I SAW THE DEVIL

5/17/2011

 
Revenge films are great, but I had to fast forward through most of the first 19 minutes, past the murder & dismemberment to get to it. And woe, there's more in this violent, graphic, bloody tale, which is particularly hard on the females. A handsome young man seeks retribution on the sick serial killer who slaughtered his betrothed. Slick, stylish, great characters, not for the squeamish.
Korean.

Official Site: http://www.isawthedevilmovie.com/
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/I-Saw-the-Devil/70144554?trkid=1660#height1716
 
The Arctic is beautiful, and the tedium of working there is captured, but the story is slightly boring, and only occasionally suspenseful. Too many close-ups and not enough narrative.

Official Site: http://www.howiendedthissummer.com.au
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/How_I_Ended_This_Summer/70132737?trkid=496624#height1552

THE TUNNEL (2001)

5/12/2011

 
Made for German TV (167 minutes) and based on the true story of defectors from East Germany who burrow underground to rescue others. Emotional and suspenseful. Love the story, style, setting (1960s), characters, and the acting; stoic, cool, minimal.

Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_Tunnel/60025064?trkid=496624#height2085
 
Robert Montgomery, Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders star in this grim early film noir on Turner Classic Movies and not DVD. A wealthy industrialist with acute paranoia torments his wife and best friend and foments labor unrest. Thank you TCM for bringing this one out of the vault!

TCM: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/386/Rage-in-Heaven/