The Host

Joon-ho Bong's The Host (2006) continues the tradition of his earlier film, Memories of Murder, of turning the genre upside down - this time he does it to the monster film genre. And for better or worse, he blends different genres in a wilder way than in his other films. After an American military base pours toxic chemicals into the Han River, a dangerous mutated monster appears and begins to kill people. After its first appearance, it captures Hyun-seo, a schoolgirl whose dysfunctional family does everything to get her back alive.

Even by Bong's standards, The Host is very satirical. It mostly pokes fun at the genre and the film itself. The characters are wonderful and the way they change towards the end is fascinating - even though most of the development comes through irony rather than drama. The film keeps turning your expectations upside down all the time - even the ending feels weird because at first it seems way too dramatic and dark when compared to the rest of the film. But then I realised how it continued the film's subversive narrative perfectly. I figured out that it was more ironic than dramatic in the end - because it didn't release all of the tension the film had gathered earlier. Even though Bong handles the satire better this time, the film becomes too baffling for its own sake - the chaotic narrative tries to take a lot of paths at the same time, but ultimately it seems to be more lost than focused.

If there is something you can expect to succeed in a Bong film, it's the form. His form is similar to his other films: intensive and intriguing. Especially the long take of the monster's first appearance is a true masterpiece. The Host also features some of the best CGI I've seen in a long, long time. I don't know if it's more up to the design of the creature's movement or the CGI itself, but it was VERY effective.

The Host is very much like Bong's other films: it had the potential to become a masterpiece, but something went a bit wrong in the screenplay. I hope he can handle his chaotic screenplays one day so that he could deliver a masterpiece - because he seems to be very capable of executing one.

Score: 8 out of 10

Memories of Murder

Before I watched Joon-ho Bong's Memories of Murder (2003), I had heard a lot of good things about the film. There was even a guy who included it in his five favorite films of all time. So naturally, my expectations were high for the film even though I doubted a little whether the film could be so good.

Memories of Murder tells about three detectives working on a serial murder case in a small Korean town. The film subverts the viewers' expectations all the time by breaking the conventions of the genre. While it uses a lot of the cliched tropes (such as false arrests, torturing innocent people), the path these tropes take the story is vastly different from a conventional detective story.

Instead of focusing on the mystery completely, the film is more about the main characters. Their gradual yet complex character development is the driving force of the whole film. I read somewhere that there is a strong political subtext behind two of the detectives, but I'm not sure if it was only someone reading too much into the film or not. However, the film does have social themes along with the more personal ones so the interpretation of the two characters is probably not completely pointless.

The most confusing thing about Memories of Murder is its balance between comedy and drama. Bong is better when he focuses more on being satirical, but in Memories of Murder he leans more towards being serious and dramatic. And that's why the bits of hilarious comedy don't really fit into the film. The dramatic moments are also handled in a weird way because the film is emotionally quite confusing - and I don't see why this film should be so.

Formally Bong delivers again. His cinematography is simply wonderful to look at: the lighting and colors represent the psychological state of the characters (becomes darker and darker as the film goes on); the compositions are beautiful; the camera drives are impressive yet again in the long takes. Bong can create intensity to any scene with simple yet excellent camera movement.

Memories of Murder is a film that had the potential to become a masterpiece, but some of its brilliance was lost already in the writing process. However, the final result is an entertaining and thought-provoking film that I would recommend for anyone.

Score: 8 out of 10

Barking Dogs Never Bite

Joon-ho Bong's film debut, Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), is a black comedy about an unemployed college lecturer who decides to kill his neighbour's annoying dog. There's a bunch of colorful side characters that make the film so complicated and hilarious - such as the main character's strong-minded and pregnant wife. Even though Bong tries to balance the drama and the comedy, the film ends up being more comic than serious. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing because the film is at its best when it is funny. I nearly forgot how serious the film was with its social concerns and animal cruelty when I began to laugh uncontrollably during other scenes.

Even though the content is uneven, Bong's form is already quite refined in his debut. The cinematography switches between static and kinetic "phases" which are both finely executed. The camera movement is well handled, the occasional use of Dutch angles is good and the best thing about the cinematography was the brilliant use of close-ups. When I think about it, only Woman in the Dunes comes into mind when thinking about powerful close-ups in films I have seen recently.

Barking Dogs Never Bite is funny but flawed film which is certainly a strong debut for any director. I'll be looking forward to see Joon-ho Bong's other films.

Score: 7 out of 10

Tokyo!

Tokyo! (2008) is a triptych of stories that all take place in Tokyo. Each segment is directed by a different director: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Jong-ho Bong. I would say what all of these segments have in common (besides the location) is that they all somehow deal with our difficulties to communicate and find our place in the society. But it is a lot easier to focus on these segments separately. The film opens with an animated shot of Tokyo with an announcer speaking in the background, as if we - the viewers - would be boarding onto a flight. In my opinion, watching the film feels like one, even if the stories are wildly exaggerated and they dont necessarily try to portray Tokyo honestly.

The first segment is Michel Gondry's Interior Design. Akira (Ryo Kase), an amateur and experimental filmmaker, and her girlfriend Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) come to Tokyo to release Akira's film and also to find a place to live in. Before finding their own apartment, they move in to live with Akemi (Ayumi Ito) for a few days. From there on, the story becomes a bit different: the main characters face difficulties and in the end it is about Hiroko and her problems to fit into the society. The story takes on a rather wild symbolical path by the end, which even on its own makes the segment worth watching. The story raises enough questions - and its own peculiar way answers them satisfyingly enough, but it is nothing revolutionary. Gondry's visual take on the story is impressive and very fitting. I went bonkers when I heard that both Fujitani and Ito are both in this movie - even more when I realised they are in the same segment. They both perform very well as expected, delightul performances by both of them - even though Ito's character is hardly deep or even good. On its own, I would probably give this segment a 7 as its rating.

The second segment is Leos Carax' Merde. Merde (Denis Lavant) is the main character (pictured above) of the film who is also known as the "Creature of the Sewers" who wreaks havoc in Tokyo once in a while and then disappears. Eventually the Japanese capture him and what happens then is even more bizarre than the beginning. I guess you could interpret the story to be a tale of how different people can be - and how we react to that difference. Yet the screenplay doesnt seem to pick a side - or even a point of view - on the subject and in the end it is quite disappointing. It explores its obvious message on a childish yet peculiar way which seems to be an insult towards weird people in general. Yet it seems to show how cruelly the society takes care of these weird persons. The result is a mess - to say the least. The biggest offender was the nonsensical ending. Carax' form for the story is a weird combination of gritty and clean cinematography. It certainly packs a punch here and there, and it uses some weird devices - like split screen for an entire scene. That's why it feels a bit gimmicky at times, but in general it works to some degree. This segment deserves only a 3!

The last segment is Joon-ho Bong's Shaking Tokyo. It is the story of a Japanese man (Teruyuki Kagawa) who has lived all alone in his apartment for over 10 years and has avoided eye contact with anyone during that time. The story is set into motion once he does make eye contact with pizza delivery girl (Yû Aoi) - with almost catastrophical results. I have to admit the story evolves into something extremely fascinating and thoughtful. This segment alone makes the film worth a watch - or even worth the purchase of the DVD release. In a way Bong shoves the middle finger at what the Japanese society has turned into yet he seems to care deeply for the characters. The story is - as you can guess - about loneliness and the difficulties in communication. Bong's form is nigh perfect with its great compositions and lovely editing. I dont want to reveal too much about the segment, but the content is awesome as well. This segment certainly deserves a 9 at least.

In overall, the film is certainly nice to watch because the segments are so refreshingly different from each other. Even though I disliked the second segment, I can see how it fits into the film and I will probably buy the DVD someday.

Score: 7 out of 10