Asian Horror: Three Extremes, Thirst, Dumplings, Audition

Halloween is just around the corner, so over the next few weeks I'll try to add some horror-themed entries.  Today we start with the Asian horror omnibus film, Three...Extremes, and follow up with other films streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly by the same directors of that film, Chan-wook Park, Fruit Chan, and Takashi Miike.

Three...Extremes is a reasonably successful omnibus film, although you may want to check out other films by the directors if you're not familiar with them first.  In my opinion the strongest of the three is Park's audacious "Cut."  But the other two shorts have their memorable moments, and will appeal to fans of Chan and Miike.  I have not seen the follow-up film Three...Extremes II with three other directors (Nonzee Nimibutr, Ji-woon Kim, and Peter Chan) but it is also streaming on Netflix (as are other films by those directors)

Three...Extremes (Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike, Chan-wook Park, Hong Kong/Japan/South Korea, 2005, 126 minutes)
Netflix: Three Asian masters of horror spin twisted tales in this terrifying trilogy that begins with "Dumplings" by Hong Kong's Fruit Chan, in which an aging actress's obsession with recapturing her youth leads to an unnatural diet. In Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park's "Cut," a movie extra with a grudge torments a successful director. Japan's Takashi Miike directs "Box," in which sibling rivalry and jealousy reach disturbing new heights.  Netflix link.

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Chan-wook Park's Thirst is an appropriately gory vampire film, and perhaps a proper corrective to the recent trend in teen/romance vampires.  It is certainly far more cynical and bleak than the recent pop vampire films, perhaps a bit too bleak by the end.  It's tone may wear you down in part due to it's length, but overall it provides an interesting twist on the genre.  Unfortunately Park's Oldboy is no longer streaming on Netflix, but a few other of his films remain: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Lady Vengeance (2005), and the romantic comedy, I'm a Cyborg, but That's Okay (2006)

Thirst (Chan-wook Park, South 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.

Fruit Chan's Dumplings is the full-length version of the story told in short form in Three...Extremes.  I have put it in my queue along with Chan's remake of Don't Look Up (2009) which seems to have divided critics and audiences alike into love/hate camps.

Dumplings (Fruit Chan, Hong Kong, 2004, 90 minutes)
Netflix: Hoping to hang onto her unfaithful husband (Tony Leung Ka Fai) by looking younger, retired television star Mrs. Lee (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) eagerly begins eating Aunt Mei's (Ling Bai) famous rejuvenation dumplings, but her increasing appetite for these rare delicacies leads to unsavory complications. Fruit Chan directs this disturbing horror film that features a gruesome look into the dumplings' secret ingredient: human fetuses.  Netflix link.

I mentioned Miike's most recent film, 13 Assassins, in a recent post, and a few of his other films are currently streaming on Netflix Watch instantly: the infamous Ichi the Killer (2001); his contribution to Masters of Horror, Imprint (2005), and his recent spaghetti western-inspired Sukiyaki Western Django (2007).  But instead I'll include another film that I need to catch up with and have put in my queue, Audition from 1999.  If you're not familiar with Miike's films, be warned, they are not for the squeamish.


Audition (Takashi Miike, Japan, 1999, 115 minutes)
Netflix: Director Takashi Miike fashions an explosive drama in Audition. Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) has lived as a widower for too long and decides it's time to marry again. But how will he find a wife? When a friend suggests he hold a fake audition to pick the right woman, he takes him up on it -- only to realize that his choice may be a better actress than he bargained for.  Netflix link.  Note: Expires 10/20/11.

International: Trollhunter, Howl's Moving Castle, 13 Assassins

I hadn't planned on a bonus blog post, but two new additions to Netflix Watch Instantly today are worth your attention.  And just for the heck of it, I'll toss in one more international film that I've added to my queue.

Trollhunter is a great deal of fun, and it would make a good double feature with Gareth Edwards's Monsters.  Both films are relatively low budget films and they benefit from the advances in lower-end CGI (if that is even a fair term).  The combination of old-fashioned B-movie techniques (using darkness to obscure the monsters both for suspense and for budgetary reasons) with some really fantastic payoffs (where we finally get to see the monsters in all of their glory) suggests that these films are paving a new direction for low-budget horror and science fiction.

Trollhunter (André Øvredal, Norway, 2010, 103 minutes)
Netflix: Three students enter the Norwegian woods to film a documentary on a bear poacher named Hans. When they find him, he claims that bear hunting is just a ruse, and that he actually tracks trolls for the Norwegian government! This footage captures the trio as they follow Hans deep into the forest. If the hunter's story is true, they'll have the makings of the best student film in history. Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck and Tomas Alf Larsen star.  Netflix link.

Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo expires in three days (September 26), but his 2004 film Howl's Moving Castle will be available for almost a full year on Netflix Watch Instantly starting today.

Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2004, 119 minutes)
Netflix: In this engaging anime based on a children's fantasy novel, 18-year-old Sophie works in her late father's hat shop in a humdrum town. But things get interesting when she's transformed into an elderly woman by the evil Witch of the Waste (voiced by Lauren Bacall). Determined to reverse the spell, Sophie seeks the help of the wizard Howl, who has an amazing moving castle that's fueled by a fire demon named Calcifer. Hayao Miyazaki directs.  Netflix link.

Takeshi Miike's 13 Assassins has been streaming for about a month, and it is well worth your time, but be prepared to be exhausted by the end of its climatic battle.  Note that Netflix is streaming the "international version" which runs 126 minutes, while the original cut was 141 minutes.

13 Assassins (Takeshi Miike, Japan, 2010, 126 minutes)
Netflix: To stop a tyrant from murdering and exploiting innocent civilians, 13 samurai warriors unite and prepare to end his life. But to kill the evildoer, the assassins must contend with an army of deadly bodyguards who outnumber them by a wide margin. Directed by acclaimed and prolific Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, this action-packed samurai remake features Yusuke Iseya, Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Tsuyoshi Ihara.  Netflix link.

Animation: Mad Monster Party (1967) and R.O.D. The TV (2003)

Here are two Animation Quick Picks.  First up is Mad Monster Party, that most of us of a certain age have probably seen at sometime in our youth, but it hasn't been as widely circulated or broadcast in recent years.  The animation style will be instantly recognizable to those who grew up with Rankin/Bass holiday specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer (1964) and Frosty the Snowman (1969).  Because of the association between Rankin/Bass and holiday specials, many people mistakenly believe that Mad Monster Party is a Halloween special.  Instead it is a feature-length film, not a television special, that parodies several well known movie monsters.  Personally, I haven't seen the film since childhood, and I look forward to adding it to my queue when it begins streaming on Netflix Instant View this Friday, 4/22/11.


Mad Monster Party (Jules Bass, USA, 1967, 95 minutes)
Netflix: Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller lend their vocal talents to this bizarre stop-motion animated parody of horror films. Dr. Frankenstein makes plans for his retirement and convenes a meeting of all monsters to announce his replacement. As word spreads that the doctor is going to choose his young nephew for the position, the visiting creatures plot a coup d'état that would leave Dr. Frankenstein retired ... permanently. Netflix link.
Begins Streaming 4/22/11




I have also begun watching R.O.D. the TV on Hulu over the past few days.  I caught the later half of the series when it played late nights on G4 several years ago, and it is interesting to go back and finally catch the first half of the series.  While this might seem to be strange praise, what I liked about it the first time around was that I had no idea what kind of fictional world this was supposed to be, but the political reality of this alternative universe slowly revealed itself.  At the time I was also in the dark about the connections to not just one but two previous anime and manga properties.  The Paper Sisters (Michelle, Maggie, and Anita) are from the Read or Dream manga, while the first character we are introduced to, Nenene Sumiregawa, is from the Read or Die manga and OVA anime.  This leads to some jarring revelations if you are not familiar with these backstories, namely that the Paper Sisters are "paper masters" who can manipulate any knid of paper to form a wide variety of objects and weapons.  The Paper Sisters are assigned as bodyguards for the Nenene, and the first few episodes slowly develops their relationships as well as foreshadows the return of the protagonist from Read or Die, Yomiko Readman, who is Nenene's long lost best friend, and an even more powerful paper master than the Paper Sisters.

While Episode 14 explains much of the alternative universe political backstory for the series, suffice to say for now that the central conflict that evolves is between the British Library and the Chinese publishing company Dokusensha, who are battling for control of a series of books that hold the key to global domination.  The Paper Sisters, Nenene, and Yomiko are eventually caught up in this international conflict, even as they try to resolve their more personal and domestic conflicts.  What I like about the show is the interesting mix of tones as the domestic melodrama merges with some quite exciting and dynamic action sequences.  Once you accept the seemingly limitless power of ordinary paper in the hands of the paper masters, the show does reward you with endlessly inventive ways in which the paper masters use that power.  In other words, the show often displays the qualities I associate with great science fiction (though I don't know if this fits in that genre, strictly speaking) in that you learn the rules of the fictional world piece by piece as you watch it, and new twists on your understanding of that world are gradually revealed.  This is true both for the paper masters powers as well as the political reality of the British Library and Dokusensha. As I mentioned before on my earlier entry on Death Note, there are not too many anime series that I have watched from beginning to end, but I look forward to finally catching up with all of R.O.D. the TV in the coming days.
   

R.O.D. the TV (Koji Masunari, Japan, 2003, 26 episodes) 
Anime News Network: Three girls named Anita, Michelle and Maggie are hired to protect Japanese author Nenene Sumiregawa during her stay in Hong Kong. In an incident where the "Paper Sisters" save Nenene from a disgruntled author, Nenene discovers that the sisters have the capability to control paper at their own will - an ability once used by her long-lost friend Yomiko "The Paper" Readman. Arriving in Japan after an airliner incident, the Paper Sisters move into Nenene's apartment and become her freeloading bodyguards. Hulu link.

Animation: Anime Features & Stop Motion Shorts

This is not by any means an exhaustive list of anime features available on Netflix View Instantly. These are some simply titles that caught my eye recently and that I'd like to share.  If you have other suggestions, please share links to them in the comments section.

 

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Makoto Shinkai, Japan, 2004, 90 minutes)
Netflix: In this animated film, Japan is under two regimes after the country's loss in World War II. Hokkaido remains under Japanese rule while America holds the rest, a bitter division that's wrenched the nation and left its citizens confused. Curious, Sayuri and her pals decide to build a vessel that would help them investigate a looming tower in Hokkaido, a plan they abandon when Sayuri falls ill. Is there a connection between her coma and the tower? Netflix link.

First, it must be said that the Netflix description is a bit misleading; one might think that it is set in an alternate reality in the immediate aftermath of World War II.  Instead, it is set in the near future within that alternate reality (there are laptops, modern cars and equipment, etc.). I don't want to say much more about the details of this alternate reality because part of the pleasure of the film is figuring out how the interpersonal stories that are central to the plot fit into this alternative political landscape.  The characters talk as if everyone knows the basics about this reality, which is challenging sometimes but fun to work out. (Anime News Network lists the date as 1996, which is plausible if you assume a faster rate of technological change in this alternate reality.  The Hokkaido Tower couldn't be built now, let alone 15 years ago.)

That said, one often forgets the alternate reality component of the film because the first third focuses so meticulously on the relationship between two young boys and a girl, Hiroki, Takuya, and Sayuri. Although it perhaps depends a bit too heavily on tropes common to coming-of-age anime (including the sound of cicadas, all too familiar to fans of Neon Genesis Evangeleon) the relationships develop at a leisurely pace and the film conveys a tranquility that is clouded by a threat that the kids do not yet understand: the Hokkaido Tower that hovers over them.  Once they engage that threat the film becomes somewhat more conventional, but still engaging and often quite gorgeous.

In terms of style, it is an interesting mix of what some people call the limited animation associated with anime and extreme attention to the textures created by different kinds of light.  So-called limited animation became the norm in Japanese animation for various reasons, but once it was established as a norm some animators began to play with the style beyond mere cutting-corners.  In this regard it is interesting to compare the original Neon Genesis Evangeleon television series with the current "rebuild" films.  In the new films, the sequences that have changed most radically to incorporate new computer animation technologies are the battle sequences.  Instead of re-conceiving the overall style of the film, the main narrative scenes are done in much the same style of the old show, with the important addition of light, shade, and texture effects that are now possible with animation software.  A similar interest in light and texture can be seen in The Place Promised in Our Early Days, sometimes with dazzling results.

For example, there is conversation between Hiroki and Sayuri on a train that is composed as a long shot in which the ceiling of the train car dominates the frame and the two characters are in the lower half of background.  Cynics who emphasize the word "limited" in limited animation would say that this is just cutting corners, keeping a relatively static frame for a conversation that is conveyed almost as a voice over.  But there's more going on here, as the salient property of the shot becomes not the conversation but the play of light as it refracts and reflects on the surfaces of the train's interior.  The so-called limited animation enables this kind of play with texture.

Dead Leaves (Hiroyuki Imaishi, Japan, 52 minutes) 
Netflix: After awakening on Earth with no recollection of who they are or how they got there, otherworlders Pandy and Retro go on a crime spree. But they're soon apprehended and sent to Dead Leaves, a high-tech prison on the moon, and discover that the facility is also used for cloning and bizarre genetic experiments. Before long, the duo enlists the aid of their deformed fellow inmates in an attempt to escape from the prison. Netflix link.

I'd rather that you just hit play and see if this is for you--you will know almost immediately. If you're game this is quite a trip.  Netflix View Instantly also has volume one of Imaishi's mecha series, Gurren Lagann, which Anime News Network called "one of the liveliest series of the decade."

Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2008, 103 minutes)
Netflix: This Japanese anime feature from famed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki follows the adventures of a 5-year-old boy, Sosuke, and his burgeoning friendship with Ponyo, a goldfish princess who desperately wants to become human. After running away from and then being recaptured by her strict father, Ponyo -- with some help from Sosuke -- becomes more determined than ever to make her dreams come true. But will her wishes throw the entire earth off balance? Netflix link.

Hopefully I don't need to introduce you to the work of Hayao Miyazaki.  If you're unfamiliar with his work, take the plunge with this or with any of his classics. Possibly the best fan site is The Hayao Miyazaki Web, which is a fine starting point for the uninitiated.  Ponyo is absolutely charming and has some genuinely exhilarating sequences.  Netflix View Instantly also has his earlier work, The Castle of Cagliostro, which is good, but less typical of his work and related to the Lupin the 3rd manga and anime television series.

Wednesdays will also feature animated shorts and experimental films.  Below are two recent stop-motion short films.


Bottle (Kirsten Lepore, USA, 2010, 5.5 minutes)
Vimeo: Animated on location at a beach, in snow, and underwater, this stop-motion short details a transoceanic conversation between two characters via objects in a bottle. Vimeo link.

Lepore has found success on the film festival circuit with her film, Bottle.  She won a prize for Best Animated Short at the Slamdance Film Festival and Best Student Film at the Anim’est International Animation Film Festival. She was a finalist for the first Vimeo Awards, and the film has been featured at the AFI Film Festival. Thanks to Bad Lit for showcasing this film.



Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.


Big Bang Big Boom (Blu, 2010, 10 minutes)
Vimeo: An unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life ... and how it could probably end. Direction and animation by BLU. Production and distribution by ARTSH.it. Soundtrack by ANDREA MARTIGNONI. Vimeo link.

I thought about posting this in my Banksy-related post last week, but thought it would be more appropriate to feature it in an animation post.  You should also check out Blu's other short from a few years ago, Muto.


BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.


I look forward to your feedback and comments.  --JLK