PARASITE : Tuesday 2nd July 2019.

I saw 'PARASITE' at my local independent theatre earlier this week, and fresh of his success with competition wins at both the Cannes Film Festival and the recent Sydney Film Festival, acclaimed South Korean Director and Screenwriter Bong Joon-ho here follows up his previous films that include 2006's 'The Host', 2013's 'Snowpiercer' and 2017's 'Okja'. The dark comedy film was released after its World Premier screening at Cannes in mid-May, in its native South Korea at the end of May, saw its release in Australia last week, and not in the USA until early October. The film has garnered largely universal critical praise and was made for about US$15M. The film has so far grossed US$77M.

Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), is an unemployed driver, who lives with his wife Choong-sook (Jang Hye-jin) and two college age children in a downtrodden basement apartment. The family are all unemployed and together they struggle to make ends meet by folding pizza boxes to earn a meagre living and survive from one day to the next. One day, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), the son, is socialising with a friend who, whilst studying at University, is also employed as an English tutor for the daughter of a rich family. He is leaving to study abroad and suggests that Ki-woo should take his place as he's been studying English for the University entrance exam for the last four years unsuccessfully, and yet is more qualified that most of the other student 'pricks' in his year.

Ki-woo is subsequently interviewed at the extremely luxurious and spacious mansion of the Park family by the wife and mother of the household Yeon-kyo Park (Cho Yeo-jeong) to tutor one-on-one their daughter, Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so). He gets the job and as he’s leaving the house observes the paintings of the young son of the family, Park Da-song (Jung Hyun-joon). Noticing that his artistic prowess should be nurtured, he suggests that the family employ his sister Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) as an art tutor - lying about her qualifications and photo-shopping fake University degree certificates to add to the authenticity, his family connection and even giving her the false name of Jessica.

In the fullness of time, both Dad and Mum also manage to infiltrate their way into the employ of the Park household. Ki-jeong designs a plot to get Mr. Park’s (Lee Sun-gyun) driver fired and replaced with her dad Ki-taek. Once Ki-taek is employed, he manages to get the final Kim family member, his wife, Choong-sook, employed as the housekeeper after getting the current one Gook Moon-gwang (Lee Jung-eun) fired by concocting a story that her allergic reaction to peach skin is in fact tuberculosis. In no time at all, the four family members have seen a complete reversal in their fortunes, are each in full time employment and being paid a pretty penny too, and are able to celebrate in moderate style.

One weekend, the Parks announce that they are leaving to camp in the countryside. They pack up the car and the four of them leave. Ki-taek and his family take full advantage of this opportunity to get comfortable in the Park household, get drunk on the expensive liquor, and treat the place as if it were their own. In a sudden downpour of thunder, lightning and near torrential rain the former housekeeper, Moon-gwang visits claiming that she came to retrieve something from the basement that she was unable to take when she left the house in haste. It is soon revealed that behind a wall unit in the basement is a secret doorway that leads down into a fully self contained bunker, and that the former housekeeper’s husband has been living down there for the past four years, hiding from the loan sharks he borrowed money from for a number of failed business ventures. A fight breaks out as Moon-gwang and her husband learn the truth about the Kims nefarious plans and the fact that they are all one family. Ki-taek and his family manage to confine the couple in the basement bunker, seriously wounding Moon-gwang in the process.

Amidst all this commotion, Mrs. Park calls Choong-sook to tell her to prepare a meal as the rain forced the cancellation of their camping weekend and they'll be returning to the house in eight minutes according to their in-car GPS. Ki-taek, Ki-jeong and Ki-woo all hurriedly hide in the house and as quickly as they can do their best to clean up their near drunken mess, almost getting caught several times, but finally manage to escape undetected later that night by hiding under a low level lounge table. The three successfully make their escape, in the pouring rain, down several steep stairways, through road tunnels and eventually back to their own poor neighbourhood. There they discover waist-high water and raw sewage has enveloped entire blocks of apartments in the neighbourhood, including their own semi-basement home. Ki-woo wades through the apartment to retrieve a large rock gifted to him earlier by his friend. The three, along with many other families made homeless, sleep in a gymnasium overnight.

The next day, Mrs. Park decides to throw an impromptu birthday party for her son and invites many of their friends, gets the caterers in, stage manages the whole lavish affair and also invites the whole Kim family to take part in the celebrations. Mrs. Park meanwhile remains completely ignorant to the fact that the Kim family are now homeless and near destitute, and have to accept hand-me-down clothes to be able to attend. Ki-woo, who feels responsible for the turn of events, goes down to the bunker, carrying with him the large rock and soon discovers the former housekeeper has died from her wounds. Her husband attacks Ki-woo and manages to get out of the basement and in the process knocks Ki-woo unconscious with the rock.

He takes a large kitchen knife, searches the small crowd for the Kims and attempts to stab them. He fatally wounds Ki-jeong. Park's young son faints from the scene unfolding right in front of him. Moon-gwang's husband then attacks Choong-sook. As Ki-taek is attending to his dying daughter and preparing to help his wife against the attacker, Mr. Park attempts to flee with his unconscious son, yelling at Ki-taek to throw him the car keys. Choong-sook manages to kill Moon-gwang's husband with a large metal barbecue skewer. Turning over the corpse to retrieve the car keys thrown by Ki-taek, Park pinches his nose, pulling back hastily from the smell of the dead man's body. Ki-taek previously overheard the Parks describing his own body odour as disgusting and invasive. Witnessing Mr. Park's recoil, Ki-taek stabs Park with the same kitchen knife, killing him.

Ki-taek escapes unnoticed by his own family members, the Park's, the quickly exiting guests, and any other loitering witnesses. He doubles back inside the house through the open garage door and goes into hiding in the bunker, taking the place of Moon-gwang’s husband, oblivious also to the next incoming family who purchased the property. Ki-woo, following brain surgery as a result of his injuries sustained is arrested along with Choong-sook but are found not guilty. In the months that follow, Ki-woo visits the house and spies on it from afar and one night notices the lights of the house are sending him a message in Morse Code from his father still living and surviving in the bunker.

In 'Parasite' Director and Writer Bong Joon-ho has crafted a grippingly watchable and blackly comedic suspense drama film that weaves effortlessly between opposite sides of the social tracks exploring the great divide between the haves and the have-nots, the inequality that exists between the rich and the poor, the meaning of social status and ultimately the greed, the envy and the tragedy that unfolds when these two unsuspecting families come together. The cast are all uniformly top rate, and despite its 130 minute run time, this film never leaves you wanting - instead lurching the viewer from one dramatic episode to a laugh out loud moment to unfolding family tragedy to surprise twists and turns and then back again. It's an unrelenting joy ride that proves that Bong Joon-ho is at the top of his game, and in this era of big bold Hollywood blockbusters it's refreshing to see this little South Korean foreign language film performing so well both commercially and critically.

'Parasite' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th June 2019.

Nestled neatly between the Sydney International Film Festival which wrapped up on 16th June, and the Melbourne International Film Festival which runs from 1st August through until 18th August, the 23rd Revelation Perth International Film Festival this year runs from 4th July through until 17th July. The official website reads 'Revelation commenced its formal life in 1997 and was designed to showcase ideas 'at point' in contemporary independent film and find a place for them in a conservative cinema and social environment. Today, the event includes over 120 international films presented at cinemas, galleries, cafes and bars across Perth. It attracts 12,000 patrons and 50 national and international guests over 13 days. It sees over 500 films submitted for selection from local and international filmmakers and features world and Australian premiere films of all genres. It has a particularly strong representation in experimental and documentary films. Revelation maintains its focus on signature driven works and embraces audiences of all ages, tastes and backgrounds. Like the films it presents, the event maintains a vitality and enthusiasm for the industry quite unlike any other film festival in the country'.

The opening night film is the Thomas Vinterberg Directed 'Kursk' based on the true story of the sinking of the Kursk submarine during Russian naval exercises in August 2000. After a catastrophic explosion on board, the vessel rapidly sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea where it lay awaiting rescue. The film stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Colin Firth, Max von Sydow, Michael Nyqvist and Lea Seydoux.

Among the other 26 feature films being showcased during the festival, you may want to watch out for :-
* 'All the Gods in the Sky' - from France, Directed by Quarxx and starring Jean-Luc Couchard and Melanie Gaydos. Australian Premier.
* 'A Knight's Tour' - from the USA, Directed by Marvin Choi and starring Joseph Price and Darnell Powell. Australian Premier.
* 'Chained for Life' - from the USA, Directed by Aaron Schimberg and starring Jess Weixler and Adam Pearson. Australian Premier.



* 'Dragged Across Concrete' - from the USA, Directed by S. Craig Zahler and starring Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn.
* 'Happy New Year, Colin Bursted' - from the UK, Directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Neil Maskell, Bill Paterson, Richard Glover, Sam Riley, Charles Dance and
Hayley Squires.
* 'Hot Mess' - from Australia, Directed by Lucy Coleman and starring Sarah Gaul and Marshall Campbell. Australian Premier.
* 'Locusts' - from Australia, Directed by Heath Davis and starring Ben Guerens, Jessica McNamee, Nathaniel Dead, and Justin Rosniak.
* 'Monos' - a Co-Production from Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Holland and Sweden, Directed by Alejandro Landes and starring Julianne Nicholson and Moises Arias.
* 'Savage Youth' - from the USA, Directed by Michael Curtis Johnson and starring Grace Victoria Cox, Chloe Levine, Sasha Feldman and Mitchell Edwards. Australian Premier.
* 'Sheeple' - from Iran, Directed by Houman Seyyedi and starring Navis Mohammadzadeh, Farhad Aslani and Marjan Ettefaghian.
* 'The Juniper Tree' - from Iceland, this seldom seen and newly restored 1990 film is Directed by Nietzscka Keene and stars Bjork. Australian Premier.
* 'The Wedding Guest' - from the UK, Directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Dev Patel and Radhika Apte.
* 'The Wind' - from the USA, Directed by Emma Tammi and starring Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles and Dylan McTee.
* 'Tumbbad' - from India and Sweden and Directed by Rahi Anil Barve, Anand Gandhi and Adesh Prasad and starring Sohum Shah and Mohammad Samad. Australian Premier.
* 'Zoo' - a Co-Production from Denmark and Sweden, Directed by Antonio Tublen and starring Zoe Tapper and Ed Speelers. Australian Premier.

For all the latest details concerning these feature films and the others, plus the documentaries and short films being screened over the duration of the festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.revelationfilmfest.org/

Turning attention to the imminent release of this weeks three new movies coming to your local Odeon, we launch with a highly acclaimed South Korean Director bringing us this tale of two families on completely opposite sides of the wealth spectrum who by chance are thrown together and come to be dependant on each other, but ultimately with disastrous consequences. We then have a change of pace with this feel good fantasy musical comedy about the Fab Four who no one ever knew existed except one struggling musician who uses their material to carve out a successful career for himself, but at what cost ultimately? And wrapping up the week we have the third instalment in a hugely successful supernatural horror franchise that sees a demonic possessed doll run amok with other evil spirits lurking in the household of their supposed captors.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'PARASITE' (Rated MA15+) - fresh of his success with competition wins at both the Cannes Film Festival and the recent Sydney Film Festival, acclaimed South Korean Director and Screenwriter Bong Joon-ho here follows up his previous films that include 2006's 'The Host', 2013's 'Snowpiercer' and 2017's 'Okja'. The dark comedy film was made for about US$12M, was released after its World Premier screening at Cannes in mid-May, in its native South Korea at the end of May, gets its release in Australia this week, and not in the USA until early October. The film has garnered largely universal critical praise. Made for about US$12M the film has so far grossed US$68M.

Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), is an unemployed driver, who lives with his wife Choong Sook (Jang Hye-jin) and two college age children in a downtrodden basement apartment. The family are all unemployed and together they struggle to make ends meet by folding pizza boxes to earn a meagre living and survive from one day to the next. One day, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), the son, is socialising with a friend who is employed as an English tutor for the daughter of a rich family. He is leaving to study abroad and suggests that Ki-woo should take his place. Ki-woo is subsequently interviewed at the extremely luxurious and spacious mansion of the Park family. He gets the job and as he’s leaving the house observes the paintings of the young son of the family. Noticing that his artistic prowess should be nurtured, he suggests that the family employ his sister Ki-jeong (Park So-Dam) as an art tutor, lying about her qualifications and his family connection. In the fullness of time, both Dad and Mum also manage to infiltrate their way into the employ of the Park household. And so within a short period of time the whole Kim family are employed by the Park family who remain completely oblivious to their family connection. However, it's only a question of time before greed and class discrimination drive a wedge between the two families with earth shattering consequences.

'YESTERDAY' (Rated M) - here this musical fantasy comedy is Directed by Danny Boyle (of 'Trainspotting', 'The Beach', 'Slumdog Millionaire', '127 Hours', '28 Days Later' and 'Sunshine' fame amongst others), and is written by Richard Curtis (he of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Notting Hill', 'Love Actually', 'The Boat That Rocked', 'War Horse' and 'About Time' fame also amongst others). Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a struggling singer-songwriter from Clacton in Essex located in eastern England, whose dreams of musical fame and fortune are rapidly in decline, despite the unwavering devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie (Lily James). Following a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up in another world, where The Beatles have never existed. And so Jack begins performing those songs by a band that no one has ever heard of before, and as his popularity rises his hard as nails American agent, Debra (Kate McKinnon) helps to propel him to stardom. However, as his star rises, he risks losing Ellie — the one person who always believed in him. Also starring Ed Sheeran and James Corden as themselves, the film has so far received mixed or average feedback from Critics.

'ANNABELLE COMES HOME' (Rated M) - this supernatural horror film is the third instalment in the 'Annabelle' franchise and the seventh offering in 'The Conjuring Universe' series. A direct sequel to 2014's 'Annabelle'  and 2017's 'Annabelle : Creation' about a possessed demonic rampaging doll, called, believe it or not, Annabelle. Directed by Gary Dauberman in his film making debut and written for the screen (as were the previous two) and based on a story by him and James Wan, these first two films grossed a combined US$564M at the worldwide Box Office off the back of a meagre US$22M budget investment making the continuation of the saga a no brainer. Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking even more mayhem, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga respectively and crossing over from 'The Conjuring' series and 'The Nun') bring the possessed doll to the behind locked doors artifacts room in their home, placing her 'safely' behind sacred glass and enlisting Father Gordon's (Steve Coulter) holy blessing. But an unholy night of terror beckons as Annabelle wakes the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target - the Warren's ten-year-old daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace), her friends and their young babysitters (Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife). The film is released in the US this week also.

With three new release movies this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-