Don't feed the river-monsters
Due to some kind of magical phenomenon possibly involving the sheer force of Liz's will, South Korean horror film Gwoemul, aka The Host, made it as far south as Fort Lauderdale last weekend for two whole days. The closest it had come to Miami before this was Atlanta, so naturally Liz had to stop editing movies for a few hours to go see it.
To say that this movie is about a mutant fish monster that eats people is to say that Pan's Labyrinth is about a girl who sees fairies. The Host is about a quirky family and how they react to the loss of one of their own; the style is similar to Little Miss Sunshine, with its multiple character arcs and oddball antics, but of course it's a whole other genre so the pacing and suspense are structured like a typical monster flick. Even so, the film's surprises are actually, well, surprising, unlike the canned scares that have unfortunately become the norm.
It also delves into social commentary, poking fun at American interference in global affairs. One could almost call it a direct criticism of the war in Iraq; Americans barge in and cause a problem, fail to take responsibility, make things worse and don't listen to anyone who tries to reason with them. Of course, the degree to which you see this underlying message probably depends on your opinion of the war.
Liz and Valerie give this movie seven tentacles up. If you're lucky enough to be in or near a city where it's playing, you should definitely check it out.
If Liz and Valerie's opinions aren't enough to make you seek this out, keep in mind that they are not alone. The Host won 4 of the 10 Asian Film Awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho. The whole world is full of love for The Host. Liz would love to see a creature-feature win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but she's not holding her breath.
To say that this movie is about a mutant fish monster that eats people is to say that Pan's Labyrinth is about a girl who sees fairies. The Host is about a quirky family and how they react to the loss of one of their own; the style is similar to Little Miss Sunshine, with its multiple character arcs and oddball antics, but of course it's a whole other genre so the pacing and suspense are structured like a typical monster flick. Even so, the film's surprises are actually, well, surprising, unlike the canned scares that have unfortunately become the norm.
It also delves into social commentary, poking fun at American interference in global affairs. One could almost call it a direct criticism of the war in Iraq; Americans barge in and cause a problem, fail to take responsibility, make things worse and don't listen to anyone who tries to reason with them. Of course, the degree to which you see this underlying message probably depends on your opinion of the war.
Liz and Valerie give this movie seven tentacles up. If you're lucky enough to be in or near a city where it's playing, you should definitely check it out.
If Liz and Valerie's opinions aren't enough to make you seek this out, keep in mind that they are not alone. The Host won 4 of the 10 Asian Film Awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho. The whole world is full of love for The Host. Liz would love to see a creature-feature win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but she's not holding her breath.
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