Quick Review: The Ghost AKA Ryeong (2004)

Directed by Tae-kyeong Kim

Country of Origin: South Korea

A ghost that can spontaneously drown its victims, even when there are no canals or estuaries nearby, has been taking out a clique of snooty girls. Amnesiac Ji-won (Ha-neul Kim) is in grave danger of being the next victim if she isn’t able to access her lost memories. This is one of the films that I just had to revisit for this blog-a-thon because damn it, I know I’ve seen it before, but it had flown out of my brain immediately after watching it. And sure enough, as I’m writing this review, I’m struggling to remember it again.

What you’re getting here is a very generic ghost story with some fun twists to throw you off the trail. I like the performances from the cast and the atmosphere ain’t half bad. The Ghost is not a bad movie at all but it’s as forgettable as you’d expect a movie titled The Ghost to be. I like the alternate title Dead Friend much better. This is kind of worth seeking out but just like Ji-won, you’ll have to keep watching it every few years (or weeks) to friggin’ remember it. Director Tae-kyeong Kim is also responsible for another film called Muoi: The Legend of a Portrait (2007). I can remember that one!

 

Quick Review: Monstrum (2018)

 

Directed by Jong-ho Huh

Country of Origin: South Korea

In 15th century Korea, a city is threatened by a horrible beast that lurks in the forest just outside its walls, leaving piles of plague-infected corpses wherever it goes. Well, this was a nice change of pace! Monstrum is a giant monster movie with well written characters, some unexpectedly funny (albeit goofy) jokes, and an elaborate story that never gets bogged down in the details. The CGI may have been just a little rushed to complete the film but if you can look past that, you’re in for a fun ride.

 

A Snake of June (2002)

 

Directed by Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Country of Origin: Japan

Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa) works in a crisis center talking people out of committing suicide and she's very good at her job. Unfortunately, her loveless marriage to a sexless salaryman with OCD has taken its toll on her emotionally. She has completely shut herself down and only comes to life during her fantasies. Out of the blue, Rinko receives a compromising photo of herself from Iguchi (Shin'ya Tsukamoto), a man she once saved. He blackmails her into performing lude acts in public with the promise of returning the photos he has of her. As Iguchi’s requests get more and more bizarre, Rinko’s husband begins to notice that something is up.

You can file this film under: “So I Watched That But Why?” and then lock the filing cabinet forever. But do it in a sexy way! Shin'ya Tsukamoto, of Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) fame, drops this black and white (though tinted blue) erotic art film into the viewer’s horny eyes. It’s a visually stunning film about isolation, loneliness, voyeurism, the joy of masturbation, cancer, and I don’t know what, but the film lost me as soon as the blackmail began.

Whatever Iguchi’s motivations are, I found the idea that this man knows just what our heroine needs to be insultingly sexist. He wasn’t trying to rape her in a traditional way but what he does do to her throughout the course of the movie is awful. His power trip as a blackmailer is unforgiveable, so I don’t give a sweet crystal shit if he eventually helps her in the long run.

Aside from my personal irritation with the story, this movie has a lot going for it. I like the brooding, myopic, and claustrophobic view of Rinko’s life. When it gets strange, it gets astonishingly strange and yet it never deviates from its tone. Even after it goes on these wacko tangents, the viewer is still trapped in this wet world of miserable dickheads. It’s constantly raining in the kinky little town where A Snake of June takes place and there’s not a dry seat in the house. 

Believe it or not, I very much appreciate Tsukamoto's work. It goes without saying that his contribution to Japanese cinema is something that folks will be discussing forever. I'll just leave you with one more thought. In the corner of my notes on this film I wrote the phrase: “Blow monkeys. Hello. I’m smelly.” Not sure what that means. Was that part of the dialog or something? Please let me know.