my brief thoughts on.... 'The Butcher'

the Korean film industry continues to impress me with what they're releasing.... not just in one genre, but across the board.... i've seen so many good Korean films in the past several years.... now when i came across 'The Butcher' i did so because of a little blurb about it in the years roundup of good films from the past year.... it's not a movie with much out there that i could find out about it.... but it's available from Netflix to rent.... obviously this is a horror movie.... some might use the buzz words, 'Torture Porn'.... i hate that term and disagree with it and don't use it.... this is a grusome piece of work and is not short on blood, guts, gore and horrific acts of violence.... but that's what it advertises and you shouldn't be expecting any less than that stuff.... i mean, look at the cover....! a man in a pigs head with a chainsaw and a butcher-type apron.... that doesn't scream Meg Ryan comedy/love story....

this movie is probably one that will have a lot of love/hate reviews.... it's kind of something where you either enjoyed it or hated it.... i'm on the left side of that arguement.... i actually found this to be an original, little gore fest with a lot of potential that pays off just enough to leave you feeling satisfied at the end.... what's it about, you ask....? that's the neat thing that makes this stand out.... the storyline is not original at all.... you have several men who are kidnapping and killing innocent people in an old barn/warehouse thing.... but they're filming each murder and selling it to a specialized market.... 'snuff' films for the masses.... however, where this differs quite a bit from other movies is how it's filmed.... you not only view this from the third party perspective, but through the eyes of the killers and the victims.... that little trick is accomplished by the killers attaching cameras to helmets that the victims have to wear.... so you get to feel what it might be like to be the one in the chair as the killer is doing horrible things to you.... but then the view changes and then it changes again.... it is something i don't remember seeing before in a movie.... it puts this on a different level, instead of just being another slasher flick....
i ultimately gave this 3 out of 5 stars.... i couldn't quite justify the 4 star rating.... it had it's moments and accomplished exactly what it set out to do.... but something left me feeling a little unsatisfied at the end.... the way that the movie ended wasn't bad.... i felt it ended the best way it could.... and boy did i feel dirty.... especially after the decision our lead character made to save his own life.... if that doesn't give you a direct punch in the face, then i don't know what will.... that being said, only rent this if you've enjoyed other movies with over the top blood and guts and scenes of violence....

other movies that are similar: 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003), 'Hostel' and the 'August Underground' trilogy

my brief thoughts on.... 'Tidal Wave'

disaster movies are hit and miss..... if you have the disaster too soon, it ruins the possability of a build up.... if you wait too long, you lose the audience.... but if you build it up to where you care about the characters and place the disaster at just the right place and have follow up in the aftermath, they can work.... 'Tidal Wave' was the later kind of movie.... granted, it wasn't Shakespeare.... but it set it to do something and it accomplished it.... i found myself caring about the abundance of chracters that were introduced throughout the movie.... and there were a lot of them to give back story on and the director was able to make each ones story interesting and not overwhelming.... it was an movie with a lot going on and at a mere two hours it accomplished a lot....

not to get too deep into the story as it's extremely complex with all of the people involved.... it deals with a scientist who is trying to prevent what he calls a 'Mega Tsunami' from destroying Korea.... after the wake of a major one in 2004, that's been his lifes work ever since.... however, most people won't listen and just take him as being a bit over the top and over cautious.... meanwhile, everyone elses lives are intersecting and setting the stage for what happens in the last 45 minutes of the movie.... which is pretty intense....i felt this deserved 4 out of 5 stars.... i was a little suprised at the ending being a bit too 'neat'.... but i wasn't expecting the perfect movie.... but they did an amazing job with the special effects during the Tsunami.... and everyone was so well cast in their roles that i really got involved in the story.... i found myself on the edge of my seat during the entire 3rd act.... if you enjoy a good disaster movie.... and don't mind subtitles.... this Korean movie is one that might have slipped under your radar and you should consider blocking out some time to enjoy a summer blockbuster that isn't from Hollywood.... yes, i thought it was that good.

if you like foreign films like this or movies with lots of stuff blowing up, consider: 'The Host', 'Cloverfield' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'