Ab-normal Beauty

Name: Sei Mong Se Jun (HK), Ab-normal Beauty (English Title)

Director: Oxide Pang

Release Date: November 4, 2004

Introduction:

Unlike some of the earlier films I've reviewed, this movie is directed by only one of the Pang brothers; in this case, Oxide Pang. However, the Pang brothers completed two movies as part of this set, the other being Leave Me Alone directed by Danny Pang. The two movies share only one thing in common: the car crash in both movies are the same one. The rest of the separate movies have nothing to do with each other. Leave Me Alone is more of a thriller while Ab-normal Beauty makes a foray into the horror genre.

Synopsis:

Jiney is a self-absorbed rich-girl-turned-tormented-art-student suffering from parental neglect. The only one that truly cares for her well-being is Jas, her close friend and possible lover (kinda strange, considering how the two are actually SIBLINGS in real life). There's a boy that's interested in her, but she pays him no mind, unless it's to act out her own perversely morbid fantasies. After happening upon a car accident, she is fascinated by the dead body of the woman and takes pictures of the gruesome scene with her camera. Afterwards, she develops an unhealthy obsession with death, which ultimately leads her into a the hands of a murderer.

Review:

Visually, I would say that Abnormal Beauty is stunning, the colors especially. Oxide Pang certainly has a thing for greens, yellows, and reds! The acting was fairly good, considering how the two female leads are originally singers and not actors. To me, the lesbian undercurrents between Jiney and Jas could have been more developed if Oxide Pang had decided to go that route. The plot was a little simplistic IMHO. I would say that the movie focused more on the horror moments than the storyline as a whole (there could have been way more development). Aside from that, I would call this more a thriller than a horror. It was fairly entertaining, though I got a bit bored at other times. I do give it points for being refreshing in teh sense that hey! No creepy long haired ghost thing!

Ratings:
Entertainment: 6
Scares:5
Gore:7

Video:
LINK: Watch Ab-normal Beauty

The Eye II

Name: The Eye II (USA), Gin Gwai 2 (Hong Kong)

Director: Pang Brothers

Release Date: March 18, 2004

Introduction:

The Pang Brothers decided to made a sequel to their well-received movie The Eye, and this was the result. The movie stars Shu Qi, a Taiwanese actress who has made a rather eclectic collection of films, including some soft-core porn. Though it appears that The Eye II is a sequel, the only way that this movie is related to the first is that both of the main characters can see ghosts after some sort of major even that happened in their lives. As I've mentioned before, The Chinese name literally translates to "seeing ghosts," which makes the premise of the sequel seem more logical.

Synopsis:

Joey is a woman with man troubles. After being rejected by her boyfriend, she tries to commit suicide in a hotel, but gets her stomach pumped. However, her brush with death through suicide enables her to see ghosts. Along with this disturbing discovery, Joey also realizes that she is pregnant. though she considers an abortion, she becomes tormented with her thoughts and becomes unstable. Joey notices that she is constantly haunted by a strange woman. Thinking that this ghostly woman means to harm her baby, she is scared of her and determined to discover her origins, leading to rather troubling results...

Review:

The Eye II was a decent enough horror flick, but it lacks the polish and cohesiveness of the original. All of the key plot points are present, but I feel like there's something missing, like a finally barrier separating the audience from the film. I don't feel like Shu Qi's character is particularly likeable. She seems cold and unstable, so I ended up not liking her as much as I liked Mun from the first movie. Some of the scares were just not effective. They struck me as being incredibly fake, and I felt like the final climactic scene was just too long and repetitive, causing me to lose interest.

On the other hand, there was an interesting back-story and an novel take to reincarnation. The movie was well paced, and fairly engaging storyline. I liked the rape scene, but I wish that there could have been more character development. All in all, it was worth a watch, if nothing else. I had higher expectations because the first movie was SO GOOD (go watch it!!), but I would say that The Eye II was decent. Save it for a evening at home with some friends. Quite good with popcorn, but not so much if you're grossed out by fetuses.

Ratings:
Entertainment: 6
Scares: 4
Gore: 6

Video:

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