Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy: yet another update (and other news)

In all honesty, I came across a bit of news a few weeks ago, but in the time since my review of The Limits of Control, I have been incredibly busy with classes/exams, work, and going home to see family. And last week saw the release of BioShock 2, a game I have been anticipating for quite some time. Thus, what little free time I could muster specifically during the past week was devoted predominately to playing it.

Anyways, the news concerns the release of Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy. Apparently Best Buy has secured exclusive rights to the March 16th release, which will be coming in the form of a collector's tin (likely the same kind used for the collector's edition of Oldboy or the series Band of Brothers). Furthermore, as the link in the title mentions, the set will be on blu-ray. I think this is actually going to be a DVD/Blu-ray combo set, but I am not quite sure. In any case, the boxed set will be released in other stores on June 15th in standard packaging. Being both impatient and a collector, I will be acquiring the Best Buy limited edition and drafting a review as soon as possible upon its release.

In other news, I finished reading Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah and have had a chance to finally watch the film. I plan to watch the film a second time and explore the special features on the Criterion Collection release before I write my review. Before then, however, I will be writing brief theatrical reviews for Legion, The Wolfman, and Valentine's Day sometime within the next 48 hours.

Finally, I was browsing the upcoming releases for the month of March on Amazon.com the other night and noticed that John Woo's Red Cliff was among them - another film I have been anticipating for quite some time (since early 2008). Having actually devoted a great deal of time to studying the Three Kingdoms Era of Ancient China, I am a bit disheartened to hear that the film is not quite as historically accurate as one would hope, but then again most historical epics rarely are. The film's focus, as the title suggests, is on the Battle of Red Cliff (a.k.a. the Battle of Chi Bi).

It will be released March 23rd on DVD and Blu-Ray in two different versions: the 148-minute U.S. Theatrical cut and the 288-minute International (Original) cut. Naturally, I have my sights set on the latter.

Here is the U.S. trailer:

Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009)

It is certainly no secret that I am quite the admirer of Park Chan-wook's work. Oldboy is one of my all-time favorites (right behind V for Vendetta and American Beauty), and the other two films in his acclaimed "Vengeance Trilogy" are fairly high on the list as well. So naturally, I was eagerly anticipating his latest effort from the very moment I learned of it. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to seek Thirst out in its highly limited theatrical release, and thus had to bide my time until the DVD finally hit shelves on November 17, 2009. I am ecstatic to say that it was well worth that long, arduous wait; every last second. Let me be as up front as possible: Thirst is an extraordinary film.

The film begins with the introduction of Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a Roman Catholic priest who brings peace to the terminally ill, assisting in the plight and uncertainty that comes with passing from this life to the next. Growing tired of the grief that comes with watching patients die, Sang-hyun decides to volunteer for an experiment in which he will serve as a test subject for curing a deadly virus. At first, he seems to be just another failed effort among the batch of volunteers, but shortly after flat-lining he miraculously returns to life thanks to a blood transfusion, becoming the only survivor thus far. Shortly thereafter, he takes shelter with a childhood friend, Kang-woo (Shin Ha-kyun), and his family. Here he meets Kang-woo's loving mother, Lady Ra (Kim Hae-sook), and his wife (whom Sang-hyun also knew during his childhood), Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin), who completely despises her husband, and with good reason.



Also of importance during this time is that Sang-hyun quickly learns that he is a vampire. Of course, being a priest, he is not one to begin stalking helpless victims in the night. Instead, he gets blood from unconscious patients at the hospital he works at (primarily from a man in a coma named Hyo-sung, a gentle soul who delights in feeding the needy - so Sang-hyun does not feel guilt in the act).



Sang-hyun simultaneously takes a romantic interest in Tae-ju - a mutual feeling, as she longs for him to rescue her from the life she lives (indeed she even confides that she has loved him since they were children. He is reluctant at first, as perhaps a priest must be in abstinence, but he does not put up much of a resistance before indulging in carnal desires with Tae-ju. Not wanting to hide his condition from her, Sang-hyun reveals to her that he is a vampire, which initially terrifies Tae-ju, but she quickly embraces the fact with a playful adoration, even wishing to become a vampire herself.



Through various means, the two allow their love to flourish and Sang-hyun does all within his power to give Tae-ju a happier life. However, he understands all too well that his illness leaves one teetering on the edge, holding firmly to a minuscule thread of humanity. The film focuses a bit on both Sang-hyun and Tae-ju struggling with the moral quandaries presented to a vampire, but remains first and foremost a rather tragic (yet often comedic) love story. As is the norm for the director, the narrative is not without its share of quirkiness and flair - to the extent that the unaccustomed viewer may well be scratching his/her head at some of various happenings that take place in the latter third of the film's two hour and fourteen minute run-time.

Thirst is a splendid tapestry of romance, comedy, and occasional horror. Cleverly-conceived dialogue, erotic (albeit sometimes bizarre) scenes of intimacy, and buckets of blood are all present with marvelous execution. While it is doubtful in my mind that Park Chan-wook can ever hope to deliver a film quite as perfect as Oldboy, this latest effort is definitely not to be missed. If I were to make any complaint about the film at all, it would have to be with the DVD release itself, as it sports no special features whatsoever. While this fact is disappointing, it is not too troubling, as I find it likely that a double-dip will be released sometime within the next year or two, likely containing (at the very least) a commentary track and some behind-the-scenes featurette(s). Unfortunately, until that hopeful day arrives, this humdrum release will have to suffice. Still, poor DVD aside, I must say that Thirst is quite the nourishing film, though I will always have room for more of Park Chan-wook's work in the future as well.

Update: The Vengeance Trilogy, and Jan/Feb DVD releases

Upon checking DVDActive.com today for updates, I noticed that The Vengeance Trilogy was among them. Seeing as how the site is a phenomenal source of information regarding upcoming DVD releases, I found it odd that they had no coverage of the set until now, as I was under the impression that it had been released on November 24th, 2009. Well, as it so happens, there is a rather simple explanation: the boxed set has been delayed until March 16th, 2010. Therefore, instead of waiting until I have the set to review Thirst, I have decided to go ahead and review it separately.

Also, here is a list of forthcoming DVD releases (through February) that are of interest to me. A "*" indicates that I am considering writing a review of it at some point in time:

1/12/10
-Moon*
-In the Loop*
-The Hurt Locker*
-Onimasa*
-Departures*

1/19/10
-Pandorum*

1/26/10
-This is It
-The Donner Party
-A Touch of Spice*
-Paris, Texas (Criterion Collection release)*
-Saw VI*
-I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell*
-Whip It*

2/2/10
-Zombieland
-The Wolfman: Universal Legacy Series*
-New York, I Love You*
-The House of the Devil*

2/9/10
-A Simple Man*
-The Real Wolfman (History Channel special)

2/16/10
-Halo: Legends*
-Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Edition
-Revanche (Criterion Collection release)*

2/23/10
-Flame and Citron*
-The Vicious Kid*
-Howard's End (Criterion Collection release)*