If you watched the Oscars, or even if you didn’t, you might ask, “Who the heck is Bong Joon-ho?” Bong, after all, went home with four trophies for his film Parasite, including Best Picture. You might then be curious what else this South Korean filmmaker has done. Turns out all the features he’s directed are available to stream right now. And a few are even on Hoopla (hoopladigital.com), the streaming service to which your Millicent Library card allows you access. Most of these are also available at the library (or through interlibrary loan) on DVD and/or Blu-ray.
Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). Bong’s feature debut is a dark comedy about people living in an apartment complex. It’s a satirical take on A Dog of Flanders, and contains enough animal abuse to merit a mention on the cautionary website doesthedogdie.com. So if that isn’t your thing, you’ll want to skip it. It is, however, viewable for free on a couple of platforms, including Hoopla, and also (with ads) Tubi TV.
Memories of Murder (2003). Bong’s true-life drama about Korea’s first serial-killer case has often been likened to David Fincher’s Zodiac. It marked Bong’s first collaboration with actor Song Kang-ho, who went on to appear in a few more Bong films, including Parasite. Until very recently, it was streaming free with ads on Popcornflix.com. As of press time, though, it’s gone. I suspect it’s because it was just announced that it (and Parasite) are getting swanky new DVD/Blu-ray editions from Criterion. You can still check the old DVD out from the library.
The Host (2006). Bong’s best-known movie until Parasite, this fun, atmospheric giant-monster movie was a massive hit, even earning a couple million bucks in the States. It’s available free (with ads) on Tubi TV and Pluto TV; it’s also free without ads on Hoopla. It was the first Bong film I saw, and made me a fan for life.
Mother (2009). Clearly not interested in being buttonholed, Bong followed his monster mash with an acclaimed drama about a woman who struggles to keep her intellectually disabled son out of prison for a murder he’s been arrested for but may not have committed. Unless you subscribe to the Roku Channel, you can’t stream this one for free, though it can be rented at vudu.com for as low as $2.99. I say it’s worth it, and hey, that’s about what you used to shell out at Blockbuster, right?
Snowpiercer (2013). Yeah, this is the stuff. My favorite Bong until Parasite dropped, this dystopian action-fantasy was only shown in fewer than 200 theaters due to its distributor, Harvey Weinstein. The accused serial rapist wanted the film 20 minutes shorter, Bong refused, and Weinstein retaliated. (Amazingly, it played around here — at the Mall, even! That’s how I saw it on the big screen.) If you have Netflix, it’s available there; if not, it’s rentable for $2.99 and up, from the usual suspects (Amazon, Vudu, YouTube).
Okja (2017). Okja is a genetically modified “superpig” at the center of this not-for-kids fable that boasts a mix of Korean and English-speaking actors (Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, etc.). Since Bong reportedly puts the pig through much trauma to make his point about the anguish our food endures, I haven’t yet had the stomach for it. Maybe some day. Right now it’s exclusively on Netflix — a bummer if you don’t subscribe, and no physical-media release seems forthcoming.
Parasite (2019). Now for the big one. This ornately plotted class-struggle thriller has the shape of farce and the pulse of a horror film. It’s all over the place but makes beautiful sense in the end. Wanna see it? You’ll have to pay, and since it’s still fairly new and a multiple Oscar winner, it’s not as cheap as Bong’s others. The rental prices range from $3.99 (Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Apple) to $5.99 (Vudu, Fandango Now, Microsoft). Or you could put a request in for the physical disc at the library. You’ll be in for a wait, though — last I checked, there were 163 patrons on hold for the DVD, 58 for the Blu-ray. It’s worth the wait.
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