Monthly Archives: February 2010

Feb 20 2010

Thirst

Viewed – 19 February 2010  Blu-ray

What is it about Vampires lately?  They seem to be everywhere in the media, from countless movies, most notably the popular Twilight franchise, and on TV with the likes of The Vampire Diaries and True Blood.  Yet these endeavours seem a little clichéd, lacking in imagination and a little ‘safe’.  Something that can’t be said of Korean director Park Chan-wook’s latest entry.  The (rightly) acclaimed director of OldBoy and Sympathy For Mr Vengeance dips his toe into the blood sucking genre and as expected, delivers something totally unique and fresh.

Kang-ho Song plays Priest Sang-hyeon who undergoes as experimental drugs testing scheme to find a cure for a disease slowly killing the patients of a hospital that he attends.  Yet said test leads to him developing a thirst for blood, and he soon discovers he has been inadvertently turned into a vampire.  Whilst believed to be a miracle survivor of the disease, and worshipped by the public, he bonds with the family of a cancer victim, and soon catches the eye of his strange and downtrodden young wife, Tae-Ju.  It’s not long then that they begin an illicit affair, and his vampire secret is revealed to the young woman, beginning a bizarre love story.

Yet as this is Park Chan-wook, things develop much more intricate and complex than first expected, and although full of blood sucking, splashes of gore and some clever special effects, proves more of a meaningful drama than a horror.  The camera work and cinematography are stunning, the set design and framing of every shot, a subtle work of art, and the haunting music increases the overall power of this slow burning but very effective movie.  Kang-ho Song is brilliant as the conflicted priest, battling both his bloodthirsty urges and his faith, whilst Ok-bin Kim as the slightly deranged Tae-ju often steals the show, with a stunning and intense performance.  I’ll admit that at times it’s a bit disgusting with some gross sound effects to accompany not only the blood sucking, but kissing and some awkward sex, and the movie is overly drawn out and too long. Yet this is still a quality example of the vampire myth, given a little more flair than we’ve seen recently, and once again marks the director as a master of his art.

Verdict:  4 /5

Feb 14 2010

Orphan

Viewed – 13 February 2010  Blu-ray

Movies about creepy kids are ten a penny.  Stretching waaaay back in the history of horror and thriller, from the cult classic Bad Seed to the horror legend that was The Omen – bad kids really work, and for this viewer especially, creep me out now end.  So here we have a story of a couple who after suffering a miscarriage, find their relationship at breaking point, and although they already have two children, one a moody teenage boy, the other a young deaf girl, they decide to adopt.  Soon theybring home a rather strange but good natured nine year old Russian girl called Esther, who despite some excentric behaviour quickly put down to her troubled circumstances, soon fits in.  But of course not all is as it appears to be, and before long young Esther is proving quite the nutjob, involving her adoptive siblings in her evil ways, and sending her adoptive mother heading for rehab, whilst all the time appearing sweet and innocent to her adoptive father.

It’s obvious that the director knows this is familiar territory, and thankfully avoids cheap scares, rather building tension and ringing every last drop of acting from his cast, especially Isabelle Furhman as Esther, who is clearly a star to watch.  Also Vera Famiga as the distraught but gutsy mother gives it her all in a very demanding role.  I should also mention that the young deaf girl, who despite not saying a word, left me similarly impressed. 

Gripping, powerful and even proved a lot more clever than I first gave it credit for – so seek this one out.

Verdict:  4 /5

Feb 6 2010

New PVC statue

As an on/off collector of Japanese anime statues, this one caught my eye recently.  I love the art-style of Japanese anime, inspired by television series, comic books and video games like Street Fighter & King Of Fighters.  This one combines my appreciation of Japanese anime and fantasy art work.

Fantasy Figure Gallery collection

GOLDEN LOVER

 

Also see:

This is so cool … it hurts!

Another one’s caught my eye