Latest / Daebak K-Rambles Podcast: K-drama Reviews / The Host | Full Movie Review / Ep. 79

Transcript

The Host | Full Movie Review / Ep. 79 · Daebak K-Rambles Podcast: K-drama Reviews

0:19
I'm Jessica and this is Teba K Rambles, where a couple of
0:21
friends review Korean dramas. Except we are back for another
0:25
spooky season, Episode A, and I am joined by Jessie and Natalia
0:31
from the Certified Nunes podcast.
0:33
How are you guys? Pretty good, pretty good, you
0:38
know. It's our favorite.
0:39
Season. It's my well, it's not my
0:42
favorite season, but I am an advocate, a huge advocate for
0:46
spooky season. Especially when I realized that
0:48
not all of the K drama girlies are into spooky season.
0:52
No, no they're not. Many are not.
0:55
Many do not see the joy. No spooky season like we do.
0:58
I was like, y'all don't smell the pumpkin spice and the blood
1:01
in the air. Like it's amazing.
1:04
And everyone was like, I'll I want my romantic drama.
1:07
And I was like, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no.
1:11
No, you can get romance anytime but.
1:14
Yeah, OK, let us have this. Listen, at least put a little
1:17
bit of murder in it. Goes.
1:21
To zombies, we're all. Exactly, exactly.
1:24
So I was telling you guys before we got on that I am a huge fan
1:28
of certified Nunes. I've been listening for a long
1:30
time. It's been a long time coming.
1:32
I've wanted you guys to come on Tipach and I was like, let's pop
1:35
this cherry right now. Like let's let's have you guys
1:38
come on for a scoopy season for the perfect time, for the
1:42
perfect time for the perfect time.
1:45
And I had you guys come on for Bong Joon Ho's the host, which
1:49
is maybe an unusual poll because I feel like maybe other Bong
1:53
Joon Ho movies get a lot of attention nowadays.
1:56
But I wanted to harken back to a true monster movie for the
2:00
season. So before we get into it, maybe
2:04
it's just share what you guys are currently watching.
2:06
I know you guys are watching a lot.
2:08
I just, I just listened to you're currently watching
2:11
episode, but maybe just a condensed version of what you're
2:16
currently watching. Maybe something you want to
2:17
recommend to listeners? To watch.
2:20
Well, Jesse knows this because she heard I discussed it
2:24
slightly. I recently started the memorist,
2:28
did not know what genre the memorist was.
2:31
I just so funny because I was like, yeah, OK, it's been on my
2:36
list for a while. Enjoying the real thriller
2:40
situation happening. Big fan of that.
2:44
But if for all those the, you know, the non spooky season
2:48
girlies, I'm also watching monster next door and it is the
2:52
most saccharine, sweet, lovely show that I've ever seen in my
2:57
life. It's a Gaga La La for all of
2:59
you. You know it's gay cause wasn't
3:02
if you, anyone who's hearing me for the first time, if you come
3:06
over to the noodles at some point, you'll know I'm I, I know
3:10
a lot about a certain sub genre of fiction that I've been in the
3:16
Yowie life for a while. So it's really good.
3:21
It's a cute show. Cute show.
3:22
Nice. Well, I have been in the holiday
3:25
season and watching a lot of horror.
3:28
That's all I've been doing. I'm actually doing this
3:30
challenge where I'm trying to watch 100 horror movies that
3:34
finishes out at the end of the month that I started back in the
3:37
beginning of August. I'm very close to finishing
3:39
though. I'm like on 85 I think right now
3:43
so. What's your pace like?
3:45
Well, at work I got a little like a time where I was doing
3:51
like one specific project. So I was able to watch a couple
3:54
of movies, but like I can do a couple of movies every night,
3:58
especially with like horror, it's always like usually horror
4:02
is always like an hour and a half long.
4:03
So it's like essentially like 2K drama episodes, which is easy
4:07
for most people. So it's really nothing, you
4:11
know, and I watch like all types of horror.
4:13
So it's kind of like easy just to be like, OK, to be tell me
4:16
what you want me to watch and I'll watch it.
4:19
So that's. What I put up the old boot up
4:21
the old shutter app and be. Like right And just like this
4:25
seems good. Yeah, that's a lot of movies.
4:28
I I feel like I watch a lot of movies.
4:30
But when you said, you said a few episodes back it was
4:33
uncertified Nunes that you were doing this challenge and I was
4:35
like, did I hear that right? Because I shit ton of movies.
4:40
I know it's like. Crazy.
4:41
I've watched 190 movies in the entire year.
4:46
Yeah, that's it. That's not bad.
4:48
Yeah. So when you said?
4:49
Since August you were gunning for 100 and. 4.
4:52
Movies. I was like, the fuck she's
4:54
saying. It like it does.
4:57
It does help that both Jesse and I can like watch stuff at work.
5:01
Yeah, sometimes, yeah. Facing at work and stuff so
5:04
like. That's it was doing something
5:06
where it was like literally, I'm just like making the same thing
5:08
over and over and I was like, OK, I can like sit here and
5:11
watch every fan. Footage on TV.
5:14
Yeah, so it was a little bit easy, especially now cuz like
5:17
now my evenings are like packed with things and I'm like oh OK,
5:22
I've got to slow down on this challenge but.
5:24
But hey, you've made such a good.
5:25
Look yeah like I can be leisurely in October for this
5:29
like last 15 ish movie so. It works out good.
5:32
That's enough. You're.
5:33
Gonna breathe. That's like a week of work.
5:35
It's nothing. You're watching 2 movies a day.
5:38
You're gonna hit it in no time. You're.
5:40
Five. You're 5.
5:42
Well, I am so glad that you guys are here.
5:44
I'm just stoked really. But anyway, before we get into
5:48
it, before we get into the host, if this is your first time
5:50
listening, thank you so much. Go ahead and subscribe on your
5:53
favorite podcast app, run Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google
5:56
podcasts and many more. And if you like us, please give
5:58
us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
6:01
Come check us out on social media to stay up to date in our
6:03
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6:19
Once again, the Patreon is patreon.com/debakpod.
6:24
And shout out to our patrons Janet Curtis, Bale, CD, Alana,
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Grace, Lorna, Adia, Sammy, Kaylin, Julia, Michelle, Tanayi,
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Aaron, Medladelphia, Maria, Kelly and Sarah.
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Thank you guys for being patrons.
6:37
OK, we're going to thank you for clapping then.
6:41
Yeah, are. Quiet, polite little clouts in
6:44
the background like this is so cute.
6:46
Yeah, no one stopped for me when they did the Patreon shout out.
6:51
That is so cute. So we're going to get into it.
6:54
The host. I'll read the IMTV synopsis.
6:57
A monster emerges from Soul's Han River and begins attacking
7:00
people. One victim's loving family does
7:03
what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
7:06
And that's it. That's all you need to know if
7:07
that's those that you know. What that pretty much like sums
7:10
up, literally it does sums up basically what you need to know
7:13
if you're deciding if you're going to start the movie because
7:15
it's like that's what it will deliver.
7:17
You there's a monster in the Han River.
7:19
It's like someone stopping someone on the street when an
7:21
emergency happens. Like, hey, what's going on?
7:23
There's a monster coming out of the Han River.
7:24
That's literally what the sign. Literally.
7:27
It's, it's brief, it's succinct, it gives you, it's like the
7:29
first. 5 minutes, yeah. This movie was released July
7:35
27th, 2006. Yes, you heard that right, mid
7:39
2000s. It premiered at CON that year as
7:42
well. It's two hours long.
7:44
It is directed by Pong Joon Ho, as I said at the top.
7:49
So what hasn't he direct? This was actually his third
7:52
feature film ever. He's directed Memories of
7:56
Murder, obviously, the host mother from 2009, Snowpiercer,
8:01
Okcha, and Parasite. He's got one more coming out I
8:04
think this year in time for Oscar season with Oh.
8:08
It's the one when Robert. Pattinson, I think, is in it.
8:11
Mickey. 17. Yeah, it looks good.
8:14
It looks good, actually. It looks unhinged.
8:18
I'm so excited. Yeah, I'm.
8:20
Pumped. They actually pushed the release
8:21
date on that. It was supposed to be I think
8:23
earlier in the year. And then they scrapped the
8:26
release date altogether and I was like, this shit better come
8:29
out this year. I was like they.
8:30
Better. Like, yeah, I'll sit down for
8:33
anything that like bong and hoe, thanks.
8:35
But anything that has Robert. Pat no, our Pats is.
8:38
Hinge little weirdo. Yes.
8:41
Please, I actually used to live in the town where he filmed the
8:45
lighthouse. No, you.
8:46
Didn't I Did. I lived in Halifax, which is
8:49
where it was filmed, and this is just a fun little aside that has
8:52
nothing to do with this. But one day I was walking home
8:54
from the grocery store and I saw I saw a gentleman.
8:57
And then I texted my husband. I was like, man, I just saw a
9:00
homeless man that looked exactly like Willem Dafoe.
9:03
No, like he looked exactly like Willem Dafoe.
9:05
And my husband was like, honey, I would that was Willem Dafoe.
9:09
I was like, oh shit, you're like.
9:13
How about I fall out of this chair right now because you saw
9:17
Willem Dafoe just casually walking?
9:19
Around I was just walking home from like the fancy.
9:22
I have a bunch of allergies, the fancy grocery store and I was
9:25
like, damn, like that's homeless because like he was in like the
9:27
full grizzled, like he was in the lighthouse.
9:29
Like a he looked like a lighthouse keeper from the,
9:31
yeah, turn of the century, you know?
9:33
Oh my God. Rough.
9:35
You know, I was just like, man, like so weird.
9:38
Like, oh, what a doppelganger. He, he he like just going about
9:41
my business like I. Literally have.
9:45
I mean, this is such a tangent, but I say the most stupidest
9:49
line from the lighthouse and it's people want to say because
9:55
it says so much about me go. But it's this is a safe.
9:58
Space. Oh, OK.
9:59
Thank you. So first of all, The Lighthouse
10:02
is a movie by Robert Eggerts. It's completely in black and
10:04
white. I think the aspect ratio is like
10:06
3-2, like basically a square. Yeah, yeah.
10:09
And so if that gives any context and it's a psychological
10:12
thriller, basically I say and you're farts because of the lie
10:20
in that movie of them arguing back and forth like an old
10:24
married. Couple it's a good movie.
10:27
It's not like it's completely unrelated to home discussion
10:30
today. Completely unrelated to watch it
10:31
everywhere. I think it's a good movie.
10:33
It is. The Lighthouse is a it's a good
10:35
movie. It's very open to
10:36
interpretation. I thought it was weird and cool,
10:42
but a lot of people might not. I appreciate it.
10:46
You know what? Just.
10:48
Nothing. Just give it a chance.
10:50
Yes, yeah. I mean, yeah.
10:51
But this is an opportunity to maybe watch something outside of
10:54
your genre. Yeah.
10:56
Learn to love it. It's a.
10:57
Beautiful feature. The host.
11:00
The host, you wouldn't think they would go together.
11:04
But we just made it. But we just.
11:06
Did you know what? I think they could, yeah.
11:09
I love it. Anyways, the host back on the
11:12
host. You guys are I'm assuming have
11:16
seen some bung Chun ho movies. Did you watch the Oscar?
11:20
The 2019 Oscars win Bung Chun Ho God.
11:24
Parasite. Yeah, of course we've.
11:27
Seen no the Oscars when he won and he was telling people to
11:30
watch subtitles and watch Sanders horizons.
11:32
I was like, I was almost in tears.
11:34
Yeah. So yeah.
11:36
Bong Chun Ho is a household name in Korea, and he's done some
11:40
amazing movies. Some of them, like Oak Chao, you
11:42
can watch right now on Netflix. It's really easy to find
11:46
Snowpiercers almost entirely in English.
11:48
It has. Chris Evans stars in it.
11:51
Snowpiercers is such a good movie.
11:54
Like yes, it's you do not see anything coming that happens in
11:58
the the movie Snow Piercer. No, I haven't seen the TV show
12:01
they made about it but. Yeah, there was a spin off TV
12:03
show which I haven't watched either but I hear it's.
12:05
So the movie is incredible. The movie though, 10 out of 10
12:10
there's so I think he doesn't have like he just doesn't miss.
12:13
So anyway, he directed the host. He also wrote it alongside Ha
12:18
Wenjin and Peck Chill Hyun and here's our cast.
12:22
So we've got some Congo. I mean, you throw a rock, you're
12:26
gonna hit some Congo in what? You know, if you turn on a large
12:31
portion of Bung and Hoes movies, you will see that's true.
12:35
Kango in it. They're kind of they love to
12:38
work. Together, they love to work
12:39
together. They are frequent collaborators
12:41
and it's almost like a Leo Scorsese type of deal.
12:44
They go hand in hand. You've also got Pyonghi Bong
12:48
playing the father or the, you know, grandfather, depending on
12:52
how you look at it. In the movie, you have Pacquia
12:54
playing PAC Namil what? The brother of Song Congo's
12:58
character. You have Beduna.
13:00
Yes, that Beduna we. Love, love.
13:03
We're big. We're like a little obsessed
13:05
with it. Oh my.
13:06
Gosh, just like. Tiny lot just.
13:09
A little. Bit OK, I'm gonna join the fan
13:11
club that you guys have already started because I feel like it's
13:14
only fan club sometimes for Beduna.
13:17
She's so cool. She's like the coolest human
13:19
alive. So cool.
13:21
I know, I know. Yeah, we covered Stranger Season
13:25
1 earlier in this year and I was fangirling again when we were
13:30
talking about her filmography and she's so good in that show.
13:33
So Beit Dune is in this, and then we have Kolosong playing
13:38
Pakyong. So she is the child in the
13:41
movie. I know.
13:44
She's so little. She's so really old.
13:46
Like this is this is like the the question I always ask every
13:49
time I'm like, but I've seen her as an adult in things.
13:51
Oh. No.
13:52
Oh, no, no. No, wait.
13:56
Yeah. And then we have Scott Wilson as
13:58
Douglas and Paul Lazar as an American, unnamed American
14:02
doctor. These two are actually very good
14:06
actor, like Paul Lazar was in Silence of the Lambs, for
14:10
instance. And then Scott Wilson, I know
14:13
him from The Walking Dead. He's Herschel, and he's been in
14:18
other things too. He's just a great actor.
14:21
That's what I know him from. Too.
14:22
Oh, great. Oh, OK, good.
14:23
I don't, I don't really watch that many like Western things.
14:26
It's like outside of like HBO. So I'm just like, yeah.
14:30
It's Herschel. Hey.
14:32
You're white guy in Herschel. Yeah.
14:35
So that is pretty much our cast and that we've come to the end
14:39
of that. So what did you guys think of
14:42
the host? I don't believe this is your
14:44
first time watching it, but just give me your general thoughts on
14:48
how you feel about this 06 gem. First off, straight off, I own
14:55
it on DVD, so I think that says. Every.
14:59
You know, it's pretty high. It is.
15:01
It is such a good, solid monster movie.
15:05
It also has one of the most accurate depictions of just a
15:09
random American in a crisis that I've ever seen.
15:13
From the scene where the monster first emerges.
15:15
I was like, that, that's accurate.
15:18
The one the one American dude, I was like.
15:21
Yes. It's just a good movie, like
15:24
it's just a solid fun movie to watch.
15:28
Like it's not, it's not too gory and it's not really that scary.
15:31
So I think like a lot of people who pop like who might, you
15:35
know, be a little bit less into the spooky things, I don't think
15:40
they'd have too much of A. Problem.
15:41
That's true. This is like really approachable
15:44
for most people I think. I absolutely love it.
15:47
It's one of my favorite Korean movies.
15:49
I also am a very big creature feature person, so like it's
15:53
right up my alley, like a love monster.
15:55
So it's just always had a special place in my heart and it
15:59
can just like watch it over and over, like and I have over and
16:03
over so. And I'll do it again.
16:05
And I'll do it again. Next year, Yeah.
16:10
This is maybe my second or third time watching the movie and I
16:13
forgot how funny it was. Yeah.
16:16
It's like sort of like a lot of comedy.
16:18
Like dry humor, like it's not like a like over the top, like
16:24
it's not like the sitcom. Bumbling idiots.
16:26
Yeah. Like, it's just like these the
16:28
people in this, it's happening. Yeah, they have.
16:31
No, like there's no reason why they should be doing any of
16:36
this. They are the most I'll equipped
16:37
people to be. So.
16:39
But aren't we all like, aren't we all those people?
16:42
Like that's how we would all be doing.
16:44
We're like, oh, there's a creature.
16:45
Oh, he's coming after us right now.
16:47
What do I do? The focus on I've been throwing
16:49
deer cans at it. Is like the person with special
16:53
skills like you got Liam Neeson over here just fighting zombies
16:57
or what have you. And it's like I am just a
17:00
regular person who can't remember how many shotgun shells
17:05
I shot. Like you know what I'm saying?
17:07
I didn't even make it to the shotgun.
17:09
I'm I'm like tripping, like there's no running for me.
17:12
Like I'm just like tripping. I don't do cardio like.
17:16
Exactly. I'm like, I don't work out OK.
17:19
Like, no, really what I would have been doing as soon as like
17:22
things were going on in the the water.
17:24
I'm from Florida. I'm like peace out, you know?
17:26
Bye bye. Let it part.
17:29
Of it, I don't need it. I'm just gonna go back to my
17:31
car. Wildlife and Fisheries.
17:33
Man, like yeah. This doesn't seem like my
17:37
problem at the moment. I pay taxes on the.
17:41
Thank you. Prayers.
17:41
I'm out. Goodbye.
17:44
Yeah. I thought this movie was
17:47
hysterical and also really fun and heartfelt because this
17:53
family has, they're stupid. Like, this is a literally, yeah,
17:57
a stupid family with no marketable skills.
18:00
Their skills are really random. If they have a skill, they're on
18:04
the bottom rung of society and they're like in over their heads
18:10
trying to. It's it's basically like a
18:12
kidnapping movie. Kind of.
18:14
Yeah. And so how are they gonna when,
18:17
when a monster kidnaps somebody in your family, like, how are
18:22
you gonna deal with it when nobody and then nobody?
18:26
Believes them. Regular people, yeah.
18:27
And. They're they're just idiots.
18:30
They're all buffoons. Especially Sonkongwell's
18:33
character. Like Sonkongwell.
18:34
Plays one of the best buffoons. It's like at one point and
18:40
you're just like, is this man brain damned?
18:42
That's the dad literally says that in the movie.
18:45
He's like, I think. It's just like he just like, but
18:49
it's like. Then the dad goes through this
18:51
long story about why he's pitiful, but it never actually
18:55
gets to the point like that explains anything.
18:57
It's just like. But with that you're like that
19:00
explains everything. Like.
19:03
He's. OK, just really dumb and inept.
19:07
OK, like. But he has heart, you know?
19:10
Like, listen, he's not a bad guy.
19:13
It's he's just. It's fun because it's like a
19:15
dysfunctional family, but they're not like dysfunctional
19:18
and like that they hate each other.
19:20
Like it's just that they're all like on their own paths of
19:24
weirdness and levels of intellect and then they just
19:30
like all love each other. And so that's like really like
19:32
part of this like whole movie is that the the family being so go
19:36
together because they truly love each other as a family. 100
19:41
percent, 100% so I definitely recommend this movie just
19:46
because it is a black comedy, you're gonna get a lot of laughs
19:49
out of it. You're gonna fall in love with
19:51
this stupid ass family trying to save the girl and this monster.
19:57
It's 2006, OK, like the CGI on it maybe at one point was a
20:02
really, really good but. Even by today's like.
20:06
It's fine by today's standards. Like, it's not.
20:09
You're not going to be like, like, you're just like, OK,
20:12
yeah, it was 2006. It's 2006.
20:15
They were doing, they were doing their best, you know?
20:17
But I have to say, I've never seen a monster that looks like
20:19
this. Yeah, no, very.
20:22
Interesting like. Unique like sort of deep sea
20:26
creature. It's like deep sea Audrey 2
20:30
vibes. Too late.
20:30
Yeah, I. Feel like like deep sea mixed
20:36
with alien mixed with octopus tentacle beef.
20:41
It's got tentacles, it's got teeth, it's got it's got every.
20:44
It's got everyone. And it's amphibious.
20:47
And yet it's got everything. It kind of.
20:51
Looks like an evil tadpole half become a frog.
20:56
Yes, yeah. Like that's kind of the vibe of
20:59
this shape, like sort of spermatazoid shape with.
21:02
Legs, you know, and appendages and.
21:05
Yeah. It's just.
21:07
You know, sort of like a Predator face opening situation
21:10
like 100. Percent the predator face.
21:12
Oh my God, you nailed. It they were doing things in the
21:15
creature design you know someone was having.
21:18
Fun they were, definitely. Having a lot of fun, you know.
21:21
But the movie, like any other Bong Turn home movie, does
21:24
comment on certain things. The story that it's based on,
21:27
which we'll get to in the fun fact section, is real.
21:31
Like the inciting incident at the beginning of the movie is
21:34
real and it features like footage of the Iraqi war and it
21:39
has a really bold stance against like the American military,
21:45
which I I don't think it's that bold in this day and age, but in
21:48
the mid 2000. In a bold the reasonable stance
21:53
to. Be honest, in the mid 2000s, I
21:55
can see why it was maybe bold, why people were like, oh wow, so
22:00
he's saying something about it. And I like all of that.
22:04
I think it stands the test of time.
22:06
And the Korean sensibility is funny too.
22:09
And that stands up against a sense of time, too.
22:11
Like there's an interview at one point, and this isn't a spoiler.
22:14
They're interviewing this nurse on the news and there's she's
22:18
saying, oh, I'm going to sue them for, for damages or
22:21
whatever because he knocked me down when they were trying to
22:23
escape and all this stuff. And I got hurt.
22:26
And they're like, he's like, I didn't even push her down that
22:28
hard. Like they're like, and they
22:31
don't show the nurse's face. They just show her from like the
22:33
waist down. Yeah.
22:35
And they've got her voice like through the voice changer as
22:38
well. So it's like, why?
22:39
Why hide so much of her identity?
22:42
It's a joke. It's like a social joke.
22:45
Because they do it how litigious people get.
22:47
Yeah, and like everything going on, that's what you're worried.
22:51
About it. Literally.
22:52
Literally. People are dying.
22:53
Bitching about like I got I need to sue them for damages anyway,
22:58
so things like that really work in the movie.
23:02
So is there anything else general that you would like to
23:05
say about the Host before we move into fun facts?
23:09
Because there's quite a few fun. Facts about this?
23:11
There's many of fun facts, Yeah. No, I think we can just go right
23:15
to the fun. Facts.
23:15
All right, awesome. Let's get.
23:17
Fun it is, it is all right the. Estimated budget of the host was
23:23
12 billion one, which is about $9 million.
23:28
That's nothing. That's very, very small budget
23:31
that's. Not with this cast.
23:33
The amount of cast that you have.
23:35
Yeah, yeah, like 2. Listen, they were budgeting
23:38
wisely. Yes, this one.
23:40
They made that money work. The fact that there were so many
23:43
CGI shots of the creature full on in the daylight and stuff
23:49
like. That interacting with humans
23:51
too, like it's a pretty intense. Stunt work as well, yeah.
23:54
You know, people being thrown around and stuff.
23:57
Yeah, incredible. So $9 million.
23:58
It grossed $89.4 million worldwide.
24:03
There you go. People.
24:04
People really liked this one. Yeah, he hit it out of the.
24:07
Park with this. One, are you kidding?
24:08
It made $80 million. That's great.
24:12
Like yeah, which is the little creature feature.
24:15
That is good. It is currently #7 the highest
24:19
grossing film in Korea. For reference, there are other
24:23
Bong Joon Ho movies on the highest grossing list.
24:25
Parasite is number 24, so Piercer 27.
24:30
Memories of Murder number 83. It used to be the number one
24:35
movie, highest grossing in Korea for many years.
24:40
Caveat, they only started recording these numbers in 2004.
24:44
So it's only for the last 20 years, you know, not for the
24:48
whole history of Korean cinema. So I don't know why they
24:50
wouldn't do that, record that, but whatever.
24:53
The Co writer and director of Pong Junho and the designer of
24:57
the creature nicknamed it Steve Buscemi because they based it
25:01
the design of it on the actors screen persona and the way he
25:05
acted in Fargo from 1996. Sure, sure.
25:10
That's why forgot it here. That's why, that's why
25:13
absolutely, I believe that that is a true statement that they
25:18
definitely stand behind. Oh.
25:20
My God the Steve Buscemi thing like knocked me over.
25:23
I love Steve Buscemi, he's a good guy, but.
25:27
Like maybe the eyeball thing, like cuz it's kind of got like
25:30
bulging eyes and stuff. I was like, whoa, he can't.
25:34
Listen, he's made a good career out of being a weird looking
25:38
little dude. Yeah.
25:39
And you gotta, you gotta, you know, give him props for that.
25:41
Props, man, Don't hurt Steve, All right.
25:44
The The event described in the beginning of the film is based
25:47
on an actual event in February 2000 at AUS military facility
25:52
located in the center of Seoul. AUS military civilian employee
25:55
named Mr. McFarland was ordered to dispose of formaldehyde by
25:59
dumping it into the sewer system that led to the Han River,
26:03
despite the objection of a South Korean subordinate.
26:06
The government attempted to prosecute Mr. McFarland in
26:09
court, but the US military refused to hand over custody of
26:13
Mr. McFarland. Shocker Shocker.
26:15
Later, a South Korean judge convicted Mr. McFarland in
26:19
absentia. The public was enraged.
26:22
Sort of a empty. Jail.
26:24
Yeah, that. Point.
26:25
I know he ain't here, but he's guilty.
26:27
The public was enraged at the government's inability to
26:30
enforce its law on its own soil in O5.
26:34
Nearly five years after the original incident, Mr. McFarlane
26:36
was finally found guilty in a court in his presence.
26:39
However, he never served the prison sentence.
26:42
And of course not. And there have been no sightings
26:45
of a mutant creature in the Han River.
26:47
Yet no, wasn't. I'm sure there are somewhere.
26:51
Maybe it's slow growing. It's it's slow, it's time.
26:57
I thought this was hysterical. There was a statue of the
26:59
mutated creature from the movie erected in Seoul in around
27:03
20/13/2014. It was positioned in a river
27:06
park situated between Maple Bridge and One Hill Bridge as in
27:09
the movie. News hit just this year that the
27:12
city of Seoul is going to remove it.
27:15
The sculpture has faced increasing criticism over time
27:18
for its perceived lack of aesthetics value, and people
27:21
pointed out that it was a waste of money.
27:22
People don't get it. They already spent the money.
27:25
I'm like, of course they've already spent the money.
27:27
Yeah. It's like they've already wasted
27:30
air quotes. The money, the money it's got.
27:32
Let it live. Just let it listen.
27:34
The world needs weird little dudes.
27:36
Yeah, OK. And like.
27:38
I saw a picture of it and I was like, it's literally the
27:41
creature is literally there. You can take a photo with it.
27:44
It's for the tourists. That's fun.
27:45
It's for the children. Places it's.
27:47
For the children, it's for the children.
27:49
Leave it. The crew of the film used metal
27:52
barrels to make the splash effects whenever the monster
27:54
would dive into the water. And I was like, yeah, that makes
27:58
sense. Bong Joon Ho felt that in many
27:59
monster movies, it's always the scientists or the muscle bound
28:02
hero who saves the day. He wanted the heroes of his film
28:05
to be everyday people, namely a dysfunctional family.
28:08
He took the same approach with his previous film Memories of
28:11
Murder, in which the police investigating the serial killer
28:13
case were stupid. Critic and longtime friend of
28:17
the director Tony Raines mentions this is common in Pong
28:21
Chun Ho's films, the idea of a lower to middle class character
28:24
who is on a downward track. The director mentions with these
28:28
characters he can bring out the humanity in them, whereas the
28:31
typical superheroes types don't bring out much real drama.
28:34
I agree. I agree.
28:36
There's like, I feel like you can really connect more with
28:39
just an average idiot because I think most of us are just
28:41
average idiots. So like.
28:43
Yeah. They just do more things that
28:45
you would do too. You're like, Oh yeah, like yeah,
28:48
you have to use your surroundings more instead of
28:51
just being strength, like strong and stuff so.
28:55
Yeah, Why is Scott Wilson in this movie?
28:57
That's because Pong. Joon Ho was impressed with his
29:00
performance after having seen him in the movie Monster from
29:03
2003, among other things. So he approached him by sending
29:07
him a copy of the script and a DVD of his previous film,
29:09
Memories of Murder, which is an excellent film if you haven't
29:12
seen it it. Is.
29:13
Really good. The actor later agreed to be in
29:15
the film. He's like, he's like
29:18
auditioning. He's like, hey, he's like.
29:19
Please, it's like a little love letter.
29:21
He's. Like, hey, I would do the same
29:23
thing. Yeah.
29:24
Hi. It's me.
29:27
It's a little old. Function, The design of the pod
29:31
used to deploy Agent Yellow was specifically designed to
29:34
resemble the look of the creature when it is first seen
29:36
hanging upside down under the one heel bridge.
29:39
And once I read that, I was like, Oh yeah, I'm an idiot.
29:42
It totally does look just like that.
29:44
Yeah, there were five companies involved to execute and animate
29:49
the creature, but the designs of the creature were done by Widow
29:52
Workshop. Oh hell yeah, Widow.
29:55
Workshop they they were doing it back then like.
29:59
I was so excited when I read that Widow Workshop, for those
30:03
who don't know, did everything for Lord of the Rings.
30:08
And that was how that company got its start, by doing
30:12
everything for Lord of the Rings.
30:15
I'm very happy to say we're a workshop.
30:17
And it's because I've watched all of the extended editions and
30:21
the the special features on that.
30:23
Yes, they say we're a workshop. I don't know, 50 million times.
30:29
They're just getting a little advertising for their little,
30:32
you know, New Zealand or little Kiwi situation.
30:34
They're so. Excited about everything during
30:37
that so. Like it's very rare that like a
30:40
Jessie knows this. It's very rare that props people
30:43
get to like be front and center. So they're just like, look at
30:46
this cool. Stuff we've made like exactly.
30:50
Moving on to Tony Raines again, he mentions the tradition of
30:54
withholding the monster in typical monster movies and the
30:56
fact that Bone completely breaks the tradition.
30:59
Bong Joon Ho mentions how much he hates this tradition and
31:02
jumped at the chance to show his creature fully and early.
31:06
This also got the aspect of the film out of the way so the
31:09
audience could focus on the impact the creature has on the
31:12
family. I love that this film movie just
31:15
does that. It's like, here's the first
31:17
10-15 minutes of the movie. Here's a creature.
31:20
Yeah, no suspense. Yeah, it's time for the mayhem,
31:23
my friend. Yes.
31:24
See exactly what the creature looks like.
31:26
You don't have to like sit here and like guess or just like look
31:29
in the shadows. No there full sunlight running
31:33
around tossing people, eating people.
31:36
It's foul. It's great.
31:37
Perfect. Yeah, it's great.
31:40
Bong Joon Ho also decided to incorporate footage from the
31:42
Iraq war in the film's news footage for two reasons.
31:44
First, it allowed the story to progress, but it also gave Bong
31:47
Joon Ho the ability to include political satire.
31:50
Bong Chin Ho. Political satire, I say.
31:53
This and so I'm. Sheared I'm personally.
31:56
She's like the first I've ever. Seen it?
31:59
Not that jacked, but the. Blonde hair with black roots
32:03
showing through on some Congo was a deliberate choice to make
32:06
the character appear lazy and not very bright.
32:10
Nailed it. I mean, listen.
32:12
It worked. My extremely oh, get up, come
32:17
on. No, come on man, some of us just
32:21
have a lot going on. That fun fact?
32:23
Wasn't calling you out. Time, money and eating are two
32:29
important motifs Pong Chunho points out in the film.
32:33
Which is very true. The monster eats.
32:35
The people eats, everybody eats. And then there's a lot of like
32:39
money issues. The family had has money issues.
32:41
You get to pay for things. They get hustled like at one
32:44
point in the movie. Because of its themes, which can
32:47
be seen as critical of the United States, the film was
32:50
lauded by North Korean authorities, a rarity for a
32:54
South Korean blockbuster film that's.
32:56
Like a real like enemy of my enemy situation happening right
33:00
here. It's like, oh, oh, yeah, we hate
33:04
them too. Yeah, yeah.
33:07
All right. Oh, God, that really, that
33:09
tickled me. And they were like North Korea
33:11
really liked it because of the undercurrent of criticism.
33:16
All right, so now that we've gone through all the facts,
33:19
which were very, very fun, we're going to get into a rating this
33:23
movie out of five soldier bottles.
33:25
So I don't know who wants to go first, but what would you rate
33:29
this movie out of five soldier bottles?
33:32
Well, on MTLI have it rated 9 out of 10.
33:35
So if that's out of five, that's a four and a half five if my
33:40
math is to be believed. I looked on my letterbox and I
33:45
have this at 4 1/2 out of five as well. 4 1/2 out of five.
33:50
I will give it four out of five just cause the CGI maybe is a
33:55
little dated. You know, I get that.
33:58
But it's very fun. It's very, it moves.
34:01
Like even though it's two hours long, it totally moves.
34:03
It's not boring. It's really funny and it says a
34:06
lot. It's definitely satirical.
34:09
And this family is just great to watch and it's a great cast and
34:14
smart script and everything's great.
34:17
No really bad things to say about it.
34:19
I'm really choosy with my ratings for movies, especially
34:23
if if I look in my letterbox, I really give something five
34:27
stars. I don't know why.
34:28
My rating system enrages some people because I don't rate
34:32
movies based on how, like, quality they are.
34:36
I rate them based on how much I enjoyed them.
34:39
Yeah, So I enjoyed it. A nine out of 10.
34:42
Yeah, which is a four and a half out of five.
34:44
And that's so, you know, people are always like, but that's a
34:47
terrible thing. And you rated it so highly.
34:49
I'm like cuz. I enjoyed it, yeah, my rating.
34:51
So it's my my feeling. It's like your opinion, man,
34:55
Yeah. I will give whole stars for a
34:58
needle drop in the movie. I'll be like, that was an
35:00
amazing needle drop. I can't believe they got that.
35:02
Like a terrible movie for me, but if I enjoyed it and had fun
35:06
with it, it's gonna get lots of stars for me.
35:08
I'll be like, yeah. Whatever the script.
35:10
Quite terrible things are fun. OK.
35:13
And if you enjoyed that? The movie has.
35:16
Yeah. Yep, Yep.
35:18
I also think that, like, ratings should be personal so that like
35:21
if I were like, oh, I really like Natalia's, like picks for
35:26
things a lot. So I can go to her and look at
35:28
what she writes high and then be like, OK, probably like what she
35:31
rated high versus what, like just the general population is
35:35
rating high. It's not going to be the same
35:37
effect for me if, especially when I'm, like, out looking for
35:41
options to watch myself. Yeah.
35:44
Have a trusted person that you know shares your you know the
35:48
same things you like and people can you can like bad things
35:52
people, it's OK. You don't have to pretend you
35:54
don't. You can just like it.
35:56
It's fine like. That is literally don't worry
35:59
there's always everyone rates differently and it's always the
36:03
struggle between like I personally love it but I know
36:06
it's trash So what do I rate it? Here's The thing is that you
36:11
know the one person's trash is another person's treasure.
36:15
Like it may be trash to some people but to you it was a
36:18
treasure and that means to someone else it will be as well.
36:22
So leave your truth with your ratings.
36:23
I love creature features and I will watch the worst ones
36:27
imaginable and still be like this was the best movie ever.
36:32
But this is an. Exact $0.50 on the entire it's.
36:34
Not a bad creature feature movie.
36:36
But this however, is great. Yeah.
36:40
And Jesse knows that side of my reading.
36:42
Most of my likes are some of the most questionable like things
36:46
you've ever seen. That I'm just like, listen.
36:48
To tell you also watches everything, yeah.
36:50
I watch every so I have. I have no litmus for like Eddie.
36:55
I like everything. I'm easy.
36:56
To please, as they say. But this was an easy a movie
37:00
that I think many people would find pleasing, so that's fine.
37:04
Agreed. I think like the reception to it
37:07
like speaks volumes about that too.
37:08
So. It's very well received
37:11
critically and obviously in the box office, the audiences loved
37:15
it as well and still continue to love it.
37:18
All right, so those are our ratings.
37:19
It was 4, four and a half and five.
37:21
Do I? Have that right Four and a half,
37:22
4 1/2 and 4. 4/4 and 1/2 and. Four.
37:26
Yeah. 4 1/2 Two. Four and a halfs. 24 and a halfs
37:28
1 four, yeah. Did it There you go.
37:30
Did it round that out all right. Numbers are hard.
37:33
The numbers are so hard I. Did numbers all, especially now.
37:39
OK, so we are going to spoil the host right after this.
37:45
The greatest trick Houston, We have a problem.
37:48
I am the father. I see dead people.
37:51
The devil ever pulled. Pay no attention to that man
37:55
behind the curtain. Was convincing the world.
37:57
You can't handle the truth. He didn't exist.
38:00
No, What's in the box? All right, we're on the other
38:05
side of spoilers, so we are going to spoil the host.
38:09
As we said, there's a monster, it terrorizes this hole, it
38:12
comes out of the Han River, and this poor family gets their kid
38:15
kidnapped. I mean, we kind of spoiled it
38:17
already, but. Like.
38:19
But like that's really happens very in the beginning.
38:23
I do talk about this over the Nunas a lot, is that there is
38:26
plot driven media and there's also character driven media.
38:31
And this is really a character driven media.
38:33
So the plot is very basic and doesn't actually, yeah, it
38:37
doesn't. It's not that complex.
38:38
Like it's a simple plot, but what's important is like what
38:43
the characters do within this very bare bones of a plot.
38:47
Yeah, absolutely. But also, there's like a
38:49
secondary monster in within, like the scientists and the
38:52
government that you don't really immediately see.
38:56
You see the monster, the creature before all the other
39:00
stuff happens too. So there is, you know, some
39:03
developments throughout the entire movie.
39:07
You get some surprises. Yeah, I do enjoy, you know, post
39:11
COVID post. Oh yeah, you know, I do enjoy
39:13
the, you know, here I was actually talking about this with
39:15
my husband today where when you watch movies like this before
39:20
COVID, when like they would bring up like a pandemic like,
39:22
you know, cuz there's like a mysterious virus apparently that
39:25
they've invented. OK.
39:28
And you like people, you know, people wouldn't really act like
39:32
this. But no, we all know they do and
39:37
will. And so I was just like, yeah.
39:40
Yeah, this is exactly how it would play out. 100.
39:43
Percent. How this would happen, yeah.
39:48
And so he was a bit ahead of his time for that.
39:52
Absolutely. Where it's just like and I think
39:54
that really shows he has a real good sense of like humanity and
39:58
like human nature with all with like a lot of his with pretty
40:01
much every one of his movies. Yeah, it's like one thing you
40:04
can say about, you know, bunch and hoe films is that he knows
40:08
how humans are. And it's like and I feel like a
40:10
lot of movies really present like an idealized version of
40:14
humanity, Like, oh, humanity will always like work for the
40:17
for everyone will eventually do the right thing.
40:19
And it's like, no. No.
40:22
And it's not even like, you know, a sinister villain.
40:24
It's just like, normal people are just stupid.
40:26
Yeah. And.
40:27
Like various degrees too. Like there are some people who
40:29
are just like just don't want to do it just to self preserve
40:33
themselves. But like then there's also like
40:35
actual terrible people, but then there's also people who are just
40:37
like, I'm just trying. I just, I'm not good at it too.
40:41
I'm. Just, you know, just enable.
40:44
I really enjoyed how he's sort of very succinctly, without
40:50
saying too much would craft like the like the family.
40:54
He would give you enough without explicitly saying it to make
40:58
sense of their actions. So like, for example, like the
41:01
the brother character, he'd like when they're on the run, he goes
41:05
and he meets his friend and there's all these references
41:08
like, well, you went to college, though you then find out he
41:10
didn't spend that much time in the classroom because he and his
41:13
buddies were all part of like the student protests that were,
41:16
you know, quite violent in like the 90s in Korea.
41:20
And so then later when they're in a cab and he's making like,
41:23
Molotov coffee. Oh my God, yes.
41:25
So you bought and like the taxi drivers like damn, like you are
41:29
like really efficient and good at that.
41:31
He's like just keep driving, just keep driving.
41:32
Don't worry about it. Like and so and that shows a lot
41:35
about his character and like the way that he can quickly like
41:39
light all other Molotovs And then, you know, of course,
41:42
because he is who he is, biffs it at the last moment.
41:45
Absolutely, because that's him as a person, right?
41:49
Yes. And yeah.
41:51
And it's these, they're just like these little things that he
41:55
always adds just that are small little takeaways, right?
42:00
That really sort of like, they're not quite Chekhov guns.
42:04
Like, they're not, you know, it's not that much of like, no,
42:07
but they are. They're character building and
42:09
you. Yeah, they're talking.
42:11
If we stay on the brother, they're talking about him going
42:14
to college. And they're like, you know, it's
42:15
kind of a sense of they have so much pride around that.
42:18
He went to college. He's the only one in the family
42:21
that. Yeah, he's still an unemployed,
42:23
but he's still unemployed. So like, even though he has like
42:26
this one up in the family, this is obviously Korea values
42:30
education highly. He went to college, but he's
42:33
unemployed. He's still a bum at the end of
42:35
the day. They're gonna show that like
42:36
other side. It's like they are talking about
42:39
this like kind of outward persona of like everybody.
42:41
But, like, that doesn't mean that they're actually, like,
42:44
good at anything. Yeah.
42:45
Or like, above anyone else. Yeah.
42:48
I also really like how the family ties together in that way
42:51
too, because, like, Bei Dumo's character, she is constantly
42:55
failing at our archery, too. Like, so like, you get like,
42:59
more of a sense of like, yes, this is where this family is.
43:03
But like once they start to actually come together and
43:06
really focus on each other and focus on like A1 specific thing
43:11
and that's so important for them, you start to see them also
43:14
develop their skills more. And that's kind of like a really
43:18
nice evolution within this movie.
43:19
Yeah, I like that too. Yeah.
43:21
Cuz you get the sense that individually they're sort of on
43:24
the cusp of graziness. Except, I mean, except for some
43:27
Congo's character, like, that's just beyond like, yeah,
43:30
anything. They're like all like different
43:31
levels. But you know what?
43:33
I will like give him. I got to give him a little bit
43:36
of credit because despite the fact he's stupid, he's
43:41
incredibly stupid, but he's so stupid that he doesn't know how
43:46
not to actually do brave things. He's earnest.
43:50
He doesn't consciously you can very see he's not consciously
43:52
realizing that's what he's doing.
43:55
But like in, you know, in the scene where like the monster
43:57
first appears, he's genuinely trying to help people like he
44:01
he's the only one who like goes with the gung ho American
44:04
soldier to like try to fight back against the monster.
44:08
Like he, you know he. True.
44:11
Ineptly attempts to save his daughter.
44:13
Like he, he fucks it up because that's like this whole arc.
44:18
But like, he tries, yeah. And so he, I feel like a lot of
44:22
times they, they made him stupid, but they sometimes make
44:25
stupid people unlikable. No, he's lovable.
44:28
True. Yeah, but he's just like you
44:30
feel such compassion for this guy because you're like, I'm
44:33
pretty sure you're brain damaged like cuz that's, but you're
44:37
actually kind like like he's been trying to save up money to
44:42
buy his daughter a new phone, but all he saved is like $0.10
44:47
and pence. He's got like.
44:48
And his daughter's like, thanks for that, but you're never going
44:51
to be able to buy a new phone. It's just like a.
44:54
Ramen cup. Yeah, full of coin.
44:59
And she's like, there's not even any orders in here.
45:01
Broly. Yeah.
45:04
Buy me a new phone. It's gonna do nothing.
45:06
It's basically like a take a penny, leverage penny.
45:09
But he's also genuinely doing it.
45:10
It's not like he's like being like lazy about it.
45:13
It's like, genuinely, he's like sitting there trying his best
45:16
and that's his best. Yeah, yeah, His best isn't very
45:19
good, but like it's his best. And, you know, and she actually,
45:22
and what I liked about her relationship with him is you
45:24
very quickly find out that she doesn't actually seem to resent
45:27
him for being. Yeah, just so stupid because
45:30
she's not. She could have been a lot.
45:32
Worse than she was. Yeah, she's just a middle
45:35
schooler. She's just.
45:36
A middle schooler, she wants a new phone.
45:38
Her phone is old. She was embarrassed that her
45:40
drunk uncle went to parents day or some part sort of
45:44
presentation where the parents went and she was the only one
45:47
whose parent didn't go and uncle went and he was drunk as a skunk
45:51
and so she was complaining about that.
45:53
Which, honestly, same. Yeah, that's a.
45:56
Valid. Absolutely, yeah.
45:58
And then later on you find out that she actually, despite not
46:01
being stupid, she's cuz she's not.
46:03
She actually has that same sense of kindness that you see in her
46:08
father. Because unlike pretty much
46:10
everyone else in this movie who's out for themselves, she
46:13
actually saves someone. Unlike anyone else in this
46:16
movie, she actually manages to save a little kids life, a
46:20
little homeless child. Yeah, and no one, literally no
46:24
one else has ever saved this movie.
46:28
She is the only one who actually accomplishes her goal of saving
46:32
someone. And she's.
46:34
Oh sure, the actress is so good, but.
46:35
Yeah, she's so good. I love how you brought up Donald
46:39
though, which is the American. Good old Donald.
46:43
Who is trying just to be heroic during the initial onslaught of
46:49
the monster emerging from the Han River and just wreaking
46:53
havoc along the shoreline? And he seemed to have like a
46:57
Korean girlfriend who was like Donald.
46:59
Get back here. Like stop helping everybody.
47:01
And he had a very American spirit.
47:05
Like they got it right, Yeah. Yeah, within the face of danger,
47:10
doing something stupid. But heroically, that's like the
47:13
very American ideal, yeah. But it's also the very that's
47:18
the person who would have been the main lead of the film.
47:20
Absolutely. Like the American?
47:22
Version of this movie. Yeah, would be.
47:25
They're gonna be the. Yeah, the a muscle guy that can
47:29
like throw things, like really heavy things.
47:31
Has an idea. It's the.
47:32
One to like stop and actually do things and not just like run
47:37
screaming around. But he nearly dies a hero.
47:41
He gets gobbled up by the monster, loses an arm, gets
47:46
treatment at the US Army camp. Is patient 0 for this quote UN
47:51
quote virus fake virus? It's a fake virus.
47:56
It's not a creature, it's a virus.
47:58
It's a virus. What I loved about that is I'm
48:00
like, so that's like a severe allergic reaction to chemicals.
48:04
Like that's not a virus, but like, OK, I put two in two
48:10
together. That man has like, chemical
48:14
burns and like, good job. It's formaldehyde.
48:19
Yeah, like he got his arm bitten off and then was in the Han
48:23
River, which is not the world's cleanest river.
48:26
No. OK.
48:27
This man was dying of like toxic.
48:30
He also got spit by a creature that was created by that.
48:35
Yeah. So like, and it's bangs.
48:37
It's just poison. This is.
48:39
Yeah, this is. Like chemical poisoning, right?
48:42
That's what this is. But you know, I, I understand
48:46
like because I feel like a lot of people who weren't really
48:48
watching it the movie that closely or like perhaps didn't
48:52
have any conception of like the relationship between the US
48:55
military and Korea would be like, why would they make up
48:59
this fake virus? Like that doesn't make sense,
49:02
but it actually does because they're trying to be like, it
49:06
wasn't the formaldehyde. We didn't do this.
49:09
Not this. Nope, not a.
49:11
Furious Virus did this. Not us.
49:15
You can hide A lot with the virus.
49:17
And so and so we're gonna bomb it contagious out of existence,
49:22
which is also a very American. I'm, you'll listen, I know I
49:27
sound real quick. Listen, my mom's American, but
49:29
I'm Canadian, so I'm gonna say it.
49:32
That's a very American response to a problem is to bomb the
49:36
problem out of it. But like, you know, I just
49:40
thought it was very clever the way that they connected this and
49:44
then. But everyone knows all of these
49:46
scientists when they have, you know, like the main dude, like
49:50
if they're doing experiments, they all know it's bullshit.
49:52
Yeah. That's the crazy part, is that.
49:56
And well, the other thing is it seems like all of the Korean
49:59
scientists don't know. Yeah, because they're not.
50:03
They're lying. They're lying to the entire
50:05
country. But yeah, I love when Stone
50:09
Congo figures I'm skipping to the end a little bit.
50:11
But when he hears no virus and he figures it out and puts two
50:17
and two together, and then the doctor, the American doctor, is
50:21
like, why don't we just, like, lobotomize him?
50:25
And I've been like he. Won't know.
50:28
But like, he barely knows anything to begin with.
50:31
I don't know. A lobotomy would have changed
50:33
too much about this guy. I did, I did.
50:37
I did enjoy his escape. Oh my.
50:39
Where he just does the syringe of his own blood.
50:41
He's like, I'll squeeze it after he was.
50:43
Like I said, everybody looking. At just.
50:45
Syringe of blood and they're like, it was so great so.
50:49
Just like the energy of this is just so just frantic and
50:53
ridiculous. And he's great.
50:55
He's like, get on the floor, Fatty, you too like get on the
50:58
like just his whole escape was great.
51:01
The amount of clarity that he had after the lobotomy was just.
51:05
Yeah, chefs get wiped away. All the previous issues that he
51:09
was dealing with. Just I just, I just thought
51:14
there's so many just like small things in this movie that
51:18
combined together to be just so clever, like.
51:21
But only if you already know some of the background.
51:25
Like, I feel like a lot of people who are unfamiliar with
51:29
the history of the region may not quite get as much from it as
51:35
other people would. Yeah.
51:36
It's just, it's a good. It's.
51:38
Yeah, it's good. Yeah.
51:40
And and as we said, it's like the plot is very minimal.
51:43
So like, we can't even spoil that much plot because.
51:47
You know the family, it's just to they escape quarantine and
51:51
they go for the kid like they get.
51:53
Honestly, it's just like watch a loving family be loving in their
51:56
own dysfunctional yeah. Yeah.
52:00
Like they're, you know, it's good and it has like a sort of
52:04
bittersweet ending to it that's just sort of, oh God, I feel
52:09
like perhaps would be alienating to people who are seeking a more
52:14
like concrete. Absolutely.
52:16
Like satisfying ending, but it has a much more like realistic
52:22
ending. Realistic and I also think it
52:24
like in a way gives the daughter character true hero status in a
52:30
way. She.
52:31
Is the one that is the hero in this?
52:34
Yeah. Because.
52:35
And she also helps a kid go on because then the dad takes the
52:40
kid in too. So now, like it's not for not
52:44
it's someone is now going to be able to live and live in a
52:50
better life than they had previously because of what she
52:53
sacrificed. Very solid movie that gives
52:59
everything it promises, it's going to give.
53:01
Like there's it doesn't build up your expectation and then you're
53:04
like, oh, you're like, listen, it's got fire.
53:08
We've got fire archery. We've got going through the
53:12
sewers. We've got you know, we got ooze,
53:14
we got some creepy ooze. Like that's always fun,
53:17
everyone. Loves to.
53:18
Slime in a creature feeder. Like it's got, you know, just
53:23
sort of a bizarre, you know, I like the beginning where there's
53:27
this one scene where this guy's committing suicide.
53:31
Well. Yeah, and that's something that,
53:32
again, the audiences won't get. No.
53:35
It's a little bit harder, yeah. What is this whole thing?
53:38
But it just, it shows like a very foreboding shadow, like in
53:44
the water. And that's sort of like, and
53:48
then it's like, what? The promise of that foreboding
53:50
shadow is immediately like delivered like 5 minutes later.
53:56
It's just, it's chef's kiss. It's a chef's kiss of a show.
54:00
Yeah, I would love it if you guys would give me your favorite
54:04
part of the movie and the scariest part of the movie or
54:08
maybe the most tension filled moment in the movie for you guys
54:13
that you've for each of you. I mean it can be different for
54:16
either of you. I think my favorite part of the
54:20
movie has to be it's sort of a turning of the heroic moment on
54:25
its head. And it is when the the uncle
54:29
character is throwing the Molotov cocktails and for like
54:33
12 seconds he's looking heroic as hell and he has his last
54:40
Molotov and he's like, I'm going to whip this right at the
54:43
creature. And then he drops it behind him.
54:46
And I was just like this perfectly.
54:47
Like exemplifies the entire vibe of this whole movie.
54:53
And then of course, then the sister is like size and then
54:57
lights an arrow on fire and does what the brother couldn't do.
55:03
It's really scary. The thing is, I don't actually
55:04
find this movie scary. Like, I don't, I don't think
55:09
it's a particularly frightening movie because of the fact that
55:14
there's it's just so like, goofy isn't the right word.
55:18
It is a little silly it. Will say if I'm going to go with
55:21
something scary, I think the scary parts are when is the
55:24
daughter with the monster by itself.
55:26
I think that's like where I would say that like if someone
55:30
were to be scared in this movie, it's not, especially because she
55:33
is a child and then there's another child with her.
55:36
So like there's that fear of what's gonna happen to them.
55:39
And that is where you see most of the gory type parts because
55:42
it's like pieces of bodies after the, you know, monster has
55:47
killed things. So that's like where the the
55:49
creepiest part, I think lives in this.
55:53
That's like the closest to a jump scare that the movie gets,
55:57
because it doesn't really do jump scares.
55:58
It's just like, no, here you go, here's the creature.
56:03
Yeah, I agree. I'm.
56:04
Trying to think of like a favorite scene.
56:06
I think like when they're escaping the quarantine spot,
56:11
when it's like finally they're like, you know what, we're going
56:13
to go find the daughter in whatever way she is.
56:17
Like we're going to hope that she is alive, but we're just
56:21
going to do it. And just kind of that like
56:23
ragtag team getting into that van and like making their way
56:27
out. I think that's like the the fun.
56:30
It's like the journey begins. Here, I mean there's so many
56:32
funny parts of the movie they like they forget Bayduna on
56:37
their escape. Yeah, I just be a nap like as
56:40
they drive around the parking lot and she's like.
56:43
And she's like trying to get it. Trying to like follow where the
56:46
car is going, but they're being chased by like security people.
56:50
And she's like, come on, man So good.
56:55
She's just and she the best part about Bethuda in this is that
56:57
she doesn't really have that many lines.
56:59
Like she doesn't talk a lot but she delivers such a just a vibe
57:03
of a. Performance just like she is
57:05
definitely the sister you. Can just tell you're like.
57:07
This is what this is the only. Sister is dealing with yeah.
57:12
She really has her little, like, niece as the only other female
57:16
in the family. And it's mostly like males.
57:18
And she's like, this is how it's been my entire life.
57:22
I think for me it's a couple of moments.
57:25
I really like their when they break into the quarantine area,
57:29
not quarantine area, but like it's that cordoned off area by
57:32
the river and they can't go near it.
57:34
And the dad spends an obscene amount of money, all of his life
57:38
savings, basically getting hustled into buying one of the
57:43
decontamination vehicles, some hazmat suits that are not the
57:48
right color. They're not high viz and like
57:51
two or three shotguns, I think, or something like that.
57:54
Maybe a couple of rifles I think.
57:56
And that's it. Like 11 grand for the whole
58:00
escape, everything, all of that stuff and them getting in.
58:04
It was so easy. Yeah.
58:07
And then they come. Up on these do any of.
58:09
That no, they didn't have to shoot anybody.
58:11
They'd have to run any barricades.
58:13
They didn't have to anything. They just come up against one
58:16
guy who's like, yeah, I'm the chief of stone.
58:17
So it's kind of like a sleazy looking guy and then they pay
58:22
him off with the the ramen cup full of coins.
58:26
And then just. Drive off and you expect there's
58:28
to be some consequences for them just driving.
58:31
Nothing ever happens, nothing ever comes of it.
58:34
They're just, they just get in so easy.
58:36
It's so funny. So I love that part.
58:38
I love when they leave Bayduna. The everything about like those
58:42
little moments that those little pockets of comedy.
58:46
Love it. There's this one quiet moment
58:48
that I remember on this wash and I was like, oh, this is so
58:51
interesting that he took the time to do this.
58:53
And it was they had just been searching through the sewer
58:56
system for her. They have had no luck.
58:59
And they go to that shipping container full of food, which I
59:02
guess is like to a stock container for all of those food
59:07
stalls that are on the Han River.
59:09
And so they go inside and they're they're starving.
59:12
So they start eating ramen. They start breaking open some
59:14
snacks and stuff and they're sitting there.
59:16
And then all of a sudden the girl is it.
59:18
The daughter pops up behind them and starts eating the Keem Bob
59:22
starts eating the food and they start feeding her.
59:25
And it was such a quiet, interesting moment to represent
59:30
that the family loves her. They're thinking of her.
59:33
They want to feed her. They're so caring of her.
59:38
Yeah. And she's like, they are in
59:40
spirit. They want to feed her.
59:41
It's, it's very, you know, Koreans when they say hello,
59:45
they're like, have you eaten? And this is like a one of those
59:48
things where it's like they know she hasn't eaten in so long, but
59:52
they're here and they're eating and they want to feed her too.
59:54
It was just such a very poetic way to express that and put that
59:58
into a visual medium, even though obviously she's not
1:00:02
there. She's starving in a pit in
1:00:03
sewers so. She's starving.
1:00:06
Next to a bound of bodies at the moment but.
1:00:09
Flesh and bone. And.
1:00:10
Goo and God knows what. Yeah, lots of.
1:00:13
Yeah. So those were the a few moments
1:00:16
that I really enjoyed. Yeah.
1:00:19
The only scary moment was like when the creature fakes her out.
1:00:24
Yeah, in the pit, because she's trying to escape and it catches
1:00:28
her mid hair. It was like this whole thing,
1:00:31
Yeah. Yeah, and that was like the
1:00:32
closest it got to a jump scare. But at that point, you're kind
1:00:36
of expecting it. Yeah, because I feel like the
1:00:38
point of this movie wasn't actually to be scary.
1:00:42
At all, Yeah. Which is, you know, an
1:00:45
interesting way to take a creature feature, But I feel
1:00:48
like sometimes when you're watching some creature, maybe
1:00:50
some of the less good creature features, the more enjoyable as
1:00:54
versus quality is that when they try too hard to make them scary,
1:00:59
they become just goofy and you're just like, so he said,
1:01:02
why not? We just like, we can't have
1:01:05
terror mixed with the goofiest family you've ever seen.
1:01:09
Like that doesn't mesh. He's like, so it'll be off
1:01:13
putting like the creatures appearance is off putting.
1:01:17
Like it's, you know, kind of gross, you know, but it's never,
1:01:21
he's not leaping out of, you know, corners and like, you
1:01:26
know, like jump scaring the audience and stuff.
1:01:28
Like it's just like, yeah, he's, he's there.
1:01:30
Like, I think the only like there's only a few moments that
1:01:33
are just like suddenly the monsters there.
1:01:36
It's like when he unfurls from like where he's hanging.
1:01:38
From the. You know, bridge and you know,
1:01:41
like the OR you know, appears suddenly like in the pit.
1:01:44
But I don't think that the purpose of this film was to be
1:01:48
scary. I think it was more about the
1:01:50
social commentary than it was about the chills and thrills.
1:01:55
Wanton evil, like that's so overt, it's so in your face.
1:01:59
It's coming out in the daytime, you can't escape it.
1:02:02
That sort of thing is the creature that we're dealing
1:02:05
with, as well as the evil that created it, so.
1:02:10
Yeah, yeah. Because I think like it's
1:02:12
really, you know, it's, it's interesting in the sense that
1:02:15
it's very realistic that like evil isn't like some maniacal
1:02:19
mustache twirling villain tying someone to train tracks.
1:02:23
It's just like people doing shit, just banal stuff that
1:02:27
people do to make the world a worse place.
1:02:30
And it's just so commonplace that, yeah, throwing, you know,
1:02:34
random chemicals down the sink. Yeah, hundreds of bottles of
1:02:39
formaldehyde will, yeah, definitely fuck up your river,
1:02:43
of course. Why?
1:02:43
Not, you know, like. And that's when you see it all
1:02:47
the time. Like this isn't like a, a random
1:02:50
person being evil. Like corporations are doing it.
1:02:53
Yeah, all the time. Like governments are doing it
1:02:56
all the time. And then it's just then it's
1:02:59
juxtapose that against like the average person who doesn't
1:03:02
actually have any power to stop these people from.
1:03:04
Doing it and then it's the one that's directly impacted by it.
1:03:07
Yeah, they're the ones who suffer because of what you know,
1:03:10
these people who are untouchable in the sense of, you know, they
1:03:15
have too much power or too much prestige or too much influence
1:03:17
or whatever. They're never the ones who
1:03:20
suffer because of their own. Actions.
1:03:23
So it's well, listen, he wasn't actually doing anything that
1:03:30
bad, OK? He was, he was one of us, OK?
1:03:34
He was just, he was a leader who wanted, listen, he wanted to pay
1:03:39
for his education. So we joined the Army and ended
1:03:41
up in Korea. You know, he probably, he
1:03:45
probably got seized in high school.
1:03:47
He didn't know any better. You know what I mean?
1:03:50
Like, he's just, he had more bravery than brains, OK?
1:03:53
He's one of us. He just wanted to help people.
1:04:00
Oh man. Do you guys have anything else
1:04:02
you'd like to say about the Host or any other moments you want to
1:04:06
discuss about the movie? I think when the the grandpa
1:04:09
dies or the dad dies was the moment that I completely forgot
1:04:13
about. When he, I think the creature
1:04:15
like slams him on the concrete or something.
1:04:17
I was like oh shit, fuck, I forgot all about that moment.
1:04:21
And then. He's not allowed to like go up
1:04:23
and like mourn him the all the army stops him too.
1:04:27
And it's just like a really sad yeah.
1:04:31
And it's sort of like reflects, I think, this idea again, where
1:04:35
real people don't get a superhero ending.
1:04:39
Sometimes they get wet. Newspaper.
1:04:41
Yeah, Shrouding they're. Put over his face like it's very
1:04:45
real in that way for like a movie about like a creature, a
1:04:49
mutant creature attacking people, It's a very it feels
1:04:53
very real despite it being like over the top and these people
1:04:58
being ridiculous who are in it. It's like no, this has like a
1:05:02
core of like reality to it that I think makes it sort of really
1:05:08
relatable when you're watching it, even though you're like,
1:05:11
there's nothing that should be relatable in this.
1:05:13
It is at the same time, and I think that's sort of like speaks
1:05:16
to the genius of and like this cast is like a entirety yeah.
1:05:22
My only final thought is if you haven't watched the host you
1:05:25
should go watch it cuz even with these spoilers it doesn't
1:05:28
actually. Yeah, you actually just have to
1:05:30
watch it. And be totally enamored with it,
1:05:33
like. And who knows, like, maybe like
1:05:34
now knowing, like what happens to the girl, it's much more
1:05:37
approachable. Yeah, to it.
1:05:38
So you're not like always. You're not stressed on the edge.
1:05:41
You know what's gonna happen. But.
1:05:43
She don't make it. She doesn't.
1:05:45
I'm sorry she doesn't make it because.
1:05:47
Sometimes they don't make it, but the little kid, the little
1:05:51
little kid. The child.
1:05:53
Don't who got a sweet base of Asian yellow?
1:05:56
He makes it. He makes it, Yeah, because
1:05:59
listen, I feel like Asian yellow was bullshit too.
1:06:02
I think it was all a pack of lies, the whole thing.
1:06:07
Lies on lies. Lies upon lies upon lies, I'm
1:06:10
telling you. Yes, it's a good movie.
1:06:14
That's not a lie. That's that's a truth.
1:06:17
I would never lie to you, the listener.
1:06:21
That's a good movie. Well, if there is nothing else
1:06:25
you guys want to say, we are going to get out of here and
1:06:27
continue on our spooky season. Jesse has 15 more movies to
1:06:32
watch and we have a lot more dramas to catch up on before the
1:06:36
year is out. So thank you again for coming
1:06:39
on. This was so much fun.
1:06:41
Where can people find you online in case they don't know where to
1:06:44
find certified Nunes? Don't know where.
1:06:46
So passionate to find us. We have a website
1:06:49
certifiednunes.com you can watch all our episodes there.
1:06:52
We also we do our podcasters and video so you can watch us on
1:06:56
YouTube but we're also in audio if you prefer the audio things
1:07:00
we also. Do live streams too.
1:07:01
Yeah, we do live. Streams on YouTube, we have a
1:07:03
good time there. We're always at certified nunas
1:07:07
everywhere but if you want to find me I'm at Soju under score
1:07:11
nights on Twitter. That's where I mostly live and I
1:07:16
just post nonsense there so but love chatting with people.
1:07:20
You know how it be. Yeah, and for me, I am at wine
1:07:23
and AK. Drama everywhere, even a website
1:07:27
too. I have a blog.
1:07:28
So very nice you. Can catch up on all those movies
1:07:31
that she's. Doing.
1:07:34
Yeah, guys. I can't wait.
1:07:36
I can't wait to hear like the final verdict on all of it.
1:07:39
Yes. What an undertaking.
1:07:41
Oh my gosh. OK, thanks again.
1:07:45
This is fun. Thank you, Bong Joon Ho for
1:07:48
creating the host. And that's it, that's our show.
1:07:50
I'm Jessica and this has been the Teba K Rambo's podcast.
1:08:40
The.