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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

ML still playing Golden Globe winner ‘Parasite’

Dan Webster

So, the Magic Lantern will be adding nothing new this week. That's the bad news. The good news is that the theater's lineup is among the best in the area, especially considering that one of the films it is screening just won a Golden Globe.

That film is "Parasite," the latest offering from the Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho. "Parasite" became the first Korean film ever to win a Golden Globe, and it is in line to nab Bong his first Academy Award (nominations will be announced Jan. 13 with the awards ceremony itself scheduled for Feb. 9).

"Parasite" is getting rave reviews, scoring a 96 among 48 critics on Metacritic, 99 among some 348 commentators on Rotten Tomatoes.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: "Imagine a high-wire act where the acrobat suddenly leaps to a higher wire, then to another that’s higher still. It’s the best way I can think of to describe the giddy thrill of watching 'Parasite,' a masterpiece of serial surprises from the Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho."

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: "If the movie is a Rorschach of who you identify as parasite and host, it's a test you're just as likely to fail; a filmgoing experience that refuses to fit into any box, and forces viewers to breathe the dangerous air outside of it, too."

Jessica Kiang, Variety: "Bong is back and on brilliant form, but he is unmistakably, roaringly furious, and it registers because the target is so deserving, so enormous, so 2019: 'Parasite' is a tick fat with the bitter blood of class rage."

Wow. Can't remember the last time I ever read of a film being described as "a tick fat with the bitter blood of class rage."

Wish I'd thought of that.