A Tale of Two Sisters (장화,홍련)

• Title: 장화,홍련
• English Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
• Language: Korean
• Trailer: Here

Plot: When two sisters, Soo-mi and Soo-yeon, return home after spending time in a mental institution, they are coldly greeted by their stepmother and all but dismissed by their father. Strange things begin happening in the house, and Soo-mi begins to suspect the stepmother is abusing Soo-yeon. When Soo-mi confronts the stepmother, she is reminded of a previous meeting between them, and her reality begins to fall apart.

After I watched this movie, I was very surprised to find out that this movie was remade into The Uninvited, an American turd attempting to be as glamorous as its Asian counterpart.

A Tale of Two Sisters is a psychological horror masterpiece that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I had an idea of what was going on, but the final reveal was more than I was expecting. It’s not about ghosts and grudges; It’s about how the past can haunt you, and how trying to forget can make things worse.

If you have a chance to see this movie, I highly recommend that you do. And, by all means, avoid seeing the remake.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Every war has a beginning.

Plot: The prequel of the series, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans tells the story of the first Lycan half-breeds and the start of the war between Lycans and Vampires. Lycans were bred as slaves and day protectors of Vampires, until Lucian (Michael Sheen, Underworld), a well-trusted Lycan, leads a revolt against the Vampire captors. With the help of Sonja (Rhona Mitra, Doomsday), Vampire princess and daughter of Viktor (Bill Nighy, Underworld & Underworld 2), Lucian’s revolt against the Vampires becomes the start of the war between the two races.

When it comes down to it, Underworld 3 has simply retold a more detailed version of the story presented in Underworld. If you’ve seen Underworld, then you know the story of Underworld 3. TV spots, based on a single critic’s review, claim that Underworld 3 is the best of the series. I wouldn’t go that far. It would be more accurate to say “Underworld 3 is a movie in the Underworld series.” It was a great addition, but it wasn’t the best.

Underworld 3 had all of the elements of the previous movies: gore, violence, action, Vampires, Lycans, a sexy young Vampire in love with the enemy. Unfortunately, it was lacking something key that the previous two had: an original story. Since Underworld 3 is a prequel, you can almost forgive this flaw. However, it’s a prequel that you already know the exact story, since they told you the story in the first one! I think, given the extra detail you get from having an entire movie made from a story that comprised less than 10 minutes of Underworld, this can be forgiven, too.

The big problem I had with the movie was that I was bored, because I already knew what was going to happen. Maybe not exactly what was going to happen, but close enough to be left wanting. The action sequences were great, but – like most American action movies – the camera was too close to the action and it leaves you missing the big picture. Sure, you can see the arms flailing with hands holding swords, and yes, you can hear the contact of blade against blade, but what you’re missing is the flow of the action. Movement starts at the feet and legs, and extends through the torso and arms. Why don’t filmmakers let us see that? If you’re going to spend all the time and money on fight choreography, don’t you think you should show us what you paid for?

I think anyone that enjoyed the first two Underworld movies will enjoy this addition, but don’t go see Underworld 3 with expectations of seeing something new. It’s still Vampires fighting Lycans, and it’s still the same story, and you should expect as much. I enjoyed it, but as I’ve been told before (time and time again), I’m a sick son-of-a-bitch. Get some.

Inkheart
Every story ever written is just waiting to become real.

Okay. I’m a few weeks behind on my reviews, but I can’t say this movie was worth a review to begin with. Inkheart wasn’t a bad movie, but that does not mean that it was a good one, either.

Plot: Brendan Fraser (of the Mummy franchise) plays the silvertongue, Mo Folchart, who is able to summon things from books just by reading them aloud. However, Mo has no control over what comes out of the book he is reading, and there is the unfortunate trade that is required. When something is read out of a book, be it an object or a character, something – or someone – must enter the book. When Mo begins reading Inkheart to his daughter, Meggie (Eliza Bennett, Nanny McPhee), not knowing his special abilities, his wife is drawn into the book and three Inkworld characters are read out: The villain Capricorn (Andy Serkis, The Cottage),  the evil Basta (Jamie Foreman, Botched) and the fire eater Dustfinger (Paul Bettany, The Da Vinci Code). Now, 10 years later, Mo – with Meggie in tow – is searching for another copy of Inkheart so he may read his wife back out of the book.

As far as movies based on books go, either Inkheart did not follow the book closely, or the book sucks out loud. While the cast did an excellent job doing what they do, acting, the story was so thin in some places that anything could have been thrown in and it would have made it a better movie. I don’t recommend this movie, but if you do watch it, don’t bitch about it not making sense. You’ve been warned.

My Bloody Valentine 3D
Get your heart broken

I was very excited when we got our digital print in early enough on Wednesday to get it loaded up and cued for screening. I was even more excited when I started watching the movie, and the 3D was the best I have ever seen.

Plot: Ten years after the massacre that claimed the lives of several of his friends and classmates, Tom (Jensen Ackles, Supernatural) returns to his hometown to sell the family mine. Soon after his return, people begin dying – apparent victims of the murderous miner Harry Warden. Except Harry Warden has been dead for ten years. Tom becomes suspect number one, and the only one who believes that he is innocent is his former high school sweetheart, Sarah (Jaime King, Sin City), who is now married to the town sheriff, Axel (Kerr Smith, Dawson’s Creek). My Bloody Valentine 3D is a remake of the 1981 film.

You can view the trailer here.

While the story was total rubbish, no one is going to see a horror movie of this magnitude for the story. People are going so they can see the murder, gore, and thrills. My Bloody Valentine 3D has murder, gore and thrills in spades. However, don’t just watch My Bloody Valentine in 2D. To experience the full quality of this movie, you have to see the 3D version.

For those who say they don’t like 3D movies, or the experiences they have had with previous 3D films makes them never want to watch another one, you will not be disappointed by going to see this movie. I recommend calling ahead to your local theatre and asking if they use digital projection with RealD. If they do, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! The 3D is in full color, and uses special technology to present the 3D with full depth and clarity. Jump scenes, where things fly out at you, are really just that. They will make you jump. If you’ve never experienced a pick-axe to the face, now is your chance – and it’s really the only safe way to experience it.

Also, as a special note, if you notice that the movie looks better with the glasses upside down, inform someone from management that the polarity is reversed and projection should flip the polarity switch on the back of the RealD processor. It will save you the headache, and it will look a thousand times better.

It’s not a matter of bandwidth, it’s a matter of necessity. I’ve had less than ten combined views of the trailers I have posted, so it doesn’t make sense to add them. They are not necessary.

A Man Who Was Superman
(슈퍼맨이었던 사나이)

• Title: 슈퍼맨이었던 사나이
• English Title: A Man Who Was Superman
• Language: Korean
• Trailer: Here

Plot: When a small-time producer for human interest stories is saved by a man claiming to be Superman, she decides to follow him and produce Superman Saves the World. Unfortunately, Superman has lost his powers because “the bald man” placed kryptonite in his brain. So he doesn’t forget who he is, Superman performs his acts of heroism without powers, in the hopes that one day the kryptonite will come out and he will be able to fly again.

As a comedic drama, most of the movie spends it’s time on the comedy side of the line. When it comes to saving the world from CO₂ emissions, finding lost puppies, and catching purse snatchers, he does everything just as Superman would do it – if Superman did not have powers. When it’s time for the dramatic, the comedy steps aside, however, and the story plays out like a drama should. The reporter uncovers what makes Superman so special, and discovers what it really means to be human.

I really enjoyed watching this movie and I would recommend anyone looking for a comedic drama to give this movie a chance.

Chocolate (ช็อคโกแลต)

• Title: ช็อคโกแลต
• English Title: Chocolate
• Language: Thai
• Trailer: Here

Plot: When an autistic girl’s mother can’t afford the cancer medication she needs, the girl uses her unexplainable martial arts skills to collect the debts owed to her mother.

Ong-bak mastermind Prachya Pinkaew turns his attention from Tony Jaa to Yanin Vismistananda to create this fantastic action movie. The choreography of the martial arts scenes was astounding, and the outtakes during the credits showed that it’s not all fun and games on a movie set.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes martial arts movies in the flavor of Ong-bak with a touch of humor. After all, there’s nothing funnier than a chocolate munching kid kicking the crap out of shifty debtors.

I love watching movies. If I didn’t love watching movies, I don’t think I would be any good at my job. The problem with working at a movie theatre, though, is that you tend to see more and more of the same movies over and over again: the same story, the same actors, the same direction. It gets old.

Fortunately for me, I also love watching foreign and independent films. When we got digital cable, I was really excited about getting IFC and Sundance again. My exposure to foreign films has also been expanded by the internet. I have several sources for watching full-length feature films from other countries, and I use them more than I use my television.

With my expanding collection of foreign movies, it only make sense for me to share some of my thoughts. So, starting today, I am going to pick through the +20 movies I have not yet watched and watch them and review them. I’m also going to make a point of adding a new movie to my collection every week, and actually watching it that same week.

Up until now, I have focused more on the Asian catalogues. I have several movies from Thailand, India, China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia, but I’d like to expand my directory to include European films. I would also like to extend my collection of films from Australia and New Zealand. If anyone has a suggestion on where to go to get my hands on some of the films from these countries, please leave a comment and let me know. If you have suggestions on a great movie that you have seen, then definitely leave a comment. I’m open to watching just about anything.

Just Buried
A (very) dark comedy about sex, greed and death.

This is going to be a really, really brief review, so no trailer here. You can see the trailer here.

Just Buried is a dark comedy centered around the inheritance of a funeral home by the owner’s estranged son, and the death and sex that surround it.

When Oliver (Jay Baruchel, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) inherits a failing funeral home, he falls in love with the young mortician Roberta (Rose Byrne, 28 Weeks Later) and they scheme to keep the funeral home from going under. The best way to get more business is to create more business.

While the story could have used a little more work, the direction was outstanding. The humor was indeed dark, and the plot played out perfectly. If you’re in the mood for a dark comedy, and you get a chance to watch this movie – which is available on DVD on 01.27.09 – treat yourself to Just Buried.

Seven Pounds
Seven names.
Seven strangers.
One secret.

I’m trying to get a few movie reviews done, so I’m skipping the trailers. If you want to view the trailer for Seven Pounds, you can catch it here.

I know I’m a little behind on this one, but I finally got to watch it and I have to say wow.

I absolutely loved The Pursuit of Happyness, so seeing Will Smith team up with Gabriele Muccino again was fantastic. Seven Pounds is definitely worth watching. It would appear that Gabriele Muccino has found his niche and can bring out the best dramatic personality in Will Smith.

I’m going to try to summarize the plot of the movie without spoiling anything, so here we go.

Will Smith plays Tim Thomas, a man who has assumed the identity of his IRS agent brother, Ben Thomas, in an effort to atone for his past sins. Tim was once a successful MIT graduate, but was responsible for an accident that killed seven others. Now, as Ben, Tim is determined to give penance – a pound of flesh for each of his sins – by drastically changing the lives of seven strangers.

When Ben falls in love with one of the people he’s trying to help, Rosario Dawson as Emily Posa, things get complicated.

As a drama, this movie has it all: romance, tragedy, the human condition. There are some laughs to be had, but they are kept in the closet as the story unfolds. In the end, seven pounds of flesh are given, and seven lives are changed forever. Watch this movie and learn what it means to atone for your sins.