Three...Extremes (DVD)

Three Extremes, certainly three short but strange horror movies by the Tartan Asia Extreme network, which probably do the best horror movies out there despite them being subtitled they have a great plot, great gory scenes and fantastic twists. I prefer the longer films, but anyway here is the three stories, and three extremes. Firstly one film, three extremes, each by a different director.

There is another film out three extremes 2. ...
...and watched it. The film links in with the 3rd section within the DVD.

Dumplings - Directed by Fruit Chan (shorter version of a film)

Firstly lets say this is the 45 minute, well shorter version of the film dumplings. This films certainly makes you think, what? As soon as you see the red jelly substance, which is put in this womans dumplings, to make her look younger and refreshed. This shorter version shows the story ... more

Three Extremes, certainly three short but strange horror movies by the Tartan Asia Extreme network, which probably do the best horror movies out there despite them being subtitled they have a great plot, great gory scenes and fantastic twists. I prefer the longer films, but anyway here is the three stories, and three extremes. Firstly one film, three extremes, each by a different director.

There is another film out three extremes 2. However I decided to put this to the test yesterday and watched it. The film links in with the 3rd section within the DVD.

Dumplings - Directed by Fruit Chan (shorter version of a film)

Firstly lets say this is the 45 minute, well shorter version of the film dumplings. This films certainly makes you think, what? As soon as you see the red jelly substance, which is put in this womans dumplings, to make her look younger and refreshed. This shorter version shows the story of a former actress, Ching who becomes worried about starting to look old, and her husband is losing interest in the woman he once knew. Her husband is infact having an affair with a younger women, however Ching does her best to look young again, and show the vitality she once used to. She visits Aunt Mei, who is a gorgeous woman with extremely young features, she is said to be the best "dumpling" maker.. She invites Ching in to try some of her "special" but deadly dumplings. The ingredients however aren't of normal nature, but if she saw the real ingredients she would have been sickened, I wont spoil what the secret ingredient is, but you certainly will shiver, when you find out - better not give it away now. It's the creepiest part of the film. And!! Especially at the sound when Ching eats the food, its one of those persistant annoying noises that does't leave your head.This film isn't gory as such, but uses special effects, to make your stomach churn and your eyes role in your head. The film is very short but has a simple plot. Ching was unable to conceive yet this secret ingredient has made her young again and the doctor confirms she is pregnant. However Ching discovers what the perfect ingredient was, but it doesn't put her off wanting to still thrive with youth. You are left wondering "what was that about" at the end. I must say that the longer version of this film I haven't seen, it could be quite interesting, but the director has cut it down to the most specific and relevant bits of the film, without leaving the watcher bored.

CUT! - Directed by Chan-Wook Park (the director of OLDBOY, wayhay)

This film is in a very different light to what we've just seen, these films are totally different to one another. Anyway the film starts off following in the footsteps of a horror film director, however when he returns home he is freaked out by the lights going out and is taken hostage by someone who starred in his films. The film he has been shooting, about a vampire, is set in a scene that looks identical to his own home. Anyway he wakes up attached to a stretchy cord, where he cant reach his wife which is superglued with fingers against the piano and strings holding her in place, left right and centre. She is stuck and cannot move. She looks like a puppet, her mouth is gagged, and she cannot speak. The badguy, explains that the director is just too much of a goodman.. and that he should suffer, not only for being rich and famous but for being MR NICEGUY! The intruder starts chopping off the directors wife's fingers with an axe. Everytime mr nice guy doesn't obey the intruders demands, his wife's fingers are chopped off one by one. Mr niceguy is made to confess, his loveaffair, making his wife shocked, but little did Mr Niceguy know she's been having an affair too - the intruder reveals all..

This makes you flinch, especially the thought of someone hacking your fingers off!! ouch! Besides, this film is extremely visual, the house endulges in decadence. The characters are great, especially the little humour snippets in the film, of the intruder trying to give a cue to the director of which film he appeared in. Especially light-hearted humour, against the seriousness of what is happening to his wife. This isn't really that gory, there is blood, but this film is smart. But I didn't enjoy it as much as the others.

Box - Directed by Takashi Miike

Last but not least, a young woman called Kyoko, is haunted by the ghost of her twin sister who died in a fire, as a result of her sisters jealousy. Kyoko has repetitive nightmares of being suffocated, naked in a plastic bag, buried deep beneath the soil and snow - however this dream does become relevant later on. The film jumps between the past and the present, we aren't sure why the dream is relevant. However, we are shown when Kyoko and her sister were younger, at the age of ten, working for a circus, doing ballet/dancing. The girls each dance and sit into a little box, which is closed on them and they disappear. However Kyoko wasn't favoured and rewarded as much as her sister, and she gets jealous, one night she locks in the tiny box, and shuts the padlock, a fire arises from nowhere, and her sister is burnt alive, whilst the circus leader and Kyoko watch. Years and years later, the haunted Kyoko returns to the abandoned circus tent, and stares at the box at which her sister was incinerated in. This film is really strange, as it jumps from one scene to another, from past to present - we find out the sick motifs of the Circus leader, who slept with her sister at 10 years of age, and he seemed to favour her better. Yet this doesn't explain years later of why he buries her.. apart from the box where it is so small she cannot breathe..... just like her sister instead of in a fire, in the cold iceburning snow. This film did disappoint me a little as it was just so strange.

Extras

There are just trailers for certain films such as lady vengeance, and other tartan asia movies. You also can see the three films footage, of behind the scenes.

Outcome!

I'd say that this film isn't the best one i've watched. I love three extremes 2, it makes a bit more sense. I guess the films are just meant to be obscure, weird and crazy, as they are just extreme.
My favourite one was dumplings and i'd definately consider seeing the full version of that, cut had a simple but smart storyline, but was predictable of what was coming next, and probably box, could have come together a bit better.

Overall I love tartan asia movies, i'd say try some like:
the eye
the eye 2
abnormal beauty
tale of two sisters
memento mori..

they are just so great, visual - especially....
their plots are great and twists are fantastic - especially Oldboy
these films are strange like - the isle!! 

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