Oldboy

This has been a long time coming and I truly apologize for not putting this movie here sooner. This film is a gem, and no.. I'm not referring to it being shimmering with massive Hollywood inspired appeal either. If you're looking for a happy ending, stay the fuck away from this movie, better yet.. stay away from this blog. And no the previous statement has not ruined the movie for you so calm down.

I saw this movie several years ago and after the credits began to role my body was physically disgusted. I just sat staring at the screen and I honestly could not move. It reminded me of how I had felt after watching Requiem for A Dream. That is how powerful the film is.

Dae-su Oh is taken off the street, after a night of being drunk at a police station, and is put in a small room. He is kept prisoner for 15 years where his only form of entertainment is a television. When he's not watching television he's punching the wall with his fists, literally melting his knuckles. He doesn't know who has put him there and he's apparently got a long list of enemies. But he wants to make sure if he ever gets out that he can physically kill whoever has done this to him.

Finally, he is released and his captor gives him several days to find out who he is. And you start getting the feeling that Dae-su Oh is still imprisoned even though he is no longer in the small room. He becomes consumed with revenge and rightfully so. And than he meets Mi-do, a woman significantly younger than him and she begins to help in the search for his captor.

Those who love a good fight scene will be satisfied when Dae-su Oh gets to practice his strength in the outside world. Weapon of choice, hammer. You won't be disappointed.

And the rest of the film unfolds quickly. But will revenge be satisfying for Dae-su Oh? You figure that out yourself.

Martyrs

The movie starts with scenes of a young woman, Lucie, clearly the victim of extreme abuse. We don't know who the hell is doing it to her. Somehow she is able to escape her captures and she finds freedom running down a filthy road. Fifteen years later she comes knocking on the door of a seemingly normal family, totting a shotgun and she's very trigger happy. You think, damn... if these people are responsible for her past pain they sure as hell had it coming. But she decides the teenagers need to die as well, so she shoots them too.

Lucie has a friend named Anna who meets up with her after her revenge party. For some reason they think it's wise to hang out at a house after killing four people. Good decision, really.

Lucie keeps getting attacked by this anorexic-looking naked woman who conveniently shows up whenever Anna cannot come to her rescue. Maybe Lucie's past torture has truly degraded her mind in ways that not even time and friendship can heal. And than of course when you thought you knew step by step what is going to happen, everything changes.

Systematic psychological and physical torture. That pretty much sums up the rest of the movie. Something more painful than any Achilles-tendon-slicing scene can offer. And what's even better! It's all for the sake of martyrdom, as a creepy old lady explains because "people ignore the existence of suffering." Because anyones mind can be weakened to the point of insanity and this film seems bent on proving it.

Audition

Oh you're going to love this little treat. A company executive, named Aoyama, has been a widow for several years. He is lonely and he needs a companion. Even his son recommends he should move on and get married again. Forget searching for the right one, Aoyama has a better plan. He's going to have auditions for a movie that doesn't exist in order to find his next wife. You either think the man is deranged or pretty damn clever. Either way, you find sympathy for him because he is rather pathetic. It isn't surprising when he takes an immediate liking to Asami. Asami is young, frail and very pretty. But of course, what you see is never what you get. Asami has a past that she wants to share with Aoyama and the two seem well made for one another.

But shit starts to happen and you aren't quit sure what the fuck you're witnessing. A phone rings immediately setting off a bag that is holding the body of a human being. Beside the phone, Asami sits waiting for a call from Aoyama. She is hunched over, in the dark not acknowledging the moving body bag at all. What the fuck is going on?

Aoyama is unaware of Asami's secret. Why? Because he has no idea where she lives.

Finally, Aoyama and Asami spend a night together. She demands that she "be the only one he loves." And if your crazy radar hasn't gone off yet up to this point, well... it gets even worse. Asami disappears when Aoyama wakes in the morning and he goes on a frantic search to find her. I'm not going to ruin the rest of the film for you.. but let's just say the film seems to be making a statement about monogamous relationships. A heads up; this statement involves piano wire.

Irreversible

If you've seen the Blair Witch Project and gotten a headache from the movements the camera make; this film is not for you. Cue the chaos and be prepared for some ultra violence. The film unfolds as Pierre and Marcus search for The Rectum, a gay bar. Confusion sets in. Pierre keeps telling Marcus to control himself and that this is not the way to exact revenge on someone. What is he seeking revenge for? You spend a good amount of time wondering as the film seems to play out in reverse. Along with confusion you get a good amount of irritation at the characters for their constant bickering and unwillingness to calm down. Why the hell is everyone so on the edge. Who the fuck has been hurt so badly that no one takes a brief moment to stop and think about what their doing.

Than comes a scene a very painful scene. A scene that will make sure you never walk alone in a dark tunnel ever again. A scene that answers for the questions you've been asking from the beginning of the film.

Than as the day continues to play in reverse you experience the relationships that hold the three main characters together. What seems tragic before getting to know Alex is even more so after the film has run its course.

This is a film worth seeing.