Reviews

Watery Hench

While The Vampire Doll was a fantastic fusion of Western and Japanese elements with an alluring mystery, Lake of Dracula takes a more straight-laced approach but still offers just as much chills and atmosphere as its predecessor. The film has some incredible horror high points during its runtime, from a good old hide in the cupboard from the monster sequence to some drowning Gothic atmosphere, digging its hooks into the viewer right from the beginning. It wastes little time getting into the meat of things with Michio Yamamoto's incredible direction setting the tone and mood straight away, offering plenty of great scares and unnerving tension building throughout. While not delivering a new perspective on the fantasy of vampirism or Dracula, the film is absolutely gorgeous, all accompanied by some terrific performances and another jazzy musical score by Riichirō Manabe, it's not great but it works well in tandem with the film's visual design. Despite the mess of the story, that does not stop Lake of Dracula from delivering a splendid and highly atmospheric homage to the gothic icon. Offering all that a fan of blood-suckers looks for, draped in an alluring, unheimlich atmosphere and decorated with some effective moments of gore.

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Effectively creepy spin on the vampire mythos

The first entry in Toho's Bloodthirsty trilogy, The Vampire Doll, is an aspiring and brilliantly atmospheric spin on the classic vampire mythos. It has all the gothic trappings you'd expect from its Western counterparts while retaining all the eccentricities that come with Japanese filmmaking. A slow-burning and technically fantastic film, Director Michio Yamamoto tells his grisly story with a cool taciturn detachment, with plenty of scares lurking around the bend, some of it even hair-raising. Moody photography and classy art direction sell the isolated mansion setting with eerie grace and although the relatively simple story may not be anything new, it is written exceptionally well and told at a steady pace to keep maximum attention, the fantastic performances from the cast certainly help to sell it. The film's dark spot for me is Riichirō Manabe's score, while ominous, melodic and gloomy it feels overly repetitive and cheap. Fantastically made and brightly hued, The Vampire Doll is not entirely faultless but for fans of old-school atmospheric scares, it's a corker.

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Fox Hunting: An Explanatory Review

For those who want a capsule review of the movie, here it is: the first act is genuinely scary, and makes for a very good horror film; the second act is less scary, but is full of complex political and historical allegories; and the final act is disappointing, both as a story and as a horror film.

Is the film still worth watching? Absolutely. Do you want to know why? Read on.

I won’t speak much about the horror element of the film. It is of course the binding thread of the whole story, and is, for the most part, enjoyable. There are some genuinely scary moments in the first half of the film, and I shall leave the readers to taste it for themselves. What I will speak about, below, is what makes the film interesting beyond that, and what seems to escape the notice of most people.

In my view, the backbone of the film is the history of the relationship between Japan and Korea. In particular, it involves the progressive colonisation and annexation of the Korean Empire into the Japanese Empire from around 1905 till 1945, and the Korean collaborators who enabled it. Hence all the references to the backbone of the peninsula, the view of North Korea from the grave site, and the Japanese Empire. Remember the very first line of the film? Hwa-rim tells the stewardess that she was Korean, not Japanese, but says so in Japanese. It sets out the whole theme of the film. (Japanese was imposed on Korea during colonisation, and became the national language.)

The most obvious visual metaphor of the film is this: if you dig up the past, be prepared to face the consequences. The first family which performs the exhumation is that of a collabarator: probably an Iljinhoe who sold out Korea to Japan for material gain. (Before coming under Japanese protectorate, Korea struggled to gain access to international markets.) The family got rich by it, but surrendering to an evil power has a cost, which will be exacted.

The film is not always subtle in its political and historical allegories. I almost laughed when one of the shamans said Japanese ghosts have no pity and will kill anything in its way. But it also speaks to a truth: Japan still does not acknowledge any of its war crimes, or the ruthlessness of its torture and killings in its colonies. At the same time, the idea of a fox severing the tiger’s belly, and the references to Gisune (cf. Japanese kitsune, meaning fox), can only refer to Japan’s role in tearing Korea apart. The shape of the Korean peninsula is often visualised as a tiger, and it is the Japanese Fox which instructs the planting of the iron spikes (katanas?).

The spiritual allegories are more subtle. On the one hand, all the ceremonies and rituals (some of which are superbly done) derive from Korean folklore and Buddhism. There is a Christian in the film, but he does not condemn these as heathenism, and it is not clear what his religion is able to offer as protection. (A metaphor on America's readiness to ignore Japanese war crimes?) On the other, the rituals represent the only spiritual and cultural connection to the past, in a place that has been disrupted by war and occupation. Hence the Hanzi/Kanji tattoos, inscriptions and scriptures, and why the samurai is unable to tear through Bong-gil’s body. Modernity (including Hangeul script) is inadequate to deal with the ghosts from the past.

Unfortunately, all of this falls apart a bit in the last half an hour, and I can’t see the vanquishing of the demon using Feng Shui as anything but a deus ex machina -- and a silly one at that. It’s also a bit too neat that the collaborator’s family pays, while our ghost busters survive. (I must say, these are some of the most attractive shamans I have ever seen!) That said, this film has a lot more on its mind than to simply scare its viewers. For those who are familiar with, or willing to learn something about, Korean history, it is quite a rewarding watch.

P. S. Needless to say, the theories and the interpretation offered above are mine and mine alone, so, if you feel I've gotten something wrong, feel free to let me know.

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright
DON'T SAY: Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI

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What makes someone a mother

what makes someone mother? is it giving birth? or gender? this story shows that thats all from outside perspective, probably the child can answer better if someone is a mother.
it was a good movie, her conversations with his daughter were very open and maturely handled, in a way movie used the kid as a means to give viewers a better understanding about her gender, biology, feelings and more importantly how she is just a person like everyone.
people hate what is unknown and i think this movie succeeded in making that unknown into more understandable by using kid who is not prejudiced or judgemental but just curious to know, the movie encourages viewers to know.

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Lots of ghosts-no vampires

Mr. Vampire 3 left the hopping vampires behind and embraced ghosts, both the friendly and unfriendly kind, in this installment of the franchise. Lam Ching Ying’s vampire slayer was joined by a fellow Taoist played by Richard Ng. Stronger than the second film, it lagged behind the first for me.

Uncle Ming, a Taoist priest who utilizes two ghostly brothers to help him make money exorcising “haunted” houses finds himself in the middle of a skirmish between villagers and deadly horse thieves. Uncle Nine leads the villagers and figures out very quickly that the bandits who are impervious to weapons have had a heavy dose of black magic. Uncle Nine convinces Uncle Ming to release his ghosts, but they might just need them when the bandit’s leader, the Devil Lady, decides to seek revenge against the village.

Lam Ching Ying owned this role and despite this being his third outing as the unibrowed Taoist priest gave it his all. Richard Ng was a welcome addition as the Taoist priest who had fallen on hard times yet still had some magical chops. His relationship with the two friendly ghosts was one of the sweeter parts of the film. Pauline Wong, who played a ghost in the first film and a hopping vampire in the second, returned this time as the malevolent Devil Lady. What caused me to drop my rating for this film was the overuse of Billy Lau. As an antagonist with limited screen time in the first he accomplished his task. In the third installment his sycophantic, contemptible disciple of Uncle Nine grated on my nerves. I was rooting for the Devil Lady to tear him apart instead of his friend. Sammo Hung, Wu Ma, and Corey Yuen made guest appearances at a birthday party when they served up a “foreign moon cake” with candles.

This film had very little kung fu unlike the first, which was a shame. Lam Ching Ying in action is a sight to see although he did have a few cool moves in this film. Like the other films in this franchise, the wires were rarely edited out and I could see them in several scenes when the supernatural fights took place. There were rudimentary special effects for the ghostly battles and a deep-fried ghoul scene to top it off. Director Ricky Lau kept the action coming from start to finish.

Mr. Vampire 3 was entertaining for the most part and I enjoyed Richard Ng and his ghosts, though I could have used less of his bare behind. Lam Ching Ying and his twitchy brow were worth watching the film alone. If the writers and director had remembered to dial back the most annoying character it would have been far more enjoyable for me.

14 October 2024

***Trigger warnings: Cockroaches and bats***

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"I want to get that foreign fish fried!"

Lam Ching Ying and his unibrow returned to fight the undead in Vampire vs Vampire. This time he was aided by a Little Vampire, 2 inept disciples, and a fierce Mother Superior. He would be confronted not by hopping vampires, but a European vampire impervious to his magical talismans.

Disciples Ho and Fong disturb a palm ghost and attract her attention. Master Unibrow helps them out but now the ghost will not leave them alone. The two have to find her body so that she can be properly buried. Meanwhile, Master Unibrow is helping the village leader who is having a feng shui problem with the land. Master Unibrow shows him where to dig a well for better water and fortunes. Unfortunately, bats move the marker and workers dig in the wrong spot the next day. During these misadventures a handful of nuns are attempting to rebuild their church. The local captain vows to burn the church down but the nuns are persistent. When the well workers begin digging they find more than artifacts, unbeknownst to them they uncover a European vampire staked in the heart by a cross with a giant ruby in it. The greedy captain and his girlfriend awaken the beast when they try to steal the ruby. Master Unibrow has his hands full when trying to dispatch this new foe.

Vampire vs Vampire was a similar set-up to Mr. Vampire (1985). Lam Ching Ying was once again the adult in the room and constantly helping everyone around them whether it was a bat infestation, blood sucking vampire, or distraught ghost. The casting of Chin Siu Ho promised a few acrobatic fights which he delivered on. Lam Ching Ying who also directed the movie was able to get his kung fu on as well much to my delight. Sandra Ng played the self-absorbed girlfriend who was bitten by the vampire and was able to show a completely different side of her acting. Billy Lau who seemed to be in all of these movies played the character I most wanted to be blown up-the pompous captain. Lam Jing Wang brought the adorable to his Little Vampire, a character familiar to those who watched Mr. Vampire 2 even though it was set in the future. With these movies, logic was never a consideration.

Vampire vs Vampire had plenty of slapstick comedy for those who like it, I’m not one who does. There was low budget special effects and once again I spotted wires in various shots when characters went airborne or amphibians. But the film had a few tense moments when the bats attacked the sisters, maybe because bats* freak me out. The European vampire was scarily funny yet also a good opponent for Master Unibrow. The Dracula wannabe became more gruesome looking as the fights went on. Master Unibrow had to think outside the box to bring down the fanged baddie. Fortunately for him, the sisters were willing to help as well as his incompetent disciples and his cute TNT carrying Little Vampire. If you enjoyed Mr. Vampire, this is one you might want to give a try. (Rated on a curve)

14 October 2024

Trigger warnings-bats and a snake

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The Triangle of Warfare

You know how some movies feature a love triangle, where three people are involved in a romantic drama that can only end with two? Here, we have something akin to a *fighting triangle*, interestingly set up to represent the three parties involved in the conflict: the imperial guards, the slaves, and the Japanese enemies in this historical period of Korean history.

Korean movies usually succeed in conveying strong emotion, and this movie has all the elements of a great drama, spiced up with thrilling battle choreographies. But for some reason, I couldn't empathize with the characters emotionally— basically none of them. The story is great, the actors are very good, and the production is top-notch, but something was not in the right place for a perfect epic, so I couldn't fully enjoy the film. I definitely appreciated the scenery, with its beautiful and sometimes brutal shots, but where the film should have been strongest—in the emotional clashes between the protagonists—something was missing, and I can't fully explain what it is. One of the reasons could be the movie's pacing, which wasn't fluid and jumped from one thing to the next, making it seem like the director didn't focus enough on the central plot.

What I really liked, however, was the theme about Korean society and the relationship between the upper and lower castes. There are echoes of a message that we should all be equal, whether someone is an emperor or a slave, and we know that because of this very message, the Catholic faith in Korea was violently suppressed in the early 19th century.

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Even someday I may fall hard

It is a heartwarming and inspiring film that tells the story of friendship, perseverance, and the power of dreams. Set in a beautiful rural village, the film follows three young men who leave the bustling city life behind to chase their dreams of starting a business. What makes this film truly special is the way it subtly delivers powerful messages about resilience, trust, and the importance of not giving up, no matter how difficult the journey becomes.

At its core, the movie shows that success isn’t just about reaching the finish line but about not giving up, even when the odds seem stacked against you. This theme is beautifully woven throughout the story, as the characters face one setback after another, yet refuse to give in. Their determination becomes a symbol of hope for anyone who has ever struggled with making their dreams a reality.

The theme of trust is equally important. The dynamics between the three lead characters demonstrate that true collaboration can only happen when trust is present. As they navigate their challenges, their bond strengthens, and it’s through this mutual trust that they find the strength to keep going. The film makes a clear statement that partnerships built on faith and honesty are key to overcoming obstacles and achieving dreams.

I hate to admit but I only watch this because of Peng Yu Chang. While two other main actors deliver the role requirements, for me, Peng Yu Chang delivers an outstanding performance as one of the lead characters. He has a natural charisma that draws you in from the very start, making the audience smile with his light-hearted and humorous portrayal in the early part of the movie. But as the plot thickens and he is forced to make difficult decisions—ultimately choosing to favor his people over his personal desires—he brings a deep emotional intensity to the role. His portrayal is so moving that I found myself genuinely affected by his choices, and at one point, I even got goosebumps. Peng Yu Chang’s ability to balance both the joy and heartbreak of his character’s journey is truly remarkable.

The movie will leave the audience with a lasting message— “never let go of your dreams until you are ready to wake up and make it happen.” It’s a reminder that dreams are worth fighting for, but they also require action, hard work, and, most importantly, faith in yourself and in the people around you.

This film is light-themed, short and sweet, a must-watch for anyone who believes in the power of chasing dreams.

Will I consider watching it again? Yes, probably if Im having wasted effort and needed an inspiration.

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A bloody, vibrant adventure with lots of action

First of all, it was a beautiful movie. It was an exciting, adventurous, action-packed movie from beginning to end. I think the striking title was friendship. It started as friendship, but continued with backstabbing, misunderstandings, betrayal and fighting. Finally, they settled accounts. They also resolved the misunderstanding. But it was too late.
What is essential here is the strict rules of the past. Freedom being in the hands of others and the pain this caused to humanity were revealed. It turned into a struggle for rights for people classified as noble, common and slave class. The kingdom is also in a separate place. No one thinks about their people. That's why the kingdom collapses. The people rebel. Freedoms are gained.
Of course, we couldn't see the gain, but maybe a sequel will be made.
The story was well thought out, but some things were skipped, the easy way was preferred, and simplified in order to fit into a movie. Also, there are very bloody scenes, the excessive exposure of organ severings is annoying for the audience. I don't know if it will be encouraging, but it may seem disgusting and oppressive to some people. I think it should be less and should be glossed over more simply, it shouldn't be shown too much. Other than that, the acting was good. I liked it. Especially Cha Seung Won, who played the king, was the most prominent in my opinion. He played it very well. I can even say that he added a role to his role. I liked it. Kang Don Won, Park Jeong Min, Kim Shin Rok, Jin Seon Kyu, Jun Sung Ill are the ones I like. I recommend it to those who like this kind of action. Watch it. It's very good.

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Horror Mystery, Romance Tipizz tipizz

Dari segi story menurut aku banyak plot yang bikin penonton bingung, kita harus bener-bener fokus karena kehilangan satu detail kecil akan membuat kita bingung sendiri sama jalan ceritanya. Aku berhasil dibuat bertanya-tanya sepanjang nonton, "kok ini gini?" "Lah, kok jadi gini?" bener-bener bingung. Alhasil harus nonton ulang buat memuaskan rasa penasaran dan menemukan jawaban dari pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang muncul.
Untuk pemilihan cast dan actingnya gak perlu diraguin, Somin dan Jonghyun bener-bener gokil. jujur aku nonton ini karena bener-bener ngefans sama Somin dan gak kecewa lihat acting dia disini. Ditambah chemistry dia sama Jonghyun pecah sih, untuk movie yang romannya tipis-tipis gini udah mantul.
Overall, menurut aku cukup buat ditonton sekali aja kalau kalian gak bingung sama plot storynya. Tapi untuk orang kaya aku, yang gampang bingung sama jalan cerita yang kelempar-lempar ginimending tonton sampai kalian ngerasa gak bingung dan menemukan jawaban setiap pertanyaan yang muncul ketika kalian nonton pertama kali.

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Filmnya remaja labil yang kocak abizzzz

Sepanjang aku nonton film ini suka banget sama chemistry persahabatan yang dibangun sama 3 main leadnya. Kisah cinta, kelabilan setelah lulus SMA, konflik persahabatan, keluarga, semua dibalut dengan comedy yang gak bikin bosen. Relate banget sama remaja yang memasuki proses menuju dewasa dituntut mengambil keputusan yang akan menentukan masa depan. kalian bakal dikasih 3 perpektif oleh ketiga pemeran utamanya tentang gimana kalian bakal ngambil keputusan buat hidup kalian setelah melepas status siswa. entah kuliah, kerja, kuliah sambil kerja, atau ngaggur ngabisin duit orangtua. Jujur ada beberapa part yang cringe dan bikin menekuk jari. Ada juga part yang bikin bingung dan mengerutkan dahi dan bikin geleng-geleng kepala. Tapi overall enjoyed buat ditonton dan yah buat direwatch sekali dua kali masih worth it. FYI cast dan acting para pemainnya gokil banget sih.

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