Oldboy

I was just at the video store.

Since I am not working, lately I have been watching a lot of movies. Last night, for example, I watched 3 movies. I don't often do this, but I was in a funny mood and decided to distract myself.

I've got the all-you-can-rent for $15/month at Hollywood video, all of 1 block away, so I take full advantage of it.

Now, first, I like to think of a movie as a present. Do you want to know what your present is before you open it? No. Sure, it'd be scary to not know anything about a present- like who it was from, or why you were getting it, and of course, I'm fine with knowing who directed, wrote, starred in, etc, a movie I plan to watch. But that's all I want to know- and of course, if someone I trust said I should watch it, well, that's good enough for me.

For historical reference, I saw the previews for both Fight Club and the Matrix, and though I was trying not to watch them, I decided they both looked crappy and promptly forgot about them. Thus, when I finally watched them, I was completely blown away.

This is as it should be.

Now, back to Oldboy.

See, as with my movie-watching philosophy, I cannot tell others about movies, as I cannot understand the idea of ruining a good surprise. For example, "Orwellian future" movie features hints on the box that the future is actually a lie, and the people in the movie find out. Well, viola, major pivotal point of the movie, right there on the box, betrayed perhaps only by a photo of someone on a beach, or a particular character holding a gun.

Lame.

So I avoid. Anyway. This is all a long way to say I recommend the Korean movie Oldboy. It is quite graphically violent, which is just a warning, but it is really well done and perplexing.

Another movie I can recommend highly is the original Japanese version of "The Grudge", which is entitled "Ju-On". Some major changes were made to the story for the dumber USA audience- likely to make sure that highschool kids would like it too.

I do have one case where I am allowed to tell people about a movie: if they will certainly never see it. So, if you hate horror movies, then I can tell you this thing about one I saw, etc.

I am rambling.

Yes, so I was in the video store, and I saw Oldboy on the shelf, and I remembered how much I liked it. That doesn't happen a lot. Watch it. It's good.