Three

Three Extremes 2 (2002)

** (out of 4)

Lions Gate is releasing this title next week but it's original title is Three, the "inspiration" for what would become Three Extremes. I guess the popularity of that title is why Lions Gate selected to make this appear as a sequel when it's actually the first film. Kim Jee-Woon's Memories has a woman lost in the streets without any memory of who she is. She has one phone number that she keeps trying to call but when she can't reach anyone she just continues to walk around hoping her memory will return. Nonzee Nimibutr's The Wheel has an old man dying and leaving behind puppets, which are cursed and start to come to life. Peter Ho-Sun Chan's Going Home has a cop searching for his missing son when he is kidnapped by a man who keeps his "wife" locked inside their apartment. These three films aren't any good but the first and third one are the most interesting. The second film dealing with the puppet is quite poor without any good moment. The first and third stories are the best.

After watching the original 3 EXTREMES, one might expect the so-called "sequel" 3 EXTREMES II to be as, or even more unsettling, gory, or terrifying.

Is it?

Well, not really. While the first film was refreshingly bizarre and somewhat revolting in spots, this follow-up is rather mild with fewer shocks or gross-out story lines. It's also far more concerned with the supernatural than its predecessor.

The three stories involve ghosts, curses, and reanimation along with some dismemberment and murder. All three tales are good. Just don't expect another thriller full of disturbing subject matter and stomach-turning revelations...

After the vast success of "Three Extremes" three other Asian horror savants (South Korea's Kim Je-Woon, Thailand's Nonzee Nimibutr, China's Peter Chan) stepped up to the plate to deliver us a successor.

The original had three tales of distinct horror methods--one of gross-outs, one of violence, and one of psychological maiming. "Three Extremes II" however, seems to have a common theme about all three which is the voyage of the afterlife.

Due to atmospheric and thematic similarities I found the stories a little less engaging when viewed back-to-back. Perhaps this could've been that the first two films of the movie (the first especially) were rather uneventful.

Starting chronologically, the short "Memories" by Kim Je-Woon is South Korea's entry into the anthology. It starts with promise as it shows a man presumably sleeping on a couch and very gradually pans closer and closer to him. Then it shows us more of the room he is in, and immediately Je-Woon strikes a nerve of undeniable creepiness with a huddled women rocking to and from in a corner. This sense of uneasiness quickly dissolves as the story progresses. Nothing really happens throughout. Like I said above it was uneventful--sure people are talking (though there's an odd lack of dialogue in "Memories"), sure they're walking and driving around trying to discover a mystery, but it's a mystery most viewers have probably solved. There's also a woman who seems to have lost her memory, but almost immediately I put two-and-two together and figured out her connection with our main character. Je-Woon uses rather cheap shock-tactics like sudden movements and sharp music to make us jump. Its unfortunate Kim Je-Woon's entry was so weak narrative-wise and predictable story-wise, because he is the director of one of my favorite movies ever "A Tale of Two Sisters". I went in hoping for something exquisite from him but got a rather generic story. I do not dislike the movie, because it does have its pluses like solid acting, beautiful camera-work, and the cutest child you'll ever see in any movie, but I cannot say I liked it either because there was so little story. All-in-all, Kim Je-Woon's "Memories" is forgettable, shiny, and predictable--nothing more than you'd expect from one of Hollywood's J-horror remakes.

The middle segment on the disc is one of Thai origins called "The Wheel" from director Nonzee Nimibutr. Being only briefly acquainted with Thai horror, I found myself excited to see what Thailand had to offer. Many reviews claim this to be the flimsiest entry, but I have to disagree. I think most of "The Wheel" was lost in translation because it is a piece so close to Thailand. It's a cultural short involving Thai beliefs that we North American viewers simply cannot grasp--or at least not appreciate fully. That being said, I personally loved the cultural experience of watching "The Wheel" and felt almost like it was a documentary of rural Thailand. The set design is beautiful and exotic; the costumes and puppets are breath-taking and unique; the entire piece rings with foreign flavor, and was a nice contrast to "Memories" which could've been copied and pasted into any country's film. That being said, while it dealt with horror (spirits, possession and vengeance) it didn't feel like a full-feldged horror. The very opening is chilling but like "Memories" it fades to black rather quickly. Unlike "Memories" I found myself interested by the foreign aspect and the beauty of the setting, from the murky lagoon to the unique houses to the vibrant costumes. The acting throughout is rocky--there's a few actors who deliver questionable performances, and that is probably my biggest qualm with the film. Aside from that it had a very redeeming ending, and in more ways than one.

The closing piece is absolutely and without question my favorite of the three, and probably my favorite out of the original three as well. I think the DVD editors placing Peter Chan's "Going Home" last was strategy, as they started with the most feeble and the "Going Home" segment is powerful enough to make you forget about "Memories"'s weakness and leaves you with a very positive feeling after watching. Had they reversed the order, the haunting touch of "Going Home" wouldn't have survived through the end of "Memories" and my review would be two starts instead of three. That may sound ridiculous but it's all too true. The story starts with a single father and his son who are moving into a new complex, one that looks decrepit and neglected. This dirty setting is awesome for capturing what will happen later. Chan's direction then switches from the father-son relationship and to a much more aberrant relationship concerning a rather shoddy character we're introduced to through the young son and a wife who is seemingly long-dead. This is a ghastly, provocative, touching story of requited love and the testing of lengths one will go through for that love. I will not delve any further into the story--discover this gem on your own. If anything this DVD is worth the $15 for this piece alone--I wish it could've been a feature length film.

Overall, "Three Extremes II" doesn't succeed as horror but are an excellent trio of chilling dramas. It was a disappointing follow-up to "Three Extremes" but the two shouldn't be compared because they are different films with different messages. I picture only a fan of Asian horror liking this DVD, so if you're new perhaps go with something more user-friendly before diving into this piece.

6.5/10

Actually made before the more popular 3 Extremes, but released afterward in most of the world. These three directors are less bankable than Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park, though Ji-woon Kim does have A Tale of Two Sisters under his belt. Plus, it's much weaker. 3 Extremes, in my mind, is maybe the greatest horror anthology ever made, so this one has a lot to live up to. It begins with Kim's "Memories", which has some familiar Asian ghost story elements, but concentrates more on the images and moods than actual plot. In fact, the plot is fairly incoherent, though, after having seen the whole thing, it's easy enough to piece together what exactly is going on. I liked it quite a bit. Nonzee Nimibutr from Thailand comes next with "The Wheel". It's also a film that relies more on images than the story, which is about cursed puppets. The images are pretty, but the short is kind of lame. It's not terrible, but it's definitely the low point of this anthology. And then we come to Peter Chan's contribution, "Going Home". This one is the reason to watch this film. Gorgeously shot by master cinematographer Christopher Doyle, it's about a cop and his son who move into a new apartment building. The boy is annoyed by a small, creepy girl who lives across the way, and one day he disappears. While looking for his son, the cop discovers that the neighbor whom he thought was the girl's father is involved in some weird stuff. This one is just outstanding - and completely emotionally draining - and it gets better the more I think about it.

Three, internationally marketed as 3 Extremes 2, consists of three horror short films by renowned Asian directors. All three short movies had something different to offer and were quite entertaining since they didn't overstay their welcome. However, these short movies aren't among the directors' greatest hours either.

The first short film is entitled Memories and was created by South Korean director Kim Jee-won, who made masterpieces like the psychological drama A Tale of Two Sisters, comedy western The Good, the Bad, the Weird and grisly horror shocker I Saw the Devil. Memories tells two stories that slowly but surely intertwine. The first story is about a man whose wife has disappeared and who suffers from memory loss as he can't remember why or how she left. The second story revolves around a woman who wakes up in the middle of a street, can't remember who she is and tries to figure out her identity and what happened to her. On the positive side, the movie convinces with gloomy atmosphere and moody cinematography. On the negative side, the story is somewhat predictable and slow-paced.

The second short film is called The Wheel and was created by Thai director Nonzee Nimibutr, who is known for action movie Dang Bireley and the Young Gangsters, romantic horror film Nang Nak - Return from the Dead and romantic drama Jan Dara. The Wheel revolves around cursed puppets that haunt a group of puppeteers living and performing in rural Thailand. The curse starts when the master puppeteer puts his soul into said puppets but later on orders his wife and child to get rid of them. His wife and child drown and the old man burns alive in his house. A rival puppeteer plans on using these puppets but other grisly events soon start to take place as performers collapse on stage, commit suicide or start to see ghosts. On the positive side, this film is the grisliest of the three and includes several haunting deaths. The locations in rural Thailand are stunning to watch. The movie also introduces us to a part of Thai culture which isn't very known outside the country. The film's sinister conclusion is also memorable. On the negative side, the acting performances are a little bit stiff at times and the movie was obviously suffering from a very low budget.

The third and last short film is called Going Home and was created by Thailand-born Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-Sun Chan, who directed movies such as romantic comedy drama The Love Letter, historical drama The Warlords and action epic Dragon. Going Home tells the story of a single father and cop who moves into a decrepit apartment complex with his infant son. His son soon befriends the strange daughter of the only other family living in the building and then goes missing. His father suspects the weird father of that family who nurses his mysterious wife back to health to be responsible for his son's disappearance. On the positive side, the characters in this movie are really strong, the story takes a few unexpected turns and the movie even has a romantic underlying message which one couldn't expect from a horror movie. On the negative side, several questions in this movie remain unanswered which make it feel somewhat unfinished. This movie should have been elaborated into a full length movie to have a bigger impact.

In the end, all three movies have their merits but also a few minor disadvantages. Expect solid psychological and supernatural thrillers but no grisly horror episodes. All of these short films were entertaining and are worth to be discovered, presented or watched again.