The Host (2006)

- Gwoemul
A rousing success and a ton of fun, 11 August 2007

An irresponsible U.S. Army doctor has his Korean aid dump a large quantity of toxic chemicals into the sink. The chemicals drain straight into the Han River with an unexpected and disastrous result. The chemicals are responsible for the creation of a giant mutant monster with a taste for human flesh. The creature goes on a rampage and takes a girl named Hyun-seo into the river. She is presumed dead until her father receives a garbled call from Hyun-seo's cell phone. Is she really alive? Hyun-seo's family takes to the sewers in search of her.

I've been a fan of Creature Features for as long as I can remember. I grew up on stuff like Godzilla, Rodan, and the other multitude of giant creatures attacking every major city on the planet. With The Host, we have a new giant creature for a new millennium. And for the most part, it's a rousing success and a ton of fun. The opening scenes are some of the best and most believable (if any of this stuff can really be called believable) giant creature on a rampage that I've ever seen. The creature design is great. It's just what I would picture from a something horribly mutated by toxic chemicals. And I can't think of many movies where CGI was used better or more appropriately. It's really quite phenomenal. Equally amazing is the mix of humor and horror present in The Host. Some scenes are creepy while others had me all but laughing out loud. And then there's the ending. I'm not going to give it away, so I'll just say that it's much more touching than I could have imagined. It all but brought a tear to my eye. Overall, The Host features quite an intelligent, well-written script and is surely one of the better movies of this type I've seen in a long time.

As much as I enjoyed The Host, it's far from perfect. To begin with, I tend to agree with some of those who found the second act disappointing. It's not that the middle portion of the movie is bad or anything, it's just not the thrill-a-minute of the opening scenes. My other problem relates to the film's anti-American stance. While I would agree that the filmmakers have every right to express whatever political opinion they may have, it's a bit overdone and too obvious in my opinion.

8/10

Wishing Stairs (2003)

- Yeogo goedam 3: Yeowoo gyedan
Not quite up to the level of the first two films in the series, 4 March 2006

Yeogo goedam 3 (Wishing Stairs) is a sequel in name only. Other than the setting of the film (an all-girl's school in Korea), it has very little to do with the other films in the series. In this one, there is a staircase on the school grounds that the students believe is magical. The staircase has 28 steps. When you reach the top, if a 29th step appears, it will grant your wish. When one of the girls is killed in a fall, another of the girls uses the magical staircase to wish her friend back to life. But she gets more than she bargained for.

As with the other films in the series, Wishing Stairs is very well made. The directors of this film are able to get some very nice performances out of the mostly unknown and unexperienced cast. Technically the film is very sound with some nice cinematography as the highlight. The special effects are well done and help create some very creepy moments. Overall, it's a nice installment to the series.

But, I haven't rated Wishing Stairs as high as I did the previous two films. Why? It's a little too formalistic and unoriginal. One of the elements that made Wishing Corridors and Memento Mori memorable is the subtle use of horror. In contrast, the horror is more obvious in Wishing Stairs. At times it seems like one set piece after the next with nothing of substance pushing the plot along. As for unoriginal, if you've seen Ringu, you've seen one of the big moments in this movie. Wishing Stairs has a very pale girl with long black hair crawling in jerky motions through a window. Sound familiar?

6/10

Memento Mori (1999)

- Yeogo goedam II
"On your lips I've smelled the blood, that touches my tongue.", 22 February 2006

Although the Korean name for Memento Mori would lead you to believe it is a sequel to Whispering Corridors, other than the setting, the two films have very little in common. Having seen the first film is not a requirement to see and enjoy this film. The story in Memento Mori involves a love affair between two students at an all-girl's school. One of the girl's, for various reasons, can't take it when the other girl "outs" their relationship and decides to break things off with tragic consequences. A third girl finds the diary the two girls wrote together and, through its pages, begins a horrifying journey to understand what happened to her classmates and how one of them could end up dead.

Regardless of how Memento Mori has been marketed to American audiences, it's not a horror movie. Instead, it's a poignant look at young love and the consequences taken to the extreme of a relationship that doesn't work out. Sure, there are moments of terror to be found in the movie, but even in what should be the final chilling moments of the movie, the horror is never as front and center as the drama. It's not a movie for those who demand a new adrenaline rush every five minutes. Memento Mori moves slow and allows you to get to know the characters, their fears, their problems, and to really develop a sense of caring for them.

I haven't rated the movie any higher because this type of film and this subject matter don't appeal to me on an entertainment level regardless of how well made the film is. As with the majority of the other Asian films I've seen recently, Memento Mori is technically very sound. The direction and cinematography are solid. The movie presents numerous uniquely filmed scenes that really standout. Although the special effects are used sparingly, they are very realistic when employed. The music is fitting for a movie like this. And the acting is rock solid.

One question that has bothered me after having recently watched both Whispering Corridors and Memento Mori is: Do teachers in Korea really treat their students in the manner presented here, with physical and emotional abuse? I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it's just now what I'm accustomed to seeing in teacher/student relationships.

7/10

Whispering Corridors (1998)

- Yeogo goedam
What's the Matter with Jin-Ju?, 15 February 2006

Whispering Corridors is a slow moving, but engrossing, ghost story set in an all-girl's school in Korea. There have been a number of Asian horror films released in the U.S. in the past few years, but as this one was made before most, I think of it more as a trend-setter than a copycat. While much of the horror is subtle and implied, there are moments where the horror slaps you in the face with some very vivid imagery. The rest of the story dealing with the relationships between the girls and the teachers is not the normal kind of thing I go for, yet here it's very well done. It doesn't seem as clichéd as most American films dealing with teens seem to be. The acting is top drawer and adds a lot to making the film work. I wish I could point out one or two of the performances that really stand out, but I don't speak Korean and all the names look alike to me.

Whispering Corridors probably wouldn't work for those not patient enough to allow the film to slowly unfold. And while I may not have enjoyed it as much as some of the more recent Asian offerings like A Tale of Two Sisters, it's an enjoyable enough experience.

7/10

Phone (2002)

- Pon
Nice supernatural murder mystery, 28 December 2005

Shortly after popping Phone in the DVD player, my thoughts were, "Oh no. Not another Asian long-haired ghost story". I thought it was going to be the same old thing. Since watching, I've read reviews on the internet that complain about the movie being "derivative" or "unoriginal" (if you want to see derivative and unoriginal, check out Ju-rei). And while I agree to a certain extent, Phone has enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it from being just another "ghost with long hair" story. I see it as a murder mystery with supernatural elements. I'll admit that the mystery had me guessing up to the big reveal and the supernatural stuff had me jumping on more than one occasion. While it's certainly not the best Asian horror movie I've ever seen, I was reasonably entertained after a slow start.

If the current crop of Asian horror has one thing in common, most all of the ones I've seen are technically brilliant. Phone is no exception. The house where most of the story takes place is visually stunning with a load of atmosphere – a real feat in a modern setting. Sound, lighting, locations, special effects, etc. are all what I've come to expect when watching one of these movies.

One area where Phone does not measure up to its Asian brethren is in the acting department. It's not that the performances are bad, but with one exception, no one really stands out. The performances are "workmanlike" at best. The exception is See-woo Eun who plays the little girl, Yeong-ju. And while most of her acting consists of a series of strange faces and growls at the camera, considering her apparent age, it's a solid and memorable performance. Given the subject matter and some of the things she was asked to do, I was impressed.

7/10

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

- Janghwa, Hongryeon
Beautiful, 4 June 2005

It would be easy to dismiss A Tale of Two Sisters as being like The Sixth Sense or The Others. But that would be a mistake. Yes, there are plot similarities, but A Tale of Two Sisters is immanently more re-watchable. Where the other two movies suffer after you know the twist, A Tale of Two Sisters screams out for repeat viewings. The twist here is more involving, for a lack of a better word. There's just so much here to get your mind around that it's all but impossible to do with one viewing. I'm already looking forward to watching it again.

A Tale of Two Sisters is a hauntingly beautiful film. During several scenes I realized I had a real sense of unease. The characters are so easy to sympathize with that it's hard not to have these feelings when one of them faces danger. The setting adds a lot to the movies atmosphere. The big house with its many dark rooms makes an ideal location for this type of movie. The cinematography is simply stunning. The music, although sparse, fits the film nicely.

Even though I've never seen any of the actors in this movie before (and I doubt I ever will again), the performances are first rate. The two standouts are Su-jeong Lim and Jung-ah Yum. Lim, as the terrified daughter, is a character that I found it extremely easy to feel empathy for. It's amazing to watch her various transformations throughout the movie. And Yum plays the wicked stepmother role to perfection. She's an easy character to root against.

I haven't seen many Korean films (in fact, this is probably the only one I've ever seen), but I'm looking forward to discovering more.

8/10