Review: "Parasite" is a Sick and Desperate Masterpiece

Scene from Parasite (2019)

As its title would suggest, Parasite is a film that has infected the public consciousness for most of 2019. After winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, it has slowly gained more acclaim for being one of the weirdest, most twisted films of the year. No amount of advertising could truly take away its mystique. Even the fact that it's dominating at the American box office in ways that few Korean films have should say how special this film is. But what is Parasite, and why is director Bong Joon-ho suddenly being labeled as the Oscar front-runner? To put it simply, the film is just that good. This isn't just a story that appeals to Korean ideals. It's a story that feels like a universal problem finally distilled in one entertaining, horrific package that is impossible to ignore. Not only is this Joon-ho's best work (which is really saying something), but it's one of the most essential narratives of the decade.

Palme d'Or Winner "Parasite" Gets a Haunting, Funny Trailer

Scene from Parasite (2019)

Things are looking to be very exciting this Oscar season, especially if director Bong Joon-Ho is involved. With Indiewire already naming his latest Parasite among the best films of the decade, the Palme d'Or winner has received nonstop praise for the Korean director and has lead many to wonder if it can truly live up to the hype stateside. While it's a longshot to argue that a foreign-language film will make the cut, there's still room to suggest that Joon-Ho will given his impressive track record and recent success with the Netflix film Okja. The first trailer for Parasite is here to start making arguments as to why he needs to be taken seriously this season. One can hope that everyone listens. 

Palme d'Or Winner "The Square" is High on Concept in First Trailer

Scene from The Square

If you want one big difference between world cinema and the more distilled American brand, one need not look further than Cannes and the Palme d'Or. Every year, the festival honors the best in world cinema. This year was a pretty big deal, as Sofia Coppola won Best Director for The Beguiled, and Force Majeure director Ruben Ostlund won the top prize with The Square. What should be a sign of overall quality isn't often the case universally, as the last Palme d'Or winner nominated for Best Picture was Amour in 2012. However, it's still worth checking out what is considered the best in world cinema, and odds are that The Square at least looks to be tons of fun, even if The Academy doesn't think so.

Super Delegates Bonus: George W. Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004)

George W. Bush in Fahrenheit 9/11

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

Theory Thursday: "Dancer in the Dark" is the Best (Non-American) Palme d'Or Winner

Scene from Dancer in the Dark

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Palme d'Or Winner "Winter Sleep" Releases it's First Cold and Beautiful Trailer

There is a lot of honor that comes with being given the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. As the premiere event for world cinema, it has long been held as the standard of excellence, even more-so than the Academy Awards or BAFTAS. This year saw the film from Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan called Winter Sleep take the top prize and immediately become a must-see for audiences. With its upcoming release, the first trailer has arrived to give American audiences a peek into what this film is going to be dealing with. To say the least, it is at least beautiful to look at with a lot of promising other elements tied in.

Update: "Blue is the Warmest Color" Won't Be Eligible for the Best Foreign Film Oscar

Adele Exarchopolous

It is strange when a film of high acclaim such as that of Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Color manages to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, yet has failed to clear one hurdle. Thanks to ordinarywiseguy on Tumblr for bringing it to my attention, I have become aware that while I speculated the film's actual Oscar chances (and technically, there are still some), it turns out that due to one small loophole, the film has become ineligible for the Best Foreign Film nomination. It all has to do with a release date.

Review: "Blue is the Warmest Color" is an Ambitious Yet Familiar Love Story

Left to right: Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

It is a film that shook the world. After director Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Color won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and became embraced by Steven Spielberg, it has remained in discussion for its depiction of lesbian relationships. The three hour story that follows Emma (Lea Seydoux) and Adele (Adele Exarchopolous) is one that seems very much progressive and is one of the most talked about gay-themed films since Brokeback Mountain. Even if it doesn't stand to gross even half of that, its existence is complicated and one that reflects the discovery of love in almost too accurate of detail from its embarrassing beginnings to its somber end. The only issue is that it also features all of the bumps in between, which aren't always that flattering.

The "Blue is the Warmest Color" Trailer Shows the Palme d'Or Winner in All it's Beauty

Lea Seydoux

Earlier this year, director Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Color won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. This honor alone made this French lesbian drama into one of the hottest, most anticipated movies of the year for cinephiles all over the world. Based off of "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, the three hour drama that follows two lovers has been getting a lot of praise as well as some backlash for its depiction of homosexual couples. With the film mostly receiving acclaim and the American release date only a month away, the film has the capability of becoming one of the most talked about foreign films of the fall.