3 Extremes
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Movie Reviews of 3 Extremes
Movie Review: Three Horror Stories From The Asian Masters--A Good Compilation, But Not That Extreme
Summary: 4 Stars
I was stoked when I first heard of the concept for this film (although, for some reason, it's taken me years to actually see it). Uniting three of the finest Asian horror directors, "3 Extremes" is an anthology showcasing short films--each about 40 minutes in length. Well, there's good news and bad news. Overall, I quite enjoyed "3 Extremes" and would recommend it to any fans of the genre. But as with most things in the anthology format, different segments will appeal to different people. And, interestingly enough, the filmmaker I was eagerly anticipating presented the most mundane story and the one I was least familiar with provided the film's best moments.
The first segment is "Dumplings," courtesy of Hong Kong's Fruit Chan. Chan, whose work I am the least familiar with, provides the most wickedly entertaining story. Bai Ling (and who doesn't love Bai Ling?) plays an industrious entrepreneur who makes and markets special dumplings that help women regain their youth. Operating out of her apartment, the dumplings are prepared lovingly with.....let's just call it a special ingredient. I found the entire episode to be smart and grotesque--always a winning combination. I'd award this segment 5 stars.
Next up, the macabre and over-the-top entry from Korea's Park Chan-Wook is entitled "Cut." Chan-Wook has increased in popularity lately due to "Old Boy" and the "Vengeance" pictures, and "Cut" doesn't stray too far from that successful formula. A film director finds himself held captive by a disgruntled extra, and to survive he must prove that he is capable of evil. Elaborately staged (think something excessive from the "Saw" franchise), this segment is fascinating and theatrical. It lacks a little bite due to its artifice, but still manages to be great fun. A solid 4 star experience.
Last, we have "Box" from one of my favorites--Japan's Takashi Miike. As I alluded to earlier, this methodically paced segment was the least effective for me. Taking a cue from a traditional Japanese ghost story, a young woman is haunted by a family tragedy in her past. It's pretty standard fare mixing reality with dreams, but a nice ending helps the piece overall. Still, about 3 stars.
Check this out if you're a fan of this type of entertainment. I do wish that they had restructured the segments. If they had been placed in reverse order, the film's momentum would have built. Instead, by leading with the most intriguing segment, it did go somewhat downhill from there. KGHarris, 03/07.
Movie Review: All hail Fruit Chan, the new master.
Summary: 4 Stars
Three...Extremes (Fruit Chan/Chan-wook Park, and Takashi Miike, 2005)
Take three already well-proven Asian directors forty minutes each and you're liable to wind up with the best thing since the Chinese buffet made it to American shores. It's also likely to be a bit inconsistent, but that's probably going to be a minor concern.
Three...Extremes fits the bill in both cases. Three stories, one directed by each of three of Asia's most respected directors. Fruit Chan weighs in with Dumplings, Chan-Wook Park with Cut, and Takashi Miike with Box. All three are interesting and engaging, though not all of the directors really brought their A game.
Dumplings is a horrific little tale of a woman (Love and the City's Meme Tian) who senses that she's losing her husband (The Lover's Tony Leung) as she grows older, and will do anything to regain her youth. Cut is the story of a jealous actor (Won-hie Lim, recently of Funny Movie) who kidnaps a good-hearted film director (Everybody Has a Little Secret's Byung-Hun Lee) and tries to find ways to corrupt him. Box introduces us to Kyoko (TV actress Kyoko Hasegawa), a young, successful novelist whose twin sister Shoko (Yu Suzuki, in her film debut) and their guardian died in a tragic fire when the girls were adolescent, who is now being visited by Shoko's ghost.
Fruit Chan turns in the real winner here. Dumplings is just about perfect in every way. Well-acted, well-plotted, and most importantly, it fits perfectly in its time slot; forty minutes gives you just what you need to be satisfied with the tale. The same can be said of Cut, but its ending, while undeniably powerful, falls apart somewhat. There's a fine line between ambiguous and confusing, and Park goes a little too far over it. Box, on the other hand, ultimately comes off like a Reader's Digest Condensed Edition; you know there's a lot more to this story, and the bare bones end up unsatisfying. While the film is probably the best of the three technically, and the acting, script, and direction are all up to Miike standards, it seems as if pieces are missing-- those little details, the seemingly insignificant scenes, that make a Miike film truly great. The end result is proficient but unsatisfying.
Three...Extremes is worth it for Dumplings alone. The other two are just icing on the cake. *** ½
Movie Review: Tasty sample platter of Asian Horror.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had this film for several months now, as I purchased it as an all-region import disc. The film is actually an omnibus of three films, one film each directed by Takashi Miike of Japan, Fruit Chan of Hong Kong, and Park Chan-wook of South Korea. Of the two, Miike and Park are no doubt well known here in the U.S. This is my first exposure to the work of Chan and based on his contribution, I look forward to seeing other of his films. The first film is "Box," directed by Miike. This is some of the most strongest, recent work done by Miike. I thought that "Zebraman" was okay, and I was impressed with "Izo" though it did tend to be repetitive. "Box" however, is visually impressive and calls to mind the work of David Lynch. The brief running time also seems to have made for a more coherent and focused story. I don't want to give too much away, but like Miike's best work, "Box" is disturbing and unforgettable. Chan's "Dumplings" follows next. Now, this film is not only disturbing, it's haunting and a bit gross. "Dumplings" isn't gory though. Let me just say that when you find out what the filling in the dumplings is, you may begin to feel a bit queasy. There is a full-length version of this film as well, and I really would like an oppotunity to see that version. Bai Ling is actually pretty funny in this film. She should definitely do more overseas work. "Dumplings" has probably one of the most haunting last shots you will see. Very good film, arguably the best of the three. The last film is "Cut." This is my least favorite of the three. I've seen Park's other films and this one comes across as very light weight. With it's excessive gore the film plays like a "Grand Guignol." Park even appears to satirize his revenge trilogy. Pay attention to the words spoken by the son of the villain of the piece. I recommend this movie wholeheartedly. I don't think you will be disappointed.Movie Review: Definitely twisted and strangely fun but NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!
Summary: 4 Stars
Elegant. Thought provoking. Uncomfortably erotic. Avant garde in spirit. Visually stunning all the way through, at times really ewww-gross disgusting, and ultimately extremely cool. There's a meal to suit every palate in this funky flick, so whether you love low-down Leatherface or highfalutin Hannibal Lecter, whether you like your scary movies bluntly horrifying or "hauntingly atmospheric," you'll find something to sink your teeth into here or at least something to have fun arguing about later.
Splitting hairs over which of the three extremes in Three Extremes is "the best" extreme won't occur to you if you take "Dumplings," "Cut," and "Box" together as a whole. As distinct as each episode is from the others, all three somehow manage to complete or balance each other. Warning: NOT FOR THE KIDDIES because they'd be either bored or traumatized, and it's not worth taking the chance.
The performers in all three episodes are sheer heaven, my personal favorite among them (and it's a tough call) being the nutsy-cuckoo "disgruntled employee" in "Cut" who can't restrain himself from breaking into a hilarious Broadway-flashy dance number before he goes back to chopping off a pianist's fingers, and there's also the proper married lady who initially wrinkles her petite nose at those slimy dumplings but eventually starts licking her chopsticks; now, SHE is SCARY. I dare you not to hide your face behind your hands at least once while she's suckin' down those dumplings. Double-dare you.
As I said. Not for the kiddies!
Movie Review: Unbalanced yet interesting asian horror
Summary: 4 Stars
Just like in literature, the art of short movies is tough. Plot, settings and characters need to quickly acquire depth and credibility. In "Three Extremes", all three directors (from Japan, Korea and Hong Kong) manage to fit in the format with original yet distinct works that differ from one another in both theme and format.
In "Box", the story is about ghosts -read, culpability and grieving. Horror comes in oppressive flashes and mental projections, blurring the limit between reality and dreams... er... nightmares.
In "Cut", horror is more "first degree". A couple is kept prisoner in a mysterious, modern art-like house in which a maniac threatens to cut off the spouse's fingers one by one unless the husband agrees to do what's required, no questions asked... The movie's about setting personal values straight once and for all.
In "Dumplings" -my favourite, for its acute relevance with today's societal issues- a beautiful yet vain executive woman is doing whatever she can to preserve her beauty and youth to maintain the grasp on her husband. She calls upon a mysterious lady whose magical dumplings are said to have just such properties. But there is a price to pay to preserve beauty and youth. Dumplings is in the end about the uphill battle against age... with its cohort of other attributes such as selfishness and vanity. Top notch...
If all three movies had been of the "Dumplings" level, I would have given 5 stars to Three Extremes.