Three
It seems that have a (light) cold. It so happens that I also have a bunch of lemons available, so I made a pound cake and used the rest of the lemons for tea. Before I was able to do that I decided that it was a good idea to watch these films in the morning. I don’t know why it is, but horror movies actually do give nightmares. Even though I never get scared of them, my subconscious is still terrified.
Memories: I remember how Pixelmatsch and I tried to watch the film years ago. Three minutes into the film, I got annoyed and gave up. This time, while we saw the first scene I was asking “Why is the movie paused?” Turns out the movie was not paused at all, but just unmoving for an unexpected long time. “Memories” is probably one of the slowest movies I have ever seen in my life, and its story could have been told in half the time without sacrificing too much of its atmosphere. At the same time, the film did have a bit of atmosphere, and there were a few genuinely surprising moments (or “cheap horror devices” as other reviews would say). All in all, it was a somewhat predictable and sufficiently entertaining film, mostly style over substance.
The Wheel: I always thought that puppets are positively creepy. That definitely holds true in this film, which did a good job at creating a psycho-horror atmosphere. Unfortunately, besides the beautifully surreal shots, there is nothing in this film. The storyline is totally confusing and practically meaningless, resulting in a film that may be interesting for the eyes but otherwise totally forgettable.
Going Home: Leon Lai is strangely hot, isn’t he? But apart from that, I think all actors involved are doing an awesome job here. (I can’t believe I failed to recognize Eric Tsang, who was Sam in the “Infernal Affairs” movies.) I also read somewhere that Christopher Doyle (of “In the mood for love” fame) did the cinematography here, and it clearly shows. While this film looks nothing like the other stuff he did, I think the composition of the shots give off quite an expert feel. In terms of film-making handicraft, I think this is by far the best amongst all of the films both in “Three” and “Three… Extremes”. It is quite obvious that the movie is rather done on the cheap, but it still manages to look awesome. Besides being made up with gripping storytelling and an overall lovely story, I especially liked its powerful ending.
In conclusion, I’d say watch “Memories” first, then watch “Going Home” and skip “The Wheel” altogether.