Review: Three. . .Extremes

A trilogy of short Asian horror movies:

Overall ***

Dumplings: **1/2 (director: Fruit Chan)

Apparently this director is best known for art-house fare. This is very well executed, with an effective deliberate pace. It probably deserves a better review, but I found the basic premise very off-putting (though that's probably the point). This segment has been released separately as a 90 minute feature; here it feels too short to succeed.


Cut: *** (director: Chan-wook Park)

This director is best known for "Old Boy." This is a pretty funny dark comedy about a director who is kidnapped by a crazy extra. He keeps trying to get the director to kill this kid that he's brought along.

Favorite exchange:

Director: Who is that kid?

Kidnapper: I don't know either. I just saw her on the street and thought she looked bored, so I brought her along.

Box: *** (director: Takashi Miike)

Surprisingly, given the director, this is the most restrained of all the segments. Some of it feels like a David Lynch movie. And like a Lynch movie, I'm not exactly sure what happens in it.