THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944)

What a pleasant surprise this film was.  I sat down to watch it because I like both Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet and it ended up being a really good film.  Set in 1938, Peter Lorre is a successful mystery novelist vacationing in Istanbul when his police chief friend tells him about a notorious criminal who's body just washed ashore.  Lorre is instantly fascinated by the mysterious criminal known as Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott) and sets off looking for more information.  The trail leads him all over Europe and at each place he hears more incredible tales of what an asshole Dimitrios was.  Along the way he meets another fellow travel (Greenstreet) who seems innocent enough at first, but he's holding a secret.  Together they set off looking for more information about the mysterious Dimitrios Makropoulos.

If you're looking for an action-packed film then you're in for a bad time, but if, like me, you enjoy Lorre and Greenstreet and a good story then you're in for a treat.  Lorre is great just on his own, but then when Greenstreet enters the picture things really take off.  I loved the way they played off of each other.  And the camerawork was really impressive too.  Definitely worth checking out.

OLDBOY (2003)

At the end of a long night of hardcore drinking, a man (Min-sik Choi) is kidnapped and wakes up in what looks to be a cheap hotel room.  Problem is he can't get out.  The metal door is locked.  Fifteen years later (and now framed for his wife's murder), he's released.  Consumed by vengeance, he sets off to find out who did this to him and kill them.

OLDBOY is a good film that's been tarnished somewhat (and by no fault of it's own) by the public that has, for some reason, yanked their dicks off over the movie.  I'm not really sure why either.  OLDBOY is a very good film, but even after repeat viewings I'm not sure exactly why the fanboys have centered in on it as being the greatest thing since sliced bread.  On IMDb it's currently (September, 2020) ranked as the #70th greatest movie of all time with an 8.4/10 rating.  That's just insane.  It's a good film, but I thought Chan-wook Park's own THIRST was much better.  But then again, I like vampires.

Quick pace, dated CGI, torture, blood, more torture, tongue removing, super-awesome long-ass fight scene in a hallway, dedicated acting, dickshit, octopus murder, sexual perversions, suicide, dismemberment, woofing like a dog, angel wings.  OLDBOY is a great movie, but just don't let the hype lead you to expect more than it actually is.

Part 1 - Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Part 3 - Lady Vengeance (2005)
Remake - Oldboy (2013)