There should be a new genre

of movies that aren't necessarily scary (in The Ring sense), but are extremely disturbing.

But most movies straddle the line between scary and disturbing anyways, so it's easier to just group them into one.

However, there is one movie I recently saw that definitely fit the bill for disturbing - to the point that I was hiding underneath a blanket and squirming like a caterpillar stuck in a straw.

This movie is called Dumplings.

Has anyone seen it?

It's a foreign film (Hong Kong) that was originally part of a 3-movie compilation of horror movies. It ended up developing into a full-length movie, although the original retains much of the plot. I saw both the original short film of the 3-movie compilation and the full-length movie; however, I think the ending of the original was more haunting but you'll have to watch the movie to see why.

You can watch the original on "Watch It Now" on Netflix; if anyone really wants to see it, I can give you my Netflix account and password and you can watch it there!

Note: I'm about to reveal some information about this film. If you are queasy, eating something, or have a sensitive stomach, please reconsider if you want to read the following:

The movie is about this woman, Mrs. Li, who is married to a wealthy man but is losing his interest. He's cheating on her, and in a desperate attempt to recapture his attention, she visits a woman who is renowned for her "youth dumplings." It becomes evident that she stuffs the dumplings with a mixture of vegetables and aborted baby fetuses, which she claims "helps keep her young."

I know, I know - it's disgusting. But I what disturbs me even more is the fact that this movie is not completely fiction. It actually happens. It's been featured in newspapers, along with pictures that document each process (my mother told me about it - I have not seen the article). I think it's absolutely heartbreaking.

I've heard of situations like this before where people, in an effort to distinguish themselves from the "masses," would purchase aborted fetuses on the black market and cook them in dishes. I don't want to talk about their justification for this, as I don't think I can remain impartial in discussions like this.

Anyways, here's the link to the movie if you'd like to find out more about it, courtesy of Wikipedia: Dumplings (film).

In other news:

I received an ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid Artisan mixer! It was a promotional event, and I've been chilling the ice cream maker in the freezer for a couple of days now. Does anyone know any food ice cream recipes? Or any fantastic ideas for ice cream? I'm trying to decide if I should make a batch of Vanilla ice cream or something crazier... like Coffee Ice Cream with dried cherries and toffee swirls. Mm!

6:22 P.M. - 2/25/2009:

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THAT FABIO WAS ELIMINATED? :(