Parasite (a film by Bong Joon-ho, 2019) |OT| Don't read anything about it, go watch it blind, thank us later

Donos · Jan 20, 2020

Liked it except one point in the story which soured it a bit for me.

Why did they (Kim's) let themself get pressured /blackmailed by the former housmaid and her husband with the vid? They had dirt on the housmaid too, she had her husband living in the basement for 4 years and while they hadn't any videos of it, it would have been easy to proof this, since the basement is right there. Instead the were sitting there with their hands up like the former housmaid had a gun trained at their heads. As far as i see it, it was rather a stalemate situation.

Since since was a vital moment in the movie, i thought that this moment could have been written differentliy but with the same outcome of the rest of the movie.

NameUser · Jan 20, 2020

Donos said:
Liked it except one point in the story which soured it a bit for me.

Why did they (Kim's) let themself get pressured /blackmailed by the former housmaid and her husband with the vid? They had dirt on the housmaid too, she had her husband living in the basement for 4 years and while they hadn't any videos of it, it would have been easy to proof this, since the basement is right there. Instead the were sitting there with their hands up like the former housmaid had a gun trained at their heads. As far as i see it, it was rather a stalemate situation.

Since since was a vital moment in the movie, i thought that this moment could have been written differentliy but with the same outcome of the rest of the movie.

That's simple. Because they were greedy and had much more to lose.

Briareos · Jan 20, 2020

Rocket Man said:
Went in blind and thought it was ok. Lots of great themes and storytelling was excellent, but that last half of the movie was just way too unrealistic for me. Overall it was good, nothing earth shattering.

This was my feeling after watching it last night. I felt like a better film would be them slowly but inexorably destroying the family through their actions and then at the end seeing a reflection of their craven striving in what they did with the detached cruelty of the family they were ostensibly serving. I feel like if you're going to take a swerve like that you need to really commit to it like Sorry To Bother You. Or, go full Murakami tone poem with magical surrealism and really wallow in the mood at the expense of plot. Great first 2/3, weak last 1/3.

kvetcha · Jan 20, 2020

tophu said:
Start with Memories of Murder if you haven't seen it yet. I consider it his best film.

It's amazing that Snowpiercer is his worst film and it's still a completely wild movie that is hard to believe ever got made.

ViewtifulJC · Jan 20, 2020

kvetcha said:
It's amazing that Snowpiercer is his worst film

now wait a minute!

Barking Dogs Never Die is bad enough that Bong asks people to forget it exists. Its his first movie and he quickly followed it up with Memories of Murder, so its all good.

kvetcha · Jan 20, 2020

ViewtifulJC said:
now wait a minute!

Barking Dogs Never Die is bad enough that Bong asks people to forget it exists. Its his first movie and he quickly followed it up with Memories of Murder, so its all good.

fair, I have not seen Barking Dogs and generally exclude it from my list. Although I have heard it's not as bad as all that.

#1 defender · Jan 20, 2020

ViewtifulJC said:
now wait a minute!

Barking Dogs Never Die is bad enough that Bong asks people to forget it exists. Its his first movie and he quickly followed it up with Memories of Murder, so its all good.

Barking Dogs is good, i'll fight anyone that says otherwise, even Bong himself.

Guybrush Threewood · Jan 20, 2020

It went from ok, this is interesting to totally bonkers and that was awesome.

patientzero · Jan 20, 2020

Jamiem said:
As far as the editing award one of the other films I mentioned that is in contention for best picture is 1917 that features nearly no editing so it's still got a really good shot at winning.

You think 1917 has nearly no editing?

kvetcha · Jan 20, 2020

patientzero said:
You think 1917 has nearly no editing?

Yeah, just like Birdman! /s

ViewtifulJC · Jan 20, 2020

I actually think parasite stands a strong chance at both screenplay and editing. Couple that with widespread acting support indicted from that SAG win...IDK man keep hope alive that's all I'm saying.

kingkitty · Jan 20, 2020

Finally got to see Parasite. Probably the best film I've seen this year. The entire cast was great to watch. Song Kang-ho is probably one of my favorite actors at this point. I don't know if it's Bong Joon-ho's absolute best work, The Host still has a special place in my heart. But it's certainly better than Okja and Snowpiercer (and those were good films).

HStallion · Jan 20, 2020

BriareosGAF said:
This was my feeling after watching it last night. I felt like a better film would be them slowly but inexorably destroying the family through their actions and then at the end seeing a reflection of their craven striving in what they did with the detached cruelty of the family they were ostensibly serving. I feel like if you're going to take a swerve like that you need to really commit to it like Sorry To Bother You. Or, go full Murakami tone poem with magical surrealism and really wallow in the mood at the expense of plot. Great first 2/3, weak last 1/3.

I'm glad they didn't go this route as it was the predictable one and exactly what I was expecting for a good part of the film once I realized what the family was setting up. Its a little too easy going that direct route and the movie wanted a far more subtle and nuanced juxtaposition between the two families.

Briareos · Jan 20, 2020

HStallion said:
Its a little too easy going that direct route and the movie wanted a far more subtle and nuanced juxtaposition between the two families.

Yeah, I don't disagree that the brief sketch I made is predictable in the large, but it would have enabled better performances and exploration of the issues. I don't see much value in the last 1/3 of the film--novelty for its own sake, a breakneck pace of "shocking actions" etc. Didn't move me at all or make me think harder about the underlying themes, just a distraction.

Regulus Tera · Jan 20, 2020

I watched The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja right after this and can consider myelf a fan of Bong. That said, I don't consider any of those films to be weak in any way, and I'm surprised at how little discussion there is around Okja in the first place. I guess people really, really like their burgers.

HStallion · Jan 20, 2020

BriareosGAF said:
Yeah, I don't disagree that the brief sketch I made is predictable in the large, but it would have enabled better performances and exploration of the issues. I don't see much value in the last 1/3 of the film--novelty for its own sake, a breakneck pace of "shocking actions" etc. Didn't move me at all or make me think harder about the underlying themes, just a distraction.

Not sure I really agree as the final act is directly the result of all the previous lies, growing tensions and actions of the characters prior. One of the film's strongest elements is that all those little asides, comments, reactions and so on through out the film help to inform or guide the audience even if you don't realize it at the time.

Divvy · Jan 20, 2020

Regulus Tera said:
I watched The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja right after this and can consider myelf a fan of Bong. That said, I don't consider any of those films to be weak in any way, and I'm surprised at how little discussion there is around Okja in the first place. I guess people really, really like their burgers.

I enjoyed Okja but it doesn't have much nuance and depth in it's storytelling compared to Parasite. Everything was extremely black and white which is fine, but made the movie a bit predictable and doesn't leave much room for discussion.

Regulus Tera · Jan 20, 2020

Divvy said:
I enjoyed Okja but it doesn't have much nuance and depth in it's storytelling compared to Parasite. Everything was extremely black and white which is fine, but made the movie a bit predictable and doesn't leave much room for discussion.

I personally like how uncompromising it is. It's ostensibly written like a children's movie about a girl and her pet but it grows into an unflinching critique of the meat industry and consumer approaches to animal rights. And by the time the tonal shift happens your emotional guards are already down so it hits you like a 4 ton hippo ramming against you.

patientzero · Jan 20, 2020

Divvy said:
I enjoyed Okja but it doesn't have much nuance and depth in it's storytelling compared to Parasite. Everything was extremely black and white which is fine, but made the movie a bit predictable and doesn't leave much room for discussion.

I had only seen, and really liked, Snowpiercer before Okja. Okja proved to me that Bong is a master of tone; I was totally into that super sweet early section with Okja and Mija, totally on-board with whatever the fuck manic menace Gyllenhaal was doing, then riveted and horrified at the inevitable. Seeing Okja relegated as second-rate by a lot of people (not saying you obviously) does a disservice to how well Bong constructed that film.

EloquentM · Jan 20, 2020

It's a well crafted film. I think I enjoy the fact that this film exists more so than I actually like or enjoyed the film. There were a many moments in the film that made me think, and there were many scenes that evoked deep emotion. That said, I am very soured by the film because truth be told I don't like any of the characters, and I feel the movie goes on for too long.

My favorite movie last year was "Once Upon a Time...," however where I feel similar about both movies being well crafted, characters sucking as people, and the story going nowhere (really because the themes/message is about the journey made along the way, lol), I found myself actually liking brads character. although he was broken he wasn't a bad person and was still a major focal point in the story which is something I gravitate to. These movies are doing two different things though. Regardless, the message of parasite is much more inspired and moving in the broader sense, and both movies are well crafted, which is again, why I can still appreciate parasite.

Deleted member 45614 · Jan 20, 2020

patientzero said:
You think 1917 has nearly no editing?

Sorry I should of worded that better has nearly no noticeable editing, it's edited to get her to become a one shot film, thus it was never going to win for best editing.

MrMephistoX · Jan 20, 2020

Guybrush Threewood said:
It went from ok, this is interesting to totally bonkers and that was awesome.

That was my take watching for the first time today... it started out like a Korean sitcom then progressed to total fucking insanity and I loved it.

DinosaurusRex · Jan 21, 2020

So I didn't get to catch this in theaters and purchased it this weekend and was sort of let down. I feel like the US marketing made this out to be a thriller or horror movie, I really love The Host, and wasn't going to be surprised with a drama / horror mashup, coupled with this thread telling me to go in blind really set my expectations where they should not have been.

with that said it is ckearly really well made movie and I am going to watch it again with reset expectations. I would have preferred if I actually had not gone in mostly blind, because I would have been in a better headspace.

DrEvil · Jan 21, 2020

Good up until the reveal, then it got a bit far-fetched.

I would have sworn her sending over a copy of the deed and their citizenship ID's was the route the film was going down, slowly taking over facets of their lives.

piratepwnsninja · Jan 21, 2020

Watched this today. I'd not been spoiled and really had no clue what to expect going in. Absolutely loved it. The theme of "parasite" is woven through everything. It really sets up and shows off the ecosystem of the division of class in a way I've not really seen before. The comedy gives way to tragedy in the end. For everyone, too.

Coleslaw · Jan 21, 2020

harry the spy said:
Not saying that the director doesn't know the expression, but he is not primarily making his movies for an American audience, and while there are similar concepts in foreign cultures - they would not use the metaphor of 'trickle down' . They might in Korean - but I doubt it.
In any case, the descent from the house on the hill to the flat in the bowels of the city was more what he was going for I think (or is that too obvious)

In any case it's a good movie, I'm glad he reined in his goofiness a little bit - it spoiled Okja and especially Snowpiercer for me. Liked the nuanced depiction of the families , and the constant shift in style.

Totally agreed - I wondered if it might be unintentional/ a happy accident since the metaphor is kind of muddled in the movie. Either way, a fine addition to the film.

kvetcha · Jan 21, 2020

Regulus Tera said:
I watched The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja right after this and can consider myelf a fan of Bong. That said, I don't consider any of those films to be weak in any way, and I'm surprised at how little discussion there is around Okja in the first place. I guess people really, really like their burgers.

Definitely try to see Memories of Murder and Mother, they're fantastic and have a bit more in common tonally with Parasite. The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja are his popcorn films.

I agree Okja's weirdly underrated, though.

Deleted member 2802 · Jan 21, 2020

DrEvil said:
Good up until the reveal, then it got a bit far-fetched.

I would have sworn her sending over a copy of the deed and their citizenship ID's was the route the film was going down, slowly taking over facets of their lives.

I was hoping they would slowly replace each of the members of the family

DrEvil · Jan 21, 2020

shira said:
I was hoping they would slowly replace each of the members of the family

Me too, but then when we find out what the head-of-household's career is, that idea became near impossible and I wondered where the whole thing was going.

Rilakkuma Fanatic · Jan 21, 2020

kvetcha said:
Definitely try to see Memories of Murder and Mother, they're fantastic and have a bit more in common tonally with Parasite. The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja are his popcorn films.

I agree Okja's weirdly underrated, though.

My hot take is that Netflix just isn't a good way to build buzz for movies (looking at the awards seasons track record and general hype/reviews for Netflix movies here).

papermoon · Jan 21, 2020

Regulus Tera said:
I watched The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja right after this and can consider myelf a fan of Bong. That said, I don't consider any of those films to be weak in any way, and I'm surprised at how little discussion there is around Okja in the first place. I guess people really, really like their burgers.

kvetcha said:
Definitely try to see Memories of Murder and Mother, they're fantastic and have a bit more in common tonally with Parasite. The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja are his popcorn films.

I agree Okja's weirdly underrated, though.

I agree.
I liked Snowpiercer and Okja.
I really really really liked The Host.
But Memories of Murder and Mother are masterpieces. Of the two, Memories of Murder has the edge imo, and it's playing for free on popcornflix - a legit streaming site.

Deleted member 21709 · Jan 21, 2020

It is crazy that Memories of Murder isn't available to buy on Apple TV.

kvetcha · Jan 21, 2020

inguef said:
It is crazy that Memories of Murder isn't available to buy on Apple TV.

I believe a company finally picked up the US distribution rights, so it should be getting a theatrical and home video/digital release this year.

reconceptualize · Jan 22, 2020

FINALLY. Watched this movie last night, and man... it's Joon-ho's best. Seen everything he's done, and this one just hits the line between artistic effortlessness and pulpy cinema better than his other stuff.

Can't stop thinking about it.

lazybones18 · Jan 23, 2020

https://collider.com/parasite-black-and-white-release-date-bong-joon-ho/

the magical kitsune · Jan 23, 2020

Ha, watched it on a plane having no idea what it was about. It went into ... interesting places.

Soph · Jan 23, 2020

Movie had me in stitches throughout, great comedy!

kvetcha · Jan 23, 2020

lazybones18 said:
https://collider.com/parasite-black-and-white-release-date-bong-joon-ho/

I will pay to see this.

UnpopularBlargh · Jan 23, 2020

patientzero said:
I had only seen, and really liked, Snowpiercer before Okja. Okja proved to me that Bong is a master of tone; I was totally into that super sweet early section with Okja and Mija, totally on-board with whatever the fuck manic menace Gyllenhaal was doing, then riveted and horrified at the inevitable. Seeing Okja relegated as second-rate by a lot of people (not saying you obviously) does a disservice to how well Bong constructed that film.

I'm still bitter there isn't a physical release for that film.

kvetcha · Jan 23, 2020

patientzero said:
I had only seen, and really liked, Snowpiercer before Okja. Okja proved to me that Bong is a master of tone; I was totally into that super sweet early section with Okja and Mija, totally on-board with whatever the fuck manic menace Gyllenhaal was doing, then riveted and horrified at the inevitable. Seeing Okja relegated as second-rate by a lot of people (not saying you obviously) does a disservice to how well Bong constructed that film.

high freaking five

UnpopularBlargh said:
I'm still bitter there isn't a physical release for that film.

This and Buster Scruggs are gaping holes in my collection.

Deleted member 45614 · Jan 23, 2020

Okja is bottom 3 of Bong films, along with Snowpiercer and Barking Dogs, but that being said it is still easily my favourite Netflix film and better than 99% of the films I've ever seen. Just goes to show how prolific Bong has been at putting out masterpieces like Mother, The Host, Memories of Murder and obviously Parasite.

Deleted member 42055 · Jan 24, 2020

One of the best written, acted and directed films I've ever seen but I still absolutely hated the segment of the film when everything exploded into violence. I expected something "smarter" I guess? Hard to explain, though it recovers well enough even if the " happy" ending was basically 25th hour

Altrich · Jan 24, 2020

Five most fav movies this decade:
-Parasite
-Blue is warmest color
-Boyhood
-Mother!
-12 Years a Slave

DjDeathCool · Jan 24, 2020

The last time Era told me to go into a movie blind it was for that movie Serenity. Thank god, I didn't see this thread before I watched Parasite because I likely would have looked it up after that. Haha! (You guys are awful sometimes.)

Dalek · Jan 24, 2020

I showed this to my wife tonight-it was the first time she watched the film. I had seen it previously. My heart was pounding in the rain scene when the housekeeper returns because I knew what was going to happen and I couldn't wait to see her reaction. It was late and right before it, she looked at the time remaining and said "I can't stay up for another hour I have to go to bed."

Then the housekeeper rang the doorbell and everything snowballed. My wife was riveted for the rest of the movie and never mentioned going to bed again 😄

Uncivilized Elk · Jan 25, 2020

A theater near me is still playing this, and I haven't seen it yet.

I'm poor though and rarely go to theaters, but is it worth seeing this on the big screen rather than at home? Would you say the benefit of a big theater experience is worth it to somebody who is penny-pinching?

Border · Jan 25, 2020

Uncivilized Elk said:
A theater near me is still playing this, and I haven't seen it yet.

I'm poor though and rarely go to theaters, but is it worth seeing this on the big screen rather than at home? Would you say the benefit of a big theater experience is worth it to somebody who is penny-pinching?

At this point going to the movie is going to be cheaper than watching a digital download version. Unless you want to hold out for the movie to come to a streaming service months in the future you might as well see it on the big screen

Jonnykong · Jan 25, 2020

I watched this last night (thank you Cineworld advanced screening)

I thought it was a great and very entertaining film.
I'm not entirely sure it matches the crazy hype it seems to have, but it's still a lot of fun.

It wasn't as wild or bat shit crazy as I expected. Before going in I read all the stuff saying go in blind etc so I was expecting it to go bat-shit crazy or veer off into many different genres, but it was all kinda grounded.

It also reminded me a LOT of that episode of Bojack where everyone's hiding in Mr Peanut butter's house whilst he argues with Diane.

jml · Jan 25, 2020

Uncivilized Elk said:
A theater near me is still playing this, and I haven't seen it yet.

I'm poor though and rarely go to theaters, but is it worth seeing this on the big screen rather than at home? Would you say the benefit of a big theater experience is worth it to somebody who is penny-pinching?

I think you'll be fine watching it at home if the savings are significant enough to make a difference for you. The cinematography's good and obviously better on a big screen but there aren't that many flashy special effects etc. It's not the type of movie where I'd tell someone "you NEED to see this in a theater."

HStallion · Jan 25, 2020

Jonnykong said:
I watched this last night (thank you Cineworld advanced screening)

I thought it was a great and very entertaining film.
I'm not entirely sure it matches the crazy hype it seems to have, but it's still a lot of fun.

It wasn't as wild or bat shit crazy as I expected. Before going in I read all the stuff saying go in blind etc so I was expecting it to go bat-shit crazy or veer off into many different genres, but it was all kinda grounded.

It also reminded me a LOT of that episode of Bojack where everyone's hiding in Mr Peanut butter's house whilst he argues with Diane.

I know when I say go in blind its not because I want you to avoid some crazy twist or plot swerve, though at times that could be part of it, but mostly it should be taken as a film that is best observed without a ton of preconceived notions and an open mind, basically a blank slate. Sadly this seems to have the opposite effect and people go crazy with their hype and imaginations and really overthink stuff, or worse are trying to out smart a piece of media before they even consume.

Parasite (a film by Bong Joon-ho, 2019) |OT| Don't read anything about it, go watch it blind, thank us later

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