The Host
(Guimul)
119 minutes, 2006
Fri. Oct 13, 10:15PM, Sequoia
HOST13S<Buy Tickets>
Sun. Oct 15, 9:30PM, Rafael
HOST15R<Buy Tickets>
In Korean with English subtitles • This surprise hit of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival is a genre-bending, raucous and definitely frightening monster flick. Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder, Barking Dogs) has crafted an elegant tale that harkens back to the smart, goofy, melodramatic B movies of the '50s. Early on, the titular host, a 30-foot-long squid-creature (created by SF's The Orphanage), leaps out of the Han River to terrorize Seoul, but not until after amused onlookers throw beers and snacks at it. Amid the subsequent devastation and dismay, the monster becomes a screen against which social, political and familial melodramas unfold. The story centers on doltish father, Park Gang-du, and his transformation into a sensitive, brave (but still a bit doltish) hero as he searches for his daughter and for the creature's lair. Selling nine million tickets in 18 days, The Host shattered Korean box office records, marking the film an instant cult classic. — S. Uyehara
Presented in association with the San Francisco Film Society.
Director: Bong Joon-Ho
Producer: Choi Yong-bae, Jeong Tae-sung, Kim Woo-taek, Joh Neung-yeon
Screenwriter: Bong Joon-ho, Ha Jun-weon, Baek Cheol-hyeon
Cinematographer: Kim Hyeong-gu
Editor: Kim Sun-min
Cast: Song Gang-ho, Byeon Heui-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Du-na, Ko A-sung, Lee Dong-ho, Lee Jae-eung, Yun Je-mun, Kim Roi-ha, Park No-shik, Yim Pil-sung
Print Source: Magnolia Pictures
49 W. 27th Street
7th Floor
New York, NY, 1001
Tel: 212.924.6701
Official Website: http:
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