Brief notes, recent viewings, listed alphabetically (because they're all good).
The Host Much-discussed, and for good reason, Bong Joon-ho's follow-up to his solid policier Memories of Murder is a scathing piece of social criticism cannily disguised as a creature feature. What makes The Host a vital addition in the canon of trojan horse-style filmic cherry bombs is that it deftly succeeds as first-rate horror; the titular McGuffin is a legitimately scary movie monster, and the subsequent, Kafka-esque frenzy is creepier yet. To make matters more impressive, it's also a remarkably sensitive family drama and a mordantly funny dark comedy.
The central conceit--that an American military officer orders large quantities of formaldehyde dumped in South Korea's Han River, spawning a huge, carnivorous sea creature--isn't shy to the point. But Bong takes his polemic one brave step further, as the U.S. military steps in. Claiming that the creature is spreading a lethal virus, they propose a controversial, potentially hazardous solution. The kicker: we later discover that there is no virus, that it was merely the result of "misinformation." Sounds familiar, no?
Infection The term "nightmarish" is tossed around a lot in describing horror movies, but Masayuki Ochiai's 2004 effort--in which, once again, a mysteriously spreading virus is a major narrative point--eerily echoes the trance-like rhythms and strange turns of an actual nightmare. The plot here might initially appear unnecessarily convoluted and, at times, illogical. That's a significant part of the film's surreal, unsettling charm, especially taken in contrast with its minimal set-up (there's virtually no exposition) and minimal locations (a hospital interior).
Koma Lo Chi-Leung's masterpiece is, in its way, the Hong Kong Mulholland Drive. The tone is entirely liquid, relationship dynamics in perpetual flux, with the darker nooks and crannies of the female psyche navigated by a male auteur who should probably know better.
Okay, the Lynch reference is a stretch, but Koma is hardly an easy film to get your critical footing in. Maybe Persona would've made for a better point of comparison? Either way, co-stars Angelica Lee and Karena Lam admirably hold their own against the historic pairings of Watts/Harring and Andersson/Ullman. That much I'm sure of; the rest is grey--but brilliantly so.
Mr. Socrates This one's easier to parse than Koma, but no less bizarre in terms of sudden tonal shifts--from camp ne'er-do-well comedy to camp gangster flick to camp going-back-to-school pic to camp tearjerker. Right, there's a reoccurring theme here. When I said above that all six of these are good that didn't preclude less edifying pleasures. Mr. Socrates is pretty funny when it's trying to be (hence "good"), but it's hysterical when it's not (hence golden).
2LDK Another look at the love/hate nature of female relationships--except here, the "hate" part quickly, and quite extremely, takes center stage. Yukihiko Tsutsumi's movie seems very directly inspired by "Living Conditions," the season four Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode wherein SMG suspects her annoying roommate is evil. Turns out the roommate (who blasts Cher's "Believe" 24/7) is, in fact, a demon. Here, they're both just bitches.
Woman Is the Future of Man After finally investigating Hong Sang-soo, I'm duly impressed though not totally convinced the heaps of hyperbole are justified. This, in a nutshell, is Y Tu Mama Tambien by way of Woody Allen, but set in Seoul as opposed to Manhattan or Mexico. Hong's touch is certainly singular, making expert comic use of a narrative rhyme scheme that moves in teasing fits and starts. And then, once the film really starts gaining steam and focus: cut to black, roll credits. A very shrewd move in a very good movie.
I'm not done investigating yet either. With the level of wit and stylistic maturity on display here, it's not hard to imagine that Hong's already made his Annie Hall. This one's more a Hannah and Her Sisters. Jeong Yong-jin's playful score is the best part.
