Park Chan-Wook is the man! If you haven’t seen anything from his Vengeance trilogy Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, you’d better get of your ass and do it now. Below is the trailer for his vampire drama Thirst. Thirst is the story of a priest turned into a vampire via a botched medical experiment. The trailer lacks english subtitles but it’s visually meaty enough to warrant a watch. This one is at the top of my must see list for 2009. Let me know what you think.

Pandorum is the story of two crewmen who awaken from hyper-sleep aboard a spacecraft. None of their equipment is working, and their memories are incomplete. As they try to piece things together, they discover they are not alone, and the ship’s new inhabitants – tribal warriors carrying crudely made weapons – are moving among them, intent on killing all aboard. Tribal warriors Vs. Futuremen in space = Hell yes! If you don’t think that sounds exciting you probably don’t have a pulse. Up and coming director Christian Alvart, who also made the very solid Anitbodies, is at the helm. Alvart has a great visual style, and if this movie is even half as good as Antibodies we’re all in for a treat. The cast includes Dennis Quaid, Norman Reedus and Ben Foster. Foster is a guy I can watch in just about any movie. He just keeps getting better. Pandorum releases September 4th. Keep checking back for more details.

* Paul W.S. Anderson is pretty much Hacktastic as a director. Hopefully he’ll fare better as a producer.

The Cove is a documentary about a team of filmmakers who are forced to employ spy like tactics to tell the horrifying story of a small town in Japan. The film had it’s debut this past week at the Sundance Film Festival. Below are is the official Synopsis from the Sundance website as well as the trailer.

Flipper was one of the most beloved television characters of all time. But ironically, the fascination with dolphins that he caused created a tragic epidemic that has threatened their existence and become a multibillion dollar industry. The largest supplier of dolphins in the world is located in the picturesque town of Taijii, Japan. But the town has a dark, horrifying secret that it doesn’t want the rest of the world to know. There are guards patrolling the cove, where the dolphin capturing takes place, who prevent any photography. The only way to stop the evil acts of this company and the town that protects it is to expose them….and that’s exactly what the brave group of activists in The Cove intend to do.Armed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, the members of the small group, led by the most famous dolphin trainer in the world, devise a covert plan to infiltrate the cove to document the horrifying events that happen there. Along the way, they uncover what may be the largest health crisis facing our planet— the poisoning of our seas. Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening. The final result is a heart-wrenching, but inspirational, story that shows the true power of film in the hands of people who aren’t afraid to risk everything for a vital cause.

* HERE is an interview that indieWIRE did with The Cove director Louie Psihoyos.
** Thanks to Heather for reminding me to post this

The latest from Kick ass director Bigelow (Point Break, Blue Steel, Strange Days and Near Dark) takes us through 40 days in the lives of an Army bomb squad in a deadly Iraq city. It’s shot in a docu-drama style and already looks to a be a contender for one of 2009′s best films. Bigelow’s K-19 with Harrison Ford was pretty weak, but I’ll forgive her because she made the incredible Near Dark. The Cast includes David Morse, Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Fiennes. Check out the trailer below and leave me some damn feedback you movie crazed monkeys!

I’m a sucker for a good mockumentary and I’ll be damned if this doesn’t look like exactly that. The film had a small release in LA only at the start of 2009. It’s set to hit a few more cities in late February. Can’t wait to see it. Let me know what you think.

Jimmi Simpson was Lyle the Intern on the David Lettermen show.

The trailer isn’t exactly stellar, but the presence of Kilmer in a supporting role is promising. Not to mention it’s brought to you by the same production team as 2007′s excellent Zombedy Fido! The story goes a little something like this Polar Ice Caps are melting, deadly prehistoric bugs are released, humans are infected, bodies are burned and limbs are cut off. Okay so that’s not the story, but it’s close. I’m all for carnivorous bugs, lets just hope this thing doesn’t go the way of Fessenden’s The Last Winter. Check out the trailer below.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the trailer for Of the Dead. But it’s George Romero, and Zombies it can’t be that bad. I actually liked Diary of the Dead. Sure it’s flawed and some of the acting is sub-par, but the same goes for Night, Dawn, and Day of the Dead. Romero doesn’t make perfect films, but he does make entertaining horror films that make people think. The film has no official release date, but I’m guessing they’ll dump it into theaters in February sometime. I’ll find 10 dollars somewhere to see this in the theater. What say you?

I do hope they change the title before it’s release.

It seems that Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds has snagged an August 21st release date. The Weinstein Co. will be handling the distribution. No word yet on overseas release dates. I have to say that Basterds is in the top 3 of films I’m most looking forward to next year. To the left there is Mélanie Laurent who plays Shosanna Dreyfus in Basterds. I could have posted a pic from the movie but she’s wicked hot so I couldn’t resist.

Kai Knutsen fled through the woods, from his crazed mother 20 years ago. Now the woman he hated more than anything on earth is dead, and he has inherited the house in the forest. It has a cruel secret. The trailer makes it looks like an interesting mix of survival horror/haunted house film. It also has some gorgeous cinematography and what could be some genuinely creepy moments. I’m putting it near the top of my must see horror list for 2009. Happy New Year!

I’ve just had the pleasure of watching Ji-Woon Kim’s ultra-violent western The Good, The Bad and The Weird. I can’t recommend it enough. The film is full of inspired action sequences, clever homages, and some downright ridiculous moments. The film’s official US release date via IFC films is February 6th 2009. It’s unclear yet if IFC will offer it as part of their on-demand library or not. Either way, rush to the theater to see this movie. It’s without a doubt in my top 10 of 2008. If you haven’t already seen the trailer. Check it out below.

This movie kicks so much ass that if any of you wanted to see it early I might able to be persuaded into a viewing party.