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Three… Extremes (2004)

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Posted on March 25, 2007 by Deni

Three… Extremes is both an obscure and a completely appropriate title for this cross-cultural horror film anthology. Obscure because, as titles go, usually you can kind of work out what you’ll be watching or at least the genre it’s going to be presented in, just from the title. This title, however, doesn’t give away a lot up front. I mean, what’s with the ellipsis? Three dot dot dot Extremes. Yeah okay. Clever way to label it a sequel to Three… (read more)

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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2004)

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Posted on March 12, 2007 by Alison

It has to be said, and said early: this film is incredibly beautiful to watch. The setting, a floating hermitage on the ethereal Jusan Lake (not my poetic expression, alas. I cribbed it from the HKIFF2004 programme), provides a backdrop of natural tranquility. The tempo is slow and measured, allowing the audience to drift along with the growing monk. The story is simple yet moving, expressing grand questions of life, the universe, and pretty much everything.

This is a fairly … (read more)

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One Missed Call (2003)

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Posted on March 11, 2007 by Alison

I can imagine director Miike lecturing a group of open-mouthed students: “Just because a film has a supernatural evil killing people in grisly (and gristly) ways, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.” And this is, both grisly (and gristly) and fun.

The central theme of this film is the cell phone warnings of impending death, which comprise a message, from the doomed to themselves, containing their last words. Now I don’t know about you, but if I received a message … (read more)

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Old Boy (2003)

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Posted on March 11, 2007 by Mark Morrison

Let’s get this out of the way first: to quote the MIFF catalogue, Park Chan-Wook’s Old Boy contains scenes which may offend some viewers. Which is to say, lead actor Choi Min-shik eats a live octopus. (Don’t blame me, I’m a vegetarian.) Now we’re not talking about a delicate gulp-and-swallow deal here; that sucker is about the size of a kitten, and he pretty much chomps it down.

I could explain that it’s actually vital to the plot, as … (read more)

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Natural City (2003)

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Posted on March 11, 2007 by Alison

Well, I enjoyed it. It’s not Blade Runner, but then again, what is? What it is, is an action-packed dark Korean flick full of body armour and chunky weapons, powerful bad guys and determined or tormented good guys, rainy streets with obligatory noodle stalls, and of course a plethora of beautiful Korean women.

The sound will drive your ears out the other side of your head: the weapons go chunka-chunka-chunk or rat-at-at-at, the boots and gear make all sorts … (read more)

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Memories of Murder (2003)

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Posted on March 11, 2007 by Russell

A suprisingly powerful film from the director of the amusing Barking Dogs Never Bite, this film about a serial killer has the tone of Se7en but without the weirdness. More importantly, Memories of Murder has addressed the debate about integrity in police methods with the greatest effectiveness since Orson Welles made Touch of Evil. Song Kang-ho (JSA, The Foul King) is, as always, dynamite as the cop who is obsessed with this case.

Every Korean … (read more)

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