Movies at Home: Thirst, The Good Liar and Nightmare Alley

 

I have enjoyed all of the films of Park Chan Wook, from The Handmaiden, Stoker, Decision to Leave and Lady Vengeance. However I was somewhat disappointed with Thirst, a kind of vampire story but not always an intelligent plot. Although the script is actually brilliant, there is not enough story and what is there is quite surreal.    It stars Song Kang-ho who was great in The Host, Snowpiercer and especially Parasite. He plays a Catholic priest who becomes addicted to blood after volunteering for a failed trial. he becomes involved with a friend's wife who turns into a more revolting individual than himself. However, the cinematography is pure class, the camera always on the move, up down above below and through corridors. There is too much gore in the second half which ultimately spoils the movie.

Adapted from the book by Nicholas Searle by Jeffrey Hatcher with direction by Bill Condon comes this strange two hander. Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren do their best in a story about a conman. Mirren is the target, but is she all she seems? There are plenty of twists along the way but I found the whole thing quite seedy. None of the characters have any redeeming features. The London locations are good but not enough to elevate the film from it's nastiness.

I posted a review of this film on 3rd February 2022 when I was impressed by the writing and direction of Guillermo del Toro. Every shot is like a piece of art, especially in the first half. The sets, the colour, the light and shade of the fairground. This time round I was less impressed with Bradley Cooper in the leading role. He was put in the shade by superior performances from Toni Collette and David Strathairn. The film is less good in the second half without them. Then the look is different and the story takes on a more sinister feel. Cooper's scenes with Cate Blanchett seem a little awkward as the movie veers to something nastier. But oh, the look.