Thirst [Blu-ray]

This is my favorite horror movie in a long time (I watch a lot of horror - generally no gratuitous torture or misery - but pretty much everything else). It's not a spoiler to note that this one is a vampire variation and, like all vampire stories, raises issues of addiction, sexual and otherwise.Beyond that, it's a fable about two people who have made the best of difficult childhoods and suddenly find their lives profoundly changed. That is a tiny spoiler and as much plot content as I am going to give you.Kim Ok-Bin is amazing in this. I had seen her before in the Whispering Corridors film "Voice," and she was great, but this film required far more dynamic skills. Song Kang-Ho plays Sang-hyun (play on sanguine). He's in Snowpiercer and Parasite, and he is nothing short of adorable. Calling him that doesn't do justice to the depth of his performance, but the guy is just undeniably appealing.You probably know Park Chan-wook from the Vengeance Trilogy, Old Boy, or The Handmaiden (he also produced Snowpiercer). If you do, you also know that he has his own aesthetic with action/violence/gore. It's gorgeous.Highly recommend this film if you like K-horror or A-horror or horror or complicated love stories.

About 1/3 of the way in or so I began to have deja vu. The daughter-in-law working in their fabric/dress shop storefront, the girl having been raised in the household of her abusive now mother-in-law, the demanding and unpleasant sickly husband... Then I saw them all playing a weekly table game with friends and that clinched it. Turns out the movie is based on the 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin, by Émile Zola. Maybe you all knew that already. Not me.It was interesting to see where the movie kept to the novel and where it diverged. The movie managed to stay true to the character development and broad plot development -- despite a complete lack of vampires, priests, or medical experiments in the original novel. :)The actors were great. I ended up being completely creeped out by the mother-in-law. A lesson in how to act without really acting.There are other movies based on this book. Despite the gruesomeness of this one I think it is my favorite

THIRST -- the Korean vampire film, not the recent alien visitor film from the US -- has one of the greatest sex scenes I've ever seen in a film. When a young lady is having intercourse with a Catholic priest turned fang-less vampire, the looks on her face as she stares up at him during his penetrating maneuvers are incredibly erotic and thoroughly convincing. She is trying to wrench answers from him regarding his own feelings at that exact moment that make us wonder if the director has not filmed an actual sex act.Other reviewers have pointed out the strengths of the film, but I wanted to point out this aspect because of the stunning way in which it is delivered. I am not a fan of porno films such as the hardcore CANTERBURY TALES because the private entryways of the female participants often look as if they have invited visitors for decades. There is nothing erotic about oral sex when the female reveals her non-amateur credentials in close-ups.This vampire film, however, has non-graphic scenes that define eroticism.The usual violence is there, of course, but nothing memorable in this regard lingers. I don't agree that this cinematography is as stunning as it is in other Korean or Japanese horror films. The entire production, however, is a noteworthy effort that should be a classic in this genre.

I appreciate a good Chan-Wook Park film. I loved his Vengeance trilogy and proclaim to be a fan of his work, even his short film "Cut" in '3 Extremes' was amazing. However, I do not admit to liking this movie very much. There is a style in its CGI that I confess to being impressive. Instead of watching a film like 'Transformers' where you are constantly unsurprised by its over-compensation of SFX talent, you are fascinated by "Thirst"'s mysterious working of simple yet mystifying tricks. You know there has to be some wire-work in some scenes of this film, though there are some parts where, like trying to guess the secret behind a magic trick, you are left dumbfounded as to how they pulled that off without an over-elaborate tooling with a computer. The intriguing characterization, powerful performances, and magician-like special effects isn't enough for me to like this movie. I don't shy away from erotic movies; so understand this was not the part of the film that bothered me. I suppose I'm biased in not appreciating the protagonist's dramatic conflicts, but it just can't be helped. I appreciate his character's development, however I wish to argue that he should have made more changes when they were necessary. The heroine's character is just heartbreaking to review, because she is, like many males encounter in life, just--pardon my crude opinion but--a silly, tragic yet harebrained, bloodthirsty nympho that just seems more like a child than a sympathetic character. One can tell that the director tries to, once again, present his beliefs in "Vengeance Is Never The Answer," though I feel it burns the movie's integrity altogether ruining a masterpiece that could have been legendary. This was an artistically inspiring take on the vampire trend nowadays, and was original in its own tackling of the over-popular franchise. But in the end I felt truly sad, even though I never shy away from compelling tragedies, but I tragically cannot admit to feeling satisfied with this Chan-Wook Park film. I hope he returns to his jaw-dropping talent and makes a comeback. So in a nutshell: SFX, decent character development, and originality makes this interesting...but altogether not enough to champion its downfall.