Creepy Cinema 2012 | Hotties

While devoting the entire month of October to Creepy Cinema, I noticed something about some of the films. In many of them, there is a distinct and obvious hottie. I know this is something that I shouldn't be focusing on while watching scary movies, but it definitley helped keep me interested. It was much easier coping with the help of these hotties.

1. Steve McQueen as Steve Andrews in The Blob
The one and only reason I wanted to watch this movie was because of this beautiful man. As I said in my review of The Blob, I adore Steve McQueen. He's not my normal type but I saw him in another movie with Natalie Wood, Love with the Proper Stranger and it was game over. There's something so rugged and charming about him, he's such a stud. 

2. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho
This was one of the most surprising hotties on the list. I knew the character Norman Bates, but I had no idea he was like this. I loved his character because he was so innocent and unsuspecting. Norman is such an intricate character with so many facets. One minute he's innocent and sweet, and the next he's dressed like a crazy lady. It's an amazing performance to watch. 

3. Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that this gorgeous man is on this list. Johnny Depp is the my epitome. I've always loved him and always thought he was an amazing actor. His performance in this movie is one of his stand out roles and one that I will always enjoy. Also, the 19th century garb isn't too shabby. Something about this era always gets to me. 

4. Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister in The Frighteners
Michael J. Fox is one of those actors that everyone loves. This kid is a legend in the industry and I really miss seeing him in films. At least he's made some real winners during his career. That being said, I now have the sudden urge to watch Back to the Future. Oh, who am I kidding, I always have the urge to watch Back to the Future.

5. Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black 
This was another huge surprise for me. I'm 100% a Ron Weasley fan. Ronald is so much better than Harry. I know that Harry is the chosen one and all that, but how can you resist an adorable ginger? I've always been a bit hard on Daniel Radcliffe, but in this movie he really impressed me. He was pretty good and he really broke away from his well known role.

6. Justin Long as Darry Jenner in Jeepers Creepers
Who knew that's what he looked like under all the clothes? I mean, wow. I never would've thought it. His character in this movie was annoying, but he's still nice to look at. Justin Long you are a bonafide hottie. 

7. Peter Cushing as John Banning in The Mummy
Even though he's a bit older, he's a distinguished hottie. Look at that face. It's so expressive and intense. He's every bit what I imagine a 19th century English aristocrat would look like. Plus, check out those baby blues. My golly, they are piercing. 

8. Casper Van Dien as Brom Van Brunt in Sleepy Hollow 
Oh Casper Van Dien, how I used to love you. He was so hot in Starship Troopers. I was so excited to see him in Sleepy Hollow. He looked good in the 19th century clothing, weird mullet cut and all. I wonder whatever happened to him. 

9. Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters 
Another surprise hottie. Wow, Egon Spengler you are a geeky girls dream. He looks like a really nerdy Adrien Brody, who is also freaking attractive by the way. All the science jargon just added to his hotness. There's nothing sexier than intelligence. 

10. Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto in The Devil's Backbone 
Man, this guy was such a villain and a douche, but he was so cute. The minute he appeared, I knew he was bad news. He just seemed like a creeper. So I guess he's a creepy hottie. Wow, that just sounds really strange. Forget I said that. 

Honorable Mention - Johnny Depp as Edward in Edward Scissorhands
Oh Edward, how I love thee. This is where my love of Johnny Depp began. Yes, I thought he was a hottie even with multiple scars, a pale face and scissors for hands. I told you guys I was a weird kid. Edward will always have a special place in my heart. 

Introduction, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5

Creepy Cinema 2012 | Week 5

It's finally here, the final week of Creepy Cinema 2012. I never thought I would ever reach this day. I've learned a lot of new things after spending the month of October devoted to scary movies. I realized that anything scares me. It doesn't matter if it's just a cat running across the screen, a few scary notes or an actual monster, I'm frightened. Also, I learned that my actual scream is scarier than the films themselves. Markus told me many times that I get scared too easily, and when I yell, it scares him more than the actual movie.

1. Grabbers (2012)
This is meant to be a horror comedy in the same vain as Shaun of the Dead. I was sorely disappointed with Grabbers.  It was neither funny nor scary. There were a few funny lines and a few scary bits, but nothing too extraordinary. Once they showed us the creature, which was early on, it took away the mystery of the unknown. I think that's what's great about movies like Alien and The Thing. They both have this terrible monster, but they slowly reveal it to you, and they keep you in suspense which adds to the terror that you feel. When movies show the monster right away, you feel less invested and just want to get to the conclusion.

Grabbers is an Irish film and was produced by the Irish Film Board and I think that they had a huge part in the look of the film. There were so many sweeping shots of beautiful Irish landscapes, which was the best part of the movie by the way. Ireland is absolutely stunning and gorgeous, and the only feeling I had at the end of the film was an extreme desire to visit Ireland.

2. Let Me In (2010)
I'm so glad that we waited to watch this the last week of Creepy Cinema 2012. Let Me In is an innocent and moving film with a beautifully written story. It was such a well crafted story that really resonated with me. The main character, Owen, is a young boy, who is living each day as it comes. He's awkward, he's bullied and he's lonely. He's searching for someone to understand him, to accept him and this is something that everyone can relate to. 

There is a darkness to this story but it is peppered with sweetness and innocence. The two lead actors are so believable, and really made me feel for their characters. Chloe Moretz is such a great actress and she's so young. She really captured the emotion of a young girl that is caught between being a child but also a terrible monster. Even when she was doing terrible things, I still couldn't help but pity her. I felt as though it truly wasn't her fault for being what she was, and that she had no choice. This film really humanized the "monster," and made me feel nothing but empathy. 

3. Devil's Backbone (2001)
This is a Spanish film that was directed by Guillermo del Toro. Usually, I like his films, they aren't my favorites, but he they're always enjoyable. They always have a certain look to them. They're always chock full of fantastical creatures and curious oddities. Visually, his movies are always stunning and unlike anything out there.

Devil's Backbone didn't have the stunning visuals that I'm accustom to in a Guillermo del Toro film, but it still had that touch of the supernatural and creepy. It's set during the Spanish Civil War in a boy's orphanage. The orphanage is haunted by one of the previous orphans who passed away through unknown causes. The story itself is quite interesting and a bit of a mystery. It didn't take long to figure it all out and after about an hour, the movie drags. I think if the running time was cut by 30-45 minutes, this could've been an amazingly tight and touching film. Instead, it's a Spanish ghost story that runs on too long and gets a bit boring for my taste

Well, that completes Creepy Cinema 2012. I surprised myself because I genuinely enjoyed this month. I liked a lot of the movies we watched and found some new favorites. It was exciting to be able to see how my other half lives. Now, I understand why Markus enjoys these kinds of movies and I might be more open to watching more films like these apart from Creepy Cinema month. Although, currently I don't know how much more my nerves can take.  

Introduction, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Hotties of Creepy Cinema

Markus & his students

When we were volunteering at the women's shelter, we went to a nearby park and playground. The adult volunteers were in charge of watching the kids from the shelter and making sure they didn't wander off. There were 13 kids in total and the park was packed full of other children and families. It was a bit difficult, but it was fun running around keeping track of them.

I ran off to the bathroom and when I came back, I saw Markus playing with three adorable little girls. I thought that they were from the shelter and I was so excited to see them jumping all over him. When I walked closer, I realized those girls weren't from the shelter. I freaked out a little and I said, "Markus! Those aren't our kids." He responded, "I know, these are my students from school." 

 

His three students were so adorable. I could tell from their faces that they love and adore him. They were jumping all over him and hugging him. They kept yelling his name when they did anything because they wanted him to see what they were doing. It was the cutest thing. 

It's not very often that I get to see Markus interact with his students or kids in general. Seeing him playing and interacting with these girls, in that moment, I knew he's going to be an amazing father. I always thought he would be a great dad, but seeing him with his students, made me yearn for the day that I'll see Markus playing with our own kids.  Until then, we'll both enjoy our time with adorable Korean kids.  

Busan International Film Festival

For the past 16 years, Busan has hosted the Busan International Film Festival or BIFF for short. For two weeks, the city showcases the latest films from first time directors as well as new films, mostly focusing on the Asian community. We attended last year and we made sure to attend this year too. It's always exciting to see new films and feel like a part of something so big.

This year, we went with our two lovely Korean friends, Junnie and Min-su. It was a great time and we always have fun with them. They don't speak English very well, but it's always fun trying to figure out what they're saying and vice versa.

We watched Comes a Bright Day, a British film. While we were waiting for the film to start they announced that the director was there and that he would be answering questions after the film It was quite an exciting surprise, especially for a $6 movie.

Comes a Bright Day was wonderful and I really enjoyed the film. I actually wanted to see this movie even before I knew it was coming to BIFF. It's a love story, coming of age story and heist story all in one. The acting was fantastic, the cinematography was beautiful and the story was well written. Afterwards, the Koreans asked some really strange and odd questions. Markus had a really good question but they ended the Q&A. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

On the way home, we gave Joonie his birthday present. As you can tell from the photos, Markus was really excited.

It was great time and it made me thankful for the friends that we've made in Korea. When we spend time with them, it feels like we're really living in this city, that we're a part of it and I love that feeling. 

Creepy Cinema 2012 | Week 4

I really enjoyed this week of Creepy Cinema, almost every movie was a winner. There were a few duds, but the other movies were so good, I almost forgot about the bad ones. We watched some old favorites and saw two of the scariest movies I've seen thus far.

1. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
To be honest, I didn't remember much about this movie. I think as a kid, Audrey II freaked the crap out of me and I must have blocked a lot out. Who wants to remember a giant man eating plant with huge lips? I only remembered a few songs and a little bit of the plot. The main thing I remembered from this movie was when Audrey II repeatedly said, "Feed me Seymour". When we watched it this week, it was like watching it for the first time. There was so much that I missed as a kid and it was fantastic watching it as an adult. 

Rick Moranis is adorable as Seymour, and played him with such innocence. I forgot that he could sing and it was a pleasant surprise when he sang his songs.  Although, Steve Martin was not that great of a singer, it was nice seeing him play a character that was different from what he normally plays. I do remember that dentist song for some reason. Another great part of this film was the cameos, there were so many wonderful actors that popped in, Christopher Guest, John Candy, James Belushi and my favorite cameo, Bill Murray. His appearance in Little Shop of Horrors only added to my already existing love for this film.

2. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
This will always be one of my favorite movies. As I've said before, I was such a weird kid and I liked all sorts of odd things. I attribute a lot of this to my eldest brother who introduced me to comic books, fantasy books and magical stories when I was child. When I was younger, I used to watch this movie over and over again. There isn't much about it that I dislike. I love everything about it. Whenever I hear the score to Edward Scissorhands, it brings back that feeling of childhood wonder.

When I was about 7 yrs old, I was riding in the car with my brother, and we were going  to visit his friends. They lived about 45 minutes away from us so I fell asleep in the car. After a while, my brother shook me and told me to wake up. When I looked out the window, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were all these tall bushes in different shapes in front of these pastel colored houses. I thought I had woken up in Wonderland. My face was pressed up to the car window and I was in awe of everything I saw. That's right my friends, my brother took me to the set of Edward Scissorhands. I think it was always meant to be, me and Edward. I guess it's our destiny. 

3. Tremors (1990) 
After we watched this movie, all I could think was, " that was really strange." Tremors is a typical 90s movie. It has an attractive male lead with something to prove. I was really surprised that Kevin Bacon was in this movie, although I shouldn't be, since he was the Nicholas Cage of the 80s and 90s. The story is pretty decent but nothing too spectacular. There are some really cheesy lines and lots of bad acting. I was surprised to see Reba McEntire in this film. I didn't know she was even acting in the 90s. A lot of things don't make sense, but that's how things usually go with these monster flicks. 

This is a typical "bottle movie." There are a group of people trapped and contained in a small area, trying to escape a horrible monster. Tremors wasn't a horror movie, but more of an action adventure. The creature designs were quite good, but I wished that it was a teensy bit more scary. I know it's strange for me to say this considering that I don't like scary things. I just thought it would be a bit more, and it didn't really deliver. The movie isn't From Beyond awful, but it isn't a movie that I would want to watch again. 

4. The Woman in Black (2012) 
Finally, a scary movie that I adore. This movie was really great and I can see why it was a sleeper hit this year. My favorite thing about this movie was the cinematography. I could screen cap every scene, every shot was stunning. They really capture the eeriness of England in the 18th century. This was the most beautiful and captivating movie we've seen so far. It made me want to go back to England, despite the fact that this movie was quite scary. 

Everything about this movie is subtle, there is never anything glaring or flashing, definitley no cheap shots. It's a slow build up to a grand climax, and that's more terrifying than things popping out at you. Watching and waiting for something horrible to happen is much worse because the anticipation eats away at me. The acting was quite good, which was  unexpected. It's really strange seeing Daniel Radcliffe play a father to a four year old, but he was quite good. I can see that he's really matured as an actor and it was good to see him in something other than Harry Potter. It was the epitome of the perfect scary movie, and one that I would watch over and over. 

5. Predator (1987)
Hands down the most testosterone filled movie we've watched so far. Predator is definitley a guy movie and not something that I would ever choose. Markus told me that when he was a kid he watched this movie dozens of times. So, I was intrigued.

Predator is not my kind of movie. It's the complete opposite of what I enjoy. I've never seen so many beefy guys in one movie, since The Expendables, which I found surprisingly similar to this film. Both films have a group of tough and rugged men on a mission where they weren't told all the facts. There is some kind of cover up or secret to their mission. Even though I'm not usually into this type of film, there were still some enjoyable aspects. I was quite impressed with the creature design of the Predator. He was hideous and creepy, always stalking the main characters and plotting their deaths. However towards the end, I started to feel the length of the movie and wished they would just get to the point. I'm not sure why I needed to see a shirtless montage of Schwarzenegger building crap. Predator was just okay for me, and one that I would rather not watch again.

6. The Thing (1982)
This movie was utterly terrifying. It was horrible and I freaked out for most of it.  As soon as the opening credits were finished, I remembered a vlog Markus did about The Thing. By the way, check out his vlog. It's a great video about his experience watching this movie as a child.  I quickly realized that Markus duped me into watching something really scary. I totally got Loki'd.

Watching The Thing was like watching your nightmares become reality. Everything that I dislike about scary movies was in this film: a dismal story, a horrifying creature and the terrible humanity of mortal men. I hate situations where you are helpless and no end or resolution in sight. Everything is completely hopeless in this movie and I can't handle it. I always like to know that there is some possibility of things ending nicely. When movies take this route, I know it's only a matter of time til the crap hits the fan and everyone is dead. I can't handle that kind of anticipation. The creature in this film has to be the freakiest and scariest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life. I can never look at a Husky the same way ever again. This film has definitely scarred me for life.

7. Ghostbusters (1984)
There are so many brilliant things about this movie. This was when movies were still original and not remakes. It made me long for the days when things were still entertaining and refreshing. I don't think there is a person out there that has seen Ghostbusters and said, "Yea, that movie sucked." It's an impossibility. This movie is absolutely and irrevocably brilliant! Watching it almost 20 years later, it's still holds up as a cinematic masterpiece. 

The cast is talented, the story is interesting, the soundtrack is awesome and it's quite entertaining. It's amazing how this movie has genuinely scary parts, but also snappy dialogue that make you laugh til you're crying. Not many movies can do this. The only other film that I can compare it to is Shaun of the Dead, which I also adore. It's great seeing Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd at the height of their careers. I think Murray has made some really great films in the past 10 years, but nothing can compare to Murray when he's being both funny and a jerk. I'm so used to seeing him play the sort of stoic father figures, and it was great seeing him act like a bit of a perv. I was so glad that we watched this after The Thing, because I needed some respite from films that scar you for life. 

Introduction, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 5, Hotties of Creepy Cinema

Bizarre Eats at the Jinju Lantern Festival

The dish you see before you, dear friends, is whale meat. I've had many a discussion and debate about eating whale. I am not the type of person that thinks we should eat it often or that it should be a food source. It's one of those animals that every American kid has a sentimental attachment to.  Who can forget that tearjerker Free Willy? Although, I also try to be adventurous and try things that are strange and bizarre. I guess it's that wanderer in me. I always said that if I was out with other people and they wanted to try whale, I would too. I wouldn't order it as my main meal, but I would at least taste it.

At the Jinju Lantern Festival, there were rows and rows of food stalls. The most interesting thing was that they were all selling the same foods. Every time you walked past one, the old ladies would try and pull you in. We saw one stall that was full of people. Emilio said, "if it's full, you know the food is better there." We walked closer to one of the stalls to investigate what they were selling. We saw huge vats of spicy beef soup, weird little black chickens, roasted pork and of course, whale.

The four of us decided that there was no time like the present and to just go for it. First we had to make sure it was whale. I spoke with a female server and after a lot of hand gesturing and broken Korean, we learned it was indeed "really big fish". We ordered one serving, which was $30, a bit pricey, but I've heard it's always expensive. We also ordered beer, soju, and a bowl of spicy beef soup, just in case the whale wasn't tasty. While we waited for our meal, we drank a shot of soju for courage. 

When the plate finally arrived, it was nothing like I was expecting. To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what they brought. The whale itself looked unlike any kind of meat I've eaten before. The skin was black and there was a thick layer of fat. The meat was cold and must've been cooked sometime earlier. As you can tell by the look on my face, I am not very excited. 


The four of us sprinkled on some salt and each took a piece. We dipped it in the soy sauce and took a bite. It was not a pleasant experience. Both Emilio and Gina looked completely disgusted. I felt the same. I don't even know how to describe the taste. It was gelatinous because of the fat, and it didn't taste like meat. It tasted really fishy. The fact that it was cold, not even lukewarm, made it taste even more like the ocean. I was not a fan. Markus actually liked it and ate more than the three of us combined. We needed to get the nasty whale flavor out of our mouths, so we ordered a plate of roasted pork. I guess that was our punishment for eating such a beloved animal.

Someone told me that these were little black chickens. I think after eating the whale, I wanted to stay far away from any other bizarre meats for the rest of the evening. 

After our whale adventure, we spent the rest of the evening wandering about looking for tasty treats. We ended the night with an order of takoyaki, which is one of my favorite street foods, and delicious $2 waffles. You can't go wrong with waffles and they were a perfect end for an adventurous evening of eating.

Trick Art Museum

This past March, we joined a few friends and went to the Trick Art Museum exhibit at BEXCO. Previously, I saw many people on Facebook posting pictures from this place, so I was really excited to go. As soon as paid I $12 for a ticket and walked in the doors, I knew it was not what I was expecting. It was basically an event hall filled with walls of shiny colored printouts of different pieces of art. Some things were interesting, but after seeing a few and dealing with the crowds of people, I was over it.  

Let's be real, the only trick to the Trick Art Museum is the one they used to get you in the door. Although the experience wasn't that great, at least we were able to take a few hilarious photos to remember.