A few reviews

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

Sleep Tight - 2011 - 6/10
AKA - Mientras Duerme

Suspenseful thriller about the creeper.
Barcelona concierge uses his pass key to unlock guest rooms in the middle of the night.
Chloroform ensures no one wakes up.
While tenants slumber, he explores, or pulls down bed sheets.
One habit he does is brush his teeth with their toothbrush, then wipe it dry.
That pales next to other actions which I won't spoil here.
Disturbing mix of home invasion and peeping.
Nice one for late night.

cannibal cop · 06-06-2017

Quote Originally Posted by Zaharoff

Sleep Tight - 2011 - 6/10
AKA - Mientras Duerme

...

The Page Turner - 2006 - 8/10

Yeah, I guess I liked these about the same as you.

Page Turner had the bonus of a lot of very nice music to enjoy, too.

bendk · 06-06-2017

Great thread, Zaharoff. Appreciate the reviews. Will get to all of the "thanks" later.

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

The Page Turner - 2006 - 8/10
AKA - La Tourneuse de Pages

Déborah François in a poisonous turn.
During her tryout recital to get admitted into a prestigious academy, a young girl’s dreams are destroyed by one of the judges.
The judge was a famous performer in her own right. Only she was bored, indifferent, and keeps answering her cellphone. Even signed an autograph.
Ten years later.
The high strung pianist doesn’t recognize, let alone remember, the pretty blonde who becomes her page turner, confidant, trusted companion.
The young girl remembers the older woman, however. All too well.
Ice cold film of patience, leading to the twist of the knife.
Women seldom forgive, they never forget.

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

Abwege - 1928 - 7/10
AKA - The Devious Path

German silent, directed by Pabst.
Very much a precursor to Pandora’s Box and Diary Of A Lost Girl, this also explores moral shortcomings and the lifeless underbelly of the decadent Weimar.
Wife (Brigitte Helm), married to strait-laced fuss-bucket banker, deserts him one night to party with “more liberated” friends in hedonistic club.
Banker sits at home, window wide open, letting in blasts of freezing air, thinking of divorce options.
The club sequence, meanwhile, is a showstopper, and goes on for perhaps twenty minutes.

Pabst revels in the excitement, the loose morality, the sheer boredom, the drunken excesses, the hazy confusion.
Far better than most films I’ve watched, this gives a real feel to the jittery edge of Berlin before the street riots between Communists and Nazis.
Ending displayed the censor’s hand, unlike the bleak pit of Pabst’s next two films.

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

Shiri - 1999 - 7/10
AKA - Swiri // 쉬리

Shiri was one of those films that put Korea on the map for Asian action fans.
Also a viewed as a passing of the action genre torch following the Hong Kong takeover in 1997.
Narrative revolves around a breakaway N Korean unit trying to disrupt peace gestures.
Espionage cat and mouse punctuated with high voltage gunfire sequences.
In the midst of all that a love story tries to blossom.
Red meat for Asian fanboys. Loosely remade into IRIS.

Robert Adam Gilmour · 06-05-2017

I liked The Page Turner. One of those rare films that appear on television that I have no prior knowledge of, take a chance on, then enjoy a lot.

ToALonelyPeace · 03-01-2022

Three...Extremes (2004)

An anthology made by three director powerhouses from Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan respectively. Dumplings by Fruit Chan is about a retired actress desperate to regain her fading looks and love. She tries some 'miracle' dumplings from Aunt Mei and voila-her cheeks are firmer! Unfortunately, she soon finds out how hard it is to procure the main ingredient made of dead fetus...The color and sound of this film remind me of "Infernal Affairs" (2002). They make the film nostalgic and magical while the actions stir violence and horror in the viewers. Solid starter and I can see why it's released as its own film later.

Too bad I can't say the same thing about Cut by Park chan-wook. Though the set up is about a director kidnapped by an extra, the film keeps throwing twists to trick the viewer. It wants to be self-aware and reflective but it drags on too much for that. The consequence is a 'Huh' plot and ending.

Picking up from Cut's disappointment, Box by Takashi Miike is about twin sisters working in a circus with their father. The plot is obscure 'you will have to interpret it on your own' typical of Asian horror. Of note, however, is the tense silence and eeriness which envelop the girls and their circus world. I am surprised at how well Miike does quiet, subdued horror. If he has solid material, he will do wonders...Overall for this anthology 2/3 make their impressions on me, so 6/10.

Zaharoff · 06-05-2017

Vengeance - 2006 - 5/10
AKA - Phairii Phinaat Paa Mawrana // ไพโรจน์ไพนาทภาวนา

How did I miss this one?
Wildly over-the-top Thai actioner.
Convicts bust out of the prison with determined police in pursuit, helped by local guides.
Until cons enter the forbidden jungle. Then guides flee.
Police charge in anyway!
Next thing, there are jungle maidens wielding crossbows.
Killer wasps. Menacing midget crocodiles. Giant snakes. The cursed village!
Terrible acting, ridiculous CGI, preposterous plot.
I gave it a 5, but it is brilliant for what it is.
Must see, if you are into this. I laughed throughout.

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