March 18th: STOKER (Park Chan-wook, 2013)
NOTE: This film will be shown in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A troubled young woman's life is upended when her father dies and an eccentric uncle moves in.
Park Chan-wook is a major figure in the "Korean New Wave" film movement around the turn of the millennium, known primarily for his "Vengeance Trilogy" consisting of Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. Park gained international success with prominent fans like Quentin Tarantino, who as president of the Cannes Film Festival jury helped Oldboy win the Grand Prix award.
After his vampire film Thirst (another prize winner at Cannes), Park was inundated with offers to work in Hollywood. He eventually settled on a script by actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), which had found its way onto the notorious "Black List" of best unproduced screenplays. Although unrelated to Dracula, the story drew some influence from the eponymous author, but has more connections to Hitchcock classic Shadow Of A Doubt.
The cast is headed by Nicole Kidman, up-and-comer Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland), British actor Matthew Goode (Watchmen, Match Point), and supported by Oscar-nominee Jackie Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Dermot Mulroney, and Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine).
Behind the camera, Park brought along frequent collaborator Chung Chung-hoon on cinematography, but worked with an American editor, composer, and costume and production designers. Park's limited English forced him to use an interpreter to communicate with the English-speaking members of the cast and crew.
While not set in a particular place, most of the film was shot in an old estate outside Nashville, Tennessee, adding a slight hint of Southern Gothic to the atmosphere. A distinct choice was made to omit almost all signs of technology from the production, essentially rendering its setting in an undetermined time period as well.
The film was released to mostly positive reviews but failed to make much of a dent at the box office, barely breaking even financially.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
A troubled young woman's life is upended when her father dies and an eccentric uncle moves in.
Park Chan-wook is a major figure in the "Korean New Wave" film movement around the turn of the millennium, known primarily for his "Vengeance Trilogy" consisting of Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. Park gained international success with prominent fans like Quentin Tarantino, who as president of the Cannes Film Festival jury helped Oldboy win the Grand Prix award.
After his vampire film Thirst (another prize winner at Cannes), Park was inundated with offers to work in Hollywood. He eventually settled on a script by actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), which had found its way onto the notorious "Black List" of best unproduced screenplays. Although unrelated to Dracula, the story drew some influence from the eponymous author, but has more connections to Hitchcock classic Shadow Of A Doubt.
The cast is headed by Nicole Kidman, up-and-comer Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland), British actor Matthew Goode (Watchmen, Match Point), and supported by Oscar-nominee Jackie Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Dermot Mulroney, and Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine).
While not set in a particular place, most of the film was shot in an old estate outside Nashville, Tennessee, adding a slight hint of Southern Gothic to the atmosphere. A distinct choice was made to omit almost all signs of technology from the production, essentially rendering its setting in an undetermined time period as well.
The film was released to mostly positive reviews but failed to make much of a dent at the box office, barely breaking even financially.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
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