October Horror Season 2: Day 10

The Host is this year's first non-English movie, also I believe the first foreign film.



Normally I tend to shy away from foreign films, most of this is because I really like my movies to be in a language I understand...this restricts me to English language movies and French children's film for ages 0-5 years.  Every so often I make an exception, last year's Dead Snow (Norwegian) was phenomenal.  Although I still found having to read subtitles distracting, I couldn't help but admire the sheer size of director Tommy Wirkola's sack:  Filming bloody zombie Nazis in broad daylight against a snow-covered mountain.

This year we watched The Host.  It was dubbed, which removed the subtitle annoyance, although it would've been nice for the Korean text on television to have been translated.  I really enjoyed the movie, mostly because the monster was beyond amazing.  Released in 2006, it has better integrated CG than any American film I've seen since then.  Michael Bay could take a lesson.  Also, despite the monster itself not looking too scary at all it was pretty frightening when it appeared because of the way it moved.  I thought this aspect was enhanced by the film's general lack of shaky cam.  Again, Michael Bay could take a lesson; so could J.J. Abrams.  When the thing was on the screen you were forced to pay attention to it.  What hampered the movie, in my opinion were the random attempts at slap-stick comedy.  It would have been better served playing completely straight faced.

All in all this is one of the better creature features I've seen, even if it did have some WTF moments and clocked a little on the long side.  The death of the monster was excellently well played, although they had mentioned something towards the beginning of the movie I wish they would have delivered on.  Definitely worth watching.

Tomorrow, if we get it, will be Wolfman.  Otherwise, tomorrow will be Mimic.