Parasite (2019)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by humanbeing, Sep 22, 2019.

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  1. humanbeing

    humanbeing Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Watched Bong Joon -Ho‘s latest film Parasite.
    I highly recommend it, especially if you’ve appreciated his other films such as Snowpiercer, The Host, Okja and Memories Of Murder (the ones I’ve seen).
    I’m sure his films aren’t to everyone’s taste but you can’t deny his vision.
     
  2. Brendan K

    Brendan K Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Just caught this at the theatre. Absolute masterpiece. Would recommend to anybody who loves film - master class in comedic and horrific suspense and tension.
     
  3. WLL

    WLL Popery Of Mopery

    ...Awwwww...Not another DC Comics solo villian movie, about my favorite Superman baddie:cry:?
     
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  4. Hightops

    Hightops Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, Ca
    I'm really looking forward to this! I liked The Host.
    Okja was...um...interesting. Didn't quite work for me. It just seemed to test my patience. Anyone care to post a defense of it?
     
  5. Hightops

    Hightops Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, Ca
    Wow! What a film. So much to unpack here. This is kinda like a Korean "Us" (the Jordan Peele film), but in my opinion much much stronger. Funnier too. The rain storm sequence is just incredible.
     
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  6. Derek Slazenger

    Derek Slazenger Specs, rugs & rock n roll

    I'm just over half way through it and struggling a bit :hide:
     
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  7. humanbeing

    humanbeing Forum Resident Thread Starter

    This film certainly stays with you long after.
    The social class system metaphor is better displayed here (higher ground > low land, view from the windows in different homes) than in Snowpiercer (front to rear of the train)
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2019
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  8. L.P.

    L.P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austria
    Best film of 2019 so far!
     
  9. Radiophonic_

    Radiophonic_ Electrosonic

    Location:
    Royal Oak MI
    Saw this and The Lighthouse over the last couple days. Both amazing movies. For a foreign movie on a Tuesday night, Parasite had a big crowd. It must be getting good word of mouth.
     
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  10. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    I saw this today and loved it. I did have to watch the birthday party scene through squinty eyes, but overall I thought it was funny and sad at the same time (!!), and very interesting social commentary.

    I did not know this was the same director as Snowpiercer until I read this thread. Snowpiercer was one of the most unique films I’ve ever seen.
     
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  11. socorro

    socorro Forum Resident

    Location:
    pennsylvania
    This is the best movie I've seen in a long time. It starts as an enjoyable, but familiar, caper movie. The it becomes progressively more surreal and dark.

    Imagine David Lynch at his best, plus self-discipline.
     
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  12. HeavensAbove

    HeavensAbove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento
    THE best film I've seen this year! :cool:
     
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  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I have to see this! on the watch list...
     
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  14. dprokopy

    dprokopy Senior Member

    Location:
    Near Seattle, WA
    Maybe pay more attention to the movie, and less time posting on the internet? :shrug:
     
  15. Derek Slazenger

    Derek Slazenger Specs, rugs & rock n roll

    GREAT idea.

    It picked up in the last 30 minutes and was an enjoyable watch but I don't see the fuss really.
     
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  16. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I thought this was good, but probably not more than that. I think it was a little over long, and a tad obvious. I see some are calling it a "masterpiece", but I'm afraid I'm out of step with most of you on film. I felt the same reading the thread on The Joker, which I thought was a slightly better than average origin movie and nothing more. From my point of view, the term "masterpiece" is being handed out too readily.

    Someone also compared it to Us - but I think creatively Us had more in there. The clash of different classes here is obvious, but I'd be interested to hear about some underlying things beyond that.

    Still, it's well made, and one of the best characters in the film was the house. I think I could live there. This is a good film, without being exceptional, imo.
     
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  17. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    How is it "surreal"? And how is it like a David Lynch movie?
     
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  18. Martinn

    Martinn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Looking forward to see it, but driving 50 miles to a theater is a little...
     
  19. socorro

    socorro Forum Resident

    Location:
    pennsylvania
    SPOILER WARNING! You've been warned! Do not read further if you do not wish to see spoilers!

    When they crank aside the bookcase and the housekeeper's husband has been living in the bowels of the house for years.

    For me, this evoked the place in Mulholland drive where one of the characters opened the mysterious box.

    Both films started out as engaging and familar (a family of grifters works a caper in Parasite, intrepid pals try to solve a mystery in Mulholland Drive).

    In Mulholland Drive, the box opens and the movie (for me) became an incomprehensible mess. In Parasite, the wall opens and the chain of circumstance that the family set in place begins to spin out of their control, but the storytelling remains tight.
     
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  20. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Thanks for that. I thought you meant technically, or in the writing of the thing, rather a specific scene. My bad. If David Lynch had written Parasite we'd all be asking what the hell happened at the end. :D
     
  21. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    My favorite film of the year as well. Bong Joon-ho has been one of the greatest working directors for quite a while. Having seen all his films, this easily ranks in the top 2 or 3. The tightness of pace, the way he lands the big tonal swing and the string message really impressed.

    I loved the purpose-built house, it felt more like a realistic take on the one Tati built in Mon Oncle. Unlike Tati who was content to be biting while maintaining a light sense of humor, this movie goes dark, but never lean into horror like the recent Us which covered similar thematic ground.

    For anyone looking for other Bong Joon-ho films after this one, I’d highly recommend his first two features, Memories of Murder and Barking Dogs Never Bite. His other films are great as well but these two are rooted more in the realism and social commentary Parasite traffics in. Barking Dogs was massively underrated by a US audience who didn’t really get him at the time, but is quite easy to find in HD on iTunes and Amazon video and well worth the time. Unfortunately and legal streaming of Memories has gone AWOL and the mediocre disc is OOP. Still worth seeking out if you like excellent true crime thrillers with an emotional punch.
     
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  22. socorro

    socorro Forum Resident

    Location:
    pennsylvania
    Thanks for the tip. On the strength of this film, I want to explore his work further.
     
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  23. YMC4

    YMC4 EVthing or Nothing

    Location:
    The Valley, CA.
    other than Memories of Murder, i find mr. Bong's work bit overrated... but this one, this one is a clear winner.
    the verdict will likely be varied depending on your political/social stance but...anybody that will seek out foreign film like this will usually falls into same aisle (i'm assuming ;)).
    it's getting lot of (deserved) hype and likely favorite for next year's Best Foreign Film at the Oscar.
     
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  24. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    I think you’ll certainly find something to enjoy. His filmography is wide stylistically but still distinct.

    Next stop on the Korean Cinema train would be Bong Joon-ho’s friend Park Chan-wook if you haven’t seen any of his stuff. I’d recommend staring with JSA, but many people would nod to the Vengeance trilogy (particularly Oldboy). Those are great too, but very pulped up and align a bit more with the whole Asian extreme cinema trend. JSA is more realist, it’s like a poetic take on the A Few Good Men formula but actually has more to say than the Reiner / Sorkin film.

    Plenty of other great Korean films out there too, but these two directors are an excellent entry point.
     
  25. socorro

    socorro Forum Resident

    Location:
    pennsylvania
    I would see Best Foreign Film as a distinct consolation prize.
     
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