My Filmsgiving 2020

To quote Peggy Carter, “The world has changed [and] all we can do is our best.” To say 2020 was a rough year would be a heavy understatement. Between the pandemic and other issues, this year has left us so weary. I myself have been doing my best, keeping an optimistic attitude, but yeah this year can really get to you. So, with better days ahead (I hope), I’ll be doing another Filmsgiving this year where I talk about things I’m grateful for, in terms of film/TV media. Unlike last year where I did a video, this will be a blog post because I’m not really in the mood to do a video as this week has worn me out a bit. Now, this was a little challenging because theaters closed down for several months and some continued to be closed in the country. Also, the movies I’ve seen so far have been either okay, subpar, or pretty bad (Dolittle). But there were some solid flicks like The Invisible Man, Palm Springs, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

For this year, I’m gonna briefly mention a few things and focus on one main topic. For starters, there have been some shows and movies on streaming that have brightened my day like Some Good News by John Krasinski, Avatar The Last Airbender, and getting to experience Hamilton on Disney+. These properties have had a positive effect on me in this dreary year. Now let’s get into the real meat here.

The number thing I’m grateful for this year (besides family and friends) is Parasite making history at the Oscars for not just winning Best International Feature Film, but also Best Picture, making it the first foreign-language film to do so. From the beginning, Parasite wasn’t on my radar but after hearing the universal acclaim for it, I decided to check it out and...Wow! What a movie! The story was very intriguing and it balances different tones like humor, suspense, and drama very flowingly. It was truly one of the best movies of the last year. If you haven’t seen it and/or don’t know anything about it, I would highly recommend it, and going in blind would be beneficial.

So with the Oscars coming up, I was hoping Parasite could do the impossible and take home Best Picture. Even if 1917 won Best Picture, I wouldn’t be too disappointed. Still, it would be nice to see Best Picture go to a more than worthy film from outside the states. I didn’t get a chance to watch the Oscars live this year because I was working and nowadays, I’m rarely into them. Looking at the updates online, I was very happy to see the movie winning Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. I thought that was it, even director Bong Joon Ho thought so, too. “I am ready to drink tonight. Until the next morning,” he said. But little did I and other people know the Oscars were about to make earth-shattering history.



The Academy wasn’t done with Bong for he was also given the award for Best Director. And the thing I love about Bong, besides him being an excellent filmmaker, is how humble was when he made his speeches, especially giving praise to his fellow nominees like Martin Scorcese whose films he studied, and Quentin Tarantino for making known his name and filmography to American audiences. He also remarked that he “would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the Oscar trophy into five and share it” with his fellow nominees. After all the mentions about drinking until the next morning, can you imagine the hangover he must have after all this glory?


I also want to give a shout-out to Bong’s interpreter, Sharon Choi, who does an amazing job translating for him. And she’s a filmmaker himself, so cheers to her!

I didn’t want to know how the Oscars ended until after I got home from work. I looked up the latest updates and wouldn’t you know, Parasite won Best Picture! It did it! I was so happy! I’m very glad we had one great thing (and more) that happened in this depressing year. You did good, Academy. You did good.

Soon after, I decided to check out Bong Joon Ho’s other movies like Snowpiercer, Okja, Mother, and The Host. But in October, I heard some theaters were showing Bong's second film, Memories of Murder. Before then, I wanted to see Parasite again on the big screen but that was when things began to escalate due to COVID-19 and theaters began to close down. After 7 months of not going to the theater, I decided to go and watch Memories of Murder. I was all alone in the theater but I kept my mask on and sanitized my seat with a wipe. As for the movie, it was an excellent sophomore film by Bong. It tells the true story of a notorious serial murder case in South Korea that began in 1986 and remained unsolved for a couple of decades, until recently when the killer was finally identified. Like Parasite, it balances different tones like black comedy and suspense very well. I also loved the score which had a beautiful, somber sound to it. After the movie, there was a virtual conversation between Bong and Edgar Wright. It was very exciting to see two directors I adore talking to each other! I can’t wait to own Memories of Murder when Criterion releases it! But all of you can check it out on digital. And I can’t wait to see the next movie by Academy Award Winner, Bong Joon Ho! I wish I’d known about him earlier but better late than never, and the world is catching on now.