Posted on: April 6th, 2009 From The Vault – The Week of April 6th

Hey Kids, Ryan here taking over From the Vault this week. For this edition, I thought I’d showcase a film I recently watched with one of my all-time favorites; both fantastic additions to any home video collection. So without further ado, here’s this week’s double-feature.

Oldboy

2003
Directed by: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang

Where do I begin how amazing this flick is? Hands down my favorite film to come out of South Korea, if not all of Asia period; a wonderfully executed and brilliant display of technical film-making, acting and master storytelling.

Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-su, an average middle-aged businessman who is imprisoned with no reason or explanation for 15 years, with literally no human interaction. One day, Oh Dae-su is released back into the world where he is faced with an even bigger mind-game: does he try to unravel the mystery of his imprisonment, or quench his thirst for revenge?

From the opening frame to the emotional ending, I found myself magnetized to the screen and on the edge of my seat. Director Chan-wook Park created a beautifully haunting thriller that keeps you in the front row of this emotional roller-coaster. We’re taken right beside Oh Dae-su throughout his struggle, feeling every bit of hurt and despair as he tries to put the pieces together. The film is meticulously shot and scored, and Min-sik Choi’s performance is nothing shy of phenomenal. Oldboy features some fairly graphic violence, I wouldn’t say in excess, but the major fight sequence is something to mark in the history books as one of the greatest of all times.

As for the “twist ending”… well… if M. Night Shyamalan had any sense in his brain he’d watch this flick and realize he can’t write a script to save his life and finally quit. Oldboy sets the bar for the genre and shows just how shockingly often these films really do fail.

If you’re a fan of revenge/thriller/mind-fuck type films, you must add Oldboy to the top of your list.

Special Features:

1. Director & Cinematographer Commentaries

2. Interview with the Director

3. Deleted scenes with optional commentary

4. Trailer

 

Dawn of the Dead: Ultimate Edition

1978
Directed by: George A. Romero
Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross

I can honestly say that not only is Dawn of the Dead my favorite film of all time, I also consider it to be not only one of the most important films in the horror genre, but one of the most important social commentaries of all time. If there’s one drawback to being a zombie film in the 70’s, its that the film is typically written off as a cheesy gore-fest. Yes there’s a fair amount of cheese and gore, but I presume this merely serves to entertain the dim and the dull unable to look past this layer and see the satire and subtext. Is Dawn of the Dead a zombie film? I say quite the opposite. If anything it’s a human film.

DotD explores what a small group of humans do to survive in the midst of a zombie outbreak, this group in particular seek refuge in a shopping mall. Zombies and survival themes aside, the film serves to examine consumerism, human reaction and self-indulgence. Dawn of the Dead is in some ways playing on a multitude of human fantasies. Imagine living in your own self-contained world, where money is not an issue and everything is at your fingertips. Your only obstacles are the slower-than-molasses walking undead, who for the most part exist as a way to spend your ammunition and spare time.

The film doesn’t waste its opportunity to fully flesh out its story and take the audience through every cycle of emotion. It’s scary. It’s funny. It’s worrisome. And the score, provided by Goblin – the incomparable Italian prog-rock band – is something for the ear to behold.

There’s been a few home video releases for DotD, but this Ultimate Edition is the definitive must own for every fan. This gorgeous little box-set comes with three different versions of the film: the US theatrical version, the Extended version and the European version.

US Theatrical Version:

127 minutes. The original, unrated cut that was released in theater. George A. Romero has referred to this as his preffered version.

Special Features:

1. Audio commentaries from George A. Romero and special effects legend Tom Savini

2. Theatrical trailers

3. TV spots

4. Radio spots

5. Poster and advertising gallery

6. George A. Romero bio

7. Comic book preview

 

Extended Version:

139 minutes. Created for the 1978 Cannes Film Festival, this version contains 12 extra minutes of extended scenes and additional gore. This version is often referred to incorrectly as the ‘director’s cut’.

Special Features:

1. Audio commentary with Producer

2. Monroeville Mall commercial

3. Behind-the-scenes photo gallery

4. Memorabilia gallery

5. Production stills

 

European Version:

118 minutes. The European release of the film was re-edited by Italian horror film master Dario Argento, with a shorter run-time. This cut’s main difference is its quickened pace and additional music from Goblin.

Special Features:

1. Audio commentary with the cast

2. International trailers

3. UK televison spots

4. International lobby card gallery

5. International poster and advertising gallery

6. Pressbook gallery

7. Home video and soundtrack artwork

8. Dario Argento bio

 

Bonus Documentaries Disc:

1. The Dead Will Walk – A 75 minute documentary featuring the cast and crew.

2. Document of the Dead – The original feature documentary filmed during the making of Dawn of the Dead.

3. On-Set Home Movies

4. Monroevill Mall Tour with Ken Foree

3 Responses to “From The Vault – The Week of April 6th”

1. Speros Says:
   April 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am

   Oldboy is a mindfuck that I have willingly allowed to corrupt my brain over and over again! Great choice and you are 100% right everyone who is ever thinking of having a twist in their story should check out how this movie was crafted.

2. Brett Snyder Says:
   April 6th, 2009 at 11:22 am

   That’s funny you did Oldboy. I actually just bought it with its two counterparts, Revenge of Lady Vengeance and Mr. Vengeance. I’m now really excited about seeing all of them.

3. Jon Stephens Says:
   April 6th, 2009 at 6:16 pm

   Ummm… WOW! Great choices Ryan! I unfortunately don’t have the Ultimate edition of Dawn of the Dead, but now looks like I’ll have to go out and pick it up! And I normally don’t do “special” features. Great stuff. George Romero was my hero once…

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