Having friends, especially ones who weren’t bad influences as some of my old friends were, helped me to feel purpose and happiness again, but I still had very little joy in my life. My parents were still arguing all the time, and they had also remarried. My mom married a quiet but friendly guy–I actually liked him when I first met him. Sadly, at that time in my life, he was more of a father figure than my own dad. And he was very kind too; plus he had a boat, and that was awesome to go skiing and tubing. But I digress. On the flip side, my dad married a woman that I would appropriately label ‘the evil stepmother.’ And indeed, she was quite evil. She was mean, vengeful and disrespectful. Honestly, I never understood why my dad married her. During that time in my life, I hated going to my dad’s house, because I would have to be around my stepmom.

And the ‘possession’ mentality of my parents returned with my stepmom. I think she wanted my brothers and me to be more her kids than my mom’s. Whatever her motive, she constantly talked to my mom and insulted her and yelled at her. I never knew why, but then my dad became angry toward my mom once more. During that time, my dad and stepmom would spend so much time arguing with my mom, that I would sneak away with my step-brother, and we would go around the neighborhood and play around–we had a go-cart at that time, and it was awesome. I would also play basketball with one of the guys in the neighborhood. He was older than me, but he thought I had some good skills–too bad asthma crippled me…

Anyways, to sum up this evil stepmother story, my dad and I went on a trip with my stepmother and step-brother. One morning my mom called to check up on me (which always annoyed me), and my stepmom answered and started cussing her out. That set me off. I woke up, yelled at my stepmom and took the phone from her. After talking with my mom, I told my dad I wanted to go home. My stepmother was enraged and agreed that we should go home. In the car, my dad turned around and told me to tell my stepmom what I thought of her…and I did. And I didn’t hold back either. All my anger through the years rushed out of my mouth, and I let her have it. I called her all sorts of names and told her I hated her (I was not very loving back then; definitely not a Christian at that point in my life). Not long after that trip, my dad divorced her, and life began to calm down for a time. Next post, I will transition into high school and tell of my returning struggles of pornography. Until then, God bless!

I’m dreading it.  Are you?

A Hallmark holiday really, where step-mothers from all corners are completely ignored.
Last year was the exception.

This time last year, the kids were living with us and we were fighting for custody.
It was the year they felt like we were saving them, and Jay and I felt like we were saving them too.
I was loved with all of someone’s heart.
I was the only mother-figure of this child, who received a mother’s day gift.  Completely unprompted by my husband or by anyone else.
This was his own decision to take the time and effort to make me a very sweet card and owl pen holder.

I was so honored by this.  I felt so accomplished.  Like I was doing something right.

This year is likely to be a total disappointment.
Which wouldn’t be so bad if I had my own mother to focus my energy on.

This year I’m expecting a heap of nothing.  No card, no nice note, no cute craft.
All because I’ve become the enemy due to my obligation to discipline.  To keep balanced.  To organize.  To schedule.
All the while, I’m sure that the-world’s-biggest-waste-of-skin will be showered with love and affection and thanks for all she’s done.  I’m also sure that she’s going to make some sort of attempt to get in her “I love you and I’m the greatest mom” act before next Sunday. Especially considering the fact that not one, but both of her children made a point last year, to inform her of how much I deserved the gifts and high regards, and not her.

Even though M didn’t bother to speak to me that day…and couldn’t even write me a nice note or give me some nice words; she defended me to her own “mother”.

I vividly remember her coming by the house on mother’s day to get her kids and take them to the park-mind you, she hadn’t even attempted to contact either one of them up to this point, when she thought she could get something-and hearing her from inside the house, screeching about how J didn’t make her anything for mother’s day (and didn’t even want to see her).  M stood up to her and told her that it was because she didn’t deserve anything.  That she had abandoned them for her boyfriend who abuses her and abused her kids.  How she chose booze and pills over them.
For me, that was gift enough.  It meant a lot.

Not that I want them to completely disregard their “mother” completely, but the fact that they recognized that she did nothing for them, and I had been doing everything, it was quite the reward for my sacrifices.
In that moment, everything was completely worth it.

So, much like last year, I’m preparing myself to be completely looked over and forgotten.  I’ll just hope that my husband will give me a nice card and pretend it’s from the dogs (which I didn’t get last year, and probably won’t this year either).

Is this a whiny blog?  I feel like I don’t have a right to be upset over this.  But at the same time, isn’t the holiday supposed to be about giving thanks to your mother?  And shouldn’t that include the step-mother who’s been raising you for the past two years?  The step-mother who has attended every single concert, play, competition, practice, and game?  Who’s spent a lot of time, effort, and money to get you everything you need and to be everywhere you need me?

Maybe I expect too much, and maybe I’m too sensitive.

I’m sure that there’s millions of step-mothers out there who get completely over-looked on mother’s day and they’re completely okay with it.  I just wonder how many of them are in my exact situation, and if those women feel like I do.

A Tale of Two Stories was a very slow paced movie. It was frustrating and at the same time, effective with how slow the pacing or even the camera movements were. It was frustrating as part of the audience because you want to know already what was going to happen and yet, the characters seem to be taking their time too much. On the part of the filmmakers however, this was commendable as it was a simple yet effective way of building up suspense in key scenes. It was indeed, as in Noel Carroll’s words, a narrative of disclosure. The curiosity of the audience was constantly propelled by the different revelations in the film. It was a matter of putting puzzle pieces together. To reinforce this narrative disclosure was the non-linear sequence of scenes. The movie kept on going back and forth from flashbacks to present day scenes. This adds to the mystery clouding the plot and truly makes the movie gripping for the viewer.

What makes the movie horror is how it presents the concept of a “monster” in the form of 2 different characters – those of the cruel stepmother and what Andrew Tudor describes as the “beast within” of Su-mi. As the movie builds up, the psychological horror of the film can be attributed to the evil stepmom and how she oppresses and represses the sisters especially Su-yeon who was shown as being locked up in a cabinet. The tension between the stepmom and the sisters are further heightened as the stepmom tries her best to be accepted by spiting Su-mi and Su-yeon whenever they try to recall memories of their departed mother. However, as the story unfolded and it was revealed how Su-mi had a psychological disorder, the “big switch” or reversal of the role as the “monster” took place. Su-mi’s identity disorder showed how the “beast within” her was really the problem. Her mental breakdown was what caused the collapse of reality and the imaginary shown in the film. This blur between reality and what’s imaginary further amplifies the confusion created in the minds of viewers as they try to put the puzzle pieces of the story together.

On another note, I know that this movie came first but somehow, the plot twist wherein Su-mi realizes that her sister Su-yeon is dead reminded me of a similar twist in the local Filipino horror movie, The Road. Perhaps, it was even this movie which influenced The Road for this twist. In The Road, the character of Rhian Ramos was also hallucinating that her murdered sister was still alive. A Tale of Two Sisters also borrows the typical Asian horror female monster look that is usually associated with The Ring wherein a pale-faced female girl has her hair covering the face.

Sad to say, I also didn’t find any connection between some horror scenes and the plot. An example was the kid under the sink or the girl who walked on the bed (Who were those? Or maybe I just didn’t get their connection to the film). There were also unclear parts such as how the mom of Su-mi and Su-yeon became like that or how the affair between the dad and the stepmom even started. When I saw the film also, there were several times wherein I was confused especially during the latter parts of the film. Perhaps, it was because in the last hour of the film, it was trying hard to shed light on the mysteries it built up at the beginning of the movie. Nonetheless, these unexplained parts might be the film’s attempt to leave the viewers with something to think about. On a lighter note, it was a bit amusing how using the evil stepmother formula can foreshadow that there would be something wrong and horrific in the film.

Nevertheless, all in all, I can say that A Tale of Two Sisters still succeeded as a horror film. For one, it was great with how it took the time to establish the mood of the story through its slow pacing. It also gave emphasis on showing how dysfunctional the family was which was important to establish the fact that there was something mysterious about the family and that there were secrets waiting to be discovered. Last, it makes use of psychological horror well and provides a twist that will boggle the minds of its viewers.

Now I can’t get into specifics, but this story is about two sisters. Obvious. And a dad (sad), and a stepmom (evil, of course). The deaths of the past come back to haunt the family as they try to settle down into a normal rhythm in their elegantly Western beach house. (Strange.) My girlfriend Kim is a big fan of Asian horror movies, and I find myself intrigued in how foreign horror films seem to capture horror in a different way, but one not too far from our own concept of fear.

This movie, stylistically, was fantastic. Every shot seemed crafted for a purpose, for a reveal, for the ultimate experience in tension. Every shot, from the pans, to the turn around handhelds, to even the still shots, left me breathless in their scope of capturing the emotion on screen, without words. This, coupled with the seemingly wordless actions of the actors was literally phenomenal. You get a sense of the stepmother’s (Jung-ah Yum) anger and frustration with her new family, and the desperation of the daughters(Su-jeoung Lim & Geun-Young Moon), all beyond the control of the helpless father (Kap-su Kim). With every new scene, you are asked without words to figure out for yourself exactly what just happened and what it means in the bigger picture of the film. Some may find this style to be too confusing and frustrating, but the ambiguity should leave most viewers with their own interpretation, a nice way to end films for me.

All in all, this movie was quite a good film and I’d definitely recommend it for true vintage, thriller film buffs. The director is fantastic and his idea of story goes far beyond what you see on the screen. For another good Ji-woon Kim film, definitely check out The Good, the Bad, the Weird. (Great acting and action.) I might even review that one soon. And for A Tale of Two Sisters American, not so good counterpart, check of The Uninvited (2009) featuring Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks. I give A Tale of Two Sisters a 9 out of 10.

You know, being a step-parent isn’t always easy.  Anyone who has been one knows what I’m talking about.  It’s very hard to focus on treating your stepchild as an equal in the household.  It’s very hard to treat them like you gave birth to them or had a part in their procreation.  It’s very hard to maintain that love you chose to give them when you married their other parent.  I have done very well at not being…

I checked my myspace today. Ms Lenna had actually sent me a friend request. I am not excited for our next appointment.