Today’s screening: Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy

July 1, 2009 — Electric Sheep Magazine

Electric Sheep Film Club: Oldboy / Oldeuboi

For the third meeting of the all new Electric Sheep Film Club at the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square, we’re proud to be showing:

Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (2003)

Still from Oldboy by Park Chan-wook

In Park Chan wook’s extraordinary visual assault, a man is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years without knowing why. When he is finally released from this Kafka-esque nightmare, he is hell-bent on revenge and seeks to uncover his tormentor’s identity. What follows is a twisted cat and mouse game that takes the protagonist and the audience through extremes of emotion, exploring the dark energy of vengeance. Exhilarating, horrifying, blackly humorous and heart-wrenching in equal measure, this is an unmissable masterpiece of cinematic cruelty. Oldboy was Park’s breakthrough movie in the UK, cementing his reputation as one of the most original and challenging directors currently making movies in the Far East.
Please stay after the film to chat with other film-goers and Electric Sheep writers in the bar after the screening. (with thanks to Palisades Tartan)

Wednesday 1st July, 8pm, Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2
More info at www.princecharlescinema.com and www.electricsheepmagazine.com/events

IMDb page for Oldboy
Wikipedia entry on Park Chan-Wook
Read Virginie’s interview with Park in Electric Sheep Magazine
Read Alex Fitch’s interview with Park in Wheel me out magazine / listen to the podcast

Related news:

The London Japanese Art Festival
is on the weekend of the 11th / 12th of July at Richmond Adult Community College and includes:
Manga and Anime Art Exhibition, craft and sales tables from Manga shops, toys and dolls and all sorts of Japanese art and culture related goods.
Talks by Helen McCarthy and Paul Gravett
Martial Arts
Kimono dressing (kitsuke) and kimono fashion show
Cosplay Masquerade and presentations
Manga drawing workshops
J-Pop Party
Set photo shoots and roving photographers
Origami and other paper art
Calligraphy
Koto music
Japanese Dancing
Taiko Drumming
Japanese food and drink, including Pocky, obento and sake, as well as the open cafe area
Three Yatai – Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki, Yakisoba, Donbri

UK PREMIERE : OCEAN WAVES

The Japanese Art Festival is proud to announce that the event will be hosting the premiere of the Studio Ghibli anime Ocean Waves. Studio Ghibli is better known as the Oscar-winning animation studio who brought us Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Never before released in the UK, Ocean Waves centres around the life of Taku, an average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful exchange student from Tokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

The Ocean Waves screening is courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

More info at www.japaneseartfestival.com