Yep. This movie was perfectly and ingeniously disturbing. Great blurb!
d

Mercie beaucoup:)

Death Note live action.

Infection 2004 Japanese movie. This movie was very eerie! I did not mind reading the subtitles. Only thing I was not so crazy about was the ending.

I almost forgot about another Asian movie that I watched recently and loved. Blood The Last Vampire 2009.

A vampire named Saya, who is part of covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan, is inserted in a military school to discover which one of her classmates is a demon in disguise

Yup. That was one lazy, confusing ending.

Ok then it just wasn't me. :)

And this is from a Bizarro author.

sword of vengeance
baby cart at the river styx

baby cart to hades
baby cart in peril

Exte: Hair Extensions (2007). Having shied away from this silly sounding title, i finally realized that it was helmed by the inimitable Shion Sono of Strange Circus fame. What a bizarre and fun ride it turned out to be. The story itself was a parody of J-horror, but it was not just an exercise in silliness. It bravely depicts some rather ugly notions of child abuse as well as self-centered vanity. The range of characters were wonderful, ranging from the sweet Yoko to the bizarre Gunji, a demented and psychotic hair-loving coroner freak. The story itself was as solid as it needed to be. As a side note, it is worth taking note of and, if necessary, looking up the name of the salon. Occassionaly scary, this was more on the creepy and fun side of horror. The effects were reminiscent of stop-motion animation, and beautifully so. As as cheesy as this could have been, instead the production value was high. Overall it was simply another great entry from an EER point of view. Mercie beaucoup.

"Epitaph" 7-8/10



Visually beautiful and surreal at times. Even had some scary moments later on in the story.

Liked it quite a bit.

baby cart in the land of demons

white heaven in hell
shogun assassin

spl (aka kill zone)

Fireworks (1997). This is a flick that is simply haunting, a movie that blurs the line between film and abstract art. Everything about this one is wonderful, from the story to the use of flashbacks to the literal artwork to the score. The story itself is a harrowing account of a cop's life, of mistakes made and chances lost. This is a sad tale, but not one that spirals out of control. In a sense, control is what is eventually achieved, but in a defeatist fashion. The acting was sublime, the direction supreme, the cinematography incredible, and the score befitting. All in all a majestic piece of art. Mercie beaucoup.
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The Legend of Suriyothai (2001). An epic movie set in the historically turbulent 16th century Siam. Unfortunately, i saw the cut down version, which was still long for American eyes at 2 hours and 20 some minutes. The original clocks in at around 185 minutes. Still, this was a well researched epic that came across well, with no lack of political maneuvering and intrigue, backstabbing and sacrifice. The fight scenes are incredible-seeing elephants in battle is just something that must be seen to be appreciated. The costumes are a visual delight that are historically accurate. Hopefully i can track down the original an give it a go...
d

Sick Nurses aka Suay Laak Sai - This one reminds me of the movie “Pathology”.

Reincarnation aka Rinne - I dunno, but his one reminds me of that hollywood movie the title I forget. The title actually is a room number. I just can’t remember the exact number combination. Tsk…tsk…I’m too bad in memorizing numbers.

1408?

.....................

Rokkk (2010)

A new Indian horror. Very disappointing.

>>: D

the shinjuku incident

3 Extremes, the Korean, Japanese and Chinese Colabo... Very intense, specially the "Dumplings" Part.

The Uninvited (2003). Please have a little caffeine on board before taking this trip. This wonderful movie is slow slow slow. But in this case it is not a bad thing. This dark and brooding tale just takes its sweet time as it meanders through the world of the supernatural, the psyche, and the everyday world. This is more like art house horror, but there are no outright scares, just a slowly brewing story that just keeps getting darker and darker. The acting was fine. The direction and camera work were solid. The scant score was perfect. Some of the imagery was just plain chilling in the causal way that it was portrayed. Overall a perfectly convoluted piece of South Korean film. Merci beaucoup.
derek

Hausu (House)

I had the great fortune to see this unique movie in a fine theatre last night. Even though I've read a bit about it, the movie was quite unlike any of my expectations. As a comedy/horror hybrid the emphasis is squarely on the comedy.

The film is told in broad strokes. The characters are not characters per se, but characatures of standard Japanese movie fare. There are six young Japanese school girls who get caught up in an unexpected adventure. The smart one wears glasses and is named "Prof." The heavy one is named "Mac" and is always hungry. The one named "Fantasy" is always lost in thought. "Melody" can play the piano. "Kung Fu" - well, she knows kung fu. The pretty one is named "Gorgeous" and she always is putting on makeup.

Gorgeous is angry she can't spend Summer vacation with her dad, so she takes all of her friends to visit her Aunt in another town. Her Aunt is a bit odd, and her cat is even stranger. They both live in a decrepit old house that is said to be haunted...

There is a lot of double entendre involving sexual jokes about Japanese school girls- incest, lesbianism, pedophilia- it's all hinted at. There are a number of very strange J-Pop musical numbers, and every kind of editing and special effects tricks ala the 1970s are thrown in- several styles of animation, including what looks to be drawing directly on the film, matte shots, various kinds of wipes, jump cuts, double exposures, polarization, model work, puppetry, sped up & slowed down camera work...

Stylish & stylized this is a wild ride of a film experience, and if you can see it in a theatre DO SO.

The theatre ran previews for the 25th anniversary theatrical release of Kurosawa's RAN!

Dead or Alive 2 (2000). Apparently there were some disappointment by the lack of violence and shock in this movie, not that it is is a children's flick. Obviously these folks do not see the powerful imagery and subtle symbols that define humanity in Miike's flicks. This is a tale of childhood lost and regained, of redemption, and the tenacity of childhood friendships. The main characters are portrayed wonderfully, and we come to care for them though we know what they do as well as their fate. Miike does not lack his bizarre flair here, and he even sneaks in some rather shocking elements. But more than a shocker, this is more of an intimate tale, endearing and playful, violent and remorseful. In short, another winner from the acclaimed mind that is Miike. Ashe.
d

Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi (2003). When i realized that this remake of the Japanese samurai classic was to be directed by Beat Takeshi, who also stars, i was thrilled. My expectations were in fact exceeded. This enchanting flick stays true to form, with thrilling fight sequences, beautifully timed humor, and acting that was solid. The story itself was a simple one that was nonetheless infused with some apposite and intriguing side stories. Like the old days, there are copious amounts of blood in the fights scenes, and Takeshi marvelously blends technology with the old school to capture the essence of the era. Added to this was the wonderful score and the lovely dance scenes in the field and towards the end, where we are blessed with some traditional Japanese tap dancing. All in all a wonderful event. Merci beaucoup.
derek

The Bow (2005). Threatening to be a pooper, this minimalist piece by the vanguard director Ki-duc Kim can be seen as one of two things, a minimalist study of sexual human nature, desire, and possessiveness, or a metaphor of the transition of childhood innocence into adulthood. Why not both? This rather slow-paced flick was not only saved by the arresting conclusion, but in retrospect turned out to be a powerful sleeper of a movie. The acting was great, with sparse dialogue employed as a Ki-duc trademark. The cinematography is remarkable, especially since the whole piece takes place on a boat. Of course the direction is stellar, and Ki-duc again does not disappoint. For those with patience, this brilliant flick will eventually deliver. Merci beaucoup.
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Perfect Blue. What a mindfuck. Created such a great sense of how the main character must be feeling. About two thirds into the film I was even having a hard time figuring out what was or was not happening, what was dreaming, what was awake. Plus I'm a sucker for animation, so this ranks high on my list of recently seen movies. If you like anime, you should definatly check this one out.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.-

This movie was really great. I love the Millennium Series of Godzilla movies. So much fun, without being too kitsch. Lots of laughs, and the fairies are back.

Paprika- Cute little anime with some really fantastic animation. The plot was so surreal, and a few of the dream sequences freaked me out with their sheer japanese-ness. Derek loved it because it was so full of psychology jargon. I give it a 9/10 for being a fairly short movie. Everything else was perfect.

Dang....watched one a week ago. It had the word "Toilet" on the cover *lol*...but yeah it was an Asian horror movie. Was preeetttyyy wierd..

Bloody Reunion

Wow- amazing film. Quite bloody for a Korean film. Story involves a group of former students who visit their childhood teacher at her home by the sea. It's revealed each one has a reason to hate her... and there's the matter of the deformed child she bore and raised in the basement. On top of that nothing is really what it seems.

Extremely well done and recommended.

I shall definitely check that out. As for me, I just watched two Asian horror movies in the past two days.:

Creepy Hide and Seek

If you like movies like Ringu and The Grudge, you'll like this. Ya ya I know a lot of Asian horror movies are like the ones I just mentioned, but theres always something fresh...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0fpdTQyIhr...CHS+poster.jpg


Face

As mentioned before, one of those grudge movies but this ones pretty spooky. Check it out:

L: Change the World (2008). Before thinking about this movie, be sure to watch Death Notes 1 and 2 first, and make sure that you absolutely have to see more of the enigmatic character L, or you will surely be left confused and disappointed. That said, where this story did not have the creative and stylish punch of the Death Note series, it more than made up for it by sharing more of the idiosyncrasies and character of L. He is absolutely fascinating. That said, the story varies from amusing to comic book absurd, which was just fine with me. Hideo Nakata of "The Ring" helms the direction of this flick, but again this one is all about the nearly sociopathic and likable L. Merci beaucoup.
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Watched this last night on your recommendation. I was really surprised and the plot twist and how it was executed differently than a twist would happen in any western suspense movies.

fist of legend

Ju-On: White Ghost & Black Ghost (2009)

Nice addition to the Ju-On saga. Both the new director did a decent job with Takashi Shimizu's original concept and created 2 totally different fine creepy tale with its regular eerie & dark atmosphere. Glad to have them in one single disc & liked them both.

>>: B+

Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009)

I really enjoyed Machine Girl and haven't seen TGP yet. But this one is too much packed with bloody lunacy & sometimes that made me bore. As it's based on a comic book so it's may be worth watching for a particular group of young audience who love to see mindless cheesy blood splatter flicks like this anytime.

>>: C

Fudoh: The New Generation (1996). Fudoh, as with other Miike flicks, is simply a bizarre work of art. Miike takes what should be taboo and boldly shoves body fluids and the sexually ambiguous right into the face of is viewers, and he does so with a style that more than works. The story is a simple one of revenge, of misunderstandings of tradition, and the corruption of good old boys. The acting was solid enough, the direction of course was exceptional. All in all a classic Miike flick that catapulted him into the limelight. Ashe.
derek

Bloody Reunion (2006). While this was a nice change form the typical ghost story, the story itself seemed kinda messy towards the end, with bungled twists and turns. Too bad because the initial build-up and story complexes seemed to portend a wicked ending. The visuals were quite stylish, and the scares were effective if not brutal. That said, i was left thinking "So what in the heck happened?" Worth a watch for sure, and there is certainly a chance that i simply could not keep up, but i still think that things did not add up. Late.
d

Wow. It's been a WHILE since I've posted here... Definitely need to catch up on my Asian Horror viewing (been busy trudging through After Dark Horrorfest I'm afraid)...

Tried to watch Whispering Corridors, but honestly I found it a bit boring. Also, stylistically it's more like a Giallo than your traditional ghost/haunting Asian film, and I'm not a huge fan of Giallo - A lot of sound and close ups, but not a lot of suspense. I didn't make it through it. :o

2/5

...

Bakjwi (Thirst) - Another disappointment. I LOVE director Chan-wook Park and Actor Kang-ho Song, but, to tell you the truth, this movie was L O N G and B O R I N G. Good story, but boring narrative spotted with the usual Park brilliance, but unfortunately not enough to keep me entertained throughout. In terms of Park's take on the vampire genre - LOVED IT. I thought that it was unique and I really liked the character Priest Sang-hyeon's struggle as he deals with being a vampire. That said, Song's portrayal of the Priest was REALLY over-the-top and I found the character too pathetic to really sympathize with... Ok-bin Kim as his female counterpart was BRILLIANT, though (she appeared in the movie Arang as well, which was pretty good) and she brings some fantastic life to the film.

I think the problem is that Park tried to do TOO MUCH with the movie... There are a couple of different story lines that drag the movie out. I think if he had focused a little bit more, the movie would have been more bearable. DEFINITELY could have used some editing. Would have been BRILLIANT if it was at least 45 minutes shorter. I REALLY wanted to like this more than I did.

2.75/5 (GOD it pains me to give Park less than a 3 on something...)

...

Bumping Bloody Reunion up in my queue now... Thanks for the rec!