Latest news with #Okja
Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
From of The Last of Us to the last mine cart: Britannia Mine Museum turns 50
Article content Britannia Mine Museum 50th Anniversary: A Museum's Journey Article content Article content If you haven't been, then you've probably passed by while on the Sea to Sky. And if you have been, then you know that Britannia Mine Museum is one of the best (and only) places in B.C. for an underground train ride, not to mention for a crash course in the province's copper mining industry. We talked to senior curator Laura Minta Holland, about the half-century-old institution's staying power. Article content Article content Article content A: In terms of attendance, we basically had our best March in the museum's history. I think that the museum has developed so much over the past 50 years, and there's always something different for people to see. They really enjoy their experience. And once they've been, they tell friends and family and others to visit if they've not been for a while. There's a variety of things that you can do on site while you're here, and that variety, I think, is what brings people back. And the team here is absolutely brilliant at what they do. They make every experience engaging. Article content A: Yes. It started in the 1980s and now over 150 movies and TV shows have been shot here. You might have seen the museum in the movies G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes and Okja, or The Last of Us or The X-Files and other TV shows. That has kept the museum in people's minds. And location-shooting has become an important revenue stream, allowing us to continue the museum's legacy. We have also seen lots of investment from the province, the feds, different arts organizations, different funding bodies and donors over the years. Article content Article content Article content Article content A: The curator, Heather Flynn, and I spent the last six to eight months going through the archives and pulling out photographs and documents. The museum has been through a lot of changes, and we're taking people on a journey that shows how the museum developed, what has changed over time, and how things have been impacted by those changes. Visitors will also get to contribute an idea or vote on an idea, because we've been here 50 years, and the museum wants to be here for 50 years more at least. So what would you and what does the community want to see happen here next? Article content A: The biggest surprise, really, is the tenacity of the people to keep the museum going through challenging times. There were times when it was maybe not seen as important as it is. The mill building that had been left for quite a number of years, and at one point was in quite a state of disrepair. All the windows were broken. Some people who were involved in the museum were like, 'Oh, it's just going to be easier for us to get rid of the mill.' But others were like, 'No, it is so important, and we need to preserve our history.'
Vancouver Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
From of The Last of Us to the last mine cart: Britannia Mine Museum turns 50
When: Until Sept. 21 Where: Britannia Mine Museum Tickets and info: If you haven't been, then you've probably passed by while on the Sea to Sky. And if you have been, then you know that Britannia Mine Museum is one of the best (and only) places in B.C. for an underground train ride, not to mention for a crash course in the province's copper mining industry. We talked to senior curator Laura Minta Holland, about the half-century-old institution's staying power. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. A: In terms of attendance, we basically had our best March in the museum's history. I think that the museum has developed so much over the past 50 years, and there's always something different for people to see. They really enjoy their experience. And once they've been, they tell friends and family and others to visit if they've not been for a while. There's a variety of things that you can do on site while you're here, and that variety, I think, is what brings people back. And the team here is absolutely brilliant at what they do. They make every experience engaging. A: Yes. It started in the 1980s and now over 150 movies and TV shows have been shot here. You might have seen the museum in the movies G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes and Okja, or The Last of Us or The X-Files and other TV shows. That has kept the museum in people's minds. And location-shooting has become an important revenue stream, allowing us to continue the museum's legacy. We have also seen lots of investment from the province, the feds, different arts organizations, different funding bodies and donors over the years. A: The curator, Heather Flynn, and I spent the last six to eight months going through the archives and pulling out photographs and documents. The museum has been through a lot of changes, and we're taking people on a journey that shows how the museum developed, what has changed over time, and how things have been impacted by those changes. Visitors will also get to contribute an idea or vote on an idea, because we've been here 50 years, and the museum wants to be here for 50 years more at least. So what would you and what does the community want to see happen here next? A: The biggest surprise, really, is the tenacity of the people to keep the museum going through challenging times. There were times when it was maybe not seen as important as it is. The mill building that had been left for quite a number of years, and at one point was in quite a state of disrepair. All the windows were broken. Some people who were involved in the museum were like, 'Oh, it's just going to be easier for us to get rid of the mill.' But others were like, 'No, it is so important, and we need to preserve our history.' A: It was just focused on the underground experience. The tunnel that you go in today is the same tunnel that guests went in 50 years ago. And the tour was quite similar. And initially, the remit for the museum was to encompass all mining across B.C., not just hard-rock mining. Then, in 1977, the first exhibit opened that was specifically about Britannia and the Britannia community.
Irish Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Netflix fans say hidden gem 'crazy' sci-fi movie 'the best they've ever seen'
This science fantasy flick boasts a star-studded cast of Hollywood's finest and is now catching the eye of movie buffs on Netflix. Okja, a science fiction adventure film directed by Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho, famed for his work on Parasite, is gaining fresh attention. The director, celebrated for his dark humour and exploration of social and class issues, seems to have hit the mark again with this 2017 offering. Fans are interpreting the film's underlying messages as a critique of "corporate greed" and a nod to "pro-animal liberation," with some suggesting it even carries undertones promoting veganism. Despite this, the director has clarified that Okja was not meant to be an indictment of meat consumption but rather a reflection on the treatment of animals in industrial farming. A Rotten Tomatoes review praises the film: "A brilliantly shot movie that isn't afraid to dive deep into your emotions with its satire on reality. Good performances and visual effects sell the story they're trying to take and leave you rethinking your own morals. It's a special kind of movie, with a message worth telling." The sci-fi narrative centres around a young girl and her cherished pig, from whom she is inseparable, reports the Mirror US. The twist? The pig is gigantic, leading to its abduction by a global conglomerate. Mija's heart-wrenching quest to save her cherished pig from cruelty and looming slaughter in the movie throws a spotlight on the contentious issues surrounding animal rights, while beautifully capturing the profound connection shared between humans and animals. With a stellar cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, and Shirley Henderson, it's no shocker that the flick keeps raking in accolades. One impressed fan wrote: "The performances are generally exceptional." Another viewer said: "This was one of the strangest movies I've seen in ages, and it was absolutely brilliant. The CGI giant pig was amazing, Jake Gyllenhaal was totally unhinged (and hilarious), and Tilda Swinton was as weird and wacky and wonderful as ever." Yet, the true hero of the tale is the intrepid farm girl, embodied by South Korean starlet Ahn Seo-hyun, who was a mere 13 at the time of filming. A rave review highlighted: "It touches on a lot of social issues, and the acting from the protagonist, Seo-Hyeon Ahn, was phenomenal." Another said: "It is definitely worth the watch!". Okja made its grand debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2017, snatching up a remarkable four-minute standing ovation from those in attendance. Upon its release, the motion picture garnered a hefty box office sum of 2.3 billion KRW (about £1.6 million) and has been hailed by many as arguably "the best" original movie produced by Netflix. The much-lauded adventure film Okja is now ready for viewing on Netflix.
South China Morning Post
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Steven Yeun's ‘strength', his wife, Joana Pak: a photographer, she dated the Golden Globe winner long-distance while he filmed The Walking Dead; the pair have since welcomed 2 children
Emmy-winning actor Steven Yeun is booked and busy. The Seoul-born Minari and Beef star is currently promoting his latest film, Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17, in which he plays a pilot named Timo who is close to lead actor Robert Pattinson 's character, Mickey Barnes. This is the second time Yeun has collaborated with the Oscar-winning director, who previously worked with him on Okja (2017). Steven Yeun as pilot Timo during the filming of Mickey 17. Photo: AP Advertisement On the small screen, the third season of Yeun's animated TV show Invincible recently arrived, creating major buzz of its own. The Oscar nominee voices the eponymous superhero in the series, also known as Mark Grayson. In a recent episode, Yeun played 18 alternate-dimension versions of his character, setting up the Invincible War plotline. With such highly acclaimed projects under his belt, Yeun, 41, is constantly in the limelight, so his personal life has also drawn attention. Here's everything you need to know about Yeun's wife, Joana Pak, whom he called his 'strength' during his 2024 Golden Globes acceptance speech for best actor in Beef. What's her background? Steven Yeun and Joana Pak with their two children. Photo: @philchang__/Instagram Joana Pak, 38, hails from Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to her Flickr account. She later moved to Chicago, where she attended Columbia College, per The Hollywood Reporter. Little did she know that she would meet her husband in the Windy City. What does she do for work? Steven Yeun has been with wife Joana Pak (second right) since 2009. Photo: @catysolone/Instagram While Yeun creates magic in front of the camera, Pak's area of expertise is behind it. She is a photographer, per People and the owner of company Jo Pakka Photography, according to PureWow. She has shared some of her work on platforms Flickr and Tumblr, including shots of nature and of her husband.
Express Tribune
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Dying for a living
Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) wakes up as a "meat popsicle". Frozen stiff, vacuum-sealed, and utterly disposable, he's not even the first version of himself to see this bleak fate. This opening image of Mickey 17 sets the tone for Bong Joon-ho's latest: part grim existential crisis, part sadistic comedy, all wrapped in sleek sci-fi packaging. Corporate exploitation, class struggle, and the insanity of unfettered capitalism: the film takes Bong's favourite themes and runs them through a cloning machine, just to see how many times it can kill its protagonist before he finally snaps. And oh, does Mickey die. He dies a lot. To add to the already twisted reality of the film, the narrative isn't unfolding in real time. Most of what we see is already past tense, narrated by Mickey himself in a dry, reflective voiceover. It's a clever way to keep us locked in his head, which is a battlefield in which the pursuit of identity is a bigger problem than plain, old survival. If you get replaced every time you die, are you still you? Or just a slightly worse photocopy of the original? Bong Joon-ho's lab frog Early on, Mickey refers to himself as a "lab frog," a nod to the countless creatures sacrificed in the name of human progress. If you've seen Okja, you know Bong isn't subtle about corporate cruelty, and Mickey 17 takes that to new heights. Here, the "lab frogs" are people; to be specific, they are "Expendables" like Mickey, whose entire job is to die so others don't have to. Poisonous gas? Send Mickey. Unstable terrain? Send Mickey. Experimental vaccine? You get the idea. "Get used to dying," he's told. Mickey, ever the unlucky optimist, tries. Carrying their earthly nastiness to a whole other planet, the colony's bureaucrats treat Expendables like cheap, reusable batteries; inanimate things with no unions, no benefits, no real protection. Mickey, weighed down by threats from gangsters on earth, signs up for this horrific, experimental program without reading the fine print. In one of the film's sharpest exchanges, Mickey is asked to "prove he has faith in the system" right before being accepted as an Expendable. The system, of course, only works for those who never have to die for it. Meanwhile, the colony's leadership, led by coloniser Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) in full smarmy-overlord mode, preaches efficiency and sacrifice while living comfortably at the top. His wife, played by Toni Collette, is even more ruthless, manipulating everyone around her while barely lifting a finger. In typical Bong style, their vision for the new-world colony is eerily similar to a coloniser's imagination of a land and its people here on earth: a "planet of purity" where everything is neatly controlled, including the people. Sex, control, and revolution Speaking of control, one of the colony's strangest (and most telling) rules is the ban on sex. Framed as an energy-saving measure, the tactic runs much deeper than just conserving calories. When you sever intimacy, you sever rebellion because connection, in any form, is dangerous. It breeds loyalty outside the system, makes people care about each other, and caring is the first step toward resistance. Naturally, Mickey and his girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie, fierce and funny) don't care much for the rules. Their relationship is built upon the matters of the heart instead of the body, grounding Mickey in a way his countless resurrections can't. But when another worker, Kai (Anamaria Vartolomei), starts showing interest in him too, things get complicated. Even more so when Mickey well, multiplies. The real chaos kicks in when Mickey 17 is presumed dead, only for Mickey 18 to be printed in his place. Suddenly, there are two of him; one slightly more reckless, one slightly more paranoid. Pattinson, who has spent the last decade gleefully shedding his Twilight past with weirder, riskier roles, plays both Mickeys with a perfect mix of existential dread and smarmy charm. Mickey 17 is a people-pleaser, eager to keep the peace. Mickey 18? Not so much. Their interactions are both hilarious and eerie, as if the film itself is asking the age-old philosophical question: If all of a ship's paraphernalia is changed along its voyage, then, by the end of its journey, is it the same ship? Is it the same Mickey? Flawed but brutal Visually, Mickey 17 is stunning in a cold, calculated way. The icy planet of Niflheim is more mood than setting where everything is stark, industrial, and unforgiving. Fiona Crombie's production design makes the colony feel like a steel trap, while Darius Khondji's cinematography uses the 16:9 frame masterfully, pulling us in close for moments of tension and zooming out for jaw-dropping wide shots of the frozen wasteland. The blood and gore, when it comes, is artful and minimal because as always Bong does not have to rely on shock to build intrigue so he never wastes a drop. Even the insanely otherworldly "creepers" seem like they could climb out from under our beds if the weather was cold enough, that's how unflinchingly real Bong's suspension of disbelief is. No unnecessary violence fills the screen space, not even from abominable creatures from icy planets. In a film like this, the humour can only be dark and sadistic. Anyone who thinks otherwise requires serious help. Mickey's deaths are played for laughs as often as they are for horror. A brutal accident, followed by an unceremonious body dump. A gruesome malfunction, shrugged off by his superiors. Each death becomes an absurd corporate expense, just another number in the budget. Mickey 17 isn't as tightly constructed as Parasite or Snowpiercer. It's messier, more chaotic, sometimes losing focus under the weight of its own ideas. But it's also ambitious, weird, and thoroughly entertaining. Pattinson carries it with ease, and Bong's signature mix of sharp satire and high-concept sci-fi mostly works, even when it stumbles. Perhaps the film's greatest contention is its ending. Without spoiling anything, let's just say it leans hard into ambiguity. Some will call it brilliant. Others will leave the theatre muttering, "Wait, what?" Either way, Bong has done it again: taken a wild, high-concept premise and turned it into a biting critique of power, identity, and the disposable nature of labour. It's not his best work. But like Mickey himself, it gets back up, dusts itself off, and keeps you watching. Would I recommend it? Sure. Just don't get too attached to the first version of it you see.
