The story follows a father and his 6-year-old boy, a year after the boy's mother died, and how they've attempted to cope with the situation. Even with a year's time, it hasn't gotten any easier for them. That is, until one day she returned to them. Despite the fact that they were at her funeral, she was now standing in front of them, as if she never died at all -- the downside? She doesn't remember a thing. The father and son don't mention the fact that she was supposed to be dead; instead they tell her she just got into a little accident and lost her memory. It's later revealed that her return may have something to do the rainy season and an old book she wrote to boy before she died. Sadly, once the rainy season ends she will disappear just as fast she returned. Will she find out in time?

What I liked most about this movie was the excellent character development -- some of the best I've seen in a Romance. Since the mom has no memory she gets the husband to tell the story of how they first met and fell in love, so we get more insight of what kind of people they are, which gives more of an effect towards the end with the more dramatic moments. I thought I had the ending figured out, but I was wrong when the time came, revealing one twist after the other.

This is now in my list of favorite films, right next to South Korea's Romantic-Comedy My Sassy Girl. The movie keeps the viewer interested from the start by its brilliant storytelling and excellent performances, especially that of Yuko Takeuchi as the mom, whom you may remember as the lead from Ringu. The cinematography is also breathtaking, especially in certain emotional scenes. Added with its beautiful, soft, melodic music, this is truly a cinematic masterpiece amongst the Romance genre.

Not that this is much of a surprise, but the US is remaking this movie, which hopes to premiere in 2007. Jennifer Garner will star in place of Yuko Takeuchi's role as the mom. I personally don't think it will compare to the original, but we'll have to wait and see.

COMMENTS
Six years after the success of the first film, Sam Raimi returns with a bigger wallet (thanks to more investors) in the sequel to the infamous Evil Dead. Upon first viewing one would think that the story doesn't make sense since the central character "Ash" returns to the cabin with his girlfriend unknowing of the events in the first. It's as if the first film never happened. Well apparently Sam couldn't get the rights to the original, so since he couldn't recap the intro he ended up having to shoot a new begining the way it was originally intended. Thanks to more know-how and a bigger budget, Sam was finally able to achieve what he set out for. Thus fans are left scratching their heads as to whether the film is a remake or a sequel. I personally consider it to be both (if that's even possible). Regardless it's still my favorite of the trilogy and with good reason.

In this film the once-cowardly Ash of the first film is now a wise-crackin' hero with a badass chainsaw to replace his hand (which he cut off due to it being possessed) and a double-barrel shotgun in the other. The deadites don't stand a chance now. We're also introduced to a more comedic tone to the film, compared to the more serious tone of the first. So let’s brush over the story this time 'round. Unlike the first movie, it starts off with only two characters -- Ash and his girlfriend. The movie really kicks into gear very early on, as within the first 15 minutes the girlfriend dies; re-animates; and Ash attempts to flee from the demonic spirits that chases him around the woods and cabin. Of course we're introduced to four other characters later on that also attempt to fend off against the deadites.

So in the first movie the group find the Necronomicon and read it aloud, which unleashes the spirits, so how do they get released in this film? Well Ash discovers an old tape recorder laying about and plays it, which naturally has some professor-type reading passages from the book and then uh-oh. You really can't go wrong here, with its gallons of blood, silly humor, badass hero, and gore-galore. Evil Dead 2 definitely ranks high among horror fans lists (mine included).

OVERALL
A brainless fun ride from start to finish. Another MUST if you're a horror fan.

REVIEW:
I remember reading about this movie over at aint it cool news a while back and thinking that it sounded very cool. I never once thought that I'd be able to get my hands on it, but I'm sure as hell glad that I did, cuz this movie kicks ass. I was going to give it a 10-rating, but decide to just go for a 9 instead, because I'm very picky with giving out tens, but this is one of the only movies that came so close to getting one.

This movie is pretty much perfect in every way. It has zombies, great martial arts fighting, lots of wicked guns, cool characters and a shit load of blood and gore. The only thing this movie doesn't have is nudity, which isn't bad because nudity usually ruins a film. American movie-makers should take notes from this japanese film. The zombies were unique. They were able to use guns and also able to jump. That's what made the film all the more original and they were really hard to kill.

The action sequences in this movie were amazing. There was this one zombie killing scene that lasted a good 10 to 15 minutes; Guys were just blasting away at the zombies and at each other. Gotta love it.

I don't wanna give away too much of the story, but it's basically where these mob guys are set to meet with two recently escaped convicts at a forest. They finally meet and end up fighting each other because they seriously don't get along. Next thing you know it, one of the mob guys turns into a zombie and all hell breaks loose. The best thing is the mob guys used the forest to bury their past victims, so now they gotta deal with all those dead guys too.

This film isn't strictly just a zombie movie. There are supernatural elements too it that also kind of turns it into a fantasy film. The forest is able to open the gate to the other side to grant great power. That's not necessarily a bad thing because it makes the movie even more interesting. I enjoyed every minute of this. It's two hours of pure enjoyment. The acting was good, there was a little humor here and there to lighten up the mood and the directing was very well done. There were many slow and face-paced shots when needed.

This film is like a John Woo movie with zombies. Some parts of the film reminded me of many japanese animes because of some of the fighting and the way they would spit out all this blood from their mouths. I'm going to add this movie to my favorite films list. I wasn't dissapointed by anything in this movie. I thought that maybe it would be lame towards the end, but was happy to see that even the ending is good.

OVERALL
One of the best films I've ever seen. Two hours of pure entertainment. Has some sweet ass action sequences with loads of gore. If you're a fan of zombies and John Woo action films, see this!!

COMMENTS
This has to be one of the best films I've ever seen. It was enetertaining from the start. I liked how it tackled some things like trust, friendship and love when put in that situation with so many fellow peers.

The plot is very innovative - Teens have practically taken over the schools and adults are mocked by them. The adults have lost control so they form this law where certain classes are forced to go into this game of battle to the death called Battle Royale. The teens are put on a deserted island where each one has to fend off against others in order to be the last person standing, which then wins their freedom home.

Judging from the plot there is obviously a lot of death. It was interesting to see how each one of those teens would come up with a way to kill one another. Some were lucky to have guns while others weren't so lucky and had object likes a trash lid and binoculars. A movie like this wouldn't last in the US because of the stupid MPAA and shit. What a waste that is, because this is truly an entertaining film that can't be too far from the truth considering we have a lot of these reality shows where people are forced to survive.

The fact that these are mere teens killing each other makes the film controversal, but also very interesting. You don't see that kinda stuff often. You have to admire the fact that the director would actually have the guts to put out a film like this, but apparently it works well since it was #1 at the Japanese Box Office for three weeks.

The acting was very well done and so was the directing. I noticed in most parts of the film it was during the night, which made things a lot more intense. Certain of the teens played special rolls like, you have the badass and then you have the wussy guy. I really wasn't dissapointed by any of the film aside from the fact that I couldn't exactly make out everything that was said because of the subtitling on the video. I still got pretty much everything down though.

I would have given the movie a higher rating, but I'm really picky when it comes to 10-ratings and this film came very close to getting one. I think this movie is a MUST for anyone who is tired of the boring shit the MPAA hands out here in America.

OVERALL
Has to be one of the best films I've ever seen. Very innovative and controversal. You have got to see this movie.

COMMENTS
I heard about this movie a long time ago and many times I questioned whether to purchase it or not, and I always seemed to pass it up, but finally gave in a few weeks ago and I'm glad I did, because this is a sweet movie. It has some freaky scenes and a great story.

This is now one of my favorite movies. It's original and has some excellent special effects. Better than I thought it would. Some of the stuff in this movie I've never seen in any other movie before. One of my favorite scenes is a part where a man spins his eyes around and around creating a vortex to prove a point to his family. The script to this movie is very innovative and original. I've never seen a movie based on vortex's before. Though I do remember seeing a scene in Dark City that reminded me of a scene in this movie.

There's nothing really scary in this movie, but there are some chilling parts. It has some small humor now and then like most Japanese movies. The directing was very well done. I liked how the director would create a spiral with the computer that would follow the main characters in certain scenes of the movie. It was cool to look around for it while watching the movie. Never seen that done before either.

The movie keeps you interested and entertained from start to finish. I would have given it a 10-rating, but decided to hold off on that and settle with a 9. It's still a great film. The problem is it's only on Region 3 DVD, so unless you have a DVD-rom or an all-region DVD player, you will most likely not be able to catch this film. Hopefully someone will distribute this in the US in the near future.

Hollywood is already remaking two japanese horror films, RING and PULSE, so I wouldn't be surprised if they remake this movie too. I rather they not though. I think it's better left alone.

OVERALL
One of my favorite japanese horror films. Very original story. Has some freaky scenes and stuff that I've never seen before. Check this out if you can view Region 3 DVDs. You wont find it on VHS.

A romance-comedy with a sci-fi twist, the film follows a young loner who meets a strange girl one night on his birthday. After some crazy memorable situations, they part ways, but not before she claims to be from the future. Love-struck, the young man thinks nothing of it and spends the rest of the year wondering if he'll ever see her again.

A year passes and it's his birthday again, and the girl returns; or has she? In her place is a cyborg, which has entrusted itself to the man; a sworn protector and crime fighter! Actually, not really, but she does help the guy go through his everyday life. Well, the crime-fighting part isn't all false either. Given that she has incredible speed and strength (being a cyborg), she does find the time to save a kid from getting hit by a bus, a group of students from a hostage situation, and another set of kids from a fire.

It's obvious from "My Sassy Girl" that the writer/director was really into story-telling and sci-fi stuff, and he got to act on that fantasy with "Cyborg Girl", and in a big way. The film is surprisingly big-budgeted for a romance-comedy (you'll know why if you watch it) and offers some pretty decent CGI effects. Much like the previous features, our leads get into some silly, but enjoyable and funny situations, especially when the cyborg does something crazy in public. The story pays homages to the previous flicks, and obviously borrows from "Terminator", even down to the way the girl time-travels.

Funny, heart-warming, and all-around entertaining, the movie is a fun ride from the start and I urge anyone who loves a good romance-comedy (especially if you're a fan of South Korean or Japanese ones) to give this a check; you won't regret it

"Noroi the Curse" follows a similar formula, focusing around a journalist whose job is to investigate the paranormal. The movie is played out in a very real documentary style, as we're shown the case the man was last investigating leading up to his disappearance. Combined with clips from news reports and variety shows, we follow along as the man slowly unravels the mystery behind all these strange supernatural occurrences, and eventually follow the trail back to an old legend and the curse of a small town.

This movie grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go. The way the story is told keeps you glued, as we essentially put together pieces of the puzzle--along with the journalist. The eerie atmospheric music, combined with a number of creepy scenes involving symbols and strange images in the background, will likely give anyone chills down their spine. We are shown strange things here and there, but the film is mostly an investigative piece that forces you to pay attention to detail. This is what makes the movie achieve a creepy factor that many other cinematic efforts attempt to reach, but fail along the way.

Viewers may recognize Kôji Shiraishi's name behind his mediocre films "Ju-Rei" and "Carved", which both have US DVD releases. For some reason the only movie in the man's record that's worth a damn isn't available here yet. However, word is that it will get a release later in the year, so keep an eye out.

OVERALL:
The film's story is told in a realistic documentary style and forces the viewer to pay attention to detail, as we put together clues along-with the journalist. That, combined with the eerie atmospheric music and strange supernatural events, the movie reaches a stage of creepiness that's uncommon in today's modern cinema. Give this baby a check, but be sure to watch it with the volume up and the lights off.

Set in the early 1600's, the film follows a group of poor villagers as they get the aid of 5 skilled swordsmen to help fight against an evil general and his army of bounty hunters. Apparently a new government has been established banning any use of martial arts (except for those enforcing the law) and get $$ for each dead martial artist. In the vein of the classic 50's Japanese classic Seven Samurai, the skilled swordsmen and a couple brave villagers fend against the army and hope to take down the new law. The plot thickens as we learn that as they flee the village there may be a traitor among them leaving clues to the enemy. Who's the traitor? And can they really take down the general and his army?

I really enjoyed this movie, and loved the post-apocalyptic feel of the beginning. There's a nice blend of swordplay and martial arts, with a lot of distinct characters to follow along with. Even the baddies had their interesting group of people. Added with all the interesting gadgets and weaponry and we've got a pretty solid popcorn flick. My only complaint is the ending, where it seemed lacking in power compared to the feel and fight scenes earlier on. There are also a lot of avenues with the swords and characters that could have been explored. Of course we're left with an arch-ending, so I'd expect more to be explored in the sequel.

In my personal opinion a best way to describe the film would be a cross between the Japanese film Azumi and South Korea's Musa: The Warrior. All-in-all if you're looking for a solid martial arts flick, with cool characters and innovative weapons, then check this.

COMMENTS
I heard a lot of positive stuff on this Hong Kong horror film, so I decided to check it out and I'm glad I did, because I liked it so much that I added it to my list of favorite movies.

It starts off with a blind girl getting eye surgery to regain her eyesight. The operation is a success and things are normal until she begins seeing ghosts all around her. She tries to ignore them, but soon learns that she can't, so she goes in search for the origins of her eyes in hopes of explaining why these things are happening.

I really enjoyed this movie, because it had a good story and lots of scares. I even admit to getting freaked out in a couple scenes of the film. Pretty wicked stuff. The directing and acting was very good and there was some dramatic stuff thrown into the story to make you feel more for the characters. I thought that was a nice touch.

The ghosts are all unique in their own ways, and as usual, some are scarier than others. I thought it was also very cool how the woman was able to see "Death" and how each person had their own. The movie goes through a turn in the story-line about an hour into it, because the girl goes in search of the origins of her eyes. That was a good idea, because we can't just keep having her see ghosts for nothing.

I would have given the movie a higher-rating, but I thought an 8-rating was most fitting. Not since the Ring trilogy had I gotten freaked out in a film. There is talks on a remake for this and that wouldn't surprise me considering Hollywood already remade Ring and are working on a remake for Pulse (Kairo). I actually wouldn't mind a remake for this as long as they keep the feel to the movie the same.

OVERALL
Now one of my favorite movies. If you liked Ring then I recommend you check into this film. Good scares; freaky ghosts.

COMMENTS
I've seen a few Japanese horror films in the past, but this one has a catagory all on its own. Talk about an original plot. The film is very innovative and has some weird, creepy scenes in it. The begining reminded me of a teen slasher, only without the slashing.

Starts off with these two teen girls talking about the legend of a cursed tape. The legend goes like this... they say when you view the tape a woman appears saying that you will die. After viewing the tape you get a phone call, with someone on the other end saying the same thing. A week later, you die. Pretty interesting stuff.

The whole deal with passing the tape along to another is a very cool idea. I mean, who ever heard of a haunted video tape? When I first read about it in Fangoria I knew that I had to see this film. I'm glad I did. One thing kind of dissapointed me was the fact that it wasn't as "creepy" as many people set it out to be. I thought it was gonna be really creepy, but it only had a few somewhat creepy scenes in it. That's not all too bad because the ending was worth it.

In the film a reporter views the tape then tries to uncover the truth behind it. She gets her ex-husband to join in and he views the tape as well. That gives them about a week to find out where the tape came from and what's it about. The whole story behind the tape gets you hooked. The film basically gets you hooked from the start.

At one point we get to see what is actually on the tape. Talk about some weirdass shit. This film did so well that there's gonna be an american version of it. I dunno when it's coming out though. I'm guessing 2002 or 2003. I'd like to see how different it'll be. If anyone plans to see the american version, I recommend you check this version out first. I know I'll be comparing the films.

There are two other sequels of this film, but I hear they suck. I have a copy of the second film, so I'll be reviewing that one later on.

OVERALL
Very cool japanese horror flick. Has some weird, creepy moments and really makes ya think. Original story and excellent ending. I recommend this film to all you horror fans out there that are tired of the same old american slashers.

COMMENTS
Writer/director Sam Raimi returns once again to end his Evil Dead trilogy with Army of Darkness in '93. I remember at the time this film came out I wasn't into horror flicks as much, so when I heard of the film I didn't know what it was, so I actually never got around to viewing it until a year or two after its release. Armed with an even bigger budget, Sam took the film to a bigger scale with a number of make-up, puppet, and special effects to show the army of the undead. The movie has an even lighter and more comedic tone than the previous two and focused less on horror and more on entertainment. Although it's my least favorite in the series, it still ranks high in my list as it's still a hilarious film with its blatantly obvious cheesy effects.

In this movie we follow Ash as he's sent to medieval times through the portal at the end of the second film. Starting off slightly different than how the second ended, we witness Ash get captured by Lord Arthur's men as he's mistaken as that of the enemy. He's thrown into a pit, which contains a deadite. Obviously Ash makes short work of it with his trusty chainsaw. Once shunned by the townspeople, he's now a hero as he's the supposed "chosen one" that'll rid the world of the deadites. Ash doesn't care much for the "medieval screwheads" and only wants a way back home. The Wiseman explains how the only way back is to reclaim the Necronomicon, but to recite certain words before he retrieves it. Naturally Ash doesn't say the words correctly, which ends up unleashing more evil upon the world, one of which includes "bad ash", whom he first encountered while in the process of retrieving the book. Now Ash must help the villagers and the knights to fend off against the army of the undead.

What I've always enjoyed about the Evil Dead films are how each movie had something new to offer. In the first movie we saw a darker, more scary side; the second had a more kick-ass heroic side; and the last had a more fun and hilarious side. Also, a lot of things aren't reused at-nausea like a lot of other horror sequels. For instance instead of Ash reusing the same-old chainsaw, they give him a metallic hand. Its little things like that which makes the trilogy all-the-more enjoyable. Sam has expressed interest in doing another film for years, but it wasn't until recently (especially with news on an Evil Dead remake) that the news seems to be more relevant than ever. Who knows when or how the next film will take the series, but I'll tell you one thing -- another film will be nothing without Bruce Campbell as Ash.

OVERALL
If you enjoyed the previous two films then you'll defintely enjoy this one.

COMMENTS
Before director Sam Raimi tackled the $130-million dollar web-slingin' Spider-Man, he was just a man with a dream, a camera, and a group of friends. Before Evil Dead, there was Within the Woods -- a short 30-minute pilot that featured Bruce Campbell as a man who becomes possessed by evil spirits and murders his fellow comrades in a secluded cabin. The film was made with a $1,600 budget and Sam hoped to strike interest from possibly investors. He succeeded and collected an estimated $375,000 to shoot The Evil Dead. I saw this movie many years ago after doing research online for horror flicks I hadn't seen. I rented this flick the first chance I got and I've enjoyed it since, even after countless viewings, it never gets old and the reactions from those who I show it to always makes the experience worthwhile. The film is a cult hit amongst horror fans and turned the Ash character into an icon.

For those of you who may not have seen this (*slap*), the story follows four friends as they vacation at a small secluded cabin deep in the woods. Once there it's apparent that the cabin was once inhabited as some items were left over, one of which is an old book called "The Necronomicon" A.K.A. "Book of the Dead". Naturally some of the pages are read aloud, and well, you can guess what happens next. Thus begins all the gore and mayhem that is The Evil Dead. This is a film that's known to those that may have seen it at the theaters to be one of the "scariest films ever made". Next to the Exorcist, I'm sure, but they were right about one thing -- it is a film that will stay in your mind after the first viewing.

Next to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films and the Friday the 13th series, the Evil Dead trilogy is one of the most copied themes in the genre to-date. Many movies over the years were inspired by this film and its sequels and I don't blame them. Hell, they're even doing a remake. I suppose there's just something about an eerie abandoned cabin in the woods that really sucks people in. This film is the darker of the three films and some say the "scariest" as well. You'll later see in the next two films that the tone is lightened and the action is kicked up a notch, but I'll get to those in my other reviews.

OVERALL
The darker film of the three and possibly also the scariest. A good movie that every horror fan must view at least once in their lifetime.

The movie stars Ji-hyun Jun, who you may remember as the lead chick in Sassy. She plays a very similar character in this film (overbearing; rude), but this time she's a police officer. It starts off with her mistakenly arresting the wrong guy (Hyuk Jang - Volcano High) after a woman gets her pursed snatched. Of course that's not the last they see of each other, as they become friends and more-so as the film progresses.

Although the movie tries to be another Sassy Girl, it didn't quite capture the feel and humor. Despite that, being a fan of Sassy and Jae-young Kwak work as a talented writer/director, I have to give the film a solid 8/10. It falls in the category as another successful romantic comedy from South Korea (in my opinion).

COMMENTS
I first saw this film when it was in limited release at theatres, but at the time I didn't review it. After my second viewing of the 3-DVD Director's Cut I decided to give it a review. I remember when I first heard about this movie I thought it might have something to do with werewolves or something because of the title, silly me

The story is basically about two men who are sent to help a king track down a "beast" thats been killing off many of the kings people. This director's cut is only released in Canada for some reason and contains about 10 mins of extra footage. It's nothing too special, they were just cut for time, because the film was nearing the 3-hour mark.

I really enjoyed this film. Its beautifully shot, has great atmosphere, good action sequences and Mark Dacascos is da man! He's a very underrated actor in my opinion. Great martial arts skills. The plot for this film isn't too original, but it's not a typical "horror" film, especially since its taken place in the 18th century.

There aren't any real scares in this film, but it's obvious there really wasn't meant to be. It's mainly story driven, which causes the film to drag on a bit sometimes, especially since it's so long. When the action does pick up it becomes very entertaining. I liked how the slow-motion that we usually see in action scenes are sometimes used in typical scenes for this film. There was a lot more nudity than I expected which isn't a bad thing

I would have given the movie a higher rating, but it felt too long at times and slowed down a bit. It's still a very well done film either way. If you do get this on DVD try to get your hands on the Canadian 3-DVD version.

OVERALL
Cool horror film with beautiful shots and atmosphere. A little long, but enjoyable. Check this if you haven't already.

COMMENTS
I heard a lot of positive stuff about this Spanish movie and I've been greatly anticipating it since I first saw the trailer last year. I'm glad I finally got to check it and way before its video release here in the US. Although I expected a little more than the movie offered, it still had a very good story and some creepy moments.

It takes place in 1939, where a boy who moves into an orphanage, because his father's part of a cival war that is going on in Spain. Being the new kid, he deals with the occasional bullying and frequent encounters with a ghost of a little boy named Santi. As the story goes on we learn more about Santi and what his true intentions are to be haunting the orphanage.

I really enjoyed this movie. It's a bit slow, but it's interesting from the start. It has a great story and it's original compared to many other films that deals with ghosts. There are some sweet special effects and some creepy scenes involving Santi. It wasn't as scary as I had hoped, which disappointed me a little.

It was said a long time ago that the ending was supposed to be something really controversial, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was actually a bit predictable, but still very cool. The story for this movie just basically explains the meaning of ghosts. The acting was good and the directing was excellent.

I would have given the movie a higher-rating, but I felt that I was a little let down with all the hype it got before hand. I expected more scares and a more controversial ending. I should know better. None-the-less it was still a good movie with a great story.

I believe this movie will be released in the US in September of this year, so be sure to rent this mofo when it hits video shelves.

OVERALL
A good original story. Expected more scares and a better ending, but still enjoyable and interesting. Check this when it hits video in September.

COMMENTS
This has to be one of the best zombie films I've ever seen, along side Dawn of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, and the remake of Night. It has lots of John Woo-style action and lots of zombies.

Starts off with three thieves robbing a jewelry store. They make away with a billion yen worth of jewelry and have to meet up with their contact at some old military facility. The rest is pretty much already known - One of them ends up getting bit by a zombie and a bunch more zombies rise and so on.

This movie is what most US zombies movies should be like. It has lots of excellent action and guns and a bunch of zombie killing. You can see a little Night of the Living Dead influence here and there, but the movie really reminded me of the game Resident Evil, from the military facility down to a zombie boss. Very cool.

The zombies in this movie are slow and predictable, except one main zombie - the dead wife of one of the scientists who worked on the government project to raise the dead. Apparently the scientist couldn't handle his wife being dead so he created a formula to make the dead rise and used it on his wife. She's different from the other zombies because she was the first to get the formula and she is able to think freely and seems to have super-human strength to boot.

It's just so much like RE and me being a fan of the game is what made me really enjoy this movie. The effects were average and there was a lot of gore, since we see zombies munchin' on human intestines a lot.

I was hoping to see the zombies escape the facility and go into a local town or something, but no such luck. It was interesting to see some english in the movie because lots of Japanese films I've seen naturally have no english. Just be sure you can read fast because it's subtitled. I think if you're a fan of the Resident Evil games, like I am, you're certainly enjoy this movie.

I would have given the movie a higher rating, but I was dissapointed that it only took place in the facility and no where else. Other than that the movie is good.

OVERALL
One of the best zombie films I've ever seen. Those japanese people really know how to make a good horror film. If you're a fan of the Resident Evil series, you'll love this movie.

In the film we follow an ambitious young reporter named Angela, who's the host of a late night television program, who along with her cameraman, decide to feature the latest episode on firefighters and what they do when they're on the job. After spending most of the night with the men (watching their usual routine of relaxing and waiting for a call), the siren finally roars, and Angela and her cameraman are off to the scene. On their way to an apartment building, the firemen know little of what they're actually called out for, but once there, they discover that there's no fire, but an old woman is in some sort of distress in one of the upper floors.

Following the firemen, Angela and the rest of the crew are witness to what seems to a bloody and very violent and hysterical old woman. It doesn't take long for them to realize that something's off about some of the tenants in the upper floors and before they can find out what exactly is going on, they're sealed inside the building, with word from authorities on the outside that the building and those inside it are quarantined and not to leave the premises. Now, not only are the survivors stuck in with a group of infectious rage-induced violent psychopaths, but there appears to be no escape. Angela and her cameraman capture all the details, unraveling clues of what's happening along the way.

I've seen a handful of P.O.V. camera-themed films, but this is probably the worst, in terms of keeping the camera clear, well lit, and steady. In fact, there are a lot of scenes that spend a little too long being either too dark or too blurry. Although, I understand that they tried to capture everything as real as possible, I would think that an experienced cameraman would know how to fix a blurry scene in a matter of seconds. I guess I can excuse some of it to being in danger, but it seriously ruins a number of potentially scary scenes. There's also a lot of shaky camera business, but I had a harder time dealing with the blurry or dark ones to even care whether the camera was steady or not. You'll probably often find yourself wondering what you're actually looking at, especially when the action finally kicks in.

That's pretty much my only gripe about the movie. The rest of the film is pretty solid in my book, although it does get a little slow in the halfway point, but that's only to establish the situation and characters, so it's excusable. So what the hell is causing everyone to become like this? Taking cues from 28 Days Later, it's apparently some sort of mutated form of the rabies virus, causing its victims to become filled with rage. The virus can be transmitted with the saliva, so naturally those bitten also become infected, and depending on their blood type, the symptoms can occur in a matter of minutes or a matter of hours.

Like I said before, the film had a chance to offer a series of potentially scary scenes, but thanks to the lack of lighting and blurry camerawork, we're left with only a lot of yelling and screaming. However, the ending is probably one of the scariest moments in the movie, and we're luckily given a somewhat clear shot of what's happening. The film couldn't have ended any better, in my opinion. The US remake was greenlit shortly after the original started to get publicity, so expect to catch that in October of this year. I'm sure it'll offer scenes that'll be easier to see, so I'm not entirely opposed of the remake, but whether it'll actually be scary or not remains to be seen.

OVERALL
Although the movie is good, many of its scenes suffer from being either too dark, out of focus, or just damn shaky, so a lot of potentially scary scenes are lost. Even though this is one of the worst P.O.V. films I've seen in terms of giving the audience a clear view of what's happening, it's still remains as one of the best in the sub-genre. So, if you can sit through all that mess, you'll be given an entertaining watch, with a somewhat chilling climax. Check this one out whenever you get a chance.

Although the movie isn't high in gore or body-count, the excellent performance by Terry O'Quinn and the intriguing storyline keeps you interested. With the daughter poking her nose where it shouldn't belong, to witnessing Jerry go through his many transformations into his other life, it almost seems like the slow-pacing isn't a factor in this. When it is time for the action to pick up, the brutality and rage Terry can produce on screen makes you forget that there isn't a whole lot of blood or gore in these kills. It's the intensity he can bring to the screen that makes you fear his character, especially because he plays the perfect father in one scene and have a total outburst in the other. This is definitely one of those underrated 80's horror movies that you may catch on late-night television and still remember years later. If you're looking to purchase this on DVD you'll need an all-region DVD player, because there's currently no Region 1 release of it in the US. Who knows how the proposed remake will be, but I doubt there's an actor out there that can top Terry O'Quinn's performance as "The Stepfather".

OVERALL: This is a memorable underrated 80s horror film that deserves a SE DVD treatment in the US. Check this film out if you can get your hands on it.

The film debuted with mixed reviews and horrible box office totals, only making $2-million out of its $8-million budget. It makes sense, in a way, considering a movie like this is hard to market, since it really has no audience. It's rated R and doesn't have enough to appeal to a younger audience, and older viewers may find the thin premise a bit uninspiring. Regardless of the slack the film has received, I personally liked it. It took a while to kick in, but when it did I was glued to the screen, especially when it came down to the deaths.

The premise can't get any simpler than this -- a woman working late attempts to make it to her sister's in time for Christmas, but fails to even leave the parking garage when her car won’t start. A nearby security guard offers some assistance, but obviously has no intention of actually getting it working again. It doesn't take long before the woman finds herself chained to a table and spends the rest of the night trying to escape the guard and his vicious canine. Like I said before, the movie really doesn't pick up until 25/30-minutes in, after they've established some character development and the guard reveals his misguided feelings towards the woman. After that it's pretty much just a lengthy escape, with a couple dead co-workers thrown into the mix.

The movie offered some decent tension, but left behind a couple plot-holes. Although a lot of bases were covered that took care of how difficult it was for the woman to escape, there were still a couple ways left over that I felt they might've missed. Just a couple minor details that I suppose can be overlooked. On another note, Wes Bentley is a decent actor, but he just wasn't believable as the crazy security guard, and even left me laughing at his numerous outbursts towards the woman. Was that supposed to be creepy? I just saw the character as some lonely weirdo and not some psycho killer that'd stop at nothing to get what he wants, which was what they seemed to be going for. Either way, I still liked the movie, and regardless of the box office numbers, it'll still make its money back in DVD sales.

OVERALL: The film starts off a bit on the slow side, but picks up and delivers a fairly good thriller. Though not specifically scary, it did offer some decent tension and pretty gory deaths. Worth a check with an open mind.

Originally titled "13" (after the unused floor that they're stuck in) the film is the effort from first-time director Kit Ryan, and tells the story of a man named Ritchie (Stephen Dorff) who's in debt with the Russian mob after they helped his mother immigrate from Russia and start a new life. A professional thief, Ritchie now has one last job to do for the mob before he's finally set free from the debt, but it'll also prove to be his hardest task yet. Teamed up with a couple goofy brothers, the trio are sent to steal a golden cross from the penthouse of a Russian skyscraper. After successfully obtaining the cross, the trigger-happy older brother makes a scene in the elevator after some people refuse to get off, which eventually alerts security and forces the elevator the stop on the unused 13th floor.

Now the theives have a group of hostages to take care of as they attempt to negotiate with the police via a two-way radio. Little do they know that the person on the other end of the radio is one of two twin psychopathic serial killers (one of which believes he's the reincarnation of Russian ruler "Ivan the Terrible") that make short use of the hostages and would-be thieves. Fans of the UK horror-comedy Severance will likely take a shining to this, as two films are similar in gore and comedic aspects, although this film goes a step further by delivering over-the-top characters and gore sequences. The movie is pretty fun from the start, from the interesting and goofy characters that you either love or hate, to the ridiculous dancing lead killer that has rigged the floor with traps, and uses a variety of ancient weapons to dice up his victims.

The only problem I have with the flick is where most of the film is taken place -- the unused 13th floor -- as it gets a little tiresome seeing the lead characters constantly running from one corner to the other (that all look the same), and sometimes looking far too much like a movie set than it should. It also seemed like they could have done a better job in terms of traps, since we really only get one main trap, which wasn't all that great to begin with either. However, this can be overlooked since there was a lot of time for character development, and managed to deliver a good amount of gore-candy for us fans.

OVERALL: This is a relatively unheard of over-the-top gore-filled horror comedy that not only has comedy that works, but fun characters that you can root for as well. Worth a check whenever it gets a US release.

The movie's premise is also short and to the point -- a woman named "Sarah" loses her boyfriend in a car accident, leaving her alone with her unborn child, who's still kicking in her belly. Distraught over her loss, she confines herself in her home; counting the days before she finally gives birth. However, this night wouldn't be like any other night, as she's woken up by the sound of knocking at her door. A shadowy figure is seen outside, who reveals herself to be a woman having car trouble and in need of a phone. Sarah obviously doesn't fall for such a foolish trick, and attempts to shoo her away. However, this strange woman reveals that she knows Sarah's name and other bits of information that only someone who knows her personally or has been stalking her would know. The rest of the film is played out with Sarah trying to survive the rest of the night from the crazy woman, who wants what's in her belly.

Since the film is relatively short, the action picks up pretty early on. After about 20-minutes of character development and setting the scene, the crazy woman makes her appearance and pretty much gives Sarah hell for the rest of the night, offing anyone who comes to visit. I wasn't sure how they could make a movie set in pretty much one location with very few characters without it getting rather dull, but they somehow pulled it off and I wasn't bored one bit. The movie offers some decent tense situations, but it really shines when it comes to the blood and guts, which we get an extensive amount of. Call me morbid, but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw how much blood would squirt from a victim's neck. Artery or not, it was just so excessive! It’s no wonder that the Weinstein’s are only releasing this movie on DVD here in the US, because it definitely wouldn't be able to handle a theatrical release without getting an NC-17 by the horrible MPAA.

OVERALL: Once again we have to turn to France to find a good horror movie. We've got a fresh premise, some tense scenes, and simply put: this is one of the bloodiest horror films I've seen in a while. Look out for this one when it hits DVD later this year.

Hatchet is a throwback of classic slashers from the 80's (namely the Friday the 13th series), with writer/director Adam Green successfully attempting to bring that old school feel and flavor by dishing out gratuitous nudity, violence, and gore, which just so happens to also be perfect recipe for a highly entertaining horror flick! The 80's is my personal favorite decade for the genre, and Hatchet definitely does bring that style back, but sadly loses its mark when it ends abruptly, and you come to realize the film was nothing more than 'Girls Gone Wild' the first half, and lots of bloody deaths and running away the second. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that had so much running involved without actually reaching any sort of destination. The whole entire second half is nothing more than the group trying to escape from Victor in the swamps, and somehow still getting picked off one by one. It also seems like the movie holds the record for the most main-villain knockouts, with Victor going down up to four times (from what I can remember) and each time the remaining survivors would simply run away again instead of finishing the job (yeah, like he's not gonna get up again like he did the past three times already).

Like I brushed on earlier, this film is an obvious nod to the F13 films, with the swamps of Louisiana replacing the misty waters of Camp Crystal Lake. In this movie we follow a group of adventure-seeking tourists as they attend a cheesy over-priced ride through the bayou, only to get stranded after the boat collides with a series of rocks. The crew also just so happens to become lost near the old Crowley home, where the locals believe the spirit of Victor Crowley still haunts the grounds. As legend has it, a man (Kane Hodder) had a disfigured son, whom he kept hidden away in his home in order to protect him from bullies and peering eyes. When a prank by a few kids goes wrong one night, the boy is seemingly burnt to death in the home and now whoever passes through the area winds up either dead or missing. What Hatchet lacks in story does make up for in gore and awesome deaths. Although the ripping-jaw-death (my favorite in the film) has been done before, I don't think it has been perfected as well as it has in this movie. There's literally buckets of blood being thrown around (which looks ridiculous, but does add to the camp factor).

This is a movie made by horror fans and will pretty much only speak to horror fans, which is why so many of us have taken a liking to it. It's a pretty brutal and ballsly slasher that has its ups and downs -- it's fun and gore-filled, but it's way too short (75-minutes, with another 5-minutes worth of credits), and delivers a ridiculously simple story. The gore works in its favor, but to be honest, most of us have generally matured as an audience and demand slightly more story-wise, and we especially don't need any more back-from-the-dead unstoppable killers; we've already seen our favorites either in space or battling-it-out with rappers. Hatchet could have been a great film if more of an effort was made towards the story instead of focusing it all on the gore. Sure the gore is great, but what's left in the movie if all that's taken away?

OVERALL: Hatchet is a fun ride, but (much like a ride) once things start moving along, before you know it, it's over. The first half is nothing but dirty jokes and T&A, while the second half is a lot of running in circles and bloody deaths. The movie has its ups and downs, but when it all comes down to it, it's still an entertaining watch. What it lacks in story it makes up for in gore and great deaths. Worth a check, but don't expect much story-wise.

I think what I liked most about the movie were the sweet death scenes, which were some of the most original death scenes I've seen in a horror movie, and considering it was uncut I was sure not to miss any of the gore. Some of the more memorable scenes would have to be where a girl gets totally ripped to shreds when glass breaks in front of her. Another is where a guy gets his ribs crushed when he uses one of the weight equipment; pretty sweet stuff. It was also cool to see Ken Foree in the movie. You might remember him as the black fellow from Dawn of the Dead. Very cool guy. We also see a small cameo from the girl that played Hilary from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I was hoping she'd have a nude scene, but sadly she didn’t.

The acting is average stuff you see coming from the 80s and so is the directing. The only stuff I really didn't like about the movie were the plot-holes. Other than that I enjoyed it and that's why I decided to give it a 6-rating. If you see this movie, try to catch the uncut version. I don't know how much they cut from the regular version, but it must be a lot. There are some really cool gory scenes.

OVERALL

Some might disagree, but to me it's a very underrated 80's horror film. It had some really sweet death scenes and gore. Only bad thing about the movie are the plot-holes. Check this film and try to get the uncut version.

As stated above, our main character is a female detective, who, after foiling up a recent bust in hopes of catching a criminal, is forced to go undercover and pose as a High School student in order to be-friend the daughter of the criminal that they could have caught sooner. This obviously isn't the most original plot, but regardless it still works thanks to the interesting characters and situations that we encounter throughout the film.

The movie also had a couple engaging sub-plots, such as when the "toughest" girl in school is beat up by the detective, so there are a few instances where she attempts to get revenge, like when she gets some weirdo and his cronies to fight her. We've also got a very small romantic sub-plot involving another new student whom the detective falls for, but what his real intentions for also be-friending the criminal's daughter is up for question. There's also a sub-plot involving a concerned teacher played by Sang-Myeon Park of My Wife is a Gangster-fame (he played the husband).

The movie isn't all about the comedy either, as it does have a handful of scenes involving a lot of people gettin' their asses handed to'em by our leads. In the end the movie is another solid addition to South Korea's continuous number of successful action-comedies.

On another note, does anyone else think the circled Korean guy on the left looks like Terrence Howard from Hustle and Flow? Maybe it's just me. 7/10

The movie really wouldn't be much without its interesting leading characters:

We've got the local drunkard who someone stumbled his way into the village. Despite no one knowing who he is or where he came from, he's still a valuable asset to the cause as he's an expert in duel axe-wielding.

Then we've got the powerful leader with his silly straight mustache; possibly a descendant of Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York. Never-the-less he's a great leader and manages to take on many foes at once.

Next we have the kind-hearted warrior with his strong-willed pregnant wife. He has much to lose, but still chooses to put his life on the line for the good of the village.

Of course there are other supporting characters like two leading females (one is the guy's wife) and the leader that was wounded in battle, which led them to look for the Bill look-a-like. I like the movie -- it has emotion (but not too much) and interesting fight scenes. I also liked the setting, because it's not everyday that I catch a war-flick that involves more sword-duel-wielding than automated weapons.

The only downside I have is some of the choreography looked a bit awkward at times. I also expected a little more blood and guts going on. Luckily, the director ended up saving all that good stuff in the sweet climactic battle, which is my favorite part of the movie. We're treated with a nice 20-minute battle sequence; Cool stuff!

Recommended if you're lookin' for something different. 7/10

I enjoyed this movie, despite it being a draining two-hours -- it tend to drag on a bit with excessive dialogue during certain scenes. Though, thanks to the characters and some of the comedy relief that some characters bring to the table, we're never really bored by what's going on. The story successfully manages to keep the viewer guessing as to who really is behind the murder, which is normally something hard to come-by now-a-days. A couple interesting points which I liked most, would be how the film takes place in a 48-hour time-frame, revealing how even a stone-cold murder case can fall apart when further clues surface.

COMMENTS
I heard about this film a while back and thought it sounded very interesting, so I was glad to finally check it out. It's just too bad the official DVD release doesn't have English subtitles. I had to get an unofficial copy off ebay, because those are the only ones that offered the subtitles.

The movie hooks you from the beginning when over 50 high school students commit a mass suicide by throwing themselves in front of a subway train. Very intense scenes and they didn't hold back on the blood and gore. The story, like I said above, is basically about a detective that is trying to find the cause of all the suicides in Japan.

This is a pretty good film that should please gore fans, like myself. I was a bit confused towards the end, but then again I heard from the director some time ago that the movie wasn't really supposed to make sense. What I liked most about this was how the director made the deaths somewhat humorous at times. Much like what they did in Final Destination 2, the deaths were ironic and gave the audience something to laugh at, because we all know that suicide isn't funny, but you can't help but laugh at some of the stuff they come up with here.

The movie actually does have some creepy scenes at times, which surprised me, because I thought it wasn't going to really go towards that direction. It wasn't a bad thing. The directing and acting is pretty good and I really enjoyed the gore and humor in the deaths, which is why I decided to give the movie a solid 7-rating. It's a good film.

Suicide Club is the international title, but the literal English title would be Suicide Circle, which is why it says that on the poster. I'm awaiting the next official DVD release of this movie, which will hopefully have English subtitles. The unofficial version really sucks.

OVERALL
Good movie that plays with suicide. Loaded with blood and gore. I recommend this film.

COMMENTS
Upon first viewing of the cover you'd expect some cheesy snake-flick, but the final result is quite the opposite. Instead, we're given a Hitchockian kidnapping thriller with a deadly snake thrown into the mix for added measure. This is a project that once had Tobe Hooper's name attached to direct, but reportedly due to "creative differences" he left, and made-for-TV-movie aficionado Piers Haggard replaced him. I'm sure Tobe was goin' for a killer snake flick, where-as the producers wanted a more psychological feel to it. I guess where it fails in snake action, it makes up for in suspense and story development.

So the story is basically about a young boy with wealthy parents, who decide to go on a vacation, leaving him with his grandfather and a couple of the hired help. Of course, they are unaware that the help actually have their on dark agenda for when the parents leave -- plotting a kidnapping in hopes of getting a whiff of some of that wealth. Their plan is foiled when a pet store mistakenly delivers a deadly black mamba to the hands of the young boy, whom was supposed to get a tamed snake as a pet instead. To top it off, one of the kidnappers becomes trigger-happy and shots a local policeman after he visits the home in response of a call about the snake-switch mishap. This obviously gets the attention of other police, which causes the kidnappers to blockade themselves in the home. Now not only can they not go outside without getting caught, but they have to look out for the black mamba as it slithers its way through the air ducts.

Although this movie is lacking in "horror" it is a good a thriller with decent acting from the cast and a solid kidnapping story. Every time when the movie would slow down a bit, a scene involving the black mamba would resurface, causing a good scare to our cast. At first I thought maybe they'd use a look-alike snake in replace of the mamba, but it turns out that they actually used a real black mamba -- crazy!

OVERALL
A good movie if you're looking for a Hitchcockian-type thriller. Don't expect a lot of snake-action though.

I enjoyed this movie, despite it being a draining two-hours -- it tend to drag on a bit with excessive dialogue during certain scenes. Though, thanks to the characters and some of the comedy relief that some characters bring to the table, we're never really bored by what's going on. The story successfully manages to keep the viewer guessing as to who really is behind the murder, which is normally something hard to come-by now-a-days. A couple interesting points which I liked most, would be how the film takes place in a 48-hour time-frame, revealing how even a stone-cold murder case can fall apart when further clues surface.

Although I've never seen the actual threads (or probably wouldn't be able to read them anyway since they'd be in Japanese), nor have I seen any of the other publications, I can't compare the film. The movie sheds light to all those shy people out there that have a hard time finding a girl. It was interesting to see the movie not only follow the young man and woman, but also some of the viewers as they feed him advice. Sadly, this is also the down-point in the movie, because I felt some of the supporting characters were rather annoying and even sometimes confusing (mostly the three young guys). Regardless, the movie is an interesting and original look at love and where it can take us. Although it doesn't necessarily tug at one's heart like other Romances, it does deliver the audience a nice kind-hearted story. I'd recommend it for those looking for something a little diferent in terms of romances.

COMMENTS
I did a little research on this Korean thriller before checking this out and most of what I read was positive, so I had high hopes for this movie. After viewing it I was quite pleased with the end-result. This movie can compared to the 80s movie The Hitcher, because of the similar theme, but, although the movie came close to being as good as Hitcher was, it just didn't have enough to make it better.

Starts off pretty interesting with the couple going on a weekend trip. Everything seems fine until they make a stop to get something to eat. Apon leaving they hit a stranger walking behind the car. He requests a ride and having just hit the guy, the couple reluctantly accepted.

From the start you can tell this stranger is trouble. Later on in the car he jokes around with the couple about death, which puts them a little on edge. They drop him off, but before the stranger leaves he makes a comment about how he never makes jokes.

Anyway, through the rest of the movie we get obvious hints that the stranger is following the couple. A rock is thrown at their hotel window while they make love. They are almost chased off the road by a phantom car. Eventually the boyfriend confronts the stranger at a public street and beats the crap out of him. Stupid of him, because the stranger ended up calling the cops.

To make things short, the stranger harrasses the couple through the rest of te movie and later on they are forced to make a deal where the couple has to spend the rest of their weekend with the stranger. That and the title is explained in the movie.

There was a wicked torture scene in this movie that I found rather amusing. Hard to watch for the squeamish. I thought the couple was really stupid in certain scenes because they basically fell into the stranger's trap from the start, where things could have been resolved easier. The movie had a lot of cool scenes, but not enough action. I thought it would have a bit more. That hitcher guy sure is a hard-to-kill mofo.

I would have given the movie a higher-rating, but I expected more and found the ending, while it is pretty cool, rather predictable. Talk about a lot of blood. You can get your hands on an all-region DVD of this movie [at HKFlix.com].

OVERALL
Pretty cool Korean thriller in the vein of The Hitcher. I say if you enjoyed the 80s Hitcher movie that you'll enjoy this.

First is Kang Tae-sik (Min-sik Choi), who's an out-of-work, and middle-aged, silver-medalist from 1990, whose forced to make his money on the streets, by being the "human punching bag" for all those who have some frustration that they want to get out. Aside from the money-problems, he's also having trouble with his marriage, where his wife uses prostitution as a means to make money.

Our second protagonist is Yu Sang-hwan (Seung-beom Ryu), a young punk, who has distanced himself from his family, and after a failed attempt at robbing a man in a parking garage, is thrown in jail. After a lunch brawl, he's asked to join the boxing team that's set up in the prison. Thinking there's nothing to lose, he accepts in hopes of defeating the top boxer who did a number on him in a previous fight.

I thought this was an interesting and unique film. I liked how every 15-minutes or so, we go back to the other character, so essentially we're going back and forth, showing how the two men are both struggling to make it to another day and how boxing is really the only way to get their lives back together. What I found most interesting was the fact that since we have two main characters that eventually meet up in the ring, there was no telling who'd win. Normally we'd know the main character would win in the end, but since there are two mains, there was no telling.

Struggling with family difficulties, money troubles, and local thugs, this movie is a solid dramatic piece following the lives of two different men, with one common goal.

7/10

COMMENTS
I heard a lot of negative feedback about this sequel, but I was surprised to find that I actually sort of enjoyed it. It's not as good as the first, but it's still pretty good.

In this film it takes place right after the events in the first film. There's a small investigation about what really happened to the people and such. Later on we meet up with some of the original cast members. The story focuses more on the little boy from the first film, who didn't really have a major roll at the time. Apparently in this movie he has some psychic powers.

Unlike the first movie, this sequel is more about studying the psychic powers and energy, where in the first film it was all about the tape and the curse behind it. They do go a little bit more in depth of the curse, but not by much.

Like the first movie, the acting was very good and there were a few creepy scenes in it. One scene in particular almost gave me chills. Very good scene. Also like the first movie, it's story driven. It gets slow in parts, but it's all to explain the story. I have to say that although I like subtitles, sometimes they can be a real bitch.

Anyway, the reason why I gave this film a lower rating than the first film was because - even though it was creepy - it just didn't have the same feel as the first movie. It did have some cool scenes, but nothing tops the atmosphere of the original.

I'm going to be reviewing the prequel sometime soon called, Ring 0: Birthday. Hopefully it'll be as good, if not better, than the first and second films.

OVERALL
Not as good as the original, but still pretty good. Some really good creepy scenes in it. Recommended if you saw the first film.

COMMENTS
I've read reviews about this film before and most of them were positive, saying the film was like Seven and Silence of the Lambs. I guess in a way it can be similar to the two films, but is it as good? Not really. I mean, this movie is good, but to say it's as good as the other two films is crap, because those are excellent films. This film leaves you thinking though. It introduces many plot twists and it makes you suspect everyone. Though, due to all the plot twists and such, it left me a little confused and I lost track of what's going on at some parts.

I have to admit that the ending was pretty cool, even though I didn't quite understand it all. It was said that this movie was really gory, but I didn't think it was. There are a lot of body parts laying around and such, but I don't consider that gory. I thought it was very cool how the killer would leave body parts in garbage bags anywhere in the city so people could find it. In one scene the bag was left in an elevator, while in another it was left in a busy highway. Very cool.

The film does drag a bit in some parts, but that's to further the plot of the film, so it didn't bother me too much. The acting was pulled off well as usual and so was the directing. There was lots of blood and a few really interesting scenes. I was hoping to see more of the killer in action, but they didn't show much. There aren't any real scary or creepy moments, but a few suspenseful ones.

I would have given this film a higher rating, but I was kind of let down because they didn't show as much action or anything from the cop or the killer. I was also hoping to see more gore. I still think it's a good film though.

OVERALL
Compared to such films as Silence of the Lambs and Seven, but doesn't really live up. A good film none-the-less. Check this movie out and pay attention to the many plot twists.

COMMENTS
All I can say about this film is "about time". Thailand has sadly been plagued with horror films filled with unoriginality, unintentional lame-ness, and a lot of silly and unnecessary humor. Of course there are a few exceptions -- Nang-Nak, and now Shutter. I really liked this movie; it was an interesting mixture of Hong Kong's The Eye and Japan's Ju-On: The Grudge, but with a twist of realism. That realism is that of the use of actual photos that supposedly show the spirits of passed loved ones, that I guess still stick around even after death. It seems as though Thailand is finally catching up to Japan and South Korea with their countless ghost flicks. Hell, this movie kicks a lot of those unoriginal and predictable South Korean flicks square in the nuts.

The movie follows a young couple as they drive home after a night of boozing with friends. On their way home they hit someone, and instead of seeking aid, they flee. Shortly after, they begin seeing strange things and encounter events that can only be explained as that of the supernatural. The man is a freelance photographer, so his first encounter is from a picture he took recently. It doesn't take the duo long to figure out that a good way of spotting a ghost before it shows itself is to use photography, so armed with a Polaroid camera and little knowledge of the woman they supposedly hit, they set out to dig up the history of the person, in hopes of putting a stop to the haunting.

Like I said above, I really like this movie. Most of the scares aren't the same-old crap that we usually see and they don't try hard to turn it into another Ringu copy-cat. No, the scares are effective and the atmosphere is creepy. Although the events that lead to climax is somewhat predictable, I still enjoyed it as though I didn't know what was going to happen. I only hope that North America doesn't catch wind of this film and decide to remake it. I think it's a movie that'll be best just getting a limited theatrical release and a straight-to-video effort, slipping under the radar and slowly becoming a cult favorite among horror fans. I even liked the DVD it came with, because even the deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes stuff had subtitles, which is very rare when it comes to import DVDs. Actually I think this is the first import DVD I've seen that has subtitles in the bonus stuff.

OVERALL
This is a solid Thai ghost flick that's an interesting mixture of The Eye and Ju-On: The Grudge. Definitely worth a check if you're into Asian horror.

The story revolves around a group of delinquents as they are forced to either join the Taekwondo team or go to jail. Of course they don't want to go to jail, so naturally they join the team. At first they are reluctant, but gradually they begin to like it; at least a few of'em anyway. They make new friends and slowly change their mischievous ways and work for one goal -- to win the Taekwondo tournament. The plot isn't the most original, but it's still interesting; although some parts I felt dragged on a bit.

Overall I liked the movie, but I wouldn't recommend it for action fans; just those that are fans of Korean cinema or want a new Asian flick to add to their list. 7/10

COMMENTS
I don't know how South Korea keeps dishing out these ghost flicks, but somehow they manage to do it, whether it's just the same-old or not. Just when I thought I was gonna get another Ringu wannabe; I get a movie that's fairly different. Although some of the same scare-tactics are used that we've seen before, it does manage to focus more on the revealing story, especially as the lead uncovers more of the mystery behind the heart donor of his daughter. I like how the first 30-or-so minutes of the film is one scare after the other. Although none of the scares got to me, I believe some may be effective enough to get to others.

The story follows a man as he turns in his resignation from working in a lab for face reconstruction in order to spend more time with his dying daughter. She recently got a heart transplant and she seems to be getting worse than better. As if he didn't have enough problems, a woman turns up at his doorstep with a skull that needs to be reconstructed to see what he/she looked like before their death. The man is reluctant at first, so he puts it aside, but immediately after he begins have strange visions of a woman, and he shortly comes to realize that in order for the visions to stop that he has to reconstruct the face of the skull he was given. He also attempts to dig up the information on the previous owner of the heart that was given to his daughter, and discovers a connection between the skull of the victim and recent heart transplants.

Although some may disagree with me, I actually liked this movie. It kept me interested from the beginning (even though it lost me in the plot a couple times) and I thought the countless "scares" were somewhat effective and original in some aspects. The ending is a little predictable, but entertaining none-the-less. No complaints from me otherwise.

OVERALL
A surprisingly decent South Korean horror flick. It has a lot of somewhat effective scares and an interesting premise. Although the ending is lacking in originality, it's still not a bad watch overall.

Eventually the man regains his memory slowly, but not before he gets a beating in the ring. Yes, he becomes a fighter in underground-type matches to earn money and hope that one day he'll meet his love (whom he remembers very little of) once again. Little-by-little the memories start flooding back until he's forced to face who he really was and still is. The past has ways of coming back to haunt you.

Despite the low-budget aspect the movie is still pretty good. The fighting is raw and brutal; Plenty of blood and mixed martial arts. Some of the fighting reminded me of Ong-Bak, because that was another raw fighting flick, and the lead also uses some Muay-Thai Kickboxing. Sadly, the movie does kind of fall apart towards the end, turning into nothing more than a shoot'em-up gun-fest, where somehow the hero barely gets hit, despite all the guys with their automatic weapons.

Still, I enjoyed the flick. The lead is cool and interesting and I really liked the fighting. I think had the movie came with a bigger budget and some tweaks in the script that it would've been solid sleeper martial arts movie. 7/10