Over the past few years I’ve become quite the fan of Ozploitation films, and I’ve quite enjoyed the recent resurgence of Australian genre filmmaking. One of my more recent finds was the flawwed, yet still enjoyable, Australian zombie film Undead. And while it was a decent enough independent horror comedy, I must say I found it a bit surprising that the director’s of that film, The Spierig Brothers, were able to secure over $20 million to film their next project. The Australian vampire film Daybreakers.
I’m a bit at a loss on just what kind of film this will be, as the trailers seem to be pushing a glossy action pic, but judging by Undead I wouldn’t be surprised if Daybreakers ends up being a relatively decent budget schlock film. Complete with ridiculous effects, gaping plot holes and over zealous acting. Willem Dafoe is in it after all. And if its a good one, man do I hope it makes it to the multiplex.
As the latest Twilight fan-fic opens nationwide, it seems only fitting that I finally get around to writing something about a South Korean vampire film I watched a few weeks ago at The Uptown Theatre. Now most people know director Park Chan-wook for his Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance) or possibly for his segment from the horror film Three Extremes making him one of the better known foreign language film makers in the US. So when I heard he’d be making a vampire film, I was excited at the possibilities, but I got something I never expected.
Thirst follows the story of a priest who undergoes an experimental treatment, during the course of which a blood transfusion transforms him into a vampire. Soon he discovers that if he doesn’t feed, that his disease will return, thus he must soon abandon his morality in order to survive. But that is scarcely his furthest fall.
You see, our priest has a secret, he’s in love with his friend’s wife. And his hunger isn’t simply for blood, but for other things just as carnal. Thus, our intrepid hero must slowly abandon his faith in order to satiate his growing desires. And that’s when Thirst truly blossoms into a modern masterpiece of film making.
While Thirst is a morality play to be sure, and it is full of horror elements, at its heart it is a romance, though a very twisted and dysfunctional one to be sure. As our priest falls deeper in love with the woman of his desires, he makes a rather foolish step that propels the two of them into an unending struggle for dominance of their lives, their relationship and of their hunger.
Following in the footsteps of last year’s outstanding vampire film Let the Right One In, Thirst creates complex and realistic characters that are thrust into worlds they can scarcely imagine let alone control, try as they might. These are people with faults and flaws, and simply craving the taste of blood won’t change that, but it just might amplify their flaws. Thirst simply isn’t just the best vampire movie of the year, its one of the year’s best movies, period.
The Parkway Theatre has assembled one heck of a great horror marathon for the Halloween weekend that they are calling Days of the Dead. Starting at 5:30 on Friday October 30th and running through Sunday evening The Parkway will be screening numerous horror films and other oddities for those of us who are into that sort of thing. As if that isn’t enough, each screening will have a corresponding drink/food special at the neighboring Pepito’s restaurant or at The Parkway’s concession stand. And if that isn’t enough, the entire marathon costs a mere $10. That’s right, a single ticket will get you into each and every film being shown during the entire weekend. One important note, starting at 7pm you must be 21 to attend any of the screenings due to the allowance of alcohol in the theatre.
If you haven’t made it out to The Parkway yet, this is as good a time as any to make the trip to this fantastic south Minneapolis movie theatre.
Full Schedule (drink/food specials)
Friday, Oct. 30th.
5:30 Frightmare ($1.00 off any size popcorn)
7:15 Blood Suckers (two for one beers and half price burritos)
9:00 Blood Thirst (two for one beers and half price nachos)
10:30 Blood Orgy of the She Devils (two for one beers and half price nachos)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Afghan Star is getting its released date pushed, for the fourth time. Of course this is a better fate then Park Chan-wook’s latest film Thirst, which has been dropped and will not open in Minneapolis. This after being delayed twice, and after having an intial release date scheduled a full six weeks after its Chicago opening. As far as I can tell, Thirst only played in Chicago, New York and LA and that is it for the US, which is truly ridiculous. Word is trickling out that the studio (Focus Features/Universal) simply didn’t want to pay to strike prints, let alone market the film. Evidently they thought marketing a vampire film to modern day filmgoer’s was a risk not worth taking. Probably because they are idiots.
In other news Young Victoria had its release date pushed and … ohh … it says here Universal sucks. So it must be true. Hopefully one of the local Independent theatres(The Heights, Parkway or Riverview, I’m not picky) picks up the slack (Hey Trylon, throw us a freaking bone please!) and releases the film so Minneapolis film lovers have a chance to watch it in theatres.
*** – Denotes recommended viewing
All dates subject to change
09/25 Burning Plain Uptown (tentative)
09/25 Paris Uptown/Edina
09/25 Somers Town Lagoon***
09/25 Afghan Star Lagoon (NEW DATE)
09/25 The Other Man Edina (tentative)
10/02 A Serious Man Uptown***
10/02 Capitalism: A Love Story Lagoon
10/02 No Impact Man Lagoon
10/02 Flame & Citron Edina
10/09 Earth Days Lagoon
10/09 The Boys Are Back Edina
10/09 Amreeka Edina
10/09 Unmistaken Child Lagoon
10/16 Still Walking Lagoon
10/16 Coco Before Chanel Edina
10/16 More Than A Game Lagoon
10/23 An Education Uptown
10/23 The Horse Boy Lagoon
10/23 Damned United Lagoon
10/23 Amelia Lagoon
10/30 New York, I Love You Uptown/Lagoon
10/30 Canyon Lagoon
11/06 Antichrist Uptown
11/06 Skin Edina
11/13 Crude Lagoon
11/20 We Live in Public Lagoon
11/20 Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire Lagoon
11/25 The Road Edina***
11/27 RED CLIFF Uptown
11/27 Oh My God? Lagoon
11/27 Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Lagoon
12/04 The Strip Lagoon (NEW)
12/11 William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe Lagoon
12/18 The Maid Edina
12/18 Young Victoria Edina (NEW DATE)
When I started this column my main hope was to find interesting films that I had never seen before that I could review. I hoped that I would enjoy the majority of them, but I knew that in sampling such odd fare that it was inevitable that I would eventually encounter some duds. But I also held out hope, as naive as it probably was, that since I was watching primarily experimental films, that I would enjoy at least some aspect of these movies, no matter how terrible they might happen to be. I held out that hope until now. Until Mutant. I just wish this day had never come.
Two brothers, Josh and Mike (Wings Hauser and Lee Montgomery) from somewhere hip and cosmopolitan, are heading to a small southern getaway to engage in some much needed male bonding. It seems that have become estranged for some unexplained reason and this trip to a place that they hate, and hates them they back with equal fervor, will be the perfect place to solve all of their problems. That is, until the vampire acid zombies show up and ruin everything.
I’ve been trying to slog through Mutant for close to a month now. Considering I’ve watched any number of awful films in my day just what possibly could have made Mutant so difficult to sit through? The short answer is really rather simple. Everything. It is difficult to know just where to begin describing the failures of Mutant. It is the kind of colossal disaster that could destroy companies. Funny enough, Mutant did.
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