Why We Keep Coming Back For More 2005

Although we were already hooked 2005 gave us yet another reason to love Sitges. This was the year the festival moved from its temporary December slot back to its original October date and with that came the bonus of glorious weather. Sun, sea and sand obviously the perfect combination to then go and spend 8 hours a day in a darkened theatre.

2005 served up some classic Sitges films too. Still staggering around in a daze from the previous year’s Korean baptism and OLD BOY, Wook again nocked us off our feet with the vengeance trilogy closer SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. However, it was his compatriot Kim Ji-woon and the simply brilliant A BITTERSWEET LIFE  that stole the Korean limelight. If this film doesn’t grab you in the first 60 seconds then you best have the nearest person check to see if you have a pulse.

We can pretty much take all the graphic violence the Koreans can throw at us but when it comes to jumps and scares we’re the biggest pair of girls at the festival. We therefore must have been drunk when we decided to take in THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Skirts held over our eyes for most of the film. Equally uncomfortable in subject matter but with more left to the imagination HARD CANDY had us cringing and wincing to all manner of testicular threats.

We don’t know much but we already knew what we’d be doing come October 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXbV9a5GA4&feature=related&rel=0

 

 

 

 

And we can’t leave 2005 without including a look back to the absolutely f*cking bonkers film from Shinya Tsukamoto, HAZE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuibBbaB7as&feature=related&rel=0

It’s Getting Closer…..

It’s a mere 94 days now until we descend the steps of our respective planes at Barcelona airport, greet each other like long lost brothers and  skip off towards the sunshine of Sitges.

Usually by this time our appetites have been whetted by the dangling carrot of a couple of films that are going to be showing, or what the theme of the festival will be this year, but as of yet there’s been nada.

I suspect that following on from Angel Sala’s press conference on Monday (we were going to go but apparently they aren’t giving out anything for free), details will follow.

Keep it Corridorstyle for all of your news and previews of this year’s Sitges Film Festival, and don’t forget we are the number one source for all of your Sitges Film Festival information – FACT!!

Artificial Intelligence : AI Will Serve As The Theme For Sitges 2011

Though not yet officially announced on the festival website it looks like Sitges will this year pay tribute to the Steven Spielberg film ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:AI which marks its 10th anniversary this year.

This actually appears to be a continuation of the festival’s love affair with Stanley Kubrick rather than a hat-tip to Spielberg’s disappointing sci-fi effort. This post over at Sitgesbarcelona.com makes reference to the Brian Aldiss short story “Super-toys last all summer long”, which served as the inspiration for the Kubrick developed script that eventually ended up in Spielberg’s lap.

If previous festivals serve as any guide then the organizers will likely only afford the film itself a small corner of the program, however, its inclusion as the festival’s theme does suggest another sci-fi slant to the program which is something to get excited about.

Why We Keep Coming Back For More 2004

Having liked what we saw in 2003 we were quick to book our return to the festival, even attempting to prepare somewhat with a little research into the films on show. The problem with Sitges is that a little knowledge can be dangerous as we soon found out with THE BIRTHDAY. Shaun’s taking the rap for this one as he called it based purely on the involvement of Corey Feldmen. A return to former 80’s glory for Corey this wasn’t.

Fortunately for us and the festival 2004 was also the year of OLDBOY, PRIMER, THE MACHINIST, & ARAHAN. Four absolute belters and the films that would go on to define our love for the festival. For pure indulgence we’ve also included the opening scene from Johnnie To’s BREAKING NEWS. In the subsequent years Mr To has done his best to alienate us but perhaps it’s down to this 7 minute uncut introduction to his style of Hong Kong action that we keep giving him another chance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CC60HJvZRE&rel=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVIQfSpitkc&rel=0

 

Why We Keep Coming Back For More 2003

Our previous post referred to Corridorstyle beginnings and Oldboy (2004) but technically we lost our cherry to the 2003 festival. Although an amateur assault (only a 7 film program) compared with our recent efforts it was nonetheless an accurate thin-slice of what the festival is all about.

In HAUTE TENSION we had a bloody, brilliant example of Sitges shit-scares, and with  SO CLOSE we were treated to sumptuous Asian ass (kicking). After seeing the latter, I remember how The Ocho (Santiago) couldn’t stop singing “Why do birds suddenly appear” causing me to nearly go “haute tension” on his ass (personally, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shower scene).

But it was TWENTYNINEPALMS that had the most lasting effect that year. By most measures of a film it was the biggest, steaming pile of sheeite imaginable and it was testament to our novice status and accompanying enthusiasm that we sat through it to the end. However, it was the ending that chinned us and that’s been a sort of touchstone for us and the festival ever since. Don’t write a film off as pants after reading the synopsis, just go and see it because it’s the one in ten gem that you’ll remember for a long time (memory of the duds tends to fade by the time the first bottle of vino has been drained)

(You’ll have to accept the dubbed version here because it’s the visuals we’re interested in)

The Sitges Film Festival. Why We Keep Coming Back For More

It’s that time of year where the collective minds of team Corridorstyle start to wander as the distant, siren-like chimes of the Sant Bartolomeu bell tower grow louder, beckoning us to return once more to our cinematic home. To be honest, the calling is there pretty much all year round but we’ve yet to come by the means necessary for Corridorstyle to remain permanently on-location in Sitges.

While we need no reminding of what it is that keeps us coming back for more, we thought we’d take a walk down memory lane in the lead up to this year’s event to give you pitiful souls who’ve yet to experience the festival a taste of what it’s all about.

And for Corridorstyle there’s only one place to start. The beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wha0brbb_44&feature=related&rel=0

In A Mediterranean Town Far, Far Away

Although some may regard the town of Sitges as nothing more than the venue for the worlds greatest film festival, jetting in for the red carpet premier, being whisked away once the champagne is drained, there are others such as ourselves who have long since realised there is another, equally fantastic world beyond the flash of the paparazzi’s camera.

And while we try to cram as much “Sitges-time” into our relatively brief visit during the festival we know that life in the town continues after the curtain has fallen so we like to keep an eye on what’s going on between Octobers. Sitgesbarcelona.com allows us to do just that.

We’re hoping that Obi Funk Kenobi will again be performing at the Lizard Club when October comes as the festival buzz usually has us reaching for vino and vibes wherever Sitges cares to lay it on.

But We Like It Because It Looks Cool.

While we’re semi-aware of the hidden textural layers many movies may weave, generally speaking a film rarely has to dig deeper than slick visuals and claw hammers to keep team Corridorstyle  happy. And although we really don’t need any new reasons to stick OLDBOY, BITTERSWEET LIFE, or THE CHASER in the DVD for the umpteenth time, Andrew Lowry at The Guardian has an interesting take on a possible catalyst for Korean cinema’s recent love for bloody revenge.

We Didn’t See The Devil.

Well, we didn’t see it at the festival anyways as it was screened on the final day when we were both too hung over and too pushed for time before our flights home.

However, as I SAW THE DEVIL brought together two of our favourite Korean actor’s, Byung Hun-lee and Choi Min-sik, we were not to be denied and have since managed to catch the pair at their bloody best in this unflinching revenge thriller from Kim Ji-woon.

Head over to Twitch for an interview between Diva Velez and the film’s director.