Yep - Nirvana in Fire is an apt comparison. The tone is a little different, more humorous and witty, but it makes…
Yes, it definitely focuses more on political issues. The show doesn't focus on the main lead's relationship a lot - it's a love at first sight, but the political implications of the marriage is more highlighted than the actual relationships itself.
When it comes to time travel... it's a bit odd because its not time travel in the technical sense - but essentially it's the male lead.
I would really recommend it if you like NIF! I rewatched it recently, and it was a really fast watch for me.
A lot of people say it’s like nirvana in fire, is it that good?
Yep - Nirvana in Fire is an apt comparison. The tone is a little different, more humorous and witty, but it makes for a more digestible watch compared to NIF.
What a phenomenal actor, hope he rests in peace. His wife and kids have dealt with so much over the past few months, and I'm sure it's so painful - my heart goes out to them as well.
Korea has an abnormally high suicide, and so much is because of how important reputation is in their society - and I'm sure it's even more difficult constantly being scrutinized in the public eye. To everyone talking about the drug issue - I don't think that was the narrative that netizens had against him. If it was only drugs, he had a chance of recovering his career - like Joo Jihoon - but the brothel/cheating scandal damaged his reputation beyond salvaging. Korean drug laws do need changing, but to prevent these unfortunate deaths, I think that their entire reputation-based culture needs changing.
2 years later I finally watched it. Back when it had just aired I was bombarded with so many spoilers all over…
K-dramas have evolved over the past few years because of how their distribution methods have changed. K-dramas used to be aired on public/cable TV channels (KBS, SBS, tvN, etc.), and that was their primary source of income- deals with streaming platforms were an afterthought. But with the rise of Netflix, Hulu, etc., streaming has now become so viable that these companies are creating original dramas that go directly to streaming without airing on TV channels. With that, directors and producers are given more creative freedom with dramas- they don't have to go through the strict guidelines of TV broadcast (blurring blood, tattoos, sharp knives, we all remember this). This is why K-dramas seem more "Americanized" now- it's because they aren't subject to these guidelines.
With that said, these TV shows like Squid Game aren't tainted by American hands- this is a script written by a fully Korean director that had autonomy over the direction of the drama. It just seems that way because nobody in their right mind would have suggested to make these scripts into dramas just five years ago- they would have become movies instead (since movies also have little censorship). What we're seeing now is a migration of prominent movie directors and actors into the drama space (Squid Game's director and main actors being prime examples of this) because they're now able to create the projects they want in a drama format thanks to streaming platforms.
It's personal opinion as to whether or not you enjoy these shows- but I think that creative freedom is always a good thing. I don't think that Squid Game would have become successful OR been an enjoyable show if it was forced into the box that many consider as "true Korean drama essence", because that really isn't what it is.
I thought it would be ML's lawyer mentor, but Jay.... damn. I knew there was more to his character, but I thought he would be too young to be the president. Does that mean Jang Kyungja knows too?
I guess at this point we can assume that the psychiatrist is the president, right? She is the only dot that has…
The psychiatrist's so young, probably around the same age as Han Moo-young, so I don't think that fits within the timeline. She may be related in some way, but I don't think she's the president. Lowkey... Lawyer Park is more suspicious.
Premiered at Cannes tonight! Reviews are slowly coming out, spoilers below. General consensus is that it was a…
- Story sounds very similar to Shoplifters (redemption for criminals/chosen family) - Praises for Song Kang-ho and Lee Ji-eun's performances (So Young in particular sounds like a very meaty role) - Praises for Jung Jae-il's piano score and Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography - Negative reviews criticized the the implausibility of the story, romanticization of criminals, and naivety of the characters.
Premiered at Cannes tonight! Reviews are slowly coming out, spoilers below. General consensus is that it was a very emotionally moving film about chosen family. Very Koreeda-esque, perhaps some criticism that it doesn't explore any new territory for him.
Interesting snippets from the press conference: - IU called Bae Doo Na after receiving the scenario but before reading the script and Bae Doo Na said that the role suited her, gave her lots of reassurance going in - Koreeda decided to cast IU/Lee Joo Young during quarantine when he was binge watching Hallyu dramas, watched My Mister/Itaewon Class - Before shooting, Koreeda had a meal with Bong Joon Ho who told him to not be anxious about shooting abroad and to leave everything to Song Kang Ho
Looks like the film got picked up by MUBI for North America/UK. Neon didn't pick it up, so its likely not going to be pushed very hard for award consideration :( Sucks, but looking forward to it!
They ended the show with ML proving Riemann's Hypothesis. They should change the genre to Sci-Fi. We're decades, maybe centuries, away from that happening. Something like the Twin Prime Conjecture would be more realistic.
I thought that the question that Seung Yoo gave the students in Episode 10 looked familiar- it's the notorious 1988 IMO Q6. The one that Terry Tao, the greatest living mathematician, got 1/7 points on. The one that they created a whole proof technique for. It pissed me off when he got mad at her for searching up the solution instead of solving it- what does he expect her to be? Some genius?
Currently in post-production, filming took place from October 2020 to March 2021. Looks like the post-production is taking a while, seeing how it was not submitted to Cannes or Venice.
-Park Hae-il and Tang Wei are co-leads, roles in description - Lee Jung Hyun plays the role of Park Hae Il's wife who is a talented career woman - Go Kyung Pyo plays the role of a junior detective that disagrees with the investigation - Park Yong Woo plays a role of a man who appears on Tang Wei's journey - Jung Yi Seo plays the role of another junior detective that has suspicions about the investigation
Intense thriller that can be difficult to digest at times, but it brings up some interesting questions about mortality, especially with how the director explored some of the implications of the condemnations. Beautiful cinematography, acting performances, and props as well (details of the charred remains are incredible). The cult leader definitely subverted my expectations- I expected him to act more similarly to his role in Veteran, but the subtlety brings a new layer to the character that is much appreciated. The producer was easily the most likable character of the cast, impressive job of portraying the moral dilemma of a parent. The visual effects varied in quality, but I don't think it had a considerable impact on the quality of the show. Show is definitely dialogue-heavy, but through it, I think the director did a good job of balancing the moral tightrope and invoking philosophical questions for the audience to ponder on.
9/10: Solid binge-able show with a glaring flaw of the rough transition between the two halves of the show. The quality of Korean Netflix dramas has definitely gone up with the direction of prominent film directors (likely shifting to streaming because of COVID-19's impact on the box office), and I hope it is here to stay.
I hope that people aren't discouraged from watching this drama from the overly negative comments, just watch it and form your own opinion on it. It's not a masterpiece, but it's not a complete shitshow like people are suggesting- just somewhere in between.
When it comes to time travel... it's a bit odd because its not time travel in the technical sense - but essentially it's the male lead.
I would really recommend it if you like NIF! I rewatched it recently, and it was a really fast watch for me.
Korea has an abnormally high suicide, and so much is because of how important reputation is in their society - and I'm sure it's even more difficult constantly being scrutinized in the public eye. To everyone talking about the drug issue - I don't think that was the narrative that netizens had against him. If it was only drugs, he had a chance of recovering his career - like Joo Jihoon - but the brothel/cheating scandal damaged his reputation beyond salvaging. Korean drug laws do need changing, but to prevent these unfortunate deaths, I think that their entire reputation-based culture needs changing.
With that said, these TV shows like Squid Game aren't tainted by American hands- this is a script written by a fully Korean director that had autonomy over the direction of the drama. It just seems that way because nobody in their right mind would have suggested to make these scripts into dramas just five years ago- they would have become movies instead (since movies also have little censorship). What we're seeing now is a migration of prominent movie directors and actors into the drama space (Squid Game's director and main actors being prime examples of this) because they're now able to create the projects they want in a drama format thanks to streaming platforms.
It's personal opinion as to whether or not you enjoy these shows- but I think that creative freedom is always a good thing. I don't think that Squid Game would have become successful OR been an enjoyable show if it was forced into the box that many consider as "true Korean drama essence", because that really isn't what it is.
- Praises for Song Kang-ho and Lee Ji-eun's performances (So Young in particular sounds like a very meaty role)
- Praises for Jung Jae-il's piano score and Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography
- Negative reviews criticized the the implausibility of the story, romanticization of criminals, and naivety of the characters.
- IU called Bae Doo Na after receiving the scenario but before reading the script and Bae Doo Na said that the role suited her, gave her lots of reassurance going in
- Koreeda decided to cast IU/Lee Joo Young during quarantine when he was binge watching Hallyu dramas, watched My Mister/Itaewon Class
- Before shooting, Koreeda had a meal with Bong Joon Ho who told him to not be anxious about shooting abroad and to leave everything to Song Kang Ho
-Park Hae-il and Tang Wei are co-leads, roles in description
- Lee Jung Hyun plays the role of Park Hae Il's wife who is a talented career woman
- Go Kyung Pyo plays the role of a junior detective that disagrees with the investigation
- Park Yong Woo plays a role of a man who appears on Tang Wei's journey
- Jung Yi Seo plays the role of another junior detective that has suspicions about the investigation
9/10: Solid binge-able show with a glaring flaw of the rough transition between the two halves of the show. The quality of Korean Netflix dramas has definitely gone up with the direction of prominent film directors (likely shifting to streaming because of COVID-19's impact on the box office), and I hope it is here to stay.
I hope that people aren't discouraged from watching this drama from the overly negative comments, just watch it and form your own opinion on it. It's not a masterpiece, but it's not a complete shitshow like people are suggesting- just somewhere in between.