the host

NYAFF XXII Review: THE HOST Challenges You To Destroy All Monsters

Bong Joon-ho has been on movies for close to thirty (count ’em) years now. His feature film resumè began several years after, with black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite in 2000. Indeed, not all of his films have been commercial hits. Still, this is neither to say nor imply his directorial work hasn’t stricken a chord with critics. That includes the milestone success of his 2013 sci-fi epic, Snowpiercer, a explosive coverage of socio-political meltdown amid the dystopian fallout as uprising escalates class warfare on a speeding global train. Of course, the claim to that film’s victor wasn’t without its share of hurdles, with Bong resigned to advocating fervently against the will of cut-crazy producers at the now-defunct The Weinstein Company, for his cut to get the release it deserved. Bong would go on to ante-up even further, partnering with Netflix for the release of Okja which earned two nominations, […]

ASIAN CINEMA AUDIBLES: Seven Movies That Relied On Music To Tell The Story

Nicole McCray

Music in the entertainment industry is used for more than just to set the mood for the audience, it becomes part of the film. Mostly it has been utilized as the backdrop to set a scene. However, musical scores are also used to tell more of the story, especially when there is no dialogue to push it forward. Sometimes producers and directors will even lean on the music within their films, instead of action or character development. Most of the time, Hollywood movies adequately depict the essence and have long been studied for their use of music in the appropriate times. But, what about Asian films? Everyone is familiar with some of the amazing Asian cinematic theme songs like the ones shown in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with it’s “Night Fight Theme Music” and winning the honor and Oscar for Best Original Score (and also no wonder that it spawned […]

New Trailer For THE HOST

Lee B. Golden III

The fifth trailer for the upcoming March 29 release of the sci-fi action adventure film from Open Road Films, The Host, written and directed by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time) and starring Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) along with Max Irons, Jake Abel, Chandler Canterbury, Frances Fisher, Diane Kruger and William Hurt. The film is based on the novel written by author of the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer, who also served as co-producer along with Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz. Martial artist, stuntman and actor Sam Hargrave (Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Blood And Bone) served as the film’s stunt coordinator. SYNOPSIS: What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? “The Host” is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga,” worldwide bestselling author Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking […]