The search for the five star Park Chan-wook film continues

Nationalism is warfare, figurative and literal (warfare does not manifest without societal militaristic doctrine), upon a world with a unifying principle of comradeship. It stakes invisible lines and puts metal strips and sandbags over them, brother against brother, zealous slaughter in the unspoken name of bourgeois capital. The ghoul of america lingers large over Korea, teaching half of a people to hate and the other half to fear. The Koreans…

This reminded me of something I liked in Kiki’s Delivery Service: the position of Magic as a known impetus upon nature, it’s not a secret, it’s not a threat, it doesn’t need to be taught, it’s not indelible to a mundane knowledge of what reality is supposed to be, it is flying above you and walking aside you and waving to you. Ponyo isn’t exactly on that level, magic is initially a guarded secret that is then unleashed unto the…

What makes Obsession work and strike more intensely than its contemporary genre peers (many of whom I do love) is its focus on the fundamentals. Obsession isn't seeking a showy style, snappy editing, profound "elevated horror" themes (although the film is a great analogy for stalking and controlling relationships), or the most extreme effects and action. Tight camerawork, evocative lighting, and a stellar duo acting against each other. Bear and Nikki are fantastic characters. The fundamentals work, and they often…