In broad daylight, a huge amphibious creature, Gwoemul, bursts out of the Han River, to wreak havoc on the population of a local nearby city.
The plot;
The Host is a 2006 Korean movie directed by Bong Joon-ho, the same director of Parasite. The film follows a monster — a mutated fish created as a result of an American mortician's order to dump hundreds of bottles of formaldehyde down the drain which leads directly to the Han River in Seoul. This pollution was what set the stage for the birth of the mutant creature that feeds on humans.
There was pandemonium as people flee and Gang-du Park quickly, grabs Hyun-seo’s hand to run… but he realizes too late that rather than his daughter's hand, he had grabbed the wrong child.
When he spots Hyun-seo again, it’s too late — the creature captures her with its tail and disappears into the water.
Authorities assume all captured victims are dead. A mass memorial is held. The affected families including the Park family grieves, but then Gang-du gets an unexpected call — it’s his daughter Hyun-seo, still very much alive but trapped in the creature’s underground lair.
The Park family escapes the quarantine facility and tries to track her down. Despite lacking weapons or resources, each member sets out with their own plan, determined to find and rescue their own — Hyun-seo:
My review;
Korean movies touch me in a way where I have now found a new world to explore. It's such great talent and entertainment on display and this movie "the host" hits home just the same.
I would say that the real “host” isn’t just the monster, it’s actual human beings, it's society hosting political lies, environmental neglect, and more specifically, how governments are just more hazardous with how they use chemicals to degrade the environment and their ineptness in handling consequences when issues arise.
But the soul of the story lies in the family love and sacrifice.
Performances & Characters;
Song Kang-ho (Park Gang-du) Hyun-seo's father, is a buffoon who turns out to be very brave. He was the one who dealt the final blow to the monster. With a mix of humor, exhaustion, and resilience, his nuanced performance anchors the emotional core of the film .
Bae Doona portrays Nam-joo, the archery-skilled sister whose athleticism proves unexpectedly very crucial.
Go Ah-sung shines as Hyun-seo. I give her a lot of credit. She's really very good for a kid actor. Her character after being abducted by the monster, represent how innocent people become casualties in a system that's much more interested in power control than in protecting its citizens.
Supporting performances by Byun Hee-bong (grandfather) and Park Hae-il ( brother) all add emotional depth and authenticity .
Final Verdict;
For this film that became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2006, the Host is far more than a creature feature—it’s a smart, emotionally grounded satire that entertains while compelling viewers to reflect on environmental negligence, governmental failures, and the power of family. It’s a must-watch for fans of genre films that dare to be different.
I started a challenge of taking 100 days off to mainly focus on my health and overall personal development and used this account as a personal blog to keep track of all my activity. I enjoyed it and continued afterward trying to build better habits and find a good balance between health, fitness, work, entertainment, and my personal life...
Movie #35 The Host (7.0/10)
I very much like Asian culture and movies and 3 of the better movies I watched so far this year were Past Lives, Perfect Days, & Monster. So I was looking forward the Watch 'The Host' which is also called "Gwoemul" in Korean. I came across it and saw it had a 7.1/10 as a Monster horror movie at quite some votes. I already saw in some picture that the CGI of the monster was pretty bad and knowing that in advance helped to look passed that.
The story starts out pretty uninspired with some sientists duping chemicals in a sink which years later causes a big monster to then come out of a river. The main story is more about family as a young father sees his daughter being taken by the moster which after they thought was dead learned by a phone call that she is still alive followed by a search for her. It certainly is more than just a monster movie as there are multiple storylines and a lot of the theme of the movie is about empathy I would say.
I learned just now that the movie was directed by Bong Joon Ho who also directed Parasite and Snowpiercer which I highly enjoyed. So I now have some more movies on my list to watch in Memories of Murder (2003), Mother (2009), Okja (2017)
So while I can't say I was overly blown away by this one also because of evening farigue watching it in 2 Pieces, I did appreciate for what it was still scoring it a 7/10
Aside from watching a movie in the evening, I was quite active with an hour of tennis from 12:00 to 13:00 and an evening 90-Minute Hot Yoga Class all while keeping my eating within limits. I also once again managed to do my press exercises.
Fourty Day Fitness
Day
Incline Bench Press
Push Ups
01
50
50
02
50
50
03
50
50
New Day Goals: I'm not sure what I will do on Thursday but if I can I will join another evening Hot Yoga class.
Bong Joon-ho is, mainly thanks to his Oscar triumph with Parasite, the best known and arguably the most successful director in history of South Korean cinema. He had, however, made his mark more than a decade before with number of highly regarded films. His third feature, 2006 science fiction horror film The Host, entered history books in more ways than one – as the most expensive South Korean film at the time, than as setting the record at South Korean box office and, finally, as one of the rare South Korean films that was officially praised by the North.
The opening scene is inspired by real life scandal that occurred in South Korea few years earlier. US military pathologist (played by Scott Wilson) orders his South Korean assistant to empty hundreds of bottles containing formaldehyde into Han River. This creates an environmental incident with aftermath that would become apparent years later when citizens of Seoul face giant amphibian creature spawned by mutation. The animal sees humans sees as its favorite source of food, and among the several dozen people who end up as victims is teenage girl Park Hyun-seo (played by Ko Ah-seong). Her family is devastated, and her father Gang-du (played by Song Kang-ho) is tormented by the guilt of not being able to save her. However, Hyun-seo contacts her family via mobile phone and says that the monster has brought her to its lair in the sewers to feed on her later. Gang-du and members of his dysfunctional family set out to locate and rescue her, but they must also confront the government and its American backers who are trying to cover up the story by planting stories about a virus and releasing chemical agents in Seoul.
Similar to his earlier film Memories of Murder, Bong Joon-ho used the narrative framework of a genre film to give a political commentary. In this case, the classic horror story is intertwined with black humour and author’s condemnation of the South Korean government and its tendency to unconditionally follow US orders. Given his strong anti-American stance, which, thanks to atrocities in Iraq, corresponded with global sentiments, it is understandable that the film received praise in official statements from the North Korean government.
Even with political background being set aside, The Host functions as a very good action horror film. Bong Joon-ho has learned all the important lessons from the masters of the genre, and the most important one is that the audience must be well acquainted with the characters to be able to empathize with them. In the case of the Parks – ordinary people who are barely scraping by – this was helped by a good cast. The monster is also very well made, using CGI techniques that the creators of the original Godzilla could only dream of.
Although The Host veers into almost self-parodying pathos towards the end, it is a very high-quality and impressive film, giving another proof that Asian cinema at the start of 21st Century was on the way to surpass Hollywood even with genre films.
Genre films FOUND FOOTAGE or Camera in Hand, have become popular in recent years with their particular way of bringing terror or suspense to our heads
Movies like Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch, REC, among others have been able to catch the viewer in their plot causing more than one jump or scream of fear, even more if you are one of those brave or crazy who watches a horror movie alone on your living room sofa at 3 in the morning.
HOST una película que sabe llegar al público.
Las películas de género FOUND FOOTAGE o Cámara en Mano, se han vuelto populares en los últimos años con su particular forma de llevar terror o suspenso a nuestras cabezas
Películas como Actividad paranormal, La Bruja de Blair, REC, entre otras han podido atrapar al espectador en su trama provocando más de un salto o grito de miedo, aún más si eres de esos valientes o locos que ve una película de terror solo en tu sofá de la sala a las 3 de la madrugada.
THE COVER WAS EDITED WITH IMAGES FROM THE FILM "HOST" AND IMAGES OF MY OWNERSHIP.
In that case, I congratulate you and invite you to see this film in the same conditions, alone and at dawn as I saw it. Believe me it can alter your senses and generate some fear without you expecting it.
LET'S START
HOST is a film that despite its low budget and simple plot, knows how to handle a plot in an organized way to convey to the viewer what he wants and fulfill the goal of entertaining and causing you to jump of fear. This will surely be caused by the movie at any time, even if it is only once.
The development of the plot does not have much mystery or a totally different personality from those of the other films of its genre, but it does have something that could differentiate it a bit from the others and that is that they know how to capture the public's attention from the beginning to the end.
En ese caso te felicito y te invito a que veas esta película en las mismas condiciones, solo y en la madrugada como la vi yo. Créeme puede alterar tus sentidos y generar algo de miedo sin que lo esperes.
COMENCEMOS
HOST es una película que a pesar de su bajo presupuesto y sencilla trama, sabe como manejar de forma organizada una trama para transmitir al espectador lo que desea y cumplir con el objetivo de entretener y provocarte un salto de miedo. Esto de seguro te lo provocará la película en cualquier momento así sea solo una vez.
El desarrollo de la trama no tiene mucho misterio o una personalidad totalmente diferente a las de las demás películas de su género, pero si cuenta con algo que podría diferenciarla un poco de las demás y es que saben capturar la atención del público desde el inicio hasta el final.
ALL IMAGES ARE SCREENSHOTS FROM MY NETFLIX ACCOUNT FROM THE MOVIE "HOST" USED TO GIVE VISUAL CONTEXT TO THE POST.
It may not be the same with everyone, but from my point of view and personally with me he was able to connect and keep me intrigued until the end, wondering what will happen now or when this will end.
During the 55 minutes that the film lasts, you will feel suspense and moderate fear that will not escape an unexpected fright, this creates in the film the perfect hook so that you do not pause the film, but that if it keeps your mind active .
Quizás con todos no sea igual, pero desde mi punto de vista y en lo personal conmigo pudo conectar y mantenerme intrigado hasta el final, preguntándome que pasara ahora o cuando terminará esto.
Durante los 55 minutos que dura la película podrás sentir suspenso y miedo moderado que no tendrá escapatoria a un susto inesperado, esto crea en la película el gancho perfecto para que no le des pausa a la película, pero que si te mantenga con la mente activa.
What is the movie about?
A group of friends meet through ZOOM during the quarantine to have a small meeting of spiritism accompanied by a medium to achieve a connection with the afterlife. Which doesn't go too well and things start to get dark and terrifying for each of the girls present at the meeting.
Each girl begins to experience unusual situations in her house, causing tension and fear in each one of them. Which forces them to do what is in their power to save their lives.
¿DE Qué TRATA LA PELÍCULA?
Un grupo de amigas se reúnen a través de ZOOM durante la cuarentena para realizar una pequeña reunión de espiritismo acompañadas de una médiumpara lograr una conexión con el más allá. Lo cual no sale muy bien y las cosas comienzan a tomarse oscuras y terroríficas para cada una de las chicas presentes en la reunión.
Cada chica comienza a experimentar situaciones inusuales en sus casas provocando tensión y miedo en cada una de ellas. Lo cual las obliga hacer lo que esté a su alcance para salvar sus vidas.
THE GOOD
The FOUND FOOTAGE genre of films is difficult to carry out when you do not have a well structured script that can attract the viewer, in many cases they are usually successful and with this film they achieve it from the beginning.
The horror or suspense scenes are not exaggerated and maintain an order that takes us little by little within the film, achieving that connection.
LO BUENO
El género de películas FOUND FOOTAGE es difícil de llevar a cabo cuando no se tiene un guion bien estructurado que pueda atraer al espectador, en muchos de los casos suelen tener éxito y con esta película lo logran desde el inicio.
Las escenas de terror o suspenso no son exageradas y mantienen un orden que nos lleva poco a poco dentro de la película logrando esa conexión.
Being a production with few resources and set in different rooms as the main stage, they give us a complete perspective of what we should see and it is not necessary to take wide shots to understand the context of the main plot.
The performances are credible enough to generate suspense in the viewer, we do not see exaggerated or overstated performances. It is a film that fulfills its objective and the ending is clear without leaving any loose ends.
THE BAD
Being such a common genre, it tends to fall into repetition in some scenes that reminds us of movies like Paranormal activity, of course they have their differences but you will always have that feeling of seeing something that you have already seen before.
Siendo una producción con pocos recursos y ambientada en diferentes habitaciones como escenario principal nos brindan una perspectiva completa de lo que debemos ver y no es necesario tomas amplias para entender el contexto de la trama principal.
Las actuaciones son lo suficientemente creíbles para generar suspenso en el espectador, no vemos actuaciones exageradas ni sobreactuadas. Es una película que cumple con su objetivo y el final es claro sin dejar cabos sueltos.
LO MALO
Siendo un género tan común suele caer en lo repetitivo en algunas escenas que nos recuerda a películas como Actividad paranormal, claro tienen sus diferencias pero siempre tendrás esa sensación de ver algo que ya has visto antes.
Some characters are unnecessary within the plot, they become fillers and do not generate anything to the plot.
MY RATING
The movie did catch me very quickly and generated tension in me, perhaps from seeing it alone in the room and at about 3 in the morning. But outside of that I must say that it is a movie worth seeing.
It can be scary at unexpected times, which will give you points in its favor, since that's what a scary movie is all about. That I can generate that in you without much trouble. I give it a 7/10 rating although it is not the best of its kind if it is worth every minute invested in it.
Algunos personajes son innecesarios dentro de la trama, se tornan como relleno y no generar nada a la trama.
MI CALIFICACIÓN
La película si me atrapó muy rápido y generó tensión en mí, quizás por verla solo en la sala y como a las 3 de la mañana . Pero fuera de eso debo decir que si es una película que vale la pena ver.
Puede provocar miedo en momentos inesperados, lo cual le dará puntos a su favor, ya que de eso trata una película de miedo. Que pueda generar eso en ti sin muchos problemas. Le doy una calificación de 7/10 aunque no es la mejor en su género si vale cada minuto invertida en ella.
FINAL THOUGHT
The subject of spiritism or the paranormal is usually a taboo subject in many parts of the world, since it can break or hurt very sensitive fibers in people who, due to their religion or any other factor, are vulnerable to situations like these.
The old saying goes: Don't play with fire or it will burn you, that's very true when it comes to topics that can transcend the real from the supernatural.
PENSAMIENTO FINAL
El tema del espiritismo o lo paranormal suele ser tema tabú en muchas partes del mundo, ya que puede romper o herir fibras muy sensibles en las personas que por su religión o cualquier otro factor son vulnerables a situaciones como estas.
El viejo dicho dice: No juegues con fuego o te quemará, eso es muy cierto cuando se trata de temas que pueden superar lo real de lo sobrenatural.
We live in a mysterious world that we still do not know in its entirety and even less on topics that are beyond our understanding. We must be careful when we want to overcome borders that we do not know.
What is still must be left still.
Vivimos en un mundo misterioso y que aún no conocemos en su totalidad y menos sobre temas que van más allá de nuestro entendimiento. Debemos ser cuidadosos cuando queremos superar fronteras que no conocemos.
In quarantine, the appearance of an unwanted guest at a reunion of friends will bring terror to each of their homes... "Host"
Another month of October begins and for the third consecutive year I start this activity of reviewing horror films and series, the only difference is that this year I have called it "Hivelloween ", that's why in this month most of my posts will read about classic and new horror films without leaving out any sub-genre that is related to this type of movies, Although I must tell you that my favorite genre is the "slasher", but as I said before you will see a lot of variety of stories in my blog and that's why I will try with my reviews to be able to advise you which movies to watch so that you can have an October full of terror, of fun terror.
ESPAÑOL
En cuarentena, la aparición de un invitado no deseado a una reunión de amigos traerá terror a cada uno de sus hogares... "Host".
Comienza otro mes de octubre y por tercer año consecutivo empiezo esta actividad de hacer reseñas sobre films y series de terror, la única diferencia es que este año le he llamado "Hivelloween", es por eso que en este mes la mayoría de mis post leerán sobre clásicos y nuevo films de terror sin dejar por fuera a cualquier sub-género que esté relacionado a este tipo de películas, aunque les debo decir que mi genero favorito es el "slasher", pero como dije anteriormente verán mucha variedad de historias en mi blog y es por eso que tratare con mis reseñas poder aconsejarles de que películas ver para que pasen un octubre lleno de terror, de divertido terror.
"Host" is a British film that was released this year in July and immediately caught the attention of horror fans and the general public for being filmed in the middle of the pandemic by Covid-19 and being part of history; This film belongs to the genre of "Found Footage" and its story is based on a group of friends who due to quarantine restrictions meet weekly using "Zoom" for their video calls, one of these friends decides that for this week to perform a spiritualist activity by contacting a woman expert in that subject which will help them stay in touch with family and friends who have lost or meet new spirits that haunt this world, but everything will go wrong when they must receive the visit of something that should not have been called.
"Host", es un film británico que fue estrenado este año en el mes de julio, inmediatamente llamo la atención de fanáticos del terror y del público en general por ser filmada en plena pandemia por el Covid-19 y que a su vez sea parte de la historia; este film pertenece al género de "Found Footage" y su historia se basa en un grupo de amigos que por las restricciones de la cuarentena se reúnen semanalmente usando "Zoom" para sus vídeo llamadas, una de estos amigos decide que para esta semana realizar una actividad de espiritismo contactando a una mujer experta en ese tema la cual les ayudara a estar en contacto con familiares y amigos que hayan perdido o conocer a nuevos espíritus que rondan en este mundo, pero todo saldrá mal cuando reciban la visita de algo que no debió ser llamado.
This film is not original at all and I do not say this because it is a "Found Footage" and much less because it belongs to the genre of "Jump Scare", but it has things very similar to the 2014 film called Unfriended; in that film a group of friends join in a video call using "Skype", but suddenly in their group they receive a user who has not been invited to the chat, which they can not remove and use the secrets that exist between them to test their friendship and their lives; This was a film that I liked a lot to see, but returning to this new film that has a basis somewhat similar to the one previously cited, I have always said that no matter how unoriginal the basis for telling a story, everything is in the new details that make it stand out and I think in "Host ", it applies in an excellent way.
Este film es para nada original y no lo digo por ser un "Found Footage" ni mucho menos al género de "Jump Scare", pero tiene cosas muy parecidas al film del 2014 llamado Unfriended; en ese film un grupo de amigos se unen en una vídeo llamada usando "Skype", pero de repente en su grupo reciben a un usurario que no ha sido invitado al chat, el cual no pueden eliminar y usara los secretos que existen entre ellos para poner a prueba su amistad y sus vidas, este fue un film que me gustó mucho por ver, pero volviendo a este nueva película que tiene una base algo parecida a la anteriormente citada, siempre he dicho que no importa que tan poco original sea la base para contar una historia, todo está en los nuevos detalles que hagan resaltarla y creo que en "Host", se aplica de excelente manera.
Director Rob Savage who co-wrote the script with Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd, did a great job because they were smart to use clichés that we can always find in a horror film and to use this strong moment that is happening worldwide because of the pandemic to be part of this story, but the best thing is to create and direct a directly story, without creating anything mythological or looking for an origin to everything, this film is very fast and I liked that but this does not mean that there is not a development of the history of the many characters that appear, on the contrary, in this film we see a great use of time and how the simplicity of having an actor to be in front and very close to a camera can give an impact to the many funny and scary scenes that we can see.
El director Rob Savage quien co-escribe el guion junto a Gemma Hurley y Jed Shepherd, hicieron un gran trabajo porque fueron inteligentes el usar clichés que siempre podemos encontrar en un film de terror y el usar este momento fuerte que se vive mundialmente a causa de la pandemia para que sea parte de esta historia, pero lo mejor es crear y dirigir una historia directa, sin crear nada mitológico ni buscar un origen a todo, este film es muy rápido y eso me ha gustado pero esto no quiere decir que no haya un desarrollo de la historia de los muchos personajes que aparecen, a lo contrario, en este film vemos un gran uso del tiempo y de cómo la sencillez de tener a un actor al estar de frente y muy cerca de una cámara pueda dar un impacto a las muchas divertidas y terroríficas escenas que podemos ver.
The performances of the six protagonists are very good, you might think that it is easy just to sit in front of a camera for certain scenes, but I think that must cause pressure because first they must show happiness, tranquility, saying funny phrases and then they must be worried, afraid, screaming and crying, it is a radical change in such a short time and each of these actors do well; I have read in different articles that they had to do the action scenes when required without the use of doubles and they had to help recreate effects, all this because of the quarantine and it must be said that the laptop cameras that each one uses, were the ones that took most of the scenes that we see in this film, this shows a great commitment of each of these actors, showing a good job to create very good scenes of terror.
Las actuaciones de los seis protagonistas son muy buenas, se puede pensar de que es fácil solo estar sentados frente a una cámara por ciertas escenas, pero creo que eso debe causar presión porque primero deben mostrar felicidad, tranquilidad, diciendo frases divertidas y después deben estar preocupados, con miedo, gritando y llorando, es un cambio radical en tan poco tiempo y cada uno de estos actores lo hacen bien; he leído en diferentes artículos de que ellos tuvieron que hacer las escenas de acción cuando son requeridas sin el uso de dobles y tuvieron que ayudar a recrear efectos, todo esto por la cuarentena y hay que decir que las cámaras de las laptops que cada uno usa, fueron las que tomaron la mayoría de las escenas que vemos en este film, esto demuestra un gran compromiso de cada uno de estos actores, mostrando un buen trabajo para crear muy buenas escenas de terror.
I had fun in the 57 minutes that this film has, its simplicity is a great virtue where I think it makes it more terrifying, I liked it because it reminded me of the meetings with video calls that I have with my friends, of course without an evil spirit that wants to kill us, but I think the camaraderie they show in the scenes, I believe that by not having an origin or a reason for everything that happens, it can serve to create a continuation and I think this can be a challenge for its director and writers because although they can have a freedom of creation, I think the challenge will be in creating a story that impacts as much as this one did. I recommend it in case you haven't seen it and I hope you do, it's completely one hour to have a good time, to get scared and have fun, for me it's one of the best horror films I've seen this year.
Me divertí en los 57 minutos de duración que tiene este film, su sencillez es una gran virtud en donde creo que la hace más terrorífica, me gustó porque me hizo recordar a las reuniones con vídeo llamadas que tengo con mis amigos, claro sin un espíritu maligno que nos quiera matar, pero creo que la camaradería que muestran en las escenas, creo que al no tener un origen o un porqué de todo lo que sucede podrá servir para crear una continuación y creo que esto podrá ser un reto para su director y guionistas porque a pesar de que pueden tener una libertad de creación, creo que el reto estará en crear una historia que impacte tanto como lo hizo esta. La recomiendo por si no la han visto y espero que lo hagan, es completamente una hora para pasarla bien, asustarse y divertirse, para mi es uno de los mejores films de terror que he visto en este año.
Host is a film who's genre can most aptly be described as live-action horror. The film comes compliments of the good people at Shudder and seems to be set somewhere in England, where a young lady named Haley decides to host a Zoom conference call with a few of her friends, no doubt an attempt to take the sting out of the isolation brought on as a measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But it isn't board games, drinking games, or even just casual chatting that forms the primary activity for this digital gathering, but rather something a little more unorthodox/original, a video call séance.
Haley invites an experienced medium to guide the group through this activity, and the medium invites them to bring along a personal item that would serve as a link to someone they knew that passed into the astral plane (shot). It doesn't take a medium to predict that some items would play a more significant role than others in the chaos to come, and while some approach the séance with eye-rolling skepticism, others feel general reluctance at interfering with the unknown. With the candles lit, the eyes closed and a mental link created, the séance begins, starting with as little drama as you can imagine, small false alarms serving as appetizers to what is to come as the film progresses.
To spice things up a little, one of the participants named Jemma decides to pretend to have been engaged with by something that she claims to be the spirit of an old classmate long passed. While her performance fools both her friends and no doubt the audience, she confesses soon after that she had made it all up, not knowing that her attempt to liven the proceedings up has far more serious consequences than she could have ever imagined. Unbeknownst to her, Jemma's disrespect for the spirits, and the fabrication of a false one, created a mask of sorts that acts as an open invitation for any entity to come onto their plane, an invitation gladly accepted by one that is anything but friendly.
The demonic being goes on to taunt and torment all the friends involved in the video call, even cutting off their connection to the medium who served as the only individual capable of providing expert instruction on the situation. The entity doesn't play favorites in its provocations, violently engaging with each person in turn, the social rules put into place due to COVID-19 clearly not applying to this being from beyond, social distancing a safety measure only applicable to the living. While the paranormal activity begins with the usual bumps, knocks, and breaking of personal possessions, the activity grows more and more violent as time goes on, to the point where even familial relations inside the house of the participants are not safe.
It's hard not to like the film Host, not for its concept, which is one we've seen time and time again in similar films about demonic entities and their invasion into the homes of the living, but rather the very framework within which it is created, which is the current reality that we live through due to the COVID-19 virus. To my mind, Host has taken a big leap forward with regards to the horror genre, and the first that I am aware of that has so effectively used popular modern-day technology to achieve its purposes. Indeed the uniqueness in this film lies in the closeness to our current "new normal" and our ability to relate to these circumstances in a way that we couldn't with films that have shown post-apocalyptic environments or deadly viruses that have turned people into monsters, for example. The dilemma the characters face feels more real due to the very realness of the worlds presently shared dilemma.
Host is a frown turned upside down; it's a delicious helping of lemonade from the lemons that were hurled at us from the world like rocks from a catapult. The effective use of Zoom, one of, if not the most popular video calling software at the present moment, is also a large part of the films brilliance, its features used tremendously well to amplify the effects of the film, from the way the events were nestled neatly within its 40-minute free call limit, to the creative use of its face skins and audio settings. The film also may have had another unintentional piece of brilliance in the form of its short run time.
Host clocks in at a little under an hour, and may have just set the blueprint for films to follow along to in providing viewers in the current fast-paced world with films that get to the point quickly and make us feel less guilty for spending our time watching movies. While it's easily arguable that there is only so much to be done within Zoom's allotted 40 minutes of call time, the length of the film felt like the perfect middle ground between short films, and longer feature films. Again, while, in essence, we are dealing with a tried and tested genre, what set this film apart was the methods used to transmit the scares.
The makers of this film get large points for seeing possibility within the pandemic, and while we certainly hope that said pandemic will not last forever, this offering opens the floodgates for more to use this very real foundation of ours for telling a good story. Host is a unique, innovative, and terrifying film that cannot be missed.
C'est un film horreur britannique qui est sortie dernièrement en vidéo sur demande sur Shudder. C'est probablement le seul film qui a été tournée durant la pandémie grace à l'application ZOOM. Je catégorise le film comme un found footage / paranormal.
En résumé, un groupe d'amis décide d'inviter une médium à leur party sur zoom et plein d'évènements arrivent ...
J'ai trouvé le film assez bien et le film dure près d'une heure.
›Host (2020) - A remote spiritist session using Zoom goes terribly wrong@dedicatedguy2162d
Shudder recently released this new horror film that many people will be able to feel related to because the characters are all in quarantine due to the current pandemic. This is the reason why they are meeting in Zoom just like many people have been doing in real life for the past few months.
By the way, if you don't know what Shudder is, it is a streaming service that only serves the horror niche, like Netflix but only for horror fans. Sometimes they also produce their own original films and the latest is this one called Host.
This group of adult friends decided to have some fun time messing with the spiritual world over the Zoom session, they even hired a woman who was very knowledgeable about these topics to guide them into this unique adventure. What the viewer will watch is the same these people are watching in their screens, this is the same concept used in the movie Searching, which was a very cool thriller.
If you have watched films about Ouija, then you already know what will happen in this film, with the only difference being the new element of the Zoom video call. There is nothing new in the plot and the performances from the cast were normal, nothing special. The type of horror Host provides brings nothing intriguing for long time horror fans, perhaps younger audiences might find it entertaining though.
The film's budget was noticeable low but there have been excellent horror movies with low budgets, the best example being the original Paranormal Activity. Creep would be another good example of a simple but effective horror film.
I believe the producers behind Host were trying to create something similar. A short movie (it lasts less than 1 hour) with a small budget but entertaining and intriguing plot, in my opinion, they didn't accomplish that. Host is a very forgettable movie with the only innovative aspect being the use of Zoom.
Nevertheless, I believe people that aren't used to consuming horror content but are in the mood for some new horror production might enjoy this one. Have in mind the first 15 minutes are super boring with nothing related to the paranormal part of the film. Also, there are better short horror stories on Youtube channels such as Alter among many other channels dedicated to short fiction films.
The best
Its length.
The worst
Forgettable horror film. Nothing great nor special.
›The Host (Korean Film) : Well, they can't all be amazing...40@gooddream2302d
I've been a fan of Korean cinema since I was introduced to it around a decade ago. I think that a lot of the world has probably had their eyes opened a bit about how good this country's films are since Parasite ended up sweeping the Academy Awards this past year. Hopefully this encouraged a lot of those people to check out the treasure-trove of films that this country has produced over the years.
I was digging through the Netflix library of all Korean films and ran into this one. I watched all of it expecting something amazing to happen but unfortunately it's actually pretty typical and dare i say, a bit lame.
One of the most popular actors in recent times from Korea, Song Kang-ho, who was the star of Parasite plays the lead role in this monster horror film. It also features Park Hae-il from Memories of Murder, and Bae Doona from Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. So it is easy enough to say that this cast certainly had the acting "chops" to get the job done.
[source](https://photos.hancinema.net/photos/photo19703.jpg)
Recognize these faces? You see them a lot in the famous films from SK
Released in 2006, this film actually achieved widespread praise for being excellent and even "groundbreaking" and I have no idea where this is coming from. A lot of the film is CGI and the entire film was made for under $11 million, and this is exactly where I think the major problems arise: The CGI does not look good. In fact, I would say it looks downright bad. While this is just my opinion I feel as though Korean movies tend to shy away from CGI-heavy films because of financial limitations.
Perhaps the praise this film was receiving is the result of critics being impressed that the CGI looks as good as it does considering the relatively small budget. It should be noted, that especially in 2006, $11 million is NOT a small budget for a South Korean film. Consider that Parasite, made 13 years later had almost exactly the same budget and Oldboy had a budget of a mere $3 million.
While they do try in a bit to throw some of that Korean emotion that you might not be expecting (think of Train to Busan) that is so iconic of their movies, for the most part this movie is neither thrilling nor scary and only briefly touches base on societal issues.
The monster also just doesn't provide the necessary fear factor for most people - maybe it's just me because this movie has a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
from the [Shudder](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCCIrXmIJOYamxWqeJzI2Q) channel
Now I fully expect to catch some flak for my opinion on this but the film, despite a great cast, just doesn't do it for me and while there are a few good scenes, mostly the movie just kind of drags on until we end up at the very predictable ending.
My overall rating! 4 / 10
points awarded for doing a lot with very little money
›Bong Joon-ho's 'The Host' Review: A metaphor of America's destructive nature@namiks3252d
The Host tells the tale of America's heartless and threatening approach to world events from the perspective of another country: South Korea.
In the beginning, the film shows us careless military personnel casually dumping chemicals into the Han River; the result of such actions is a seemingly mutated creature that wreaks havoc upon nearby residents. The film follows a loving father that tends to a family-owned vendor, although he is suffering mentally from his own incompetent nature.
With reports of a strange creature attacking people, the American military quickly intervenes, setting up various camps and zones in which they claim to assess the threat in hopes of ceasing it; although that really isn't the case: the United States created this problem, and they generally do not care. What's interesting about The Host is its inspiration came from a real event --but obviously without the mutated creature--in which a Korean mortician working for the United States military in Seoul poured formaldehyde down the drain.
The Host, for the most part, isn't really about the creature, but about the path a father must take in order to save and protect his daughter from the threats of the world; he must rise up and change his ways if he is to do so, which is easier said than done. Numerous hurdles are thrown at our protagonist, not all can be jumped over. His lack of responsibility certainly haunts him each time he must remain independent.
For a film from 2006, it certainly doesn't want to be associated with those thrillers/horrors filled to the brink with poor CGI and scenes that lack authenticity, even with budget costs coming into consideration: many scenes were filmed in genuine sewers, with the cast and production team having to ensure they are safe from the various bacteria within. Typically, most of the film was shot in real locations, the main CGI elements being the creature, although it looks surprisingly good.
In summary, The Host is a film that delves into the destructive nature of people; their lack of awareness; their inability to witness the damage they are causing to those who surround them.
[source](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/af/76/92/af7692074a03ae456a8e1e20ede876a6.jpg)
[source](https://photos.hancinema.net/photos/photo19703.jpg)
Recognize these faces? You see them a lot in the famous films from SK 
