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Blame on Three...Extremes for ruining my night of sleep. Three...Extremes is a great, great experience. The best way I could describe it is that it's like the Theater of Horror, not distant from the best of Argento. What is the French term for that type of theater? It totally escapes me at this moment but I know that it starts with the letter "G".

The creepiness factor of each short was way beyond my expectation. It's impossible to pick out a favorite since each one is so beautifully made. All three shorts could be the directors' best works. Some of the best pieces of horror I've ever experienced and that's saying a lot because horror is one of my favorite genres. Each short carries a burden of brilliant, profound psychology and meaning that threw me off guard at first.

I can't finish this without saying how gorgeous and perfect the cinematography for each short is. Dumplings, especially. Box captures the aura faintly like Argento and Lynch but it's still pure Miike. The film's last shot is oh-my-god perfect but disturbs the hell out of me. I need to watch Cut again.. I still feel like I missed something in it especially the "surprise twist" in the end if there is really one. It's sort of like Oldboy but more effective I think. Is this where Saw got the idea from?

I'm interested in learning what others have to say about Three... Extremes.

Grand Guignol?

Yes! That's it. Thanks, jesus!

Michael wrote:The creepiness factor of each short was way beyond my expectation. It's impossible to pick out a favorite since each one is so beautifully made. All three shorts could be the directors' best works. Some of the best pieces of horror I've ever experienced and that's saying a lot because horror is one of my favorite genres. Each short carries a burden of brilliant, profound psychology and meaning that threw me off guard at first.

Precisely. I had the good fortune of seeing it last week on the big screen and each segment had me on my knees at how fantastic they all were. It's really quite impossible for me right now too to name a favorite episode because of how brilliantly crafted they are and not counting the fact that each one creeped me out big time and left me really disturbed.

It's kind of like seeing one genius piece of filmmaking after another - you're left speechless, grateful, in awe, and with your mind reeling for hours. However, like you Michael, I need to see CUT one more time because something eluded me at the end. Maybe that was the whole point.

You should see the feature-length version of DUMPLINGS then.

Grimfarrow wrote:You should see the feature-length version of DUMPLINGS then.

I know! Finally we both agree on something! The extended version of Dumplings is even better than the shorter one. And that's saying something because the latter is terrific in its own right.

No kidding! Can you basically detail the differences between the two versions? Which one is better or more effective? I really loved Ling Bai's presence in Dumplings. Great fun to watch. What is your opinion of Three... Extremes, Grimfarrow?

Annie Mall, is there a DVD of the full-length Dumplings that you can recommend?

Michael wrote:No kidding! Can you basically detail the differences between the two versions? Which one is better or more effective?

Both of them are pretty effective in their own rights but as I was watching the extended version and noticing the differences (mostly at the beginning and at the end - I don't want to spoil it too much for you), the overall end result was much more satisfying when compared to the shorter version. And THAT was the real surprise for me because I was dreading that it would be very boring to see the same story with simply a longer length of running time. Boy, was I wrong!

There is a US DVD out at the moment I believe with the longer version of Dumplings on the bonus disc. Buy it blind!

Great! Netflix sent me only the first disc so I had no idea that the second disc has the full length version. I will be going to pick up the DVD today.

But what's this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHQ7ZQ/

That's the third instalment of the Three series of films. First one was Three, I believe; then, Three...Extremes and now Three...Extremes II.

Annie Mall wrote:That's the third instalment of the Three series of films. First one was Three, I believe; then, Three...Extremes and now Three...Extremes II.

Nope. From what I found Three Extremes II is just Three getting a somehow disorienting DVD release for american audiences. Something like Profondo Rosso renamed Suspiria II to get a USA release...

I liked 3 Extremes okay, and I too had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen, but I thought Dumplings was the weakest one of the lot. I felt that by giving away the "twist" so early on in the short it really dimished any tension it could've had. It looked great, but didn't do much for me.

I thought Takashi Miike's Box was the best one out of the three. A wonderful departure, eerie, ethereal and as the last shot reveals (SPOILER), a mystery inside a dream. It's like something Lynch might do but with enough of Miike's unique stamp. I loved it.

Park Chan-wook's Cut was okay, but a little too self-referential for my taste. I kept feeling like there was a massive inside joke I was missing out on.

The feature-length of Dumplings is much better than the short. I know an Australian distributor has the rights to this version so there should be an R4 release some time this year.

Michael wrote:What is your opinion of Three... Extremes, Grimfarrow?

I like the full-length DUMPLINGS more, but as a horror omnibus it certainly does its job. I think Park Chan-wook's contribution is the weakest of the three though.

Three Extremes 2 review:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=22110

Conclusion: Well, in terms of extras, it is disappointing Lions Gate didn't put as much effort into the release of Three as they did Three Extremes, but at least buyers/renters will get good audio and visual quality. Like nearly all anthology films, some stories work better than others, but two out of three ain't bad. The first story is okay, the second a disaster, and the third is memorable, giving the cumulative effect of seeing a fair film. Asian horror fans should certainly consider picking it up either as a purchase or a solid weekend rental.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restorations of both films by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio and lossless stereo audio on both films
• Optional English subtitles for both films
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Xinmei Liu
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Stacie Ponder and David Desser
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Xinmei Liu

DISC ONE: THREE

• Cross-Pollination Horror Part 1, a brand new interview with producer and “Going Home” director Peter Ho-Sun Chan
• Recalling Memories, a brand new interview with “Memories” director Kim Jee-woon
• Making Memories, a brand new interview with ""Memories"" cinematographer Hong Kyoung-pyo
• Terror Without Borders, a newly edited interview with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Between Life and Death, a newly edited interview with “Going Home” star Eugenia Yuan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Peter Ho-Sun Chan: Cinema Without Borders, an archival interview
• Kim Jee-woon: Memories from Beyond the Grave, an archival interview
• Making-of featurette
• Original theatrical trailer


DISC TWO: THREE... EXTREMES

• Audio commentary on the segment “Box” by director Takashi Miike
• Cross-Pollination Horror Part 2, a brand new interview with producer Peter Ho-Sun Chan
• Cooking Dumplings, a brand new interview with “Dumplings” director Fruit Chan
• Something a Little More Beautiful, a brand new interview with Takashi Miike
• Taste, Taboo and Truth, a newly edited interview with Fruit Chan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• More Than Skin Deep, a newly edited interview with “Dumplings” star Bai Ling, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Making-of featurettes for each segment
• Trailers for Three... Extremes and the feature-length version of Dumplings

I've only seen the sequel, and Dumplings was easily the pick of that bunch. Excellent Chris Doyle photography in a more constrained vein that usual. Is the feature version of that film available? I wonder if there are rights issues because of the portmanteau.

The feature length version of Dumplings was released separately in France on DVD. It looks like it also got a specific release in the UK (DVD), and that the US DVD release of 3 Extremes contained it on a second DVD.