Review of Cello (Tartan Asia Extreme)

Introduction

Christmas is coming and the goose is turning into a right lard arse from lying on the sofa watching DVD boxsets and scoffing Quality Streets by the tinful. Yes, it`s that time of year again. The nights drew in a long time ago, horrendously tasteless novelty decorations adorn the homes in our cities, towns and villages, and parents will soon be explaining to little Timmys and Jimmys up and down the land that the reason they`re Nintendo Wii-less this yuletide is because Father Christmas didn`t stand outside GAME in freezing temperatures the night before launch. Christmas is indeed a-coming - and nothing says Christmas like pasty-faced Asian ghouls coming back from the dead to enact a little blood n` guts filled revenge.

`Cello` is the third and final of the recent selection of new `Asia Extreme` releases to land on the doormat of Reviewer HQ courtesy of Tartan, and in turn passed onto this Asiaphile gorehound. A debut feature from young South Korean director Woo-cheol Lee, it`s the tale of brilliant cellist Jun-ki, who, after being involved in a car accident which killed her friend Tae-yeon, gives up on aspirations of a recording career and instead opts for the quiet life of a music teacher at a local college. But the superficial comfort of her existence is shattered when a supernatural presence starts to hang over the family home - in particular Jun-ki`s learning disabled daughter after she shows an interest in taking up the cello.

Video

According to the blurb on the back of the box, `Cello` is presented in 1.77:1, which means the R2 release has suffered from a bit of crop seeing as it was actually filmed in 1.85:1, as is presented on both R1 and R3 releases. There were no measuring tapes brought out during this reviewing, so we`ll take their word for it and assume it`s had the scissors to it, as there`s no obvious signs of slicing. What`s for sure is that it`s been given a much cleaner transfer than both `Unborn But Forgotten` and `Inner Senses`, and although very soft, has a much better, more vibrant palette, deeper blacks, sharper lines and a higher level of detail. However, it still has a few issues, of which the now familiar over-enhanced edges are the worst offenders. While for the most part they`re only occasionally eye-insultingly apparent, they bring with them a horrible green halo tint, particularly in medium-to-close range shots of faces. Still, a big improvement over its recent Tartan brethren.

Audio

DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo 2.0, all in native Korean and subtitled well. While the surround tracks are aware of the soundstage, there`s only occasional use a full 5.1 set-up, namely pushing the score around in moments of high tension and a little playing around with the bonechilling effects, generally having them rear focused. Very little directional use, but the movie doesn`t call for it. Not much in terms of discernible difference between the DTS and DD on this occasion, and the DD 2.0 track is - as you`d expect - lacking in oomph compared to its bigger cousins, but still clear with decent separation and clarity.

Features

We have the now standard `making of` that accompanies the rather plain `Asia Extreme` stock. It includes some good insights into a make-up and effects, and snippets of a Q&A session with the director and the cast, but it`s still a fairly uninspiring featurette, as they tend to be. There`s also a theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

`Cello` is a well made film which takes a somewhat fresh approach to A-horror, with solid acting, a decent script, and in particular, some strong direction from new kid on the carving block Woo-cheol Lee. It`s not adverse to plumming the depths of the genre conventions, which like most modern Eastern horrors, leaves it precious little room to do anything that hasn`t already been done before in an exemplary manner - but it does like to play it loose and fast with the rules, going as far as to introduce familiar elements from the best of Western horror. In that respect, `Cello` often feels like the mongrel love child of classic US horror and contemporary Asian fare. For the most part, it works.

It`s no surprise to see elements of and nods to seventies horror staples, as this is the sort of material wannabe directors grow up watching the world over, and can`t help but be influenced by. Taking a much more psychological approach to the chills, Woo-cheol Lee spends over 40-minutes character building and scene-setting with a chilling hang to the atmosphere, where it feels like it`s about to kick off at any minute. And then it does. Providing sufficient background on characters and fleshing out the dynamics of the relationships makes it all the more effective when Lee turns the second half into a virtuoso slaughterhouse, the single biggest borrow from across the Pacific. The whole thing is a hallmark of an undeniable new talent emerging in Korean cinema, a talent shared with established director and former school chum Park Chan-Wook.

If anything could be accused of letting `Cello` down, it`s Lee`s reluctance to push the boundaries of convention, as a little more effort could have seen him moving the goalposts altogether. While the cross-pollination of styles is an interesting mish-mash, horror-weary fans will be well aware they`re seeing nothing new, just a new method of delivery. Most affected by this is the resolution, which clings too tightly to a trick that`s been overplied, in Hollywood especially, for years, and makes the whole narrative, in retrospect, look recycled. Still, even the old stuff it is done with a certain flair, which essentially sums up the whole film; an elegantly made, if at times, overly familiar A-horror.