Bong Joon-ho's OKJA (Dragonlord's Review)

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: July 2, 2017

Dragonlord's Review of Bong Joon-ho's OKJA (No Spoilers)

Bottom Line: Akin to Wes Anderson directing a Studio Ghibli film produced by Amblin Entertainment, Okja is a sweet, offbeat, satirical, anti-meat industry fable.

Okja tells the extraordinary adventure of Mija (An Seo Hyun) who sets off on a rescue mission when her best friend, Okja, a gigantic super pig, is taken away from her and their idyllic life in the farm in South Korea to be presented at a Mirando Corporation's Super Pig ceremony in New York City. Along the way, we are introduced to an assortment of kooky characters that will assist or impede Mija's journey.

Similar to his past films, South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho infuses Okja with his unconventional narrative and allegorical, subversive social themes and offbeat humor. At times, it seemed like Bong is channeling his best Wes Anderson impression trying to direct a Studio Ghibli film - this is more evident in the fantastic Seoul chase scene accompanied with a quirky Wes Anderson-like music.

Bong even makes a meta jab when he places the secret Mirando laboratory at Paramus, New Jersey where "horrible atrocities are being committed..." which is the same place where his film Snowpiercer was first test screened and initially cut by 25 minutes by Harvey Weinstein.

Giving off another larger-than-life, oddball performance, the fabulous Tilda Swinton plays dual roles as the Mirando twins - Nancy, the gentle but manipulative CEO and the brainchild of the Super Pig program, and Lucy, the ruthless businesswoman who reminds me a lot of her other character Minister Mason from Snowpiercer.

Clearly having a blast and just letting loose, Jake Gyllenhaal is a hoot to watch as Dr. Johnny Wilcox, an eccentric zoologist and TV personality that's like a combination of the late Steve Irwin, Pee-Wee Herman and Richard Simmons.

The other notables are An Seo Hyun who plays the sweet and gutsy farmgirl, Paul Dano who plays the cool and compassionate leader of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Steven Yeun who plays the Korean-American animal rights activist and translator, and Giancarlo Esposito who plays the cunning Mirando Corp associate.

The ensemble cast assembled is outstanding. They are one of the reasons why this is so fun to watch but at the same time hampers the narrative since it takes time away from the film's heroine Mija. This is noticeable in the film's middle half where Mija is just a passenger to her own story, either assisted by the Mirando Corp. or the ALF in moving her from one place to another.

As for the titular character, Okja is a marvelous and seamless CGI wonder. It doesn't take long for you to forget that this super pig is not real. And when Okja sacrifices herself to save Mija from falling off a rock cliff at the beginning, you'll fall in love with this adorable, intelligent creature.

Occassionally going to some dark places, Okja is an entertaining, satirical eco "family" adventure film filled with memorable zany characters and a slightly manipulative social message. Stick around at the very end for a post-credits scene. Lastly, producer Dooho Choi is not Korean Superboy.

Rating: 7.5/10

Spoiler

I think what Okja was telling Mija at the end was she's pregnant.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: October 2, 2015

Tilda Swinton Reteaming with Director Bong Joon-ho for Monster Film OKJA

At the Busan Film Festival to promote A Bigger Splash, Tilda Swinton revealed she's reteaming with the director of Snowpiercer (via Variety), "I’m already planning more adventures with Bong Joon-ho. He is a great master like Luca [Guadagnino]." And it sounds like it could be something that's arriving on her schedule very soon.

"I do know what it is, but I don’t know that I can tell you yet. I do know what it is, and I do know that we’re making it next year. It is imminent, and it is very exciting. I’m very, very thrilled about that one. Bong is something else. He really is," Swinton told Collider in July.

The mystery project is likely Okja. The director has been talking about making the monster flick for a while now, and in June, Korea Film Biz Zone reported that pre-production was underway. The story will revolve around a rural girl who travels between Korea and the United States, with 40% of the movie set in the latter country, and dialogue mixed between English and Korean.

Swinton spent this summer trading lines with Amy Schumer in Judd Apatow's Trainwreck, premiered the arthouse A Bigger Splash, and signed up to play The Ancient One in Marvel's Doctor Strange.

Tilda Swinton Reteaming with Director Bong Joon-ho for New Monster Movie 'Okja'
_______________________________________________________



Update: October 5, 2015

Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Bill Nighy and More Join Bong Joon-ho's OKJA

Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy are poised to join Tilda Swinton in Okja, a multilingual monster movie from Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho, TheWrap reports. Details surrounding the project remain vague, but it is said to feature a Korean female lead and a host of English-language supporting actors whose scenes will be set in New York. Production is expected to start early next year.

Director Bong recruited a top-notch English-language cast for his hit film Snowpiercer including Swinton, Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ed Harris, Alison Pill and John Hurt. Snowpiercer grossed $82 million overseas and countless more millions on VOD domestically. The South Korean filmmaker's previous movies include the serial killer procedural Memories of Murder, the crime drama Mother and the critically acclaimed monster movie The Host.

Gyllenhaal is coming off an impressive run that includes Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Southpaw. He can currently be seen in Everest and will soon begin filming Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals. Dano, who received a special thanks credit on Snowpiercer, will soon be seen in Paolo Sorrentino's Youth and the miniseries War & Peace. He recently delivered an awards-worthy performance as a young Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy.

Macdonald starred on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and will soon be seen in Ricky Gervais' Netflix comedy Special Correspondents. Her feature credits include Trainspotting and No Country for Old Men. Nighy is a Golden Globe winner who recently starred in the acclaimed dramedy Pride as well as the hit sequel The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.


Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy Join Bong Joon-ho's Okja

Comments: Seeing how I liked The Host and loved Snowpiercer, I'm in. The cast Bong Joon-ho is assembling is impressive and reminds me of the team he gathered for Snowpiercer.

 

[Deleted member 429137]

I'm looking forward to this. Korea is doing amazing things in cinema. Like Hollywood in the seventies.

 

[NSX-R]

Memories of Murder is my favourite movie, and Bong Joon-ho my favourite director.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

Why bother with a giant monster movie when Pacific Rim already is giving us everything we want.

Godzilla was cool but not being able to fight back against him was sort of lame.

Giant Robots make Monster Movies awesome

 

[Zer]

Why bother with a giant monster movie when Pacific Rim already is giving us everything we want.

Godzilla was cool but not being able to fight back against him was sort of lame.

Giant Robots make Monster Movies awesome

Why go to the moon when all the pussy's on earth bro? It's humanity's endless quest for greatness

 

[SherdogGoat]

Loved snowpiercer and The host was awesome. Looking forward to this movie so very much.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Why bother with a giant monster movie when Pacific Rim already is giving us everything we want.

That's like saying why bother making any more action movies when Die Hard was released.

 

[melvinj0]

Im in the minority on Snowpiercer, I thought it was really stupid.

Monster movies are cool though.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

That's like saying why bother making any more action movies when Die Hard was released.

See, I disagree. Giant monster movies are cool, sure, but a giant monster movie + giant robots to fight them are the way to go, and this won't be that. It'll be just another giant monster movie. There's already been soooooo many of those. What are we gonna see? Buildings get wrecked. We try to fight back, but do so poorly. I mean. lots of CGI rubble and animal sound effects.

So the lack of robots make it meh imo.

I know you could say the same about a lot of movies...I just feel monster movies are a very limited genre.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: November 10, 2015

Netflix Backs Bong Joon-ho's Monster Pic OKJA with $50 Million

Netflix will invest $50 million in upcoming South Korean film Okja by Bong Joon Ho, local production company Okja SPC announced on Tuesday. The film is one of the first features in Asia to be backed by the streaming firm, which is in the process of launching services across the region. Netflix is expected to launch in Korea in 2016.

A Netflix spokesman declined to comment on any financials. The streaming giant's biggest film bet to date is a $60 million investment in the Brad Pitt military satire War Machine. According to Okja SPC, Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment has also come aboard to co-produce the film.

"It really is a fantastic opportunity for me as a filmmaker," Bong said in a statement. "For Okja, I needed a bigger budget than I had for Snowpiercer and also complete creative freedom. Netflix offered me the two conditions that are difficult to have in hand simultaneously," he said.

Meanwhile, Tilda Swinton, who starred in Bong's Snowpiercer, is set to have a role in Okja. Other cast members include Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano and Bill Nighy. Auditions are currently underway for a young actress to play the lead role in the story, about the friendship between a girl and an animal named Okja. Production is slated to begin in Korea and New York in late 2016 for a 2017 release.


Netflix and Brad Pitt's Plan B Back Bong Joon-ho $50M Korean Monster Movie 'Okja'

 

[El Chimpo]

Ill watch

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: March 22, 2016

Lily Collins to Join Jake Gyllenhaal in Netflix's Monster Movie OKJA

One day after signing on to star in Marti Noxon‘s dark comedy To the Bone, Lily Collins has landed one of the lead roles alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Netflix’s Okja, a monster movie from Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho, TheWrap has exclusively learned.

Tilda Swinton and Kelly Macdonald are slated to co-star in the film, which will be co-produced by Netflix, Lewis Pictures and Brad Pitt‘s company Plan B Entertainment. Bill Nighy has fallen out of the project, according to insiders, while Paul Dano‘s involvement remains up in the air and will ultimately depend on his schedule.

While plot details remain vague, director Bong has said the title refers to a bulky animal with a mild and kind spirit who strikes up a warm friendship with a young Korean girl. Together, they set out on a bizarre journey through a crazy world. Collins will play an anarchist named Red who’s the only female member of the higher-ranked ALF members.

Best known for her starring roles in Mirror Mirror and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Collins will soon be seen opposite Alden Ehrenreich in Warren Beatty‘s untitled Howard Hughes movie. She’s also set to star alongside Matt Bomer in Amazon’s drama pilot The Last Tycoon, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s unfinished final novel.

Lily Collins Lands One of the Lead Roles in Bong Joon-ho's Monster Movie 'Okja'

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: April 22, 2016

THE WALKING DEAD Star Steven Yeun Joins Sci-Fi Pic OKJA

Steven Yeun, one of the stars of The Walking Dead, has joined the cast of Okja, the latest movie from Snowpiercer filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho.

Plan B is producing the project, which will be released by Netflix. It kicked off production on April 21, and will shoot in South Korea, Canada and the U.S., in English and Korean.

Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano are already set for the unique monster project. Along with Yuen, Devon Bostick (The 100), Lily Collins (To The Bone), Byun Heebong (The Host), Shirley Henderson (Anna Karenina), Daniel Henshall (The Babadook), Yoon Je Moon (Mother) and Choi Wooshik (Set Me Free) have joined the cast.

The story centers on a girl (Seohyun An)who befriends a genetically manufactured pig named Okja. When the pig grows up to gigantic proportions, the corporation that created him takes him, thrusting the girl, now a teen, into a mission to take it back.

Swinton is playing the head of the corporation (and her twin sister!) while Gyllenhaal is a zoologist. Dano is an animal activist looking to expose the corporation’s dastardly dealings.

Yeun is one of the last remaining series regulars from the pilot of the AMC zombie drama, although his character's fate was left in question at the end of season six. Season seven premieres in October.

'The Walking Dead' Star Steven Yeun Joins Bong Joon-Ho's Sci-Fi Pic 'Okja'

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Why is Jake The Goat is in ?

He needs to be making real movies

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: June 16, 2016

Giancarlo Esposito Joins Bong Joon-ho's Sci-Fi Film OKJA

Giancarlo Esposito is in final negotiations to join Okja, the latest movie from Snowpiercerfilmmaker Bong Joon-Ho. The sci-fi pic, which Plan B is producing and will be released by Netflix, has a strong cast including Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano.

The story centers on a young girl named Mija (Seo-Hyeon Ahn) who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend — a massive, genetically manufactured pig named Okja.

Swinton (who is reuniting with the Snowpiercer director) will play the head of the corporation (and her twin sister!), Gyllenhaal will portray a zoologist and Dano has been cast as an animal activist looking to expose the corporation’s dastardly dealings. Esposito will play Swinton's character's right-hand man.

The film is shooting in South Korea, Canada and the U.S., in English and Korean.

Esposito, known for playing baddie Gus Fring in AMC’s hit series Breaking Bad, recently appeared in Jodie Foster’s Money Monster and voices a character in Disney’s The Jungle Book. He stars in Netflix’s The Get Down, an upcoming series from Baz Luhrmann, and he also has wrapped work on three films as well: his directorial project This Is Your Death, indie Stuck and James Franco’s The Long Home.

'Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito Joining Bong Joon-Ho's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Okja' (Exclusive)

 

[mushishi]

The story centers on a girl (Seohyun An)who befriends a genetically manufactured pig named Okja. When the pig grows up to gigantic proportions, the corporation that created him takes him, thrusting the girl, now a teen, into a mission to take it back.

'

I don't particularly care for monster movies, but this sounds awesome! lol I'll check it out. Releasing in theaters first or like Crouching Tiger 2, on Netflix?

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Jake Gyllenhaal is the GOAT as far as I'm concerned

So yeah I'm excited for this

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I don't particularly care for monster movies, but this sounds awesome! lol I'll check it out. Releasing in theaters first or like Crouching Tiger 2, on Netflix?

It's unclear as of now. But I think it will be similar with Crouching Tiger 2 where it was simultaneously released on Netflix and in limited theaters.

 

[iThrillhouse]

Steven Yuens schedule clear up?