Mother

Great movies come from Korea and when they get a wide release in America its a fairly safe bet that they are going to be awesome. Mother is Joon-ho Bong's latest effort and its quite an improvement over his earlier films like Memories of Murder and The Host, both of which I enjoyed. There is a dark humor here that reminds me a bit of the Cohen brothers like in Fargo and A Serious Man. There are a lot of laughs but most of them come from the quirkiness of the characters rather than gags. The pacing really helps move this two hour murder mystery along with plenty of plot twists, beautiful cinematography and great acting across the board. Hye-ja Kim in particular is wonderful as the worlds most neurotic mom. There is very little here to criticize Mother is a solid film from start to finish and deserves your money.
9.3/10

The Housemaid

The Housemaid is the edgiest movie from the 60's I have ever seen. Sure the acting is a bit over the top at times but this isn't your everyday melodrama. The intense subject matter and creative camera work pull you into this dark and dangerous world of infidelity and I guarantee the end will mess with your head big time. The last time an ending had me this bewildered was Down With Love. Luckily this film was saved from obscurity and restored for our viewing pleasure so expect a few grainy scenes with engrish subtitles. This a great late night movie with new found cult status written all over it. Enjoy.
7.7649/10

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Korean western?

I hate action movies and even more than that I hate westerns but holy crap I loved this movie. Sitting at the polar opposite of flicks like 3-iron and In Between Days The Good, The Bad, and The Weird is a beast of Korean cinema. Do you like guns? This movie has them in spades. Do you like a good chase scene? This movie is one long chase scene. Do you hate Michael Bay? Hey me too and this is the kind of movie that puts him to shame. I was really surprised at how beautiful and fun to watch T.G.T.B.T.W was. Every location was brimming with colors and sound not to mention some of the coolest long shots I have ever seen. The action felt a lot like Ong-Bak but with guns while the music was perfect and really kept the energy following during some of the more tedious action sequences. The only problem I had with this movie was the exhausting amount of fighting but that's more about my personal taste than a criticism. Get it, watch it with friends and prepare for the new standard of action movies.

9/10 For sheer awesomeness

Quiet Family

I love my library. Their foreign film selection rivals that of the Internet and tops it in terms of quality. That being said 9 times out of 10 I have no idea what I am getting myself into because their movie list is usually in a different language.

Little did I know that I had ordered this great little horror comedy debut from the director of A Tale of Two Sisters, one of my favorite movies ever. The beginning feels a lot like The Happiness of the Katakuris (it predates Katakuris by 3 years), a dysfunctional family buys a lodge in the mountains and hilarity ensues as the guests keep dying and the family struggles to hide the bodies in the surrounding area. The film successfully transitions from silly to intense and has a pretty awesome soundtrack. Quiet Family borderlines on greatness, its well made and the acting is great it just lacks the kind of punch I need in a horror or comedy.
7.983/10
Sorry for the poor quality of this review my girlfriend is trying to feed me her left over breakfast and I don't want it... I mean I'm just not in the mood for peanut butter toast you know?

In between days

Similar to the works of Kim ki-duk, So Young Kim's In Between Days is another classic example of quiet Korean cinema. With no soundtrack and limited dialogue this movie is an amazing work of loneliness and isolation. The film follows the awkward but very lovable Aimie, a Korean immigrant who speaks very little English and has only one friend, a boy who she is completely infatuated with. The chemistry between the two is wonderful, there were times I actually forgot they were actors not high school kids. That being said the main theme of the movie is loneliness so don't expect any gags or action. The film's stark realism leaves it feeling a bit dry towards the end but I felt that it served the purpose of the film well. I really felt a connection with Aimie and her troubles and towards the end I just wanted to be her friend. I know that sounds kind of silly but any movie that makes me feel this level of empathy towards its characters deserves a solid recommendation.

This is how I spend my Halloween

It's a little late to say "Park Chan who?" in this day and age but what the heck, Park Chan Wook is in my opinion one of the best directors in the business today. There has been so much said about the vengeance trilogy that his first major feature J.S.A is mostly ignored, a wrong I am trying to correct. This is by far his most approachable work. The vengeance trilogy dealt with extreme emotions with gorgeous intensity but J.S.A is an intense a beast in a more human and heartbreaking way. The film takes place on the DMZ between North and South Korea following soldiers on both sides. Make no mistake about it this is a character driven tragedy not the political thriller it was sold to American audiences as. The best thing about this movie is that cultural barriers are almost non existent, J.S.A is about the struggle between duty and compassion and the consequences of fear and ignorance. I love this film, love love love it . You hear that? 3 loves, now if that's not a recommendation I don't know what it.