Park Chan-wook’s Thirst reimagines the vampire myth as a sensual, violent struggle between faith, desire and morality. Blending black humour, brutality and romance to question belief, free will and the nature of humanity, Thirst truly is a sumptuous film and the sum of its many parts utterly redefines the concept of beauty and the beast. [Read More]
People: Song Kang-ho (page 2)
Saharial reviews Thirst
Being a big fan of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, I was definitely excited and keen to see Thirst (박쥐; Bakjwi) his newest release that won the Jury prize at Cannes this year. The story is of Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a priest who willingly undergoes a medical experiment to help find a cure for a virus. … [Read More]
Lead us not into temptation – Q&A with Park Chan-wook at UK “Thirst” premiere
Appropriately enough, Director Park cast a sombre red shadow on the screen as he walked onto the stage to answer questions following the London premiere of Thirst. The film delivered all the blood you have come to expect from a Park Chan-wook movie, this time with some justification, given the vampire theme. But as always … [Read More]
Memories of Murder (살인의 추억, 2003) review: a masterpiece of tone and tension
Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder is a masterful blend of black humor, procedural intensity, and poignant social commentary. Based on Korea’s first serial killer case, the film follows a bumbling local detective and a focused Seoul investigator. With subtle direction, haunting cinematography, and exceptional acting, it transcends the genre to deliver a deeply sincere, atmospheric experience. [Read More]
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈, 2008) review: exhilarating action and genre-blending fun
The Good, The Bad, The Weird revels in kinetic set-pieces, black humour and playful genre parody, delivering relentless momentum and crowd-pleasing thrills. OK, the plot isn’t multi-layered, there’s no real “good will triumph over evil” but if that’s what you’re looking for you’re missing the point. [Read More]
Good, bad or weird? A look at Kim Jee-woon’s classic western
Now the festival is over, perhaps it’s time to set down some thoughts on the lead film, Kim Ji-woon’s Manchurian western. This was one of the most hotly anticipated films in recent years, on a par with Lady Vengeance and Secret Sunshine. Kim Ji-woon has built up an enviable track record with his past films. … [Read More]
Secret Sunshine (밀양, 2007) review: grief, faith, and defiance in Milyang
Secret Sunshine is both a study of grief and a dissection of faith and religion. Like director Lee Chang-dong’s previous work the film doesn’t shy away from showing the disintegration of a human being as a result of uncontrollable events and the actions those events elicit. [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Secret Sunshine at the BFI London Film Festival
Caution: this post contains spoilers. It was slightly disappointing to see Screen One of the Odeon West End (seating capacity: 500) somewhat under half full for the London premiere of Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine last Monday. By contrast, No Mercy for the Rude, a film which (from its description at least) is much more in … [Read More]
Sport and nationalism: YMCA Baseball Team
We’ve just witnessed the triumph and then despair following the ups and downs of the Korean team in the baseball world cup. And the TV commercials are now full of football references. So I just put my copy of YMCA Baseball Team in the DVD player (it’s been on my to-watch pile for rather too … [Read More]