The Doll Master

knightofdreamz · Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:02 pm Oldboy

Oldboy

Director: Chan-wook Park

Plot Summary :
An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, he soon finds out that not only his kidnapper has still plans for him, but that those plans will serve as the even worse finale to 15 years of imprisonment.

Cast (Credited cast) :
Min-sik Choi... Dae-su Oh
Ji-tae Yu... Woo-jin Lee
Hye-jeong Kang... Mi-do
Dae-han Ji... No Joo-hwan
Dal-su Oh... Park Cheol-woong
Byeong-ok Kim...Mr. Han

All Title(s):
Oldboy (international)

DP McCOY · Tue Jul 03, 2007 9:06 pm

Stylish,brutal,extreme and compelling stuff.The plot is a little OTT but it worked for me,Oh Daesu's story is both tragic and at times sickening,A must see!

ijonchrist · Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:52 pm Help me out here guys...

I've been debating whether or not I wanted to see this film for a while, and finally my curiosity has got the better of me. The question I pose to you is:

Should I just watch this film here on the site for free, or is it one of those films that's best watched (first viewings are very important) in high definition on my 50" widescreen?

A lot of streaming films aren't very clear and come out choppy when played full-screen, ya know? This is ok for some movies, but then some movies are so beautiful cinematically that they should never really be viewed in anything less than DVD quality clearness. Star Wars films and movies like Sin City/300 come to mind... also my laptop only has like a 15" screen or something.

ShadowDepths · Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:43 am Re: Help me out here guys...

ijonchrist wrote: I've been debating whether or not I wanted to see this film for a while, and finally my curiosity has got the better of me. The question I pose to you is:

Should I just watch this film here on the site for free, or is it one of those films that's best watched (first viewings are very important) in high definition on my 50" widescreen?

A lot of streaming films aren't very clear and come out choppy when played full-screen, ya know? This is ok for some movies, but then some movies are so beautiful cinematically that they should never really be viewed in anything less than DVD quality clearness. Star Wars films and movies like Sin City/300 come to mind... also my laptop only has like a 15" screen or something.

Well, I agree with you that video streaming is usually bad. I watched Old Boy on here and thought it was ok to watch on here. The quality was good enough to watch. If you want to watch it without streaming, it might be a good idea to rent it if you can. That way, if you don't like it, you won't be wasting much money.

DP McCOY · Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:31 am Re: Help me out here guys...

ijonchrist wrote: I've been debating whether or not I wanted to see this film for a while, and finally my curiosity has got the better of me. The question I pose to you is:

Should I just watch this film here on the site for free, or is it one of those films that's best watched (first viewings are very important) in high definition on my 50" widescreen?

A lot of streaming films aren't very clear and come out choppy when played full-screen, ya know? This is ok for some movies, but then some movies are so beautiful cinematically that they should never really be viewed in anything less than DVD quality clearness. Star Wars films and movies like Sin City/300 come to mind... also my laptop only has like a 15" screen or something.

Do you have access to FILM 4? Because it was shown on there last week I think,and they may show it again at some point.

ijonchrist · Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:36 pm Re: Help me out here guys...

DP McCOY wrote:

Do you have access to FILM 4? Because it was shown on there last week I think,and they may show it again at some point.

I do have Film 4, but I must have missed that one. I think they showed The Eye as well, but I missed it as well. I miss 'em all it seems... lol.

Anyway, I bought the film after work today and will watch it tonight. If I end up not liking it I'm sure I know someone that would appreciate it as a gift, so at worst it's a 20euro present for someone.

ijonchrist · Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:40 pm Blown Away

Wow, what can I say? I had been curious about this movie for over a year now, but I had heard many things about it that kept me from going out and getting it. Many people had said it was 'sick' and 'graphically and excessively violent' to the extent that the story was grotesquely overshadowed. I won't ever let such comments deter me from a film again.

I saw a trailer for this film on another Tartan Asia Extreme video that I own, and what I saw in those couple minutes indeed looked like a violent film, but one done in a beautiful way. It was that and more.

***SPOILERS***

The story is one of the best I've ever seen in a revenge film... despite the fact that it lacked the 'super-violent-kill-the-badguy' ending that I'm used to and was expecting. There was a very sick plot-twist at the end that really turned my stomach, but moreso on the psychological level than the physical.

The acting is actually quite amazing! The villain was great, as were the other various scumbags and supporting characters, but the real gem here is the character Oh Dae-Su. I don't know the actor yet, and I don't think I've seen him in anything else, but the man was absolutely brilliant in this film.

The visuals are excellent as well. The camera use, settings, fight sequences, torture scenes, and especially the 'prison' sequences are all fantastically done! This film is as much a visual treat as it is on the mental level.

Oldboy is definitely a must-see. This is a film that will never leave my collection, and I will be recommending it to many people over the years to come!

Cheers,
- Ian

knightofdreamz · Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:34 am

Yea not many movies stack up with oldboy.
try Parks other movies
Sympathy for mr vengeance and lady vengeance

They are all part of the trilogy
I love mr vengeance. and i have a really hard time trying to tell someone which movie is better.

ijonchrist · Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:16 am

knightofdreamz wrote: Yea not many movies stack up with oldboy.
try Parks other movies
Sympathy for mr vengeance and lady vengeance

They are all part of the trilogy
I love mr vengeance. and i have a really hard time trying to tell someone which movie is better.

I actually bought Mr. Vengeance at the same time as Oldboy. I already had Lady Vengeance, though I have yet to watch it.

Having just watched Mr. V, I now wish I had seen it before Oldboy. It was definitely a really good film, but the pacing was a lot slower. I don't know which I'll like more after multiple viewings of each, but as first impressions go I'd have to say Oldboy was slightly more my style.

Oldboy is kinda like a stylish rock video, whereas SFMV plays out more like an opera. Both are great at what they do, mind you, and I'd highly recommend either of them. I look forward to seeing what Lady Vengeance is like.

Jisatsu~Saakura. · Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:26 pm

No wonder this movie is so well-known.
I love park chan-wook! His movies are all so good