Posted on 11/05/2021 9:44:12 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
In the last few years alone, South Korea shocked the world with “Parasite,” the first foreign language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards. It has one of the biggest, if not the biggest, band in the world with BTS. Netflix has introduced 80 Korean movies and TV shows in the last few years, far more than it had imagined when it started its service in South Korea in 2016, according to the company. Three of the 10 most popular TV shows on Netflix as of Monday were South Korean.
South Korea has long chafed at its lack of groundbreaking cultural exports. For decades the country’s reputation was defined by its cars and cellphones from companies like Hyundai and LG, while its movies, TV shows and music were mostly consumed by a regional audience. Now K-pop stars like Blackpink, the dystopian drama “Squid Game” and award-winning films such as “Parasite” appear as ubiquitous as any Samsung smartphone.
The growing demand for Korean entertainment has inspired independent creators like Seo Jea-won...Mr. Seo said his generation devoured American TV hits like “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “Miami Vice,” learning “the basics” and experimenting with the form by adding Korean colors. “When over-the-top streaming services like Netflix arrived with a revolution in distributing TV shows, we were ready to compete,” he said.
The explosive success didn’t happen overnight.
As South Korea emerged from the vortex of war, dictatorship, democratization and rapid economic growth, its creators developed a keen nose for what people wanted to watch and hear, and it often had to do with social change. Most national blockbusters have story lines based on issues that speak to common people...
The country’s ability to punch above its weight as a cultural powerhouse contrasts with Beijing’s ineffective state-led campaigns...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Based on the Critical Drinker’s recommendation I watched Squid Game. It’s the only time he and I have disagreed on a movie or TV show. Episode six was the single exception. The rest of it was not impressive to me.
Yes, I know he admitted it was flawed, but in my opinion it was HEAVILY flawed.
I confess I liked the message of the last episode except for the final moments. That is a message most of us learn as we gain wisdom, but it is a good one to learn as soon as possible within your lifespan.
Of all the Korean shows/movies I’ve watched over the years, my favorite is the KDrama “Goblin”.
I was lucky to watch the Squid Game early enough that I didn’t know any of the spoilers. If you already know some of the spoilers, it ruins it.
Korean soap operas. Lots of fun to watch even if you aren’t great at the language.
No ‘wokeness disease’ in Korean cinema. None at all.
The Drinker is pretty reliable. I give him about an 80% rating as a critic.
Mexican soaps get pretty wild too. They are always killing each other in jealous rages. No passive-aggressiveness there. If you’ve ever had a Mexican girlfriend you’d understand. None of this “it’s fine” crap. You instantly know where you stand. Lol.
Koreans work hard; they are like Americans before the “participation trophy” generation. And many are Christians.
These guys are incredible...
Maytree
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f-PvG0o4Mo
And here is their Squid Game version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtPb4NMkT-s
Yep. Until Squid Games, I gave him 100%. I would even watch his reviews of stuff I’d already seen and not only did we agree, but he nailed exactly the things I didn’t like in the stinkers. I’d like to see him review Mr. Robot.
Yes they are. Maytree bookmarked.
I love Critical Drinker. Excellent channel.
Thank you C.P.! 👍
Also on Netflix is a Japanese gem, Midnight Diner, Tokyo stories. Interesting stories, characters and recipes.
One thing why Squid Game became popular is that the word of mouth passed quicker than liberal critics told you what to think about it.
I enjoyed SG for its visual style and interesting look at Korean society.
However, it does recycle some pretty well-worn tropes.
See (spoiler alert):
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyGame
Another funny reviewer is Robot Head. He does some great deconstructions of the woke Star Wars flicks amongst other things.
Cool, maybe this means those self-absorbed libtard actors and actresses in Hollywood will move to SK where the action is. Don’t let the screen door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!
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