Oldboy

So I had put off watching Oldboy because I didn't really feel like watching some deep dark artsy fucked up Japanese Korean movie about a war prison or some shit(what i assumed it probably was, based off of what I had read). I finally got around to watching it and was pleasantly surprised.... at first. I started watching it and was thinking, wow I guess that is pretty fucked up, putting some guy in a crazy prison for 15 years, he must be fucked up because of it, this must be why people say it is a "fucked up" subject matter. But after it starting going I realized it wasn't really about that but more of the guy seeking revenge and understanding as to why he was imprisoned. It really felt like sort of a Japanese Korean kill bill or something. This isn't that "fucked up" as people suggest, maybe a little gory, a little violent, but no too crazy i could even watch this with my parents perhaps, I was thinking. I mean, there is even this cute romance between this hot naive Japanese Korean chick and this hardened prisoner. I realized there was going to be some twist at the end or something but I really had no idea my entire vision of the movie would change into being a disgusting blur of "do i really feel good about just watching that?". after watching the ending

fun movie for the most part though!

EDIT: for shame

And then you realised that it was a Korean movie.

/thread

lol

Now who doesn't love Old boy, eh?

*changing subject*

so, how are Korean director Chan-wook's other films? Should I watch the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy?

LOL! I love how Squee just utterly demolished the thread. Typical moody WATMM admin.

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is amazing and probably his best film Bubba, but understand it's a really slow, brutal movie. It's incredibly bleak, but great filmmaking.

People are more divided on Lady Vengeance, but I think it's great. In terms of style I'd say it's an amalgam of the more artsy flair of Oldboy with the stark reality of Mr Vengeance.

Definitely check them out.

I've been meaning to see I'm a Cyborg, anyone seen that? Worth checking out?

fuck you, squee is a champ

also nice op!

  On 4/21/2011 at 6:56 PM, Obel said:

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is amazing and probably his best film Bubba, but understand it's a really slow, brutal movie. It's incredibly bleak, but great filmmaking.

I told my sister and brother-in-law that we should watch Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance but I had forgotten how slow it actually is. They both fell asleep. But it IS a fucking great movie you just have to realise that it starts out really slow. Watch it. But stay away from Lady Vengeance. It's his worst movie.

You should also watch Madeo and The Chaser.

I'm a Cyborg but it's OK is alright. Very different from his other movies but it's definitely watchable.

i keep meaning to watch thirst but i never get around to it. someone tell me its worth watchign please

i enjoyed the vengeance trilogy very much

I don't really like Oldboy that much, after he escapes it just seems a bit too exaggerated and silly to the point where I didn't give a fuck by the end. I recently got 3 Extremes which has a short film by Park but I haven't watched it yet.

Also I've got a remix of an EP coming out soon which is called Oh Dae Su and has loads of Oldboy samples in it

thirst = absolutely worth watching. i'm a cyborg and that's ok: not so much so.

yea I think thirst is flawless.. incredible piece of work

Lady Vengeance is my favorite of the three....i like them all

Mr. Vengeance is probably the most emotionally powerful....after I watched that the first time I didn't feel like eating or moving or doing anything...it was....depressing?

Oldboy is the stylish action one...great in its own right...the last song playing during the credits is beautiful

Lady Vengeance mixes elements of the first two...its like a really, really dark comedy..but there are some very touching moments. (the scene where the teacher translates Geum Ja's words to her daughter, the very last shot).....I love this movie.

I love them all.

I hated this movie with a passion for hate towards it.

cant please everyone.

i started seeing this girl, and I feel like shit everytime she lets me pick out a movie to watch...because they always seem to have some incredibly fucked up parts that I completely forgot about prior to watching with her.

  On 4/21/2011 at 6:56 PM, Obel said:

I've been meaning to see I'm a Cyborg, anyone seen that? Worth checking out?

Yeah I saw that a few years ago. It was really really strange. I had fun watching it though. It ends very suddenly too.

this going to turn into general Korean cinema thread? I suggest "peppermint candy" and "failan" for starters...

if u like korean films i suggest u watch my girlfriend is a nine-taled fox i watch it every night before bed it is a lot like oldboys

lol that looks awesome.

come to think of it, i never really watched much korean cinema when i was over there..

Daytime Drinking is pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tuxBb8yWUo

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. For a while I was worried it would only serve the purpose of being an article on my wall of shame.

Oldboy is far from perfect... lets face it, the big reveal at the end is RIDICULOUS, and it's probably not as groudbreaking as many seem to think it is, but that didn't stop me from thinking it was freakin' awesome! I can never find the DVD of this anywhere, and I don't really like ordering online that much anymore... but I guess I'll have to give in if it means I can finally watch it again.

I wasn't into Mr Vengence or Lady Vengence AT ALL. That said, Sympathy for Mr Vengence is certainly well crafted, and I can respect it, but it wasn't as... engaging (I don't think enjoyable is the right word for a films like these) as Oldboy. Lady Vengence is just plain awful. Really painful to sit through.

Thirst is great! That one really does deserve the descriptor of being "fucked up" (I agree Oldboy is relatively "normal"). But it's incredibly fun to watch, and cringe at all the disturbingness. And it has a really really awkwardly long sex scene, so watching it in the cinema or with people that normally get turned off by that kind of thing is a treat :P

Then there's... I think it's called I'm a Cyborg and I'm Ok? something like that... can't be bothered looking it up... anyway, haven't seen it, but apparently it's fantastic, really keen to watch that one. I hope I'm not mistaken but I'm pretty sure it's the same director.

thread got off to a rocky start, but i think it's about time we had a Korean cinema thread.

I 2nd Daytime Drinking, fun movie. I'm a Cyborg was disappointing. Thirst was smokin' sexy.

but aside from Park Chan-wook, the other big director in my eyes is Kim Ki-duk.

He's made several incredible films, but here's a couple standouts:

[youtubehd]jdRkhD_hmo0[/youtubehd]

[youtubehd]Ydh1JQSOiH8[/youtubehd]

The latter's gotta be one of my favorite films. Incredibly engrossing, fascinating, and satisfying. Another great film by him is "Samaria".

Squee, have you seen the original 1960 "The Housemaid"? Fantastic movie, and pretty shocking, especially for 1960.

[youtubehd]cm7zZcvnw04[/youtubehd]