Oldboy Archives - The Playlist

‘Oldboy’: Park Chan-Wook & Lionsgate TV Team For English-Language Series Remake Of Genre Classic

Christopher Marc — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 19:28:11 +0000

Following his first foray into television with 2018’s “The Little Drummer Girl,” Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook returns to Western television this month with the espionage thriller series “The Sympathizer” on HBO (read our review). And the director is already quickly putting together another project for the small screen, a series adaptation of his 2003 revenge masterpiece “Oldboy.” Variety reports that Chan-Wook is partnering with Lionsgate Television on the adaptation of the English-language series based on his film of the same name.

Continue reading ‘Oldboy’: Park Chan-Wook & Lionsgate TV Team For English-Language Series Remake Of Genre Classic at The Playlist.

‘Oldboy’ Re-Release Trailer: Park Chan-Wook’s Modern Classic Revenge Tale Returns To Theaters On August 16

Ned Booth — Thu, 11 May 2023 16:38:03 +0000

With “Oldboy,” Park Chan-wook offers a revenge tale at its most unhinged. And for the 20th anniversary of the film’s release, NEON has a remastered print of the modern masterpiece ready to hit theaters this summer. Ready to relive the triumph and agony of Oh Dae-su’s tale? Well, Park Chan-wook fans, now’s your chance.

READ MORE: ‘The Sympathizer’ Teaser: Park Chan-wook Teams Up With HBO, A24 & Robert Downey Jr.

Continue reading ‘Oldboy’ Re-Release Trailer: Park Chan-Wook’s Modern Classic Revenge Tale Returns To Theaters On August 16 at The Playlist.

Park Chan-Wook Says Watching Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ Remake Left Him With A “Very Curious Feeling”

Charles Barfield — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 18:53:54 +0000

It seems to always be the case that Hollywood will seek out the biggest international hits and remake them for English-speaking audiences. Sometimes, such as in the case of “The Departed,” the remake is pretty great. However, most of the time, the English-language version is a poor copy of the original. Many would say Spike Lee’s 2013 remake of Park Chan-wook’s 2003 hit, “Oldboy,” falls in the latter category.

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook Says Watching Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ Remake Left Him With A “Very Curious Feeling” at The Playlist.

The Social Distance: 21 Films About Isolation

Nicholas Laskin — Thu, 07 May 2020 17:12:15 +0000

The tradition of isolation in cinema, either psychological, physical, or both, is rich and also, a rather modern phenomenon (you don’t see a lot of 1930s movies about people contemplating their existence in a tomb). But isolation in the age of pandemics and social distancing has taken on a new resonance and probably created a new kind of trauma that we’ll be considering the effects of for years.

READ MORE: John Hillcoat’s ‘The Road’ Offers An Apocalypse For Every Generation

Isolation cinema takes on new layers, meaning, and dimensions in the COVID-19 age too.

Continue reading The Social Distance: 21 Films About Isolation at The Playlist.

The 50 Best Movie Plot Twists Of All Time

Oliver Lyttelton — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 19:02:20 +0000

M. Night Shyamalan has a new movie in theaters this week, “Split,” in which James McAvoy plays a man with 23 personalities who kidnaps three teenage girls. Shyamalan came to fame (and the billing of “the next Spielberg”) thanks to three big hits in a row, “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs,” but thanks to those, he also became a byword not just for artful genre films, but also “Twilight Zone”-style shocking twist endings.

Continue reading The 50 Best Movie Plot Twists Of All Time at The Playlist.

Park Chan-Wook Talks Collaboration, Coming Up With The ‘Oldboy’ Ending While Peeing & More In 49-Minute BAFTA Talk

Oliver Lyttelton — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 19:21:00 +0000

One of the highlights of this time of year, for anyone that is in the UK and has even a passing interest in movies and typing the words “INT.” or “EXT.” is the BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series. Now in its seventh year, and founded by “Last King Of Scotland” writer Jeremy Brock, it’s seen acclaimed and award-wining wordsmiths including Simon Beaufoy, Charlie Kaufman, Abi Morgan, Scott Frank, Tony Gilroy, Emma Thompson and Nick Hornby unspool some of their secrets.

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook Talks Collaboration, Coming Up With The ‘Oldboy’ Ending While Peeing & More In 49-Minute BAFTA Talk at The Playlist.

The Best & The Rest: The Films Of Park Chan-Wook Ranked

Jessica Kiang — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 17:16:42 +0000

A little over two years ago, we wrote this 10-film primer on the Korean New Wave. But even in the short time since then, it feels like that movement has grown exponentially stronger and more diverse, to the point that we’d happily assert that the most consistently exciting things happening in genre cinema right now are coming out of South Korea. Often that’s due to a willingness to hybridize genres to deliver something that feels fresh, as with Bong Joon-ho‘s social parable sci-fi “Snowpiercer” or Kim Jee-woon‘s noir-inflected spy caper “The Age of Shadows,” but more crucially it’s that Korea has turned out a generation of directors whose level of filmmaking craft is second to none, and who are not above putting all that artistry in service of the most shamelessly entertaining storytelling.

Continue reading The Best & The Rest: The Films Of Park Chan-Wook Ranked at The Playlist.

Frank Ocean’s 100 Favorite Films Includes Movies By Stanley Kubrick, Werner Herzog, Paul Thomas Anderson, More

Kevin Jagernauth — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 14:20:28 +0000

After countless rumors of release dates, delays, and social media teases, this past weekend, Frank Ocean floored the music world by dropping two albums — Endless and Blonde — along with a massive magazine titled, “Boys Don’t Cry.” He ended the four year drought since 2012’s Channel Orange is a huge way, and in the process, gave his fans no shortage of material to wade through.

Continue reading Frank Ocean’s 100 Favorite Films Includes Movies By Stanley Kubrick, Werner Herzog, Paul Thomas Anderson, More at The Playlist.

Side By Side: Original Movies Versus Their Remakes

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 19:35:38 +0000

Watch: 3-Minute Supercut Highlights Original Movies Against Their Remakes

Continue reading Side By Side: Original Movies Versus Their Remakes at The Playlist.

Explore The Greek Tragedy Of Park Chan-wook’s ‘Oldboy’

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 20:26:45 +0000

Watch: 15-Minute Video Essay Explores The Greek Tragedy Of Park Chan-wook's 'Oldboy'

Continue reading Explore The Greek Tragedy Of Park Chan-wook’s ‘Oldboy’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Bold, Beautiful 7-Minute Supercut Tribute To The Films Of Park Chan-Wook

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:05:00 +0000

Watch: Bold, Beautiful 7-Minute Supercut Tribute To The Films Of Park Chan-Wook

Continue reading Watch: Bold, Beautiful 7-Minute Supercut Tribute To The Films Of Park Chan-Wook at The Playlist.

Watch: 5 1/2 Minute Single Take ‘Daredevil’ Hallway Fight Scene Plus Video Essay Comparison To ‘Oldboy’

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 13:02:20 +0000

Watch: 5 1/2 Minute Single Take 'Daredevil' Hallway Fight Scene Plus Video Essay Comparison To 'Oldboy'

Continue reading Watch: 5 1/2 Minute Single Take ‘Daredevil’ Hallway Fight Scene Plus Video Essay Comparison To ‘Oldboy’ at The Playlist.

The 10 Best Films Of 2005

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:12:32 +0000

The 10 Best Films Of 2005

Continue reading The 10 Best Films Of 2005 at The Playlist.

Soundtrack For Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Oldboy’ Gets Vinyl Reissue, Executive Produced By Nicolas Winding Refn

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 20:15:00 +0000

Soundtrack For Park Chan-Wook's 'Oldboy' Gets Vinyl Reissue, Executive Produced By Nicolas Winding Refn

Continue reading Soundtrack For Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Oldboy’ Gets Vinyl Reissue, Executive Produced By Nicolas Winding Refn at The Playlist.

Review: ‘Repo Men’ Is A Grab-Bag of Crazy-Ass Crazy With A Side Of Whaaa?

Gabe Toro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

We’re now entering Phase Two of Jude Law, Leading Man. His receding hairline, questionable choice in projects and real-life bedroom peccadillos had threatened to turn one of the prettiest pear-faces in Hollywood into an also-ran, a supporting actor… a STAGE actor! Had “Sherlock Holmes,” where Law plays a vanity-less sidekick not hit as big, it would stand to reason that his current star vehicle, “Repo Men,” would probably be dumped to disc after a long gestation period in the Universal vaults, a condemnation of sorts, but not with the format having the stigma it once bore in the early aughts.

Continue reading Review: ‘Repo Men’ Is A Grab-Bag of Crazy-Ass Crazy With A Side Of Whaaa? at The Playlist.

Best Of The Decade: The Playlist’s Best Films Of 2005

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Aka the year where we celebrate *every* movie released.

Here’s our 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 picks.

In creating and arguing over all our lists, 2005 was easily the most difficult year (yes, we’re going to say that about every year) and it’s perhaps fitting that the mid-way point of the decade yielded the best crop of pictures. We could have easily listed 20 films here, but once again, stuck to 10, uh sort of… (and since we’ve saved documentaries for another feature, it helps give us breathing room).

Continue reading Best Of The Decade: The Playlist’s Best Films Of 2005 at The Playlist.

Hurray! The Spielberg/Will Smith Remake Of ‘Oldboy’ Is Dead

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:24:00 +0000

We were just surmising this morning that the long- reported remake of Park Chan-Wook’s Korean 2003 film, “Oldboy” by the odd pairing of Will Smith and Steven Spielberg appeared to be dead.

Now today, according to the guys at Latino Review (we’ll choose to believe this particular report mostly because we want to desperately), the brutal revenge remake is dead in the water.

This is good news. Not because Park Chan-Wook’s film is too sacred to be touched (but really, it’s an excellent film, why bother trying to improve on it?

Continue reading Hurray! The Spielberg/Will Smith Remake Of ‘Oldboy’ Is Dead at The Playlist.

Park Chan-Wook Remake Of Costa-Gavras’ ‘The Ax’ Will Be Next

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Do we all remember news of South-Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook’s intentions to remake the great Costa-Gavras’ 2005 film “Le Couperet (The Ax)”? You should.

It’s an adaptation of the novel “The Ax” by Donald E. Westlake that follows a downsized chemist who loses his job to outsourcing and them two years later, still jobless, hits on a solution to genuinely eliminate his competition by any means necessary.

Sounds like a timely and subversive (probably wickedly dark and funny, knowing Park Chan-Wook) take on the global recession.

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook Remake Of Costa-Gavras’ ‘The Ax’ Will Be Next at The Playlist.

Park Chan-Wook Remaking Costa-Gavras’ Downsized & Disgruntled Job Thriller, ‘The Ax’?

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:10:00 +0000

South-Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook’s absurdist vampire romance film, “Thirst” came out earlier this summer, but didn’t exactly light-up the indie box-office circuit like most assumed. It made $318,574 domestically ($12 million worldwide), but those aren’t terrible U.S. numbers. Chan-Wook’s biggest U.S. film, “Oldboy” grossed some $700,000 domestically. Maybe it was those mixed Cannes reviews? Or perhaps it was because his last fillm, “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK,” didn’t even receive U.S. distribution so that might have dulled his buzz as a rising international star somewhat.

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook Remaking Costa-Gavras’ Downsized & Disgruntled Job Thriller, ‘The Ax’? at The Playlist.

‘Thirst’: An Exhilarating But Ultimately Exhausting Experiment In The Vampire Mythos

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:51:00 +0000

There’s a moment about a quarter of the way through Park Chan-Wook’s “Thirst” where Song Kang-ho (the doughy hero of “The Host”), playing a conflicted priest infected with vampirism, volleys across rooftops, carrying his disbelieving crush (Kim Ok-vin) in his arms. It’s a moment that can only be described as movie magic. The camera careens with him as he hops from one rooftop to the next, and it’s the kind of breathless, assured filmmaking that literally winds you.

Continue reading ‘Thirst’: An Exhilarating But Ultimately Exhausting Experiment In The Vampire Mythos at The Playlist.

Legal Path Cleared For Steven Spielberg & Will Smith To Butcher ‘Oldboy’

Simon Dang — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:34:00 +0000

We recently celebrated the prospect that pending legal proceedings could potentially hinder the progress of Steven Spielberg and Will Smith’s ridiculous and unnecessary remake of Park Chan-Wook’s “Oldboy” (look, there’s just no need for it, let alone a watered-down American version). Those celebrations, however, have now been revealed to be premature and unfounded.

Previously, the publisher of the “Oldboy” comic, Futabasha, had filed a case against the production company who reportedly dealt with Universal for the remake rights, Show East.

Continue reading Legal Path Cleared For Steven Spielberg & Will Smith To Butcher ‘Oldboy’ at The Playlist.

There Is A God: Universal’s ‘Oldboy’ Remake In Trouble, Neve Campbell Snubs New ‘Scream’ Trilogy

Simon Dang — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:15:00 +0000

This smells like divine intervention to us. Will Smith and Steven Spielberg’s unnecessary and unwarranted adaptation of Park Chan-Wook’s classic revenge film, “Oldboy” is reportedly on the rocks after legal problems with remake rights between the comic book company and the production company that dealt with Universal Pictures. There is a god. [First Showing]

After playing the ‘Governator’ in a biopic and being his body double in “Terminator Salvation,” fellow Austrian Roland Kickinger is evidently set to again live under Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shadow.

Continue reading There Is A God: Universal’s ‘Oldboy’ Remake In Trouble, Neve Campbell Snubs New ‘Scream’ Trilogy at The Playlist.

Park Chan-Wook’s Vampire Tale, ‘Thirst’ Hits U.S. July 31

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Previously we noted that according to Focus Features, Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s vampire morality tale, “Thirst” would get a mid-July release date in the U.S.

Focus has adjusted that time frame ever so slightly and now “Thirst” officially has a July 31 release date. There’s no official word, but you can guarantee that this will be a limited release (New York and L.A.) and the rest of North America will have to wait a few weeks for the picture to slowly roll into their town; not a bad thing, word of mouth buzz build helps small foreign films).

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook’s Vampire Tale, ‘Thirst’ Hits U.S. July 31 at The Playlist.

Cannes 09: Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Thirst’ Is An Absurdist Treat That Becomes Muddled; Overstays Its Welcome

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:30:00 +0000

Adored by geeks for his stylish violence, lauded by the arthouse for his immaculate camera, and beloved by all for his “Vengeance Trilogy,” South Korea’s resident idiosyncratic auteurist Park Chan-Wook took a minor misstep in his oeuvre with the 2006 romantic comedy, “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK,” but with the grim sounding vampire film, “Thirst,” he seems poised to regain any lost footing. Having won the Grand Prix in 2004 with the sequel in the vengeance triptych, “Oldboy” – a film that then-jury head Quentin Tarantino adored – obviously he and his work are no stranger to Cannes and “Thirst” is apparently already a big hit in Korea.

Continue reading Cannes 09: Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Thirst’ Is An Absurdist Treat That Becomes Muddled; Overstays Its Welcome at The Playlist.

Focus Features Putting Out Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Thirst’ For Mid-July U.S. Release

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:51:00 +0000

One of the most anticipated Foreign films of the year — and the rare one that unites geeks and film snobs (anything with darkness precipitates erections arouses nerds) — South Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s “Thirst” is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival next week.

Chan-Woork is known for his immensely engrossing revenge trilogy (“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “Oldboy,” “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”; nerds love revenge, plain drama without blood or a baseball too?

Continue reading Focus Features Putting Out Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Thirst’ For Mid-July U.S. Release at The Playlist.