boblinds

Although, Dr. Cheon/Talisman is rather slow to get started IMO, but when it hits its stride about halfway through, the mixture of supernatural events and headlong action is head-spinning.

Excellent performances from everyone, with a particularly terrifying performance from Huh Joon-ho as the "head demon."

Although I was not fully clued in to the Korean mythology at all times, if you just go with the supernatural flow you'll find the film a delightful mix of fantasy, swordplay, and some classic car-crashing, fist-punching action.

Special credit to director Kim Seong-sik (who one of my sources indicates was an AD on "Parasite") and editor Gang-hee Lee (and the entire production team) who really crank up the energy via practical action, crack cross-cutting, and stunning VFX.

I only hope this talented cast and crew can come back with a sequel. I'm ready for a whole series of Dr. Cheon flix.

A fascinating mess, but still fascinating.

The other reviews already point out the oddball merits of this low-budget potboiler quite effectively, save one.

The musical score recycles Leonard Bernstein's score for the great Elia Kazan film, "On the Waterfront.""!! It's quite disturbing to hear the unique music of a cinematic masterpiece underscoring a lurid little thriller that never "could have been a contender."

Unfortunately, they use the Red Norvo combo to backup Ekberg's pseudo-bump-and-grind routines. It would have rocketed this flick to lunatic genius if she had been jugg-ling to Bernstein's pounding tympani. Too bad they missed that one.

When one of the world's greatest opera houses can mount a production of Salome so devoid of acting talent, directorial insight, and theatrical skill, it makes it much easier to understand why opera is held in such ridicule by most of the population.

Mattila sings the role well enough; but it hardly makes any difference when her dramatic performance is at the level of hambone hijinx on the family camcorder. She lurches from one faux emotion to another with no character and less physical control. I've rarely seen such clumsiness onstage, much less in a world-class theater. Her dance (lauded elsewhere for tubby nudity that wasn't shown in the HD broadcast--THANK GOD!!!) wouldn't play at a 1927 Minsky's matinée. Arousal? I was fighting back the nausea.

Elsewhere, performances and direction were slipshod and generalized with little to none of the subtext and atmosphere of Strauss and Wilde's genius. Did anyone CARE about this material? Did they even rehearse? The evidence says no.

A shameful and shocking exhibition of amateurism from the stage of The Metropolitan Opera. Low rent theater in high def video.