FIRST HOST REVIEWS

The first major review for Bong Joon-Ho's monster movie, THE HOST, is up on Variety from Derek Elley and it starts with, "On almost every level, there's never quite been a monster movie like "The Host." and gets dreamier and more full of lust from there. Elley seems to not quite believe what he's seen, muttering "...could stand tightening...could be tightened" over and over again like those people they pull out of mine disasters who mutter, "So dark...so...dark," until they're sedated. He reaches what is known as a critic's money shot when he favorably compares the film to a late-70's/early 80's horror movie (Larry Cohen's Q in this case) and it's basically impossible to read the review and not see the love oozing from your monitor.

Happy reading.

Also, Manohla Dargis from the New York Times weighs in briefly ("...the best film I've seen to date at this year's festival.")

And Mike D'Angelo (late of TIME OUT NEW YORK, now over at NERVE) wears his "I love THE HOST" t-shirt, too ("The Host makes comparatively grown-up summer flicks like War of the Worlds and Batman Begins look downright sunny by comparison.")

(There's a thread that discusses the rough cut of THE HOST shown to the Cannes selection committee which may explain why it wasn't selected over at KoreanFilm.org)