Parasite (2019) [Film Review]

Parasite; or, Shoplifters: Extreme Edition

     Ki Woo, you know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. You know why? If you make a plan, life never works out that way. Look around us. Did these people think, “Let’s all spend the night in a gym?”. But look now. Everyone’s sleeping on the floor, us included. That’s why people shouldn’t make plans. With no plan, nothing can go wrong.

Parasite is the 7th motion picture directed by a South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho. It won Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as three Chunsa Film Art Awards. In addition, the movie is the latest hot topic on many movie forums due to its original storyline and unexpected twists. Is it a true masterpiece that was rightfully awarded with a 8-minute-long standing ovation at Cannes? Needless to say, I had to find out on my own.

Release Info

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho Starring: Song Kang Ho, Lee Sun Kyun, Cho Yeo Jeong, Choi Woo Shik

Language: Korean Original Title: 기생충 Runtime: 132 min

 

Synopsis

Kim Ki Taek (Song Kang Ho) is an unemployed driver who lives with his wife, Choong Sook (Jang Hye Jin), and their two children, son Ki Woo (Choi Woo Shik) and daughter Ki Jung (Park So Dam) in a rundown semi-basement apartment. The family has no prospects for a steady job and they resort to doing low-paid activities. All of a sudden, Min Hyuk (Park Seo Joon), Ki Woo’s friend, drops by and offers him to take over his job as an English tutor for a wealthy family, the Parks (Lee Sun Kyun and Cho Yeo Jeong). Ki Woo accepts and he ends up in a house of style and glamour. Gaining the Parks’ trust, Ki Taek’s family deceitfully takes over positions of the household’s other workers. Little do they know that this will lead to disastrous consequences.

 

House of the Long Shadows

Positive recommendations from MyDramaList and the movie poster provided me with a cognitive dissonance. I expected a super dark and psychedelic slasher, but the first half of the movie seemed like a funny comedy about small time crooks. My initial reaction was like: “What’s all the fuss? It’s just a black comedy/family drama”. However, when the doorbell started ringing halfway through the picture, all hell broke loose…

 

Parasite’s main assets are not the drastic shifts in tone, but the message it tries to communicate. I would not call the storyline as the “ever-trendy” Marxist critique of capitalism. This movie is not just about the haves and the have-nots. It’s about the deterioration of our society and we get to see that through the lens of Ki Taek and his family on three different levels.

 

I could not help but compare Parasite with the previous Cannes’ winner, Shoplifters (2018). Even though the two films are completely different, I found myself cheering for both families who found themselves in unexpected circumstances. This is where my main issue with Parasite arises: I badly wanted the story to remain a family drama but it turned into a graphic thriller. In consequence, this hair-raising 180 degree turn of events resulted in the ending which left me a bit unsatisfied.

 

Speaking about performances, Song Kang Ho always provides a class act and it’s great to see him continuing the collaboration with director Bong Joon Ho. Jang Hye Jin and Park So Dam also are fantastic as the mother and the daughter, respectively. However, the real highlight of this film is Choi Woo Shik as the son. Honourable mention goes to Lee Jung Eun for her more than unnerving performance.

 

Recommendations

Go ahead and check this one out. Parasite is a very interesting and entertaining story which deserves its widespread praise. Even if some scenes are graphic, I think it is best to watch it with your family and/or friends because the film keeps you guessing what will happen next. To conclude, Parasite effectively discouraged me from trying to buy a fancy house with a big garden for myself.

Overall score: 8/10

The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014) [Drama Review]

The Next Generation: Patlabor; or, The Return of Ingram

     Time passes, and people change. The ringing of the Gion Shouja bell signifies the impermanence of this world... I guess. The idiosyncratic first generation was replaced by a mediocre second generation... and the third generation's reputation for incompetence is well established. The only things that haven't changed are me and SV2's Patlor Labor, the AV-98. No... after all those modifications, this guy's actually changed a lot too.

Ever since this drama came out in 2014, it was my dream to check it out. However, I was unaware about online drama sources back then and one of my (former) friends, who actually did watch the first episode somehow, told me that Mamoru Oshii lost his mind and it’s definitely not a Patlabor show. On top of that, numerous negative reviews surfaced on the net, not to mention the theatrical feature’s dire box office returns. However, being a long time Palabor fan and desiring to review all of the franchise’s entries, I finally managed to get a hold of this show and watch it in its entirety. This is my review of the live-action drama The Next Generation: Patlabor.

Release Info

Developed by: Mamoru Oshii Starring: Erina Mano, Seiji Fukushi, Toshio Kakei

Language: Japanese Original Title: THE NEXT GENERATION ‐パトレイバー  No. of eps.: 13

Synopsis

It has been 10 years since the establishment of SV2. The original members of Section 2 ended their duty and went separate ways, then a completely new team of dull and forgettable cadets came and went. Now, it is the time for the third generation to take over in a high-tech world that no longer has any need for Labours. Ever since the establishment of the Tokyo Babylon Project and new technological advancements in the West, Labours have become undesirable in Japan. Division 1 was disbanded and, as a result, Division 2 is on a continuous 24 hour stand-by with two old Ingram AV-98’s at hand. Nevertheless, there are still situations when the Mobile Police becomes useful.

 

Special Vehicles Section 2, Division 2, head out!

First of all, I think that it’s important to mention some of the criticism that this drama received upon its original release. The show was heavily panned for over-the-top comedy, lack of Labour action, and the casting of idol singer Erina Mano in the leading role. Are these claims valid? Well, yes and no, depending on your perspective. For all of the decision making was responsible Mamoru Oshii, the director of the original Patlabor: Early Days OVA and the two movies. While reading press materials from the production period, it appears that Oshii has some sort of love-and-hate relationship with the Patlabor franchise. He agreed to direct the drama on condition that it won’t be set in the future and that there will be a new set of main characters. In addition, he wanted to redesign Ingram but the producers would not let him do that. So, he ordered to create a full-scale, eight meter recreation of AV-98…

 

Having finally seen all 13 episodes, I think it is best to firstly address the things I liked. What I found awesome about the show? Definitely the world of The Next Generation: Patlabor. I loved the concept introduced in the prologue episode in which SV2 functions in the world relying on obsolete technology (Windows XP/Vista systems, PSP consoles, Sony Vaio laptops) where Labours are considered to be even more obsolete. Maybe it was a part of Oshii’s reproach towards the franchise or budget limitations (the character of Shige laments that Labors are good-for-nothing anime robots) but I liked how SV2 had to struggle in reality that has no purpose for giant robots.

 

What is more, the new characters are carbon copies of the original protagonists with minor personality changes here and there. In case if you’d get lost, the surnames refer to their anime predecessors and so we have: Akira Izumino (Erina Mano), Yuma Shiobara (Seiji Fukushi), Ekaterina Krachevna Kankaeva (Rina Ohta), Isamu Otawara (Yoshinori Horimoto), Shinji Mikiya (Kohei Shiotsuka), Hiromichi Yamazaki (Shigekazu Tajiri), and Captain Keiji Gotoda (Toshio Kakei). Also, the actor Shigeru Chiba returns to play Shigeo Shiba, the chief of the maintenance crew, whom he originally dubbed in the anime. Well, once you get over the initial outrage (where’s my Noa and Shinohara?!), you quickly get used to the new team and their follies.

 

Speaking of follies, SV2 has a lot of stuff to do, even though their assignments do not always require the use of Ingrams. For instance, they face off against an arcade game master, gun traders, amphibian kaiju, first class sniper and a dinosaur. All of that is accompanied by numerous Easter eggs, references, and satirical call-backs to the anime series. In fact, the show is the follow-up to both the Movie Timeline and the TV Timeline of the franchise. While reusing some of the good old stuff (SV2 descends down to the dungeons again, fights Red Labour, and disarms a time bomb), the drama replicates the light-hearted feel of the anime. All of this is neatly wrapped together by Kenji Kawai’s crazy epic music score. This is definitely one of his greatest works on Patlabor ever!

 

With regard to performances, all of the actors fit their roles perfectly. I did not mind Erina Mano as the lead. To be honest, I think she did pretty well and the same goes to Seiji Fukushi, Rina Ohta, Yoshinori Horimoto, and Toshio Kakei. In addition, the great Reiko Takashima guest stars in two episodes.

 

In terms of disadvantages, some of the stories are obviously prolonged and they could have been shorter (for example, the giant monster two-parter). Additionally, if you expect spellbinding mecha action, then hold your horses. Ingrams pop out in short sequences and, while these hardly can be called fights, there is pretty decent CGI work done. I should also mention that the deck up scenes of the real Ingram model are one of a kind.

 

Recommendations

Taking everything into consideration, I do not regret checking out The Next Generation: Patlabor. It was everything I wanted it to be and I can generously ignore the minimal appearance of Ingrams. If you can’t get hold of the English translated release, you can go ahead and watch the raw episodes. This great site dedicated to Patlabor contains synopses for the episodes and explanations of the references (I haven’t caught them all!). Now, I’m off to view the theatrical feature called The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War (2015).

Overall score: 7/10

Ring: Kanzenban (1995) [Film Review]

Ring: Kanzenban; or, The Original Adaptation

     It might be all over for us, haven't you thought of that? Maybe you don't understand, but there's a mystery and a depth of this video that I'm attracted to. I think we'll definitely meet the creator of this tape.

Probably all of us remember the iconic J-horror film which introduced us to the demonic spirit coming out of a TV screen. Ring (1998), the adaptation of a novel by Koji Suzuki became a worldwide hit and it spawned numerous sequels, spin-offs, and remakes. However, did you know that there was an earlier attempt to adapt Suzuki’s work onto the screen? I’m talking about Ring: Kanzenban (literally: Ring: Full Version). A made-for-TV 1995 production, which only saw the light of day on VHS and LaserDisc formats, only to fall soon after into the well of obscurity.

Release Info

Directed by: Chisui Takigawa Starring: Katsunori Takahashi, Yoshio Harada, Ayane Miura

Language: Japanese Original Title: リング 完全版 Runtime: 98 min

 

Synopsis

Kazuyuki Asakawa (Katsunori Takahashi) is a newspaper journalist who is happily married to Shizuko (Mai Tachihara). Everything goes smoothly, the couple is expecting a baby; however, Kazuyuki discovers a bizarre coincidence of four teenagers who died exactly at the same day, at the same time. His investigation leads him to a cabin in the woods where he views a videotape which contains a deadly curse created by the malevolent ghost of Sadako Yamamura (Ayane Miura). With the help of a college professor, Ryuji Takayama (Yoshio Harada), Kazuyuki sets out on a journey to break the curse because he has only 7 days left to live.

There’s only one way to live

It is interesting that in the shadow a famous horror film there lies a forgotten movie that preceded it. Due to the production’s low budget and unfavourable reviews, I checked out Ring: Kanzenban with zero expectations but I was pleasantly surprised after what I had seen. This movie is actually the most accurate adaptation of Koji Suzuki’s original novel and, although being made for TV, it does not suffer entirely from limited production resources and cringeworthy TV clichés.

 

The story is structured pretty well and it is quite gripping, even though modern viewers and fans of the Ring series are spoiled by the 1998 movie. The definite highlight of this film is its take on a videotape. It’s quite creepy and it does the job of providing the feeling of unsettlement. While the VHS tape from Ring (1998) was filled with dark aesthetics, the one from Ring: Kanzenban is more straightforward and faithful to the novel.

 

Apart from that, other things which deserve praise are great locations (the cabin and Sadako’s home-island), decent pacing, and well-made flashback sequences. As for the disadvantages… there is a bit of forced nudity here and there in order to appeal to midnight audiences. In addition, the music score is practically one tune played over and over again throughout the picture. This did not put me off, but I assume that it can irritate some viewers.

 

With regard to performances, Katsunori Takahashi does well in the lead role of Kazuyuki Asakawa but Toshiro Yanagiba does a better job with his iteration of the character in Ring: The Final Chapter TV series. Yoshio Harada as the specialist in paranormal phenomena, Ryuji Takayama, is the greatest highlight of this film. Due to the charismatic presence of a disinterested scientist, he steals every scene he is in. Great addition is Ayane Miura as Sadako. She had the honour of being the first actress to play the iconic demon, so it’s a shame that her career is limited to only a dozen of Nikkatsu Videos.

 

Recommendations

Safely recommended to anyone who wants to explore the unknown regions of the Ring series. Give a miss to the American remakes and try this movie instead. It is an engaging 90-minute ride which serves as a supplement to the 1998 film. Ring: Kanzenban deserves at least a DVD edition nowadays.

Overall score: 7/10