Nekoneko’s Movie Litterbox!!

This one took a while to finally make it’s way to DVD, but the wait is over, and now Neko can give you her review of “Hansel & Gretel”, the latest Korean Horror/ Fantasy to be based on an old European Fairy Tale….

The synopsis I found for it reads as follows: “A reckless young man, Eun-soo drives to his mother’s and has a car accident. When Eun-soo wakes up, he meets a mysterious girl and is led to her fairytale-like house in the middle of the forest. There, Eun-soo is trapped with the girl and her siblings who never age. Soon he learns all the adults who have visited or stayed in the house have met mysterious yet terrible ends. More shockingly, their cruel deaths are drawn in details and made into a fairytale book by the children. Scared Eun-soo tries to find the way out, but the house is secluded in the forest with no way out. And then, Eun-soo discovers a book which tells a brutal end of none other than himself!”

Ooooh! Scary sounding stuff… and the Koreans usually do really good horror movies that your Favorite Catgirl Princess likes, so let’s find out, shall we?

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“D-Day” is another of the four Korean horror film projects of which “Hidden Floor” was a part, this one was available out of HK instead of Taiwan, and since I liked the first one, Neko picked it up hoping for a nice little thriller for an evenings experience. I mean, schoolgirls, ghosts, creepy teachers, and all that…. how can I go wrong?

The synopsis reads: “Roommates Yoo-jin, Eun-soo, Bo-ram, and Da-young are cramming for a college entrance exam. It`s difficult for them to adapt to the stifling atmosphere of the women`s lodging institute and to get along with each other due to their differing personalities. Yoo-jin has the most difficulty with the stuffy institute life- she begins to have visions of events that took place at the institute in the past like a tragic fire that occurred several years ago. Yoo-jin gradually becomes consumed with fear, and the relationship among the four intimate friends begins to suffer.”

Is it as well made as “Hidden Floor”? Well I guess you’ just have to read some more and find out…..

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Here’s a review for a new Korean one I just watched, “Black House”, a suspense/ horror film about a sensitive insurance agent who becomes ensnared in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a psychotic killer.

The synopsis I found for it says it all: “Director Shin Tae-ra teams with screenwriter Lee Yeong-jong to adapt author Yusuke Kishi’s 1997 novel concerning an insurance investigator investigating a brutal series of murders. Jeon Jun-oh (Hwang Jeong-min) is a bespectacled former bank employee who now makes his living as an insurance investigator. Summoned to the formidable country estate of potential client Park Chung-bae (Gang Shin-il), Jeon is unnerved by his host’s jittery behavior, and shocked to find the body of Park’s seven year old son hanging lifeless from the ceiling. Everything in this house has a grim aura, including Park’s wife Shin Yi-hwa (Yu Seon) - a grieving cripple whose recent stab at suicide is evidenced by the jagged wounds that mar her wrists. After touring the house, Jeon becomes convinced that Park is in fact a psychopath attempting to carry out an elaborate insurance scam. Not only does Jeon suspect that Park killed his own son, but he believes the murderous patriarch is now intent on doing away with his wife as well. When Jeon’s attempt to convince the authorities of Park’s guilt seem to fall of deaf ears, the sleuthing insurance investigator becomes obsessed with the prospect of uncovering the truth about this strange case. Unfortunately for Jeon and his unsuspecting girlfriend Mi-na (Kim Seo-hyeong), this mystery is much deadlier - and deeper - than anyone ever imagined imagined. ~ by Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide”

Neko doesn’t usually like these sorts of horror offerings, they really scare me far too much to truly enjoy them the way I do more supernatural films, but is this one worth my uneasy squirming and sweaty nervousness? Let’s find out shall we?

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After watching the Thai film “Chocolate” last week, I got inspired to finally get around to this one that had been languishing unwatched in my pile of DVD’s from the last couple of months…… Neko-chan figured it was just the time for a little “Female Empowerment”…. asian style.

So… is director Kang Hyo-jin’s new film up to the level of her previous hit “My Wife is Gangster”, a film Neko absolutely loved? This one also is a story about a strong central female character, but where “My Wife is Gangster” has that main character fully in charge of her life and more than a match for all comers, this one tackles the thornier subject of spousal abuse and domestic violence.

Offering up the audience a story of an horribly abused wife who risks it all to gain her only chance for revenge by facing her violent husband in the boxing ring before an audience of thousands of fight fans in a winner takes all fight to the finish, “Punch Lady” is a hard film to categorize. It starts out as a Drama…. then goes soft and comedic, punctuated by moments of fear and melodrama before reaching it’s conclusion. If you are confused by now… you aren’t alone. Your Favorite Catgirl Princess had her moments trying to get a grip on this one too.

By now you really want to know what it’s all about, so let’s “Read On” shall we?

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More scary stuff from Korea is on tap this time out….“Hidden Floor”, the second installment in the You Il-han and Ahn Byung-ki team-up horror series “One Day Suddenly - 4 Horror Tales” consisting of the films: “February 29″ (2006), “Hidden Floor” (2006), “D-Day” (2006), and “Dark Forest” (2006).

“One Day Suddenly” is a collection of four horror films that were originally put together and produced by Korean horror director Ahn Byung Ki, the director originally responsible for hits such as “Phone”, “Bunshinsaba” and the more recently released “APT”.

Neko-chan hasn’t yet seen the other films originally done for this collection, and my DVD for this one is the Taiwanese release which looks to be pretty much a direct port of the Korean DVD itself. Originally filmed in HD video and transferred to film, the images are crisp and lovely, allowing a much smaller budget than comparable films shot directly to film…..and it really does look professional. Let’s read more…..shall we?

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Oooooohh….Halloween is over, but the creepy movies keep showin’ up in my mailbox….so here we go with the “Neko-lishous” take on the latest Korean fright fest to arrive, “Someone Behind You”.

Well the synopsis I find reads as follows:“Ga-in, a smart, pretty girl who is loved by everyone, witnesses the deaths of people around her. She is then singled out as the next in line to die from the curse that has one person in each generation die at the hands of two people close to them. Ga-in searched for the truth about the curse with Suk-min, a boy who always lingers around her, and her boyfriend Heon-joong, but attacks on her life by those dearest to her, like her best friend and her mother, never cease…”

Sounds sorta like a slasher movie…. or maybe a vengeful ghost film…. but wait!!!

It’s both……. No, really!!! (Would this lil’ catgirl kid you?)

Now, of course, you’re going to wanna know more… so “Read On”!!

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Back to Korea for this one…. with a wee bit o’ deja vu. This time out it’s “Cadaver”….. but wait a minute? Didn’t your favorite Catgirl already review this one? Hmmmmmm……. seems like the Koreans reeeeaalllly liked the Thai film, as this one is a very close version of that 2006 film, but with better effects, and a slightly different approach. All in all I find the title confusing…. I wish they had used “Autopsy Room”, the original translation from the Korean… much less confusing.

The synopsis reads as follows: “In a cold dark shaded anatomy classroom, 6 student prosectors are taking part in anatomy class Sun-hwa, Ki-bum, Joong-suk, Eun-joo, Ji-young and Kyung-min are smart medical college freshmen in the same anatomy class. Sun-hwa smart and confident; Ki-bum born to be a team leader full of confidence, Joong-suk son a hospital owner; Kyung-min too weak to be a doctor; Ji-young sexy and haughty but poor at study, Eun-joo studious nerd. They are competing with each other to be the best surgeon, but are strongly tied with fellowship as a team. In the first class, they try to suppress their fear and approach the cadaver that is waiting for them…. The first meeting with a deadly beautiful cadaver, and their nightmare begins. The cadaver is assigned to them, right after the first class. They suffer from ghosts and hallucinations. After several accidents and death of some team members, they start to realize something horrible is coming for them. They do their best to survive and find one clue: these accidents all have something to do with the female cadaver.”

So, is there room for two movies with the same idea? Lets “Read On” and see….. (more…)

Today we’re back to Korea for the 2007 horror film “Muoi”….Directed by Kim Tae Kyeong (“The Ghost”), the Korean-Vietnamese co-production “Muoi: The Legend of the Portrait”, was perhaps the most ambitious of this summer’s horror offerings out of Korea. Partially shot in Vietnam, the film is beautifully filmed with unique costumes and sets, creating a horrifying, yet unique look for a Korean film in this genre.

The synopsis is as follows: “In 1896, during the French colonial period in Vietnam, a portrait of a woman was discovered in the village of Da Lat.The Villagers were both mesmerized and disturbed by the great beauty of the portrait, and whispers of a curse began when calamity befell those connected with it. Over a century later, Korean novelist Yoon Hee (Jo An) stumbles upon the legend of Muoi’s portrait. At her estranged friend’s urging, she travels to Vietnam to reconnect with another friend (Cha Ye Ryeon), whom she had previously written a scandalous novel about, and find inspiration for her next work. Yoon Hee is extremely interested in writing about Muoi’s portrait, but fascination turns to fright when the portrait’s terrifying secret is awakened.”

Mmmmmm!! Creepy! Let’s find out some more!!

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Today’s movie review finds us in Ancient Korea, where Long Haired Ghosts are on the prowl in another one Neko-chan’s favorite film genres, the Ghost Romance….

This time it’s in the film “The Evil Twin” aka “전설의 고향”….. one of 2007’s crop of new Korean chillers finally reaching DVD release.

Our synopsis for this one is as follows: “Set in the Jhosun Dynasty, Seo-rae village is enshrouded by a thick fog coming from the lake. While running away from a group of village kids, Hyo-jin and her sister So-yeon fall into the lake. The mother of the twins tries hard to save them, both but manages only to save So-yeon, her favorite, who remains alive but comatose. Ten years later, Choi is murdered mysteriously as he was heading home from a friends gathering. And at that precise moment, So-yeon wakes up from her coma, without any memories of her childhood or even of her sister Hyo-jin. . Not long after the So-yeon’s recovery, more former friends and enemies are killed and people suspect So-yeon.. Her lover Hyun-sik, in truth misses the dead sister, Hyo-jin, for whom he mourns. As So-yeon is driven into a corner, her jealousy of Hyo-jin returns. But has her dead sister returned as well?”

Ooooooh……. scary!! Just the way Neko likes them. But will “The Evil Twin” live up to my expectations? Or will it just be twice the disappointment? “Read On” and find out!

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Well, it’s been some time since yours truly had the opportunity to post here, so I thought I’d take the time to write up a review on a nifty lil’ Korean Anime that came in the mail just this week and that I just finally managed to watch last evening.

Yep….that’s right….this lil’ Catgirl said honest to goodness KOREAN ANIME…… not the stuff from Japan, but a reasonably nice imitation from the land whose animation industry is primarily known for its mass produced TV shows like “The Simpsons”, “Family Guy”, and other such TV ilk. If you’ve been paying attention to Korean Cinema in the last few years, then you know that it’s really come along to the point where it rivals and even at times surpasses its rivals in the area of Production, Story, and general Innovation, so it’s nice to see that they are ready to step up to the plate in the area of animation as well.

Have Japan’s Anime Studios got anything to worry about from “Yobi, The Five Tailed Fox”? Well dear people, you’ll just have to read on and find out……….

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