Any Korean/Asian movies/series fans?

[GM3]

Just finished watching The Devil Judge, fantastic show! Definitely a favorite of last couple years. The quality (story, OST, camera work, characters, drama, emotions, etc.) is just on another level... The Guest was another favorite, but unlike TDJ, lots of supernatural, like spirits & possessions so that might not appeal to everyone...

Spoiler: Ranting about Western 'entertainment'

Most stuff produced in the West is sadly unwatchable garbage these days... The music can be good, but the rest; plot, characters, stories, etc., it's all so unoriginal, bland, they've managed to ruin many iconic franchises; Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, LOTR, etc., And so woke...... Gives me shivers... No more tolerance for that shit, I've overdosed on wokism years ago now, and it just keep getting worse and worse...

So I find myself having to go to movies/series exile to find good movies or series to watch... Of course not a guarantee, Asian stuff produced by Netflix will also suffer from it... But anyway, in general, it's so refreshing to just be able to enjoy well written stories. As far as I'm concerned, the Hollywood writers strike should go on indefinitely and we would all be better off.

But not everything has always been bad... Star Trek TNG was great, Babylon 5, Farscape, Dexter, Breaking Bad, 24, first seasons of Walking Dead were decent, The Outer Limits, House, etc., there used to be good series, seems like it's just becoming rarer and rarer, now that wokism seems to be the focus rather than quality stories... So it really degraded last 1-2 decades, and now...

I'm eagerly waiting for is The Witch: Subversion part 2. I don't want to spoil it, but if you like "Action · Mystery · Sci-Fi", the movie definitely worth a watch.

But I guess warning; I think the 'average' person is very different in say Asia & the West... I won't go into the why, but what they seem to enjoy is very different... I've always loved movies by Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, etc.) for instance, or Paul Verhoeven (Flesh & Blood, Starship Troopers, Robocop), my favorite director Ang Lee (Eat Drink Man Woman, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, etc.) ... And these are quite different from the 'average' Western blockbuster or average TV show...

So taste-wise, seems to be a huge disparity between West/East, and I seem to be drawn far more to Eastern stuff... So if these are not your cup of tea, likely won't enjoy any/all of the above... So yeah, very different audiences... Overall, watching western movies/series, I'd give most current stuff something like ~3/10 (very low value), whereas anything Asian tends to score far more in the 8-10/10 (great/masterpieces)... But I think that for most westerners, it might be the exact opposite... *shrug*

 

[LightninBoy]

I am a huge fan of director Zhang Yimou. Checkout "Shadow", "Hero", "Raise the Red Lantern", "House of Fly Daggers".

I personally won't make any generalized quality judgements regarding West vs East movies because of Survivor Bias. Remember, we in the West are mostly exposed to just the best of the best coming out of the East. Probably a lot of garbage there we just never see.

 

[GM3]

I am a huge fan of director Zhang Yimou. Checkout "Shadow", "Hero", "Raise the Red Lantern", "House of Fly Daggers".

I personally won't make any generalized quality judgements regarding West vs East movies because of Survivor Bias. Remember, we in the West are mostly exposed to just the best of the best coming out of the East. Probably a lot of garbage there we just never see.

Thanks I'll check it out! yeah remember Hero & HoFD, there's really lots of great martial arts movies... Twilight Samurai, Fearless, Kung Fu Hustle, Memories of the Sword, When the last sword is drawn, The Hidden Blade, etc.

For survivor, sure, but when looking at what succeeds here vs what succeeds there, and what most people like/dislike... I'm trying not to bring up Netflix adaptations like Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, etc., because I guess, there's bad adaptations made everywhere and Netflix is its own kind of evil... But just talking with friends, family, or just what i like vs what is popular, or don't like vs popular, and I can see I'm a minority... Most Korean shows aren't even translated, just subs... Kinda says a lot about different markets, and what they like/dislike... I also think current woke western blockbuster movies do not do very well in Asia these days...

Also, there's survivor as per # of stories written, # of movies made, etc., just given populations and volume of work... Also volume of talents.... That also means that even if a minority enjoys a genre, it can make the difference in viability, so people don't make 'good' movies/series in the West just because few people like them, when compared to mindless Blockbusters...

And yeah, like I said, these days seems like 'entertainment' is more about politics & brainwashing than making quality movies/series/stories in the West, which really hurts the quality of the works... As BPS highlighted, meritocracy in the west might be a thing of the past... Disney seems like a prime example these days, with Snow White, Star Wars, etc., Even amazon Prime LOTR was a colossal failure... It really explains a lot of things.

 

[teched58]

If you want to see a fantastic action movie, check out the Korean film Assassination (2015). It's available on many streaming services, including some for free (Pluto and Tubi). Only issue was, I had to see it three times before I understood all the plot twists.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

45-50 years ago, my wife and I had access to both Japanese and Korean TV and movies.

My interest was mainly in what I call Korean period drama (as opposed to contemporary entertainment). The shows were generally based on historical fact and the productions were very good, if not impeccable. The stories were true-to-life, gritty and portrayed violent themes realistically.

The vast majority of Japanese entertainment was contemporary TV. I didn't think much of it.

From what I've seen of present-day Japanese and Korean fare, I think I'll pass on both.

Jim

 

[Blumlein 88]

45-50 years ago, my wife and I had access to both Japanese and Korean TV and movies.

My interest was mainly in what I call Korean period drama (as opposed to contemporary entertainment). The shows were generally based on historical fact and the productions were very good, if not impeccable. The stories were true-to-life, gritty and portrayed violent themes realistically.

The vast majority of Japanese entertainment was contemporary TV. I didn't think much of it.

From what I've seen of present-day Japanese and Korean fare, I think I'll pass on both.

Jim

I agree. I've seen a few such historical fact/drama movies. They tend to be excellent. A little odd to watch something Koreans no doubt think of as part of their shared history which is important and you've never heard of it. Like a 1776 movie or something except you never heard of the history previously. I found reading some short summaries about the historical event made it easier to follow and more enjoyable.

In at least some modern Korean movies I like that they are having to make do with a good story and don't have or don't much use special effects. Too many USA movies are ruined by not being able to let go of the crack pipe of blockbuster effects. Many being nothing more than a series of gigantic effects with nearly no plot.

I'm not well versed in the background of Korean culture. It seems lots of movies work around an idea of good vs evil. In the Korean version it seems a common idea that one must be wary of battling evil or in the attempt you too will become evil.

 

[mongobot]

I'm looking forward to "Blossoms Shanghai" when / if it comes out later this year.

 

[GM3]

The vast majority of Japanese entertainment was contemporary TV. I didn't think much of it.
From what I've seen of present-day Japanese and Korean fare, I think I'll pass on both.

Not sure I quite understand the complaint, are you saying there's not enough historical or period pieces today in Asian cinematography? Or that you're not interested in anything taking place in present Korea/Japan? Or just the quality/subject of what is created these days?

Btw, it's not like you can turn to western media as alternative... Egypt suing Netflix for Cleopatra, BBC's Anne Boleyn think it was, Vikings that are ... Or are you finding that in western media? Which period are you referring to btw? No stats, but in the opposite I thought there was numerous choices of historical settings...

I'm not well versed in the background of Korean culture. It seems lots of movies work around an idea of good vs evil. In the Korean version it seems a common idea that one must be wary of battling evil or in the attempt you too will become evil.

Like Jainism? I think you're missing here "battling evil with evil or by doing evil", but yeah, think that's common trope. It's a big part of The Devil Judge; as is often the case, the 2 main characters are somewhat opposites that clash; a young idealistic judge, who believes the system, law, justice, etc., and then there's the 'devil' judge, who's older, experienced, more willing to bend or break the rules, and who's moral/ethical ambivalence is really questioned until the last episode...

In that way, good vs evil, from my own viewing experience, I would say that western media tends to portray good and evil in a much more simplistic way. There's the good guys and the bad guys, and the good guys do good because they're good, and the bad guys do bad because they're evil and they hate good... Good guys win, bad guys lose. In Asian or better western movies, there's a more mature/sophisticated view of morality... More about perspective; shades of grey rather than black or white... Often more set of circumstances/tragedy that causes 'evil'... And very often moral dilemmas arise; so tough decisions/choices for the protagonists... Not that that doesn't exist in western media, just seems much rarer... #notall

But I guess that's up to viewpoint / interpretation also... In The Guest, the protagonists are literally fighting vs evil spirits & demons... In TDJ, the politicians & their handlers are portrayed as rather one dimensional, almost caricatural, but, looking at actual current politics, I mean, it is apparently very realistic... War for profits... Pharmaceutics... The world is a crazy place, and for the majority, it all just comes down to good vs evil, and of course, they're the good guys, the 'others' are the bad guys, who do evil because they're evil... The power of propaganda, narrative, demonization, etc...

In reality, media is like a mirror; it reflects society/audience... Think you can learn quite a bit by contrasting two together... (East vs West movies/series)

 

[carpman]

I'm a fan of Korean movies:

The Chaser (terrible trailer, great movie)
Original title: Chugyeokja

The Chaser (2008) ⭐ 7.8 | Action, Crime, Drama

2h 5m | Not Rated

www.imdb.com

Han Gong-Ju (very sad movie)

Han Gong-ju (2013) ⭐ 7.2 | Crime, Drama

1h 52m | R

www.imdb.com

Memories of Murder (masterpiece IMO)
Original title: Salinui chueok

Memories of Murder (2003) ⭐ 8.1 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

2h 12m | Not Rated

www.imdb.com

Thirst (a strange black comedy)
Original title: Bakjwi

Thirst (2009) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

2h 14m | R

www.imdb.com

from Hong Kong:

Port of Call
Original title: Dap huet cam mui

Port of Call (2015) ⭐ 6.7 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

2h 6m | Unrated

www.imdb.com

from mainland China:

A Touch of Zen (but many people seem to hate it - I love it)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064451/

C.

 

[carpman]

I am a huge fan of director Zhang Yimou. Checkout "Shadow", "Hero", "Raise the Red Lantern", "House of Fly Daggers".

Hero and House of Flying Daggers are great movies !

 

[Deleted member 21219]

Not sure I quite understand the complaint, are you saying there's not enough historical or period pieces today in Asian cinematography? Or that you're not interested in anything taking place in present Korea/Japan? Or just the quality/subject of what is created these days?

To me, modern cinematography tries to GRAB the viewer. That has an effect on the overall storyline that was largely absent 45 years ago.

It was as if the directors in those days had been trained in stage work, if that makes any sense.

Jim

 

[kemmler3D]

I think everyone is probably familiar with Bong Joon-ho's work, IMO it all has a deservedly good reputation.

I also recently (finally) watched Old Boy... reputation also deserved there.

A Korean film I don't think a lot of westerners have seen that was on Netflix a while back (I think it still is) - Space Sweepers. Definitely a tad lowbrow, but it executed well on a lot of the "peak mid-late 90s scifi blockbuster" vibes that we all liked in movies like Independence Day, Armageddon, or even 5th Element. It has that exaggerated Korean melodrama and morality aspect, but lots of fun despite (or because of) that.

 

[anmpr1]

To me, modern cinematography tries to GRAB the viewer. That has an effect on the overall storyline that was largely absent 45 years ago.

It was as if the directors in those days had been trained in stage work, if that makes any sense.

Early (turn of the last century) Chinese cinema has a different feel from anything modern, albeit much was 'modern directed', i.e., pointing toward the establishment of 'modern China'. Most of these are in the public domain, many with English translations, and can be watched on the YT or other streaming services.

Several are listed below, however many more are both available and worthwhile:

Street Angels; the Goddess; Nuerjing (the 'Bible for Girls'--this one has no English subs, yet the vignettes are easy to understand visually); Daybreak; and perhaps most famous, Spring in a Small Town.

For contemporary stuff, the sci-fi material coming out of China is OK, if you like that sort of thing. Three Body Problem (television series--Tencent, not Netflix) is likely the best of the bunch. However the two volumes of Wandering Earth make not uninteresting watching.

As far as 'in those days' directors being 'trained in stage work'? Almost all early films hearkened back to the stage. Typically any new media technology embraces prior forms, at least until directors become familiar with new opportunities the new tech affords them.

 

[jsilvela]

I consume a lot of non-Hollywood movies.
There are excellent Asian directors working these days.

Aside from the likes of Park Chan-wook and Zhang Yimou, already mentioned,
Ryusuke Hamaguchi is one of the best directors today. I highly recommend "Happy Hour" as well as the Oscar-winning "Drive my Car".

And, I mean, Hayao Miyazaki. He may make animated movies, but they put many "serious" live movies to shame in terms of depth.

Then, wonderful classics from Mizoguchi and especially Ozu. Ozu's "Late Spring" is one of the most beautiful films ever.

 

[teched58]

<snip>
Then, wonderful classics from Mizoguchi and especially Ozu. Ozu's "Late Spring" is one of the most beautiful films ever.

Ugetsu (1953) is (among) the greatest movie(s) ever made. (Mizoguchi and Ozu are Japanese, or were since they're both deceased,)

 

[anmpr1]

Then, wonderful classics from Mizoguchi...

One of the most powerful films I've encountered, maybe too intense, emotionally, was Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff. I can usually figure out something to say about a movie I've seen, but to this day I was only able to watch it once (it's in my film drawer) and words fail me.

 

[eddantes]

I rather enjoyed "The Glory" on Netflix.

 

[anmpr1]

Not a film per se, but an adapted for film performance of Farewell My Concubine by the Beijing Opera.. Offered in HD, and has a peculiar 3D quality to it. Also features English subs.

 

[jsilvela]

Oh, series: ... I love Crayon Shin-chan

Kureyon Shin-chan (TV Series 2006–2011) ⭐ 8.0 | Animation, Comedy

25m | TV-MA

www.imdb.com

The Spanish dub is better than the English dub IMO. Would love to understand Japanese.

This show makes me laugh, well into my forties, more than The Simpsons.

 

[jsilvela]

One of the most powerful films I've encountered, maybe too intense, emotionally, was Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff. I can usually figure out something to say about a movie I've seen, but to this day I was only able to watch it once (it's in my film drawer) and words fail me.

Amazing movie, really does leave one speechless.