Save the Green Planet! (2003)

AKA: 지구를 지켜라! (Jigureul jikyeora!)

Lee Byeong-gu believes he caught himself an alien. He keeps him locked up in his basement and subjects him to bizarre experiments to test his half-baked theory. It's a great concept although much of the runtime keeps you guessing. It's nevertheless a memorable oddity, which I found endearingly moving.

4 lunar eclipses out of 5

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

The unusual lack of music in Mr. Vengeance, which is the first film in Dir. Park Chan-wook's 'Vengeance' trilogy, is as requisite to the feelings that the work engenders as much as the wonderful use of music is to the two subsequent films. While having such a traditional element of the viewing experience absent helps viewers achieve a measure of 'sympathy' for the key players, the tragic events and grim humour that colour the story (of a brother's well-meaning attempt to ensure that his terminally ill sister receives a replacement kidney) can be tough going at times. In addition, the absence makes the violence feel all the more real, some of which is truly unforgettable stuff.

4 skimming stones out of 5

THIRST [2009]

Park Chan-Wook's Thirst is essentially Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin with the elements of vampires tossed into the mix for maximum ick factor. 

As always, varied actor Song Kang-ho executes a wonderful performance that's both terrifying, sympathetic and oddly hilarious.  It's a bit long but Park keeps it weird enough to keep you curious till the end.  

It's a vampire love triangle without the sparkles.  The kids won't understand.  

3½ slurping sound effects that make you squirm out of 5