Byun Sung-hyun’s latest endeavour, the black comedy Good News, starts with a line you might recognise โ at least partially: “Inspired by real events but all characters and events portrayed are fictional.” After a beat, the film offers us a question: “What’s the truth then?“ The answer to that might never come, but the mad…
Korean Cinema
Wall to Wall Review: An Average Joe in an Average (Yet Socially Critical) Thriller
Some films prove that real life can be scarier than any fiction. Endless debt, rising interest rates, undue blame, terrible bosses, desperate decisions, noisy neighbours. If you put all of these elements together, you can easily draw a nightmarish scenario that might shake even the most stoic of us. That’s where we might find Netflix’s…
Revelations (Netflix) Review: A Timely Message… But Does It Stick the Landing?
To promote his most recent Netflix feature Revelations, director and co-screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho (of Train to Busan fame) gave an interview to The Korea Times in which he shared: Nowadays, people only want to see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. (โฆ) Like everyone else, I’m curious about my…
Little Forest: A Soothing Ode to Nature, Food & Identity
You know that sort of film that makes you feel warm and happy inside? That kind of story that seems to embrace you, give you room to breathe and a pat on your back? If you’re looking for that kind of movie, let me introduce you to Little Forest. My mother is a huge fan…
A Year-End Medley & New Year Blues: A Joyous Celebration of the New Year
Asian cinema isn’t particularly well-known for its Christmas movies. We discussed some extraordinary options in our newsletter this week but it’s not like we’re spoilt for choice. While the New Year season as a cinematic subject isn’t nearly as popular as its Christmas counterpart (in any country), there are still some excellent Korean films that…
Your Ultimate Guide to 2024 K-Dramas, Books, and Films That Defined the Year
We blinked and a year went by. It’s now December: 2024 is coming to a close and 2025 is peeking at us from the horizon. So shall we look back at the most interesting 2024 K-dramas, books, and films? As much as possible, I tried to choose one title per month of the year so…
25 Amazing J- and K-Pop Music Videos That Could Be Award-Winning Short Films
On August 30th, 2024, Netflix released the incredibly enjoyable A-List to Playlist, a documentary about the hundred days that Jo Jung-suk had to compose and record his very first album. Is A-List to Playlist Worth Watching? A-List to Playlist has seven short episodes and an eighth, final episode that spans 80 minutes. Not only is…
Japanese & Korean Horror Films For Beginners: 10 Frightening Titles You Need to Watch
I’ve never been a big fan of horror movies. Psychological thrillers, yes. But horror has never been my thing. Studying film has forced me to watch a few, of course, but I’m too much of a scaredy cat for them. Oh, well. What can I do? With Halloween right around the corner and a partner…
10 Exciting Korean Action Movies on Netflix in September 2024!
Beyond the world of romantic K-dramas, South Korea is also known for its thrilling action films. With the upcoming Officer Black Belt, why don’t we talk about the Korean action movies on Netflix that you can watch this September? Before We Start, A Little Intro to Korean Action Movies Have a seat, children, and I’ll…
Soulmate (2023) Review: When Love Cannot Be Defined
How would you define concepts such as “friendship” or “soulmate”? Cambridge Dictionary defines “soulmate” as “someone, usually your romantic or sexual partner, who you have a special relationship with, and who you know and love very much.” Albeit accurate, this definition ignores the many shades that the concept of “soulmate” may have and the different…
