Parasite For Best Picture?

[+ quoththeraven]

I haven't seen (and don't expect to see) any of the other movies that are the subjects of threads, so I thought I'd start one on Parasite, which is poised to be the first South Korean film to be nominated for a Best International Film (formerly Best Foreign Film) Oscar, a category it will likely win. (After years of movies that deserved nomination but didn't receive any.) It's already known for being the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

 

But more interesting (to me, at least) is the possibility that Parasite will receive nominations in such categories as Best Picture, Best Director, acting and screenplay categories. After all, it won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor from the LA Film Critics, has a SAG nomination for best ensemble, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay Golfen Globes.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/12/11/sag-award-nominations-make-oscar-odds-even-more-likely-for-parasite/#2bc2c9bd3781

 

What with South Korean pop group BTS (and Super M) topping the Billboard 200, it would be exciting to see a South Korean movie be nominated or named Best Picture in America. (Seeing as the Academy Awards, like the Grammys, are American awards, not international ones.)

 

As for the movie itself: it's about economic inequality. There's a certain slickness and coincidence to the plot that bothered me a little, and there's a tonal shift about halfway through that changes it from farce and dark humor to tragedy. Otherwise it's really magnificent and observant, with a few bonkers characters and some neat cinematography and use of symbolism and dialogue like "the best plan is no plan" (in context, it absolutely makes sense). I wasn't a big fan of the only other Bong Joon Ho film I've seen, the English language Snowpiercer, but this is great.

[+ oldNbusted]

Why not? Here is a list of submissions, only a few days to the first shortlist:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_submissions_to_the_92nd_Academy_Awards_for_Best_International_Feature_Film

 

I'll admit, I quite liked Snowpiercer, there was definitely a distinctive style to the film, which is hard to pull off without taking people out of the cinematic experience, so my hat is off to him.

 

How Bong Joon-ho Invented the Weird World of Parasite

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

It deserves more than just the niche of foreign film.

 

Parasite is better than 99% of films that have been released this year.

 

It's the seismic shifts in tone that make it brilliant. The director doesn't want you comfortable.

[+ Cash4Trash]

For fans of Parasite make it a point to see his earlier film Mother, a favorite of mine.

[+ Pensant]

Excellent advice.

[+ pitman]

PARASITE definitely deserves a Best Picture nomination. I have not seen SNOWPIERCER but added it to my Netflix queue. MOTHER is also very good, but my favorite Bong Joon-ho film is MEMORIES OF MURDER. I've seen it three times.

[+ quoththeraven]

No one's mentioned Bong Joon Ho's movie The Host, the central conceit of which is based on an actual incident in which the US military disposed of contaminated water in the Han River. When I went looking a couple of years ago, I couldn't find a way to watch it, but there are a pair of interconnected music videos that spoof it:

(Mithra Jin is a terrific dinosaur/monster, I'm just saying.)

Edited December 19, 2019 by quoththeraven

[HenryW]

It was such a great movie including humor and tragedy. It will certainly be nominated for Best Picture as it was only the 2nd foreign language film ever to be nominated for best cast at the SAG awards.

[tchm]

I was riveted. I hope it gets nominated and win Best Picture. Totally deserving. It's a socially conscious movie that delivers its message loud and clear without being preachy and hammering the audience's head with it. Seen it three times and just amazed at how tightly constructed the screenplay is and how fluidly it was filmed. No wasted scene. Even seemingly throwaway lines about "Cub Scout", "eating for two", "it's a deluge", "American Indian", even "subway smell" take on crucial meaning in the story's twists and turns. I hope it wins Best Ensemble at the SAG and nominations for the actors playing the Kim father and daughter at the OSCARS.

[+ oldNbusted]

Coming out on Blu-ray and DVD on Jan. 28th.

[TracerMain]

While I think The Irishman is going to win, I would love to see Parasite actually winning. Parasite is my favorite 2019 movie. I am glad it’s getting recognized too.

[+ pitman]

Lincoln Center currently has a retrospective of Bong's work. They are all worth seeing.

 

https://www.filmlinc.org/series/the-bong-show/#films

[+ quoththeraven]

Lincoln Center currently has a retrospective of Bong's work. They are all worth seeing.

 

https://www.filmlinc.org/series/the-bong-show/#films

Thank you for this. At this point I'm considering going to see The Host.

[+ quoththeraven]

Yahoo News article about director Bong Joon Ho and Parasite's Best Foreign Film win at the Golden Globes.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/bong-joon-ho-south-koreas-biting-film-satirist-052714504.html

[+ quoththeraven]

There's also a name and hashtag for Bong Joon Ho fans now: #BongHive (like Beyoncé's BeyHive). I even saw a screenshot of an explanation of it in Korean. (I don't read Hangul, so I don't know what it said.)

[+ quoththeraven]

There's also a name and hashtag for Bong Joon Ho fans now: #BongHive (like Beyoncé's BeyHive). I even saw a screenshot of an explanation of it in Korean. (I don't read Hangul, so I don't know what it said.)

[Eggman]

While I have not yet seen Parasite, I was very pleased to see how well "Once Upon A Time . . . in Hollywood" did at the Globes. Tarantino did a remarkable job capturing Hollywood in the late 60's. And, I loved how the fairy tale ended. Left the theatre with a smile on my face.

[+ quoththeraven]

Thank you for this. At this point I'm considering going to see The Host.

I saw The Host this afternoon. Lots of fun but also includes social commentary, especially about government coverups and dishonesty; since the "virus" started with dangerous chemicals from a US military morgue dumped into sinks leading to the Han River, inevitably some of the fingers point to the US. The ending isn't completely bleak but it's not happy happy either. Nor is it as smooth or accomplished as Parasite.

 

Still not entirely sure what the creature/monster that causes all the problems is, or is supposed to be. It seems to be a combination of different critters, both real and make-believe.

[+ quoththeraven]

Just to update: Parasite has six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture:

 

Best International Film (considered a shoo-in even though this is the first movie in Korea's 101 year film history to even be nominated)

Best Picture

Best Director (Bong Joon Ho)

Best Original Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Production Design

 

Notably, like other films before it, Parasite didn't receive any acting nominations even though, presumably, any film worthy of a Best Picture nomination (or even a Best Director nomination) includes excellent acting. To quote Vulture/NY Magazine writer E. Alex Jung:

 

I also want to add a word about Parasite, which got six nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. Historic! A first for a Korean film! Still, it doesn’t feel like it quite matches the scope of the achievement. No nomination for score. Nothing for cinematography, despite this being quite possibly the most cinematique film of the year. And very pointedly, there were no nominations for any of the actors in the movie — not Song Kang Ho as the tortured father or the dry comedy of Park So-dam or Lee Jeong-eun as the housekeeper who’s really the hinge for the crucial turn midway through the film. It’s boring to talk about, but it must be said that there’s a persistent prejudice against Asian actors within Hollywood: It’s why studio executives say they can’t green-light a film with an Asian lead, and why an Asian actor has never been nominated in Best Actor or Best Actress. (See: Awkwafina, 2020.) Even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which earned a raft of nominations in 2001, didn’t garner any for the incredible performances by Zhang Ziyi or Michelle Yeoh. There’s an old prejudice at work here that sees Asian people as technical workers — hence the praise for Bong Joon Ho — and refuses to see us as fully human.

 

https://www.vulture.com/amp/2020/01/oscar-nominations-2020-still-so-white.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

And, as Bong Joon Ho has said - to E. Alex Jung - "The Oscars are not an international film festival. They're very local."

[MEDIA=twitter]1216716375600832514[/MEDIA]

[+ E.T.Bass]

Best ensemble winner at SAG Awards tonight. Often foreshadows Best Picture winner at the Oscars

[+ quoththeraven]

Best ensemble winner at SAG Awards tonight. Often foreshadows Best Picture winner at the Oscars

Fingers crossed.

[+ E.T.Bass]

Saw it tonight in Pasadena. Theater was nearly full. Well done movie.

 

played during a key moment in the movie.

[+ E.T.Bass]

Saw it tonight in Pasadena. Theater was nearly full. Well done movie.

 

played during a key moment in the movie.

[MikeBiDude]

I haven't seen (and don't expect to see) any of the other movies that are the subjects of threads, so I thought I'd start one on Parasite, which is poised to be the first South Korean film to be nominated for a Best International Film (formerly Best Foreign Film) Oscar, a category it will likely win. (After years of movies that deserved nomination but didn't receive any.) It's already known for being the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

 

But more interesting (to me, at least) is the possibility that Parasite will receive nominations in such categories as Best Picture, Best Director, acting and screenplay categories. After all, it won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor from the LA Film Critics, has a SAG nomination for best ensemble, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay Golfen Globes.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/12/11/sag-award-nominations-make-oscar-odds-even-more-likely-for-parasite/#2bc2c9bd3781

 

What with South Korean pop group BTS (and Super M) topping the Billboard 200, it would be exciting to see a South Korean movie be nominated or named Best Picture in America. (Seeing as the Academy Awards, like the Grammys, are American awards, not international ones.)

 

As for the movie itself: it's about economic inequality. There's a certain slickness and coincidence to the plot that bothered me a little, and there's a tonal shift about halfway through that changes it from farce and dark humor to tragedy. Otherwise it's really magnificent and observant, with a few bonkers characters and some neat cinematography and use of symbolism and dialogue like "the best plan is no plan" (in context, it absolutely makes sense). I wasn't a big fan of the only other Bong Joon Ho film I've seen, the English language Snowpiercer, but this is great.

Wow, what a night Parasite had at the Academy Awards. All well deserved, I’m so glad I went out of my way to watch it just a week ago!

[+ E.T.Bass]

I especially liked Choi Woo-shik.

Good movie.