Três... Extremos

This compilation movie of three horror stories is dark and disturbing. The first story concerns a woman's greed for beauty and the bizarre path she takes to get it. The second story centers on a director who gets held captive by a film extra with an agenda. This leads to torture and a strange game of cat and mouse. The final story regards a writer with a twisted past. This part is surreal and at times awkward in storytelling and direction. I enjoyed this film as a fan of the horror genre. The elements of surrealism and paranormal activity were effective in each story. While the movie did have a relatively slow pace, the intensity of each stories climax made for a fulfilling watch. Recommended for fans of Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone and admirers of Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park.

3 extremes were 3 short stories about extreme situations. Each story has very different qualities and gave the viewer something to enjoy. Not American style, scream queen, psychobabble laden horror films. More intellectual and artistic as the characters are made to look good rather than deviant. Shorts were you can turn off the subtitles and still understand the plot are hard to come by, but these fit the bill. I wish I could speak the languages of the films because the English translation detracted from the emotional content and context. If you like slasher movies and jump out of your seat scary, pass on these. If you like more artistic, intelligent, and subtle horror films, then these shorts are for you. Some blood and minor amounts of gore. A job well done.

This movie is incredibly cruel and unrelenting. It plays as a single feature divided into three sections: "Dumplings", directed by Fruit Chan of Hong Kong, "Cut" directed by Park Chan-Wook of Korea and "Box" directed by Miike Takashi of Japan. Each section is like a dissertation in horror, although "Dumplings" could also be classified as an exploitation film.

All of them are beautifully produced and directed, and I especially found "Box" to be quite lavish in sets, costumes and atmosphere. They each show a lot about the culture of the respective countries they were made in and also provide new takes on the terrifying and the appalling. They are each original in their own right, although "Cut" could be compared to the "Saw" or Hannibal Lecter franchises in that there's a psycho who's trying to get a message across by way of murder and mayhem.

I don't want to give details on the plots of any of them because I think that viewers need to experience them for themselves with no preconceptions going in, but what I can say is that "Dumplings" has the most plot and is probably the one with the highest "squeam" factor, "Cut" covers a rather familiar premise but with lots of fun moments (you'll see) and "Box" is more of an artistic endeavour with not much of a plot, but for some reason I was enthralled and couldn't look away; it's the one I liked the most.

A solid 8 out of 10 for the efforts of these genius Asian directors.

I wonder what is behind projects like this. I suppose because it is easy to attract talented filmmakers to do a 45 minute project. Such a thing is usually under our expectations of "long form" meaning that the cinematic effect can be direct and uncomplicated.

I thought "Eros" was extremely interesting in the freedom it gave its directors. Three men usually obsessed with elaboration were freed from that expectation and could give a poem rather than a novel.

The results here are mixed though. That's because Asian horror is often never long form at all. Its one scene extended for a long time and surrounded by explanation.

The disk that came to me had "Dumplings" by Chan first, then "Cut"and "Box" last.

Dumplings was for me the most fascinating. I'm challenged when I see multiple versions of something and among the most interesting of these is two versions of the same film by the same filmmaker. I had seen the extended "Dumplings" which I assume was filmed at the same time and simply edited differently. It had a completely different feel to it in the long version. The unsettling thing about that was that it was more real. The sound effects of the eating and the copulation were identical, a remarkable effect.

In this version, its more otherworldly, and there is one special effect at the end that underscores this and for me took all the horror out of what the woman was doing at the time. Its still Chan and why I watched the disk.

Second up was something from Korean Chan-wook Park I know only his "Old Boy" which is a remarkable mix of junk and genius. The setup here is mostly on the junk side. You can skip it if you watch movies the way I do.

The amazing surprise for me was Takashi Miike's "Box." I was very impressed with "Audition," but for some reason haven't followed up. He's amazingly prolific and it seems that he doesn't think things through before he starts. But this little thing is nearly perfect.

Its a Japanese ghost story with a twist that makes it even more sharp. Its cinematic at its center. You can literally watch it with no voice. Its beautiful, and I will include a few of its scenes in my list of films that handle fabric architecturally. (In this case that includes plastic sheets.)

Its folded in the way I study. It involves three persons, a family. Performers. It involves them performing for audiences and each other, connected by performance, sex, kinship. We have performances of all these types, dreams, visions, hallucinations all neatly nested within each other. Physically, you will see that "in a box" will have several meanings, along the lines of groundhog day (so as not to spoil it), body, enclosing space and spiritual being.

It really is perfect and lovely and haunting. You will watch it over and over.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This is an excellent blend of three horror films that characterize the ideal representation of Asian cinema. Each story is presented with ordinary people displaying qualities of evil and depravity. These directors use powerful cinematic storytelling elements in exploring their genres. This is not an ordinary horror film with a ghost or a slasher/killer with a knife but a combination of people who are capable of psychotic behavior. While all of the films are not perfect and contain some mildly dull aspects, watching all three will leave you intrigued with the art and approach of the horror genre utilized in various countries Asia. If you can hold your stomach through the first film "Dumplings", you will certainly enjoy one of these stories and won't be disappointed. A disturbingly good movie!!