Reviews written by Manfred
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June 15, 2002 twisted love
Highschool student Takuya loves his classmate Satsuki and the girl returns his feelings.A teenage love story ensues but suddenly he realizes that tender love doesn´t really satisfy him. Takuya has to accept that he enjoys to be humiliated, demeaned and abused. His girlfriend is shocked by this revelation and his strange behaviour. Hurted in her feelings she starts an affair with another boy. Takuya can´t let loose of her and while Satsuki humiliates him ( e.g. forcing Takuya to hide in the closet and being witness to her lovemaking with the other boy ) in order to get rid of him, she realizes that there is a darker side to her personality, a side that likes to be a sadist... SM among pupils! But please note that MOONLIGHT WHISPERS is NOT a sex movie. It is never as sleazy as one might suggest. There is almost no nudity and no copulation in it. Instead it is an outstanding drama. It starts like a charming romance movie then it turns into a fascinating and bizarre story about twisted feelings, pain, powerplay and passion... I have never seen anything like this, the film is very original with a strong storyline. The young actors are excellent in their roles. Given the emotional rollercoaster ride their characters are going through in this movie it surely was a great challenge for them! I liked MOONLIGHT WHISPERS very much and I consider it a truely great movie but probably it´s not for every viewer owing to the toppic of the film and some scenes which are relatively shocking ( e.g. Takuya records Satsuki using the toilet ). Highly recommended movie but for openminded people only. One last comment on the VideoCD: It is letterboxed, with good picture quality and English & Chinese subtitles, which are easy on the eyes.
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The Record
1 people found the following helpful
June 8, 2002 South Korean slasher movie American styleSome highschool teenagers accidentially kill one of their classmates in a staged murder for a fake snuff video (the film shooting was partly intended as some kind of weird practical joke, partly an attempt to make money). The victim was a poor guy - mobbed by his peers and suffering from an allergy, a medical condition which forced him to wear a surgeon´s mask. The group of juvenile murderers dispose of his body and decide to keep silent. One year later: The bunch of evil pupils is stalked by a mysterious killer, who - you guessed it - wears a mask. Grisly murders occur - standout sequence: Two guys are searching for their buddy in a slaughterhouse ( appropriate setting, isn´t it? ). Calling him on his cell phone and using the ringing as a sort of tracking device they finally discover his severed arm impaled on a meat hook, cell phone still in his fist... I loved that scene, it was really cool... Has the poor guy returned from his grave? Or is his sister to blame for the killings? Or someone else? I won´t give away who the killer is - but I bet you won´t have any difficulties guessing who it was... If you have seen one, you know them all. THE RECORD is a run of the mill slasher movie with the usual characters and plot. We have the highschool setting, young people falling prey to a maniacal killer ( why do killers in slasher movies never stalk mature victims ? ) and even the obligatory "open" ending preparing the audience for some sequels to follow is not missing... Clearly this movie was heavily influenced by similar US fare. Were it not for the Korean actors you would think you are watching an American horror film. This is not to say that THE RECORD is without merits. At least it is fastpaced, gory and fairly entertaining. And while the twist ending is hardly surprising, it´s quite well executed.
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Triangular Duel
Triangular Duel DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:May 20, 2002 story as usual, but violent showdownIt´s old school kung fu - time once again. Nothing to write home about storywise - it´s the usual plot of a young rickshawman-turned-kung-fu-fighter, whose sifu is killed by villainous members of a rival dojo, prompting our hero to avenge his master (how many times have we seen this before?) Our hero even falls in love with the rival sifu´s daughter, another well-used plot device. It is quite predictable and so it drags at first and the relatively lackluster kung fu in the beginning does not help it either. It´s not until the showdown that TRIANGULAR DUEL really kicks into gear. The bad guys get their comeuppance in a series of brutal fights. My favorite one was at a muddy riverside, where a villain with a superkicking fighting stlye gets his limbs (and finally his neck ) broken... It´s quite violent in the last 20 minutes or so with one baddie getting his eyes poked out and drowned, another hurled down a cliff, yet another one stabbed in a river... If only the rest of the movie were up to this! Print quality is quite impressive for a movie of its age with nice colours ( for most of the time ) and only minor print damage. Special features are limited to the usual useless plot synopsis and cast and crew info, which just repeats what is already stated on the DVD back cover.
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St. John's Wort
St. John's Wort DVD Region 3
(5)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:February 24, 2002 videogame horrorFans of Playstation horror adventures like "Silent Hill" or "Alone in the Dark" will definitely enjoy this movie. The story unfolds like a videogame ( searching dark rooms in an old isolated mansion, finding secret keys,unlocking hidden doors...) There are even different endings for two lead characters ( ! ), a plot twist that is worth the price of the DVD alone. But that is not the end of the story - there is even another twist... but I won´t give it away... St.JOHN`S WORT ´s biggest plus is the eerie atmosphere, which will scare you for sure. Almost all of the film´s running time takes place in the aforementioned mansion, a rundown location very effectively used. The movie is also sick in places, most noteably when mummified children corpses are discovered and in the flashback scenes, where the killer remembers being abused by his father. This is indeed an inventive horrorfilm, deserving the largest possible audience. One last remark about the DVD: It is a shame that there are no extra features, not even the trailer! At least the print is widescreen and the optional subtitles are easily legible.
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February 10, 2002 2 disturbing tales of the human abyss
A warning on the VCD cover reads: "If watching "the dogs" and "Bamboo Door, Bamboo Door" arouses emotional disturbance or symptoms of nervous breakdown, please consult a physician and destroy the VCD immediately." Do the movies live up to the promotional dis- claimer? Yes, I would think so. They are NOT your typical HK horror movies - no Taoist priests fighting hopping vampires. Instead they are two disturbing tales of the human abyss: incest, alienation, degradation, emotional and sexual abuse. Please note: these films are SICK ( especially "the Dogs") and surely not for everyone, not least for their "arthouse" look. The movies excell in every department: direction and camerawork are outstanding and the actors deliver powerhouse performances ( I liked the young actress who played the crippled girl Ming in "Bamboo Door, Bamboo Door" most.) The harrowing scores add immensely to the impact. Both films are letterboxed, picture quality is quite acceptable for the VCD format with "Bamboo Door" superior to "Dogs", the subtitles are easy on the eyes. Recommended viewing, but be aware: watching these movies is quite a depressing experience.
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Sakuya - The Slayer of Demons
February 10, 2002 Great fun!Entertaining monster movie about the young samurai girl Sakuya, who battles demons with her magical sword, aided in her quest by two ninjas and her adopted brother Taro, himself a kappa demon, whose father was killed by Sakuya. Among the creatures they encounter is an evil pupeteer (who turns girls into dolls)and a two-tailed cat demon( my favorite! ), but the worst is still to come in the form of the demon boss, a giant spider woman... Nozomi Ando is great as Sakuya ( and cute ! ). Quite moving is Taro´s conflict- a demon whose father was killed by the only human who loves him. Special effects are very impressive, especially in the final fight, which is quite akin to Godzilla movies. No complaints about Universe´s DVD aside from the lack of the original Japanese audio track. Extras are limited to the film´s trailer, but more importantly the print is widescreen. Great fun! Order immediately!
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