Three... Extremes

The Good:
The second short - Dumplings - is one of the most horrible things I have ever seen in a horror film. It doesn't show much - honestly - but that is much worse because the things you imagine are so much more twisted than anything they could show you. I can't say more because it would ruin the surprise.

The Bad:
The first short - Box - and the third short - Cut - both leave much to be desired. Box tries to tell you a creepy story of retribution for past sins - but is just mediocre and somewhat pedophilic at parts. The third, Cut, has a good psychological basis ala Fight Club - but just never quite gets there.

All in all:
This is a must see simply for Dumplings. Even if you skip the other two - which are enjoyable if not completely successful - don't miss Dumplings.

Oldboy

The Good:
This movie just looked good.

The cinematography was top notch.

The color was rich.

The framing was excellent in a comic book kind of way.

The pacing was quick and never let up. Made the movie seem much shorter than it actually was.

The main actor - Min-sik Choi was very, very good.

The Bad:
This was billed as a horror movie, but it was not. It was definitely disturbing - but not as disturbing as it has always led me to believe. (One of the segments in this film is listed in Bravo's Scariest Movie Moments - but it wasn't nearly as bad as a ton of other things I've seen). It was no Ichi the Killer - but that's not necessarily a bad thing as Ichi the Killer made me feel like I needed to wash with steel wool just to get the grime off.

The movie was just too pretty to leave you nearly as disturbed as I think you were supposed to be.

All in all:
An Asian classic - not horror - not in the traditional sense. It had a very gritty, other-worldly Fight Club meets Nightwatch kind of feel. A must see for fans of good cinema.