3 Extremes
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Movie Reviews of 3 Extremes
Movie Review: Great for fans of these three directors
Summary: 5 Stars
If you love Asian cinema and enjoy these three directors then this is sure to please you. I have a full review of this film ...]Movie Review: Weird fare from the far east
Summary: 5 Stars
Good stuff from 3 fine asian directors. I personally love Park Chan-Wook's effort the most, but Miike's film rocked as well.Movie Review: There is a good chance that at least one of these three stories will prove to be too extreme for you
Summary: 4 Stars
I actually sat down to watch this DVD without knowing that it was a trilogy of horror tales, so it was a bit of a surprise to see the credits for the first segment start rolling and to have watched the climax of that first story without knowing it was the conclusion. But the description of the movie that came with the disc only talked about the first story and helped perpetuate my error. In point of fact, "Three Extremes" ("Saam gaang yi") is a trilogy of horror stories from three Asian directors from three different countries. This might not be everybody's cup of tea, especially when it comes to their taste in horror, but this certainly is an improvement over most of the horror anthologies we had to endure during the 1960s and 1970s. What you need to know is that it going beyond what we have seen in the past, some viewers will find this film goes too far.
The short that will push limits and buttons alike is the first one, "Dumplings," directed by Hong Kong's Fruit Chan. It takes a familiar theme in horror shows, the desire of a woman to maintain her looks and youth. Ching (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) was a television star and while we would think she is still attractive, she is no longer working and has no doubt it is because she is losing her looks. So she seeks out Mei (Ling Bai) who makes dumplings in her crowded apartment and who maintains they are the secret to her own youthful appearance, because she claims to be a whole lot older. So Ching tries the dumplings, and, damn is they do not appear to be working. That means more dumplings, but the process is too slow for Ching and she is willing to try something more drastic, so Mei says she will see what she can do. Now I could let you know more about what else Mei does in her little apartment and what he secret ingredient turns out to be, but it might shock you, offend you, and possibly make you physically ill. But, hey, that is what peole WANT in a horror film, right? In that regard Fruit Chan comes up with a situation that will truly horrify you and a final scene that could well make you close your eyes and vow never to take a bath as long as you live. You will not forget this one and you might not forgive the director.
Next up is "Cut," by the Korean director Chan-Woo Park ("Oldboy"). A director (Byung-hun Lee) of horror films wakes up on his set to discover that his wife (Hye-jeong Kang), a pianist has her fingers super-glued to the keys of a piano. On the couch sits a young child who has been bound and gagged, while the director finds himself at the end of a tether that restricts his movements as to what he can and cannot reach. This strange situation has been created by a stranger (Won-hie Lim), who has appeared in all five of the director's films, and hates the director because he is everything the stranger is not. The stranger's goal is to bring the director down to his level by forcing the man to do something evil. Again, telling you what he want the director to do would be giving away too much of what happens, but the multiple meanings of the title given the circumstances will point you in the right direction. Suffice it to say that things get bloody, a lot bloodier than the first story, and even then it is not over.
Finally, there is "Box," from the Japanese director Takashi Miike ("Audition"). Given his track record (the "Dead or Alive" trilogy), the biggest surprise on this DVD might well be the restraint and almost surreal approach he takes in telling this tale, because after the first two I was not sure what sort of horror show was being saved for last. The story is about a novelist, Kyoko (Kyoko Hasegawa), who is having nightmares about what we assume is her past. Once upon a time there were twin girls, Kyoko (Mai Suzuki) and Shoko (Yuu Suzuki), who worked in a sort of magic act with their stepfather (Atsuro Watabe). The girls were contortionists, who would fold themselves into small boxes. Darts are thrown at the boxes to make them spring open and reveal flowers where the girls had been. But the stepfather, who cares more for Shoko, albeit in clearly disturbing and ominous ways, makes young Kyoko jealous. So she comes up with what may or may not be a bit of childlike payback that has fatal results. Now as an adult, Kyoko is not only having recurring nightmares, but she has also received a letter telling her to return to the circus for a reunion. The ambiguity of the situation, where she could be just dreaming or totally insane, is hardly resolved by the ending of this one.
I have discovered two interesting things about "Thee Extremes" now that I have actually watched the film. First, "Dumplings" was originally a complete film on its own that has been cut down to less than half its original length for this exported version. Second, Lions Gate changed the order of the segments for the U.S. version. Originally it was "Box," and then "Dumplings" followed by "Cut." That would certainly make a difference to viewers. I have to say that starting with the least offensive tale rather than the one that could compel viewers to hit the eject button on their DVD players is an interesting tactic to take. But I take some small measure of comfort in noting how many people knowing full well that the opening segment could be too much for some viewers still refrain from letting the cat out of the bag and allowing others to make up their own minds.
Movie Review: Three short films by three talented directors.
Summary: 4 Stars
3 Extremes was a great horror compilation or anthology for Asian horror fans, all three of these short films are well directed, with gorgeous cinematography and believable performances. If that's not enough for you, you also get three of the best and most talented Asian directors out there Takashi Miike, Chan-Wook Park and Fruit Chan (I'm not familiar with Chan's films, but I might check them out later). However if you're a "normal" movie viewer who demands something other than atmosphere and pretty shots and demand lots of gore and nudity then forget it...
The first film "Dumplings" is the best. Directed by Fruit Chan, the story was about an aging former TV star Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung Chin) and her quest to regain her youth so as to receive her womanizing husband's love. To do so, she ends up in Aunt Mei's (Bai Ling) apartment eating Mei's famous dumplings. Mei claims to have been eating them for years and is "[her] own best advertisement". When the dumplings work to a degree, Mrs. Li begins to demand fresher ingredients for greater potency. But just what does give Mei's food its mystical power and what will Mrs. Li do when she finds out what it is?. Dumplings manages to be quirky and memorable but still focused and coherent. No small feat. It's also quite disturbing, some viewers will probably have trouble watching it, but this is not shock-shlock -- "Dumplings" is sickening in an honest, socially relevant way. While the twist ending of Dumplings is fairly easy to figure out, what makes the film outstanding is how the controversial and taboo surprise is handled.
While Dumplings is a tough act to follow, Chan-Wook Park short was slightly disappointing and just wasn't as good as I expected from him. Cut was about a kindly film director(Byung Hun-Lee) who is kidnapped by an obsessive stalker (Won-hee Lim) and held prisoner in his own set alongside his pianist wife (Hye-Jeong Kang) who is super-glued by the fingers to a piano's keys. There, the stranger challenges him to prove he is in fact dark and evil inside. The director must kill a child in cold blood in the room to be free. If he does not, then for every 5 minutes the child lives, the stranger will chop off one of his wife's fingers with a small axe. Cut was very intriguing, as well as tense. It was a nail biter for sure, that is until the end. The end of the third act became silly and was completely lackluster. However for the rest of the short Park amps up the terror in ever-increasing amounts through brilliant techniques that include the fact that the set is an exact replica of the director's own house from which he was kidnapped, the switching of roles as the director gets directed, discordant music, and strangely beautiful visuals.
The segment the "Box" is my second favorite although it doesn't really explain what is going on deeply and leaves it up for the audience to decide, this was quite different from what Takashi Miike usually does. It is also the strangest segment out of the three and subtle. Now that I think about it I actually kinda liked how it left things unsure, like a dream and left it up for the audience to decide. I like one more than the other, but liked each segment individually and is pretty good as a package. The Box tells the story of Kyoko (Kyoko Hasegawa), a Japanese writer, who is haunted by dreams and memories of a horrible accident in her past that killed her sister, Shoko (Yuu Suzuki), when they were both 10 years old. The name of the film comes from the fact that the two sisters were once part of a traveling magic act where they would contort themselves to fit into boxes for their master's (Atsuro Watabe) show. Miike delivers a brilliantly creepy, unsettling atmosphere through minimalist use of sound, music, and dialogue, as well as a purposely hazy timeline. By doing this, he forces the viewer to try and get a hold on the film when it is near impossible to do so. And, as if that were not enough, this film is particularly distinctive for completely shattering any expectation for the story you might have with one of the most surprising endings to a film I've ever seen. A great movie that may take a few viewings to totally understand but is worth it when you do.
Together, Fruit Chan, Chan-Wook Park, and Takashi Miike produce an anthology film comprised of three shorts that, individually, are just as, if not more, scary and disturbing as other movies twice their length. When combined in Three Extremes, the viewer is treated to an experience that is distinctive, engrossing and unforgettable. I highly recommend this.
Movie Review: Three inventive tales from some of the best directors in Asian horror
Summary: 4 Stars
An anthology of three films by noted directors of Asian horror, Three...Extremes takes us on an inventive, mesmerizing journey. Each plays with reality in a different way, asking what extremes one would go to for love, for beauty, for freedom. The middle story, "Cut," is probably the weakest of the three, relying too much on accident and being too clever for its own good; the other two represent some of the best work by these directors. An interesting cross-cultural look at horror.
Three...Extremes opens with "Dumplings," directed by Fruit Chan. Mrs. Li was once a famous television star, but age has made her less attractive, to audiences, and to her husband. In desperation, she seeks out a dumpling-maker, Aunt Mai, who makes the best, most expensive dumplings in all Hong Kong. They have a rejuvenating quality, she claims, and it certainly seems so; Aunt Mai looks years younger than her true age.
As she makes the dumplings for Mrs. Li, a sinister gloom descends. The knives are too loud, too sharp; the bowl of flour is dropped on the counter with a bang that makes us jump. And all along, there is a creepy, creaking sound in the background. Just what goes into these dumplings? Mrs. Li knows, for when they are served, she looks upon them with trepidation. Aunt Mai says, "Think of the results. Not what it was." But what is it?
The second offering of Three...Extremes, directed by Park Chanwook, is a surreal fantasy of horror. It opens with a vampires feeding off a frozen victim; the blood makes her ill, and she begins to retch. But as the camera pulls back, we realize we are on a soundstage, and nothing is real. Or is it.
For we float in and out of movieland. The director goes home, to a house that is identical to the set. He plays a cd of the score for his movie, and it becomes the score for this movie. Except one thing is out of place. There is a maintenance man in the house; the lights go out, and the director loses consciousness. When he awakes, he's back on the soundstage.
His wife is there, strung up with piano wire and chained to the piano, her fingers poised over the keys like a puppet. The maintenance man is really an extra, has been in every movie the director ever made, and still he does not recognize him. Worse yet, the director is rich and a good man--being a good man is the worst thing of all. So, the extra sets him a task; kill a little girl sitting on the couch, and he will let the director's wife go free. Fail to kill, and every five minutes, he will take one of her fingers. She is a pianist, so this is a true horror to her. Will he kill for her?
The final installment of Three...Extremes is Box, by Takashi Miike, the most mesmerizing, puzzling, and artistic of the three. Kyoko is a writer whose reality and fantasy are deeply intertwined, asleep and waking. Her story of her life is this: she and her twin sister, Shoko, were performers in a circus, contortionists in a magic act. Their master, who takes the form of the current-day Kyoko's editor, is a kindly father figure, but always gives more praise to Shoko. In a pique of jealously, Kyoko locks Shoko in one of the contortionist boxes. When an oil heater is accidentally knocked over, Shoko is trapped and the master dies trying to save her. Kyoko now lives with the guilt of wanting her sister punished, of not saving her.
In the present-day, Kyoko dreams of a relationship with that same kindly father figure, but something stops her. She can never have him, for her demons always hold her back.
But there is something strange about the whole tale. The two girls are identical to the point of being indistinguishable. Their bodies are bent and twisted into grotesque shapes to fit inside the master's boxes. Such images repeat throughout, with dolls as well as the girls. And Kyoko seems too dysfunctional to exist even as a lonely recluse writer. You won't find out just how twisted Kyoko's life is until the very end.
Together, these tales form a coherent set of stories that are as much art as they are horror, that will keep you thinking and replaying them, again and again.