Director Park Chan-Wook 박찬욱 [“Decision to Leave”]

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December 27, 2012
Source: KOBIZ

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December 30, 2012
Park brothers reunite for another short
'Day Trip' features story of pansori artist and his student
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald
Actor Song Kang-ho (left) stars as a pansori artist in Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong’s latest short “Day Trip.” (Moho films)
After their first Berlin-winning project together, the famous Park brothers are back with another short film ― this time about a pansori artist and his young student. 
Director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”) and his brother and media artist Park Chan-kyong in 2011 won the top prize at Berlinale for their short “Night Fishing.” The 30-minute fantasy film, which touches on local shamanism and dreams, was shot entirely with an iPhone 4.
The Park brothers launched a co-directing brand titled “PARKing CHANce” for “Night Fishing.” Their latest output, “Day Trip,” is the duo’s second project together.
The 19-minute film stars local heavyweight actor Song Kang-ho (“Thirst,” “Secret Sunshine”) and 14-year-old actress Jeon Hyo-jeong. The piece begins as the old pansori artist (Song) takes his discouraged student (Jeon) to a mountain. The student is upset because she only won third prize at a pansori ― Korea’s traditional vocal and percussion music ― contest, while she really wanted to win. 
The movie’s original Korean title, “Cheongchuleoram,” refers to a student whose ability surpasses that of his teacher’s. 
Actor Song had to go through rigorous make-up sessions for each shoot; his character required him to look much older than he is, as well as wearing a specially-designed wig. In the film, the stubborn artist has long, grey hair. Make-up artist Song Jong-hee, who was in charge of transforming actor Park Hae-il into a 70-year-old poet in last year’s erotic drama “Eungyo,” worked with Song for this movie.
Meanwhile, this is actress Jeon’s film debut. The actress currently majors in pansori at the National Middle School of Traditional Arts, and was selected for the role through an audition. 
Her role required the actress to perform pansori well, so the Park Brothers contacted almost every educational institute that teaches the music to find the right actress. According to the movie’s promoters, Jeon impressed the Park brothers with her poise and instinctive acting performance, which made them hard to believe that she did not have any acting experience prior to the audition.
Park Chan-wook (left) and Park Chan-kyong pose for a photo after the press premiere of their short “Day Trip” in Seoul on Dec. 27. (Yonhap News)
The brothers’ project was funded by Kolon Sport, a local outdoor clothing company. The company celebrates its 40th year anniversary this year, and collaborated with the duo in making a film that features nature and its beauty in Korea. 
The film was shot in a number of different spots in Gyeongju of North Gyeongsang Province, including Mt. Namsan and Yongyeon falls. Mt. Namsan, in particular, was considered sacred by many during Korea’s Silla Dynasty (B.C. 57 ― A.D. 935), for its beauty.
“Day Trip” was released online at www.kolonsport.com on Dec. 30. 

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CINE21 No 8862013-01-01 2013-01-08

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Thanks to MKC's Pierce Conran's highlight via twitter..
Day Trip movie-streaming is available online via KolonSport Check it out!

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January 2, 2013

Films, musical, art 'to watch for' in 2013

The Korea Times meeyoo@ktimes.co.kr, rachel@ktimes.co.kr

Artists to take part in Venice, Tate Modern

Some big names in film including director Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho and art will actively seek not only Korean fans but overseas ones this year. Popular musicals are also expected to make their Korean debut this year.

Leading filmmakers to show off talent

The year 2013 looks set to be another good year for Korea’s top film directors, some of whom will premiere English language works.

Ryoo Seung-wan will release “The Berlin File” his first film in three years. Set in Berlin, the thriller is about a North Korean spy and his wife’s attempt to evade pursuing South Korean agents. The movie boasts a star-studded cast including Ha Jung-woo, Han Seok-kyu, Jun Ji-hyun and Ryoo Seung-bum, the director’s younger brother.

The 40-year-old director has gained popularity with such works as “Crying Fist” (2005) and “The Unjust” (2010). “The Berlin File” is to be released in theaters nationwide on Jan. 31.

Kim Jee-woon, 49, Park Chan-wook, 50, and Bong Joon-ho, 44, are also returning to local screens with their debut Hollywood films. Kim, known for “A Bittersweet Life” (2005) and “The Good, the Bad, and the Weird” (2008), has directed action drama “Last Stand.” In his first American production, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes a leading role for the first time in a decade since “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003). The movie is about a fight between a notorious drug dealer, gang members and an officer working in the border town Sommerton Junction in Mexico and will be released early this year.


Park Chan-wook’s new movie “Stocker,” starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska, is to be released in February.

Award-winning director Park, creator of “Old Boy” (2004) and “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance” (2005), will bring “Stocker” to cinemas. The psychological thriller to be released on March 1 is about a girl whose uncle moves in with her and her mother after her father dies.

Stars such as Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Doode appear in the film.

Bong, maker of “The Host” (2006) and “Mother” (2009), is back with “Snowpiercer,” a science fiction thriller based on French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige” by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. It plays out almost exclusively aboard a futuristic train.

The film stars Song Gang-ho, Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill and John Hurt. While English is expected to be the primary language Korean will also be heavily represented. About 40 billion won was invested into the production by CJ Entertainment.

Big musical premieres

This will be another big year for theatergoers as many big musicals are awaiting Korean premieres.

First up is German musical “Rebecca” based on a thriller novel of the same name. It will open on Jan. 12 at LG Arts Center in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul and the cast features big names such as Oh Man-seok, Yu Jun-sang, Ryu Jung-han, Oak Joo-hyun and Shin Young-sook. The book and lyrics were written by Michael Kunze and the music is composed by Sylvester Levay who both have strong fan bases in Korea following “Mozart!” and “Elisabeth.”

A stage version of “Les Miserables” is currently on in the southern city of Daegu and will come to Blue Square in Seoul in April.

A few of Frank Wildhorn’s new works will also be introduced to Korean audiences, including “The Scarlet Pimpernel” at LG Arts Center in July, “Bonnie and Clyde” at Chungmu Art Hall in September and “Carmen” at LG Arts Center in December.

Movie-turned musical “Ghost,” which premiered in London’s West End in March 2011, will stage its fifth production in Korea at D-Cube Art Center in November.

“Wicked,” which marked extraordinary success with a touring show here last year, will open a licensed Korean production around December at Seoul’s Charlotte Theater. Who will play the two leading witches of Elphaba and Glinda is one of the hot issues in the Korean musical circle.

Seol & Company will bring a touring production of 2003 Tony Award winner “Avenue Q,” to Korea in August. There are high expectations from experts as the show’s American humor and sarcastic style is unusual in Korea.

A lineup of homegrown productions is also set to attract viewers. In February, CJ E&M and Musical Heaven will stage “Sweet, Come to Me Stealthily,” a new production of Korea’s first musical that premiered in 1967. Then jukebox musical “The Days” (working title) will weave the songs of the late singer Kim Kwang-seok to tell a story of two brothers in April.

“The Goddess Is Watching,” is highly anticipated after winning 100 million won in funding at Yegreen Encore in August and will raise its curtain on Jan. 15.

Many hit movies and dramas will be turned into stage versions. Epic drama “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012) will be staged at CJ Towol Theater in June and a version “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” (2010) will be performed at Woori Art Hall in October. “Sunny,” a 2011 movie packed with retro fun, will be reborn as a musical in the second half of the year.

Korean artists going international

Video artist Kim Soo-ja will grace the Korean Pavilion for the first time at the 55th Venice Biennale in June. Kim participated in the main exhibit of the biennale in 1999 and 2005

Commissioned by Kim Seung-duk, this year’s Korean Pavilion will cover multidisciplinary art combining images, sound and video projection and the artist will show her serene yet delicate reflection on life at the biennale.

Kim Ku-lim is participating in a group exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, titled “A Bigger Splash: Painting after Performance.” Kim was invited as he is known for various performances including body painting from the 1960s.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art’s (NMOCA) new Seoul branch, scheduled to open in November, will be graced with many site-specific commissioned works such as Suh Do-ho’s “Home within Home” information box in the lobby.

Along with the opening, NMOCA is seeking more cooperation with internationally noted art institutions to make its position secure in the art scene. British artist David Hockney’s multi-faceted works including “Bigger Trees,” will be exhibited at NMOCA’s main building in Gwacheon, in collaboration with the Tate Modern.

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, northernSeoul, will also present top international artists such as Alexander Calder and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami will have his first retrospective in Asia at Plateau from July to September, while Korean artist Gim Hong-sok will present his artistic world from March to May.

Some 100 of Paul Gauguin’s masterpieces will be on exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art from June.

The Artsonje Center will invite young international artists Simon Fujiwara and Jesse Jones and exhibit a collection from the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art in Luxembourg. Artsonje will also support Korean artists by hosting exhibitions by Chung Hee-seung and Rhii Jew-yo.

The Kukje Gallery will hold exhibitions of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Wall, as well as young Korean artists Ham Kyung-ah and Roh Choong-hyun.

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January 3, 2013
Park brothers produce short film that's big on pansori
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily
Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyung’s short film “Day Trip” tells the story of a pansori master and his student. Provided by Moho Films
While the “Les Miserables” soundtrack is grabbing international attention, a Korean project has stolen headlines with a different kind of traditional performance: pansori. 
From left: actor Song Kang-ho, actress Jeon Hyo-jeong and co-directors Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyung.
Co-directors Park Chan-wook of “Oldboy” and his brother Park Chan-kyung place folk narrative singing at the centerpiece of their latest short “Day Trip,” which features a pansori master (Song Kang-ho) and his student (Jeon Hyo-jeong). 
The 18-minute short tells the story of their visit to a mountain to practice pansori following a music competition that left the trainee disappointed. 
The work is the third short film by the duo dubbed “PARKing CHANce.” Their previous production “Night Fishing,” shot entirely with an iPhone 4, won Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011. 
“Day Trip,” which was released last Friday through outdoor clothing brand Kolon Sport’s official Web site (www.kolonsport.com/40th), is funded by the company to mark its 40th anniversary. But the short has almost no promotional elements. 
“We took on the project because the brand gave us autonomy in directing the short,” said Park Chan-kyung, who is better known for his installation and media artworks. “Rather than rendering typical outdoor images, we focus on presenting pansori in harmony with the surrounding nature and civilization. 
“We shot most of the scenes at Mount Namsan in Gyeongju [North Gyeongsang]. I think the beautiful scenery is a perfect backdrop for the central pansori performances. The movie is short, but it will remain alive in people’s hearts for a long time.”
The vast majority of the scenes consist of performances of folk music. To those unfamiliar with the genre, pansori might come across as harsh, but it harbors a range of emotions including han, repressed bitterness and powerlessness that many say lingers in the Korean people. 
“Day Trip,” however, highlights the traditional music’s harmonious nature with the surrounding scenery by featuring a version of “Sae Taryeong” (“Song of Birds”).
Their trip to the mountain appears to be part of a 100-day practice session required for pansori singers in which they train their voices in the unique acoustic setting of the waterfalls, cliffs and caves. They sing so loudly their voices usually go hoarse and their bodies swell until they feel blood in their throats. 
Today, this kind of training may be seen as a way to permanently injure vocal cords, but they pushed themselves in isolation for 100 days believing that the efforts would ultimately makes one’s voice suitable for pansori. 
The theory is certainly believable in the film as actress Jeon majestically plays the pansori student.
“I was impressed by Hyo-jeong’s ability to perform and concentrate on expressions, though I already knew she actually learned the traditional music at her school as a pansori major,” said Song, who played the veteran folk music singer. 
The short is the debut film for the 15-year-old actress who is attending the National Middle School of Traditional Arts and was selected for the role through a competitive audition.
But Song said he found it difficult to play the master as the actor had to undergo intense make-up sessions prior to each shoot in order to play a man much older than himself. 
He wears a specially designed wig of long gray hair. Make-up artist Song Jong-hee who was in charge of turning actor Park Hae-il into a septuagenarian poet in last year’s drama “Eungyo” worked on this movie as well. 
The Park brothers said they enjoy working together, as they can share the burden if their project doesn’t succeed. 
“If the movie is not well made, we can push off responsibility onto one another. There was no downside to co-directing.” 
Park Chan-wook has a project of his own readying for release: “Stoker,” which was shot abroad.
“Shooting a movie in the United States was a novelty and a stimulating experience. But it was also a very awkward one, having to work with a new system and language,” Park said. 
“I was struck by how fast the production moved in Hollywood; there was a lot of shooting to be done every day, and I was a little sad that I didn’t have enough time to discuss things more with the actors,” he said about collaborating with Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode on the set in Tennessee.
“Stoker,” about a mother and daughter’s encounter with a mysterious uncle figure, is due to open in theaters in the United States on March 1. 

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January 4, 2013

What Does 2013 Hold for Korean Film?

The ChosunIlbo

Korean films drew more than 100 million viewers over the past year, but there are a number of concerns if they are to sustain their momentum. Here are five of the top issues for this year that have insiders speculating about the future of the movie industry. 

◆ Can Korean Movies Break the 100 Million Mark Again?

In 2012, domestic movies set a new record by attracting 115 million moviegoers. With many much-anticipated films out this year, the question is whether the industry can repeat that milestone.

Potential blockbusters include "The New World" directed by Park Hoon-jung, which revolves around a cop who goes undercover into gangland and Kang Woo-suk's "Fist of Legend," based on a webtoon.

Other releases include a Korean version of "True Lies" by Yi Seung-jun, and Won Shin-yeon's new film about a delivery man who draws upon his experience in the North Korean special forces when he is falsely accused of the murder of a company CEO.

◆ Can Korean Directors Capture Global Audiences?

Korea's most noted directors are debuting in Hollywood. Kim Ji-Woon's Hollywood debut "The Last Stand" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger will be released in North America this month. In February, "Stoker," directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Nicole Kidman, comes to cinemas around the world, and in the second half of this year, the W40 billion (US$1=W1,062) production "Snow Piercer" by Bong Joon-ho will hit screens in North America.

◆ Kim Hye-soo or Jeon Ji-hyun?

The stars of "The Thieves," the biggest local box office hit of 2012, will compete against each other with their new films. Jeon Ji-hyun appears in "The Berlin File" by Ryu Seung-wan, set to be released in January. It also stars Han Suk-kyu, Ha Jung-woo and Ryu Seung-beom. Kim Hye-soo co-stars with Song Kang-ho in Han Jae-rim's period movie "Fortune," which will be released later this year.

Kim Yoon-seok will return to screens with "Run to the South" by Lim Soon-rye and "Hwayi" by Jang Joon-hwan, while Kim Soo-hyun landed his first starring film role in Jang Cheol-soo's "Covertness."

◆ Are Co-Productions the Way Forward?

A 3D Korean-Chinese co-production, will hit theaters in China in the second half of this year. The movie tells the story of a girl from a circus troupe and a gorilla joining a Korean professional baseball team and growing into superstars.

The Chinese distributor covered more than 25 percent of the production costs of W22.5 billion, and the movie is expected to secure at least over 5,000 screens in China.

◆ Will Hong Sang-soo Finally Land International Festival Prize?

Hong Sang-soo's 14th feature film "Nobody's Daughter Haewon" will compete in the official competition at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Hong has entered international film festivals 242 times since he debuted with "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well" in 1996. This is his fifth time in competition in the world's three major film festivals -- Cannes, Berlin and Venice -- but so far he has not managed to win an award.

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January 3, 2013
STOKER Selected in Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013
OLDBOY Also Makes the List by Lee Eun-sun KOFIC
Park Chan-wook’s Hollywood debut, Stoker has been selected as one of 2013's top 20 most anticipated films. The list also includes the Spike Lee Hollywood remake of Park's 2003 film, Old Boy. The selection was done by the world-renowned film database site, IMDb under the title 'What to Watch: Our Most-Anticipated 2013 Releases.' Park’s film, to be released in North American on March 1st and Spike Lee’s remake of Old Boy were both included in the list. The order of the selection was done according to the release date of the films. Stoker, starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska as well as Matthew Goode is a mystery thriller about what happens after the death of the father in a family and the uncle comes to visit. The film will be released on February 28th in Korea and the remake of Park’s Old Boy starring Samuel L. Jackson and Elizabeth Olson will be released on October 11th. 

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January 3, 2013
Global Projects Coming Up in 2013
Kim Ji-woon, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Directors Going Overseas by Jang Sung-ran KOFIC
Year 2013 has come. Last year, Korean films met over 100 million spectators as the industry significantly expanded its size. However, 2013 is expected to be even more impressive with directors that have worked on global projects, notably KIM Jee-woon, PARK Chan-wook, and BONG Joon-ho, planning to introduce their international debuts. 
First of all, KIM Jee-woon’s The Last Stand has confirmed its opening in US on January 18 and in Korea in the middle of February. The Last Stand is a blockbuster film produced by Di Bonaventura Production and is to be distributed by CJ Entertainment. It has been getting interest from people for its star Arnold SCHWARZENEGGER, marking his comeback. It is about a drug smuggler who runs away during a trial and a local sheriff who’s trying to catch him. As a recent trailer showed, KIM Jee-woon’s action scenes seem topnotch. KIM Jee-woon is well known abroad for his A Tale of Two Sisters which was subsequently remade as The Uninvited. People wil be paying particularly close attention for his choice to take on an action film rather than an indie feature which is the most common route for non-English directors entering Hollywood. 
PARK Chan-wook’s Hollywood debut movie Stoker is going to be released in Korea first in Feb 28 and in the US on March 1. It has been getting people’s attention not only for being PARK Chan-wook’s first film in the US but also because the scenario was written by Wentworth MILLER, the main character from the popular TV Series Prison Break. It is also produced by Ridley SCOTT and the late Tony SCOTT and stars Nicole KIDMAN, Matthew GOODE, Mia WASIKOWSKA. It is a mystery thriller about a strange uncle coming to see his niece India after she loses loses her father in an accident and her mother Evelyn. It is to be distributed by Fox Searchlight. When the teaser was released in US reactions were very positive. 
BONG Joon-ho is coming back with the global co-production Snowpiercer. This film is being targeted for a global market by CJ Entertainment and received an enormous investment of 45 billion won. It is based on a French Sci-Fi graphic novel that won the grand prize at the Angouleme International Comic Festival. It features a group of people living in the last vestige of Earth, a train known as the "Snowpiercer." Octavia SPENCER and John HURT from Hellboy, Ewen BREMMER from Trainspotting and Chris EVANS from The Avengers make up the cast. Korean actor SONG Kang-ho was also cast and most of the shooting took place in the Czech Republic and Austria. It raised interest from overseas buyers followying a 10-minute clip which was shown at the American Film Market last November. BONG Joon-ho explained of his movie “Mankind has met with a new ice age and survivors live on a train that is sub-divided into different classes. The last compartment of the train is more like a prison camp and the leader of the room stages a riot against the authorities and the rich, going forward to the front of the train while fighting their enemies.” This film is still undergoing post production and the date of its release is highly expected. It has been picked up for distribution by the Weinstein Company for English speaking countries.

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씨네21 / CINE21 ‏@cine21_editor
http://twitpic.com/btfezx  http://cine21.kr/nwJPS  2013년에 가장 기대되는 영화가 있다면 이 세편 아닐까요? <스토커> <라스트 스탠드> <설국열차> 의 박찬욱,김지운,봉준호 감독 인터뷰를 씨네21에서 만나보세요~

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January 4, 2013
Art and Culture2
Source: ARIRANG News  It's nice to see that the Korean Wave is getting off to a good start this year. This is actually the first time I've heard the new Girls' Generation song, and honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it. How about you[Reporter : ] You know, I like the more angelic image they projected on their previous albums. I enjoyed the repetitive choruses and flashy dance moves. This new song is a dramatic change from that and people are looking at it with a lot of skepticism. There have been media reports saying that overseas fans don't like the new song, but you know I think it is still a bit too early to decide whether the album will be a success or not.
I'd agree with that. Now, all three of these groups are a huge part of the Korean Wave. Do they have any plans to tour overseas this year[Reporter : ] They actually do. Big Bang is going back on the road next year, and both Girls' Generation and TVXQ have plans to launch world tours for fans overseas.Along with these three musicians, Psy will also be releasing his first studio album in March in the U.S., which will hopefully be even bigger than 'Gangnam Style', Also, the sultry siren from the "Gangnam Style" music video, Hyun-a, has been getting calls from the American pop music industry, so she could be the next K-pop star to make it big there.
That's great news. And K-pop isn't the only aspect of Korean culture that's catching on around the world, right[Reporter : ] That's right. Movies are a huge part of the Korean Wave and this year is no exception,.. with a flood of Korean movies, directors, and actors making appearances in the global cinema scene.Lee Byung-hun will be starring in the sequel to "G.I. Joe" and his role in this film will be even more important.Actress Bae Du-na's Hollywood debut "Cloud Atlas" has already attracted a lot of attention abroad and it will be released here in Korea this month on the 9th.Renowned directors from Korean film will also be making forays into Hollywood.Directors Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Kim Ji-un all have English-language films set to premiere this year.
Wow. That's great news for Korea, and hopefully all of the films, music and dramas will help spark interest in other aspects of Korean culture as well.
[Reporter : ] I hope so, too. People are already starting to be more curious about Korean language and cuisine, which is always a good start. Hopefully this will only be the beginning of Korea's influence across the globe.
I certainly hope so. Well Michelle, thank you so much for the update today and we will see you on Monday.
[Reporter : ] You're welcome. Have a great weekend and see you Monday.

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January 4, 2013
DAY TRIP Directors Park Chan-wook, Park Chan-kyong and Actor Song Kang-ho
"Korea is familiar and the U.S. felt an unfamiliar place"  by JI Yong-jin  KOFIC

The showcase of Day Trip, co-directed by brother directors PARK Chan-wook and PARK Chan-kyong was held on December 27. It was the first time for the two directors to appear in public in a long time. Actor SONG Kang-ho who was also present said he had always been very interested in appearing in a film co-directed by the PARK brothers. Here’s what they said.  - What made you decide to make this film after a long hiatus? PARK Chan-wook: It takes a long time to make a feature-length film. I wanted to make a film as soon as possible after my return to Korea and the fact that it is a short film project suited my needs.    - How long was the production period?  PARK Chan-wook: The shooting took four days and the entire production period lasted about two months. 
 - What made you decide to appear in this film?  SONG Kang-ho: I am currently shooting The Face Reader so my schedule is really tight these days but since it is a short film, I was able to take four days out of my schedule. I’m a huge fan of Night Fishing and since I worked with PARK Chan-wook several times, I was curious about PARK Chan-kyong. I wanted to work with the two of them together.   - What was different about working with two directors who are brothers?
SONG Kang-ho: PARK Chan-kyong is as good a director as PARK Chan-wook. PARK Chan-kyong is preparing for a feature-length film and I believe that he will become a big figure in the Korean directorial scene within a few years’ time.  - In the case of overseas productions, when a film is co-directed by two people, parts of the film are divided between the two. What happened with this one?
PARK Chan-kyong: This film is not a commercial film funded and distributed for release at theaters across the country. The ‘PARKing CHANce’ brand is a system which allows one to make films in a free environment.
PARK Chan-wook: Films made by the ‘PARKing CHANce’ brand are not divided up between us but we discuss everything together. - You praised the new actress who played the part of ‘Girl’. What do you think about her potential?  SONG Kang-ho: I didn’t expect much as I heard that she’s someone studying Pansori but what she showed during the shooting, especially her expression and focus, was totally amazing. I couldn’t believe that it was her first time acting.  
- What are your plans regarding the release of Day Trip and will it go to any film festivals?
PARK Chan-wook: Today is the first time for the film to be screened so we’ll have to see what happens. We’ll release it first online on December 28. As far as film festivals go, we’ll wait and see.  - How long did it take Song to be made up as an old man? Any memorable episodes?  SONG Kang-ho: I realized what great actors PARK Hae-il of Eungyo and JUNG Jae-young of Moss are. I worked with the make-up artist who worked on Eungyo for this film and since shooting began at six, I had to wake up at 2am for the make-up session that took four hours. It was painful but I enjoyed it at the same time since it was my first time doing something like this. - How was this experience different from shooting in the US? PARK Chan-wook: The difficulty with working in the U.S. was the unfamiliar system. They have different races there from us and there was the language difficulty as well. It was all difficulties coming from working with new people. I also felt I didn’t have enough time for discussions with the actors. In Korea, I’m familiar with all the actors, staff members, so the difficulties in the U.S. were all related to those issues.  - Tell us about the theme of Day Trip which is ‘nature’
PARK Chan-wook: We felt that the slogan ‘Way to Nature’ also had an aspect about people learning about life through death. It’s a dark and sad story but death is inevitable in life and also part of life and that is why we wanted to portray it in a different way.    - What does ‘PARKing CHANce’ mean?
PARK Chan-kyong: It means ‘the timing of parking’ when you don’t miss a good chance to miss and get in there. It also has common syllables from both our names.   - What is the meaning of the title ‘Day Trip’?
SONG Kang-ho: It means ‘Nature’. It’s only natural for the pupil to outshine the teacher and in the same way, life goes from beautiful to nothing. Life itself is like a ‘Day Trip’ and about nature. 

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January 16, 2013
Park Chan Wook's Hollywood Debut, 'Stoker' to Hold Worldwide Premiere in Korea Next Month
CJ E&M enewsWorld Stewart Ho
Park Chan Wook’s first Hollywood movie, Stoker, will be premiering worldwide next month.
Anticipation for the thriller movie has grown steadily with the movie’s teasers and Stoker will premiere first in Park Chan Wook’s home country on February 28. 

Park Chan Wook, who is the critically acclaimed director of movies such as Old Boy helmed the upcoming new movie which stars Mia Wasikowska as India Stoker who tragically loses her father in a tragic auto accident. 
Her tranquil life is then upturned by the arrival of an Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whom she never knew existed, as he comes to live with her emotionally unstable mother, Evie (Nicole Kidman) as matters quickly turn from mysterious to terrifying. 
In addition to a top notch cast, the movie was produced by Ridley Scott and his late brother Tony Scott who directed and/or produced hit Hollywood films such as Prometheus, Black Hawk Down and more. 
Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

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January 11, 2013
THN's Korean Cinema Style Week 7: Park Chan Wook – Joint Security Area
BY LUKE RYAN BALDOCK The Hollywood News

Next year will see three of South Korea’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed directors present their English language debuts. Kim Jee Woon (THE LAST STAND), Park Chan Wook (STOKER), and Bong Joon Ho (SNOWPIERCER) have already proved themselves in their homeland, and here at THN we are taking a look back over their past efforts. Here’s our first look at the films of Park Chan Wook, join us each week over the course of the next few months as we explore The Land Of The Morning Calm.
Director: Park Chan Wook
Year:  2000
Cast: Lee Byung Hun, Song Kang Ho, Lee Yeong Ae, Kim Tae Woo, Shin Ha Kyun,
Plot:  A member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Committee arrives in Panmunjom, the town that houses the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea, where she must investigate the murder of two North Korean soldiers.
Park Chan Wook was two years away from starting his Vengeance Trilogy. A trilogy that would include one of South Korea’s new wave’s defining films, OLDBOY. However, before any of that Park directed a powerful film of intensity and great importance; a film that can be looked at in a multiple number of ways, and pretty much sums up exactly what is great about film. That film was JOINT SECURITY AREA or JSA. Granted, Park Chan Wook had previously directed two features, but neither was received very well, nor is easy to come by. In fact, he had put his filmmaking career on hold to focus on becoming a film critic. Luckily, JSA turned out to be a brilliant film which is mystery, action, a wonderful friendship, and quite the educational experience, at least as an introduction, into the complex history and conflict between North and South Korea.

One of the most impressive things about Park’s JSA is that you don’t need a history lesson to enjoy it. In saying that, some knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the countries will enhance the viewing no end. After the country was divided in two a demilitarized zone (DMZ) was set up along the 38th parallel, within this DMZ is the Joint Security Area (JSA), where North and South Korean soldiers stand face to face, and where diplomatic engagements between the two countries take place. To see the JSA is truly a site to behold, with just a strip of concrete being the line between the capitalist South and the totalitarian North. Whereas this information will certainly go some way to explaining the conflict between the two countries, that is obviously present in the film, the complexities are almost innumerable. Luckily Park boils this all down into a very personal and humane story.
It starts on a dark night where we hear (but at this point don’t see) a shooting. It is soon revealed that a South Korean soldier, Sgt. Lee Soo Hyeok (Lee Byung Hun), has killed two North Korean soldiers in one of their border houses. A survivor, Sgt. Oh Kyeong Pil (Song Kang Ho) claims Soo Hyeok attacked them, whereas Soo Hyeok testifies that he was kidnapped and fought for his escape. Into this mess steps an NNSC officer, Maj. Sophie E. Jean (Lee Yeong Ae), a member of the Swiss Army who happens to be of Korean descent and harbours her own secrets. She’s the perfect character to guide us through this tale, and one of the reasons it works on an international basis. It also prevents the film from becoming one sided or leaning too heavily in one country’s favour, something I think is very important when trying to create a connection with the audience and the characters presented. After all, a lot of the western world’s main exposure to North Korea will be through the marionette of Kim Jong Il used in TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE and the coverage we see of North Korea at its most extravagant and bizarre, as that is what they want us to see. Park does an excellent job, thanks in no small part to the actors portraying North Korean soldiers, at representing them as humans with differing beliefs, and not the brainwashed robots North Korean’s are often betrayed as. Whether brainwashed or not is hardly the point, their beliefs are exactly that.

As the film works its way backwards, with obvious conflicting stories, Park does well not to pilfer a RASHOMON style narrative. Yes, there are clear discrepancies in stories, but when we do go into flashback mode, we are given pretty much a singular account of the events. The intensity of the film is obviously helped by the common knowledge of just exactly how different and at odds these two countries are, but Park uses powerful visual cues to enforce that sense of conflict. As the NNSC arrive at the JSA they must slalom through a series of blockades that never allow the car to gain any kind of momentum. As we are introduced to the supporting cast of neutral officers many native English speakers may be jarred by the delivery of certain lines. All the actors are speaking their lines in their second language but the discomfort goes a long way to suggest that these nations and characters could never really understand the true divide between these two nations. As one character suggests “Neutral has no place in this world”, reflecting certain peoples’ desire for action.
First we see Soo Hyeok’s rendition of events, where he is kidnapped when relieving himself in the bushes. Like all great mysteries, something just doesn’t seem right. Mainly the fact that as one of the corpses is riddled with 8 bullets, it seems as though Soo Hyeok was doing more than just trying to escape captors. As Maj. Jean arrives in North Korea we see ginormous paintings declaring “Rice Is Communism” and school children conveniently situated at the side of the road to wave at the visiting officials. Seong Pil is clearly not, what we may consider, an average North Korean soldier. When he meets Maj. Jean he is quick to boast about scars obtained in foreign countries. Immediately this opens up the character as someone quite worldly, and also hints at his acceptance of foreign products later in the film. During the autopsy Maj. Jean is confronted by the family of the victims, which she is told is a trick to manipulate her emotions, something the film manages to avoid. After an interrogation of a southern witness, Nam Sung Shik (Kim Tae Woo), ends in a suicide attempt, it is surmised that he too was at the scene during the shooting. In a blisteringly fantastic use of slow motion, Sung Shik floats past the room in which Soo Hyeok is being questioned in. This allows for a poetic moment in which the two share (impossible) eye-contact, which becomes a powerful moment upon a second viewing.

The next scene takes us back to long before the shooting took place. A group of tourists are being lead around the JSA by an American officer. A sudden gust of wind blows off a tourist’s baseball cap and it lands just over the line of the North and South divide. She considers it lost, but after Seong Pil picks up the cap he makes a gesture of offering it back. It’s perhaps a sign of how we’ve been conditioned to perceive North Koreans, but even upon a multiple viewing I almost expect this to be a trap. This action stuns the tourists who immediately try and take a picture of the North Korean officer, despite the soldiers of the south trying to prevent this. The American troop announces that had he been a South Korean soldier, he may be tried and hanged for what he just did. A playful boast or a terrifying truth?
What we are then treated to is a mesmerising series of events that lead to an extraordinary friendship.  Political commentary this may be, but it’s also the best bromance version of Romeo & Juliet I’ve ever seen. A tragedy wrapped up within warm moments, with the sense that everything is going to turn to richard simmons ever present. It all goes back to one night when Soo Hyeok found himself accidentally stepping upon a mine. Earlier in the film the heroic Soo Hyeok is said to have once disarmed a mine himself. We find out that is far from the truth. North Korean soldiers Seong Pil and later victim Jeong Woo Jin (Shin Ha Kyun) come across him, understandably distressed. The North Korean soldiers have some fun pretending they will leave the Southerner where he is, but they soon change their tune. Lee Byung Hyun gives an incredible performance throughout this scene (and many others) revealing to us the true weakness of the character which is in contrast to the strong persona he shows to his superiors. After the mine has been deactivated, the soldiers all go their separate ways, but the men have shared a moment that none of them will ever forget and as fate would have it Soo Hyeok and Seong Pil have a number of run ins.

Soo Hyeok’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he begins to throw notes over the divide and begins a correspondence with Seong Pil. One key thing that allows their relationship to grow is that they leave politics completely out of the situation. Their talks revolve around singers and other such topics. Once again Park removes the political partition and allows us into the mind of the characters. Soo Hyeok eventually steps over the line (literally and metaphorically) to visit his friends in the north. Eventually Soo Hyeok invites Sung Shik and the four become great friends. They smoke, show pictures of their girlfriends, and play childish games. Each moment is filled with warmth and charm, which makes the journey to the end even more painful, as we know how things will turn out. Most touching of all may be the scene that shows Sung Shik’s first excursion to the north. He is reluctant to shake the hand of Seong Pil, and is even more surprised when Seong Pil pulls him in for a hug. For a film with such powerful heart behind it, it’s easy to forget the tragic conflict that has brewed for so long. Seeing the southern soldiers struggle with shooting cardboard cut-outs of their enemies is a blatant reminder of what they expected to do in times of war, and it is jarring for both audiences and the characters alike.
Where it all goes wrong is a magnificently crafted scene. With a Korean ballad on the radio, the calming sound of rain beating down, one of the friends’ meetings is interrupted by a North Korean superior. The uncomfortable silence, the scrambling for guns, the futile pleading for negotiation. All brilliant tactics used to emphasise the tension in this Mexican standoff. It’s the first time the quad have had to consider their friendship along with their countries beliefs, and they have to do it with guns in faces. Unlike Romeo & Juliet, this is more than warring families, these men are having to face decades of what they have been taught. Park’s trademark handling of violence is shown here and it’s a painfully regrettable experience to see these characters go through it. There is no wonder as to why this film became the most watched film in South Korean history (at the time of its release), and even less surprising that former South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun gave a copy of the film to Kim Jong Il in 2007. This is a film that reaches the very pinnacle of intensity while also being a very important film. In a world that sees such violence surrounding politics and religion at our core we are all just human.
What To Take To STOKER? The foreboding sense of doom is the impression I got from the STOKER trailer, something Park did so well here. But to enhance that creeping sense of dread I’d also like to see the emotional connection between characters.
STOKER is released 1st March 2013. It stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, Dermot Mulroney, Matthew Goode, Lucas Till, Jacki Weaver, and Alden Ehrenreich.

[rubie]

January 16, 2013
Korea to get first look at 'Stoker'
Korea JoongAng Daily

Park Chan-wook, the homegrown talent behind the Vengeance Trilogy - “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” (2002); “Old Boy” (2003); and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (2005) - will premiere his Hollywood debut piece “Stoker” on his home turf.
Although it will be screened to some industry insiders at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the thriller starring Nicole Kidman will open for regular cinema-goers in Korea on Feb. 28. 
Ahead of the world premiere, the film has been praised among critics for its unique blend of Park’s oddball insights and Hollywood style.
“Park Chan-wook’s unique taste combined with sophisticated cinematography makes it an intense thriller film,” said a spokesperson for the production company.
It seems that Hollywood has a taste for Park now as “Old Boy” is being remade by an American team. Spike Lee directed the film and Josh Brolin and Sharlto Copley star in it. 

[rubie]

January 17, 2013
Directors expanding the reach of Korean cinemaThree new movies represent a major push to attract Western audiences
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily
“Stoker” is a psychological thriller that portrays the relationships among a teenage girl, her mother and uncle. Provided by 21st Century Fox
Three of Korea’s foremost directors - Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ji-woon - are flexing their cinematic muscle to broaden the appeal of Korea’s soft power and make inroads into Hollywood.
Park Chan-wook, whose revenge saga “Oldboy” (2003) made his name known to many abroad, makes his Hollywood directorial debut with the psychological thriller “Stoker,” scheduled to be released Feb. 28 in Korea and March 1 in the United States. 
Written by actor-turned-screenwriter Wentworth Miller (star of “Prison Break”) and co-produced by Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott, the creepy film centers around apathetic teenager India (Mia Wasikowska) and her volatile mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman). The story begins with the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney) in a car accident. His presence is replaced by the enigmatic yet alluring Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) who moves in with India and her mother.
India learns the newcomer has an arsenal of insidious intentions and family secrets, but she is drawn to him, nonetheless. 
“It’s hard to tell when or where the story takes place. Cell phones appear in the movie, but in other scenes it feels like the 1950s. You may not know whether the film is set in the western or eastern United States,” said the 50-year-old director in an interview with weekly magazine Cine21. 
“All the vague elements play a meaningful role.”
Park also hinted that India’s coming of age is a key aspect of the intricate storyline. 
“India’s childhood is really important. The film focuses more on the part than the original script. Directing and editing were all geared towards her growing-up story,” he said. 
Kim Ji-woon’s “The Last Stand” is an action-packed Western that marks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first leading role in 10 years. Provided by CJ E&M
The filmmaker also shared his first experience of working overseas. 
“Shooting a movie in the United States was a novelty and a stimulating experience. But it was also a very awkward one, having to work with a new system and language.” Park said. “I was struck by how fast the production moved in Hollywood; there was a lot of shooting to be done every day, and I was a little sad that I didn’t have enough time to discuss things more with the actors.”
The upcoming thriller has been rated R, an indication that it will be as brutal and brooding as his previous productions, including the so-called Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” (2002), “Oldboy” and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (2005).
Miller’s script was voted to the 2010 “Black List” of the 10 best unproduced screenplays making the rounds in Hollywood. A number of award-wining movies were originally in the list, including David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (2010).
Anticipation of the film is heightened by the participation of music director Clint Mansell, who was behind the soundtrack for “Black Swan”(2010). 
“Stoker” will have its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which began yesterday, before traveling to close the 2013 International Film Festival Rotterdam on Feb. 2.
Much in the same way that “Stoker” revolves around India’s house, Bong Joon-ho’s English language debut “Snowpiercer” also centers on one place: a train. An adaptation of the French comic book series “Le Transperceneige,” Bong’s latest feature is set for a summer release and portrays a post-apocalyptic future in which a new Ice Age has wiped out most of the human race. What remains in the world of snow is a train, which is a class-divided microcosm of society. Tensions always loom in the train as “the lowest class” is relegated to the rear cars.
“I remember it was around the end of 2004,” the director said in an interview with the Yonhap News Agency when asked how he came across the comic. “It was when I finished ‘Memories of Murder’ and was working on ‘The Host.’ I went to a comic book store near Hongik University. I go there once or twice a month when I am stressed out. ‘Le Transperceneige’ suddenly came into my sight, and I read the whole trilogy standing there.”
“Snowpiercer” is a global mega-project by Bong Joon-ho set in a post-apocalyptic world after a new Ice Age wipes out nearly the entire population.Provided by CJ E&M
With a budget of 45 billion won ($42.5 million), it is the most expensive film produced in Korea, though it was shot in the Czech Republic. It stars Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell and Ewen Bremner.
Kim Ji-woon has tapped an iconic American genre - the western - for his Hollywood debut. “The Last Stand,” scheduled for a Feb. 21 release, is already creating buzz at home and abroad as it will mark Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first leading role since he was elected governor of California in 2003. 
In “The Last Stand,” Schwarzenegger plays Sheriff Ray Owens, who presides over the Arizona border town of Sommerton Junction. The film follows the action-packed chase between the police and a notorious drug baron and his gang who seek to lay the groundwork for Mexican drug kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega). Owens’ team consists of an innocent newbie (Zach Gilford), a grumpy veteran (Luis Guzman) and police deputy (Jaimie Alexander).
“The plot revolves around ordinary people along the U.S.-Mexico border who risk their lives to fight off a strong enemy. It’s a character-based action film. I think that the film’s lighthearted spectacle can be enjoyed in the same way as “The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” said Kim, referring to his 2008 Korean spaghetti western. 
Kim has proven to be adept at a variety of genres, from the horror film “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003) to the noir “A Bittersweet Life” (2005) as well as westerns while maintaining his unique stylistic edge throughout.
The diverse list of films reflects his career of more than a decade, but he found working abroad in a whole different environment to be challenging and lonely.
“I found I was just another foreign worker here. [Laughs] I don’t have a lot of friends here and all I did was work, so in a way I felt empathy toward foreign workers,” said the 49-year-old director.

[rubie]

January 18, 2013
'Stoker' Invited to Close Curtain on Dutch Film Fest
The ChosunIlbo

Park Chan-wook's Hollywood debut "Stoker" will serve as the closing film of the 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam on Feb. 2, the festival's organizing committee announced on its website Wednesday (local time). The festival will run from Wednesday to Feb. 3.
"Park has won many awards, including the Alfred Bauer Award of the Berlin film festival for 'I'm a Cyborg' in 2007 and the jury prize of the Cannes film festival for 'Oldboy' in 2004 and 'Thirst' in 2009," the website noted.
"Stoker," a psychological thriller starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman, is based on a script written by "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller. It revolves around what happens to a girl after her father dies on her 18th birthday, as she goes to live with her mother and an uncle she never knew existed suddenly turns up.
It is scheduled to be released here on Feb. 28.

[rubie]

January 21, 2013
Nicole Kidman “Working with Park Chan Wook, such a happiness as an actress”  Source: Innolife Korea

Actress Nicole Kidman expressed her experience working with director Park Chan Wook in the movie ‘Stoker,’ which is at the brink of Hollywood debut. The movie ‘Stoker’ is receiving a lot of attention since it is a merge between award-winning director Park Chan Wook and famous actress Nicole Kidman. The suspense story unfolds in front of girl who lost her father, when her uncle visits her in her 18th birthday, but the people around her starts to disappear.
Park Chan Wook praised Nicole Kidman, “It is such a fortune to work with Nicole Kidman in my first Hollywood film debut. It is like a dream come true,” “It’s her pulsating character that inspired to make her character. I only spoke few keywords and she applied it to her acting right away.” He also added, “She showed me what a pro-actress is like.”
Nicole Kidman also expressed her thoughts on director Park Chan Wook, “Working with director Park Chan Wook was such a pleasurable experience. He is one of the directors that are specially admired. I accepted the chance of working with him because I liked the way he uniquely expresses his sensiblility. It is such a happiness as an actress to work with a director who sees the world in a different way.” The film will be released in theaters in Korea in this coming February 28. [Picture=20th Century Fox Korea]

[rubie]

January 21, 2013
Review: Stoker
By David D'Arcy ScreenDaily Dir: Park Chan-wook. US. 2012. 98mins
In Stoker, Park Chan-wook’s American debut, a long-absent uncle’s return for a brother’s funeral triggers a tempest of killing, framed in film allusions, starting with the film’s title. 
Wasikowska has shown a new depth here, and is sure to be pursued for it.      
Nicole Kidman, as a stunning new widow with eyes for her brother-in-law, gives the stylised Stoker a head start at the box office. The real draw however, is Mia Wasikowska, her angry vengeful daughter. Elegant iconic suspense, with minimal dialogue (director Park speaks little English) and a generous sprinkling of laughs could position Stoker well in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Strong echoes of Guillermo Del Toro could also broaden the film’s young audience on VOD.  
Stoker begins with the funeral of Richard Stoker (Dermot Mulroney), who dies in a mysterious car accident. Tall courtly Charlie Stoker (Matthew Goode) rejoins the family after a long absence to mourn his brother’s passing and stay with widow Evie (Kidman) and sullen daughter India (Wasikowska) in the Stokers’ spacious home. Soon the housekeeper disappears. 
Goode hits a seductive tone of the urbane and the unctuous as a charmer with tales of world travel and a killer instinct.  He has eyes for Evie, played like a spoiled princess by Kidman, who welcomes the attention that her late husband reserved for his daughter. Young India, Charlie’s real target, turns out to be a challenge, as Wasikowska brings a dark complexity to the character that scares off almost everyone, even local bullies.
The script by actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) packs in the literary and film references, not least the title’s nod to Dracula – enough to leaven the killings with insider humor, but not overburdening it. India is a female Hamlet, as the daughter who watches her newly-widowed mother take up with an uncle. Freud is all over this story of mother-daughter tension and an affectionate father-substitute.
So is Hitchcock, especially his Shadow Of A Doubt (1943), in which Joseph Cotten played a silver-tongued murderer, named Charlie, stalking the young Teresa Wright. When Charlie Stoker’s aunt (Jacki Weaver) seeks to counsel a standoffish Evelyn about her nephew, Charlie strangles her in the telephone booth at a motel – shades of Psycho. Spiders crawling around India to unsettling music are an homage to Del Toro.
It’s sophomoric smartness, yet Wasikowska keeps Park and Miller from drowning in it. Even as Charlie becomes a weapon for her to hurt her mother, India’s resolute composure rises above the endless quoting, shrouding her real intentions. All the better for the vengeful girl when family history is exhumed to explain why Charlie was sent away from the Stokers’ home for years.
In this retreat from Park’s earlier wildness (Old Boy), there is a sureness to his directing here, most of the time, as he modulates the volatile family tensions which risk exploding in the house where Therese Deprez’s neatly handsome production design reflects the semblance of propriety — all the colors are right and each decorative object is in place.
Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung tightens the drama with close-ups that capture Wasikowska in poses that look remarkably like Leonardo’s ‘Woman with an Ermine’, another icon of concealed intentions. Wasikowska has shown a new depth here, and is sure to be pursued for it.        

[rubie]

January 21, 2013
Stoker
By GUY LODGE Variety
When South Korean genre iconoclast Park Chan-wook decided to bring his peculiar gifts to a Stateside production, anything could have happened - and anything pretty much does in "Stoker," a splendidly demented gumbo of Hitchcock thriller, American Gothic fairy tale and a contemporary kink all Park's own. Led by a brilliant Mia Wasikowska as an introverted teenager whose personal and sexual awakening arrives with the unraveling of a macabre family mystery, this exquisitely designed and scored pic will bewilder as many viewers as it bewitches, making ancillary immortality a safer bet than "Black Swan"-style crossover biz for Fox Searchlight's marvelously mad March hare.
Earmarking future cult items is a fool's errand, but Park's film nonetheless stands to be treasured not just by his existing band of devotees, who should recognize enough of the "Oldboy" and "Thirst" director's loopy eroticism and singular mise-en-scene amid the studio gloss, but by epicurean horror buffs, camp aficionados and even a small, hip sect of post-"Twilight" youths.
Not all those auds will follow the stream of wink-wink storytelling references in the brazenly nasty script by Wentworth Miller, the British-born actor best known for his work in TV's "Prison Break," here making his feature writing debut. None is more blatant than the naming of Matthew Goode's antagonist figure. When morbid-minded honor student India (Wasikowska) loses her beloved father, Richard (Dermot Mulroney), in an apparent freak car accident, the ink is barely dry on the death certificate when her globe-trotting uncle Charles (Goode, his unhurried charm and preppy handsomeness put to their best use since 2005's "Match Point"), whom she's never met before, arrives to stay.
Before you can say "Shadow of a Doubt," this urbanely handsome "Uncle Charlie" is arousing India's suspicions (and, it's implied, other things besides) as he swiftly cements himself in the household by seducing her brittle, emotionally susceptible mother, Evelyn (Kidman). Shortly afterward, their housekeeper disappears without notice; ditto India's meddlesome aunt (a brief but tangy turn from Jacki Weaver), who appears to know troubling truths about the intruder, dismissed out of hand by Evelyn.
The is-he-or-isn't-he question is answered sooner than Hitch might have done it, as India's darkest instincts about Charles are confirmed by the end of the first half - though, unsurprisingly in this particular story world, this knowledge actually causes her to warm to him a little. (And only a little: when he mentions he desire to be friends, her typically pithy reply is, "We don't need to be friends, we're family.")
But there's still plenty of mileage in Miller's warped family melodrama, as the respective and inevitably linked uncertainties about Richard's death and Charlie's long absence are kept aloft, while Charlie's gradual playing of India and Evelyn against each other adds queasy sexual tension to an already chilly mother-daughter relationship. Auds will either go with this festering hotbed of secrets, lies and severed heads, or tune out early, and even the faithful may debate whether or not Park, who otherwise oversees proceedings with amused precision, overplays his hand in the bizarre, bloody finale.
Material this wild demands actors fully committed to the cause, and Park has found them, particularly in his two female leads. Kidman, here extending her commendable record of counterintuitive auteur collaboration, has such form in the area of passive-aggressive ice queens that her work here shouldn't surprise, but the performance gets more bravely unhinged as it goes along, culminating in a spectacular Mommie Dearest tirade against her daughter that seems ripe for future impressions. Still, it's Wasikowska's film, and she shoulders it with witty aplomb: equal parts Alice in Wonderland and Wednesday Addams, her India is in constant, silent argument with the world around her.
All the actors are given an invaluable assist from Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller's crisply tailored costumes, which period-indeterminate even as the film is set in the present day. This kind of chic otherness is also at play in Therese De Prez's superb production design: the Stoker family house, all angular architectural fittings and inventively distorted scale, is a creation worthy of prime Tim Burton.
Park's regular d.p. Chung-hoon Chung appears to be channeling photographer Gregory Crewdson's eerily high-key Americana in his lighting schemes, while Clint Mansell's characteristically rich, modernist score is embellished with haunting piano duets composed specifically for the film by Philip Glass. The repeated use of the Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra number "Summer Wine," meanwhile, is typical of the director's cockeyed take on American culture. Long may he continue to explore.