NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Parasite, Men in Black and Ophelia - Tom Augustine of what movies to watch this weekend

By Tom Augustine
Canvas·
21 Jun, 2019 05:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bong Joon-ho's Parasite could well be the film of 2019, according to Canvas film reviewer Tom Augustine. Photo/supplied.

Bong Joon-ho's Parasite could well be the film of 2019, according to Canvas film reviewer Tom Augustine. Photo/supplied.

Few national cinematic outputs in the modern era rival that of South Korea. The home of celebrated filmmakers like Park Chan-Wook, Lee Chang-dong, Kim Ki-duk and Hong Sangsoo is also now the home of a Palme D'or winner in Bong Joon-ho, who stole the hearts of the Cannes Film Festival Jury with his brilliant, beguiling morality tale Parasite. I'll be honest, against his contemporaries in that list, Bong Joon-ho's output has never been my favourite; the creator of heady concept-pieces like Snowpiercer and Okja has always bitten off a little more than he could chew to my mind, swinging between genres and tones wildly and often unsuccessfully. That said, Parasite clearly marks the maturation of a filmmaker, the arrival at a place of execution so assured that it can be comfortably referred to as masterful. Bearing glancing similarities to last year's Palme winner Shoplifters, Parasite tells the story of a family living in poverty who luck into an opportunity for lucrative employment when Ki-woo, the son, takes up a job as tutor to the daughter of an extremely wealthy family. From there, things start to get a little… strange in ways that to "spoil" would be to rob viewers of the fiendishly tense, thrilling roller coaster ride of betrayals, reveals and sudden acts of violence.

Parasite benefits from crisp, rich cinematography, a deep back-bench of brilliant performers (both families, rich and poor, make lasting, impactful impressions, see-sawing between figures of sympathy and figures of utter contempt at any given moment), and a script of clockwork-like precision. Where once Bong Joon-ho's tonal shifts felt jarring and at times unearned, here the filmmaker weaves between genres so smoothly as to make the seams nearly invisible – one moment we're watching a kitchen-sink poverty drama, the next a con-artist caper, then a dread-soaked chamber horror. Bong Joon-ho's work has not been known for its subtlety and here is no different, undoubtedly – and yet, Parasite's clear real-world parallels feel unforced and invigorating. A clear-minded and entirely profound attack on the rotting, pervasive spectre of capitalism on South Korean society (pitched in a way that feels incredibly universal at this time), here Bong Joon-ho's broadness, and his anger, feels totally earned. One of, if not the best film of the year so far, Parasite is a shocking must-see, a thrilling shot across the bow to a cinemascape filled with so much more-of-the-same. Miss it at your own peril.
Rating: Five stars.

Tessa Thompson as Agent M and Chris Hemsworth as Agent H in Men In Black.  Photo/supplied.
Tessa Thompson as Agent M and Chris Hemsworth as Agent H in Men In Black. Photo/supplied.

It's been a really tough year for Hollywood blockbusters – give or take an Avengers: Endgame or Alita: Battle Angel, almost every film out of cinema's starriest of stables this year has ranged from the desperately middling (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Detective Pikachu) to the shockingly inept (Godzilla II, Pet Sematary). Arriving entirely unnecessarily and landing somewhere between the two of these extremes is Men In Black: International (dir. F. Gary Gray, rated M), a film so bland and seemingly built from corporate mandate that it's almost an impressive achievement were the mission to create something entirely and utterly devoid of meaning or memorability. Desperately lacking the chemistry of Will Smith and Tommy Lee, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth (two otherwise extremely charismatic performers, making their blankness here all the more puzzling) star as Agents M and H, as Thompson tackles her first case alongside Hemsworth's veteran in a world of hidden alien creatures. The film makes what are ostensibly stabs at the original series' laugh-out-loud comedy, thrilling set-pieces and kooky alien life-forms but in ways so absent of vibrancy or creativity they feel like nothing more than pale facsimiles. F. Gary Gray, an assured directorial talent in efforts like Straight Outta Compton and Friday, appears to be in total autopilot here. Lamentably for all involved, there are no signs of life in this series reboot.
Rating: One and a half stars.

Daisy Ridley in Ophelia, makes a determined change to the Star Wars movies she is now best known for. Photo/Julie Vrabelova
Daisy Ridley in Ophelia, makes a determined change to the Star Wars movies she is now best known for. Photo/Julie Vrabelova
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Remixes of Shakespeare have always been a fairly hit or miss concept; without the playwright's language and storytelling brilliance too often something is lost in the translation. It is a pleasant surprise, then, to report that simmering palace melodrama Ophelia (dir. Claire McCarthy, Rated M) is far better than it had any need to be. Clearly relishing the chance to bite into something non-Star Wars related, Daisy Ridley stars as the titular Ophelia, doomed lover of Hamlet, in a retelling of Shakespeare's most celebrated play from the put-upon lady-in-waiting's perspective. It's a fresh approach to the storytelling, one that twists famous elements of the original text to serve new purposes in ways that are mostly satisfying, always with an eye to establishing the agency of Ophelia and valuing her spiritual and emotional journey as the film's driving force. The lack of Shakespearean dialogue is notable, but the dialogue here is nevertheless sharp, witty and with a dash of the Bard's colour, elevating it above similar courts-and-corsets romances of late. While it doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel, Ophelia is well-made, satisfying, and does justice to one of literature's most fascinating supporting figures.
Rating: Three and a half stars.

Discover more

Entertainment

Watch: Trailer for new film on iconic Kiwi band Herbs

17 Jun 11:41 PM
Entertainment

Stars glam up for Downton Abbey movie posters

18 Jun 12:51 AM
Entertainment

Sophie Turner the shock choice for Boy George biopic

18 Jun 07:55 PM
Entertainment

Auckland New Year's Eve festival Wondergarden cancelled

19 Jun 02:06 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

08 Jul 08:58 PM
Entertainment

From the top 10 blockbuster movies to Lewis Capaldi's NZ tour: Entertainment on Herald NOW

Entertainment

A ’60s-flavored band blew up on Spotify. They are not actually real.

08 Jul 07:51 PM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

08 Jul 08:58 PM

She claimed she had found Gary in a pool of blood following his fall.

From the top 10 blockbuster movies to Lewis Capaldi's NZ tour: Entertainment on Herald NOW

From the top 10 blockbuster movies to Lewis Capaldi's NZ tour: Entertainment on Herald NOW

A ’60s-flavored band blew up on Spotify. They are not actually real.

A ’60s-flavored band blew up on Spotify. They are not actually real.

08 Jul 07:51 PM
Inmates deliver surprising reaction to Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict

Inmates deliver surprising reaction to Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict

08 Jul 03:46 AM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP