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MusicCritics (472 KP) created a video about Witness by Katy Perry in Music
Jun 27, 2017
Kleber Mendonca recommended Secret Sunshine (2007) in Movies (curated)
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about track Do You Need Power? (Walk Out Music) Bon Iver by Mike WiLL Made-It in Creed II: The Album by Mike WiLL Made-It in Music
Nov 19, 2018
Tommy Chong recommended The Shawshank Redemption (1994) in Movies (curated)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Nov 12, 2019
Strongly Directed by Bong Joon-Ho
There are more strong film makers in this world than are just sitting in traditionally English-speaking Countries (like the U.S./England). One of the strongest - and a Director that I will watch WHATEVER he is Directing - is South Korean auteur Bong Joon-Ho. His previous efforts (THE HOST, OKJA, SNOWPIERCER, amongst others) were all led by intriguing stories, interesting people and strong visual imagery, so I was very excited for his newest effort, PARASITE. I purposely did not find out too much about this film, for I wanted to be surprised by what was unfolding in front of me.
And...I was rewarded, greatly by another intriguing story with interesting people and strong visual imagery.
In Korean, with English subtitles, PARASITE follows a lower class Korean family that go to work for a high class Korean family and brings us on a journey for BOTH families. And that's all I'm going to say about it, for to reveal anything else would be to spoil the surprises along the way.
But, as is often the case with these types of stories, it is the journey, not the destination that is the treat of this film. Bong Joon-Ho regular Kang-ho Song stars as the Patriarch of the lower class family who, seemingly, is lazy and allergic to "work", but that is not really the case. Woo-sik Choi is the son of the lower class family that connects with the daughter of the higher class family and Hye-jin Jang is the matriarch of the lower class family and they both bring sensitivity and strength to their roles. But for me, the real star of this film is So-dam Park as the daughter of this family who turns out to be the heart and the brains of the operation.
Director Bong Joon-Ho brings his usual flair to the proceedings, not letting his camera shy away from the seemy underbelly of this society, but not lingering on it either, moving the surprising plot along at a fast (enough) pace to keep you guessing throughout. I see a lot of films, so when I run across a plot that I couldn't tell what was going to come next, it is satisfying.
And, satisfying this film is. Some are calling it an "Oscar Contender" and I don't think I would go quite that far - the film does drag a bit in the middle. But, if you can handle reading the subtitles, you'll be entertained indeed by the fervent mind of one of the better Directors working in film today.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And...I was rewarded, greatly by another intriguing story with interesting people and strong visual imagery.
In Korean, with English subtitles, PARASITE follows a lower class Korean family that go to work for a high class Korean family and brings us on a journey for BOTH families. And that's all I'm going to say about it, for to reveal anything else would be to spoil the surprises along the way.
But, as is often the case with these types of stories, it is the journey, not the destination that is the treat of this film. Bong Joon-Ho regular Kang-ho Song stars as the Patriarch of the lower class family who, seemingly, is lazy and allergic to "work", but that is not really the case. Woo-sik Choi is the son of the lower class family that connects with the daughter of the higher class family and Hye-jin Jang is the matriarch of the lower class family and they both bring sensitivity and strength to their roles. But for me, the real star of this film is So-dam Park as the daughter of this family who turns out to be the heart and the brains of the operation.
Director Bong Joon-Ho brings his usual flair to the proceedings, not letting his camera shy away from the seemy underbelly of this society, but not lingering on it either, moving the surprising plot along at a fast (enough) pace to keep you guessing throughout. I see a lot of films, so when I run across a plot that I couldn't tell what was going to come next, it is satisfying.
And, satisfying this film is. Some are calling it an "Oscar Contender" and I don't think I would go quite that far - the film does drag a bit in the middle. But, if you can handle reading the subtitles, you'll be entertained indeed by the fervent mind of one of the better Directors working in film today.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Aug 3, 2020
An exceptional take on current climates of glamour obsession that currently faces much of the world.
Bear in mind, this movie is made in South Korea, and as such is entirely subtitled. If you normally aren't interested in this format but are thinking of giving it a go, this is definitely a great first effort.
Bong Joon-ho does (as always) an amazing job of adding layers to each character that makes you genuinely sympathize with them, even when they are a bit on the crazy side of things. Pay attention to the little things, for they are not as little as they appear.
Bear in mind, this movie is made in South Korea, and as such is entirely subtitled. If you normally aren't interested in this format but are thinking of giving it a go, this is definitely a great first effort.
Bong Joon-ho does (as always) an amazing job of adding layers to each character that makes you genuinely sympathize with them, even when they are a bit on the crazy side of things. Pay attention to the little things, for they are not as little as they appear.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The House by the Cemetery in Books
Jan 31, 2019 (Updated Feb 2, 2019)
I have a love-hate relationship with The House by the Cemetery by John Everson, and it’s really tearing me apart. I absolutely enjoyed the story itself, but there’s a few issues, one of which is a huge red flag, that I simply can’t allow to go unspoken–and if other reviews are any clue, I’m not the only one that’s immensely bothered by it.
The story involves a witch that died in 1963, a haunted house, a haunted house attraction, and a lot of characters (too many to keep track of without a notebook, actually). Hired to repair the haunted house so that guests can safely walk through it, Mike Kostner spends much of his time drinking beer and talking with the girls, Katie and Emery. At the same time, Jeanie’s been hired on as a makeup artist for the upcoming attraction and drags her boyfriend, Bong, into it. Then there’s Jillie and Ted, paranormal investigators. And then there are three other groups of people to form more members of the cast, which I found to be extremely overwhelming.
At this point in my review, I usually talk about characters and their development, what I like about them, what I don’t, etc. In this case, I can’t really do that. The only character I managed to forge any sort of emotional connection with was Jeanie, and it’s mainly sympathetic. As for the rest of the roles played, I’m largely disappointed. Why? Because there’s a severe lack of sensitivity in this novel–which has been mentioned in several other reviews. There are four characters whose sole defining characteristic is either their race or their weight. There’s no depth given beyond that to them as an individual. The remarks dealing with weight are largely shaming and those dealing with race are stereotypical. And here’s where I’m going to take a moment to discuss the character Bong, which I feel is the most blatant insult to another race’s customs that I’ve seen in a long time.
Bong’s full name is Bong-soon Mon. Phonetically, that sounds a lot like “bong soon man.” It’s not overly obvious if you’re not familiar with Korean names, and Bong-soon is an actual name used in the drama Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. However, in this case, Everson shortens Bong-soon, which is actually the character’s name (whether it’s his first or last, I’m not sure), to Bong. Thus he makes it more of a laughing matter (really, it’s not funny), whether it’s intentional or unintentional. Usually I’m not sensitive to these types of material, but in this book the way it comes across is really bothersome and, like several other readers, I agree with the idea that this book desperately needs an edit for sensitivity. Please bear in mind that I read an arc of this book and so I’m not sure if any of these issues were addressed in the final publication.
EDIT: After speaking with the author, he explained to me that the reason he shortened the name as he did comes from personal experience with someone that had the same name, and what they went by. Everson also assured me it was not his intent to fat shame those characters. I really appreciate that he reached out to me, and feel it's important that my misconception be corrected, but not hidden.
Plotwise, I adored this book. I can’t go too much into detail without sharing spoilers, but I can say this: the Everson does have a talent for creating beautifully grisly, albeit somewhat repetitive, scenes. The bloodbath that takes place near the end of the book is a glorious gore-fest that I felt the rest of the story worked up to quite well, even if it crawled earlier on while Mike was working on the house. As for the setting, it’s well written. I liked the idea of a house next to a cemetery, and its easy to infer its age without being told: it’s too close to a turnpike to have been put there before the turnpike was built. I was, however, confused by the juxtaposition of a heavily wooded house and cemetery in close proximity to a city or town, as in my experience turnpikes usually don’t have exits between major locales. At least, not very many present-day ones do, as most of them have been converted to, or created as, a controlled-access highway, where intersecting roads tend to cross over or under so that they do not impede traffic. That said, it strikes me as weird that a single house and cemetery would have an exit from a turnpike.
So I decided to google cemeteries and turnpikes, and what did I find? Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is an actual haunted locale found in the suburbs of Chicago. And yes, it actually is that close to a turnpike! If you like to watch Ghost Adventures, the cemetery was featured in a 2012 episode. Also, the cemetery is extremely old. Even better? Many of the ghost stories referenced in the book are actual tales surrounding the cemetery. It’s actually pretty fascinating and I wouldn’t even have known about it were it not for Everson’s book.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. I loved the homage to horror movies of all types, including lesser known genres. I absolutely adored the way in which some of the characters were manipulated, too. Hence why I stated early in this review that I have a love-hate relationship with it. Because of the lack of sensitivity though, and the way I was made to feel as a reader because of it (I’m overweight, after all), I can’t give it more than three skulls.
I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.
The story involves a witch that died in 1963, a haunted house, a haunted house attraction, and a lot of characters (too many to keep track of without a notebook, actually). Hired to repair the haunted house so that guests can safely walk through it, Mike Kostner spends much of his time drinking beer and talking with the girls, Katie and Emery. At the same time, Jeanie’s been hired on as a makeup artist for the upcoming attraction and drags her boyfriend, Bong, into it. Then there’s Jillie and Ted, paranormal investigators. And then there are three other groups of people to form more members of the cast, which I found to be extremely overwhelming.
At this point in my review, I usually talk about characters and their development, what I like about them, what I don’t, etc. In this case, I can’t really do that. The only character I managed to forge any sort of emotional connection with was Jeanie, and it’s mainly sympathetic. As for the rest of the roles played, I’m largely disappointed. Why? Because there’s a severe lack of sensitivity in this novel–which has been mentioned in several other reviews. There are four characters whose sole defining characteristic is either their race or their weight. There’s no depth given beyond that to them as an individual. The remarks dealing with weight are largely shaming and those dealing with race are stereotypical. And here’s where I’m going to take a moment to discuss the character Bong, which I feel is the most blatant insult to another race’s customs that I’ve seen in a long time.
Bong’s full name is Bong-soon Mon. Phonetically, that sounds a lot like “bong soon man.” It’s not overly obvious if you’re not familiar with Korean names, and Bong-soon is an actual name used in the drama Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. However, in this case, Everson shortens Bong-soon, which is actually the character’s name (whether it’s his first or last, I’m not sure), to Bong. Thus he makes it more of a laughing matter (really, it’s not funny), whether it’s intentional or unintentional. Usually I’m not sensitive to these types of material, but in this book the way it comes across is really bothersome and, like several other readers, I agree with the idea that this book desperately needs an edit for sensitivity. Please bear in mind that I read an arc of this book and so I’m not sure if any of these issues were addressed in the final publication.
EDIT: After speaking with the author, he explained to me that the reason he shortened the name as he did comes from personal experience with someone that had the same name, and what they went by. Everson also assured me it was not his intent to fat shame those characters. I really appreciate that he reached out to me, and feel it's important that my misconception be corrected, but not hidden.
Plotwise, I adored this book. I can’t go too much into detail without sharing spoilers, but I can say this: the Everson does have a talent for creating beautifully grisly, albeit somewhat repetitive, scenes. The bloodbath that takes place near the end of the book is a glorious gore-fest that I felt the rest of the story worked up to quite well, even if it crawled earlier on while Mike was working on the house. As for the setting, it’s well written. I liked the idea of a house next to a cemetery, and its easy to infer its age without being told: it’s too close to a turnpike to have been put there before the turnpike was built. I was, however, confused by the juxtaposition of a heavily wooded house and cemetery in close proximity to a city or town, as in my experience turnpikes usually don’t have exits between major locales. At least, not very many present-day ones do, as most of them have been converted to, or created as, a controlled-access highway, where intersecting roads tend to cross over or under so that they do not impede traffic. That said, it strikes me as weird that a single house and cemetery would have an exit from a turnpike.
So I decided to google cemeteries and turnpikes, and what did I find? Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is an actual haunted locale found in the suburbs of Chicago. And yes, it actually is that close to a turnpike! If you like to watch Ghost Adventures, the cemetery was featured in a 2012 episode. Also, the cemetery is extremely old. Even better? Many of the ghost stories referenced in the book are actual tales surrounding the cemetery. It’s actually pretty fascinating and I wouldn’t even have known about it were it not for Everson’s book.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. I loved the homage to horror movies of all types, including lesser known genres. I absolutely adored the way in which some of the characters were manipulated, too. Hence why I stated early in this review that I have a love-hate relationship with it. Because of the lack of sensitivity though, and the way I was made to feel as a reader because of it (I’m overweight, after all), I can’t give it more than three skulls.
I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Aug 21, 2020
the depiction of the rich and poor. (2 more)
The depiction of class conflict.
The depiction of social inequality.
overhyped (1 more)
strange and weird.
Just Strange Overall
Parasite- i heard excellent things about it, people rating it 9's and 10's. Calling it "one of the best movies of 2019", calling it "one of the best movies all of time". All of the hype, all of the rewards, all of the critcism, was it deserved well yes and no. Here is the thing the movie was okay. Bong Joon-Ho does a excellent depicking the rich and the poor. Other than that, the movie was hard to follow. Im not the biggest fan of foreign language films cause their are hard to follow. But i do like some foreign language films. One of my favorites is "Pans Labyrinith". "Cronos", "Let The Right One In", "The Orphanage", Juila's Eyes", "The Devil's Backbone" and "Thelma". Are all excellent Foreign langauge films. Its just this one i couldnt get into.
The plot: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Should it got all of these awards, well yes and no. Like i said it does a excellent job depicking the rich from the poor, class conflict, social inequality and wealth disparity. Bong Joon-Ho did a excellent job wih the subject matter. Just for me it was kinda of boring, hard to follow and just strange. I dont if i should of gotten all of those rewards, i mean it was well desvered but their were better movies.
I know other loved this film, just me i didnt. Again this is my opinion. I just want people to know that. Watch it if you want to. Just the hype was overhyped for me.
The plot: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Should it got all of these awards, well yes and no. Like i said it does a excellent job depicking the rich from the poor, class conflict, social inequality and wealth disparity. Bong Joon-Ho did a excellent job wih the subject matter. Just for me it was kinda of boring, hard to follow and just strange. I dont if i should of gotten all of those rewards, i mean it was well desvered but their were better movies.
I know other loved this film, just me i didnt. Again this is my opinion. I just want people to know that. Watch it if you want to. Just the hype was overhyped for me.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
I first saw Snowpiercer on Netflix purely by skimming through what was on one night, when I found out that it was finally coming out on Blu-ray I got very excited, for those that don’t know the film is from the visionary mind behind 2020 Oscar-winner Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho’s star-studded dystopian sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer is a movie that has now also been made into a TV series, but today I’m bringing you my review of the film’s much-anticipated Blu-ray release.
Set in 2031, the entire planet is frozen and the world’s only survivors live aboard the Snowpiercer: a train that’s been hurtling around the globe for the past seventeen years. Within the carriages, the remnants of the human race have formed their own divisive economic and class system.
Set in 2031, the entire planet is frozen and the world’s only survivors live aboard the Snowpiercer: a train that’s been hurtling around the globe for the past seventeen years. Within the carriages, the remnants of the human race have formed their own divisive economic and class system.
Jessica Erdas (463 KP) rated Strong Girl Bong-Soon in TV
Nov 3, 2018 (Updated Nov 3, 2018)
Absolutely amazing
I have nothing bad to say about this show. It is serious while simultaneously hilarious. The plot thickens with each episode. The acting is superb and I love the romantic progression. Not only is the main character, Do Bong-Soon, at battle with herself and her incredible strength, she becomes the bodyguard of the CEO of a gaming company, and begins investigating terrifying disappearances that take place after a murder. When someone close to her is targeted by the kidnapper, she takes it personally and sets herself up to catch the culprit. The overlay sound effects and background animation only succeed in adding to the charm of this show. As long as you don't mind subtitles, this show is definitely worth a watch. The episodes are fairly long at over an hour each so it's easy to waste a lot of time watching without realizing. Be prepared.