Post Millennial Trauma: A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
I’ve had to bump this film up the reviewing schedule due to being too lazy to review things at home (and yesterday too drunk) and because my next few reviews are boob filled extravaganzas I can’t get the pictures for them at work. I also can’t think of a suitable boob cover for one of them either. Honestly, it’s ridiculous- if I put the title in to Google it just spits out millions of images of naked chicks, and as such is making me wonder if I didn’t accidentally watch a porn. I’m pretty certain I didn’t as there were a good few killings, but still, there was lesbianage, boob, minky, more boob, unconvincing shagging and more than one porn moustache.
Before I ramble off to badly on a boob filled digression instead here’s the banner carrying horror film from 2003, and there’s nary a jugg to be seen…
Phew, that was a close one. Anyhoo, 2003 was actually quite a good year for Horror (or I seem to remember it as being, although I wouldn’t put it past me to be talking utter crap). Nevertheless, it was also in many ways a transition year. The J-Horror fetish that plagued the late 90’s and early part of the last decade was nearly played out, and the odious tripe that is Torture Porn hadn’t yet taken a massive dump on the genre. In the midst of this, Ji-woon Kim’s A Tale of Two Sisters slunk onto the scene and served as a superb last hurrah for a style and formula that had become overplayed and stale.
This is an inordinately complex film. Ostensibly a ghost story, A Tale of Two Sisters is actually about one woman’s descent into madness, and the nuances and subtleties of the film aren’t actually clear on first watch. Actually, when I first saw it I didn’t have a clue what the hell had happened in the end, and it was only on this rewatch that the penny dropped for me. Mrs Jarv, on the other hand, spent the entire film alternately hiding her face or asking me inane questions, which I couldn’t answer without spoiling the ending. Even so, when I came to pen this review, I did check Wikipedia and looking at their plot description I’m at a complete loss as to what the hell they’re talking about. I must have missed something…
A Tale of Two Sisters is, as I’ve said, a ghost film. Sort of. Soo-mi (Su-jeong Lim) is collected from hospital by her father, Moo-hyeon (a really good understated performance from Kap-su Kim), and taken home to live with him and evil stepmother Eun-joo (Jung-ah Yum). It quickly becomes apparent that something is deeply wrong and Soo-mi is plagued with visions of her sister, Soo-yeon (Geun-Young Moon). The film builds to a tension, before a pretty cheaty twist ending (that you can see coming from a mile away) and a simultaneously completely confusing and totally necessary last scene.
I always find with ghost stories that they live and die by the atmosphere that the makers manage to conjure up. This may partially explain why films such as An American Haunting are so abject, and the genre also seems plagued by idiotic twists ever since Haley Joel Osmont saw dead people. Indeed, if there’s one thing that A Tale of Two Sisters has in absolute abundance it’s atmosphere. This is a film that oozes dread, there is absolutely no doubt on first watch that something deeply wrong is happening here. In fact, for much of the film I found it incredibly difficult to put my finger precisely on what was wrong, it all just feels so odd. I was expecting the twist (and I did call it, but so should everyone), but that doesn’t negate the fact that this is a creepy and tense film. There’s little in the way of outright jump scare moments, maybe the excruciating dinner party scene, instead the film simply keeps turning the screw by tiny degrees building a palpable sense of unease in the audience.
This is helped by the acting, which is uniformly excellent, although arguably the stand out performance is from Jung-ah Yum as the increasingly frantic stepmother, but I believe that the real star of this film is the cinematography and direction. Kim allows events to unfold at a languid pace, he’s in no rush to tell his story, and as such the little moments become far more creepy than they should be otherwise. It’s another Oriental slow-burner (why can’t Western directors allow horror movies to develop like this, and be, you know, actually horrifying?) and although I’d have dismissed the pace of it as too slow when I was 13, as an adult I really appreciate this style; not everything has to obnoxiously get in the audience’s face like a sugared-up ADD kid jumping around screaming for attention.
Secondly, the cinematography in this film is simply superb. The colour palette is all muted browns and dull sepia tones that give the house a feeling of decay. It does help that the house is naturally creepy, but you can almost smell how rotten the place is. This is a film that looks simply superb, and each scene is carefully and deliberately lit to accentuate the feeling that what we are witnessing here is a family that’s cracked under the strain of tragedy still existing in a building that mirrors their condition.
Overall, this is a really, really good film, and probably the last of the actually watchable J-horrors. The idiotic American remake, The Uninvited, on the other hand is (I’m reliably informed) rubbish. I’d recommend this as a legitimately creepy little film, and it is one that is more than worth a watch. It was mentioned in conversation the other day that there hasn’t been a really good horror from the Far East since this, and while my first thought was “nonsense”, in retrospect it now seems to me to be completely true, and if it is true, then perhaps it is because we are comparing them to films such as A Tale of Two Sisters and they can’t live up to it.
As this is clearly a film I recommend I’m giving it a high rating. I’m torn between going for 3 out of 4 or 3 and a half, but I think I’m going to go for 3. The reason being, that although this is a cracking film that looks great and is genuinely creepy, it is a touch unfathomable and does require multiple viewings to catch the nuances and explain the final act- I’ve seen it twice now, over a period of years, and now think I have a handle on it, but a lost of the subtleties did pass me by on first watch. So, in summary, a really good film and it can have 3 out of 4 evil twin popes.
Well, that’s 2003 done (there are other contenders as well that I’ll hit when I return to this series) so next up is 2004, which was a terrible year. I’m not sure what to do, so any suggestions are welcome else I’ll be forced to do Dumplings and I don’t want to because it makes me feel ill.
Until next time,
Jarv
I’m not watching this one for two reasons.
Reason #1 – The full title is not A TALE OF TWO SISTERS WHO KICK AND PUNCH EACH OTHER or A TALE OF TWO SISTERS WHO FIGHT EACH OTHER WITH SWORDS IN AN HISTORICAL CHINESE SETTING.
Reason #2 – I’ve seen the American remake starring Elizabeth Banks and the girl who played Jared Padalecki’s wife on Gilmore Girls. Everyone knows you don’t need to see the original once you’ve seen the American remake.
Good review, though.
Funny. Is nothing safe from The Gilmore Girls
In fairness, both the mom and daughter in THE GILMORE GIRLS are hot.
Wow, I was hoping ot beat Mr. Classy to the party here but missed the boat.
This was a fine movie Jarv, but your review is shockingly incomplete. It does nothing to explain away the fact the actors were not speaking any form of American I am familiar with and there were little yellow words at the bottom of the screen. Im guessing this was to denote the whole film is actually a dream?
Seriously, good review. Although, did you dock it points for being too subtle? Was it the lack of helpful flashback? Or items not being color-coded ala Sixth Sense? Perhaps it required a ‘Spot the delusional character montage with a ticking clock superimposed?
Again, kidding. I know what you mean. The movie is surprisingly convoluted towards the end, although I do think it’s all rather solid when you think about it.
It was probably that aspect more than the rest that made me rate it so highly–it has an element of substance, or at least layers, to it. The acting and the production are top notch.
Also, per our conversation about no good Asian horrors, I tried to do a think for other good ones since 2003. I honestly can’t come up with many at all.
Although, I’d rate Orochi and Hansel and Gretel as better than average movies. H and G is actually a Korean remake of sorts of that T-Zone episode ‘A Good Life’. Another movie with top flight production design. I think it was 2007 if you need a horror movie for that year.
And check out ‘I Saw the Devil’ which I believe is this director’s newest movie. Good stuff.
It was the last act I was thinking of, it’s a 3.2 film that I’ve rounded down
Still, I do really like it, but given that I rated Audition 3.5 it had to go in at 3.
Any thoughts on 2004 that aren’t either The Descent or Dumplings?
2004…hmm.
2004 has movies people rate, but I dont know as I personally thought it was a good year for horror.
As I think about it, there wasn’t much.
The obvious choice is Shaun of the Dead but is it really a horror?
I liked Dawn of the Dead remake, but I seem to recall you didnt.
You liked Saw, and I didn’t.
Even in your side of the pond, wasnt The Descent 2005?
2004 ‘horror’ movies were terrible: The Village, Butterfly Effect, The Forgotten, Anacondas 2, Exorcist 4, The Grudge, etc. Not a bright spot anywhere in there. Maybe something foreign we forgot about?
Shaun of the Dead, Seed of Chucky, Saw or…
Mansquito
When it comes to 2004 horror films, I believe there is only one rational choice – Dracula 3000 starring Casper Van Dien, Erika Eleniak and Coolio!
More seriously, according to this list here:
http://beta.blockbuster.com/movies/horror-g11-movies-2004.html
There are a few you could go for. Saw, Wolf Creek, Dawn Of The Dead, maybe Seed Of Chucky and Shaun Of The Dead if you want to count those as horrors.
There are several.
Dead birds I’ve already done, santa’s slay. Is great.
I’m a bit distressed by how many of them that I have reviewed and given low marks to.
What’s The Roost like?
I don’t want to have to do either creep or wolf creek
Ok, based off the list the monkey posted…eegads, this was a bad year for horror. If I recall, it was just a bad year in general.
Anyways, outside the ones already mentioned I see five other possibilities:
Ginger Snaps II– I think you did Ginger one already, but this one was a good sequel. Disregard it if you already did it elsewhere.
The Roost– The first movie from the director of House of the Devil. Another 80-esque throwback about a gang of teens hiding from vampire bats in a barn. Tom Noonan plays a horror host who introduces the movie, ala tv creature features. It’s decent if I recall.
Marebito– a Japanese horror that I personally didnt rate terribly high, but it’s well done. A guy finds a female vampire chained in the Tokyo subway. Goes from there.
R Point–I forgot this in the Asian horror bid. This and Guard Station, both by same director, are war horror films from Korea. This one is rather convoluted but very well made and mounted. Might not want to do another K-horror so close to this one though.
Santa’s Slay–is it horror? eh, nominally I guess, but it will give you an excuse to watch it, and that’s a good thing.
Not doing GS3.
Dead Birds is the standout title for me there and I’ve fucking done it.
The Roost it is
I meant GS2 Jarv. They are apparently released the same year. I only clarify as I wouldnt want anyone to think I actually enjoyed GS3. I didnt. It’s horseshit.
The Roost feels like you are watching a VHS you pulled out of the Blockbusters 80’s section or something. It’s a relatively simple story about kids who get lost and end up being attacked by a swarm of vampire bats whose bite turns those bitten into zombies.
It’s got a similar vibe and pacing to House of the Devil.
Mansquito is actually pretty decent for a SYFY movie. Unfortunately that puts it just above crap for everyone else’s standards.
Dead Birds? Im a bit surprised you liked that one Jarv. I personally found it tedious and kind of dim.
Dunno, it really worked for me, and I thought the transition to becoming zombies was well handled. I really enjoyed it.
Having said that, I did buy it for £1 and had no opinion or expectations for it. I had it under pleasant surprise.
Worst on that list is easily Creep. I’d rather watch aggressively sexual giant boobed lesbian ghosts filmed on a camcorder (with, no doubt, the microphone covered), than that.
I quite liked SANTA’S SLAY. The deaths were meh, the acting isn’t great – hey, psycho Santa’s played by a WWE wrestler, whaddya expect?? – but any movie that starts with James Caan deadpanning to some dinner guest who’s giving him carving tips on the Christmas turkey “I don’t want to fuck the bird, I wanna eat it” cannot be all bad. Plus, there is actually a decently written reason for why Santa is so insane all of a sudden.
It’s no RARE EXPORTS (which is obviously the best Evil Santa movie EVER) but it’s watchable, and it’s fun.
Rebecca Gayheart is in that, and I would do foul things to her.
Eewww Brett Ratner’s sloppy seconds!!!
Or McSteamy’s sloppy thirds, whatever she was that night they have on video with her, him some Pagent girl and a bathtube.
Don’t care. All I can think of is her in the nurse’s uniform in Urban Legend 2.
She’s also in prison for a drunken hit and run. As I understand it, she was fleeing from a pub in North London after she was accosted by a pissed local who told her he wanted to do foul things to her in a nurses uniform while dry humping a bar stool. You’ve got to feel some sympathy for the poor lass. North Londons a dangerous place when cretins like that walk around free.
Damn it, I actually laughed at that.
Curses. Go and read the Strip nude review. It is SFW
Bahahahaha
On June 13, 2001, Gayheart struck and fatally injured nine-year-old Jorge Cruz, Jr. as he jaywalked across a street in Los Angeles. According to the police report, the child was returning home from school when he ran across a street only 50 metres (160 ft) from a crosswalk. When vehicles in front of Gayheart stopped for Cruz, the actress drove around the stationary cars by pulling into a two-way left-turn lane; in doing so, she struck Cruz as he crossed the street. He died the next day at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
Why all this pointless debate? This is obviously the best horror of 2004.
That actually looks like Mansquito’s getting it on with that bloke. Now that would be truly horrific.
Is it a bloke? I can’t tell. Who’s seen Mansquito and can clarify if that is indeed a bloke or a chick getting dry humped by Mansquito?
Isn’t that a bra strap?
Alright, I get that you’re looking for good films, but I still highly recommend Dracula 3000. It is spectacularly terrible.
THRILL as you realise fictional black characters still act like nineties gangsta stereotypes in the year 3000!
GASP as you wonder why they still use pistols and VHS videos in the future!
SHUDDER when you see that space Dracula looks like he’s wondered in from a panto!
SULK as it sinks in that Erika Eleniak really isn’t going to take her top off!
Everyone should see this film at least once.
There’s a lot in the way of schlocky nonsense on that list that I HAVE to see for the vault:
Dracula 3000
Curse of the Komodo Dragon
DinoCroc
Puppet Master v Demonic Toys (awesome)
Rottweiler
Cryptz (my life will not be complete until I’ve seen this)
Boa v Python
Mansquito (natch)
Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness
Sleepover Nightmare
Garuda
Fear of Clowns
Suburban Sasquatch
and most awesomely The Ghosts of Angela Webb-
You have to bet on a lot of those being fan-fucking-tastic
Oh and this plot synopsis could either be hilariously great or just plain awful: Graveyard Alive-
I just watched the trailer for The Ghosts of Angela Webb. It looks absolutely awful, and not in a good way. Awful like someone made it at the weekend with their cousin’s camcorder.
Which is a shame, because a film about sexually forceful lesbian ghosts sounds awesome.
Damn it. My concern was that beautiful meant fuck ugly and curvaceous meant fat but that’s much worse
Dracula 3000–misses so bad its good for so bad its pathetic. Don’t bother Jarv.
Curse of the Komodo Dragon== more cgi nonsense. If you saw the original Komodo and couldnt imagine it lamer, well someone was capable of doing just that.
DinoCroc– par for the course for Rog Corman SYFY movies which means this is better and more entertaining than it has any right to be.
Puppet Master v Demonic Toys (awesome)– this was in pre-preduction since 1993 when it was meant to be made and was instead scuttled into Demonic Toys vs. Dollman. As a Full Moon addict, I have to say, this is complete and utter crap. It’s barely reminiscent of anything in either franchise. Seriously, Jarv, I know you will think it must still have redeeming qualities but it doesnt. Also, made directly for tv, so nix any interesting violence or nudity you think you might be getting.
Rottweiler– crap, plain and simple. Maybe one or two viable moments but nothing worth seeing.
Cryptz (my life will not be complete until I’ve seen this)–never seen.
Boa v Python– it’s watchable and better than those Mega Shark movies but it’s still just a SYFY cheapie.
Mansquito (natch)– surprisingly entertaining and dopey. I guess the dopey part actually isnt that surprising though.
Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness– ho-hum. cgi gargoyles? no thanks. Not a sniff on the Wilde version.
Sleepover Nightmare–never seen it.
Garuda–kaiju movie from Thailand. I kept seeing good reviews for this and talking it up as a good schlockly monster flick. Don’t really know what everyone is on about. If this were in English it would, like the other titles here, amount to a SYFY original. It isn’t terrible, but for once Im with the monkey–this isn’t worth sifting through poorly done subtitles to see.
Fear of Clowns– what a bunch of ass, and it was made locally, so Im not just taking the piss out of it for fun.
Suburban Sasquatch I love the title. Never seen it though.
And I thought Frankie watched a lot of crap. Geez.
Crikey!
That’s a really depressing run through.
So from that list- the only ones worth seeing are DinoCroc, Cryptz (as nobody has seen it), Boa v Python, and Suburban Sasquatch (also as nobody has seen it).
Pah.
I, unfortunately, have seen probably more crap than Jarv could hope to cover in all the Schlock Vaults ever.
Conti may have me beat however.
Dunno- I don’t review every piece of shit I watch nowadays- I should really review Casper v Heatwave, though, that was hilarious.
Jarv, Mansquito is fun too. None of them are ‘good’ or prolly worthwhile, but aren’t too painful if thats what you are going for.
What’s your 2005 movie?
Not sure yet.
That’s still up for grabs as well.
Hey, I like the look of that Mansquito.
Maybe I can fit that in tonight after torturing myself with not one but two Texas Chainsaw remakes. Or – and this is a radical idea, but go with it – I could just watch one crappy monster movie instead of two crappy remakes.
I say go for the trifecta. It’s more of a risk, but the rewards are plentiful.
I totally misread that and thought you said “the rewards are pitiful”
Which may be more accurate.
I………really need to see this.
You should watch The Uninvited to see how they compare.
No thanks.
If I never see another J-Horror remake it will be job well done.
The movie sort of ruined this movie for me. Not so much in that OHH its a remake, I mean I haven’t seen either, in that the trailer for the Univited gave away the whole fucking plot, which I assume is probably the same. While the Tale of Two Sisters trailer didn’t really give away anything.
It reminds me of the Stepfather remake I just watched. I’d like to watch the original, because in the remake YOU KNOW right away that Congo is bad, do they show you that Lost is bad in the first scene of the original Stepfather?
That is extremely annoying that they did that. Pissed me right off, actually.
And I went to lengths not to spoil here.
Anything with Coolio = instant WIN.
I’m still trying to get my hands on Pterodactyl in which Coolio plays a U.S. Army captain who battles flying prehistoric reptiles hatched from a Turkish volcano. That premise doesn’t even NEED lesbian rape ghosts (even if that sort of thing never hurts).
Have you seen The Convent Doc? Dig it out- it’s fucking hilarious and has a SUPERB opening scene.
And a great Coolio cameo.
Is that the one with Barbeau? I saw it ages ago and remember being disappointed after all the good things I had heard about it. Coolio was in it? I suppose I’d better watch it again.
That’s the one.
I consider that to be a good will film. The opening buys a lot of good will for being awesome. Then it lags, and just when you’re about to throw in the towel up pops the rubbish satanists and it’s hilarious which buys a lot of good will.
Coolio plays one of the cops that busts the kids at The Convent.
Just watched that GOAW trailer- looks like shit, but that candle scene did make me laugh.
Sadly, Curvaceous= voluptuous= fat in it.
Mansquito is awesome but that Gargoyle movie is terrible.
The Univited isn’t horrible, it’s just incredibly blah.
It also misses the obvious scene where the two sisters sexually experiment with each other.
Conti you’ve probably seen the original Stepfather. Is there a scene at the start of that movie showing that he’s evil?
I haven’t seen it since the late 80’s, but I remember it shows him leaving his house and we see his dead family in the very beginning of the film.
So, yeah, if I remember right we know he’s psychotic right from the beginning.
I’ve seen that twice, and cannot for the life of me remember it at all.
I’ve also seen some crap with a psycho dentist recently that I can’t remember either
Ok thats the same way the new one starts.
Something tells me a film called The Stepfather isn’t going to be a Lifetime Movie of the Week about a widow meeting a nice, mild mannered man and marrying him, and them dealing with minor problems with the standoffish children before he becomes their friend by treating them as equals and therefore being accepted and everyone happily ever after.
What fucking lifetime do you watch? Wheres the rape/death/torture/murder/kidnapping? Life time movies aren’t about bonding.
The Stepfather actually plays out and looks like most movies you’d find on Lifetime.
I’m making an assumption. Aren’t Lifetime movies about middle aged woman getting their groove back and doing some John Stamos type bloke?
No Lifetime movies are about abused women or men that prey on women. Its a channel.
Your thinking about, fuck jarv called it something good when describing ‘It’s Complicated’. Like old lady porn are something.
And Bart, I’m sure you’ve easily passed me by on crappy films. The only thing I’ve got on you probably is that I’ve seen all of Hugo Haas’s film noirs.
God only knows why.
Goddamnit. I can’t find either Mansquito or the Roost.
Was there a winner from the Drunken Cinema poll?
Killer Klowns.
Split Second came second
Deadly Prey third
Convent last
BOO! Deadly Prey FTW!!!
Also, I’ve found and am acquiring both Mansquito and The Roost.
I’ve found Mansquito and Dracula 3000. If this sucks, I’m blaming the monkey entirely. I’ll get the Roost as well.
Where did you guys get Mansquito?
I’ve not found it and am left with a paltry two crappy films to torture myself with.
Starting the first one now (TCM: The Beginning).
P.S. Killer Klowns From Outer Space FTW!!!
I’ve found it but the fucking download keeps failing. Bollocks.
I’ll post the update for DC on Friday.
But I think this gives us the order for a while.
Once I acquire it I’ll upload it so you guys can get it too.
Cheers
Frank- this is a great site for horror films, particular shitty films:
http://bloodyhorror.blogspot.com/
I’ve just found both Mansquito and also The Roost
*edit* except both have been deleted.
Fuck.
Man I hate rapidshare.
What are you trying to get? If it’s Mansquito or The Roost then wait and I’ll upload them tomorrow in single file dloads.
Stopped. It’s too annoying.
That site has an impressive array of crap. Trouble is – all Rapidshare links!
Man, I too hate Rapidshare!
Rapidshares fine. You just need dload software and patience. I use this…
http://jdownloader.org/
Jesus, this film is boring. Jordana Brewster is pretty and all, but she does not fill out a pair of hipsters like Jessica Biel.
This was a stupid idea. I may give up and watch a couple more Supernatural episodes instead.
No! Finish the job! You can do it! We’re all cheering for you!
Stop cheering, you assholes! I forgot how boring this film is!
I’m just sitting here hoping the Winchesters will show up and shoot everyone with rock salt, burn all their bones, crank up the AC/DC and drive off into the sunset.
THIS FILM IS BORING!
Watching Dracula 3000, if this blows I blame the monkey
Not loving the attempts to be alien
However, it does have Casper. Casper rocks
Buyer beware, man. I advertised Dracula 3000 as ‘spectacularly terrible’, so you can’t complain if it blows. Of course it blows, it has Casper Van Dien and Coolio in it!
Right, that’s enough of that. Time to cut my losses and watch some Supernatural. You suck, Michael Bay. You suck, Platinum Dunes. You suck, Jonathan Liebesman. You suck, Paul Walker.*
If only I could have gotten hold of Mansquito instead!
* I know, Paul Walker was not involved in either of the TCM remakes, but that guy really sucks so I couldn’t help throwing him in there.
BOOOOO!!!!!!! No cheering for you!
Coolio smoked a space bong. Which was funny.
Motherfucker. Now he’s a space vampire that wants to ejaculate on Eleniak’s bazongas
Abandoning this and going to bed.
Christ, it’s awful and I’m just not in the mood.
That does indeed look a nicely shot film.
I shall work my way around to this one at some point. I like to be bamboozled from time to time – but in a good way, not a Southland Tales way.
Good write-up.