Hansel & Gretel - Korea

          Director:  Pil-Sung Yim

          Year:  2007

          Plot:  "On the way to visit his ill mother, Eun-soo gets into a car accident.  Disoriented, he wanders in the forest until he meets a young girl.  She leads him to her home deep in the forest, but the fairy tale like house encompasses a secret."

          I have been meaning to watch this movie for some time now, but never really got around to it.  My current knitting project (a rainbow tank top) calls for a lot of time, so I figured I would try to catch up on some movies.  It turns out that I had been missing out on a wonderful movie by putting this one off.  I am not sure what it was that made me put this one a list and forget about it, but I am glad I finally got around to watching this.

          It only took a short time, about 10 minutes, before I was hooked.  Now I usually don't talk about sets and lighting or anything because I don't have a clue what I am talking about, but even I know this had some great sets.  The house had a nice creepy feeling too it even with the fairy tale quality.  To me, the sets and all really added to the feel of the movie.  When everything seems normal and you might question the genre, the set just doesn't feel right and causes you to start questioning what you are seeing.

          Of course, the set can't carry the movie on its own.  A good movie need the actors to sell what the set is showing you.  This movie did well in that manner as well.  I thought the acting was great, especially from the kids.  The children in this movie really had some depth to them.  One minute you can be against them and their slightly skewed idea of how things should be, and the next, you are worried about them.  This really was the point of the movie that I loved.  It is the fact that the bad, isn't always bad.  It is something I was taught as a writer, a character cannot be all good or all bad and be believable.   There has to be a some good and some bad in all.

          This is definitely a movie I suggest.  It wasn't a 'scary' movie, but it definitely had a creepy feel to it, especially at the beginning.  This movie might not be a good one for a night when you want to be forced to hide under the covers, but it is one that should be watched.

Re-cycle - China

          Director:  Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang
          Year:  2006
          Plot:  "After writing three best-sellers about love story based on her own experiences, the successful writer Tsui Ting-Yin is without inspiration and having difficulties to write her new novel in the horror genre entitled "Re-cycle".  While drafting the text, spooky events happen at her apartment and her former boy-friend of eight years ago visits her, after his divorce.  When Tsui sees a supernatural long-haired character of her book, she is trapped in his world of terror."

          I found this movie to be quite great.  The beginning of it starts off as a pretty typical horror movie with strange things happening in her house.  The things is that the 'scary' stuff rather drops off after she enters the other world.  There is scares still placed in this world, but it didn't even really seem eerie to me.  I guess I was more intrigued by this other world than anything else.
          I loved the idea about the forgotten, or abandoned.  It was all really very interesting and really rather cool.  This idea has been done in another way (can't remember where I seen it before), but I have rather liked the ideas.
          The idea of the aborted babies is a little bit off for me.  I understand it, but it just leads to a lot of arguments.  It makes people argue about whether it is for or against abortion.  I would have rather not opened up a forum post about this movie and seen nothing but 'abortion is bad' or 'I'm pro-choice'.  It is just rather irritating when I am trying to find out more about the movie.  That is pretty much the only issue I had, and it wasn't even really about the movie.  I didn't see this movie as being 'Pro-Life'.  I just seen it as someone going through a rather real situation and feelings.
          I absolutely loved the ending to this.  I know it was a bit confusing for some, but for me, it wasn't that hard to figure out.  I loved that it really tied into the rest of the movie.  It is one that if you really paid attention you will be able to understand the ending, even if you need a little help.  I would be happy to help with that if anyone needs it.

          I highly suggest this movie, though it wasn't scary.  It is an entertaining movie with a really well done plot and idea.  So if you want a straight horror movie, this one probably won't do.  This movie will though be entertaining despite this so definitely watch it sometime.