Vampire priest thirsts for love in “Bat”
by javabeans
It wouldn’t be a Park Chan-wook film with a simple, straightforward plot, would it?
In Bat [박쥐], or its English title Thirst, Song Kang-ho (The Good The Bad The Weird, Secret Sunshine, The Host) re-teams with one of Korea’s foremost directors, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) — as a vampire.
After five months of shooting both abroad (Australia) and at home in Korea, the movie has just wrapped, and director Park is feeling good about it: “I had the feeling that of all the movies I’ve done, this might turn out to be the best.” Lead actor Song said, “As an actor, it was a formidable adventure and difficult filming experience. I’m happy to be able to do a movie like this.”
Song plays a respected priest who turns into a vampire after receiving a blood transfusion, which he’d undergone as a volunteer to test out a secretly developed experimental vaccine. As if that weren’t bad enough, following his transformation, the devoted priest falls in love with his friend’s wife. Wrong on so many levels, eh? (I remember thinking the description a bit bland when it was first released, but I’d figured more quirks would become apparent as more info became available, and so it has.)
Due to Park’s international recognition, the film has attracted investors in Universal Pictures and Focus Features for North American distribution. It co-stars Kim Ok-bin (Over the Rainbow) and aims for release in the first half of 2009.
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Tags: Park Chan-wook, Song Kang-ho
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1 pabo ceo reom
October 13, 2008 at 7:47 PM
Usually I'm not so much into the horror genre but this one doesn't sound too bad.
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2 Anonimosity
October 13, 2008 at 7:59 PM
dude, what kind of plot is this? A priest turns vampire and falls in love? Um, okay... If you says so, but it sounds bizarre to me, and not in an intriguing way, in a bizarre way.
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3 Javabeans
October 13, 2008 at 8:03 PM
^ Yep, it's pretty wacky sounding... but it's also Park Chan-wook, and he's capable of some awesome stuff. (Not to mention Song Kang-ho, who's got quite the impressive resumé himself.)
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4 ed
October 13, 2008 at 8:05 PM
i'm loving the texture of fabric on his priest cloak...but since it's SKH, the top looks rather like cut off sweatshirt from Host :D
(if all the hype about kim ok-bin's scenes is true, i wouldn't mind seeing her bits but am not sure about SKH getting in 'ere!)
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5 belleza
October 13, 2008 at 8:26 PM
"A priest turns vampire and falls in love? "
Ahh, Edward Cullen with Catholic guilt. And crap gym clothes. Gotcha.
Definitely looking forward to this movie. Sounds like a cross between Twilight and Satan's Alley. I love it.
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6 Jo
October 13, 2008 at 9:25 PM
dont even begin with the twilight comparisons or crosses whatevers.
ew please. NO
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7 sunny
October 13, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Hm, sounds worth looking out for. Besides, I love Song Kang Ho's acting xD
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8 belleza
October 13, 2008 at 9:40 PM
"dont even begin with the twilight comparisons or crosses whatevers."
I even had a chance to meet Stephanie Meyers too some months back at Borders. And Rachel Ray too. I get them confused -- which one calls blood Evooo? :)
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9 snajs
October 14, 2008 at 2:39 AM
Vampires are in these days :thanks Edward Cullen:
They are the new Romeo <3
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10 belleza
October 14, 2008 at 3:03 AM
":thanks Edward Cullen:
Edward is SO deep. So deep . . put my butt to sleep . . .
But anyway, isn't Twilight basically Buffy+Angel meets Sarah Palin?
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11
October 14, 2008 at 8:53 AM
to belleza: ouch! and Sarah Palin? I prefer Obama. lol.
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12 Sere
October 14, 2008 at 10:37 AM
@Belleza
SP? *shudders*
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13 mookie
October 14, 2008 at 3:08 PM
LOL Belleza!! not a bit afraid of the Meyers horde?!
and absolutely Twilight IS Buffy+Angel meets Sarah Palin. out of those 3 entities, SP is the most brainy one already. And so happens I wanna laze in my Borders WHEN Meyers was there. I drove 10 min in wkend Mall traffic to Barnes and Nobles instead even after I parked at the PERFECT spot.
And as wacky as it sounded, we r guaranteed it would just be so much more intriguing experiencing it in a PCW film. argh I wanna see it for Halloween!!!
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14 Javabeans
October 14, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Whoa, whoa! Don't knock the Buffy or the Angel. Those were two of the sharpest, most intelligently written shows of the last decade. They don't deserve to be sullied with either the Sarah Palin OR Twilight comparisons.
If you must draw a comparison, Twilight is like... oh, I can't do it. It's its own superlative. (Low-perlative?)
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15 Sevenses
October 14, 2008 at 3:48 PM
I love his cloak! It looks so ancient and ascetic-monk-in-the-mountains. :D (Also, saw 2 people in vicar clothing right after reading this article. Um?)
Twilight is the book equivalent of a Twinkie or [insert junk food choice of your own]. Possibly a Twinkie laced with cyanide and a few other noxious chemicals usually found in cigarette smoke.
Please, walk away from the Twilight series (NOT a saga). It is not worth the brain cells or your time.
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16 belleza
October 14, 2008 at 3:49 PM
@mookie,
"not a bit afraid of the Meyers horde?!"
Please!!! Me and the Nation of Buffy and Spike 4-Ever (haha. look, I like Buffy+Angel too, but let's face it, they were bad for each other and when Buffy grew up into a proper adult, she knew that the bad would always come with the good; okay? okay!! -- fact is, Spike fell in love with Buffy and he didn't even need a soul to do that, and that he only needed some peroxide in his hair to give him a conscience because -- let's face it -- it was real, tragic love, and yeah I totally hated how post-death Buffy treated Spike as a cabana boy even though I totally understand that, well, once you've been to Heaven, going back to Sunnyvale must have really sucked nuts and yeah I always wanted to write a one sentence like William Faulkner because apparently only writers from literary Southern tradition can defeat basic decency of grammar, well that's fine for Bella and Edward -- WTF Eddie you can WALK in sunlight too AND be pretty WTF is wrong with you you emo eunich DRINK ALL the blood all that you want -- God has given you the A-OK to treat us as your food, OKAY? --I mean we're talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the greatest show about codependent, screwed up love, not this idealized fanfic created by a frustrated office worker who apparently was watching the Young and the Restless -- not that I'm not shocking that show because Y&R is kinda good during a hot summer -- and then fell asleep and waddya know THIS came out. okay, whatever!) will gladly stand up to B and Eddie. 90s Gof vs. 00s Gawth? Oh it's on bitches!! Bring whatever you got to bring; we'll bring the wooden stakes and the bad cockney accents. Welcome to the Hellmouth bitches (and I mean YOU Eddie babe!!) And oh yeah, we'll leave Willow behind. You don't want HER to get mad!!
"And as wacky as it sounded, we r guaranteed it would just be so much more intriguing experiencing it in a PCW film"
FWIW, I think it would be nice for once if the female was the vampire and the guy was a shmoe who got hosed on eharmony.com. Why can't the woman be empowered AND frightening at the same time? It's something that I'd think a PCW can actually write, given his Vengeance trilogy.
And, yeah, I'm definitely seeing Twilight. (Goth romance is like pizza is like sex) I'm sheep.
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17 Javabeans
October 14, 2008 at 3:53 PM
I am reminded why I could never read Faulkner. LOL!
Haha, that just brings to mind the whole "EPIC" Xander-Harmony bitchfight, which btw may also have been the hardest I've ever laughed at something on network television. (The hardest I've laughed at any bitchfight, period, however, must be the Colin Firth-Hugh Grant sissyfights in Bridget Jones.)
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18 belleza
October 14, 2008 at 5:08 PM
"(The hardest I’ve laughed at any bitchfight, period, however, must be the Colin Firth-Hugh Grant sissyfights in Bridget Jones.)"
Speaking of weapons of foppish aggression, did you know that Kenneth Branagh is going to direct Thor? This is worth repeating: Hark!! Good sir Branagh of Stratford doth direct Thor of Marvel much!! Is this merely dry-as-wildfire humour or is this a legitimate attempt at cultural revenge? Like when Memoirs of Geisha was adapted and out came Memoirs of a Chinese Ho?
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19 Suzy
October 14, 2008 at 6:43 PM
You know, after a tough day, coming here and reading "Vampire priest thirsts for love in Bat" Haha, it gave me a much-needed laugh. I laughed but really, it sounds good to me!
I never watched Buffy or read Twilight so the only thing I truly understood from Belleza was the Faulker reference, BUT that was freakin' hilarious too!
And lastly, javabeans, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for reminding me of the Colin Firth-Hugh Grant sissyfights. Baha! Note to self: time to rewatch Bridget Jones Diary.
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20 mookie
October 14, 2008 at 7:38 PM
I'll admit, I can never sit thro one ep of Buffy..so I havent watched a sec of Angel.
, roomie is a crazy Buffy/SMG fanboy, we had that debate every time he marathoned it. I'll let him know u witty ladies r on his boat.
We HAVE to agree SP has a brainiac memory for talking points/Cheney doctrine.
And...cant help myself asking silly curious q: Kim Ok-bin (she's in Dasepo naughty girls right? she'll be the buddy's wife?! Belleza, this girl can easily turn into a kinky vampire in a blink.
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21 belleza
October 14, 2008 at 8:30 PM
"We HAVE to agree SP has a brainiac memory for talking points/Cheney doctrine."
I've always liked Sarah's work on Saturday Night Live. I thought she and Amy made a sold team on Weekend Update, and so it makes sense her recitations are exemplary. If she'd only renounce her party position on Lindsay Lohan, I think I might even support the Republican ticket between Sarah and her dad McCain.
"Belleza, this girl can easily turn into a kinky vampire in a blink."
Oh Kim Ok Bin's qualifications are exemplary!! 2nd degree in black belt, Beyonce tribute clips, AND -- get this -- she was a ullzang with Natural Beauty(tm)!! Knock yourself out, Park Chan Wook.
But seriously, this should be good. Part of the synopsis reads that Song Kang Ho contracts "FIV" in Africa (huh, what da ya think Magic?), which in turn leads to his transformation. The FIV transformation itself was a relapse triggered by him meeting Miss Chuck Beyonce.
The sex in this movie should be great. And vengeful.
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22 mookie
October 15, 2008 at 2:18 AM
OT: Sir Branagh quits Hamlet for ...THOR?!
Really not a fan of anything superhero, and silly younger me thought Thor was the boring 'serious' version ( I didnt read/know anything about Thor, it's based solely on his ugly outfit and hair) of Hagar the Horrible which I adore.
I always thought PCW is a sista (a compliment). He empowered his female characters with pivotal purposes in his movies, and most of the time it's the dudes that got the short end of the very messed up sticks.
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23 Felicity
October 15, 2008 at 3:24 AM
OMG. Belleza. That was Faulkner on speed, LOL. But I'd have to chime in with javabeans. Don't knock Buffy coz Josh Whedon is a GOD. :)
I never bothered to pick up the much-hyped Twilight series though one of my friends is a crazy vampire fanatic (she dives into any novels that has anything remoted related to blood suckers). From what you guys write, I guess I didn't miss much. Heh.
The best bitchfight for me is still the one between Sue Ellen and in Pamela Ewing in Dallas. You can't top an allout catfight in the mud, complete with hairpulling and squealing. Rawwrrr!!! (Gawd, the useless things I remember from my childhood. *_*)
"The sex in this movie should be great. And vengeful."
Oooh. Can't wait. :)
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