The Doll Master

knightofdreamz · Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:40 am Movie of the week (3): Shutter

Shutter will be the movie of the week for week 3.
Sorry for the lack of participation in week 2 on my part guys. i am trying to do some new stuff for the site.

ShadowDepths · Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:57 pm

Hmm hopefully we can start the discussion now hehe.

My goodness! By far, this is the scariest Asian Horror movie I've seen! I screamed so much throughout the movie. :shock: I screamed, covered my eyes, and hugged my pillow! Never do I do so when watching an Asian Horror movie. Shutter was the first movie in which I did that. Usually when I watch a horror movie, I would just get wide-eyed when a jumpy moment occurs. After watching Shutter, I was afraid to go to sleep. 8)

It was very riveting, shocking, creepy, mysterious, and suspenseful! It was a cleverly crafted story and it was well directed. The actors did a wonderful job conveying emotions. It also had a touch of comedic relief (the scene where Tun was in the bathroom and kicked the door of the next stall open and the person asked "Can I poo first?").

I think each scene created anticipation for the next scene. Everything just flowed. I think the scene that instilled the most fear is the scene where Tun was alone in his studio and the lights went off and flickered. As each flicker occurred, you hear the sound of a shutter. Not knowing who or what is there in the darkness is scary! Then all of a sudden Natre appears. :shock: I give this movie a 10/10!

sage · Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:29 pm

checking in...

I shall return.... :wink:

sage · Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:14 am

ChhhChhh...ChhhChhh...ChhhChhh!! In case y'all don't know, that's the sound of the flashes..lol!! Shutter...hmmmm....hey did you know that if you split the syllables in half it becomes: Shut Her....??

As in Shut her up.. :shock: And sadly, that's how it all started! A bunch of archetypal..lol...school gangster( :roll: ) trying to shut poor Natre up.

O.K., i guess i'll discuss the strength first. The real strength of the film was in the characters. The character of Tun had plenty of depth as he spends the better half of the film fighting an internal battle. The guy that played him, really captured that despair that lies between cursed and redemption. I can't seem to decide whether i wanna shoot him or take shots with him. The internal conflict of the character made it rather easy to empathize. Then there was poor Natre. The representation of innocence. I almost tear up when she was caught in the same elevator with Tun and his...uh...homeboyz :roll: , and was subjected to heavy teasing. All she could do was looked at Tun...hoping for some kind of knight in shining armor crap. Anywayz, she definitely knew how to summon sympathy.

As far as the plot...eh...the usual formula of revenge in spectral form. But i thought the ending was very unnerving. I've talked to some people who thought that it was actually funny. I guess it could be percieved as funny, but imagine this.....

Imagine a ghost standing next to you right now. Imagine it vividly. Did the hair on your arm stood? If not, let's move on, LOL!!

Anywayz, the obvious theme is the usual weight of guilt on one's shoulder. And in a world of guilt, that weight can become pretty unbearable. But it's even more intense when it's not just the weight of the world on one's shoulder, but the weight of a netherworld resting on your shoulder....heheheh!!! CREEEEPPPYYYY!!!

sage · Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:52 am

ShadowDepths wrote: . It also had a touch of comedic relief (the scene where Tun was in the bathroom and kicked the door of the next stall open and the person asked "Can I poo first?").

Ughhh...jeeebussss...that scene was DISTURBING on sooooo many levels...LOL!!!

ShadowDepths · Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:43 am

sage wrote: Anywayz, the obvious theme is the usual weight of guilt on one's shoulder. And in a world of guilt, that weight can become pretty unbearable. But it's even more intense when it's not just the weight of the world on one's shoulder, but the weight of a netherworld resting on your shoulder....heheheh!!! CREEEEPPPYYYY!!!

That's true. Guilt can be very unbearable. Poor Tun is going to have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. He's going to have to own up to what he did and didn't do.

By the way, yes that is creepy indeed to having a spirit resting on your shoulder! :shock:

DP McCOY · Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:17 am

I have read quite a few poor reviews for Shutter,all spewing the same rubbish about cliches,cheap scare tactics and "Yet another long black haired vengeful ghost" and to certain extent they are right,if you had a check list of what you would expect to see from an Asian ghost story Shutter would tick many of the boxes,what sets this movie apart is just how effectively it goes about ticking the boxes.The movie really thrusts along at pretty fast pace(For the Genre),cranking up the intensity and hitting you with scare after scare,even when you know something is about to happen it still manages to give you a jolt.
As sage has already mentioned the characters are the strength of the movie.You start off liking Tun and his group of friends and certainly don't suspect the dark secret they keep,but as the backstory begins to be revealed you start to feel more sympathy for the spirit of Natre.Even when you know what trauma Natre endured it's hard not to feel some sympathy for Tun.Tun wanted to love Natre but in truth he did not,he did have the best of intentions towards her but he was quite immature and he ultimately made a mess of things(As we all do),although he of course is guilty of allowing the rape to continue and therefore just as guilty as the rest of his group who participated.I loved the end,when it was revealed that Natre's Spirit was sat on Tun's shoulders I actually Laughed and exclaimed "Oh shit!She's on his fucking shoulders!!" (Excuse my filthy mouth),I didn't react this way because I thought it was funny but because I found the reveal quite exhilarating and at the same time very unnerving.
The final scene is so very meloncholy and deeply unsettling,the tagline on the posters for the movie reads "She never leaves you " ...... indeed.