Art and entertainment

Stories:

Three extremes had a strong and gross opening story! Three extremes wasn't afraid to include very dark and violent content that might've crossed boundaries! 

The second story "cut" reminded me much of the horror movie "Saw" but it was drastically different. Saw unfortunately became a boring horror franchise full of nothing but torture. The characters in "Cut" are forced to make very hard choices and reveal who they really are under pressure. "Cut" was psychologically brutal and far better than almost all of the Saw movies. 

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack in the Three extremes film made the film scarier and helped us understand the characters! The soundtrack mostly consisted of noise but it was effective! In "Dumplings", the noise emphasized tension and disgust while the beautiful music symbolized the main character's hopes. 

The last story made great use of silence to build horror! 

Cinematography:

The camera shots (namely moving camera ones) made the Three extremes film more uneasy! The close up shots of the main character staring at the camera made three extremes more disturbing! I loved the use of color in each story of the Three extremes film! 

Acting:

The actors were mind-blowing! The acting felt so real especially in cut and dumplings!   

Themes:

The opening story "dumplings" gave a scary commentary on Chinese culture that might just become reality. In traditional Chinese culture, people will do extreme things to attain beauty and excellent health. People eat certain foods westerners find disgusting because they believe it will give them certain benefits. China is one of the rare countries that doesn't have dietary restrictions. I wouldn't be surprised if the next step in the quest for beauty for the Chinese is cannibalism. 

The second story "cut" had a profound message on the rich and powerful abusing their power. Those of high social status treat those of lower status horribly. What made it scary was how the characters profoundly affected each other. What made this story so scary was the philosophy that good people can become horrible given the circumstances. 

The theme of envy was prevalent in all three movies. The Three extremes film warns of the danger of envy and how it can cause people to do horrible things because of a distortion of reality. It's not uncommon in some parts of the world for jealous men to kill their girlfriends simply because they suspected infidelity. This is what made the Three extremes film terrifying!    

In conclusion, the three extremes film for all of those reasons is a real horror masterpiece! It had straight raw energy from beginning to end! That's why I recommend you buy the three extremes 2-disk special edition DVD! How would you benefit from buying this DVD? 

DVDs are cheaper than streaming - Streaming sites are a waste of money. When you compare the time you're not using your monthly subscription to the time you are, you'll see you're not getting your money's worth. It's worse if your internet is poor to where your movies buffer. You're wasting money paying monthly fees. If you pay more for better internet, that's even worse. With DVDs, you only make one-time buys which save you a ton of money long-term.

DVDs have tangible ownership, streams don't - When you buy DVDs, you technically own them. With streams, you only pay for permission to watch them. If a company no longer wants to have its content in say Netflix's library, the company can request Netflix to remove it. You won't be able to stream it anymore. If a company stops selling a movie on DVD, that's the worst thing they can do. The company won't bother to confiscate your DVD.    

DVDs have exclusive content, streams don't - DVDs (namely special editions) have much more content than streaming services such as extended editions, unrated editions, deleted scenes, interviews, "making of" documentaries, etc. Movie streams don't. Typically, streaming services play only standard editions of movies. This DVD set has a making of documentary and full version of "Dumplings."  

You can resell DVDs but not streams - You can resell DVDs since you have tangible ownership of them. With streams, you don't own them so you can't. Once again, you save a ton more money buying DVDs than streaming. 

DVDs have better quality than streams - Quality is determined by bitrate. Higher bitrate means higher quality video and audio. Quality can also be affected by codec encoding and compression techniques. Regular DVDs run at 6-8 megabits per second. Streams usually play movies at lower rates. Netflix for example plays movies at around 5 megabits with a standard connection. This DVD set has 5.1 Dolby Digital.  

DVDs don't require Internet, streams do - If your internet connection or streaming service fails, you won't be able to finish watching your favorite movies and shows. Nothing is worse than watching one of the most critical and intense scenes in a movie only to be interrupted by say internet lag. It ruins the viewing experience. With DVDs, you don't have those problems. 

DVDs look fantastic on display! - DVDs will make your room look much more alive with its stunning physical artwork! There's nothing like holding a DVD of your favorite film in your hands! With streaming, everything belongs to the streaming service. It can feel like you're just renting your favorite films.  

New copy. 

The Audition 1999 movie is one of the scariest and most disturbing movies I ever saw! It's one of the finest horror masterpieces! When I saw it for the first time, I was deeply troubled and tense. I squirmed in discomfort and disgust. I'll give a non spoiler review then a spoiler review. 

Non spoiler review

Story:

Audition is about an old man looking for love. He meets Asami but realizes she's not who she seems to be. 

I loved the Audition 1999 movie for its slow-pace but effective approach in building tension and horror! 

This was a hard horror movie to watch because there was so much emotion! The Audition 1999 film helped you to understand these are real people with real feelings! The Audition 1999 film is such a memorable Asian horror movie because of its strong characters and compelling story. It's refreshing to have a horror movie like this. There are no poorly made jump scares, weak character development, terrible acting, excessive blood, and guts, etc. like there are in many other horror films.    

What I loved about the Audition 1999 movie is its ambiguity. The Audition 1999 film gave you some room to interpret the story.  

Spoiler review

Story:

I loved the Audition 1999 film for its slow-pace but effective approach in building tension and horror! Audition is such a memorable Asian horror movie because of its strong characters and compelling story.

This was a hard horror movie to watch because there was so much emotion! The Audition 1999 film helped you to understand these are real people with real feelings! 

The scenes where the man calls Aoyama on the phone were highly disturbing! Asami simply kneels with her head hanging down as if she's completely obsessed with this man. It's as if she has no life's purpose and her entire existence depends on him. There's no decorations or objects in her room. The room is full of mostly emptiness like her spirit. The man in the bag represents her emotional baggage from past trauma. She can't separate sex, violence, and love from one another. They're all the same to her. 

While I'm usually against sex scenes, I thought the sex scene in Audition was decent and added to the story. We learn more about the characters. The sex scene didn't give unnecessary nudity, moaning, explicit sexual intercourse, etc. 

At some points of the Audition 1999 movie, we see flashbacks and hallucinations. We see Aayoma's insecurities and possibly abusive personality. We see what he wants to see. We see Asami's origin which appears to mesh with him. It's hard to tell what's real vs. fantasy or how to interpret all of this. Ultimately, these scenes show how disoriented the main character is which made the Audition 1999 movie more disturbing.     

The torture scene between Asami and  Aayomas terrifying as well as brutal! There's no music. The creators didn't try to trick you into being horrified with a typical horror soundtrack. There was no excessive and unnecessary blood. Seeing a helpless man get brutally tortured by his lover was horrifying! 

What I loved about the Audition 1999 film ending is its ambiguity. It's not clear whether the woman died or survived. Its also not clear what happened to the man after this incident and the trauma he endured. I feel like the man forgave her and probably still kept pursuing her despite everything she did based on his choice of words.  

Characters:

I loved the characters because they were relatable. 

Aoyama - I loved his character. It reminded me of myself in the past. He does questionable things out of fear of loneliness. 

Asami - What made her scary was her deceitful beauty and calculating obsessive personality. She didn't need to be strong to subdue the main character.  Asami's innocent and playful personality, while she did vile things, was what made her scary!          

Dialogue:

The dialogue was powerful! At the beginning of the Audition 1999 film, it felt so natural and realistic. As the film progresses, the dialogue becomes haunting! The woman's dialogue in the torture scene sent chills down my spine! 

Soundtrack:

The Audition 1999 movie soundtrack gave me chills! There wasn't really any music. Just ambient ominous noises. 

Cinematography:

The cinematography made this film scarier! It was disturbing how the camera is shooting and it stays in a fixed position for a while. Seeing images like psychedelics added to the horror and made you question reality! I loved the first-person perspective and shaky camerawork. It made the Audition 1999 film feel more real and lively! It also helped you connect more with the characters! 

Acting:

The acting was superb! They were all believable and immersed in their roles! I'm not sure if every character's reaction was realistic in the torture scenes.     

Themes:

What made the Audition 1999 film horrifying were the themes. Audition is a horror movie on the dangers of toxic love. The main character was so in love with the woman, he ignored the warnings his friend tried to give him because he was intoxicated to her. People who are in love tend to do that. Before they know it, their partners do horrible things to them. I wonder if the main character himself was traumatized in some way like Asami and if he had free will. Ultimately, the Audition 1999 movie made you feel like these were the characters destinies. 

What also made this horror movie disturbing was the message on trauma. The woman was abused as a child and wanted to get revenge. Eventually, it became a lifestyle for her. It's like she expressed her distorted view of love through violence. 

Overall, the Audition 1999 movie is a real horror masterpiece. We may never see a horror movie like this again. I highly recommend you buy Audition on DVD!

Audition 1999 special edition DVD

Non-spoiler review:

Gill's origin story was borderline disturbing. It made me really think about his mental state and the mental states of the other fish.

The scene where Marlin and Dory finally find Nemo but Nemo is unconscious was very dramatic. It was also moving especially when we see how guilty Marlin feels over losing Nemo.      

Story:

The story is about a clown-fish named Marlin who is overly cautious about his son, Nemo, who has a short fin. When Nemo swims too close to the surface to gain his father's trust, divers catch him as Marlin watches in horror. Marlin must rescue him. Along the way, he meets a blue reefed fish with short-term memory loss named Dory. They face sharks, jellyfish, and other dangers. Meanwhile, Nemo plots his escape from the tank.   

I loved the adventure Finding Nemo puts you on. The scenery, the plot, the characters, the emotions all captivate you. You feel all sorts of emotions watching Finding Nemo such as fear, shock, joy, sadness, relief, and so on. Finding Nemo is a rare movie because almost every scene keeps you engaged with the story. It's also a rare movie with its ability to make essentially all the characters memorable.  

Animation:

Cinematography:

I loved the different camera shots used for Finding Nemo. I loved the use of first-person perspective in some scenes. It made them more intense. 

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack was incredible! The soundtrack was full of raw energy, tension, and emotion. 

Acting:

The acting was phenomenal! The voice actors didn't just play the characters. They became the characters! 

In conclusion, Finding Nemo takes you on an unforgettable journey from start to finish. I loved almost every scene of Finding Nemo! This truly is a movie everyone can love! I highly recommend you buy Finding Nemo on DVD! 

Spoiler review:

Animation

Story 

The story is about a clown-fish named Marlin who is overly cautious about his son, Nemo, who has a short fin. When Nemo swims too close to the surface to gain his father's trust, divers catch him as Marlin watches in horror. Marlin must rescue him. Along the way, he meets a blue reefed fish with short-term memory loss named Dory. They face sharks, jellyfish, and other dangers. Meanwhile, Nemo plots his escape from the tank.   

I loved the adventure Finding Nemo puts you on. The scenery, the plot, the characters, the emotions all captivate you. You feel all sorts of emotions watching Finding Nemo such as fear, shock, joy, sadness, relief, and so on. Finding Nemo is a rare movie because every scene is tense. It's also a rare movie with its ability to make essentially all the characters memorable.  

The opening scene got me instantly hooked with its emotion and Marlin's promise to Nemo. 

The scenes between the seagulls, Marlin, and Dory were genius as well as hilarious.  

One of the biggest reasons why Finding Nemo is so great is how natural the animals sound. They have unique almost human-like personalities. The changes in sound also were realistic. 

Gill became a father figure to Nemo. Gill teaches Nemo to trust himself and face his fears. However, he learns Nemo can't do everything.

I loved the character development in Finding Nemo. Gill became a father figure to Nemo. Gill teaches Nemo to trust himself and face his fears because he wants to escape the fish tank. However, he learns Nemo can't do everything and regrets putting him in harm's way. Eventually, Gill helps Nemo by risking his own life. That was powerful. 

Characters:

Marlin - He's often driven by anxiety and grief more than he is by love.  

The soundtrack was incredible! The soundtrack was full of raw energy, tension, and emotion.  

Cinematography 

I loved the different camera shots used for Finding Nemo. I loved the use of first-person perspective in some scenes. It made them more intense. 

Acting 

The acting was phenomenal! The voice actors didn't just play the characters. They became the characters! 

Flaws

Finding Nemo had a few minor flaws. I disliked a crude subtle reference to a curse word. I didn't think that was necessary. Finding Nemo already had great humor that advanced the story.  

I also didn't like the subtle reference to the Shining when Bruce chases Dory and Marlin. I feel like the creators didn't know how else to make Bruce scary so they included that. I wish Bruce's character could've been developed more.      

Finding Nemo tells the importance of trusting your family and not being overprotective of them. This is best explained in the Whale scene where Marlin says he promised he wouldn't let anything happen to Nemo then Dory said "you can't let anything happen to him..then nothing would ever happen to him!" Characters like Marlin believe the world is so dangerous but he learns the world is not that bad. He has to depend on some creatures who help him in his quest. He was so determined to protect Nemo that he failed to realize he couldn't do it alone. He needed others to help him. If he tried rescuing Nemo alone, he would've died in the process. Nemo also learned to trust himself and that's why they were saved from the fishermen at the near end of Finding Nemo!   

In conclusion, Finding Nemo takes you on an unforgettable journey from start to finish. I loved almost every scene of Finding Nemo! This truly is a movie everyone can love! I highly recommend you buy Finding Nemo on DVD!