(2002)
Dir - Kim Jee-woon/Nonzee Nimibutr/Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Overall: MEH
The initial, international anthology film Three, (SSeuli, Sāngēng, 3...Extremes II), is a Korean/Thai/Mandarin/Cantonese co-production in the similar vein of the following Three...Extremes released two years later, featuring three filmmakers from different countries providing a less than full-length short. While the premises are sufficient in each entry, (a man haunted by his dead wife, cursed puppets, a couple with a ghost daughter who revive themselves after three years to cure cancer), each one suffers from a bloated running time and therefor, the collection feels its over two-hour length more than is agreeable. The opening "Memories" from Kim Jee-woon is easily the most subdued, atmospheric, and best, with Nonzee Nimibutr's "The Wheel" the weakest, and Peter Ho-Sun Chan's "Going Home" having the most unique angle yet still falling somewhat in the middle. This is unsurprising in a way as Jee-woon has thus far been the most versed in the horror genre and he is the only director here to have also penned his own screenplay. Each segment is interesting on its own merits and it is an adequate showcase for those involved, but it ultimately underwhelms as a whole.
(2006)
Dir - Chito S. Roño
Overall: MEH
Filipino filmmaker Chito S. Roño's Sukob, (The Wedding Curse), is too bog-standard to leave a lasting impression, yet its story is emotionally sound at least. Based on the Filipino superstition that two siblings should not be married within the same year lest tragedy befall them, the specifics of the otherworldly logic here may be singular to the region, yet they routinely cross paths with vengeful spirit motifs that have been seen countless times before. Roño is prone to use cheap genre tactics throughout the entire movie, (namely quick flashes of a filthy bride ghost that is always accompanied by a screechy noise on the soundtrack), and every horror movie set piece is as predictably staged as the last. The film is far from subtle, with persistently scary music that makes everything only look and feel frightening on paper yet being derivative popcorn fodder in reality. Performance wise though, the cast brings their A game, particularly Ronalda Valdez as a disgraced father and Kris Aquino and Claudine Barretto as his devastated daughters. This family dynamic and the clever build-up between them which follows two parallel timelines is well done, yet one has to ignore the hum-drum horror elements to consider it a success.
(2008)
Dir - Yōhei Fukuda
Overall: WOOF
The only things that distinguish this low-budget zombie movie from all of the others that were done on any financial scale is the abundance of embarrassing CGI and one of the characters engaging in sword-slicing mayhem while half-naked and in a cowboy hat. An adaptation of the fighting video game series of the same name, OneChanbara, (OneChanbara: The Movie, Onee Chanbara, Chanbara Beauty), is a painfully boring and cheap smash-em-up whose sense of melodrama relies on derivative tropes where people struggle to cope with the emotional trauma of their loved ones joining the mindless legion of slow-walking ghouls. Well to be fair, there is some sibling rivalry to mildly spice things up, which leads to the closing battle sequence where the horrendous special effects really take center stage. The entirely of the movie was shot in open, dilapidated locations and the only other practical production qualities are the D-rent zombie make-up and Chise Nakamura's aforementioned scant wardrobe. Director/co-writer Yōhei Fukuda goes for high-octane, physics-defying action, but the endless battle sequences are mind-numbing and poorly staged, made more ridiculous by the digital enhancement of fake blood, fake limbs, and fake energy color-bursts. All would be forgiven if the whole thing leaned into its camp instead of playing itself so daftly straight, but alas, this is not the case.
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