Thanks for the find. Korea has put itself on the map. I gather that the business there is still being run by movie people, as opposed to people selling subscriptions to streaming platforms. And they’re not worried about DEI committees and twitter mobs. Looping in the movie list.
My favorite Korean film clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGjIN8Pxxeg
And of course, my recurring recommendation for the best American movie you probably haven’t seen was written and directed by a Korean American director:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3dcnV6Z9Zs
Kogonada was born in Seoul, but his family immigrated when he was young. He grew up in the U.S. and speaks uninflected English. Kogonada is a workname. He prefers to guard his private life and let his work speak for itself. The name is taken from a Japanese screenwriter, Kogo Noda, who worked often with Ozu, one of Kogonada’s favorite directors.
The story mentions Parasite and Squid Game, both of which have made a splash in the U.S. I’ve not seen either. They’re on my kinda, sorta, maybe someday list, but neither rings my chimes.
Has anyone here seen them?
I saw squid game a few weeks ago. Noticed it was #1 on Netflix for over a week, which is rare. So I figured either it was really good, or, people are starved for content after 16 months of shutdowns.
I am not sure it is your cup of tea. But it is a phenomenon how popular it is. A lot of violence, and some redemption themes but overshadowed by the violence. I haven’t given a whole lot of thought to the subtext but there’s some in there for sure.
I caught Parasite, hah. A very weird and dark movie. Acting and cinematography were great. I’m sure I missed a lot through my ignorance of S. Korean culture though. I did the get impression that the guy who made it is a real craftsman.
Freegards
The problem is, to completely enjoy The Squid Game, you have to watch it without any spoilers, or else it will be ruined, and it’s getting harder and harder to avoid learning about the spoilers if you go on the Internet. They released all the episodes at once, instead of spacing it out, so most people just binge watched it.
I haven’t gotten around to Parasite, I can’t find it dubbed, I hate subtitles. I didn’t actually like Squid Game. The characters are all scumbags, their deaths don’t mean anything. There’s other Korean stuff I like though.
“Has anyone here seen [Parasite or Squid Game]”?
I saw “Parasite”. It’s a well-crafted movie. Some of the class warfare is not aligned with my views, but it’s still well done. There is some explicit content that makes me reluctant to recommend it to some folks.
I was going to suggest “The Raid” as a great Korean film. It is an ultra-violent action film somewhat in the vein of Diehard. Not for everyone. But I just looked it up and discovered that my assumption that the film is Korean has been wrong for the past decade. It’s Indonesian.
If this forum was the DU I’d probably be banned for life for admitting this mistake because it is so racist.
Anyway, “Parasite” might be worth seeing depending on your sensibilities. I’ll have to check out “Squid Game” when I get a chance. Sounds interesting.