Skip to Content

Director & Actor Teams: The Overlooked & Underrated (Part 1 of 2)

Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion.  As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture. One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and …

Read More about Director & Actor Teams: The Overlooked & Underrated (Part 1 of 2)

‘Stoker’ and the reoccurring case of the disappointing third act

Chan-wook Park’s Stoker is a Gothic fairytale, a family drama and a beautifully twisted, pitch black coming of age story, all at once. This slow-burning psychological thriller isn’t afraid to cross into uncomfortable places, often edging close to taboo territory. Park wants his audience to twitch in their seats and the master director is able …

Read More about ‘Stoker’ and the reoccurring case of the disappointing third act

‘Oldboy’ is a brutal masterpiece

Oldboy Directed by Park Chan-wook Written by Hwang Jo-yoon, Im Joon-hyeong, and Park Chan-wook 2005, South Korea  To mark the release of Stoker, Park Chan-wook’s first English language film, I watched his critically praised film Oldboy for the first time. Previous Sound On Sight reviews of Stoker point out the film’s subtle eeriness – in …

Read More about ‘Oldboy’ is a brutal masterpiece

‘Stoker’ is impeccably crafted, subdued and visually magnetic

Stoker Directed by Chan-wook Park Written by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson 2013, USA South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s first cinematic foray with the English language is a gratifyingly morbid journey, albeit frustratingly simple in its conclusion. The man behind “The Vengeance Trilogy” (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) doesn’t deliver the level of graphic gore or …

Read More about ‘Stoker’ is impeccably crafted, subdued and visually magnetic

The 100 Best Films of the Decade: 2000 – 2009 (part 6)

Before I get to number 49 I feel the need to list fifty honorable mentions. This is a very personal list and I am confident that I could have easily chosen 100 foreign language films or 100 independent art house films and skipped out on all the Hollywood flicks, but I decided to go with …

Read More about The 100 Best Films of the Decade: 2000 – 2009 (part 6)

Thirst

 Friday July 10th marked the North American premiere of Thirst at Fantasia, Park Chan-Wook’s latest effort. Mostly known for his Vengeance Trilogy, Park has created a movie that is even more stylistically polished than his previous films, if you can believe that. Thirst is immaculately shot and cleverly punctuated with scenes that would easily offend …

Read More about Thirst