Damn, I have been on a roll recently!
When I first started this site it was my mission to see as many movies as I possibly can. I do break that rule occasionally when it’s not really worth the effort, like that new Men in Black movie. Other times it just hasn’t been accessible where I live and unfortunately they are normally the best ones. The only reason I was able to see Parasite was because it was available to watch on the plane. (Such unnecessary lengths.)
Let’s talk about Parasite, a movie where whoever has seen it has thrown around the phrase “Best of 2019” as often as people coming and going through a shopping centre on Christmas Eve. After seeing the film I will admit it’s something special as it did make me wish I watched it in a big cinema instead of on a crummy airplane iPad.
Parasite is a Korean film and while trying not to give too much away it’s one of those movies where you’re hooked from the start. We follow a family who live in the basement of this sewerage infested slum area of Korea. The first scene shows how desperate for cash this family is as they have to leech off someone else’s Wi-Fi so they can watch a YouTube video on how to properly fold pizza boxes while also dealing with some nasty stink bugs and some guy wanting to take a leak in their house. There is a lot going on and there is never a dull moment throughout the film. I’ll end here with it building up to one of the characters conning his way into working for a rich family as a tutor. Watch the movie if you want to know what happens next!
It’s the most competently made movie I have seen all year as everything about it works perfectly and it is all masterfully crafted by the director/writer Bong Joon-ho. It can be quite a sad movie, it’s also pretty damn funny at some points and near the end its nail bitingly tense. I don’t think I have been that stressed out since A Quiet Place. This is the third movie in a row that I’ve watched where the entire cast absolutely nailed it. The big standouts being Song Kango-ho and Choi Woo-shik who played the flat broke dad and son. Also Cho Yeo-jeong who played the rich mum.
The film features plenty of great music, some nicely shot scenes and sequences and it has the best ending I have seen all year. It’s also a great film to analyse on repeated viewings as you’re bound to notice something that you wouldn’t have noticed the first time. Even if you’re not that rapt in Foreign Language movies it’s as easy to get into as a normal big budgeted Hollywood movie. It’s about as close to being a masterpiece as you can get. Easily 10/10, along with The Blog Complainer Approved Seal.
This was a nice easy review to put out while I’m working on much more time consuming projects. I hope you enjoyed and I have been The Blog Complainer, signing out.
