Tag: Bong Joon-ho

Mickey 17 Review: Robert Pattinson’s Rise Continues.

Six years after his Best Picture Winner, Parasite, Bong Joon Ho has returned with his latest film, Mickey 17.
Based on the book Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, the film stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey, a man living in the future who unintentionally volunteers for the worst job in existence, that of an Expendable.
Mickey must take on consistently fatal jobs and, every time he dies, he is cloned and has his memories replanted.

Worst. Job. Ever.

Given that Mickey is on a colonization mission lead by morally bankrupt politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), his deaths are often brutal.
Thankfully, Mickey has the support of his girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie) to help him through the constantly traumatising process.
However, Mickey’s situation worsens when, on his seventeenth life, it is wrongly assumed that he died and an eighteenth clone is printed out.
Now, Mickey 17 must find a way to cohabitat with Mickey 18, or they will both be killed for being Multiples. 

The mix-up kicks off the movie’s conflict.

Mickey 17 is not doing so well financially at the moment, which is a shame because it is quite a good time.
Certainly not Bong Joon Ho’s best work but is still worth the price of admission.
For starters, the performances are all really good, especially Robert Pattinson as Mickeys 17 and 18.
Despite being clones of the same person, they have two completely distinct personalities, and Pattinson is able to pull off both masterfully.
Due to his efforts, you really feel for Mickey, as you watch him constantly be exploited by those around him. 

You can often tell the difference between the Mickeys, even when they look the same.

Along with the performances, the themes are also pulled off well, with Bong Joon Ho’s focus on the exploitation of the working class by the so-called elite.
He even brings in themes of animal and nature conservation, which has been present in many of his previous films, like Okja.
The special effects for the film are also top notch.
There was not a moment where I was drawn out of the film due to bad CGI, as everything looked great.
If I had to name any criticisms, it would be that I feel the film is a little overly long, and there is a subplot with Anamaria Vartolomei’s character which does not really go anywhere. 

I feel like if this subplot had been removed it could have made the film more cohesive.

Other than these two issues, Mickey 17 is a solid film, improved further by a terrific performance from Robert Pattinson.
I would recommend seeing it, especially in light of its financial disappointment. 

Parasite Review: Who is The True Parasite?

5 stars
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history at the Oscars by being the first non-English film to win Best Picture.
I remember thinking that 1917 would win the award but then Bong won Best Director and that made me do a double take and wonder if it could win.
Lo and behold, Parasite was awarded Best Picture and I was thrilled, even though I hadn’t watched the movie yet.
The reason for this is because the academia has almost always awarded only English films and the fact that a South Korean film won Best Picture could open the door for more foreign films being nominated in other categories.
I have my fingers crossed that the day will come when anime gets the recognition it deserves in the Best Animated Film category.
Back to Parasite, after it won the award, I knew I could no longer sit on it and had to watch the film.
Coming into it, I had no idea what to expect other than I would almost certainly find it fantastic; this is Bong Joon-ho we’re talking about, after all.
I have watched a lot of his films over the years from The Host, to Snowpiercer, to Okja, but my favorite film of his is definitely Memories of Murder, which is a deeply disturbing masterpiece.
And, while I do not think the film is quite as good as Memories of Murder, I can state with absolute certainty that Parasite is a masterpiece too and more than deserving of the Best Picture award.
Is it my favorite film of 2019?
Well, as of this moment, I am unsure if I enjoyed it more than 1917 and Joker but it is definitely up there.
The film follows two families, the Kims and the Parks, who live in two very different worlds.
While the Parks are wealthy and live the good life, the Kims are impoverished and live in a half-basement where they struggle to support themselves.

the Kims
The dire situation of the Kims is made perfectly clear in the opening scene, making you understand their parasitic scheme to infiltrate the Parks’ house.

After the son of the family, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), manages to scam his way into the Parks’ house as a tutor, the entire family eventually scams their way in as well, until all are employed by the Parks who believe they are not respected experts in their fields.
What happens next, I will not spoil, but the movie takes a turn at a certain point that raises the tension to another level and keeps you guessing as to what will happen.
Not only was I constantly trying to guess where the movie would go (and wrongly at that) but I was also constantly wondering who the real parasite of the movie is, the Kims, the Parks, or both?

symbolism
Parasite is jam-packed with symbolism and themes that really get you thinking about class.

And then there is the ending, which is absolutely perfect and hit me like a train.
This gripping story is supported by the fantastic cast of Choi, Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Lee Sun-kyun, and Cho Yeo-jeong, who all give amazing performances.
And, with Bong Joon-ho directing, the end result is a masterpiece of a film that will keep you riveted right up until the very end.
Bong does, indeed, deserve to “drink until the next morning.”