[DVD NEWS] - New Asia Extreme From Tartan : "A BITTERSWEET LIFE", "PRINCESS AURORA", "SPIDER FOREST"

"A BITTERSWEET LIFE" - TWO-DISC COLLECTOR'S EDITION

Sunwoo works as a hotel manager, but equally he's the ruthlessly efficient right-hand man of top underworld boss, Kang. However, Kang has a beautiful girlfriend and his jealousy leads him suspect her of having an affair. Sunwoo is assigned to investigate and report back his findings. Despite what is revealed, he prefers not to act earning the wrath of his boss.

As a result Sunwoo becomes enemy number one in Kang's eyes and is hunted down by his ruthless gang. But each killing brings him one step closer to a final bloody confrontation between crimeboss and hitman.

Kim Ji-Woon's slick gangster thriller, "A BITTERSWEET LIFE", is soaked with fast-paced action and stylish violence, outgunning the bullet-riddled worlds of Tarantino, Scorsese, and De Palma.
This special two-disc edition includes commentaries and deleted scenes which add to the experience of watching one of the classiest brutal actioners around.

Kim Ji-Woon's earlier film, "A TALE OF TWO SISTERS" (getting its Tartan UK blu-ray release in July) has followed other Asian genre films such as "RING" and "THE EYE", and been given a Hollywood remake due out later this year under the title Apparition. Lead actor Lee Byung-Hun, who plays Sunwoo, is currently filming Hollywood blockbuster, "G.I. JOE".

DVD extras include: Directors' commentary; cast and crew commentary; Cannes festival footage; deleted scenes; ‘Making of' featurette; documentary on the film's Style; Q&A with fans; Sweet Sleep; theatrical trailer

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround; DTS Digital Surround 5.1; Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Release date: 23 June


"PRINCESS AURORA"

A woman's death in a department store signals the start of the killing spree by a new serial killer. All that's left at the scene of each crime is a sticker for a toy character, Princess Aurora.

Two detectives are assigned to the case. The younger Jung has a rebellious streak, determined to prove his mettle, but the older Detective Oh is more stoical and is preparing to leave the force to become a pastor. Their baffled by the crimes, but have at least reached the conclusion it's a woman.

However, Oh has his own suspicions. He believes the murderer is a beautiful woman called Jung Soon-jung but he is also her ex-husband. As the body counts continues he also realises the tragic motivation behind the attacks, leaving him with an increasing moral dilemma about the nature of justice.

"PRINCESS AURORA" marks the dynamic directorial debut of Pang Eun-jin who has established a career as an actress in films such as Address Unknown. It's a powerful revenge drama dripping with violence that echoes the nerve-twitching intrigue of Park Chan-wook's "OLDBOY" and "LADY VENGEANCE". Whilst she builds up a whodunit atmosphere in true crime scene style, she also reveals the killer's identity halfway through ensuring that viewers face a greater challenge with heightened tension. A bone-crunching shocker.

Anamorphic presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Release date: 23 June


"SPIDER FOREST"

"Equal parts horror, murder mystery and detective thriller" - BeyondHollywood.com

A recently widowed TV executive, Kang Min, awakes in a mysterious forest and heads towards a log cabin only to discover the body of a middle-aged man hacked to pieces and his own girlfriend mortally wounded. Thinking he has spotted the murderer, he gives chase only to be attacked himself. He gains consciousness in hospital only to find he's accused of murder. When he tried to recall the killer, he realises there's gaps in his memory. So he returns to the forest and with help of a detective and a photographer who lives nearby, he tries to piece together the puzzle that will prove his innocence.

Director Song Il-gon made am impact in Korea with his smash-hit comedy "FLOWER ISLAND", but "SPIDER FOREST" leads him into the darker territory of psychological thriller. His cast includes Gam Woo-Sung and Pak Won-Sang (both from "R-POINT") and the hauntingly beautiful Suh Jung ("THE ISLE") It's a challenging film which plays more with mystery than horror, as well as exploring ideas of coping with grief. Spiders, like memories, can lurk in the darker recesses of our mind spinning webs to trap us and hold us.

It creates a sense of intrigue, leaving the viewer to piece the events together, even if there is an emotional solution to Kang Min's dilemma, it mixes narrative elements of Memento with the more aesthetic techniques of Eastern European directors such as Kieslowski or Tarkovsky. However it can be as enigmatic as "A TALE OF TWO SISTERS", combining dreams and memories which are rendered in exquisite beauty. "SPIDER FOREST" is an adult fairy tale, full of compassion and deeper meaning, all tinged with sadness. Just be careful where those spiders are hiding.

DVD extras : trailer

"A web of psychological twists and turns that will leave you trying to get untangled long after you leave the theatre" - Korean Times

Anamorphic presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround; Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; DTS Digital Surround 5.1

Release date: 23 June

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