MichaelZary

Bong Joon Ho's latest film, Parasite, is a finely crafted potpourri. It opens with the Kim family (Chung-sook (wife), Ki-taek (husband), Ki-jung (daughter), Ki-woo (son)) in their semi-basement apartment, the perfect setting for this working class household struggling to keep their heads above ground. They rely on their neighbours for free wi-fi while they sit on the kitchen floor folding pizza boxes for cash. A friend of Ki-woo's has been tutoring the daughter of a wealthy family (the Park's) and when a replacement is needed, Ki-woo, with the help of his document forging sister, fakes his way into the job. The Parks require a significant amount of help to run their household and as such need an art teacher for their son, a driver for the father, and a housekeeper to maintain their luxurious home. The Kim's are a clever clan and find a way to infiltrate each of these positions through cunning and deceit, often usurping previous help. By this point, we understand enough to see that this is a film about class conflict. The Kim's appear to be the protagonists with a grand plan, and you'd expect the Park's to be characterized as either villainous or ignorant, but they're neither. They're quite a nice family, only they're focused on their own objectives. When the Park's leave for a weekend of camping, the Kim's take over the home, boasting and toasting their good fortune. Mid soirée they're interrupted by an unexpected visitor and that's when the action really begins. The film's screenplay is too unique to be classifiable and the twists and turns too unexpected to reveal. If my recommendation isn't enough, the film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, a universal festival, unlike the Oscars which Bong called "a local festival" as part of his press tour to the tittering of film lovers. The film is distinctly Korean, but broadly relatable as we all live under the zero sum game of capitalism. Bong asks, who is the parasite? The labour class who need a job to survive, or the wealthy, who can't survive without their labour?

Following up on my favourite film of 2017, Good Time, Josh and Benny Safdie are back with their breathlessly paced Adam Sandler driven project, Uncut Gems. Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, a fast talking New York City jewelry dealer and degenerate gambler whose life is spiraling out of control. With his marriage falling apart and debt collectors closing in, Howard is desperate for a big win. He's banking on the sale of a rare Ethiopian opal to clean the slate. When his assistant Demany (LaKeith Stanfield) brings in Kevin Garnett (playing himself) to peruse the shop, Howard, in his typically frenzied enthusiasm, weaves a tale so compelling that KG insists on borrowing the opal for good luck. Howard has already committed to taking the opal to auction but agrees to lend it to KG because not only is he addicted to gambling, he's addicted to volatility. In his world, the path of least resistance carries no mystique, no story. He lives on fate and parlays chaos. It's an anxiety filled existence but it's exciting! How exciting? Well, it literally caused the Chief's water to break during the closing credits, so, if you're betting on intensity, take the over.

HAAAARK! Should ye be seekin to dredge the depth of madness, then ye be in luck. Robert Eggers new film stars the brilliant Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson as Thomas Wake and Ephraim Winslow, a disparate pair of 19th century lighthouse keepers on a secluded island. Thomas is lead wickie and therefore mans the light, as he likes to frequently remind his subordinate. Ephraim does the fetching, fixing, and swabbing when he's not in a dispute, either with Thomas or a seabird. The men's work is challenging but maintaining their sanity more so. Amidst a cacophony of crashing waves, squawking gulls, and an incessant foghorn, the men are trapped in close quarters with an enemy they cannot escape: each other. To cope, they drink, they dance, they fight, and occasionally, they spill their beans. Their soliloquies are Shakespearian, grandiose in language and spirited in delivery, though topically crude, often focusing on their colleagues farts or lack of appreciation for boiled lobster. The pettiness of their power dynamic is exasperated by their isolation. Beset by conflict and bad omens, the men eagerly await the relief boat, but when the barometer swings, a squall socks them in. Unable to escape, they're forced to batten down the hatches and weather the storm. Yer fond of me reviews ain't ye?