It stars Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun, a priest who volunteers for a secret vaccine project aimed at eradicating a deadly virus. But when things go horribly wrong, a blood transfusion is needed to save him, and the blood turns out to be infected. Sang-hyun is now a vampire.

Not only does he have to struggle with his newfound “thirst” for blood, but another hunger comes calling, as well. The wife (Kim Ok-vin) of a childhood friend asks for help to escape her life, which puts Sang-hyun in a precarious situation with plenty of temptations.

Directed by Park Chan-wook and co-written by Chung Seo-kyung, “Thirst” is rated R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language.

It arrives in theaters in limited release on July 31, 2009. Check out the trailer, and after the jump, see 16 images.

Photo Credits: Focus Features

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“The White Ribbon” scored the coveted Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor.  Jury president Isabelle Huppert presented Michael Haneke with the prize at the closing-night ceremony held in the Palais des Festivals.

It’s the first time a jury president has presented the award since Clint Eastwood gave the award to Quentin Tarantino for "Pulp Fiction."

Grabbing the Grand Prix award was Jacques Audiard’s "A Prophet," after being announced by Willem Dafoe. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who played "the Jew Hunter" in Quentin Tarantino’s "Inglourious Basterds," took home the best actor prize.

For a full list of 2009 Cannes winners, click here.

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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Director Quentin Tarantino’s take on World War II stars Brad Pitt as a U.S. army lieutenant leading a group of soldiers operating behind Nazi lines. The movie arrives in theaters August 21, 2009. Check out the trailer here.

More after the jump…

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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It’s a pic of her, along with Pedro Almodovar and Blanco Portillo, at the premiere of their film “Broken Embraces” at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

The story follows a man who loses both his sight and lover in a car accident. It hits U.S. theaters in limited release on Nov. 20, 2009.

Image: INF

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For your viewing pleasure, here’s another picture of the star whose vampire alter-ego Edward Cullen, drives girls wild.

 Image: INF

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Robert Pattinson

There’s been some speculation as to whether it would be made. “New Moon,” the second movie, and “Eclipse,” the third movie, are already in progress. Pattinson was heading to Italy to shoot the final four days on “New Moon,” and he’ll return to Vancouver in October to finish up “Eclipse.”

He told The Hollywood Reporter that he’s on board for “Breaking Dawn,” but didn’t know when production would begin. [SPOILER ALERT!] The fourth movie centers on Bella and Edward’s marriage and her pregnancy.

More after the jump, including a video…

Somewhere in his jam-packed schedule, the 23-year-old Pattinson will star in “Remember Me,” another Summit movie. The Allen Coulter-directed drama centers on two lovers trying to cope with family tragedies.

Well, Pattinson certainly isn’t hurting for work, and I’m excited to hear that the fourth “Twilight” movie is in a go mode. I can’t imagine ending things after “Eclipse” and not wrapping up the story.

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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The main news to come out of the festival is that while there are many top-tier projects available to U.S. distributors, no one is buying. A sign of the bleak economy? Whatever the reason, it looks like some very big movies may be left without a U.S. distributor, which could mean smaller distributors will swoop in and pick them up.

Some of the projects sparking interest include Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s "Biutiful," starring Javier Bardem in a story about a drug dealer and a policeman; "Unbound Captives," a period drama with Robert Pattinson and Rachel Weisz; and Stephen Gaghan’s "Blink," starring Al Pacino as a father who reconnects with his estranged son.

More glam pics after the jump…

May 15, 2009: Rosanna Arquette attending the "Bright Star" screening during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France. She’s so beautiful, but not the typical Hollywood-ized beauty. Really unique beauty.

May 15, 2009: Eva Longoria Parker and Tony Parker attending the "Bright Star" screening during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France. They always look so mismatched because he’s so tall and she’s so tiny. But they always look happy, so that’s the main thing.

May 15, 2009: Abbie Cornish attending the "Bright Star" screening during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France. I love that dress!

May 17, 2009: Rachel Weisz attending the "Agora" Photocall, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France. She’s beautiful in green!

May 16, 2009: Imelda Staunton, a.k.a. Harry Potter’s Dolores Umbridge, attending the "Taking Woodstock" Photocall at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

May 15, 2009: Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz attending the "Precious" screening at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. They seem like good friends, don’t they?

May 15, 2009: Mariah Carey attending the "Precious" screening at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. What is there to say, except Yowza?

May 15, 2009: Elizabeth Banks attending the "Precious" screening at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. She always looks lovely. 

May 16, 2009: Emile Hirsch attending the "Taking Woodstock" Photocall at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Taking a page out of Woodstock perhaps, for his wardrobe choice?

May 15, 2009: Quentin Tarantino attending the "Precious" screening at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. He always looks very dapper in his own dark way.

May 13, 2009: Elizabeth Banks and Aishwarya Rai attending the "Up" screening at the Opening night of The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. They’re so coordinated; makes you wonder if they chose their outfits to complement each other.

15th May 2009. Martin Scorsese at the Photocall for The World Cinema Foundation at the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, France. A classic guy in every way.

May 13, 2009: Tilda Swinton attending the "Up" screening at the Opening night of The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. I love her unique style.

May 13, 2009: Robin Wright Penn attending the Jury photocall at The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. She always looks so sad. I wonder if it’s because she’s married to Sean Penn … come on, you know you’re thinking it, too.

May 13, 2009: Isabelle Huppert and Robin Wright Penn attending the "Up" screening at the Opening night of The 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Again with the sadness … love her dress, though.

Image: INF

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As you probably know by now, Phoenix has been having a bit of a meltdown in the public eye. He showed up on David Letterman doing his best Unibomber impression, after deciding to switch from acting to rapping. Yes, he decided to be a rapper. How respectable.

But I dunno. Maybe he’s just feeling his oats. Maybe it’s all part of a big publicity stunt. Casey Affleck is filming a documentary on Phoenix’s rapper adventures, due out next year.

But when I think about all the great performances Phoenix gave as an actor, I really hope he returns to the profession. His stunning performance as Johnny Cash in 2005’s “Walk the Line” gave me goosebumps. His understated role as Bobby Green in 2007’s “We Own the Night,” alongside Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall, was a thing of beauty. He’s next up in “Two Lovers,” due out this month. It was nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.

I know the acting business isn’t an easy one, and many people end up in rehab over the stress of it all. But some get through it ok and make cinematic history in the process. I hope Phoenix returns to acting, to give us more memorable performances.

So what do you think? Should Joaquin Phoenix return to the profession that made him a household name? Or don’t you really care?

Image: We Own the Night, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2008

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Basically, the movie will be released in two two-hour parts, so the big question for the distributor is whether to release the films together or separately.

More after the jump…

Doesn’t it seem like it’d be better to release them together? I mean, just from a viewer standpoint, I’d want to see the whole thing as a seamless film, not in two parts over a period of time.

The film (which also goes by the title Guerrilla) focuses on Che Guevara’s twin revolutions in Bolivia and Cuba. It premiered at the Festival de Cannes in May to mixed response.

Image: Steven Soderbergh, The Good German, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006

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Here’s the deal: Brad Pitt has joined the cast of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, about a group of Jewish American soldiers who take vengeance on Nazis in German-occupied France.

Pitt will play Lt. Aldo Raine, the head of the Jewish resistance. Simon Pegg is in negotiations to play a British lieutenant, and David Krumholtz will play a member of Pitt’s team. 

Nastassja Kinski is meeting with Tarantino for the part of a German actress. She really hasn’t been visible in the film biz for the past few years, so it’ll be cool to see her on screen again.

More after the jump…

Producer Lawrence Bender said the pairing of Pitt and Tarantino, who’ve never worked together as actor and director, should produce some interesting results. “They’re going to push each other and really help make something special,” he said.

Yeah, we’ll see. I haven’t been all that impressed with Pitt’s work in recent years. I fell asleep watching The Assassination of Jesse James, and Ocean’s Thirteen didn’t do much for me either. Babel was ok, but mostly because of Cate Blanchett. Maybe Pitt should just stick to raising kids.

The Weinstein/Universal production starts shooting Oct. 13 in Germany, with the goal of premiering at the 2009 Festival de Cannes. Unless there’s an actor’s strike, of course. I’m a ray of sunshine, aren’t I?

Image: Brad Pitt, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2007

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