The Host • The Next Reel

“Is all of your family so dumb all the time?" Bong Joon-ho’s third film, “The Host," ended up becoming the highest grossing South Korean film of all time straight out of the gate with it playing on a record number of screens in its home country — it made the South Korean record books with its box office performance during its opening weekend alone. Quentin Tarantino loves it. Harry Knowles loves it. But how do we feel about it? Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we start our Bong Joon-ho series with 2006’s “The Host.” We talk about how we feel about the movie — Andy doesn’t like it very much despite seeing the qualities that make it stand out for people whereas Pete finds it a fun watch and enjoys said qualities. We chat about the actors, notably Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il and Bae Doo-na, touching on how well they work for us as members of this dysfunctional family of idiots. We talk about the monster and debate what works for us and what doesn’t. We discuss the Americans in the film as well as the English sequences, contemplating how well they work (if at all) in context with what Bong is trying to say. We cover the various messages Bong is hitting on with this film as well as touch on the various subplots that arise and how well they work. And we touch on the music and cinematography, noting what works and what doesn’t. It’s an interesting monster movie that certainly seems to have found its fans, even if Andy isn’t one of them. Check out the movie then tune in! Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
  Trailers of the Week
• Andy’s Trailer: Demolition — “I loved ‘Wild’ and ‘Dallas Buyers Club.’ Jake Gyllenhaal is on a genius streak right now. The story is right up my alley. Everything is lining up for me as far as being in tune with this film. Can’t wait!"
• Pete’s Trailer: The Jungle Book — “So, I learned that this is a movie of terrifying photo-realistic jungle animals fighting over a young boy. And singing. So there’s that."

Hey! You know what would be awesome? If you would drop us a positive rating on iTunes! If you like what we’re doing here on TNR, it really is the best way to make sure that this show appears when others search for it, plus, it’s just a nice thing to do. Thanks!!

• The Next Reel on iTunes
• The Next Reel on Facebook
• The Next Reel on Twitter
• The Next Reel on Flickchart
• The Next Reel on Letterboxd
• Guess the Movie with The Next Reel on Instagram
• Check out the Posters with The Next Reel on Pinterest

And for anyone interested in our fine bouquet of show hosts:

• Follow Andy Nelson on Twitter
• Follow Pete Wright on Twitter
• Follow Steve Sarmento on Twitter
• Check out Tom Metz on IMDB
• Justin "JJ" Jaeger
• Chadd Stoops
• Follow Steven Smart on Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Andy | Pete

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible