For all those in the know, Park Chan-wook is the face of the Korean extreme film. He is our Quentin Tarantino, and when one of his films arrives, it’s really a big event for moviegoers. When you want in-your-face movie-making, cerebral storytelling, and violence coming at you like a bloody, goring bull dog screaming in garbled Portuguese about his Pupperoni, Park Chan-wook is the guy you talk to. Today I checked out his latest film, entitled Thirst, about a priest who, through a series of mishaps, and despite his altruism, becomes a vampire. It is darkly conceived and divinely inspired by an Emile Zola play, and I enjoyed it, but much like the other Chan-wook films I’ve seen, it seems to run out of steam at times, and I can’t help but feel that there were better scripting choices that were foregone in favor of what would make situations end the most violently.

Poor, poor Sang-hyun. He’s got it rough. He’s a Korean Catholic priest who has two faces; that of the unbending and rigid faith of a priest, and that of a doubting man, someone who, in his heart of hearts, has a problem with all the suffering and death around him caused by an allegedly loving God. In his drive to help people, he decides to volunteer for experimentation to cure a very deadly disease. He is a very brave man, and he does a very good thing, but the experiment is a disaster, and everyone dies during the experiment. He, however, is quickly revived and completely healed after he’s given more blood in his IV. Sang-hyun leaves the treatment center after a few months, and is cleared to return to his parish. He is famous around the area for being only one in 500 to survive the experiment, and is considered to be something of a miracle. He is invited to the house of a dress maker whose son has cancer after he prays for him. There, he falls for Tae-ju the wife of the woman’s son, a thin, quiet girl he remembers from his youth. She’s changed into a beautiful woman since they last met, but he has changed as well. He no longer is seen during the day, he has an amazing amount of strength and speed, and nobody ever sees him eat anything…

The film focuses on Sang-hyun and Tae-ju’s illicit relationship. It’s a very sensual movie that relies on the transformative properties of the characters to bring a lot of the romance home. You don’t quite know where the characters stand, and even those who you feel would never be able to do something against type will shock you. This can also pose a problem, though, because in this particular instance, I feel like some of these characters were almost hyper-transformative, too unpredictable and unnatural, while some characters, like Sangh-hyun, atrophied as a character about 45 minutes in. It can be a bit annoying, but it doesn’t totally distract as much as it does bother.

Chan-wook Park directs with such a passion. It is clearly his dream to make movies, and his drive inhabits every scene as an auteur who writes and directs his own material. Zola’s play must be very close to his heart, because my heart swells at this well-timed and beautifully framed affair. Even when Park’s infamous blood and gore bursts onto the screen, it’s still grotesquely lovely, in a way. Aesthetically pleasing in every way, this movie takes sensuality to a new level with the love scenes. Actors Kang-ho Song and Ok-vin Kim positively set the film ablaze when their passion ignites as characters Sang-hyun and Tae-ju, and I don’t say it lightly when I posit that they have one of the most intense and engrossing love scenes I’ve ever seen together. But I will say that Park did let the film drag a bit. There are some largely unnecessary sequences added for seemingly no purpose and, as I said earlier, some of the character changes seemed extraneous, which hurt the momentum a bit.

But the actors are amazing, the direction is exquisite, and it’s an interesting take on the vampire legend. Thirst is about a man at odds with himself as well as the world he has constructed around himself. He is surrounded by things that disgust him, including himself, and even in his dark solaces there is nothing to truly comfort him. The film begs of us, “Where is salvation for the damned?” and we leave the theater without much of an answer, only a desire to not ever find ourselves in that situation. This is another violent chapter in Park’s cinematic legacy, and while it is not perfect, I do feel that there is a lot of value here for the film connoisseur. Take a chance on it, and you won’t be disappointed. And, hey, even better news, the DVD I saw didn’t even have an English dub of the dialog! Take that, subtitle-hating fiends everywhere! I give Thirst 7 1/2 dark solaces out of 10! Enjoy!

Tomorrow I will take a ride into the 80s with Heavy Metal! Until then!!!

I’m a firm believer that the only people in the world who truly like anal are either hopeless perverts or people who’ve convinced themselves they like it.  Seriously, there’s nothing enjoyable about waking up in the morning and feeling like your entire asshole has been ripped out.  Nothing. No one can tell me any different – no one should ever try to do so either.

the last time I had anal sex, I was still attached to Larry – my ex-fiance.  He had this thing about getting behind me and choking me while we did it – anal, I mean.  He couldn’t just spank me and give it to me but good like normal people.  He needed to slap me while we were having sex and then surprise me by shoving it in my ass dry.  Let me say this – it looks fun in porn, but those chicks have assistance before people start shoving things in them.  I had no assistance.

I wonder why, now I wonder why I never said it hurt.  I never asked him to stop.  I never told him it didn’t turn me on and that I felt so much better just watching him take off his clothes – having him on top of me, holding me tight and telling me wonderful things… I felt so much better then.  I never told him that when he would leave and go back to Arizona that I felt empty and I’d remember the rough stuff and feel stupid.

Like the time he pulled my hair out and gave me a black eye.  He got a look in his eyes when that happened, like he couldn’t control himself almost.  It was frightening, but I loved him.  I loved the idea of not being alone more, but I loved him just the same.

I never told him how it hurt me though.  Now that I consider it, I don’t think I’ll ever suffer in silence again.  Anal is fine, but attempting to permanently damage my shet bawx?  Never again.

…………………….Next Up? S.16 – I’ve Got An Angry Inch

Sur ton lit de mort tu as retrouvé cette vérité qui sort de la bouche avant l’âge de raison, avant l’ère du mensonge et maintenant tu essayes vainement de fuir en promettant à l’au-delà que le coma sera une meilleure prison.

Ne me demande rien sur ta destination, ressemblerais-je à une agence de voyage? Je ne peux que réciter la leçon de mon manuel de masochisme à l’usage des croyants, encore une fois.

Ferme les yeux, tremble sereinement, quitte-nous sans jamais partir, excuse-toi une dernière fois de tout ce que tu ne sais pas et choisis entre l’absolution et la rédemption.

Une fois le spectacle achevé, je retourne dans les coulisses pour le débriefing où mes collègues en nécrophilie parlent à coeur ouvert en aimant avec leurs regrets pour purger leur reste de conscience.

J’ai longuement hésité entre les patients et ma patience, il est donc temps.

Au sommet de mon art de psychotrope en soutane, je prends ma retraite dorée pour bons et loyaux services, je m’invente une mission divine et je confonds don de soi et suicide, à moins cela soit la même chose.

Résultat des courses, je me retrouve à la place des patients, un fiasco expérimental et une réorientation professionnelle, placebo le jour, poinçonneur la nuit.

Coincé entre mon job de starlette de bénitier et ma nouvelle passion pour la liqueur, je me répète sans trop d’espoir que je ne changerai jamais.

Moi qui buvais le sang du Christ en week-end, entre amis, j’ai perdu la foi, pas la soif.

Quelques gouttes suffisent, quelques doutes subsistent, mais les instincts ont eu raison de mes convictions.

Puis, au hasard de la détresse, après des nuits d’exode, je l’ai croisée, elle, qui donna pour toujours un sens à mon vice.

Tiraillé entre la première fois et le viol, l’amour à long terme et une passion suicidaire, je la dévore plus que je ne la désire, je la torture plus que je ne veux la détruire.

J’en veux pour preuve ces regards que je ne lui rends pas.

Ma première infraction sur sa peau laiteuse fut aussi violente que vitale. Revenu parmi les vivants entre ses cuisses, j’ai goûté aux péchés ainsi qu’au pardon en même temps. Sa bouche pleine de moi, son corps s’abandonnant sauvagement au rythme des gémissements confus, ses yeux à la dérive reprennent les affaires là où ils les avaient laissées, dans les miens.

Mais, elle n’était pas mienne, de la convoitise à l’adultère, j’étais condamné au meurtre, donc acte, pour enfin avoir droit à cette culpabilité menant à la monotonie à deux, cette douce agonie qui précède cet ennui dont on ne revient pas.

Une fois l’irrémédiable accompli, la morale refait surface comme pour mieux nous punir de ce que nous sommes devenus, alors moins tu m’aimes, plus tu les désires, autant je t’attends.

Notre maison nous sert de tombe de luxe, les visites y sont autorisées, mais plus personne ne parle vraiment en fixant ces photographies qui vieillissent sans nous !

Au moment précis où l’amour devient une habitude, il n’y a plus de plaisir, que des regrets individuels et des remords en commun, alors la violence domestique devient l’unique preuve à conviction de notre premier baiser.

Je t’ai tuée en te donnant ma maladie pour avoir quelques instants de vie près de toi, il ne me restait que le mépris ou le vol.

Depuis tu te venges de nous, en t’humiliant, en m’oubliant, en nous perdant, en offrant la mort à autrui avec ou sans son consentement, parce que ton visage a la douceur de l’innocence et que tu as le goût de l’interdit.

Et puisque ce qui n’a pas de fin n’a pas de sens, j’ai cherché la lumière pour nous deux, pas celle qui donne des réponses à la carte, celle qui vient sans prévenir, discrètement, en nous caressant, sans promesse d’un futur à conjuguer ou même d’un ailleurs à haïr.

Je préfère te garder une dernière fois contre moi, lentement, en silence, sans un mot de trop, plutôt que de te dire un de ces au revoirs qui n’engagent personne. Et en fermant les yeux sur le peu de rides de ton monde, le soleil s’est levé pour nous disparaître à jamais.

…

En perdition au milieu de tous dans une rue déserte, elle s’évade le temps d’une nuit pour retrouver une vie qu’elle n’a plus, mais elle reviendra comme à chaque insomnie.

Elle empruntera les sombres desseins de la ville, le monstre urbain au teint grisâtre, à l’haleine polluée, au destin jamais scellé et aux fêlures à l’âme. Il prend toujours plus qu’elle ne donne en faisant courir les Hommes derrière des titres, des chiffres ou un peu de bonheur en viager.

La géométrie des lieux négocie sa personnalité aux illuminés qui l’habitent entre deux journées de travail, entre le mutisme de l’heure du crime désinhibé de tout ordre et la prudence des alcooliques reconnus par les poubelles qui évitent poliment de trop les connaître.

À la croisée des chemins, aux détours d’une silhouette pressant le pas, on se suggère que les ombres fuyantes nous mèneront à une terre promise ou un cul de sac.

Quand je vois la vie depuis chez moi, tout me semble millimétré à la seconde près de la mécanique de la violence à la magie sentimentale, alors que nous ne sommes qu’une succession d’accidents dans un jeu de hasard appartenant à une boule qui tourne sur elle-même.

Thousands of feral camels are wreaking havoc in an Australian town as they search for water in a continuing drought…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: north sea. The blog is also related to: ocean of the pacific.

Thirst is the latest moive by Vengeance trilogy co-writer/director Park Chan-wook. We at Misctapes featured the trailer when the film was released earlier this year but now its out for the masses to see. Its a must see along with the Vengeance Trilogy which is made up of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy & Lady Vengeance. Please see these film in there original form before Hollywood decides to remake (Oldboy) the HELL out of them.

Thirst pilot: The film tells the story of a beloved and devoted priest from a small town who volunteers for a medical experiment which fails and turns him into a vampire. Physical and psychological changes lead to his affair with a wife of his childhood friend who is repressed and tired of her mundane life.

Korea is looking to have a record breaking year for movie watching in 2009.  They’ve already broken records for each quarter of the year, and look to continue the streak in the 4Q of the year.  The more impressive feat in my opinion is the rise in the share of domestic films.  Through the end of October, Korean films accounted for 62.8% of market share, which is a significant increase from the usual 50-55% mark.

Besides actually heading to the cinema, the most wired country in the world is also breaking their movie download records.  After being available for download on Cine21, Take-Off [국가대표] broke the 100,000 mark in 7 days.  The previous record for downloads in the first week was less than half of Take-Off’s number, set by Portrait of a Beauty [미인도], starring Kim Min Sun.

I’m a big fan of foreign films, including Korean movies, which I find to be a nice change of pace to the Hollywood garbage that we’re fed in the US.  The catch-22 with trying to increase Korean film ticket shares is that Korean studios need to develop blockbusters in order to compete with the US titles (i.e. Harry Potter, Transformers, GI Joe, etc.)  They did accomplish the feat with Haeundae and Take-Off, but this made the films seem more Hollywood than Korean.

Either way, I find this kind of stuff pretty fascinating.  So I decided to take a look at the movies that contributed to the box office success in 2009.  Please note that I’m only looking at box office numbers, so there are quite a few movies that I’m dying to see which are not included in the list.  The cutoff I used was 1 million tickets sold to just pick a round number.

A Frozen Flower [쌍화점]

This was technically released in 2008, but on 12/30 so it boasted its success in 2009, holding onto #1 in the box office throughout January, totaling close to 4 million tickets sold.  The film starred Joo Jin Mo (Dream), as the King of the Goryeo dynasty and Jo In Sung (What Happened in Bali) as his bodyguard, along with Song Ji Hyo (Goong) as his queen and told the story of their love triangle with the backdrop of Goryeo dynasty’s political tension with the Yuan dynasty.

The movie not only enjoyed box office success, but critical acclaim as well, being consider for Korea’s entry to the Acamedy Awards.  A Frozen Flower was written and directed by Yoo Ha, and is definitely on my 2009 movie watch list.

Old Partner [워낭소리]

As the sleeper hit of 2009, Old Partner is a documentary about a man and his cow.  The film shows the life of farmer Choi Won Gyuoon and his wife Lee Sam Soon, and their relationship with their cow.  The cow has aged with the couple and becomes man’s best friend.  When the cow is diagnosed with cancer, farmer Choi is forced to enjoy his last year with his cow.

Grossing 3 million ticket sales, Old Partner is the most successful documentary and independent film to date.  (It held top box office honors for the latter 2 weeks of February.)  It was also the first Korean movie to take part in the Sundance Film Festival.  The movie will has been sold to Taiwan and will have a limited release in Japan next month.  The film has launched an interest in the independent film market in Korea, even inspiring a seminar on the marketability of indie films at PIFF.

I love documentaries and this is one movie that I didn’t know about until I started doing this post.  It’ll definitely be added to my must watch list.

City of Damnation [유감스러운 도시]

Directed by Kim Dong Wan (My Boss, My Teacher), City of Damnation is a fairly typical Korean gangster movie, starring Jung Joon Ho (IRIS) as a traffic cop who dreams of becoming a detective.  He gets his chance when he’s given the chance to go undercover into a gang. Conversely, Jung Woong In (Queen Seonduk) is a gang member who infiltrates the homicide department to protect his gang leader.  (Is this a comedy version of Infernal Affairs?)

Pass.

The Scam [작전]

The Scam stars Park Yong Ha in a film about the Korean stock market.  (Huh?  Is this Story of a Man?)  He plays a hapless investor who dabbles in day trading, but hitsthe jackpot when he earns money from a company that is fronting a mob.  He is forced to join the mob to help with a plot to steal $60 million won from the Korean stock market.  The film also stars Kim Min Jung.

The movie was given pretty good reviews and the first time director Lee Ho Jae nabbed the Best New Director at Grand Bell.  The film sold more than 1.5 million tickets.

After Story of a Man, my opinions of Park Yong Hwa has been turned upside down.  And his grin in the poster is pretty reminiscent of my favorite drama of 2009.  It’s not in my genre but I may catch this one.

Private Eye [그림자 살인]

Taking the box office top honors in April is Private Eye, a story about the first Joseon era private detective (Hwang Jung Min.)  The detective along with a medical student (Ryu Duk Hwan) sets out to solve a murder mystery.  The debut film by Park Dae Min, received glowing reviews from critics and went on to sell almost 2 million tickets.

The big draw of the  movie is undoubtedly Hwang Jung Min, a fabulous actor who’s considered to be one of the top film stars of Korea.  The critically acclaimed You Are My Sunshine (with Jeon Do Yeon) put him on the map and garnered him multiple Best Actor Awards.  I like Hwang Jung Min a lot but I don’t think this is my type of movie.  I’d rather watch his drama Accidental Couple.  Pass.

My Girlfriend is an Agent [7급 공무원]

Touted as the Mr and Mrs Smith (blerg) of Korea, My Girlfriend is an Agent starred Kim Haneul (On Air) and Kang Ji Hwan (Rough Cut) as the 2 secret agents who were once lovers, but end up butting heads on the job.

The film which cost over $4 million USD to make (a hefty sum for Korean movie) sold over 4 million tickets making it the 3rd highest grossing film of 2009 after Haeundae and Take-Off.

Although I do like Kang Ji Hwan (who took home the Grand Bell Best New Actor award), this is totally not my type of movie.  I’d rather watch Love is Blind.  Pass.

Insadong Scandal [인사동 스캔들]

Insadong Scandal stars Kim Rae Won in his last project before heading off to the army, playing a con artist in the Korean arts world.  He’s hired by an arts dealer (Uhm Jung Hwa) to restore a piece from the Joseon dynasty.  But he’s up to no good and works with a gang of misfits to con Uhm Jung Hwa, all the while getting chased by a cop (whom he had a relationship with in the past.)  Sounds like a convoluted version of the Oceans series?

The film sold 1.2 million tickets.  I love, love, love Kim Rae Won, so I’ll probably end up watching the movie when I start having withdrawl in the next 2 years.  But this is definitely one of those movies you suck up and watch because your favorite actor is in it.

Thirst [박쥐]

Director Park Chan Wook’s film, Thirst, tells the story of a priest turned vampire through a government experiment.  He falls into an affair with a childhood friend’s wife (Kim Ok Bin), and shows the despair he goes faces having to live as a vampire while trying to grasp onto his remaining humanity.

The priest is played by Park Chan Wook’s favorite heavyweight, Song Kang Ho, who’s starred in multiple blockbusters throughout the years:  The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, Secret Sunshine, The Host, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and JSA.

Thirst won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which is basically the bronze medal at Cannes.  Park Chan Wook is probably the most well known Korean director outside of Korea, based on his Vengeance trilogy.  The film sold over 2.2 million tickets in Korea.

I’m a huge fan of Park Chan Wook and was really sad to miss the film while it was playing in the theaters.  This is probably #1 on my 2009 movie watch list.

Mother [마더]

The South Korean entry for the Academy Awards, Mother, tells the story of a mother’s (Kang Hye Ja) love for her son (Won Bin.)  A small town acupuncturist lives with her unemployed and mentally slow son.  He’s accused of murder and confesses of the crime, ending up in jail.  His mother refuses to believe his guilt and looks for the killer herself to redeem her son.

Directed by Bong Joon Ho (The Host), the film sold 3 million tickets.  Interestingly, this was Kim Hye Ja’s first feature film and won her quite a bit of praise, including the Best Actress (Foreign) award at the most prestigious Chinese film festival and a Best Actress nomination at the Grand Bell Awards.

This is another one that I regret missing in the theaters and look forward to watching.

Running Turtle [거북이 달린다]

Running Turtle is an action comedy starring Kim Yoon Suk as a lazy small town detective who runs into a fugitive killer (Jung Kyung Ho!!) in his crimeless town.  The detective makes a promise to turn his life around to his daughter and makes it his mission to catch the killer, who’s able to outsmart his every move.

The film grossed over 3 million in ticket sales (4th highest in 2009) and saw Kim Yoon Suk receive a nomination in the Best Actor category for the Grand Bell Awards.  He was definitely the big draw for the movie, having been in hits such as The Chaser, The Happy Life, and Tazza.  But my main draw will be my current crush, Jung Kyung Ho of Smile, You.  (Just as a side note, Jung Kyung Ho also nabbed a Grand Bell nomination in the Supporting Actor category for his work in Sunny.  A 2008 film with Soo Ae.  The award shows in Korea doesn’t use a calendar year for the entries.)

Bronze Medalist [킹콩을 들다]

Inspired by a true story, the sports movie stars Lee Bum Soo as a retired weight lifter, who reluctantly takes on a coaching job for an all girls middle school weight lifting team.  Jo An (Everybody Cha Cha Cha) also received good reviews for gaining 20 pounds and playing a middle school weight lifter.

The first time director, Park Gun Yong, was nominated for the Best New Director award at the Grand Bell Awards, and the movie was one of the films in running for Korea’s entry to Academy Awards.  The film sold almost 1.3 million tickets.  I go back and forth on feel good sports movies.  I do love what this movie celebrates, a group of middle school female weight lifters!  This is on the maybe list.

Chaw [차우]

Uhm Tae Woong (Queen Seonduk, Resurrection) and Jung Yoo Mi (Que Sera Sera) star in the summer monster thriller about a man-eating boar, aptly named Chaw.  A small town discovers ripped off body parts of a dead girl, whose grandfather is a famous hunter.  The story follows the search for the animal with a party that includes the grandfather hunter, a cop (Uhm Tae Woong), and an ecologist (Jung Yoo Mi).

The film was the summer blockbuster horror flick, grossing over 1.7 million tickets sold.  This again isn’t really my genre but I’m willing to give anything with Uhm Tae Woong and Jung Yoo Mi a try.

Haeundae [해운대]

Directed by Yoon Je Kyun (Sex is Zero) and promoted as Korea’s first disaster film, Haeundae literally took the box office by storm from its release on 7/23.  With a cast boasting big names (Sol Kyung Go, Ha Ji Won, Park Joon Hoong, Uhm Jung Hwa, and Lee Min Ki), it tells the story of a tsunami hitting the coastal city of Pusan.

The film has sold close to 12 million tickets, only trailing The Host, The King and the Clown, and Taegeukgi.  Although it has seen box office success and was nominated for the Grand Bell Best Picture Award, it also has received mixed reviews from critics.  With one of the criticisms being the lack of believability in its special effects.  To note, Haeundae cost about $13M USD to make, compared to the $200M that it takes to make a US blockbuster.

I hate disaster blockbusters.  The last one I actually watched in the theater was Armageddon and I hated every minute of it.  Pass.

Take-Off [국가대표]

Take-Off was the other big winner of 2009, selling over 8 million tickets.  Released just a week after Haeundae, it swapped first place with its rival in the box office for 6 weeks after its release n 7/29.

The film is based on the true story of the first national ski jump team in Korea.  In 1996. the small town of Moju in the Jeolla province is hard at work trying to complete in the bid for the winter olympics, when they realize that they don’t have enough athletes to be considered for the running.  Enter Bob (Ha Jung Woo), a Korean-American alpine skier to form the first national ski jump team with 4 other non-athletes.  (Yes, very much Cool Runnings, which I enjoyed immensely.)

Take-Off’s director, Kim Yong Hwa, won the Grand Bell Best Director Award this year, which was the only win for the film.  If I watch a sports movie this year, it’ll be this one.  It’s still playing at the nearby theater, so I might make this into our family Thanksgiving movie… we’ll see.

Ae-ja [애자]

Choi Kang Hee (My Sweet Seoul) takes on the titular role of Aeja, a one time “Tolstoy of Pusan” who runs into some bad luck after moving to Seoul.  She ends up with a cheating boyfriend (Bae Soo Bin) who leaves her with a mound of debt and has a hard time getting her writing career off the ground.  The movie is mostly a story about a mother (Kim Young Ae) and daughter’s relationship.

The film received excellent reviews and gained the support of fans, selling over 1.9 million tickets.  Both actresses earned nominations at the Grand Bell, with Kim Young Ae winning in the Best Supporting Actress category.

This is definitely on my must watch list, Bae Soo Bin!!, and it’s a movie that I will be watching with my mom.

My Love By My Side [내 사랑 내 곁에]

Ha Ji Won is the lone actor bringing in 2 movies with over 1 million tickets sold in 2009.  My Love By My Side tells the sad tale of a man (Kim Myung Min) who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease disease and a new wife (Ha Ji Won) who must watch the man she loves wither away in front of her eyes.

This is the movie that made Kim Myung Min lose 20 kg and forced him to act with only his eyes for a good chunk of the movie.  His performance won him the Best Actor honors at the Grand Bell.

I’m not a huge fan of melodramas so it’s not terribly high on my watch list.  But I do like both actors, so I’m sure I’ll be watching this sometime soon.

Good Morning President [굿모닝 프레지던트]

I’ve talked quite a bit about this movie in multiple places, so I won’t go into too much details.  But in Jang Dong Gun’s return to the big screen, Good Morning President is doing quite well at the box office, recently surpassing the 2.5 million tickets mark.

I really don’t care if the movie sucks.  I’ll watch Jang Dong Gun in just about anything.

Before the end of the year, I’ll probably do a best of the rest round-up for 2009.   Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the movies here, and/or your plans for 2009 movie watching.  So comment away!

Via Joynews, Hancinema

About this time last year, I saw this video about Christmas, consumerism, love, and the gap between resources and need:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

It’s the Advent Conspiracy, and I think it’s an awesome initiative.  We spend $450 billion on Christmas every year…. Think about how many presents you receive thinking, “Man, I don’t really like this”, or “I don’t need this”, or “This won’t fit”, or “I wonder if I can trade this with my sister?”  Wouldn’t it have been better to get cookies instead?  Or maybe go to a movie together?

Yes.  Yes it would have.

Check out the Advent Conspiracy (and their new video for 2009) here, and do something meaningful with your holidays.

On my way, getting ready to go out with my buds Hitch and Leon.
Getting frustrated by minor boss annoyances in Metal Gear Solid 2, I feel like a need a break; with some beer and cheer.
Hitch is setting up a little ‘workshop‘ at where we are going, I´ll write more in depth tomorrow

Just like the the movie Hitch, there is a real life guy; his name is Jeremy Soul of Lovesystems, who has an interesting way of interacting and picking up women mainly in daytime environments.

I accidently misstook Jeremy Soul for Jeremy Soule; the famous game composer, for example to such games such as Elder Scrolls 4:Oblivion.
Ah, Oblivion…
One of my all time favorite games…it is so incredible, probably the most perfect Medieval RPG there is to date; though with a few flaws, it makes up in atmos, design, depth, gameplay and ofcourse the wonderful music.

The theme just screams ‘FUCKING BADASS GAME‘

I cant wait until Elderscrolls 5 is released next year of 2010…it is going to be epic…I am gonna pee my pants.
But until then, I will be able to satisfy my gaming needs with Metal Gear, and ofcourse to quenc my RPG thirst; Dragon Age!

But then again…there are so much more things to life that can stimulate the senses ^^
Writing, drawing, and…oogling

Goodnight and have fun!
-Thanks, I will = }

Dont kill anybody!
-…Thats a promise I cant make.

The Godfather (15) (Digitally remastered)

Fri  – Sun: 7.15pm

Thirst (18)

Breakfast at Tffany’s (PG)

In 1960’s New York, Holly (Audrey Hepburn) is a charming socialite who lives alone in her apartment. Maintaining a childlike innocence yet wearing the most perfect of designer clothes, she spends her time on expensive dates and at high-class parties. She escorts various wealthy men, yet fails to return their affections. Holly’s carefree independence is changed when she meets her neighbour, writer Paul (George Peppard). Just when Holly and Paul are developing a romance, Doc (Buddy Ebsen) appears on the scene, revealing the truth about Holly’s past.

Scarface (18) (Digitally remastered)

Scarface follows gangster Tony Montana (Al Pacino) who arrives in Miami as a refugee from Cuba. After killing a powerful Cuban figure, Montana and company gain the ability to leave their refugee camps and roam around the U.S. After unsuccessfully trying to make it legitimately in the country, Montana resorts to selling cocaine to dealers around the world. Tony’s rise is quick, but as he becomes more powerful, his enemies and his own paranoia begin to plague his empire.

THIRST (a.k.a. Bawkji)

(Alliance)

The Director: Chan-wook Park (Old Boy)

Starring: Kang-ho Song, Ok-vin Kim, Hae-sook Kim

The plot: Selfless priest Sang-hyeon (Kang-ho Song: The Host) is consumed by the sadness of the world so he volunteers to be a guinea pig in an experiment to find a cure for a contagious disease and, maybe, help save one person. The experiment fails and Sang-hyeon becomes infected, but an accidental transfusion of vampire blood cures him, and he becomes an object of worship for the miracle of his recovery.

One of his followers is childhood friend Kang Woo (Ha Kyun-Shin). Invited into his friend’s home, Sang-hyeon soon becomes entangled with his wife Tae-joo (Ok-vin Kim). Meanwhile, the contagion returns and the priest soon realizes that the only way to stave off its symptoms is to drink blood. Thus, his thirst – for both blood and pleasure –threatens to consume him.

The verdict: Director Chan-wook Park inability – or, likely, simple unwillingness – to commit to a genre (not exactly a horror film, Thirst oddly combines elements of melodrama, romance and thriller) makes it difficult to entirely empathize with his creation. It’s also overlong, although a mordant sense of humour keeps us engaged throughout.

Kang-ho Song as the priest is eminently sympathetic as a man caught between normal desires and a higher calling, and there’s an intense chemistry between him and co-star Ok-vin Kim, which makes for some truly erotic tension.

Rating: 7/10

If you’re looking for a different twist on vampires and you’re in Southern California, check out the special screening of THIRST on Friday at Chapman University in Orange. THIRST, this year’s winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and directed by the stylish Park Chan-wook, is nothing  like the teenage angst-ridden TWILIGHT or the offbeat TRUE BLOOD series on HBO. THIRST is the East’s version of what has been mainly a Western take on the genre.  Leading Korean actor Song Kang-ho plays a priest who accidentally becomes a vampire when he volunteers for a vaccine experiment that’s intended to stop a deadly virus. OK, that’s the paranormal part. Where’s the romance? This priest/vampire is in love with his friend’s wife.

Park, best known for films like Joint Security Alert and what’s now called as The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, will be attending the special screening, the opening night of a weekend showcasing select Korean films and their directors. Film scholars will lead Q&A sessions with the audience and the filmmakers throughout the weekend. In all, 12 films will be shown at the event, the result of a partnership between Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts  and the Pusan International Film Festival, which is like the Cannes of the East.

For a list of films, directors and ticket prices, CLICK HERE, or call 714-997-6765.

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IMDB link  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762073/

IMDB ratings 7.5/10   1,649 votes

Release Date : 30 April 2009 (South Korea)

Genre : Drama | Horror

Plot: Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh.

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Cette semaine, au programme de  l’observatoire des sociétés mourantes :

Mercredi 18 : 36 15 Me Myself & I : Let’s take a walk, itinéraire aléatoire – l’appel de la cabine

Vendredi 20 dimanche 22 : Thirst

Et la nouvelle rubrique prend encore un peu de retard – elle sera à base de texte, d’animation vidéo et de musique – donc un peu de patience !

Prenez le temps, avant qu’il ne vous prenne

Foutraquement…

SS

A weekly article highlighting my favorite releases of the week from all media (music, movies, books, video games)

DVD:

Thirst – The latest from one of my favorite directors (see #4 on this list)  South Korea’s Park Chan-Wook is really a no brainer.  The vampire genre is really hitting a frenzy (granted I am not really part of this) what better time for the brilliant director Park Chan-Wook to release a gritty, darkly humorous love story centered around vampires.  Expect grizzly violence, beautiful cinimatography and an enthrawling story and you will not be dissappointed at all.

Music:

Real Estate – S/T The debut full lenght from a Real Estate whom we have been pretty excited about for some time now (see my track by track review) is sure to find some new fans with their hazed out pop sound.  With the inclusion of some of the best songs off their 7″ releases such as Black Lake and Fake Blues as well as a some new gems this cd is a nice way to ease youself into the lulls of winter, with one last blast of summer.  If you have any questions about their sound, download “Snow Days” and enjoy!

Video Games:

God of War Collection (PS3) Two amazing games originally for the PS2, bumped up to HD and collected on one disc for the PS3 all to get our saliva flowing for the release of God of War 3 next year.  You won’t get any complaints here especially since my PS3 is one of the non backwards compatible modles I will jump at the opportunity to own these games especially at the $40 price point.  With bigger titles such as Assasins Creed 2 and Left For Dead 2 released this week I still think this is the title to buy.

Kid Delicious aka Slater Hogan has been hosting a new weekly at Blu Lounge in Indianapolis for about the past month.  In order to give new comers a taste of what they might Thirst for later, KD busted out this mix of classic jams and fresh mashups.  You know me … I can never front on someone that will throw both Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys” and “Informer” by Snow in the first 10 minutes of a mix.  Grab the mix and make sure to hit up Blu in Indy on Fridays to satisfy your Thirst.

DOWNLOAD:  Kid Delicious – Thirst Fridays Promo Mix

El mítico Park Chan-Wook, director de la aclamada trilogía de la venganza (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy y Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), vuelve después de un retiro de tres años para presentar otra magnífica película.

Thirst se centra en el recientemente sobre-explotado tema vampírico, pero abordándolo con muchísima inteligencia y sensibilidad artística. La película sigue a un joven sacerdote que en su afán por ayudar a la humanidad, decide someterse a una serie de experimentos que pretenden curar un mortal virus. Justo antes de morir por la infección, una transfusión de sangre misteriosamente lo vuelve a la vida, eliminando por completo los síntomas de la enfermedad pero transformándolo en un vampiro. La noticia corre por las poblaciones cercanas y el hombre se convierte en una especie de santo venerado, sin embargo, poco a poco el sacerdote comienza a sentir un despertar sexual y una sed de sangre que ponen en entredicho sus dogmas morales (LEER MÁS)

Next Day Air

What can i say, anything with mos def in it is Gold, just kidding, this movie is just ok, its just like a black shortened version of Snatch. Id say most of you never even heard about this movie, but its got a pretty star studded cast; you got Julius from remeber the titans, you got dude from scrubs, some hot latina girl shes not famous but id just like to point out that shes foine, and of course you got mike epps who seems to be in every black comedy, and dont forget the evil mexican guy but who knows his name? noone.  watch this if you are bored out of your mind and need some visual stimuli, it wont blow you away it wont actually do anything to your thought, your mind equilibrium will be at the same place you left it when you pressed play. What is cool about this movie is that the one dude who you… oh wait THE OLDER BROTHER FROM FAMILY MATTERS IS IN THE MOVIE, ok anyways the one dude who you want to live, lives, this semi good looking charming 50 cent kevlar wearing dude lives, YAY, but the dumb fuck stoner dude who is weak and pathetic also lives, so basically you have to live with that at the end of the movie.  whatever.

Monsters Vs Aliens

I could find no worthy alternate movie posters, cause i like putting up alternate movie posters.

So after Bee Movie and fucking terribad piece of shit cunt rag Kung Fu Panda, i really didnt want to watch anymore fucking animated movies, you know before movies like Toy Story and  Shrek were animated masterpieces, they were like 16th chapel kind of spunk, 10 years in the making kind of work. Now they fucking pop em out like a case of day after munchies crapathon there is no gold standard anymore, the market is just overfilled with these shitty animated films now. But for some reason out of nothing to watch i watched Monsters vs Aliens, when im skeptical about a movie i do a brief skim of the movie on my computer you know just like take a peeky weeky at some scenes, like when you got to a beach yaddamean. So i came upon this scene.

Beverly Hills cop anyone? who doesnt like axel foley mang, come the fuck on, thats a great fucking scene, so i watched it and i was very pleased and very amused during the whole time, with little giggles and monstrous chuckles. Its a good flick, young old, watch it. The famous people they had doing voice overs, actually played a role not like that fucking retarded kung fu fat fucking bear movie. The story was simple, the battles were epic, and the story is played close to home.  Fucking Jack Bauer is in it, enough said, just kidding that usually wouldnt be a winning point, the movie is good, watch it.

there was a 30 min halloween special, not that good, but the movie is good.

…fuck watched allot of movies, oh yeah i went into like Zombie mode and wanted a good fucking zombie movie, but yeah

Diary of the Dead

I just dumped a harvester in the toilet and it smells awfully dead. So, you know im a pretty big skeptic of Romero, you know the zombie father, the one who started the Zombie panic in the film industry, dude whatever, hes like Grandmaster Flash, starters of something great, but truthfully really stink at what they do, dont get me wrong mad respect, just they dont got the skills to make what they started into something retained and beautiful. So Romero got into a binge of making kind of like a new “dead’ series from what i can see and from what minimal information the wiki says on him, so hes made a couple of new films, and from my site the one i dl my movies from this one had the most dl, suggesting its probalby the best one or the most sought/watched one. I watched it, thought it wasnt bad, HEY MAN ROMEROs finally caught up to the standard. oh how wrong was i. but this movie was good, the one i watched after was  a shit show. Romero likes to do allot of things with society, he kinda of does this whole naration this sarah conner experience, and it eludes to this media socialism, which fucks everyone during the rise of the dead. This panic with the media, is all this shit fake or real, if the media did a big practical joke and sent this shit out through all outlets, would it be chaos, or just a big laugh. Its humorous, its got some good explanations, and a bunch of god references, overeall its enjoyable. The camera work is done in a pretty crafty way, though its clear that the film was lacking a budget. It got me thinking a little, it had some Zombie survival guide moments which is always a plus, but overall its the best  on the market right now like in Requiem when they try to get the drugs cause thats all thats on the market, pysche Zombieland trumps this, but to me not by much.

Day of the Dead

with such a cool poster, you think theyd have a good movie, but fuck no. I looked at the stats you know like oh its got Ving Rhames oh its got Mena naked chick from American Beauty(btw thats a fucking weird name Mena Suvari). Fucking Ving he did great in Dawn of the Dead, which to me is the best of the best of all zombie movies, what can i say Zack Snyder is a beast man, he had all the right elements. man train of thought done, i m not going to spend any time on this movie, it fucking sucked, fucking nick cannon is in it, the only redeeming role hes ever had was in Chappelle show, fuck this movie, i can almost finish every movie i watch, not this one, its fucking shit.

Thirst

Park Chan-Wook, this korean director is quite the olympian amongst movie standards, this is his second film to get one of the top awards at the Cannes film festival, you may have heard of his other film Old Boy. In my opinion i was kind of turned of watching the rest of the movies in his vegence series, i really thought this dude just puts some really fucking brutal shit in his movies that is hard to watch, and he does it in a sexually pent up way. But seeing as how “the weird” was in this movie, i said hey why not. This movie is about vampires, vampires are pretty cool, Park’s movie heavily dwell in the psyche of the main characters mind, his emotions are dealt with his actions. SO man becomes vampires, man use to be priest, man still wants to be priest but has conflict of interest due to his new fucked up thirst, which comes with some awesome powers. This movie is very violent, gruesome at points, there is tons of pent up sexual tension, cause HES A PRIEST AND ALL YOU KNOW, and is littered with funny parts that go along with this sexual tension, as cvax would say the “asian formula” for movies, at one point i was like this movie is going to shit, but at the end it balanced it self out like a roller coaster. This is also the first korean movie that has shown full frontal male nudity, so for all those out there wanting some good cockshot, watch it. I enjoyed certain scenes of this movie, there are some points where im like why, i dont know why this scene is in here, i really enjoyed how like i said early the movies dives into the main characters mind and you struggle with him, especially with a dead dude soaked in water, who appears during sex. HAHAHAHAHHAHA, but yes the movie is in eyeopener with the gruesome scenes, but hey thats what makes it fun. its different from your typical hollyamerican forum, watch it if you want something different, and watch it cause vampires are pretty sweet.

Julie&Julia

so what can i say meryl streep does a fucking excellent job per usual, as for amy adams shes just doesnt look hot in this movie what the fuck, i guess i kind of missed the whole point of this movie. Its a chick flick i would say, it goes into the two lives of these two women, its done kind of bad, like it does a pretty good like back and forth between the two  in the beginning then you kinda jump into a well with one for like 15 minutes and you totally forget the other characters. the worst part was the ending cause your like ughh “so she got owned” then you do a little research into the actual julie character and you find out this bitch is like typhoid. the whole time your like oh julie is a huge pathetic loser, and you go oh hey Julia Child is a great fucking person, shes awesome. julia child’s is awesome, PBS THAT SHIT, her antics are mimicked extremely well. anyways yeah the movie goes on this journey of failure for one character, and fucking ballerhood with the other. The trailer makes it look good, but the overall movie is just ok, mostly just seeing meryl tear that shit up.

Moon

not new moon, for all those twilight fuck heads. i was skeptic, cause sam rockwell just looks like a schmuck, which really has nothing to do with a movie, but comeon he looks dirty. so this movie is kinda of like space odyssey but not extremely boring and stupid. this movie is pretty rad, but may get slow, so do what i did sleep at 8 wake up at 11 30 watchc this movie till 4am, itll be good then, but yes this movie is enjoyable, its got a pretty big twist dished out in the middle, which creates a mind fuck storm. but yeah watch it. im done writing for now

Thirst – Bakjwi – 2009

From IMDB: Beloved and devoted priest from a small town volunteers for a medical experiment which fails and turns him into a vampire. Physical and psychological changes lead to his affair with a wife of his childhood friend who is repressed and tired of her mundane life. The one-time priest falls deeper in despair and depravity. As things turns for worse, he struggles to maintain whats left of his humanity.

Finally, what i’ve been talking about nonstop for months on here, my twitter, to my friends, and pretty much anybody who would listen, i got a chance to watch and own a copy of Thirst. What can i say.. where can i even start? I’ll try, even tho when it comes to Park Chan Wook my vocabulary seems shy of appropriate and beautiful enough terms.

Bakjwi (originally set to be titled “the bat”) is the story of a catholic priest, Sang-hyun (impeccably played by korean superstar Song Kang-ho of The Host and Sympathy for Mr Vengeance) who loves life and humanity so much that he decides to volunteer for a medical experiment, only to come out of it as a vampire – and the only survivor out of 50+ patients. As he’s dragged into the world of Sin and carried away by lust, thirst for human blood, and most of all confusion, we watch his faith crumble irremediably.

Of course, the reason behind this precipitous fall into the rabbit hole is a woman, Tae-ju (brand new actress Kim Ok-bin), who not only is one his childhood’s friends wife, but also a beautiful – and troubled – individual who had been waiting her whole life to run away.

Their encounter changes their lives forever, and brings the substance of the story at much more than “just” the typical vampire movie. Thirst is about pain, desire, the fall of dogmas, and most of all internal struggle. And Park Chan Wook is right there telling us this beautiful and grotesque story in that familiar way he got us all used to: stunning camera work, outstanding atmospheres, attention for details, and the perfect soundtrack. I’m sure the ending will blow most of you guys’ minds away for it is so gorgeous it almost physically hurts.

The actors are top-notch, and the movie delivers the perfect combination of brutal violence, gore, and drama but also lots of very funny black humor (my favorite!), suspense, and steamy sex scenes (fun fact: Thirst was the first Korean movie to feature full frontal male nudity). And of course, an endless amount of blood.

I have been looking around for a copy of this every day since the teaser trailer release back in March, so you can only imagine the kind of suspense i had been building up for myself. On top of that, besides many many positive reviews (not to mention the fact that Thirst won the Jury Prize at Cannes this year pretty much blowing the jury away) – i’ve also read all of those other reviews, the jealous and “i-have-to-critique-negatively-at-any-cost” type, that said it wasn’t Park Chan Wook’s best work, that the movie is too long and needs more editing, and yadda yadda. so i had mixed feelings about my super high-end expectations.

you know what? fuck those critics. the movie is PERFECT.

so perfect i can’t wait to watch it again, and again, and again…