[SilverEars]

Deliver Us from Evil - (8/10)

It's an action flick, so there's really wasn't room for a deep story or development. It a typical action story, so I wouldn't be expecting a story with this film.

It's possible to have a basic story with the screen-play having interesting moments. Like how it's done in 'Die Hard,' but this film having much hand-combat might be an excuse, but partly. The movie's story could have been told more interestingly. I think it's probably due to the persona of the characters they decided to go with and the kind of story, which to be honest, is kinda dull.

It's directed by Hong Won-chan, who actually worked with Na Hong-Jin on "The Chaser" and "The Yellow Sea." He is credited as co-writer for those films. Something about the way the story is told on this one feels very cliche even if Na Hong-Jin's directing has plenty of action as well. I Just think Na Hong-Jin does much better in telling the stories as a director.

I think Hong Won-chan like doing slow-mo action cuts, and I would say he's good at showing off such stylish visuals, and seems to express more finesse in the action scenes than Na Hon-Jin does. Na Hong-Jin just feel very raw in terms of violence, and doesn't seem to care for much flare, but seems to just express the brute, which seems more realistic. But, I can see overlap between the two director's action scenes in terms of violence.

I've stated this earlier, and movies like these, just shows the evolution of Asian action cinema. The greater level of violence in grit. When it comes to hand combat, Hongkong cinema's lineage was from opera house kung fu, and it was more of expressing style or finesse, but lacked realism. The action in films like this one, takes it another level to more realism. The fighting takes to the level of more practical-ness. Finishing off the opponents much more quickly with sharp weapons. Similar to how the fighting was in 'The Raid,' but I think here is just much quick take-downs. By doing this, you strip-off much of the style or finesse.

So, Korean action is violent. It's showing if one person is going to take down many enemies, they would do it quickly and brutally.

The two lead actors are not physically action stars, and that what hold-back the action scenes a notch. Other than that, it's a good action flick. This is for sure better directed action than 'The Outlaws.' Much better executed.

 

[SilverEars]

Some thoughts regarding Koreans movies as I watch them. I was wondering why the action scenes in the movies seem so brutal and violent. For one, guns are illegal, therefore the fighting is done with the next most lethal objects like knives and baseball bats. So, this is probably why the movies comes off much violent due to weapon types most common. Like in OldBoy it was a hammer. In many others, it's sushi knives. Like the Yakuzas in Japan, knives are typical used so the depiction look much more brutal than finishing off with a gun.


This circumstance creates a different way of way of depicting combat and it causes interesting ways combat is depicted in the Korean cinema.

I think also the country being democratic compared to other places. Hongkong was first to rule Asian cinema due to the democracy. Opens up for liberal expression of art due to freedom of expression. Korea under dictatorahip wouldn't have movies about curruption. So politics has much influence on country's culture.

 

[SilverEars]

The Tunnel - (7/10)

After seeing 'A Hard Day,' I decided to look into director Kim Seong-Hun's other movies, and this is one that I decided to check out. Wasn't worth the time. I had high expectations after seeing 'A Hard Day,' and didn't expect the same guy to direct such a slow movie because 'A Hard Day' is a quick paced roller-coaster ride of a thriller.

The plot is a bout a man that got buried under a tunnel. How much interesting things can one think up with such scenario? It's a difficult one.



The Face Reader - (7/10)

Another slow film. I thought the plot was really basic. Even before going into it, I was thinking how interesting can a story about a 'face reader' be? It was pretty much like what I was expecting and caused me to be reluctant with this one. Ancient pseudo-science doesn't interest me, unless it was cleverly done. I thought the A-list of cast were drawn to a good plot, and wasn't hoping it would have an interesting plot, but that wasn't the case. Maybe there are elements just beyond me with this one, and didn't get it. It's possible.



Steel Rain - (7.3/10)

It's like those Western type political thrillers (Tom Clancy, etc..). So, it had those formulaic elements. There's always Korean movies like this one that tries to create a image of North Koreans in a sympathetic light. You know it's bull-schiit though. It's probably more of a wish, or fantasy the South Koreans hope. It feels more like propaganda in the way it's done. I always wondered if the movie 'JSA' was pretty much propaganda. Just the fact that Park Chan-Wook directed it, makes me think otherwise, but it's an odd-ball in his filmography. It's so different from his other films. I just don't find these type of plots of interest to me because they usually do ith very biasely in a sentimental way.

This was more of a disappointment due to hype with the reviews out there. I really don't care for Korean version of Tom Clancy. I expect Korean version of Korean version. But then again, Tom Clancy wouldn't write this type of plot. Like those Tom Clancy type US films, it's keeps you engaged throughout.



The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil - (7.8/10)

This one was the most entertaining out of the bunch. It started off great, but then the plot in the middle didn't have much interesting elements, and then picked up at the end. The idea of gang and cops teaming up just seemed silly to me. It seems like a good execution other than that, just that idea I didn't like.

By now, I'm seeing a trend with Korean films. Lots of gangsters and corrupt cops stories. lol

 

[SilverEars]

The Boy and the Best - (8/10)

Another film by the famous Japanese animation director, Mamoru Hosoda. With this one, I've seen 3 of his films, and I would rank this to be one of his better of the three. I wasn't much of a fan of Sakura Wars, but this one I like a bit better. Still, I don't think I'm much of a fan of his style of story telling. There's not enough interesting elements to be really original. Besides the odd elements his mixes up in his stories, they don't come off that creative in thoughtfulness. I feel like they are just thrown together. Like why don't we put a boy in a beast world kind of stuff, and comes off oddly done without any real purpose in choice of the beast world. That's how I feel like Hosoda's stories are like.

Still, I do like it better than a lot of the corny Disney cartoons of today.

I feel like this movie borrows from the original Drunken Master with Jackie Chan in terms of Master and apprentice relationship.

I did like the character development in this one, and it comes off as a heart warming story about a boy and the beast (he went for the sentimental scenario with this one). lol. I'm not getting much of, "wow, this is cool" from this movie, like when you watch a flick and you get all those surprising elements. This is what I find typical of Japanese films of today, the story seems too simple and comes off a bit bland. All the part of the main dish are there, but missing the well thought out flavoring.

I don't know if it was the English dubbing, but the acting/dialog comes off a bit corny sounding. I notice a lot of content that is translated from Japanese comes off that way. I think much is lost in translation. This is likely why I cannot appreciate Hosoda's films to the fullest I assume.

The way Hosoda presents animation is different from others. There's minimal details on the characters of focus, and most of the details are on the backdrop, and backdrop looks really good. The fluidity of animation quality is top notch, so I think the details of the frame suffers for increasing fluidity of the animation. I wish though, he made even the character animations detailed, which would enhance the quality of the animation in his films, and be much more worthwhile for multiple watches to appreciate the quality.

I've been searching for some good Japanese flicks, and I realized that my interest in films do not align with the kind of films Japan offers. Japanese films of today seems to be more very personal and slice of life stories. In comparison, Korean films are more superficial, and sensationalized films that intense stories. So, both industries are very different in this regard.

 

[nraymond]

I don't know if it was the English dubbing, but the acting/dialog comes off a bit corny sounding. I notice a lot of content that is translated from Japanese comes off that way. I think much is lost in translation. This is likely why I cannot appreciate Hosoda's films to the fullest I assume.

I've watched a few of Mamoru Hosoda's films with an English dub for my wife, who's not a fan of subtitles (at least partly because she needs to wear glasses to see the subtitles but doesn't like to wear glasses). The English dubs are not as good. I do recommend the Japanese language with subtitles if you can.

 

[SilverEars]

I've watched a few of Mamoru Hosoda's films with an English dub for my wife, who's not a fan of subtitles (at least partly because she needs to wear glasses to see the subtitles but doesn't like to wear glasses). The English dubs are not as good. I do recommend the Japanese language with subtitles if you can.

The biggest issue translating from originally a Japanese dialog film is the cultural aspects that's lost in translation, and it's difficult to even direct English speaking actors to get the acting translated as intended. I've heard about issues very good actors not understanding the direction due to cultural differences.

When we hear dialog of a language that we are fluent in, we not only hear the content, but we also bring out many other things like experiences that's related to the dialog.

 

[SilverEars]

Ashfall - (8/10)

I'm always reluctant when it comes to natural disaster films. I can't recall a single one I've enjoyed or sat throught the entire film. So, I didn't have much expectation for this one. I just saw that on YesAsia, it's being sold well, so my curiosity got the best of me. I assumed it's popular amongst audiences, but not the critics. So, these types of films is flip of a coin. Worth while or not, you have to find out. Reviews arn't great, but not terrible either.

I was pleasantly surprised. This was a natural disaster movie worth sitting through. It's not all that bad, it was pretty entertaining. Great cast of actors (On the poster below, the two in the front are two of the most famous, and probably best performing Korean actors.). That probably helps it a bit, but in general, it's better than most corney natural disaster films. I think this one differentiates due to having somewhat of a character development. Usually, natural disaster films has hardly any focus on characters. Also, the screenplay was actually interesting enough, because let's face it, natural disaster films have pretty uninteresting scenarios that's happening besides all the shots of disaster they spent millions on.

 

[SilverEars]

A Silent Voice - (7.5)

I don't get the movie. I understand the narration, but do not understand the motive. I understand that there are phycological elements thrown in, but don't understand why it was done in such a manner. This just feels more like a movie that illustrates phycological issues people goes through, and the topics it delves into are pieces that we commonly hear about like self-love, etc.., but do not see what the core motive is. In the end, it wasn't so effective at captivating me emotionally, and I feel like that's what the movie was trying to do. I've seen movie that could do this, but this movie just didn't execute it well enough for me to feel much.

I understand why anime would be a medium for such topic, but I feel that live action, if directed right, would convey the message much more effectively than a cartoon. I think that might have been part of the the reason why the intention of the author didn't come off as intense as it could have. I have a view point that animation works for certain stories, and others not so much. This is the type of story that doesn't work with animation.

But, it is certainly possible to execute such narratives well with animation. The movie, 'Grave of the Fireflies' is a great example, and I think is the best example of well executed screenplay that will stir people's emotions. I just don't feel that this movie has done it in that manner.

There's much hype with this one, and for me, didn't live up to the hype. I was expecting more from this one. After watching this one, I'm puzzled as to why it's highly regarded. Personally, I don't like that character design styles of female characters, it looks very cliche anime style (Which was the first thing I noticed that turned me off). Personally don't like the trend of cute face anime character designs, the industry needs to diversify the style. For this kind of narrative, it doesn't seem to fit well.

One positive about the movie is that it's great that such phycological issues people face is expressed in cinema. It's a bit too serious of a subject matter, so don't expect anything entertaining. That's partly why I didn't really enjoy the time with this one, and I also feel like I didn't get anything else out of it either. If it doesn't entertain, it should at least teach me something.

There's videos out there trying to explain the phycology behind the movie, but I'm not looking at movies to get phycology lessons. There's no fun in it, if it's approached like this. Where I have to look at movie analysis. Film-maker's role is to convey effectively without boring the audience.

Edit: After some research the motive seems to be (at least with the film, perhaps more to it with the manga) showing how people around didn't take responsibility (being passive) and there's some Japanese culture issues at hand as well. From what I'm reading, it's based on a manga, and manga delves into it at a much deeper level, and the movie seem to have cut off a lot of necessary details to understand better. I'm reading that in the manga, side characters should be providing very good support to understanding the story, and the development for the story is cut short with the movie. So, the movie leaves a lot of gaps and it's actually silent (no pun intended. lol) in emphasis for things that should be emphasized.

Personally, I like social commentaries (I generally like movies that make comments about society and it's issues), only if I can understand them. lol

It sounds like I have to read the manga to understand it in more depth?

 

[SilverEars]

A Silent Voice - (7.5)

I don't get the movie. I understand the narration, but do not understand the motive. I understand that there are phycological elements thrown in, but don't understand why it was done in such a manner. This just feels more like a movie that illustrates phycological issues people goes through, and the topics it delves into are pieces that we commonly hear about like self-love, etc.., but do not see what the core motive is. In the end, it wasn't so effective at captivating me emotionally, and I feel like that's what the movie was trying to do. I've seen movie that could do this, but this movie just didn't execute it well enough for me to feel much.

I understand why anime would be a medium for such topic, but I feel that live action, if directed right, would convey the message much more effectively than a cartoon. I think that might have been part of the the reason why the intention of the author didn't come off as intense as it could have. I have a view point that animation works for certain stories, and others not so much. This is the type of story that doesn't work with animation.

But, it is certainly possible to execute such narratives well with animation. The movie, 'Grave of the Fireflies' is a great example, and I think is the best example of well executed screenplay that will stir people's emotions. I just don't feel that this movie has done it in that manner.

There's much hype with this one, and for me, didn't live up to the hype. I was expecting more from this one. After watching this one, I'm puzzled as to why it's highly regarded. Personally, I don't like that character design styles of female characters, it looks very cliche anime style (Which was the first thing I noticed that turned me off). Personally don't like the trend of cute face anime character designs, the industry needs to diversify the style. For this kind of narrative, it doesn't seem to fit well.

One positive about the movie is that it's great that such phycological issues people face is expressed in cinema. It's a bit too serious of a subject matter, so don't expect anything entertaining. That's partly why I didn't really enjoy the time with this one, and I also feel like I didn't get anything else out of it either. If it doesn't entertain, it should at least teach me something.

There's videos out there trying to explain the phycology behind the movie, but I'm not looking at movies to get phycology lessons. There's no fun in it, if it's approached like this. Where I have to look at movie analysis. Film-maker's role is to convey effectively without boring the audience.

Edit: After some research the motive seems to be (at least with the film, perhaps more to it with the manga) showing how people around didn't take responsibility (being passive) and there's some Japanese culture issues at hand as well. From what I'm reading, it's based on a manga, and manga delves into it at a much deeper level, and the movie seem to have cut off a lot of necessary details to understand better. I'm reading that in the manga, side characters should be providing very good support to understanding the story, and the development for the story is cut short with the movie. So, the movie leaves a lot of gaps and it's actually silent (no pun intended. lol) in emphasis for things that should be emphasized.

Personally, I like social commentaries (I generally like movies that make comments about society and it's issues), only if I can understand them. lol

It sounds like I have to read the manga to understand it in more depth?

Some additional thoughts on this movie, as this movie seems to bring out a lot of thoughts. I wonder if the behaviors of the characters are realistic? I think that's what I had struggled with. For a movie of such serious tone and facing real issues, I expect real behaviors that are well known out there. Is it statistical that bullies would end up behaving like the main character (transforming so radically? I would assume bullies usually have sociopathic tendencies, and difficult to change)? I wouldn't think it's realistic. Same for the girl. Is her behavior common for those that has been mentally abused? This is the main thing I'm concerned with this movie. I think it's fantastic that the film-maker have delved into such complex issue, but I also find that it must be delt with accuratly as it's a serious and sensitive topic.

Or was the intention for romance, but a peculiar representation of romance? It's just not typical way to depicting romantic relationship. So, my issue with the movie is believability. Is it realistic? It leaves a lot of questions, which I'm having issues with this one.

I think it's progressive (Some Japanese films really amaze me in how progressive they are) in depicting relationship due to it's unconventional nature. I know Korean dramas are really popular (mainly to female audiences) and comes off very cliche and superficial (likely due to fanbase looking for particular plots like Cinderella stories), and this movie does much better than what you find in those superficial Korean dramas (because it provides a specific scenario that is not cliche.). It seems to tackle relationship issues, which seem much more realistic than the 'soap operas.'

I also wonder if it's a particular romantic tale on the perspective of the female character, which is the transformation of the male character transforming so radically? Is this more of a fantasy due to this? Was this this purpose of the draw?

 

[SilverEars]

Wolf Children - (9/10)

So this is my 4th film I've seen made by Mamoru Hosoda. The first one was 'The Girl that leaped through time,' which I actually liked, and then 'Summer Wars,' and 'The Boy and the Beast,' wasn't as good as I hoped. So, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from 'Wolf Children,' and I'm pleasantly surprised.

This film shows off what Hosoda is really capable of. I can see his keen eye/insights of how well he can express animated characterizations. The way the characters are animated is very life-like in behavior. Hosoda is really good at expressing character behaviors in this films. He conveys it really well.

I see some Miazaki's 'My Neighbor Totoro' in this one. The way the children is animated, the country side home, etc.. I really like the animation in this one, probably due to the scenery being the Japanese country side, and it's always depicted so peacefully that the movie feels therapeutic.

Also, I find that the way Hosoda conveys the narration is done really well with this one. I can understand everything very well in the way he conveys everything. This is likely due to the simple nature of the plot, but I think he does a great job of interesting little nuances he shows throughout the film.

I'm a big fan of the 80's flick 'Teen Wolf' with Micheal J Fox, and this movie seems to have gotten some inspiration from it, although story is totally different. In the surface, the idea seemed kinda silly to me, but seeing it for myself, I found that it works well due to the how well executed this movie is.

While watching about the life in the country side, I've come to realization why people in neighborhoods share food. It comes from back in the days when people farm, and they would share food with each other. One farmer would grow a lot of potatoes, and another would grow a lot of radishes, and they would share part of their harvest, and it would help each other out with having diverse type of produce for cooking.

I think the English dubbing translates really well for this film. Also, the soundtrack in this film stands out to me, and I will have to check out the soundtrack for this one.

I feel like there was a lot of thought went into the creation of scenarios with this one as it feels smooth in presentation. The complications of the wolf situations are well thought out and addressed believably. Part of what I like about 'Teen Wolf' is the way the movie shows the issues of being partly a wolf, and I find that this movie does it really well.

I like Japanese films like these. It's hard to believe, this is the same guy that directed 'Summer Wars,' which didn't have much impact on me (which felt a bit empty to be honest).

 

[SilverEars]

A Silent Voice - (7.5)

I don't get the movie. I understand the narration, but do not understand the motive. I understand that there are phycological elements thrown in, but don't understand why it was done in such a manner. This just feels more like a movie that illustrates phycological issues people goes through, and the topics it delves into are pieces that we commonly hear about like self-love, etc.., but do not see what the core motive is. In the end, it wasn't so effective at captivating me emotionally, and I feel like that's what the movie was trying to do. I've seen movie that could do this, but this movie just didn't execute it well enough for me to feel much.

I understand why anime would be a medium for such topic, but I feel that live action, if directed right, would convey the message much more effectively than a cartoon. I think that might have been part of the the reason why the intention of the author didn't come off as intense as it could have. I have a view point that animation works for certain stories, and others not so much. This is the type of story that doesn't work with animation.

But, it is certainly possible to execute such narratives well with animation. The movie, 'Grave of the Fireflies' is a great example, and I think is the best example of well executed screenplay that will stir people's emotions. I just don't feel that this movie has done it in that manner.

There's much hype with this one, and for me, didn't live up to the hype. I was expecting more from this one. After watching this one, I'm puzzled as to why it's highly regarded. Personally, I don't like that character design styles of female characters, it looks very cliche anime style (Which was the first thing I noticed that turned me off). Personally don't like the trend of cute face anime character designs, the industry needs to diversify the style. For this kind of narrative, it doesn't seem to fit well.

One positive about the movie is that it's great that such phycological issues people face is expressed in cinema. It's a bit too serious of a subject matter, so don't expect anything entertaining. That's partly why I didn't really enjoy the time with this one, and I also feel like I didn't get anything else out of it either. If it doesn't entertain, it should at least teach me something.

There's videos out there trying to explain the phycology behind the movie, but I'm not looking at movies to get phycology lessons. There's no fun in it, if it's approached like this. Where I have to look at movie analysis. Film-maker's role is to convey effectively without boring the audience.

Edit: After some research the motive seems to be (at least with the film, perhaps more to it with the manga) showing how people around didn't take responsibility (being passive) and there's some Japanese culture issues at hand as well. From what I'm reading, it's based on a manga, and manga delves into it at a much deeper level, and the movie seem to have cut off a lot of necessary details to understand better. I'm reading that in the manga, side characters should be providing very good support to understanding the story, and the development for the story is cut short with the movie. So, the movie leaves a lot of gaps and it's actually silent (no pun intended. lol) in emphasis for things that should be emphasized.

Personally, I like social commentaries (I generally like movies that make comments about society and it's issues), only if I can understand them. lol

It sounds like I have to read the manga to understand it in more depth?

This video explains ho2 the movie conveys the story differently thsn the Manga. I think I have to read the manga to understand better. The movie tried hard condensing a detailed manga and that's where the confusion lies.

 

[SilverEars]

The Tale of Princess Kaguya - (7/10)

As a big fan of 'Grave of the Fireflies,' I looked into what other movies the director Isao Takahata worked, and this one seemed like a good candidate due to high ratings out there.

From what I've read online, it's an old Japanese fairy tale, and as a grown-up, fairy tales don't jive with me. When I was a child, I liked fairy tales, but not these days.

On the other hand, I would give 9/10 on visual presentation. I thought it was beautifully animated. The water color look is quite stunning.

On it's wiki, it says, "at the budget of US$49.3 million, it is the most expensive Japanese film to date."

So, not a fan of this one. Some fairly tale of a princess doesn't really interest me (which is why I haven't see this even if on the radar), and I wanted to stop watching throughout. It wasn't that interesting of a movie. It won a lot of awards, and seems like the kind of movie critics would like due to it's artsy feel and look, but I wasn't too fond of it.

Supposedly, the movie delves into feminism and issues women faced, but that still doesn't make it an interesting movie for me.

I was bummed this isn't like 'Grave of the Fireflies' or even close.

 

[keepitsimple]

The father-8/10-amazing but you can only watch it once.
I actually welled up.
This was not due to the concept of the film but due to the acting by hopkins.
How can anyone act that well.
white lie-6.5 /10-another downer of a film but well acted with a believable story .

 

[keepitsimple]

A Bittersweet Life - (8/10)

There must have been much hype with this 2005 flick. I can tell the filming is dated due to picture quality in today's movies being much better. Any top Korean movie you see, this movie is always a part of top Korean movie ranking lists. Still, for some reason, I didn't have much interest to see this movie (until now). It's a must watch Korean flick according to those lists, so why not?

I looked at the director Kim Jee-woon's imdb, and boy does this guy have a great filmography. He has worked on several of the top recommended Korean films.

I think this director is one of the 2000s years of waves of Korean arthouse directors, and it's very noticeable in the way the film. It's not shot in a cheesy cliche blockbuster style. He has a unconventional style, more of an arthouse style the way he does shot to shot.

Therefore, the action scenes in the movie was done superbly. Very violent in the style of Tarantino, etc.. A reviewer stated that there's Tarantino influence in this film. So, expect much fight violence. I think this guy's violent fighting scenes on the same quality level as Na Hong-Jin, who is an excellent director. So, this guy proves he can do action scenes well. This is interesting because this guy's filmography is varieties of genres, not only action. Just proves he's a well rounded filmmaker.

Something I thought about with this early generation of Korean filmmakers that are more of arthouse. I wonder if they grew up with Hongkong action movies because they are in the age that they would have been youths in the golden age of Hongkong films. But, their way to presenting action is different, it's much more violent, and go more details into the violence. It's more brutal in the direction of American gangster films like Scorsese. So, I think these Korean films was a next step in the evolution of action being more brutal and gritty, and more realistic than HongKong's stylish action.

The only thing I disliked was the story. There is no depth, and I prefer more wordy films with much more depth and plot-twist. This film focuses on visuals in how the scenes are shot in terms of action, etc.. It doesn't show off the actor/actress performances like Inside Men. Personally prefer more character driven plot that shows off what the actor/actress really can do. This is more of show, not tell type of film. I think at minimum it shows that Lee Byung Hun can not only act, but can do action. I realized he was highly capable in his youth.

I found the plot really weird, and didn't get.

Although, I'm not a big fan of this flick, there must be a big fanbase due to it's popularity with critics and the audience.

Also, I had to bump up the scores slightly of the last two films I reviewed. I think I was being a bit too harsh with scoring on those.

Saw this a while back and watched it twice.one of the best korean films imho-a solid 8

 

[SilverEars]

The Unjust - (7.7/10)

The ratings out there arn't favorable, and I'm giving it a much fairer rating IMO.

I liked the idea for the movie. It's tells a story about corruption in the justice system with the cop and the prosecutor. The way the story is told is the flaw. It's not told in a way the audience can clearly get what is going on. If they worked on this execution and story a bit more, I think this would have a been a great movie. I thought it was intereseting and kept me engaged throughout. I luv the Korean crime genre, they do it so well! Probably is my fav of Korean movie genres. They make them so interesting.

Directed by Ryoo Seug-wan, the director of 'Veteran' which is a good movie. So, he's a capable director, and likely the script wasn't that great to work with. Also, I'm appreciating acting of Hwang Jung-min as I see more an more movies with him in it. I see why he is a popular actor to work with. He's a brilliant actor.

I've said this before, and there's been a lot of Korean movies about police and prosecutor corruption. There seem to have been a lot of them pop up in the 2010s, although it goes back further. I think it reflects the politics. A lot of Korean cinema that goes into corruption reflects the past era before their democracy, so based on this, I assume that the kind of Korean cinema during it's golden age was result of conservative political views being lifted and therefore, much more freedom in cinema expressions. This is why there must have been much movies that delves into topics of government employee corruption. Large example would be Bong Joon Ho's "Memories of Murder," reflecting on the state of the culture under government dictatorship.

I've been looking more deeply into Korean cinema, and there are interesting reflection or perspectives on Korean cinema. One is that so called 'protagonists' in Korean film are not protagonists of virtue, or idealized characterizations, but flawed. Most of the time with popular cinema in the US, the protogonest are not usually shown with wrong doings or flaws, but in Korean cinema nobody is perfect. Another is that Korean cinema doesn't care about 'happy endings.' It doesn't have to end with a good note, but end with no resolve. 'Memories of Murder' would be a perfect example of that. This leaves things unpredictable, and I find that it expresses progressive nature of Korean cinema. For example, I found 'Game of Thrones' to be progressive for a TV series in that they kill off the main characters. Such bold moves are what pushes cinema.

I think for a long time they expressed idealized world in TV, etc.., and it is still evident in their TV serials they put out, but their cinema medium was what was progressive during the golden age. The reason being is that public TV is restricted of graphic content, and with the cable TV, they seem to be pushing out shows that are of more shows in a more progressive style.

So, Korean cinema serves a niche, but it's not a niche we can find in other industries outside Korea, and provides an interesting perspective in cinema not done in such a fashion anywhere else. This is why I'm into Korean cinema.