Director Bong Joon Ho prepares to take a bow, as first foreign film director to win Best Picture.
I touteded him 12 years before The Carpet bagger:
Dear relatively short and random list of friends:
I want to share with you my enthusiasm and
anticipation for a movie that is opening tomorrow
called “The Host.”
It’s playing at Century Mountain View on the Peninsula
and at the Embarcadero in SF.
It’s a major-distribution film but I feel a certain
in-the-know giddiness about it sort of like I felt
when I saw Richard Linklater’s “Slackers” or Spike
Lee’s “Do The Right Thing”.
This film may herald the arrival of a major cultural
voice in director Bong Joon-Ho. The film grossed more
than $100 million in Korea — breaking their box
office record — yet I feel that this guy speaks for
me, my generation and the “indie” nation; he’s not a
strictly commercial phenomenon.
The movie is something like a monster movie but has
deeper meaning and a point of view. It’s sort of like
“Jaws” meets “Team America” (the “South Park” anti-war
satire). He’s good with details and relationships.
There’s also a local angle in that the CG was made by
SF’s The Orphanage, a rising star in movie animation.
I had never heard of Bong until the Bay Guardian’s
cover story last week. But I was lucky enough to hear
him speak in person Monday at a mini-retrospective of
his work at Clay Theater in SF hosted by SF
International Film Festival.
I’m thinking of gathering some people to see this film
locally and maybe hosting/producing some type of
satellite event to promote his work or the film.
(Although I am a recovering concert promoter and have
been relatively undirected lately, I also once
produced a benefit screening of Jessica Yu’s
“Breathing Lessons” plus the Tin Hat Trio animation
live soundtrack concert back in the day….).
Here’s a link to the movie:
http://www.hostmovie.com/
Let me know if any of you share my interest in this.
Mark
P.S. Based on my viewing Monday of his previous films,
I’m betting that “The Host” also showcases Bong’s ear
for film music. I liked the music for his “Memories of
Murder” by Japanese jazz pianist Taro Iwashiro, for
example.
Fu k is u sang
OK this is sort of a wood shedding kind of thing but now I have to watch the NPR tiny desk concerts for Lizzo, no name, tank and then compare each track to the Apple version which I think is free on my phone or nine dollars a month less I’ll eventually get a bill for like $75,000;
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 