Philleh Reviews

Oldboy (2003)

My God...

[30 May 2004]

Oldboy is without a doubt the best film I have had the pleasure to have viewed this year, Chan Wook-Park, who remains my favorite director working today has proved himself once again, if not exceeding everything that was expected of this movie.

Based on a very popular Manga, Oldboy was always set to be controversial. Anyone lucky enough to have read the Manga will not have been as shocked/revolted as many of us lucky/unlucky viewers!

Choi Min-Sik proved once again the level of his greatness, out doing all his previous work on such modern day classics as "Happy End" and "Failan"... he is clearly in a league of his own, comparable only to that of Kong Sang-Ho!

The final plot twist is as much unexpected as it devastating, and has left different reactions to each person I have showed it to. My girlfriend just cover her face and whimpered "Oh my God...", while my cousin just sat there in silence with his eyes closed... all the way to my uncle who just let out a nervous chuckle. This movie is really one of a kind that will go down in history as the greatest revenge movie ever constructed, unless Chan Wook-Park can pull out something very really special for Sympathy for Mrs. Vengeance... which I doubt he will be able too, best of luck to him though as I'm sure he will not let us down.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

Genius...

[30 May 2004]

Chan Wook-Park is for my money, the greatest film maker alive today. His recent work (the second part in his "Revenge Trilogy" just won the Grand Prix at Cannes) has seen him grow even stronger! But with this, we saw the director of S. Korea's biggest ever film for it's time (Joint Security Area) grow up, and do something he HONESTLY wanted to do. Sympathy for Mr. Vengance is not a nice film, it's brutal, cold and very bleak, but who said movies cannot be like this? let alone be... dare I say... "Enjoyable"?

The acting, the camera work, the cinematography... hell, the whole production set a new standard for new-wave Korean art-house cinema, it showed how art can remain with it's roots but still show it's mainstream tendencies. Hence, Chan Wook-Park being able to bring truly personal movies, that he has control over 100% to out big screens, with out any producer BS, proving that film makers CAN make what they want, if they have the courage and heart!

This movie will never be liked by many, as many may find it deceiving, how such a pretty looking movie can turn out to be so brutal and attack there moral sense, but hey, if they don't want to be challenged they can stay home and watch the far more violent "Bad Boys 2"...

Roll one Sympathy for Mrs. Vengance... the final part in the "Revenge Trilogy"

Bloody Beach (2000)

Fun little horror movie.

[17 February 2003]

This was the first Korean movie I saw, so I guess it could be a bit biased :) A few teens who met on a chat room have decided to rent a beach house for the summer, for a summer of love, booze... and fear. As one of them is not who they say they are... who is Sandmanz? and why is he hell bent on seeing this nice people suffer? You'll have to watch it to find out :p

Some really good action sequences raise this movie above the average slasher tosh that is being made at the moment, although it suffers from some rusty acting... but hey, it's a horror movie :)

Another Meltdown (1998)

Kick ass HK action movie

[10/10 · 4 January 2001]

soon as this film ends you will want to watch it again and again and pray for it not to end. This is action in hyper gear folks enjoy the 90 minutes of bliss now!! :) As for the story, what there is of it :) it centres around Chiu Man chuek (who is awesome i will add :)) as a detective send to some place called 'Lavernia' after a botch mission,and once there doesn't stay out of trouble for long. as we meet Mishima. Then the film is just non stop action!! that every body will love! buy it or rent this film now!!