The latest film from the director Bong Joon-Ho — who most recently directed The Host — is pretty spectacular. Last weekend, BAM had a retrospective on Joon-Ho’s work and I caught this and Memories of Murder. Joon-Ho was there for a Q&A session and mentioned that after showing the movie to his mother, she has never again brought it up.

Joon-Ho has a gift for integrating comedy into a suspenseful story and his latest is no exception. My only disappointment in this regard is the lack of drop kicks. The director loves them, but there’s only one in Mother. I can forgive this sin, since the story is quite riveting.

When Joon-Ho spoke (via an interpreter), he made it clear that he likes to use very ordinary people in his films. Watching them respond to extraordinary situations is why it’s easy to relate to his characters. Pro-tip: The leading lady in Mother has been a domestic figure in Korean cinema for 40 years. This information will improve your viewing experience.

I like Tracy Morgan. He is a funny dude. I also like Bruce Willis. At one point I liked Kevin Smith, the director. With that out of the way, this movie was better than most will tell you but not great. If you like Tracy Morgan, you should see this movie.

Hello again, reviews. It’s been a while. I am a longtime lover of the Coen brothers. They’ve had only a few misses in their days (hello there, Ladykillers) and A Serious Man escapes that fate.

I’ve got to say, being a Jew will improve your enjoyment of the film. The opening scene in Hebrew school was especially hilarious. Of course, this movie is not nearly as much of a comedy as the previews depicted. Mostly, it’s a mindfuck. A mindfuck in the “No, what are you doing that for?” way rather than a “What the hell was that? Who is that guy? What the hell is going on?” way.

I liked it. While it’s not in the top half of my Coen brothers films, it’s still far better than most of what’s out there. Definitely worth a rental.

p.s. I couldn’t help but notice there are some thematic similarities with Dr. T and the Women. Ya?