“Mother”: Bong Joon-ho’s Quietest yet Most Devastating Movie
Bong Joon-ho is one of Korea’s most prolific and accomplished filmmakers. He is most well known for his big-budget English-language
Read more
film
Jordan Peele’s Us Brings Laughter, Screams, and Social Critique
Early on in “Us,” Jordan Peele’s second directorial effort, a young girl on the Santa Cruz boardwalk passes a beach
Read more
‘High Flying Bird’: A Sports Movie with More Brains than Brawn
Like many sports movies before it, “High Flying Bird” is about changing the game. It is a classic example of
Read more
Dear Ex: A Taiwanese Story About Losing and Regaining Love
Recently available on Netflix, “Dear Ex” (2018) tells a story of a Taiwanese teenage boy who drifts apart from his
Read more
Eastern Mythology Meets Western Horror in ‘The Wailing’
“The Wailing,” written and directed by Na Hong-jin, was a huge hit in South Korea when it was originally released
Read more
A Review of “Burning,” South Korea’s Latest Submission to the Academy Awards
“Burning” is a South Korean film by Lee Chang-dong that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this May. It is
Read more
“Wildlife” Emerges as One of the Year’s Best
A 1960s Montana family burns to the ground in Paul Dano’s masterful directorial debut. Dano is best known as an
Read more
Destruction and Defiance in “Annihilation” and “A Quiet Place”
The first scene in “Annihilation” shows a college classroom viewing a cancer cell — something that causes its host
Read more
“La Haine” and Racialized Nation-building
Two weeks ago, I watched the French film “La Haine” directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, which was released in the
Read more
Watching “Angels Wear White”: Child Abuse in China
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As
Read more