Old Boy DVD

[tomdkat]

I just finished watching Old Boy:



Talk about an intense movie!!!!! It's a Korean film that totally kicked my ass, that's for sure.

Highly recommended to anyone looking for a great movie, scratch that... highly recommend to anyone looking for a great film.... The main character was played by a guy who had the same kind of intensity as Clive Owen in Closer.

Peace...

[SilentBob]

I have yet to see the movie but i bought it blindly in the past DDD.com sale because i heard so many good things about it. My friend likes the Asian movie market so i am kind of waiting to see it with him. . . .and on his HDTV But up here in Canada its like $36 and i got it for $15 during the sale and i couldn't pass that up.

[The Limey]

I loved Old Boy, although it's not one of those films i could sit through time and time again. I'm not going to spoil anything, but i will say this...it's probably better if you don't eat before or during it...and you probably won't want to eat after it!

[Hayrab]

This movie is definitely awesome. I believe it is a loose adaptation of the Count of Monte Cristo story. The acting is absolutely superb in it and has one of the most realistic ass kicking fights ever put to film.

[cherno]

Originally Posted by Hayrab

I believe it is a loose adaptation of the Count of Monte Cristo story.

I don't see it. It has very very little ties to be able to compare these two stories. It involves revenge, that's about it. The reason for the imprisonment, and aftermath are nothing alike.

I thought the movie was good, nothing that blew me away but definately unique. Well worth a viewing.

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by The Limey

I loved Old Boy, although it's not one of those films i could sit through time and time again.

You can say that again.

Peace...

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by cherno

I thought the movie was good, nothing that blew me away but definately unique. Well worth a viewing.

Not even when

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

he ate the live octopus?

Peace...

[Pirate]

Honestly, I really didn’t care for this film. I struck me as all shock and no substance. I kinda felt about this the way I felt about High Tension. The build up was great, but the pay off was poor.

-PH

[cherno]

Originally Posted by tomdkat

Not even when

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Peace...

Please, I am half Japanese, while it was kind of unusual, for me it wasn't a big shock. While it is a Korean movie and not Japanese, someone with some asian sensibilities in the upbringing wouldn't be affected by the movie so much as "pure" westerners are I guess.

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by cherno

Please, I am half Japanese, while it was kind of unusual, for me it wasn't a big shock. While it is a Korean movie and not Japanese, someone with some asian sensibilities in the upbringing wouldn't be affected by the movie so much as "pure" westerners are I guess.

I guess you've got a point there.

Hey mods, can we give cherno a "half Japanese" title?

Peace...

[CapnCruncH157]

Make sure to check out Chan-Wook Park's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance if you haven't already. I think that it's even more of a shocker than Oldboy was... not due to the content exactly, but more of the way it is structured and paced.

You definitely feel like you just got sucker-punched after watching the film.... and... that's a good thing

[esc]

which version is going to be the best? this is like trying to find the best version of HERO with so many various releases out there. I shoudl probably get something that is R0 or R1

[Vigilante]

Originally Posted by esc

which version is going to be the best?

I don't think there is a good version; maybe the R1 is the "best".

Definitely, the Aussie release is the worst out there, being non-anamorphic, and with burnt-in subtitles (which means that the subtitles would not be readable if the screen was zoomed in on a widescreen TV).

[supercutz]

Chalk me up as yet another recommender of this awesomely intense movie.

[Hayrab]

Originally Posted by cherno

I don't see it. It has very very little ties to be able to compare these two stories. It involves revenge, that's about it. The reason for the imprisonment, and aftermath are nothing alike.

I thought the movie was good, nothing that blew me away but definately unique. Well worth a viewing.

I didn't really see the connection either but I read a few stories on it where it was mentioned a few times and that the director had it in mind when making it etc...

[dragonschmuck]

just watched this movie recently myself. thought it was great, however, was i the only one that predicted the girl at the restaurant was his daughter immediately after they met??? I dunno, maybe its just me but i was hoping i was wrong while watching the movie through the end. therefore the "shock" ending didn't really shock me. sometimes it sucks to be right.

[Willh51]

Originally Posted by dragonschmuck

just watched this movie recently myself. thought it was great, however, was i the only one that predicted the girl at the restaurant was his daughter immediately after they met??? I dunno, maybe its just me but i was hoping i was wrong while watching the movie through the end. therefore the "shock" ending didn't really shock me. sometimes it sucks to be right.

Spoiler tags are better.

But yeah I wasn't really all that shocked, I figured it out a bit later than that scene though.

[zombieclown]

Originally Posted by tomdkat

Not even when

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Peace...

in my opinion, not as crazy as

Originally Posted by Hayrab

one of the most realistic ass kicking fights ever put to film.

which I do agree with

[manicsounds]

Do I get a half-Japanese title too? I'm also qualified.

For people that still havent gotten it yet,
i still recommend the UK PAL Region 0 disc over the US version.
Lot more extras and is quite reasonably priced now.
I believe amazon uk has it for about 8 pounds now.

Oldboy 2 disc UK Tartan

[Musashi74]

Originally Posted by cherno

Please, I am half Japanese, while it was kind of unusual, for me it wasn't a big shock. While it is a Korean movie and not Japanese, someone with some asian sensibilities in the upbringing wouldn't be affected by the movie so much as "pure" westerners are I guess.

Well, I'm half-Filipino, and there's nothing quite as disturbing as watching your family gorge themselves on beer and balut. But I have to say, the live octopus was still pretty gross. Not so much the act itself (I'm quite familiar with the practice), but that Chan Woo-Park filmed the real deal. Again, not such a big deal in Korea, but in contrast to American films...I can only imagine what kind of shitstorm an American director would start if he pulled this stunt in a Hollywood feature.

Still - shock-schlock or not, I dug it.

Oh, and I picked this up as a PSP-UMD/DVD combo (Oldboy was on UMD, with Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance included on DVD). Only $20 at Best Buy. Kind of a cool package, IMHO.

[Monrozombi]

I got that Borders coupon for 40% off a box set. I had my eye on house when I saw Oldboy sitting there in its copper case calling to me. I remember reading posts about it and kept hearing that people liked it, so I thought for $25 bucks I couldn't pass it up. Man I'm glad I got this set.

I thought the concept of the film was great. The cinematography was also top notch, why can't films like these be made like this in America? I find myself become more and more of a fan of Asian films, namely films of this nature that are a little more extreme and out there.

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

I didn't really connect that Mido was his daughter until I started seeing him going through the yearbooks and listening to the backstory. After that the movie basically changes directions and not only do you have to feel bad for Oh Dae Su but also for Woo-jin because it's basically Dae Su's own fault this happened. The hammer fight scene has to be the most bad ass action sequence of the year let me say that. Although I was a little disappointed in Dae Su at the end of the film. Once he finds that Mido is his daughter, the character change I can understand but I think that it takes away from the character a little bit for me. Seeing him want to be Woo-Jin's dog was just sad. I would have rather seen him just either break down and cry or kill Woo-Jin and leave.

I am very impressed with the set, I'm just going through the second disk now and will tackle the third one this weekend and then commentaries hopefully soon after. I see this is the second part of a trilogy? I haven't looked yet, but does anyone know if the first and third parts are available in the US?

[bjh_18]

Originally Posted by Monrozombi

I see this is the second part of a trilogy? I haven't looked yet, but does anyone know if the first and third parts are available in the US?

It's a trilogy only in name ("The Vengeance Trilogy"), and each film is directed by the same director - Park Chan Wook. The only thing connecting each movie is the theme of vengeance. Both of the other movies are available in the U.S. The first one is called "Sympathy for Mr. Vegeance". The third film is called "Lady Vengeance" here in the States (I have the Korean disc which has the title "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance").

Originally Posted by tomdkat

Not even when

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Peace...

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

Having lived in South Korea for a year and having eaten a live octopus myself in quite the same fashion myself, I thought it was great to have it on DVD to be able to show people who don't believe me when I tell them about it.

[interfxrence]

I picked up the 3-disc boxset a few weeks ago and I liked it but hated certain aspects of the story and dialogue. for example, when oh dae su is barking and crawling around -- it just turned 'that scene' into a joke. x gets his vengeance, but (i thought) the reasoning for oh dae su being locked up in the first place was lame... and that just leads to an ending that seemed to go on forever... i really did like it -- and enough to pick it up for someone for xmas -- but it wasn't the shocking and twisted film that people made it out to be... for me at least...

[Sehnzeleid]

Originally Posted by Vigilante

I don't think there is a good version; maybe the R1 is the "best".

Definitely, the Aussie release is the worst out there, being non-anamorphic, and with burnt-in subtitles (which means that the subtitles would not be readable if the screen was zoomed in on a widescreen TV).

Tartan U.K.'s 2-Disc Special Edition is the best. Unsure about Tartan U.S.'s new 3-DVD box, but their single disc DVD is interlaced.

Of course, there is an HD-DVD.

[MrMike]

I'm just letting everyone who is interested in the recent 3-disc set that it is out-of-print. I recently just found out and was lucky enough to find a copy at a local Borders. I believe that used sets on Amazon are going for a min of $50.

[Monrozombi]

I was at the Pittsburgh Comicon and a dvd dealer had a sealed copy for $200 bucks, with a post it that said "Rare." I about fainted when I saw that, I don't know when it went out of print but wanted to tell him that I had just bought mine at Borders for $30 (with coupon).

This is on my of Top 10 favorite multi-disc sets ever.

[supercutz]

I was lucky enough to find one on launch day but I've never seen one on store shelves since.