PARASITE PREVAILS

The South Korean dark comedy/thriller Parasite counted among my favorite movies of 2019, and I was glad to see it win welldeserved Academy Awards for Best Picture, International Feature, Director, and

Original Screenplay. As the first instance of an international film getting a Best Picture nod, Parasite’s top honor is groundbreaking and portends a future where truly innovative and interesting films—even ones with subtitles (gasp!)— get their due.

While Parasite received proper accolades at the Oscars, the decision by Universal Studios to only deliver a regular Blu-ray release of the film left us scratching our heads. According to IMDB, Parasite was shot digitally at 6.5K resolution and received a 4K master for theatrical presentation along with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix. Given those tech specs, Parasite was a prime candidate for a 4K/ultra HD Blu-ray release. And while there’s been no word of a future 4K disc in the U.S., Criterion has announced that Parasite would soon be added to its Collection, presumably with the deluxe treatment and bountiful extras the film so richly deserves. You can read our review of the Parasite Blu-ray on page 70 of this issue.— AG

Above: Director Bong Joon-ho won four Oscars for Parasite.