Sorry, this movie sucks

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Gwai wik starts out like most standard Asian horror films, particularly with the expectation that we're about to see yet another long haired female ghost. However, the film soon takes a dramatic turn towards the surreal. What starts out as typical soon twists into anything but, creating something of a love child between Pan's Labyrinth and Ringu. Gwai wik is hauntingly beautiful in its twisted landscapes and strange zombie-like creatures, pulling the viewer into a surreal dream-like and sometimes nightmarish world. The film covers territory regarding things we throw away, delving quite a bit into social commentary. This isn't meant to preach but rather shows the internal struggle a person feels when trying to do what they believe is right...and may not end up being so years later. It's a beautiful tale of love, loss, redemption and inner struggle. The biggest flaw is its hokey 'twist' ending that tries too hard to bring the film back around on itself. Nevertheless, it's an experience and a film I am happy to have seen.

I ran into the movie out of chance and saw the trailer. That's usually how I find most of my rare treasures. Re-cycle has somewhat something of an identity crisis as to what kind of genre of films it belongs to, although it is a great Asian movie with fantastic CG effects. This movie is slow to start, but please bear with it. It kinda bears a resemblance to the Spain-local flick Pan's Labyrinth in it's artistic style. I'm not yet a fan of the Pang brothers' movies, but I think I'm going to start keeping an eye on their career. If you watch this film I definitely suggest the high definition version, because you can't forget that this movie was supposed to be a treat for the eyes and the imagination.

The Law of the Conservation of Energy. That law basically states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be "messed with". We can change it and rearrange it but we can't make more of it or delete any of it. This film takes great artistic license with that law and plays with it (the scientifically bent need not register the "errors", they are well understood and such complaints need to note the reference to "artistic license" above). If you imagine something, you give it energy. If you half imagine it and then change your mind and dump the idea ... observing the Law of the first sentence ... that which you half created doesn't magically vanish. It has energy, it has reality, it exists ... but not enough to post in our daily reality. So where does it go? It's (by the rules enacted in this film)... "re-cycled". I kept thinking, while watching this mesmerizing film, that question belonging to the modern phone-call world ... "where is "hold"? Where do things we create, when we no longer need them, go? They have energy, tangible presence and interact with our world until they've lost our interest. Do they just ... go away? Not according to the Law of the Conservation of Energy. According to that law, they have to become ... something. That "something" is the hub of "Re-Cycle". It wisely centers on a writer who bleeds her life into her work. Maximum giving energy to thoughts and ideas. She eventually has to confront all those entities and ideas she created and summarily dumped when she was through with them, condemning them to a wasteland waiting to be re-cycled ... energy cannot be created or destroyed ... only changed. It finally becomes a morality tale, too personal to have to fiddle with political correctness. Beginning ties to end ... nicely. There are a lot of "What the (bleep) was that?" scenes I'm certain additional viewings will help (which I intend to have). For me, a knockout. But I want to leave you with a phrase ... just something to think about ... "embryo rich vaginal tunnel". Light you up? It did me.This one isn't a "I've seen", this is an "I own".

One of the reasons the Pang Brothers' films are so engaging is they have an excellent grasp of sound design and good taste in music. Both this film and Diary (an Oxide solo effort) reached operatic proportions at times. They are not content to hire up a few jingles and play them over and over throughout the film in some sort of branding effort. Each scene has its own soundtrack. Often times the soundtrack seems to lead the scene. I hesitate to call it music video-like because that smacks of demotion, but it is like a music video in the sense that the music is as important as the video.Re-cycle reminded me of Terry Gilliam's work, but not as desolate or oppressive. It's a beautiful film made edgy by the Pang Brothers tendency to genre hop, mixing in horror as well as melodrama. I think most would agree the Pangs are quite skilled and creative in the visual department but seem to lack a command of the story telling part. I say, "so what". I'm happy to be fully engaged while the film is playing and my only after thoughts be fond memories. I don't always need to have a deep philosophical discussion of what a film was trying to say.There may be better ruminations on the basic idea of this film, and it's a good one--exploring a place where all that's forgotten or abandoned congregates--(Spider Forest comes to mind), but few will be as engaging as this multimedia masterpiece. I had no idea this film was going to take off into fantasy land. And stay there for the duration of the film. It came as quite the surprise, and kept surprising me.I really liked Angelica Lee's man-shoes, and ... is there anything more adorable on this planet than an eight year old Chinese girl? Big round of applause for Yaqi Zeng!