An Underrated Vengeance!!! Review of Chanwook Park's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance"

One thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE KOREAN FILMS!!!!I have read a lot of scathing reviews of this film that was hard to get (only through Asian imports). After Park's success with "Oldboy", they felt they should distribute and market this movie as a prequel, when it has no relation with "Oldboy". Instead, it is a start of a revenge trilogy courtesy of Chanwook Park. I should care less about the bad reviews of this movie, but it just got to me because they came into the notion with watching this movie as having superiority over "Oldboy". Please don't go into this film expecting that, and why would you. I don't want to see another "Oldboy", it was perfect enough. I felt that this movie, though filmed before "Oldboy", was more mature and developed the start of Park's style you would later see in "Oldboy". Enough comparing the two, I personally like this movie better. Now to talk about other people's review of this movie that complain that it was too slow. It has a pace to it, but not enough to make you go to sleep. It fact it's opposite, its scene after scene of chaotic madness that does string along a narrative. Rather than in "Oldboy" having a fast paced, jump-cuts with voice over narration to inject the story line, Park in this one just uses old fashioned juxtaposition. It is just characters going through visceral moments that the audience will feel in their seat while watching it. The story of a kid named Ryu, a deaf and dumb kid and factory worker who is need of a kidney for his dying sister. After learning that a donor is slim, he enlist the aid of an underground market to get a kidney. The woman who gives him a deal on a kidney only asks for his savings and his kidney for exchange. Later to learn that he is cheated and is in a desperate need of money and with the help of is girlfriend( a woman that is head of communist terrorist group) they decide to kidnap the daughter of a rich man. After the whole backfires, the whole movie goes in a whirlwind of violence and poetic justice. I notice that Park also comments the communist issue in Korea for a brief moment by making Ryu's girlfriend a woman who believes in communism and hates conglomerates. As heavy and violent the films gets for just inch of entertainment Park tries infuse some humor in it. He succeeds very well. I don't know if its Koreans in general of Korean cinema, but a string of mise en scene of violence Koreans always make it look beautiful. Not beautiful where its an overlaps of gore, but beautiful like poetry. Even when Park does an the over-top gore scene or visceral sick and twisted perverted scene he still captures a humanistic beauty where its not scary, but just good to look at. Korean have a good eye for that, their like painter when it comes to that and Park is one of them. He tends to use a lot of long takes or just one take of certain scenes to allow the actors to break down. He does comment on the whole politics of Korea, but not a whole lot. With his long takes and sequences and reminds me of French New Wave with the political commentary of Czech new Wave(Like "Closely Watched Trains"). As the start of Park's "revenge trilogy", it is an awesome opening. I personally prefer this over "Oldboy", but I can't compare while "Oldboy" is perfect , "Sympathy " has its flaws. Actually, I scratch that I also find this movie to have flaws, but redeems itself much more than "Oldboy". That's just me, and I hope someone agrees with me!!!!!!!! To capture the chaotic and poetic beauty of this movie, you have to see it up close on the big screen. Its an experience you won't forget!!!!!!!!! This is Aliye Nyoka saying "Goodnight and Good Luck!"

This has to be the best Harry Potter movie ever! I don't care what the fans think!!!!!!

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan and I haven't read any of the books, but this was some dark stuff. Personally I loved the third one and felt it was dark , but this one beats it by a whole lot. It has the charm of an 80's afterschool special with kids dealing with all the trials and tribulations of freshman life, but in a atmosphere filled with wizards and witches. It sounds cheesy, but man this was some entertaining stuff. Instead of all the other ones being muddled with back story, this is more of letting the characters being in more trouble than their history of trouble. That didn't make any sense, it's like a Sergio Leone film where you get really invested in the story and the characters and the story goes along, you wonder how will it unravel for these characters and you expect the standard. Just like in a Sergio Leone film you get characters going into more trials and tribulations then they started from. Not comparing it to any of Sergio Leone films, but it has that epic feel, but not the operatic tone. The other aspect is that the atmosphere quos more of a British thriller with dark overturns. I loved it and felt that it is getting mixed reviews just because it doesn't stay close to the book which ranges 834 pages. I could care less, because most of the other Harry Potter's that included everything the book offered had scenes that should have been cut. This entry is not like that, as Mike Newell an actual British director at the helm of it, who
tries to keep the movie very whimsical but never succeeds because you can't overcome its dark tone. It other words, I can't say it not for kids, but I know I would love this as a kid.

Review of Masters of Horror 3: Tobe Hooper's Dance of the Dead

Left: director Tobe Hooper. Right:Robert Englund.

Tobe Hooper as been sucking for the last...........I don't know, decade. I love the man and his early work from "Lifeforce", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 & 2","Poltergeist","Eaten Alive","The Funhouse", to "Salem's Lot". To tell you the truth I found his latest movies to be horribly entertaining, like 'Crocodile" and the remake of "Toolbox Murders". When I thought that he might of lost it, and I believed real hard, he proved me wrong. His latest chapter of "The Masters of Horror', is very entertaining and predictable but executed to a point of extremity. Based off a short story from Richard Masterson(OmegaMan) about a post-apocalyptic future ran by wild youth that take control and run rampage and it gives the cue for Hooper for sex, drugs and rock n' roll. After a nuclear wipe out that left people to survive and others to die or just many that were crippled to the point of decaying. The rest who survive try to live normal live, for instance this one family that runs a restaurant with a mother that his dedicated to her daughter. The rest who live in the outskirts of town are ravaged youth that hang out at the "Doom Room". A nightclub that is ran by Robert Englund's character where he substitutes entertainment by re-animating dead corpses that were from the effect of the nuclear holocaust. The kids refer to the show as the 'loopies". The story follows the daughter of the overprotective mother, who encounters a group of kids that exposes her to the 'Doom Room". Robert Englund his over-the-top, the visual jump cuts and MTV style edits is overt. I guilty pleasurely enjoyed Hooper's short, the whole episode is an excuse to show violence and sex, because I find there is no real set-up. Others will this to be pointless, but I find it pointlessly entertaining. Hooper can have a sense of elegance in his films even if they are marketed as exploitation, like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which is sometimes branded as gaudy filmmaking. I find it to be very well made and expertly crafted. In 'DAnce of the Dead" he has a tone of trashy filmmaking, the whole movie carries an over-top-style just to please viewers with a fetish. Except I find this movie to be good trash, and Hooper as definitely succeeded, others will not like this but they won't turn the channel. The characters are really stick figures you surpass the drugs and sex and find the story that unfold till the end with, not a twist, but a twisted ending. Jonathan Tucker also did a good job, with as less material as he was given. I think Hooper wanted that way! Not the best out of the series, but a very entertaining one!Enough to keep me stay tuned to watch Dario Argento's next one

Review of Masters of Horror 2: Stuart Gordon's Dream in a Witch House

I actually saw this beforehand in theatres, they premiered it at the Hollywood Theatre at the H.P. Lovecraft film festival. Also Stuart Gordon was there in attendance presenting the movie at the main theatre. I got a chance to meet the man, the playa behind "Re-Animator",'Robot Jox","Dolls","From Beyond", and "King of the Ants". I'm not advent fan of H.P. Lovecraft, but I am a huge fan of Stuart Gordon and I look forward to everything he puts. If it willa made for TV special on showtime called "Space Trucker" or 'CAstle Freak", I still love his work. He has been getting recent comeback with "Dagon" another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation and recently a gangster movie that was done Stuart Gordon style called "King of the Ants". While others found that movie to be ridiculous, I found it to be an underrated masterpiece from the man. I can't wait to see another movie that also goes into the bowels of the mind from a play written by David Mamet called "Edmond". It was screened at the Toronto and Venice film festival and has been getting rave reviews. Mamet and Gordon were best homies back in the day, and as Stuart Gordon is the vessel for H.P. Lovecraft I think he can pull off anything sick and twisted from David Mamet. The movie also stars William H. Macy so you know its gonna be good. And come on, I the hell can you go wrong with David Mamet's writing, the man is a genius, its like Shakespeare. Anyway while I'm still waiting for that to come out, I can make due with this and I have. Anyway, back to how I met Stuart Gordon and the review. I got out of work early(back when I was working at Videorama) and took the bus to the Hollywood Theatre, planning that I would be going to the H.P. Lovecraft film festival from work I took my copy of "Re-animator", "Dolls", "King of the Ants". I took the store copy of 'FRom Beyond". My copy of Dagon got jacked and couldn't get a chep copy of "Robot Jox" on DVD. I arrived to the theatre and it was packed their was a mob outside and everything. I walk up and a bunch of volunteers were talking to me and informed me that they were sold out. I was like man, I got off work early just to see Stuart Gordon, the volunteers pressured me to get tickets for tomorrow, and they told me if Stuart Gordon probably won't be here or not. I was like damn, I walk in and ask the man at the box office if don't have anymore tickets for tomorrow since you guys sold out for tonight. He informs that a man actually gave up his ticket not to long ago, I'll let you have it," It will be between you and me". I was like HELL YEAH, that's some luck, now I hope my luck gets even mo' better. I walked in and he said that Stuart Gordon is in the theatres the place was packed and hard for me to get around. I walk into the main theatre thinking that Stuart Gordon is sitting upfront and look to see if he was there. Then I turn, and there he was, I was like..................I shook up a little bit and just stared at him and see if it was actually him. All these cats sitting right next to him getting interviews and making him sign there copies of "The Re-animator". I just looked at him and he didn't notice me, I just shook up and was star struck. I didn't go anywhere, I just stood there the whole time during the screening of the shorts. Plus I'm Black-Mexican and was wearing a hoody looking all menacing, I think he was like "What the hell is this Black-Mexican doing, all following me!". Man, it felt very stalkerish. Gordon looked like a pimpin' Santa Claus. So, anyway the screening is over for the shorts and every exits the theatres for snacks and I just stood there watching him HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What the hell was I doing! Then he exits and I was following and he was trying to go the bathroom and all these cats were just stopping him every breathe of the way being,"Can you sign my copy of RE-Animator". I was no exception, I was the second to the last to stop him before is way to the bathroom. I was all stuttering and everything,"Yeah sir, you're Stu-Stu-Stuart Gordon", he replied and I said all this stuff about you're a big part of my child hood and I love everything you put and look forward to it I can't wait till 'Edmond", when is that coming out and of course,"Is it cool if you sign my copy of Re-Animator, Dolls, and King of the Ants". HE signed my copies and I was just sweating on him and before I ended the conversation I did a little ghetto hand shake that ended with some dap at the end. Man, that's some charming stuff. He's never coming back to Portland. He got the hand shake down like that and didn't miss a note implying that he is a G'. That's funny. I just looked at him and he walked towards the bathroom and a hot Asian girl asked for his picture and he was loving that. Now back to the showing of the movie, I walk in 2 minutes late and sit up a row where Gordon was sitting . I sat there and it must be a trip to be in a movie where the director is in the screening. I laughed, overtly clapped at the great gore moments like a dork. I kept looking at him during the screening, and his face was all in contempt and serious. When the whole audience jumped at scary moment(which I did), I looked at Gordon and was thinking he must be loving this. When that moment happened he was pretty humble, but I bet in his mind he was probably,"Yeah, I did my job". It really influenced me, but enough about that. After the screening, everyone clapped and I stood and clapped(once again like a dork), and at the end of it i then again gave him another ghetto hand shake and some more dap and said,"That was tight". That's some funny stuff, funny for me but that's pretty ghetto. All these cats sitting right next him telling him,"You done a good job". At the end of the screening I stayed there for a while and had to leave to get some sleep for work in the morning. I had some idle conversation with Stuart Gordon and talked to him about directors and movies and told him once again it was a pleasure. I went back to north Portland and showed the rest of my co-workers the signed copy of the store's "From Beyond". They didn't care, but then again I don't care. It was my night and Stuart Gordon's night, because think of all that love from the fans........except me!!!!!
Now to the review of the actual movie, I'll spend more time putting effort in this review as much as I have in telling you this lame ass story. Sorry for those you read this story and was looking for a review. But here you go.........
"Dreams in a Witch House", once again teams Stuart Gordon's with "Dagon's" Ezra Godden, it takes place in a rundown apartment complex. The one I notice is how Ezra Godden is very reminiscent of another Gordon alumni, Jeffrey Combs. I think that's what Gordon was going for, with a young Jeffrey Combs. So anyway, it takes place in a apartment complex inhabited by a psycho next door neighbor and a lousy tenant. It also has a hot MILF that lives next door with a baby boy. Her rent is up and Godden's character gets involved and gives her money. His character is a science student from college that is exploring the possibilities of intersecting dimensions. He later founds out his apartment is gate to another dimension. Sounds very hokey from description, but done with Gordon's visceral style and laborate plot devices making it an awesome edition to the "Master of Horror". The one thing I never look for in a Stuart Gordon, but found that it always appear and I;m not complaining because it is done so well is the nudity. One Gordon's top ten films is "Behind the Green Door", he calls it the," The Gone With the Wind of Porno". If watch that movie you see how he handles his sexual perverted sequences in his films, that don't stems from sexual fantasy but unfolds into clever gorefest. We look at it and we love it. The scene when Godden's character has his second dream in the apartment and it's the MILF next door neighbor in his room getting naked, the whole audience just whoo's at the screen. The whole sequence is carefully erotic, but later turns into a nightmare. I don't think Gordon is the only one to have done this, but he is master at it.........Especially in the "Re-Animator". I'm not just interest in this whole scene, but for some apparent reason i find it meaningful. It displays Gordon's brilliance, or is that just me. The whole movie is sick and weird and is awesome. The atmosphere is great where he tells Lovecraft's storie that just doesn't leave an excuse for jumps, but for great elaborate scenes of chaos. Gordon is definitely THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Masters of Horror 1: Don Coscarelli's Incident's On and Off a Mountain Road

Left:Main Killa in Coscarelli's short;Middle: Ethan Embry and Breet Turner;Left:Don Coscarelli













Since I got fired, I got free time to watch some primetime and cable............. a lot more time. My colleague Kyle and I were so hyped about watching the "Masters of Horror", Mick GArris starting a series collecting all the great horror directors to direct one hour shorts. They were offered a budget and could do any project they wanted to. The first that aired in the first part of the series was by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba Ho-tep). It was called "Incident On and Off Mountain Road". The story of a woman(Bree Turner) that crashes and finds another car that went off road. She goes see if the woman is okay and happens to run into killer.The story jumps into a the straight slasher formula which is by all means entertaining of following that troupe it goes into flashbacks of relationship she had with a survivalist played by Ethan Embry. He gives her lessons on what to do if a killer is after her or survivalist skills on what to do out in the woods. Then the story goes back to the mountain road where the killer is still after her and uses the lessons taught from her ex into action. As it unfolds it turns into a bloody macabre with a feminist lead. You go along the board of her getting killed because she is female, but Coscarelli sticks with this one for character development. The outcome is an awesome one. Angus Scrimm co-stars playing an over the top old man that gets is due. I loved how in the effect of Bree Turner's character sets traps for the killer it somehow backfires, making it more realistic and humanistic. Coscarelli gives this character confidence of its own to overcome the odds. Good Job!!!!!!!! I can't wait till the next one by my favorite out of the rest of the group set to direct, Stuart Gordon!!

A movie that just Entered My Top Ten List!!!! Le Jour se Leve AKA. Daybreak

Left: Clip of Jean Gabin and Arletty Right:Original poster for Marcel Carne's DayBreak.























I just saw Marcel Carne's "Le Jour Se Leve" (eng. trans. DayBreak) on TCM last night, it was apart of the international cinema night on Fridays, they do it every week. I'm always up for what TCM puts, they show some out of print stuff that I schedule for myself to record. They had a whole retrospective on Luis Bunuel and showed "The Exterminating Angel","Los Ovidaldos", and "Viridiana", it was awesome. I love that channel, always having Robert Osborne always wearing an Italian suit and groomed hair coming out of a staged lobby presenting movies. That must be the most coolest job ever. Sometimes I think he lives in that lobby and once all the camera crew leave their all like,"Goodnight Mr. Osborne", and hes all like,"I see y'all in the morning", and he crashes on that couch thats on the set. I doubt it, but that would be funny if he did. I would if I had that job. Anyway, back to the initial of a movie that just entered in my TOP 10 list, I have been familiar with Marcel Carne's previous work like "Port of Shadows" and "Children of Paradise", which is like France's "Gone with the Wind". I heard about this movie and just stumbled upon it on cable on Friday night and loved it. It stuck with me for a while and had everything I wanted in a film. Marcel Carne is apart of certain group of Poetic-realist movement that consisted of Jean Cocteau and Jean Vigo. As film can be poetry, this film displays that very well and tend to be poetic. Enough, of the sappy poetic stuff, what makes this films so perfect to you Aliye. Let get into the story, it stars Jean Gabin(A man that owns up to the title of a French Humphrey Bogart), playing a working man that ended killing this hustler/pimp. He then entraps himself in his apartment, while threaten to kill anyone who enters. The police hound him and he tries to detract every plan of them getting in. The police shoot down the door and windows,(rumor to be real bullets to capture real life) and he still won't budge and come out. The whole story doesn't stem from him trying to survive this, instead the film takes a non-linear approach and uses flashbacks to present a story of him falling in love and giving revelation of why he killed the hustler. Jacqueline Laurent co-stars(looking fine) who plays his love interest, he is also tempted by another love played by Arletty(also looking devilishly fine). The movie may sound boring, but it is not. From the opening to the last it is gripping. All this sub-love interest turns out to the fact that he killed this man. As beautiful as every frame and shot, it is true poetry and realism. I was so happy to see a print of this on cable or anywhere. As simplistic the storytelling can be, the camerawork is very innovative. It written great, but its style doesn't still the show but is a plus to adore while watching it. The use of long takes and fading in shots of objects being there and disappearing is useful for the flashbacks. The camera work where they go into the next room or down stairs and it is just one long take that the follows them behind a set. It's just genius and beautiful. I have to stop sweating on this movie and should make people see for themselves!!!!! Please and try to get a copy of this movie, you won't be disappointed. The other subject I want to add is Jean Gabin, he is just great. He pratically steals the show. The one thing that made me stay tuned to this movie is that it it opened up with a murder, how the hell could I resist. When you are done with the movie, it still leaves you with something. Even if you figure out the reason why he killed the man or the twist, it is still a movie that has a merit of watching again and again. I believe it is that perfect. When you already know the storyline, its still not compared to how it is executed. Please somebody check this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque (The Greatest Cinephile ever!!!!!!!)

I'm gonna open up with this review of the documentary based on the greatest cinephile ever, who revived so many classic prints of films that were lost in WWII and were entirely unavailable and thrown away after initial release. To get back to my point of opening the review with what Henri Langlois said in the film. He was asked the difference between a cinephile and a cinephage( Eng. Trans. Film nerd), the difference was that a cinephage comes into a theatre and with his notes waits until the movie ends and credits roll and he writes down the names. You ask him about the film, he has no opinion or knows nothing, he can just give you facts. Cinephile is different because you ask him what the movie was about he would have an answer. He said Francois Truffaut was true cinephile in that case. I hope I live up to that title and just not coping a field with stating my site "The 19 year old cinephile". I don't want to live up to Francois TRuffaut's standards, how can you and why would you. Just take his teachings and extend his view, don't just copy. Anyway, that part int he movie really impacted on me. I've been waiting to se this movie ever since I heard it's initial release at the Cannes film Festival last year. The Whitsell Auditorium presents and I saw it opening day. It always interest me to give a full explanation of what Langlois stood for and what other way to learn it then by cinema. I heard their was also another documentary made on him back in the 70's, but it was out of print. This examination doesn't succumb to a standard documentary, but rather an essay on him. The movie include rare footage and new interview footage of people that he influenced. From the French New wave of Claude Chabrol, Jean-luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Jean Rouch, Agnes VArda and Eric Rohmer. new interview is also spliced into this essay from one of my personal favorites of the French new WAve, Claude Chabrol. He(Claude Chabrol) gets into on his childhood growing with Henri Langlois presenting these movies at the cinematheque. The whole line and mobs at the front and the packed theatres and marches. Chabrol, Godard and Truffaut whose to just sit up in the theatres and lie down on the floor just kicking it. The movie isn't only about the influence it had on the French New Wave, but Langlois captivating people internationally by showing movie from other countries and having so many people fro the film world of Hollywood like Nicholas RAy and John Ford. Langlois' enthusiasm to collect stuff from every director he asked, from the original dress of "Gone with the Wind", to the skeleton mom from "Psycho". He pretty much saved cinema, he never wanted to be filmmaker but to show the world its beauty. He made cinephilia cool. He is the original cinephile and the pope of a church that belongs to film only. One of the critics in the movie, I forgot who it was, but he said that young kids today don't know how important it was to have a theatre that had all these films that were hard to see. Today kids have access to anything, from DVD to VHS. not entirely true, because it my state there are still films that have not reached the stage of DVD and are still hard to get. A place where I'm from has not very many revival houses, but then again back in those days it only took one to start cinema revolution. I wish a theatre like that still existed today, I'll be going there everyday. In Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers", it was an autobiographical love letter to this theatre and Henri Langlois. Where that movie spoke of its effect, this talks about how it came to be and why it was something to fight for. I love this movie!!!!!!!! To rest who might be interested, go see it, it gets my approval!!!!!!! This Aliye Nyoka saying PEACE OUT!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, co-writer of "Monster Squad" still delivers the goods!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( I Concur with Kyle's review)

I just saw Shane Black's comeback movie after reading my colleague's review on it, that colleague being Kyle Burch ( A kid that goes to University of Portland and will later write more on my blog). I always loved Shane Black's movies from the start before "Lethal Weapon" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight", from where he co-wrote the screenplay to everybody's all time childhood movie "MONSTER SQUAD". Yeah! That movie never gets old.Now back to the review of this movie. I will start off I most critics that start the review of this movie. Apparently, the title is similar to Pauline Kael's book which is called "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang". Most of the reviews that I read of this movie always started to quote from Pauline Kael that talked about this title, why she coosed it and she always gives a quote that sticks with you for a while and may sound catchy but you can't stop thinking of it. You give more thought and thus it develops more critical reviews of another movie. This is no exception, even though I should be original and not do the same as other critics, but I don't care. Pauline Kael is an influence on me and it is cliche for other aspiring critics to look up to her, but I gotta say the woman can write. So anyway back to the quote she stated that she saw this tagline on a Italian poster for a movie and this came to mind,"(Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang) are perhaps the briefest statement imaginable of the basic appeal of movies. This appeal is what attracts us, and ultimately what makes us despair when we begin to understand how seldom movies are more than this." I love quoting other, it actually tries to make me look smart! As for the quote, the same goes for Shane Black's directorial debut. He is basically a writer that fell in love with himself and the genre he helped established, the action buddy movie. It's not a bad thing, because the movie tends not just spoof itself but love what it has created. Black also tends to comment on certain cliche's he also had to do during his screenwriting heyday back in the late 80's and 90's. The concept is very reminiscent of a movie he wrote called the "Last Action Hero", it to had a sense of humor for itself too. Even though that movie was not as successful and wasn't executed properly, I think he takes this concept into consideration and him at the helm of this project he is successful. He has conceived an original idea and the movie always falls into screenwriting 101 and shows that Black is the auteaur. Not saying that it gets pretentious, I believe its far from it. It has a story, sex, guns, witty dialogue, intrigue, everything that the title offers and what Kael said. It offers much more, it his a movie that is fairly original and exceeds most of what Hollywood actioners has to offers. There is so much going that you probably gonna have to watch it more than once on cable or late night or take another chance and see it on the big screen. It deserves that value. Henri Langlois said to love a movie qualities and forget about the defects, its pointless. This movie may have its fallbacks, and could be a near miss for some people but don't expect much out of it. At least you enjoyed it, but for the rest that sees a highly original film that might make you see more things once you go back again and again, have to it!! This is Aliye Nyoka saying see you later Masturbator!!!!!!!!!!