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What's your favorite film by Joon-ho Bong?

Barking Dogs Never Bite
1 (2.2%)
Memories of Murder
21 (46.7%)
The Host
8 (17.8%)
Mother
9 (20%)
Snowpiercer
4 (8.9%)
Okja
0 (0%)
Parasite
2 (4.4%)
Untitled
0 (0%)
Untitled 2
0 (0%)
don't like any
0 (0%)
haven't seen any
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 45

Author Topic: Bong, Joon-ho  (Read 8353 times)

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #50 on: March 21, 2019, 04:07:59 PM »
Posted thoughts of Memories of Murder here.

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

I love dogs, but this dark comedy about a part-time professor trying to gain some peace by attempting to kill off dogs in his apartment complex appeals to my sick sense of humor. Bae Doona is a delight here as the woman who takes it into her hands to find the evil dog kidnapper. I was also surprised how well the subplot about the professor attempting to make it full-time ended up being by the end.


Mother (2009)

Mother is the closest Bong Joon-ho has gotten to capturing the magic of Memories of Murder again. The story is much more intimate and personal with the relationships being intertwined into these interesting webs of allegiances and assumptions. I'm still left a bit unsure how I feel about the son being mentally challenged here. I'm not sure I'd directly accuse it of being exploitative but it does feel a bit convenient and cheap at times. But given the revelation as to why and the ultimate ending, I'm willing to let it slide.

Updated rankings:

Memories of Murder
Mother
Barking Dogs Never Bite

The Host (Need to rewatch)
Okja
Snowpiercer


Knocked Out Loaded

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #51 on: July 27, 2019, 12:15:01 PM »
Parasite, 70°
Memories Of Murder, 55˚
Snowpiercer, 45˚

Mother, 40˚
« Last Edit: March 16, 2020, 02:36:59 AM by Knocked Out Loaded »
Extraordinary (81-100˚) | Very good (61-80˚) | Good (41-60˚) | Fair (21-40˚) | Poor (0-20˚)

Will

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #52 on: July 27, 2019, 03:33:48 PM »
Snowpiercer 9/10
Memories of Murder 9/10
Okja 8/10
The Host 8/10
Mother 7/10

Pretty damn consistent. A director that you either vibe with or don't. His approach to tone is unlike any other filmmaker.

1SO

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #53 on: August 24, 2019, 01:54:57 AM »
Parasite (2019)
★ ★ ★ - Very Good
You know with Bong the film is going to take some strange turns. You go in braced for it, perhaps try to figure it out. This one stays normal for a long time, an uncomfortable satire that's a lighthearted home invasion. Then comes... the shot. It's not the reveal, just an image that slaps you with its WTF-ery and reminds you who's calling the shots. From there, things quickly change gears.

I can't say what the general reaction will be to what happens after. A few days from my screening, I'm still a little uneasy myself. (A 2nd viewing when it officially opens must take place.) Parasite goes completely off the rails yet knows exactly what it's doing. You might  reach the end and long for how the first part was naturally playing out, but I think that was as far as it could go anyway. Besides, now there's so much more to talk about in terms of the substance and the filmmaking.

One of the year's best.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2020, 11:52:23 PM by 1SO »

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #54 on: August 24, 2019, 09:50:54 PM »
Can't wait. Went in to Cannes as my most anticipated of the slate, and came out in the same position.

jdc

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #55 on: September 01, 2019, 09:21:05 PM »
Parasite (2019)
★ ★ ★ - Very Good
You know with Bong the film is going to take some strange turns. You go in braced for it, perhaps try to figure it out. This one stays normal for a long time, an uncomfortable satire that's a lighthearted home invasion. Then comes... the shot. It's not the reveal, just an image that slaps you with its WTF-ery and reminds you who's calling the shots. From there, things quickly change gears.

I can't say what the general reaction will be to what happens after. A few days from my screening, I'm still a little uneasy myself. (A 2nd viewing when it officially opens must take place.) Parasite goes completely off the rails yet knows exactly what it's doing. You might  reach the end and long for how the first part was naturally playing out, but I think that was as far as it could go anyway. Besides, now there's so much more to talk about in terms of the substance and the filmmaking.

One of the year's best.

Managed to catch it last night before it left our theatres.  Having avoided all talk/trailers of the film, I didn't exactly know the basic plot though I had a guess based on the title.  Turns out I was wrong.  Thought the setup was very good, a good balance of nervous humour without trying to be a comedy and then nothing funny after the turn of events. 

It won't surpass Memories of Murder for me, but likely earns a #2 spot.   
« Last Edit: June 14, 2020, 02:35:30 PM by 1SO »
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Will

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #56 on: October 17, 2019, 11:26:03 PM »
Snowpiercer 9/10
Memories of Murder 9/10
Parasite 9/10
Okja 8/10
The Host 8/10
Mother 7/10
Shaking Tokyo 7/10
Barking Dogs Never Bite 6/10

Pretty damn consistent. A director that you either vibe with or don't. His approach to tone is unlike any other filmmaker.

Updated. This guy. This CINECAST!ing guy. Parasite is a beast of a film that no one is properly prepared for. Cannot wait to hear Adam and Josh try to wrap their minds around it.

jdc

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #57 on: October 17, 2019, 11:42:12 PM »
Of interest for this thread, they apparently found the serial killer that was the subject of Memories of Murder

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-09-30/bong-joon-ho-south-korea-serial-killer-memories-of-murder
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“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

1SO

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #58 on: October 17, 2019, 11:49:42 PM »
Will, makes me happy to see your Top 3 are tied. I listened to a podcast or read a review where they said Parasite was the best by far, like there's no argument, and I think Memories of Murder still makes a strong case for the top spot. Snowpiercer is messy, but it's also bold and ingenious and when it scores - which is most of the time - it's Bong's best work.

colonel_mexico

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Re: Bong, Joon-ho
« Reply #59 on: October 18, 2019, 08:07:58 AM »
Wow, I'm excited to see PARASITE!  SNOWPIERECER is one of those films that could easily be a top 100, I've only seen OKJA and THE HOST as well, but am interested to see more of Bong's work, everything has been really good.
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