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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies

Nov 12, 2019

Parasite (2019)

2019 | Drama

8.6

(40 Ratings)

Movie Rating

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)

Kudos

Andy K (10821 KP) Nov 12, 2019

Really want to see this!

Kudos

Malody - The ultimate music game simulator

Games and Music

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

Malody is a cross-platform music game (Simulator) which is developed by a group of dedicated...

If You Liked School, You'll Love Work

Irvine Welsh

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

In 'Rattlesnakes', three young Americans find themselves lost in the desert, held captive by armed...

Gods and Monsters (1998)

8.0 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Movie Watch

Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein,"...

David McK (3372 KP) rated Yes Man (2008) in Movies

Jul 25, 2020

Yes Man (2008)

2008 | Comedy

6.4

(10 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Jim Carrey comedy vehicle, in a return to his more physical comedy of his earlier years, as a man who - after attending a self-help (Cult?) seminar - must say "yes" to every opportunity that comes his way.

Queue a fortuitous meet up with Zooey Deschenal, learning Korean, to play the guitar and how to fly (all of which later come to his aid), in a romcom that pretty much does exactly what you'd expect it to do.

I think, personally speaking, that the main problem with this is that you could forget it pretty quickly: indeed, I'd forgotten I'd ever seen it before until I got about halfway through!