Korea: I'm a Cyborg..., Poetry, I Saw the Devil, Mother

Here's a quick list of recent Korean films available for streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly.  Korean cinema has been very successful on the international film festival circuit in the past few years, and a few Korean directors have also earned a cult following in various areas of genre filmmaking (especially horror).

Chan-Wook Park is probably best known for Oldboy, which won the Grand Prix of the Jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.  His Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Lady Vengeance (2005) are also currently streaming on Netflix.  These next two films are interesting ventures in to very different genres: romantic comedy and vampire horror.

I'm a Cyborg, but That's Okay (Chan-wook Park, Korea, 2006, 107 minutes)
Netflix: Placed in a psych ward for believing she's a robot, troubled Young-goon forsakes food and attempts instead to charge her body with electronic devices. As her health deteriorates, another eccentric patient tries to inspire her to start eating again.  Netflix link.







Thirst (Chan-wook Park, Korea, 2009, 133 minutes)
Netflix: When the smoke clears from a failed experiment to find a cure for a fatal disease, a devout priest finds himself forever changed. Specifically, he's a vampire -- but that isn't the only thing that's different. Now he's also willing to commit adultery with the wife of his childhood friend, a sin he never would have considered before. Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin and Ok-bin Kim co-star in this horror offering from Korean director Chan-Wook Park.  Netflix link.






Lee Chang-dong's Poetry was particularly successful on the international film festival circuit, winning the 2010 Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival.  Poetry currently has a 100% Tomatometer critical rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Poetry (Chang-dong Lee, Korea, 2010, 139 minutes)
Netflix: A poetry-writing class inspires serenely self-possessed grandmother Mija (Jeong-hie Yun) to open her senses to her suburban surroundings, but in rushes an array of unsettling discoveries in this lyrical South Korean melodrama. Along with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease comes information that Mija's teenage grandson was party to a horrific incident, and it is left to Mija to compose order from the untidy emotional consequences.  Netflix link.





Kim Ji-woon is also known for his 2008 cult action film The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, which is also streaming on Netflix.  I Saw the Devil is not for all tastes, but you'll realize that when you read the synopsis.

I Saw the Devil (Ji-woon Kim, Korea, 2011, 142 minutes)
Netflix: From famed thriller director Ji-woon Kim comes this edgy thriller about secret agent Dae-hoon (Byung-hun Lee), who discovers how far over the edge he will go in order to seek revenge after his fiancée is brutally slain by psychopathic serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi). With the police baffled by Kyung-chul's murders, Dae-hoon decides to capture the killer, but his own increasing violence makes him wonder who the monster really is.  Netflix link.






Bong Joon-ho had an international breakthrough hit with The Host in 2006, and that film just became available again on Netflix Watch Instantly.  His most recent film, Mother, currently has a 95% Tomatometer critical rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Mother (Joon-ho Bong, Korea, 2009, 129 minutes)
Netflix: A murder rocks a South Korean town and suspicion quickly falls on a reclusive, mentally challenged -- and alibi-free -- young man (Bin Won). When an inept public defender botches the boy's case, his mother (Hye-ja Kim) sets out to prove her son's innocence. Acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong (Memories of Murder) explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child in this atmospheric crime thriller.  Netflix link.

Bollywood: Ghajini, Dev.D, Jodhaa Akbar

After a significant of time off, I will return to regularly scheduled posts and updates in the coming weeks.

This past month a significant number of Bollywood films have been added to Netflix Watch Instantly.  Some of them mark the return of films that I've posted about in the past, including several films with Shah Rukh Khan.

Ghajini might not be for everyone, but it certainly is a wild ride and it features many of the pleasures and odd contradictions of Hindi popular cinema.  It is actually a Hindi-language remake of a 2005 Tamil language film (by the same director), and it is currently the sixth highest grossing Bollywood film in history.  It is often described as a Bollywood version of Memento, but that description will be misleading to those who are unfamiliar with the mix of tones and genres within many Bollywood films.  Certainly many of the plot elements will be familiar to those familiar with Memento, but Ghajini also features an extreme mix of light whimsical romance and brutal violence that one simply would not see in Hollywood genre filmmaking.  If you are willing to handle some extreme genre mixing within the same film (even more so that the typical Bollywood film), you should give Ghajini a try.

Ghajini (A.R. Murugadoss, India, 2008, 177 minutes)
Netflix: After a vicious attack claims the life of his girlfriend and leaves him with a debilitating case of short-term memory loss, mobile phone mogul Sanjay Singhania sets out on a quest to bring down the perpetrators that have ruined his life. Netflix link.







Here are some other films, perhaps more typical of recent Bollywood output.

Dev.D (Anurag Kashyap, India, 2009, 137 minutes)
Netflix: Because they come from different castes, Dev, the son of a tax collector, and his true love, Paro, are not allowed to marry. After Paro's family sends her to Calcutta, Dev despairs and spirals down into a life of overindulgence. Netflix link.

Jodhaa Akbar (Ashutosh Gowariker, India, 2008, 205 minutes)
Netflix: What begins as a strategic alliance of two cultures becomes a genuine opportunity for true love between a mighty Mughal emperor and a Hindu princess in director Ashutosh Gowariker's epic romance set in 16th-century India. Netflix link.

On the Edge: The Brown Bunny, Montenegro, Downfall

After taking a little more than a week off, I've returned with a few recommendations for films recently added to Netflix Watch Instantly.

Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny isn't nearly as bad as its reputation (and even Roger Ebert modified his stance on the film somewhat after seeing its post-Cannes shorter cut).  In fact it is reasonably good if you're game for a good old-fashioned existential crisis art-cinema excursion.  Self-indulgent?  Sure.  Any time you have a actor directing himself getting fellated in a scene, there's a degree of self-indulgence (and somehow Chloe Sevigny's career survived this).  But I still think it is worth a watch and I hope to catch up with Gallo's most recent film, Promises Written in Water (released in 2010 based on its IMDB entry, but to be honest I hadn't heard of it until I looked it up).

The Brown Bunny (Vincent Gallo, USA, 2004, 93 minutes) 
Netflix: Director Vincent Gallo stars as Bud, a competitive road biker riding from New Hampshire to California for a race. But the journey is also an attempt to erase his memory of the one true love he can't forget, even as he beds other women.  Netflix link.

Dusan Makavejev is a truly great Yugoslav/Serbian filmmaker, and one of his better known films, Montenegro, is now streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly.  If you're not familiar with his work, one of many online interviews with Makavejev is Ray Privett's piece for Senses of Cinema from 2000.  Montenegro is an English-language film shot in Sweden starring American actress Susan Anspach.



Montenegro (Dusan Makavejev, Sweden, 1981, 91 minutes)
Netflix: Housewife Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach) seems to have everything she could possibly want -- a successful husband, two beautiful children and a palatial house by the sea ... until she meets a group of Yugoslavian immigrants at the airport. Before you can say "unbridled abandon," Marilyn finds herself swept up in a bohemian world of dangerous pleasures and newfound freedom in this surreal black comedy.  Netflix link.

While certainly a respected film in itself, Downfall is probably best known for its bunker scene with Adolf Hitler that has been re-subtitled numerous times in parody videos (or Hitler Downfall Memes).  We've all seen at least one of the parodies by now, here's a chance to see the original film.

Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, Germany, 2004, 155 minutes)
Netflix: After introducing audiences to Adolf Hitler's stenographer, Traudl Junge, in the gripping documentary Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, director Oliver Hirschbiegel brings Junge to life in this Oscar-nominated drama. With painstaking realism, Hirschbiegel's Best Foreign Language Film contender adopts Junge's (Alexandra Maria Lara) point of view to recreate Hitler's (Bruno Ganz) final 12 days in his Berlin bunker.  Netflix link.

Mike Leigh: Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy

If you're not familiar with the work of director Mike Leigh, here is a good sampling of his films available on Netflix Watch Instantly.  Leigh works very closely with his actors in the development of his scripts, producing particularly ambitious and impressive performances and nuanced character development.

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, UK, 2008, 118 minutes)
Netflix: London teacher Poppy Cross (Sally Hawkins, in a Golden Globe-winning role) is eternally cheerful, but when someone steals her beloved bike, she takes up driving and gets paired with Scott (Eddie Marsan), an instructor who's her polar opposite. The relationship is strained till Poppy's bright personality attracts a co-worker, making Scott unexpectedly jealous. Director Mike Leigh's effervescent tale also copped a Golden Globe nod for Best Picture.  Netflix link.

Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, UK, 2004, 119 minutes)
Netflix: Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton, who earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal) spends her days doting on her working-class family. But Vera also has a secret side: Her family and friends don't know that she visits women and helps them induce miscarriages for their unwanted pregnancies. When the authorities get wind of her activities -- then illegal in 1950s England -- Vera's world quickly falls apart, deeply affecting both her and her family.  Netflix link.

Topsy-Turvy (Mike Leigh, UK, 1999, 161 minutes)
Netflix: After their production of "Princess Ida" tanks, Arthur Gilbert (Allan Corduner) and William Sullivan (Jim Broadbent) start a cold war that threatens to end their long-lasting partnership -- but friends and associates work overtime to bring them back together. The result is their classic play "The Mikado." Mike Leigh's thoughtful musical comedy-drama garnered four Academy Award nominations and won for costume design and makeup.  Netflix link.

Naked (Mike Leigh, UK, 1993, 125 minutes)
Netflix: A self-confessed lost boy heads for the big-city grit and glamour of London to escape the repercussions of his most recent misstep -- the sexual assault of a young woman. But a fresh start isn't meant to be.  Netflix link.

Catherine Deneuve: The Young Girls of Rochefort, Dirty Money, A Christmas Tale

Catherine Deneuve turned 68-years-old this past week (October 22).  While there is a limited collection of her films on Netflix Watch Instantly, here are a few that are worth checking out.

The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Demy, France, 1967, 124 minutes)
Netflix: Living in the small town of Rochefort, France, twin sisters Delphine and Solange Garnier (Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac) yearn for the romance of Paris. But when a charming pair of song-and-dance men (George Chakiris and Grover Dale) comes to town, the sisters get more than they ever dreamed. This effervescent film by acclaimed director Jacques Demy co-stars silver-screen legend Gene Kelly.  Netflix link.

Dirty Money (Jean-Pierre Melville, France, 1972, 99 minutes)
Netflix: When nightclub owner and criminal mastermind Simon (Richard Crenna) pulls off a stunning heist in a small seaside town, the police detective sent to investigate the crime is none other than his good friend Commissaire Coleman (Alain Delon). Worse, as Coleman begins to unravel the case, Simon's girlfriend starts an affair with the cop. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, this intense French film noir co-stars Catherine Deneuve.  Netflix link.

A Christmas Tale (Arnaud Desplechin, France, 2008, 151 minutes)
Netflix: Arnaud Desplechin directs this artfully unconventional tale (which received a nod for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or award) about members of a dysfunctional family who come together for a strained and animosity-filled Christmas reunion. The all-star ensemble cast includes Jean-Paul Roussillon, Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos and Deneuve's real-life daughter, Chiara Mastroianni.  Netflix link.

Alternative Horror: Them, House of the Devil, Human Centipide

Today's entry is inspired by Slant Magazine's recent article, "The 25 Best Horror Films of the Aughts" (follow the link for the whole article).  Several films featured in the article are streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly.  As you may know from reading the rest of this blog, I'm not the biggest horror fan but a few of these have intrigued me enough to put them in my Netflix queue, and some I've been meaning to catch up with for a while now.

This will be my last Halloween / Horror themed entry before the holiday, but you may want to check out some of my previous entries (with most of the recommendations still streaming):

Classic Horror: Roger Corman's Edgar Allen Poe Cycle

Horror: Zombies on Watch Instantly

Miramax, Part Three: Dimension Films and Genre Franchises

Horror: International Zombies

Asian Horror: Three Extremes, Thirst, Dumplings, Audition

Horror: Let the Right One In, Let Me In, and Classics

Them (David Moreau, Xavier Palud, France, 2007, 76 minutes)
Netflix: Late one night, Lucas (Michaël Cohen) and Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy) encounter strange events in their remote country home. It starts with prank calls and strange noises, but when the power is cut off and their car disappears, the terrified couple is trapped by the unseen force. Is it simply kids from the school where Clémentine teaches, or could it have something to do with a mother and daughter who mysteriously vanished the day before?  Netflix link.

The House of the Devil (Ty West, USA, 2009, 95 minutes)
Netflix: A cash-strapped college student named Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) takes a babysitting job during a full lunar eclipse and ends up fighting for her life. She soon discovers that her employers, Tom (Tom Noonan) and Mary (Mary Woronov) Ulman, are hiding a wicked, sick and twisted secret. Ti West (Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever) writes, directs and edits this terrifying film set in the early 1980s. Greta Gerwig and AJ Bowen co-star.  Netflix link.

The Human Centipede has become a pop culture frame of reference for various parodies (including South Park's HUMANCENTiPAD episode), so many know the basic premise of the film without ever having seen it.  I count myself among those who have been avoiding the film, but perhaps in the spirit of the holiday I'll try to watch it in the next few days.

The Human Centipede (Tom Six, Denmark, 2009, 91 minutes)
Netflix: After their car breaks down while in Germany, Americans Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie) wind up at a remote villa -- and soon find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Dr. Josef Heiter (Dieter Laser) kidnaps them for his demented experiment to create a human "centipede." The plan includes removing their kneecaps so they must walk on all fours, then surgically connecting them to a Japanese man to create a bizarre human chain.  Netflix link.

Strictly speaking, I wouldn't call Lars Von Trier's Antichrist a horror film, but it certainly draws from many tropes of the genre and plays with some of its conventions.  Like The Human Centipede, this is not for the squeamish, but then you knew that already when you read the name Lars Von Trier.

Antichrist (Lars Von Trier, Denmark, 2009, 108 minutes)
Netflix: After their child dies, a therapist (Willem Dafoe) and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) flee to their cabin in the woods, where they hope to mend their emotional wounds. But the grief-stricken couple watches their troubles multiply when very strange things begin to happen. Acclaimed Danish auteur Lars von Trier divides this tale into multiple narratives, revealing a surreal, horrific psychological adventure about the evils of nature, humanity and desire.  Netflix link.

Documentary: The Last Mogul, The Kid Stays in the Picture

Here are two quick documentary picks on the theme of Hollywood power brokers, portraits of Lew Wasserman and Robert Evans.

The Last Mogul: Life and Times of Lew Wasserman (Barry Avrich, USA, 2005, 102 minutes)
Netflix: For more than half a century, MCA president Lew Wasserman controlled Hollywood; this documentary reveals the story behind the movie mogul's rags-to-riches career, from his mafia ties to his role in Reagan's political career and as a media pioneer. The film includes interviews with Jimmy Carter, Jack Valenti, Larry King, Michael Ovitz, Suzanne Pleshette, Richard D. Zanuck, George Christie, Alan Ladd Jr., Sydney Pollack, Dominick Dunne and more.  Netflix link.

The Kid Stays in the Picture (Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen, USA, 2002, 93 minutes)
Netflix: Based on the 1994 autobiography of film producer Robert Evans, this documentary follows Evans's career as he went from fresh-faced clothing executive to Hollywood actor to Paramount executive to legendary producer (Marathon Man, Chinatown). We also follow Evans through a cocaine controversy, into disreputation and low times, and finally to his comeback producing several 1990s films. Evans himself provides the narration.  Netflix link.