GWOEMUL (The Host)
GWOEMUL (The Host)
January 31 (?) 2009, DVD, home living room, from library
No, I can't remember the exact night that I watched this - I know that I watched it with the room all dark and I'm so glad I did. It was either a Friday or a Saturday night, and in fact, it would have to have been a Saturday because I watch Battlestar Galactica on Friday nights.
Anyway, THE HOST is exactly as good as everybody told me was, but it's kind of a different movie than I was expecting. I'd heard that it was a fantastic monster movie that takes its cue from kaiju classics, but updates it in a wonderful way, and that it does CG right. I didn't expect it to be a comedy (or at least a comedic tragedy, because this is Asian cinema after all) that combines self-awareness, CATCH-22-level satire, and slapstick. Who'd have thought that a movie that has a lot of "fat guy falling down" humor can successfully blend that with human sensitivity and a big dose of "Fuck the Man"?
It doesn't entirely succeed all of the time, and feels slightly disjointed because there are so many kinds of approaches happening here that not all of the transitions happen smoothly. But 90% of the time, THE HOST is complete and utter brilliance. It's been a long time since I've seen a movie that made me gasp, "How'd they do that?!" I could have watched the making-of featurettes on the DVD, but I decided to leave it a mystery for now. Eventually, though, I'm going to snap and devour every detail about the special effects that I can get my hands on. It's some seriously immersive shit that CLOVERFIELD, our other neo-kaiju instant classic, doesn't even attempt. Including the work of San Francisco geniuses the Orphanage, literally, these effects are the kind of astonishing new creativity that I haven't seen since, dare I say, THE MATRIX.
Anyway, the monster is frackin' cool, of course. One of the things I love about CG is that people can now create the kinds of Lovecraftian creatures that are fascinating, but you can't quite figure them out entirely; they've got horror layered upon disgusting horror, and eventually your eyes just glaze over. That said, if anyone knows where I can get a figure of this monster, I'd be your best friend for a day.
A great performance by Kang-ho Song anchors the film. As hapless, narcoleptic sad sack Gang-Du, he embodies a genuine spirit of heroism and bravery that pulls the whole movie along with him, and we always hope he can overcome his limitations and save the day. All by himself, this guy has made me want to watch more Korean cinema (OLD BOY helped, too). I'm also excited about other films by director Joon-ho Bong, but there kind of aren't very many; I guess he's new. I'll still keep an eye out.
January 31 (?) 2009, DVD, home living room, from library
No, I can't remember the exact night that I watched this - I know that I watched it with the room all dark and I'm so glad I did. It was either a Friday or a Saturday night, and in fact, it would have to have been a Saturday because I watch Battlestar Galactica on Friday nights.
Anyway, THE HOST is exactly as good as everybody told me was, but it's kind of a different movie than I was expecting. I'd heard that it was a fantastic monster movie that takes its cue from kaiju classics, but updates it in a wonderful way, and that it does CG right. I didn't expect it to be a comedy (or at least a comedic tragedy, because this is Asian cinema after all) that combines self-awareness, CATCH-22-level satire, and slapstick. Who'd have thought that a movie that has a lot of "fat guy falling down" humor can successfully blend that with human sensitivity and a big dose of "Fuck the Man"?
It doesn't entirely succeed all of the time, and feels slightly disjointed because there are so many kinds of approaches happening here that not all of the transitions happen smoothly. But 90% of the time, THE HOST is complete and utter brilliance. It's been a long time since I've seen a movie that made me gasp, "How'd they do that?!" I could have watched the making-of featurettes on the DVD, but I decided to leave it a mystery for now. Eventually, though, I'm going to snap and devour every detail about the special effects that I can get my hands on. It's some seriously immersive shit that CLOVERFIELD, our other neo-kaiju instant classic, doesn't even attempt. Including the work of San Francisco geniuses the Orphanage, literally, these effects are the kind of astonishing new creativity that I haven't seen since, dare I say, THE MATRIX.
Anyway, the monster is frackin' cool, of course. One of the things I love about CG is that people can now create the kinds of Lovecraftian creatures that are fascinating, but you can't quite figure them out entirely; they've got horror layered upon disgusting horror, and eventually your eyes just glaze over. That said, if anyone knows where I can get a figure of this monster, I'd be your best friend for a day.
A great performance by Kang-ho Song anchors the film. As hapless, narcoleptic sad sack Gang-Du, he embodies a genuine spirit of heroism and bravery that pulls the whole movie along with him, and we always hope he can overcome his limitations and save the day. All by himself, this guy has made me want to watch more Korean cinema (OLD BOY helped, too). I'm also excited about other films by director Joon-ho Bong, but there kind of aren't very many; I guess he's new. I'll still keep an eye out.