Tag Archives: Bong Joon-ho

2019, Top Lists

Best Films of 2019

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With large-scale lockdowns and “shelter-in-place” orders in effect, there has never been a better time to check out the best of last year’s films (now available for streaming). Note that only the number one film is ranked.

1. Parasite

For once, the Academy got it right. Not only is Parasite this year’s Best Picture winner, it actually deserves the award. Bong Joon-ho crafted an intricate thriller that works on so many levels. He deftly balances the film’s tone as it moves from comedic heist movie to thriller while imbuing it with unclear morality. The class divide between the rich and poor families is always present, but neither side becomes a hero or a villain and, in its closing moments, the film leaves the audience with complex, uncomfortable thoughts on the outcomes of its characters and their culpability in creating their own fates.

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Pain and Glory

Director Pedro Almodóvar is no stranger to semi-autobiographical films, but Pain and Glory represents one of his most intimate works. Antonio Banderas stars as an aging director reminiscing on his life and loves. Banderas is stunning in a quiet, complex performance as he reconnects with an old partner and thinks back to his upbringing in a small Spanish village. The film is nostalgic, romantic, and vulnerable in a way few films this year have been. Despite its specificity, Almodóvar relates this personal tale to universal feelings of anxiety over the decisions we have made and the lives we have chosen.

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One Cut of the Dead

Zombie movies, as a genre, are far past their expiration date, but One Cut of the Dead uses genre tropes for a comedy ultimately about resource-strapped filmmaking. The movie-within-a-movie setup works on its own, but is revisited with additional hilarious context as the story of a low-rate director making a zombie movie gone wrong is flipped on its head with the physical humor of a great screwball comedy and the anxious anticipation of a sports movie all wrapped up into one surprising treat.

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino has made his warmest, most mature movie yet. Reveling in his deep love of classic TV and cinema, but refraining from the worst of his fanboy tendencies, he has made lovable characters caught in a time of change. The story is unique in his catalog in that it has almost no action. It’s essentially a hangout film where we follow the daily lives of two Hollywood insiders as they appear to be at the end of their careers. Tarantino gets us invested in these soon-to-be has-beens using his signature dialogue and the unbeatable ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio to hold the audience until the film’s cathartic finale.

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Little Women

It may have been adapted several times before, but Greta Gerwig’s Little Women stands on its own . She uses a unique structure to not only adapt the classic novel, but to also pay tribute to its author’s life. Each of the March sisters is rendered in full detail with their own distinct personalities and desires and Gerwig creates the natural chemistry of siblings that love each other even as they squabble. Each is presented with compassion and their goals are equally respected as Gerwig provides a warm refresh to this beloved story.

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The Art of Self-Defense

Part bone-dry satire and part commentary on masculine ideals, The Art of Self-Defense has an offbeat tone that will confuse some. Jesse Eisenberg turns in his best role in years as a timid accountant who grows under the direction of a Sensei karate teacher with warped ideas. The film goes to some disturbing places as it explores the extremes of gender standards but also points out their farcical nature with the Sensei’s borderline moronic teachings. It’s a strange package, but one that is supported by a tightly-constructed script and satisfying plotting.

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Booksmart

The shorthand of ”Superbad, but with girls” is both accurate and misleading. The premise is similar as two best friends decide to cap off their high school experience by attending a raging party the night before graduation, but debut director Olivia Wilde adds extra dimension to the characters. The kids that party also have good grades and were accepted into top schools and seemingly shallow roles have unexpected depth to them. The film is also filled with hilarious diversions en route to the final destination, but its success stems from the genuine affection between two lifelong friends.

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Honeyland

A documentary following a solitary bee-keeper in a remote part of Northern Macedonia is not exactly an easy sell, but directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov have mined a plethora of topics from this obscure premise. The film uses the life of Hatidže, its humble lead, to tackle a wide variety of topics ranging from natural resource usage to the brutal effect of capitalism to life regrets. Her modest existence carries unexpected emotional resonance in this empathetic study.

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In the Aisles

In the Aisles is another movie that would be difficult to pitch to financiers. The story follows a man who gets a job stocking shelves at a warehouse store on the night shift. Franz Rogowski plays the lead in this gentle tale. He is a man looking for stability in his life. Both he and the film find the comfort and beauty in what many would consider mundane. The expansive store and the community of workers within it lead to comradery and potential romance. Director Thomas Stuber approaches the story with tender respect for the humble lives and their modest desires. It’s a sensitive, affecting film that, in its romantic moments, is almost like a German In the Mood for Love.

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Ad Astra

Ad Astra is sci-fi film that focuses on inner emotions. Brad Pitt plays an astronaut heralded for his ability to stay calm under pressure that is asked to take a secret voyage to find the source of dangerous solar flares affecting life on Earth. Director James Gray creates an uniquely mundane vision of space travel. In his world, interplanetary flight has become routine, like the coach class ticket of future. Space stations on the moon are closer to subway stations than anything else and this approach grounds the film, allowing it to focus on its lead’s thoughts rather than the technology at hand. The reliance on voiceover and slower pacing may be off-putting to some, but Gray has used the outer space setting to explore the inner self and the conflict caused by the ideals of heroism, while still sprinkling in a few exhilarating set pieces.

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The Nightingale

This film is not an easy watch due to the objectionable content on display. It is a revenge story of a female convict in Tasmania that enlists an aboriginal man to help her track down the men who acted against her. The film takes an unflinching look at injustices faced by its characters, forcing the viewer to not only sympathize, but to even experience the atrocities from their perspectives.

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The Farewell

The Farewell  is a stranger-than-fiction, but apparently not uncommon, story of a family that refuses to tell their grandmother that she is dying of cancer. Director Lulu Wang uses her personal experiences to base this story in difficult emotions. The film touches on the differences between Eastern and Western mentalities, the obligations we have to our loved ones, and is surprisingly funny with a subdued, but sarcastic performance from Awkwafina.

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2019, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Parasite (2019): High-class Infiltration

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With his first film to be made fully in Korea in a decade, director Bong Joon-ho has created his best work since Memories of Murder. Parasite is the story of a poor family living in a basement apartment . The father (Song Kang-ho) was a driver but, like the rest of his family, is unemployed and barely scraping by. The son gets an offer from his friend to substitute as an English tutor for a rich girl, despite his lack of a college education, and enters into a completely different world. Using the English name “Kevin”, he meets the Parks, an affluent family that pays him a sum that is inconsequential to them, but life-changing for him.

The film begins as a comedic con movie. Kevin (Choi Woo-sik; Okja) tricks his way into the wealthy household on his friend’s recommendation, but the film becomes increasingly ridiculous as he, and each subsequent member of his family, devise ways to get their loved ones a job, even if that job is already taken. They set up elaborate schemes to put the existing staff out of work that, while unfair to the innocent employees, are hilarious in their audacity. The rich mom appears kind, but gullible, or “simple” as Kevin’s friend puts it, and falls for their innocuous line of recommendations. Slowly, the entire Kim family becomes employed by the Park family and their clumsy attempts to hide their relationships become a great comedy of errors.

The poor Kim family does odd jobs like folding pizza boxes just to survive.

Without spoiling anything, their deception escalates with unforeseen consequences. This is where the plot thickens and the film’s themes begin to show themselves. While the Parks seem kind and welcoming at first, the disparity between their lives and the lives of the Kim family comes into focus. During a heavy rainfall, the Park family, in their walled off home above the city streets, are largely unaffected, with their son even camping outside during the storm. The Kims however live in a partially underground apartment. The rain leads to their home being flooded to chest-high levels of sewage water, drastically impacting their lives in a way the Parks are not even aware of. In the subtle way they treat their employees, the Parks show their aversion towards the Kims and their lower class life, gradually changing how the Kims, and the audience, view them. The Parks may be the victim of deception, but their attitudes create a moral gray area.

Bong is known for his skillful blending of genres and tones, but Parasite is remarkable even by his high standards. The film works on so many levels. It’s a thriller, a farcical comedy, and a commentary on class, all without conflicting tones or sacrificing the strength of one genre for the other. As the film dives into unexpected territories, it feel completely controlled and reaches surprising levels of emotional significance. Bong uses the film to comment on class privilege, but also the sacrifices and glass ceilings of the lower classes. He shows what the poor must struggle through, what they dream of, and what their realities are without completely absolving them of blame. He isn’t afraid of showing multiple perspectives. Parasite is masterful blend of genres and a tonal juggling act featuring a complex look at wealth disparity in modern society.

five stars

5/5 stars.

2017, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Okja (2017)

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[BS Note: This film is currently available for streaming on Netflix]

Returning to Korea after his first English language film, director Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder) has made his second creature feature. In 2006, he put his own spin on the monster movie with The Host and here he brings a unique narrative about a special pet. A multinational food corporation with a bad history, Murando, led by their strange CEO Lucy (Tilda Swinton; Doctor Strange), has created a new breed of superpig – larger, less environmentally demanding, and tasty. In a rebranding effort, Lucy announces that 26 pigs will be sent out to be raised locally by farmers around the world with a plan to hold a “Best Superpig” contest and launch their new food products 10 years later. Mija (Ahn Seo-Hyun) is the teenage girl who has raised her superpig, Okja, in South Korea until it is taken away by Murando. Unwilling to say goodbye to her pet, Mija travels to America to bring Okja back home.

The success of the film relies entirely on its depiction of Okja. The hippo-like animal is rendered with a startling amount of personality and intelligence. She cuddles with Mija as she sleeps and is able to problem solve when needed. She is less like Mija’s pet than her partner in crime as she helps her fish, climb, and even risks herself to make sure Mija is safe. Most computer-generated effects suffer from unrealistic physics. They feel weightless and removed from the physical world. Okja doesn’t have this problem. She trots and leaps with a heft fitting of a creature her size. This attention to detail in her animation makes her feel believable as she interactions with the objects and people around her.

Okja’s human emotions make her immediately endearing.

There are some unexpected additions to Bong’s direction. He shoots the film with a much more frenetic style than usual. The camera bounces and shakes as it chases its subjects, even employing snap zooms as needed. This progression towards a more mainstream style of shooting action started with his previous film, Snowpiercer, but is much more prevalent here. The end result is somewhat mixed. While it does add a sense of chaos to the story, especially when Okja is involved, it can be unnecessarily distracting. It makes the otherwise well-staged action harder to follow which detracts from its overall impact.

Few filmmakers working today can juggle multiple conflicting tones like Bong can. While the overall silliness of the film prevents it from ever becoming too heavy, he still has to balance animal cruelty, extremism, corporate machinations, and animal-human relationships, each with its own tone. Fortunately, he is able to quickly change the mood as needed. Thrilling chase scenes end in toilet humor and what could be a tense hostage situation with animal rights extremists is punctuated by their incompetence. The one constant in the changing moods is Mija’s relationship with Okja. Mija’s unbreakable will to save Okja and her refusal to give up are heartwarming. Their affection serves as the emotional core of the film. While situations can often stretch believability, their friendship is a pleasant anchoring point. There could be a greater theme read into about the morality of animal farming and meat consumption, but Bong keeps his emphasis on Mija and Okja. Their credible relationship and Bong’s skilled tonal maneuverings make Okja a sweet story of the bond between a girl and best friend. Slighter than his typical work, but enjoyable nonetheless.

3/5 stars.

2017, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Colossal (2017)

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Nacho Vigalondo, the Spanish director who debuted with the similarly strange Timecrimes, is back with his highest profile release yet. Colossal stars Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) as she plays against type as Gloria, an out-of-control alcoholic writer who returns to her small-town family home after being kicked out by her fed-up boyfriend. When back home she reunites with a childhood friend (Jason Sudeikis; We’re the Millers) and discovers that she is somehow controlling a giant Godzilla-like monster rampaging through South Korea.

The ridiculous setup brings lots of laughs. As Gloria discovers the rules of her powers, her drunken attempts to make sense of things are hilarious and Hathaway is clearly enjoying herself in the role. In her few moments of sobriety she fails miserably at explaining her situation to her friends. It isn’t until she starts making the monster dance or do other unusual movements that she is able to convince them. These scenes become comedic as the director crosscuts between her steps in a suburban playground and the masses of hysterical people fleeing city-wide destruction in Seoul. Then, when she is afraid of what might happen if others knew about her ability, she clumsily tries to hide the truth, as if anyone would believe her. When Gloria is still discovering the rules of her situation, the film is as funny as it is intriguing.

The discovery of Gloria’s powers is the best part of the film.

What’s surprising is how being the monster changes her. In her previous life, Gloria’s lack of responsibility allowed her to spiral out of control. She didn’t have any impact on others so she was left without a purpose until now. The ability to control a gigantic beast in another country becomes empowering. She can suddenly communicate with and affect the lives of millions and it changes the way she approaches her life. She starts to make better decisions (i.e. drinking less) and taking more responsibility. The use of the supernatural setup to grow her character is an unexpectedly compelling character arc.

It’s the film’s latter half that drags it down. Unsatisfied with the lighter tone, Vigalondo moves the film into much darker territory. Certain characters make abrupt turns into villainous roles and the sudden change is unearned. It ruins the fun of the wacky premise and doesn’t match the precedent set by the early parts of the movie. The director also adds unnecessary exposition. There are brief flashbacks throughout the film that hint at the cause of Gloria’s powers, but when their true nature is fully revealed it creates plot holes rather than filling them. The explanation doesn’t add gravity to the film and only distracts from the core: Gloria’s self-improvement. As strange as it seems, these changes stretch belief more than Anne Hathaway controlling a kaiju.

The most important factors in a film like this are consistency and commitment. Consistency in tone and commitment to the story. Far-fetched premises like Being John Malkovich, or any of Charlie Kaufman’s works for that matter, succeed because they have a clear emotional direction and stick to that angle. Other unusual takes on the kaiju genre like Bong Joon-ho’s The Host managed their lighter approach because they never deviated from their initial intent. Instead of continuing in the tone of Colossal’s successful early sections, Vigalondo loses focus and falls prey to damaging forced conflict and exposition.

3/5 stars.

2016, Recent Reviews, Reviews

The Wailing (2016)

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In a small village outside Seoul local policeman Jong-Goo (Kwak Do-won) is called to a crime scene. A previously normal man has viciously killed his family through repeated stabbing. The trend continues as more crimes occur featuring average people suddenly going on murderous rampages and losing their minds. All of these events began soon after a Japanese man (Jun Kunimura) moves into town and rumors spread in the village that he is somehow connected to the murders.

The Wailing starts out as a standard police procedural but soon hints at a supernatural bent.  The culprits of these horrific crimes have a feral quality, growling and convulsing as if possessed. Some are seen prowling naked in the night before the crimes are committed. When people begin indicting the Japanese man for these horrendous happenings, they claim he has cast some sort of spell…literally. This is a setting where demons and witchcraft are very serious concerns.

The shaman makes his attempt to remedy the situation.
The shaman makes his attempt to remedy the situation.

The film establishes several potential sources of unnatural intervention. The Japanese man, a Christian priest, and a shaman all have their own rituals and beliefs. Whether it’s holding a cross, sacrificing animals, or dramatic rites, each custom is portrayed in the same alien fashion. As the film progresses Jong-Goo must decide who to believe, but there is no clear answer. They all seem strange in their own way and the confusion only adds to the heavy dread already present.

There are strong resemblances to Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece Memories of Murder. A somewhat competent cop, a series of murders in a small town, and near constant rainfall. Director Na Hong-jin (The Yellow Sea) uses the torrential precipitation to demonstrate the hopelessness of the situation. He also contrasts the idyllic countryside filled with lush forests against the gruesome murders. Like Bong, Na skewers the desire to describe complex issues with clear, understandable principles. The townspeople try to attribute the crimes to religious beliefs as a method of deflecting reality. What is the better conclusion, that a person has been cursed or that they knowingly committed a heinous crime? As Jong-Goo navigates this spiritual struggle, director Na expertly balances the human fears with the magical possibilities.

4/5 stars.