“War of the Arrows” aka “최종병기 활” (2011) – Korean Martial Art/ Action

It’s been a looooong dry spell here at the Litterbox, as Life seems to be conspiring to keep lil’ ol’ me busy lately, but finally I’m back at it, with a look at Korea’s 2011 Martial Arts action epic adventure “War of the Arrows”…. and a special “guest star” appearance by our friend Elpeevio of “Things Fall Apart” to join in the fun.

Oh how exciting, I have never been a “guest star” before, I’ll be doing my best to add to the experience of this review. How about the Catgirl gets us started with a little synopsis of what this one is all about?

Our synopsis goes as follows: “Set in 1636, during the second Manchurian invasion of  Chosun Korea, young Nam-Yi’s entire family have been branded as traitors by the Crown, but he also happens to be the best archer in the Joseon Dynasty. Living his life in hiding within the household of his father’s one remaining friend, Nam-Yi’s only desire in life is to keep his sister, Ja-In safe from any harm. However, on the day of his sister’s wedding, the villages of Joseon Korea are attacked by the Qing Dynasty of China. The border village in which Nam-Yi and Ja-In live is directly in the path of invasion and Ja-In gets kidnapped by the elite troop of Qing to be taken back north as a slave. In order to rescue his sister from the raiders, he departs from his demolished village with only the bow that his father had bequeathed upon him before dying. Disrupting his mission to save his sister is Jyu Shin-Ta, a fierce Qing warrior who leads the elite troop. They are relentless in their chase to bring down Nam-Yi, who has but one day to save his sister from slavery. As Nam-Yi finally gets a hold of his sister, Jyu Shin-Ta comes between them and a fierce battle between two of the finest warriors unfolds.”

Crazy lil’ me likes a good swashbuckling Martial Art film almost as much as my Ghost Stories….. It’s probably that “Warrior Princess” deep inside me aching for some heroic action, so naturally when this one slipped onto my radar a while back I just knew I’d have to give it a look see. I mean…. “Rambo” crossed with “Robin Hood” and seasoned with more than a little “Crouching Tiger” meets “Musa the Warrior”…. I can honestly say it’s certainly got this wee Catgirl plenty interested. So then… does it indeed have the goods? Will it live up to the hype and suitably sate my need for extravagantly gorgeous period action and adventure? And…. most importantly of all… will my sweetie like it too, subtitles and all?

I have grown to love the Martial Arts genre too over the last few years, and the Korean take on things is always a little different to that you find in Chinese and Hong Kong films.  I think the film initially intrigued me by the use of Bows and Arrows rather than the normal swordplay, and I am a total sucker for Joseon-era stories with the amazing outfits and the strict Confucian society.  This really was a massive hit in its homeland, and I was rather surprised to see it got a limited North American Cinema outing.  We also have it on DVD and Blu-ray here in England too, which is nice.

So… really only one way to find out what we all thought of it, o’ Gentle Visitors, and that’s to “Read On”…

“Ghastly” (기생령) aka “Gisaeng Spirit” (2011) – Korean Ghost/ Horror

Now that I’m feeling a bit more frisky after last week’s bout with the stomach flu, it’s finally time for another review, and this time out it’s 2011′s Korean Ghost story, “Ghastly”, recently released on the Korean Region 3 disc. Originally listed most places as being without subtitles… **GASP!!**… I was lucky enough to find out this was wrong. It does indeed come with the usual perfect English subtitles I expect with a Korean release. Yay!! The rest? Well… Neko’s not gonna miss herself an Asian Ghost story…. no way.

Our synopsis? Try this out: “Ghastly” begins when Ka-hee (Hwang Ji-hyeon), an emotionally and psychologically damaged woman, finds a spirit medium to help her address her troubles. Her inability to give birth to a child had long tortured her, and now she will do anything to cheat that fate.

She ends up burying an orphan in a large traditional pot used to bury kimchi underground during the winter and killing him. What she gains for this merciless act is a child of her own. Ka-hee eventually gives birth to a son she names Bin, but Ka-hee soon meets a brutal death at the hands of the vengeful spirit of the murdered child.

Soon after the tragedy, Bin’s aunt Seo-Ni (Han Eun-jeong) and her husband Jang-hwan (Park Seong-min) come to live with the now orphaned Bin in his home, which is haunted and where the pot still is. Bin also starts to reveal his violent side. Is he the innocent child he seems? Or is he merely the vessel for a supernatural Grudge that lasts beyond death itself?”

Ghosts are always scary… and you know this wee Catgirl likes her Ghost stories. I do…. I really, really do!! So, with my lil’ fingers crossed for luck, I’m hoping the Koreans score well here and give me all the chills I’ve been wanting in a ghost story but somehow haven’t quite been able to find lately. Think maybe it might be the sort of eerie story you might like? Why then just “Read On” and we’ll find out together, shall we?

“The Cat” (2011) -Korean Ghost/ Horror

This time out it’s off to Korea for our Halloween movie festival and a look at the recent horror film “The Cat: Eyes that See Death” aka “고양이 : 죽음을 보는 두 개의 눈”. Hmmmm?? A haunted ghost story…. about cats? What sort of self respecting “Catgirl Princess” would I be if I ever let myself miss this one?

Our synopsis goes as follows: “So-yeon (Park Min-yeong), is a pet groomer who suffers from claustrophobia stemming from a childhood experience. One day, one of So-yeon’s customers dies while on an elevator, leaving her cat Bi-dan behind. The mystery of who killed the woman on the elevator is unknown, and the cat is the only witness. As the police begin their investigation, they ask So-yeon to take care of Bi-dan. But something strange happens to So-yeon from the day she brings Bi-dan home.

So-yeon starts having vivid and disturbing nightmares in which she sees a little girl who keeps coming back to haunt her dreams. Afraid and unsure of just what this might mean, So-yeon starts investigating the mystery of the cat and the death of its owner just as her closest friend, who has also recently gotten a cat,  suddenly dies under eerie circumstances. Just what is the strange “curse of the cat”? And… will she be it’s next victim?”

I’ve already seen the Trailer.. and read plenty of reviews by others, including one by our good friend Elpeevio over at his Blog, Things Fall Apart… and for the most part, the feelings seem mixed on this one. Still.. the Koreans always do a class act with their films and even the worst ones are still worth a look, so naturally this curious kitten just has to take a peek for herself….

Wanna know if this kitty is worth a watch for you as well? Or… should it be spayed, neutered, and dropped off at the pound to be put mercifully to sleep? Still wanna know? Why then all you have to do is “Read On” and find out all the details for yourself…

"Bedevilled" (2010) – Korean Drama/ Horror

This time out, it’s more Korean film goodness, part of my last bountiful mail-order shipment of Asian film goodies from the exotic Far East. This one’s not exactly a horror film…. although it certainly spills a lot of the gooey red stuff…. and it’s not exactly a drama either. It’s sort of an odd bird of a film that manages to be both and neither, falling somewhere right comfortably in between. I’m usually not as fond of movies that like to play so coy, but I’d heard some good stuff about this one and who is this lil’ Catgirl to risk missing out on a good thing, movie wise?

Our synopsis goes as follows: “When beautiful, but socially distant, Hae-Won is forced to take administrative leave from her job, she finds herself drawn to the island of Moodo, where she once spent an idyllic childhood summer. On arrival she’s reunited with her old friend from that time, Bok-Nam. Hae-Won soon realizes that life on the island is far removed from the paradise that she remembers from her childhood. Amidst the beautiful landscape and breathtaking scenery, a vile and spiteful society has always existed. Poor, hapless Bok-Nam is routinely abused by both her abusive husband as well as the male population and completely exploited by her female elders. When an attempt to escape results in the death of her beloved daughter, Bok-Nam finally snaps and decides to take things into her own hands. With nothing left to live for and nothing left to lose, Bok Nam’s gruesome reign of terrible, blood-drenched revenge begins…”

Yep… this one is one of those movies best described as a “Women’s Revenge” film, along the lines of other exploitation gems from the 70′s and early 80′s. The only question remains, “Can the Koreans put a new spin on an old idea?” Neko thinks it’s likely…. otherwise I wouldn’t have taken a chance on it, Hehehehe!!

Of course, if you want all the details, you’ll just have to “Read On” to see for yourself…..

"The Neighbor Zombie" (이웃집 좀비) (2009) – Korean Horror

Zombies…. Those shambling cannibalistic boogymen have made their way into just about every genre of film you might imagine in about every country in the world. Seems they are getting to be a fairly universal part of most every culture’s folklore in some way or another these days. Now… they’ve made their way to Korea in the new anthology piece, “The Neighbor Zombie”. Naturally, a certain Zombie Loving Catgirl is right there to watch every moment….

Our synopsis goes along this way: “The Neighbor Zombie” is comprised of six individual episodes, each centering on the theme of a zombie virus outbreak as it occurs in Seoul, 2010.

Episode 1: “Crack”, An action figure collector accidentally gets infected by the zombie virus in the initial days of the contagion…. How will such a social outsider cope in the face of his horrific transformation as it slowly overtakes him?

Episode 2: “Run Away”,  A special love story of a beautiful girl and her romantic boyfriend, who has been infected and is slowly transforming into a zombie. Can pure love survive even this?

Episode 3: “Mother, I Love You”, A woman having to witness her infected mother slowly deteriorate each day takes horrific steps to protect the parent she loves more than her own life itself. How far will she go to keep her safe?

Episode 4: “The Age of Vaccine”, Dr. Park, who acts as a guinea-pig himself, tries to make a vaccine to cure the zombie virus. He finally developing the cure, he’s forced to run from the corporation that would control it at all costs.

Episode 5: “After That, I’m So Sorry”, After the development of vaccine, Seoul once again finds peace. However, the future is still uncertain for those who were cured. How can those once driven by diseased insanity to eat others find peace and understanding from the survivors?

Episode 6: “Pain Killer”, A story about strained life of a writer, who always has to work under tight deadline with the new problem of a zombie virus to complicate things?.”

I’ve heard some mixed things on this one, but as always, I’d rather give a movie like this a watch first before having my own opinion on it. Think you might want to see it too? Then hunker down, get comfy and let Neko tell ya all about it.

"Deserted House" (폐가) (2010) – Korean Ghost / Horror

Time for another review, and this time we’re off to Korea for a look at “Deserted House”, the latest Korean horror story to make it to DVD and then safely across the sea to your Favorite Catgirl’s mailbox this brand spankin’ New Year. Been some time since I watched a Korean film, especially given the price rise I’ve noticed in their DVD’s of late… nearly rivaling that of the Japanese imports I rarely indulge in. But then… Neko loves her ghost stories (lots more than most sane girls probably should….) , so could I pass up another Korean haunted house story for movie nite? Nawwwww…..

The synopsis goes along these lines: “In 42 years, 6 people have disappeared! 8 people have died! There have been 11 murders! Everyone is afraid of the deserted house with the ghosts. It is prohibited to enter if you are alive. But three deserted home society members and three filming team members enter the deserted house. They break the taboo of deserted homes and enter the world of spirits. But they disappear one day… And there is only a video they left behind…”

Seems like somebody in Korea has noticed the trend towards the “imitation” documentary style horror films being made lately, along the lines of “Paranormal Activity”, “Cloverfield”, “Noroi”, “Keramat”, and of course, [REC]…. so naturally somebody figured the Koreans had to have a homegrown version to call their own. They’ve been successful for the most part, made money, so I guess it was inevitable that there would be more. Good thing? Bad thing? That remains to be seen.

Only one way to know and that’s to take a look…. so curl up, sit a spell and let Neko-chan tell you all about it.

“Yoga” aka “요가학원” (2009) – Korean Horror

This time out your Favorite Catgirl Movie Reviewer is off to Korea for another slice of atmospheric Asian flavored horror, “Yoga”. Creepy goings on in an evil ashram, where the quest for physical perfection takes a terrible, terrible wrong turn are the theme of the day. Seems we’re in for another look at the problems of  Asian women and their self-image issues with the customary horror twist that the Koreans love to add.

The synopsis goes like this: “Successful at her job until she was out shined by a younger, prettier co-worker, a confident and perfectionist career woman, Hyo-jung, visits a strange yoga institute run by a mysterious ex-actress at the advice of a radically transformed school friend. There, Hyo-jung meets several other women like herself, a former popular singer who faded away into obscurity, a religious fanatic, a girl battling weight issues, and a woman beset by numerous personal misfortunes including a divorce and a failed plastic surgery procedure. All of them have something in common: a belief that somehow beauty will help them overcome the difficulties they face. At the beginning of the intensive training course, a young yoga master, Nani explains to Hyo-jung and the others that only the one person who masters the course most successfully can actually win the secret of ultimate and immortal beauty. There are five unusual rules for them to follow during the one week course:

#1. Never eat without permission.

#2. Never take showers within an hour before or after the class.

#3. Never look at themselves in a mirror.

#4. Never leave the school building.

#5. Never try to call or contact anyone until finishing the course.

As the training goes on, they soon discover that the quest for beauty, has a terrible price.Each of the girls get tempted to break those rules caused by each woman’s secret hidden craving and Hyo-jung starts to sense there is something evil about this institute and the actress who doesn’t get old…”

Neko wonders what exactly there is in the Asian psyche that makes such horror films so prevalent of late. But… no matter. I just plain like watching them as I squirm uncomfortably on the couch. Naturally, you all want to know what this one is exactly all about, so let’s get to it….

“Chaw” (2009) – Korean Horror

Just in from Korea, your favorite Catgirl Princess has yet another Killer Pig movie!! What?…. Yet another big pig running amok? Yep. Seems the wild outback spaces of Australia aren’t the only place where giant man eating pigs roam free…. From Korea comes still another tale of “Pork  chops gone Wild”…. “Chaw”.

Our synopsis goes just like this here: “Chaw” is a carnivorous horror movie that is set in a peaceful town of Sammae-ri where a human eating boar is discovered there. Ripped body parts are found together with the animal’s footprints by the locals. Former hunter Chun Il Man ( played by Jang Hang Seon) had lost his granddaughter recently and he suspects the boar had eaten her alive.

As the fear is growing in the town, the locals invite famous hunter Baek (played by Yoon Je Moon) to hunt for the boar. Joining him are biologist Su Ryeon (played by Jeong Yu Mi), detective Shin (played by Park Hyeok Kwon) and police officer Kim (played by Eom Tae Woong). Il Man leads the five member boar hunting team when Kim’s mother disappears mysteriously. Can they find the boar and bring Kim’s mother back alive?”

Ooooohhh!! Can the Koreans top the masterpiece of Killer Pig cinema that was “Razorback”? Or will we all find ourselves wishing that we’d never heard of this big ol’ man eating hunk o’ pork? I’m certainly gonna find out… and if you want to know more, well then by all means… “Read On”!!

“Blood, The Last Vampire” (2009) – Korean & US Action/ Horror

Day 5…. and we’re off to Korea for a live action remake of a Japanese anime classic, “Blood, The Last Vampire”…. and another story about Japanese schoolgirls doing what apparently they do best….. kicking serious supernatural butt.

Our quick synopsis goes like this here: “Demons have infested the earth. And only one warrior stands against them between the dark and the light: Saya, a 400-year-old half human-half vampire samurai girl who preys on those who feast on human blood.

Raised by a man named Kato, she works loosely with a shadowy society known as the Council while following her own personal quest to seek out Onigen, the original Mother of all Vampires. Saya is dispatched to an American military base at Yokota, where the vampires have infiltrated the base and are gathering their strength there for an evil purpose. Normally a loner, Saya forms an unlikely friendship with a young girl named Alice, daughter of the base commander, that she rescued from the undead. She finds that Onigen is finally close at hand and so now, after 400 years, Saya’s final hunt is about to begin.”

This one served as part two of my “Schoolgirl Horror Movie Theme Night”…. and I was hoping for a big smashing vampire stomping good time to end my evening… The anime it’s based on was great, if a wee bit short, so was this one going to answer all my expectations or was it gonna fail miserably? Guess if you want to know more you’ll just have to “Read On” and find out!!

“Truck” aka “트럭 (Teu-reok)” (2008) – Korean Suspense/ Thriller

Time this lil’ Catgirl had herself a change of pace from all the straight up horror, fantasy, or scifi she usually indulges in. This time out I’m reviewing the new Korean suspense film “Truck” for you….. but don’t worry, I haven’t strayed tooo far from familiar territory, this one has a serial killer… a poor overwrought father forced to do the unimaginable to save his little daughter… violent gangsters… and a truck full of dead (and maybe not so dead) bodies aimlessly roaming the rainy highways of South Korea. Yep… I think it’ll do.

Our quick synopsis reads: “Cheol-min makes a living by working in the shipping business. He has a daughter suffering from a heart condition, and in need of surgery. To save his daughter, he urgently needs the tremendous amount of 60,000,000 won. To make this money, he gets involved in dangerous illegal gambling and barely saves his life by promising he will take care of body disposal for the gang. On his way to Gangwon-do where he intends to dump the bodies, he encounters a police van that had been in an accident, and ends up giving the police officer a ride. Although this situation is tense, events take a turn for the worse.”

Soooo, interesting enough for you you want to “Read On”? I thought so….. Hehehehe!!