Letter from "Thirst" Director Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook's letter to Landmark Film Club members who will soon be seeing Thirst on the big screen in one of the following cities soon: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC. I suspect it's not so exclusive of a letter, a bit form letter-ish, but an interesting piece nonetheless. I also had the opportunity to win a Blu-ray player concurrent to the film's theatrical release! In any case, here's the letter:

I didn’t set out to make a vampire film. Having grown up in a Catholic family, I had a feeling that there would come a day when I would make a film with a priest as the main character. But what kind of priest would he be? What kind of things would happen to him?
One day, while watching old vampire films, a thought came to my mind. What would happen if vampire’s blood enters into the body of someone whose vocation has him living close to the cross? The thought developed like this: Why are priests only portrayed as the vampire hunters? What’s to say priests can’t be vampires?

Then I read the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. It is a story in which a man falls in love with a friend’s wife, and together, they murder the friend. How hard-boiled it was! So much so that it made me think, if I ever became a novelist it would be exactly the novel that I would want to write. But that novel had already been written by Zola, so what should I do? Turn it into a film…

That’s how the story of Thirst came into being. A priest most noble and pious, because of his very faith, volunteers for a human experiment to develop a new medicine. As might be expected, he contracts a dangerous disease. He needs a blood transfusion. But the blood that gets transfused must have been vampire’s blood. Because he so loved mankind, he unwittingly ended up turning into an entity that cannot but take and drink the blood of others. Then he gets invited to a friend’s house. Of course, it’s a dinner invitation, since the priest can no longer traipse around during the daytime. Of course, at that house awaits a beautiful woman. And again of course, she is the friend’s wife…

                   - Park Chan-wook

Kim Ki-duk's "Time" (2006)

As a quick note, "Time" is the directorial convergence of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Charisma meets Miike's Detective Story meets Ki-duk's own Bad Guy — a certain amount of grit used to paint a beautiful and harrowing picture. Story-wise, the film is a confluence of relationship dualities (some quite literally), as well as employing a continuity/paradoxical question a la Song Il-gon! Watching the film in progress, it's hard to believe this is the same director that gave us the visually sumptuous 3-Iron, but there is no doubt that this is pure Kim Ki-duk. His lead characters are once again emotionally nude and fragile but courageous in practice and honest enough to admit it. In Time's case, these characters often put themselves in peril before they come to said realization. And this, of course, is why it hurts so.

Yella (2007)

Yella (Nina Hoss) trailed by her lout of a husband Ben (Schönemann).

Simply put, and in lieu of a full review; "Yella" might not be the most uniquely proposed or sunniest of films out there, but there is no doubt that it's an engaging little existential drama. Simone Bär's screenplay incorporates a strong mixture of contemplation and intuition to support its plot and thoroughly convince audiences, even in reflection. That being said, this film has drawn comparisons to several earlier films — none more than a certain 1962 film. I believe it stands up well and can be considered a genuine effort.

First film for me from Germany-centric director Christian Petzold. Recommended.

The best films I saw in 2008, w/ one comment

01 In Bruges
02 Cloverfield
03 The Dark Knight

04 Noriko's Dinner Table (Noriko no Shokutaku, 2005)
Sion Sono's second facet to his yet to be realized Suicide Circle Trilogy is a masterwork in its own right and a film that speaks of life being as perfect as one makes it — as well as finding solace in those terrific choices, and discovering that escape is just as easily realized walking away single-handed than bounding forward holding hands.

05 Frozen River
06 Snow Angels (2007)
07 Ils (2006)
08 Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
09 The Strangers (2008)
10 Be Kind, Rewind
11 Wall•E
12 Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne, 2006)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here are my Top 5 Xmas songs/video links. Gotta like some of these classics.

#. Carol Of The Bells by Trans Siberian Orchestra (Choral version, MTC)


#. Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes


#. Winter Wonderland by Johnny Mathis


#. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (whew)




#. Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley (sort of cheesy and dated, really)


Happy Holidays, all!

"Live" in my iTunes: Best of the live recordings.

+ The Beatles' Can't Buy Me Love live at The Hollywood Bowl August 30, 1965

The crowd's reaction throughout this entire track conveys the fever which Beatles-mania elicited when they broke on the scene in the United States. Insofar as this recording goes, and amazingly enough, it seems twelve years of on/off again production was necessary to perfect the audio and give birth to a recording worthy of release. Who knew.



+ The White Stripes covering Bob Dylan's One More Cup of Coffee

In the city of Detroit, in July of 1998, Jack and Meg took to an unnamed stage and produced what is widely considered to be the first live recording of The White Stripes in existence. Not to disparage them, but I think if I had been watching this duo at The Turf Club or The Uptown (a couple of local stages), truth be told, I may have walked out. I like to think I've grown a bit since then.



+ Not three months after Queens of the Stone Age released the instant classic Songs For The Deaf was released onto the public, Josh Homme and Co. dropped in on Bern, Switzerland to play a "secret" acoustic show for a select crowd lucky enough to squeeze into the venue. One track of note, Go with the Flow (the 4th song of performed — the 8th on the album) already has the force and passion usually reserved for mid-tour dates. I've heard local artists (punk, rock, and folk alike) whose impromptu acoustic sets blow away most "normal" performances. If you're a fan of the genre, this is one set you must hear.



+ Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time acoustically performed as 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' by Travis. One of the cleanest and funniest versions of this song ever done — that includes Blink 182's, and Tori Amos' version. The crowd reacts appropriately to what is a genuine cover attempt. No joke, this works!



+ During Good Riddance's final live show (final performance ever, in actuality) they dperform "Without Anger" with such force you'd think they were playing for their very existence...and in a way they are. Here they're eulogizing, in a sense. But this is of their choosing, and the show is one for the record books. Fat Wreck recorded and released the 2007 show on limited edition (1100 copies), hand-numbered, 2x colored wax this year.




+ Lagwagon's Live At A Dive release gave us a killer, sped up version of "Razor Burn" that is both hilarious and truist. Lyrics:

"Here's another little sing-along for you all,
this goes out to all the people who just quit shaving. I think
you know what I'm talkin' about."

She broke up with me two days later
I think she met Don Juan in Italy
She has a new man, I have a new mustache
Now all my friends are gonna call me 'mountain man'
And everyone will think that I'm a stupid drifter
I'll walk the earth alone, and never shave again
On the night she left me, facial hair grew miraculously
I dressed in black like Johnny Cash and grew this beard of shame
I've heard it said she looks a lot like Sherilyn Fenn
And sometimes I'm mistaken for, Billy Gibbons
I may appear wise, but I'm an idiot
It's over, she left me, and she will soon forget me
She found out I was lame, I grew a beard of shame
'sing it Hollywood!'
Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
I am a new man, I have a beard of shame

+ A list wouldn't be complete without a Me First And The Gimme Gimmes track, and Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" will do just fine. Performed live at "little" Jonny Wixen's bar mitzvah, a sauced punk super group and a room full of skeptical parents (you should see the pics/video snippets) make for an unforgettable experience for both audience and listener. And do not all Blondie songs make for awesome punk covers anyway?



+ Kreator's 2003 live album, a meld of stadium shows in Sao Paolo and Seoul, South Korea, has proven that the faint remembrance of the band's mojo for the MTV release/video for Betrayer (when MTV was a music channel...ugh) wasn't a fluke and Kreator hasn't lost a single beat since. Speed and precision are their modus operandi, and they deliver. I've heard a majority of the 2-disc work, and even as it does get a bit stale, taken one track at a time it can't miss.




+ Before Sessions At West 54th went off the air, I had the opportunity to catch Tom Waits' Nighthawks At The Diner almost in its entirety during a special hour-long edition which featured much of the originally un-aired portions. Waits has a gigantic following in Minneapolis, which is maybe the reason for the full show (and multiple airings, as I discovered). From Intros 1 & 2, to Eggs And Sausage In A Cadillac With Susan Michelson, and the witty Emotional Weather Report, this is a soulful romp that's good for a listen, in full or on occasion; whether it's at home on the stereo or during a 4 1/2 hour drive to the Minnesota-Canadian border.




+ And finally, nearing the height of his power, Mason Jennings recorded a solo acoustic version of Rebecca DeVille at the studios of KUOM for Stuck On AM 2 (from the wildly popular Stuck On AM series) and subsequently cemented the release as king of the series, with a little help from Buffalo Daughter, Lifter Puller, and yet "blown up" Minneapolis urban troubadours Eyedea and Atmosphere. But the addition of Mason's epic was the keystone to a highly successful album to be sure, and it received generous airplay on Radio K.

Quantum of Solace: The 22nd Bond

Bond and Vesper in a 'warm' embrace.

I don't quite understand the criticisms that Quantum of Solace isn't Bond enough; on the contrary, it's more Bond than Bond. Let us see for ourselves: awesome cars you would sell your mother to own, — Check. Intense car and foot chases, — Check. Exotic locales, both salacious and bad-ass ladies, — Check and Check.

In this installment we return to a more worldly and manly 007 (read: more Connery than Brosnan), as well as a return to the Cold War type of plot which splits retarded and apropos right down the middle. Unlike the pure cartoon of yesterday's Bond. Throw in a borderline ridiculous über-villian bent on some sort of diabolical master plan ad one couldn't ask for anything more! The contention that this installment's lack of "gadgets" makes it any less enjoyable is a farce. Seriously, the gadget thing has been nearly exhausted.

That being said, a noticeable amount of the realism that Martin Campbell brought to 2006's Casino Royale disappeared with this, Marc Forster's installment. Sure Royale featured borderline unreal action, but Solace's brand of action comes across far too transparent. And its abrupt style seemed to call for spinning Batman-like logos between scenes. I hate to pile on, but this is mid-tier Bond all the way down to the unbalanced title track courtesy Jack White w/Alicia Keys. Oh it's cool, just not as charming as a Bond theme should be. Sue me.

So to sum it all up, yes indeed critics, this is quintessential Bond. In the case of this installment: if only it were slightly more.

The Legend of God's Gun (2007)

Four criminals are wanted dead or alive, the chase is on and a dopey bounty hunter has dollar signs in his eyes when he catches up to the now horseless band near the town of Playa Diablo, an 1880's ghost town in the making, helmed by a corrupt sheriff (writer/director Mike Bruce) and his libertine (and hot) wife make way when a Man With No Name-ish vengeful preacher and a prosaic psycho-outlaw named El Sobero (played by the other mastermind behind this grinding, acid-colored Western, Kirpatrick Thomas) cross paths in the midst of town.

The Legend of God's Gun, known by its creators as "gravel grindhouse", is ultimately a film nearly anyone with imagination and several friends could make, and that's why it kicks so much ass, but you'd be hard-pressed to come close to this one-of-a-kind, three-years-in-the-making homage to the Spaghetti Western. That being said, the bad news is God's Gun is erratic and masturbatory even as the story is always moving forward (one minor flashback aside); I recall a 4-minute "movie" from high school A/V which we thought was the next Deer Hunter... Reality check. Back to God's Gun, some of the film noise gets out of hand in the early scenes, and maybe the strongest criticism of all, at 80 minutes it might be 20 minutes too long. However, it's loaded with solid music (Thomas' band Spindrift appeared on another grind house film's soundtrack, namely Hell Ride.) and supports the pace well and is a perfect accompaniment to the many showdown scenes, culminating with Gram Rabbit's "Devil's Playground" played over the end credits, with video!