Loved Oldboy ... so what next?

October 9, 2008 5:01 AM

I'm drawn to the Tartan Asia Extreme series ... so, which ones are really good?

I loved Oldboy - stylish, smart, really engaging. And I've had a generally favorable reaction to most of the J-horror that I've watched (I'm drawing a blank on the specific title, but I remember a film from a few years ago about a weird outbreak in a greenish-tinted hospital - "Infection"? something like that).

So I'm drawn to the Tartan Asia Extreme series, but also a little intimidated. I don't go for over-the-top gore and meanness, and I absolutely cannot stomach anything about children in peril.

So, which ones should I watch, and which ones should I absolutely avoid?

posted by jbickers to media & arts (20 comments total)

I'd say go for Three...Extremes.

It's a film that contains three smaller stories that delve into that realm of Japanese horror that you're referring to. Nothing extremely gory, but, still touches on topics that you wouldn't necessarily see in your traditional American horror movie.

Also, I assume you know that Oldboy was followed by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance. I don't know how either compare to Oldboy, but I do believe I've heard good things about them (I've only seen Oldboy in that trilogy).
posted by mrhaydel at 5:54 AM on October 9, 2008

I'd say (although the comment about not wanting over the top gore puts most of the collection straight out, though particularly the first):

Battle Royale.
A Tale of Two Sisters is supposed to be good, though I haven't watched it yet.
The Eye, likewise.
Ringu.
Versus is great fun!
Audition, I thought was a stunning film, but the last half or so, is probably one of the most unpleasant films I've ever seen, though with real ambiguity.
And Infernal Affairs should be better than The Departed, but I haven't gotten round to seeing it yet.

Oh, and I'd add that most of the sequels all suck (Ringu 2 is just terrible), and that Dark Water isn't as great (certainly not revolutionary) as everyone says.
posted by opsin at 5:54 AM on October 9, 2008

The original Ring is a must see - the most terrifying film I've ever watched.

I'd also recommend the work of Takashi Miike but he's probably too gory.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:57 AM on October 9, 2008

FWIW, one of Three...Extremes' films is by Takashi Miike, but again, I didn't think it was over-the-top gory.
posted by mrhaydel at 6:05 AM on October 9, 2008

Versus strikes me as being exactly the sort of OTT gore that wasn't wanted. It is also rather dull since it contains little in the way of plot.
posted by ninebelow at 6:06 AM on October 9, 2008

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is terrific, but it violates the "no children in peril" restriction.
posted by brandman at 6:12 AM on October 9, 2008

Save the Green Planet is an absolutely brilliant Korean movie. Not quite the same genre as standard asian horror or Oldboy, but certainly has elements of both.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:38 AM on October 9, 2008

Here's another vote for Audition. Be warned, though, that opsin isn't kidding about the last part being extremely uncomfortable to sit through.

Ichi the Killer is great, but it may be too over the top. It is very stylized and comic-bookish in its violence, but is also fairly graphic.

I can also vouch for A Tale of Two Sisters.

Stay far, far away from <>Tetsuo: the Iron Man. You've been warned. If that warning isn't enough, maybe this one is: giant drill penis.

This one isn't part of the Tartan collection, but if you want to see a hilariously bad Asian horror b-movie, find The Park. It's about a haunted amusement park. If you've seen Ju-on: The Grudge, look for a scene that was ripped directly from that movie.
posted by owtytrof at 7:28 AM on October 9, 2008

Whoops, I fail at hyperlinking Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
posted by owtytrof at 7:29 AM on October 9, 2008

mrhaydel: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance preceded Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance followed Oldboy. Mr Vengeance is slower, less adrenelene, but a more genuinely troubling film to watch. It centers on a child's kidnapping. (So I think it violates the "no child in peril" rule).
I've seen the first half of Lady Vengeance, was VERY happy with it, and then the rental DVD decided to become unplayable. Sigh.
There is a child murder in the backstory (not shown, at least in the half I watched), so it might not be a problem for the OP.
posted by Tbola at 8:41 AM on October 9, 2008

Oh, and "A Tale of Two Sisters" is fantastic.
posted by Tbola at 8:42 AM on October 9, 2008

I think Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a bit of a genius. I've only seen his two best known movies, Cure and Pulse, but holy cow.
posted by blueshammer at 9:01 AM on October 9, 2008

Both Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are great films, and they do a lot to flesh out the exploration of what vengeance means from Oldboy. That being said, they both absolutely violate the children in peril rule since kids do die in both. Lady Vengeance especially.

My top pick for random awesome surreal Japanese spy film actually fails on that count too. Eh, still going to recommend Pistol Opera anyway. There is a child character who gets killed but it's not really a situation where there is tension about it or she is in peril. So decide if that's over your limit or not.

Takashi Miike (made Ichi the Killer and Audition) is a bit infamous for over the top gore and meanness. His stuff is fun, but you really have to know the sort of ride to expect from him. Some of it is indeed comic-bookish and brilliantly absurd. But there are also lingering shots where people get things sliced off painfully.

Versus is an action movie, and the violence in it is really sort of cartoonish. It's secretly a zombie movie for one thing. I'd completely recommend it.

No idea if it's on the list, but check out The Host for a fun Korean monster movie. It's sort of like the Royal Tenenbaums vs a very small Godzilla.
posted by CheshireCat at 9:04 AM on October 9, 2008

Uzumaki - it's campy, but surprisingly good. Pay special attention to the camera work.
posted by krisak at 9:28 AM on October 9, 2008

"It's sort of like the Royal Tenenbaums vs a very small Godzilla"
That is probably the most accurate description I've heard of that most awesome film.
posted by Tbola at 9:59 AM on October 9, 2008

Oh yes, please, please, please, check out "The Host".
Netflix has it, easy peasey.
It's so much awesome that I had to take a nap afterward.
posted by willmize at 10:47 AM on October 9, 2008

Love love love "A Tale of Two Sisters". It does have young girls (not children) in peril though.
posted by OolooKitty at 12:52 PM on October 9, 2008

Marebito is a strange, strange film. It's definitely something you should check out. I don't want to say too much about it.
posted by Kattullus at 7:40 PM on October 9, 2008

I'm not familiar with the Tartan Asia Extreme series (and glancing through the list, I've seen only a couple films that they carry, most not so notable outside of Oldboy). I have seen quite a few of the films discussed in this thread, so I hope that this comment is still somewhat useful to you.

I would recommend Chugyeogja (actually, I watched it because someone at imdb compared it to Oldboy, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit more than that film as it seemed more substantive than Oldboy's music video violence). There is a 'child in peril', but she's a minor character. Probably my favorite Asian film of this year so far.
posted by fishfucker at 7:50 AM on October 10, 2008

Ill throw in a few Korean films I've enjoyed, which have not been mentioned.
The Isle (dir Kim Ki Duk) beautiful, disgusting and disturbing.
Memories of Murder (Bong Joon Ho). dark comedy/thriller

For the record, I also enjoyed the films of Miike Takashi. His work got me interested in recent Asian extreme cinema.
posted by evilelf at 6:50 AM on October 11, 2008