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 ...
I listen to videos to fall asleep. I’ve “listened” to several of those muli-hour videos skewering the last three Star Wars movies. There seems to be a pretty strong consensus. 🤣
I’m going to check out Robot Head. Thanks!
Yeah. Some of them are longer than the movie. I loved the original movies and stood in line at the Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood for two hours to see it. But some people are waaay over the top obsessed about the tragically woke sequels.
Tons of South Korean kids have graduated from high-level music conservatories (e.g. Julliard) and it shows in high musicality and showmanship.
Yep. BTW, I saw the first one 27 times in the “cinema 150” in downtown Seattle. :)
At least the ones that I have watched, they make some very good TV shows with good storylines and are made to tell a story and entertain their viewers vs. pushing an agenda. The soundtracks are cinema quality.
More SK and Spanish (Spain) content these days. Quality varies but at least it’s different and different can be a welcome change.
Squid games was uneven but had some creative moments. Worth a one time watch. Liked money heist. YMMV.
It's the same reason why anime got popular. The Japanese aren't hostile towards you as the audience, nor are the self-loathing. It's just a story for you to be taken in by and enjoy.
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