Reviews

3 Extremes II – New to DVD

If you didn’t gather from the title Three Extremes is an anthology of short films.  It showcases the talent of some of Asia’s most “extreme” filmmakers.  I was a big fan of the first series so this was the first thing to be thrown in my DVD player when I got home.  Then I noticed this looked really familiar.  I had seen all this before.  I’ll be damned this is ‘’Three’ a different anthology of short films repackaged.  What makes the release of 3 Extremes II funnier is it was originally released two years earlier than the first 3 Extremes (to the max).  Ah forget it.  Let’s review some ghost stories.

Memories

Directed by Kim Jee-Woon who made the number 1 horror movie in Korea, A Tale of Two Sisters.  Jee-Woon doesn’t strike out on this short about a man who fears something awful has happened to his wife after she goes missing.  He comes close but he doesn’t strike out.  The viewer will already know the twist and all the scare points because this is well tread territory.  Jee-Woon has a great eye but he needs better material to work with than the now trite woman with long black hair in her face.

7/10

The Wheel

Directed by Nonzee Nimibutr.  Never heard of him?  Well he’s the producer for The Eye series.  Watching The Wheel is about as much fun as watching a 54 minute segment about producing one of The Eye movies.  The plot revolves around some cursed puppets that are supposed to pass when their master does.  What’s that?  A movie about cursed puppets and Charles Band isn’t around!  The first time I saw this, two years ago, I almost fell asleep.  This time I fell asleep.

1/10

Going home

Directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan.  Another Eye producer.  Here’s the kicker, this is the best out of the three films.  Going Home is a somber story set in a filthy apartment complex where you have to go out the front door to take a leak.  A ghost story where the love of a father and son as well as a husband and wife is tested.  No cheap scares, no sharp edits or sudden loud noises.  This is story that relies on it’s writing and the actors capabilities.  The style manages to have the look so many other Asian films have without being overly stylized.  This is the diamond in the rough and worth the rental price.

8.5/10

Looking to rent it – go to Wild and Woolly.  If you’re not already familiar with Asian cinema tell one of the employees you want to rent Oldboy.  After that drop us a line and we’ll talk about Miike, Nakata, and Chan-Wook Park all day.

Andy

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