🍿#11: Minari

A ton of trailers, an (almost) jaw-dropping film fact and a feature review of multi-award-winning Minari.

May 20, 2021

“Dad knew how to build a house, not a home.”
~ The Lake House, 2006

Give the people what they want!

I’m always trying to think of ways to improve Salty Popcorn and introduce new features - especially for paying subscribers.

Although I have some ideas — such as competitions, guest editors and introducing a referral scheme — these are all complex, costly and I don’t know if it’s what you want. So today, I’m asking to hear your thoughts.

Some readers have contacted me directly with their own ideas, which have included:

Tailored film recommendations based on your tastes and favourite films.
A roundup of the best films on Netflix and Prime.
Live watch-along events.

These are all great ideas and I often find myself thinking of ways to implement them. If you think any of these are particularly good, let me know and I’ll aim to introduce them. Or maybe you have some ideas of your own…

Either way, let me know in the comments below what you want to see in the future of Salty Popcorn.

In the meantime, I’ve been asked to show some love for Palm Springs. As it’s no longer ‘new’, I feel I’ve missed the boat on doing a full review. However, this quirky rom-com (emphasis on the com) starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milloti and J. K. Simmons is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in recent years - it scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes!

Check out the trailer or go straight to Amazon Prime (UK) or Hulu (US) to watch.

Let me know what features you want in future issues of Salty Popcorn.

Upcoming Releases

First Cow

UK: 28 May // USA: 6 March

On the American frontier, two travellers (John Magaro & Orion Lee) find themselves chasing the American Dream when they spot an opportunity to make their fortune through the secret use of a prized dairy cow.

Reviews suggest that although this film is slow-moving, it’s delightfully charming.

Rare Beasts

UK: 21 May // USA: TBC*

*Republic Film Distribution confirmed there is currently no US release date.

Written, starring and directed by Billie Piper, Rare Beasts, has been dubbed an ‘anti-rom-com’ that follows the story of career-driven single mother Mandy (Piper) as she falls in love with charming traditionalist Pete (Leo Bill).

Fact of the week

Martin Scorsese didn’t direct all of Goodfellas… I quite literally held my breath when I read that, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Do you remember the advert for Morrie’s Wigs? Scorsese asked the owner of a window company, Stephen R. Pacca — who had produced his own cheap commercials — to direct it. Here’s a clip:

Review: Minari

Star rating:

5 (out of 5)

Worth a watch?

Yes

Where to watch:

USA: Amazon Prime ($12.99)

UK: Amazon Prime (£9.99)

Blurb:

A Korean family move from California to Arkansas in search of the American Dream. Faced with the burdens of life in the sticks, together they find a shared resilience as a family and what it means to build a home and make the most of what you’ve got.

Minari had an incredible run over the awards season, it was nominated for six Oscars, six BAFTAs and won the Golden Globe for the Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language. But the real star was Yuh-Jung Youn, who won the Academy Award (the film’s only Oscar), BAFTA and SAGA for Best Supporting Actress.

The review (NO spoilers):

Minari is the most delightful film you’ll see this year, with superb performances from Yuh-Jung Youn, Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri. This fictionalised retelling of writer-director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood is one that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure as it walks a fine line between dream-like sentimentality and the bitter trials and tribulations of life, which keep it firmly grounded.

It’s one of those films that when people ask what it’s about, you struggle to answer - because it’s not really ‘about’ anything in particular. Yes, it’s about ‘a Korean family that move to the Ozarks to build a farm and find their fortune,’ but really it’s about so much more - the plot is merely the backdrop for character development.

This is a film with heart and soul at its centre, it explores the sometimes tenuous but remarkable bonds of family, examines the meaning of ‘home’ and takes on the American Dream from a new perspective.

It’s sincere, soulful and beautifully put together and I can’t fault it. Go watch Minari, you won’t be disappointed.

If you liked Minari…

Little Miss Sunshine

2006 | UK: Amazon Prime (Free) // US: Amazon Prime ($3.99)

Minari is unique - there are few films that I can think of that could be classed as ‘similar’. But if you want to watch a film about a family that’s both funny and sad (although more funny in this case) then you can’t go wrong with Little Miss Sunshine.

Parasite

2019 | UK: Amazon Prime (Free) // US: Hulu

Alternatively, if you’re in the mood to watch more Korean cinema and haven’t seen Parasite, then now’s the time. It’s much darker than Minari, but it’s arguably funnier than Little Miss Sunshine - depending on your mood.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho (Okja, Snowpeircer), this film won many awards, including the coveted Palme d’Or in Cannes 2019 and the Academy Award for Best Picture 2020.

In the next issue:

A Quiet Place Part II

UK: 4 June* // USA: 28 May | Watch the Trailer

*This is the official UK release date, but somehow I have tickets to see the first and second film, back-to-back, at Everyman on 30th May.

The Critic’s Cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:

Throughout Minari, I thought that something bad was going to happen to David (Alan Kim). The fact that so much focus was put on him and that the film was (for the most part) quite ‘light’ it felt to me like tragedy was bound to come - not to mention the semi-regular calls of: “David, don’t run!”

So when Soonja (Yuh-Jung Youn) — A.K.A Grandma — had a stroke, out of nowhere, I was shocked - and to then find out that David’s heart had miraculously healed itself…

It begs the question as to whether Soonja’s love for her grandson was so strong that she somehow managed to trade their fates. Something similar happened in a book I read recently and I keep coming back to this idea of ‘tricking Death’.

I like to think that this was some sort of turning point for the characters, as though Soonja’s stroke brought the rest of the family closer. To me, it felt as though Soonja was the most stable, and the nicest, character in the whole film - she was certainly the most likeable.

Of course, Jacob and Monica (Han Ye-ri) have a fight shortly after Soonja’s stroke and it felt as though they broke up there and then. But, after they save each other from the fire, we see the family sleeping and embracing each other on the floor of their trailer.

For me, it’s as though Soonja’s managed to keep the family together just by being there. Despite the ambiguous ending, I like to think this was for the better.

Do you know someone who’d like a taste of Salty Popcorn? Feel free to send this issue on.

Salty Popcorn