. The grandma's acting is nice too.

In my opinion, if the complete series is in three hours or at least two and a half hour long (like most 80's mini-series) with a longer well crafted story for the first part and eventually also for the second part, plus a better match casting for the leading roles of the second part, it will surely be much better. I therefore give it 7 stars only.

Night of Passion (1960)

A nice cute and heart warmed movie!

[7/10 · 16 September 2008]

I think I like this movie. It is a film with small budget, but it is cute, romantic and full of emotions that can make you feeling both sad and sweet in a way. Perhaps people have completely forgotten this little gem. Lately I had also seen another rather nice old film "The Lost Moment", a film which had gained a lot of good comments. However I find this one "During One Night" being even far much better, and I am rather surprised that so far there is no single viewer has left a comment for it (when I was drafting this review). Well, I guess that is the reality. When that one is a Hollywood production with famous stars in the casting, it gains comments and credits. When this one is a small production with new comers (at that time) in the casting, no one talks about it at all. Perhaps even the British themselves have completely forgotten this little gem. For that I really find a bit pity. It is really a nice heart warmed film which has a simple story line but with several rich issues holding one's heart and soul. The acting of the male (Don Borisenko) and female (Susan Hampshires)leading role are good too, really not bad for a new comer. So, when you have a chance to locate this film,watch it. Its pictures and the scenes will time to time stay in your mind.