P-C--happy ending, or no? The person I saw it with swore up and down it was happy, but really?

I have rewatched the hammer scene a number of times, but it will be a while before I can watch enough that contributes to the impact of the ending again.

ita, it has a happy ending if you squint really hard. I can see why your friend might say that, but you need an incredibly superficial read to justify it.

I think one of the most fucked-up things about the movie is that in those final scenes, I actually started to sympathize with Woo-jin and, for a second, consider him the real protagonist of the movie. It completely screwed with my head.

I don't know how they're going to do an American remake. I'm sure it will be watered down and involve a government conspiracy.

you need an incredibly superficial read to justify it

Or one not tightly moored in moral values. Whichever.

The movie does jerk you around wrt points of view, but nobody gets off shiny clean.

Or one not tightly moored in moral values. Whichever.

Yeah, that too.

The movie does jerk you around wrt points of view, but nobody gets off shiny clean.

For sure. I was sleepy in the last half and I think I may have missed some scenes. Do we get a flashback to why Dae-su starting spreading the rumor in the first place?

You know, now that I think about it, this movie reminds me of Cache with the "I'm going to have vengeance on you now for something you did YEARS AND YEARS AGO but not tell you why," except it actually has a plot.

Everytime Oldboy is discussed I have to go look up parts of the plot. I swear my mind just blocks it after a while. Totally disturb-o-rama and in no way a happy ending. Still really good.

I told the guy to imagine that he had a daughter and then to look me in the face and tell me it was a happy ending. He couldn't, but he said I was cheating. Uhuh.

P-C, it's been too long for me to be able to answer that question for you. And although the movie's on my Netflix instant watch queue, not happening for a while.

Msbelle, I remembered my astonishment that you'd rated the movie so highly on Netflix. But I gotta let you have layers.

do you remember that I watched the movie on a plane with my brother? so unsettling.

P-C, it's been too long for me to be able to answer that question for you.

No problem, ita. I didn't delete it from my DVR yet. I kind of do want to go and rewatch the sleepy parts so I can at least have seen the whole movie for realsies once before I don't rewatch it for realsies. I like the visual style.

do you remember that I watched the movie on a plane with my brother? so unsettling.

They showed it on a plane?? Oh, you mean on a laptop or portable DVD player.

ha! can you imagine?

"American Airlines has a special movie for your enjoyment pleasure. Please contribute $5 for headphones. The horror is free."

There's a really good movie starting on TCM right now that I just discovered recently. It's The Prize (i.e., The Nobel) and it's a Hitchcockian spy thriller much in the vein of North by Northwest. Which is no coincidence since they were written by the same guy - Ernest Lehman.

It stars Paul Newman, Diane Baker, Edward G. Robinson and Elke Somer. Newman is much better in this Hitchcock knockoff than he was in Torn Curtain and he has fantastic chemistry with both Baker and Somer.

Anyway, it seems to be in TCM's rotation now so keep a Tivo eye on it.

It's light but has genuine thrills and twists and everybody looks fantastic and it's shot in '63 so it has that Mad Men look.

You can find the trailer for The Prize here.

I'll mention another upcoming TCM film that I'm set to record: The Doughgirls. This is a very frothy comedy from the 40s starring Ann Sheridan (Scrappy's doppelganger), Alexis Smith, Jane Wyman and Eve Arden. Stellar cast, obviously, but I note it for the fashion conscious as it has some swank looking vintage fashion and some of the most elaborate hairdos from that decade.

Scroll down here and you can catch the trailer.