Movies of the Week
The Host, The Lookout
See it or skip it? This week's new movie releases By Paul Matthews
The Host
Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is a delightfully schizophrenic post-modern mash-up of film conventions: it is a re-imagined ’50s monster movie one moment and an intimate and harrowing family melodrama the next. The movie opens with an American scientist (Scott Wilson) irrationally ordering a Korean underling to dump hundreds of bottles of toxic chemicals into the Han River. Cut to a few years later, and we’re meeting the Park family, South Korea’s answer to the lovable bunch in last year’s Little Miss Sunshine. Gramps (Byun Hee-bong) runs a snack stand beside the placid river with his unemployed salariman son, Nam-il (Park Hae-il); his archery champion daughter, Nam-joo (Bae Doo-na); their slacker brother, Gang-du (Song Kang-ho); and his young daughter, Hyun-seo. When a horrific, amphibious monster erupts from the river—the mutant offspring, naturally, of the chemical dump—and kidnaps Hyun-seo, this dysfunctional family must bond together to get her back. The creature’s first attack is one of the most remarkably realized scenes I’ve seen in ages, building from stillness to mild panic to horror in a way that feels fresh and invigorating. The feat isn’t matched for the rest of the film, but that’s largely because The Host becomes more about the family than the monster. Still, it’s a rare film that so astutely combines original, awe-inspiring effects, a heart-rending story and a stark political edge. SEE IT NOW
The Host is now playing at the Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St. W.), the Colossus (Hwy. 400 and Hwy. 7) and others.
