meddlecore This is a complex, yet very creative film! It can best described as a combination of Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone and Vincenzo Natali's Haunter...with it's own original angle and a bizarre sci-fi twist.The basic premise centers around a group of international scientists, who are responsible for creating the "Menger Sponge": a sort of cube- made up of smaller cubes, made of human protein- that have the ability to capture and store electromagnetic energy...ultimately providing the user with anti-gravitational abilities (though, this has yet to be fully achieved). As, one must find a source for electromagnetic waves, in order to capture them.The group is led by a crippled Japanese man named Hashimoto- the first person to create a scaled up version of the Menger Sponge. The rest of his team come from various other parts of Asia...and they hire a Canadian photographer to travel around the world to search for ghosts.They do this, because Hashimoto believes that ghosts are made up of electromagnetic energy, and, thus, they can be trapped inside a large scale Menger Sponge and harnessed for anti-gravity uses.They eventually find a ghost in Taipei, and the Canadian photographer manages to "capture" him (using film coated with Menger Sponges)...but he doesn't make it out alive.So, they send for a Taiwanese special forces guy named Tung to be assigned to their case- for he possesses an uncanny ability to read lips and react in tense situations.Hashimoto wants to know who the boy is, how he died, where his body is, and what is the source of his energy- that allows him to kill people if they look directly into his eyes. And, thus, tasks Tung with the job of following the boy and uncovering this information.He successfully manages to achieve this, but it turns out that Hashimoto has some ulterior motives for wanting to know this. Having suffered from birth, he has always wanted to die. Thus, he seeks to understand the nature of ghosts, so that he can haunt when he is dead.But, Tung notices something else as well. A silk-like strand running from the boy to others. Others, who have become marked for death.According to Hashimoto, it is this silk that connects two energies together. Though, his theory as to how this works is mistaken. For, he believes the silk is indicative of the hatred held by the deceased individual.Meanwhile, Tung, is left trying to save himself, and the love of his life- who has become wrapped up in the whole affair- while Hashimoto seeks to trap the boy's ghost in the Menger Cube, for his own ends.Inevitably leading to the film's violent conclusion.When all is said and done, this is a pretty intriguing film that has all sorts of drama, mystery, haunts, and cool science fiction. For the most part, it's style is pretty culty. And the acting is fair. But what the hell is with that CGI...it's so poorly done...especially in that car crash scene- which is completely laughable, and overwhelmingly noticeable.That aside, however...this film has so much originality and creativity...that it just might renew your faith in modern ghost films.Wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood ended up remaking it.Recommended.7.5 out of 10.

Derek Childs (totalovrdose) Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) leads a team, consistent of Su (Barbie Hsu), Mei (Janine Chun-Ning Chang) and Ren (Bo-lin Chen), in an attempt to conquer Earth's gravity and achieve the ability to walk on ceilings and walls. This accomplishment is conceivable through the use of a device called the Menger Sponge, which traps energies capable of making this dream a reality. However, as with many science fiction films that employ elements of horror, there is always a catch, and in the movie Silk, that comes in the form of a young boy, whose ghost not only haunts an aged establishment, but is the key to the experiment, his inexplicably strong energies being capable of turning the science into reality.Trapping the boy inside a room, the team invests the assistance of Tung (Chen Chang), a tactical expert, sniper and lip reader, who is able to read the lips of the ghost in an attempt to better understand his motivations and past. Mr. Chang is able to brilliantly carry the film alongside Mr. Eguchi, although the focus on their characters renders the others less memorable.Tung is an interesting character to focus upon, his military background causing him to become a strong, driving individual, as confident as he is capable, though at the same time, this attitude of his leaves him prone to some unemotional instances in the field. The subplot involving his mother, whose sick in hospital, is the paramount reason behind his dilemmas regarding death and the afterlife, and the relationship he has with love interest Wei (Karena Lam), although portrayed over only a few scenes, is as fulfilling as the rest of the plot, providing the audience with an emotional story worth investing in.Out of all the horror movies I've seen, Silk would have to be one of the most unique. Originally, the film seems unsure of its directionality, beginning with a stereotypical horror movie scene, before introducing a shoot out between police forces and terrorists. These changes in tone are eventually combined, producing an effective blend of entertainment.One of the pitfalls of focusing so strongly on the ghosts in this film, which occupy more than half of the feature, is that through humanizing them, the sense of terror they exude is limited, although that's not to say it's non-existent, with a couple of great, unpredictable jump scares incorporated into the plot. What Silk does best of all though is suspense, with many scenes where either ghosts or humans are pursuing one another, resulting in many nail biting situations.Moreover, the science is also effectively produced, with much of it being intelligently portrayed and carefully discussed, allowing this particular aspect of the story to be convincingly understandable and entertaining.The special effects offer a mixture of decent and fantastic visuals, and the accompanying music during the scenes fraught with tension and emotion draw the viewer further into the plot, until, on many an occasion, you are haplessly glued to the screen, itching for a resolution to one of the many crises.Thoroughly entertaining, suspenseful, gripping, and featuring a brilliant ending that fabulously concludes each of the stories developed over the course of the feature, Silk is an unmissable blend of action, science fiction and horror that deserves to be viewed.

martoni64 This seems to be a sci-fi/ghost story mix-up. At the start of the film the plot seems very confused and it is a bit hard to actually understand what is going on and why.However, things improve once the main crew has been set-up properly in the film, and the action can start to take more of a single main track. The main characters are working on a new energy source that will revolutionize the world. This is somehow linked to the existence of a ghost boy in a locked room. Why and the exact role of the ghost is unclear and the main plot is to figure this out.The acting is generally pretty good, while this is plot slowly flows on - you definitely notice this is not an US film from the pace as it all has a kind of philosophical touch to it, contemplating the relation between a mother and her son as the story unfolds.All in all this is well worth watching, even if it isn't the paradigm changing film of the decade.

turner_doug Loved the plot in this movie and the twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end. If you don't like subtitles, I would suggest that you don't watch it, but if your love something a little different (e.g Purfumer)- this is the movie for you.The director uses some very clever shots, and the overall dark theme is very well conveyed through gloomy lighting effects.The characters are realistic and the subject matter of life after death is usually not dealt with in such a scientific sort of way in the vain of Flatliners. One of the main characters is dealing with the impending death of his mother while being engaged in this great adventure and learns through his experience to find peace.In summary - A+ entertainment with a bit of a scare that has a deeper meaning. Enjoy :o)