Week 1 - Film (August 2nd)

[Taylor Bub]

After listening to this lecture and reviewing some of the comments made below, I decided to watch the movie Miss Granny, to be more exposed to different types of Korean Pop culture.  Someone had mentioned in their comments about how many of the Korean movies or productions that become big tend to be darker in nature.  I had never realized this and wanted to get a sense of a different type of film.  I was so surprised at how wonderful the movie was.  Miss Granny seems to be so relevent in today's society, especially to women, where, in many cultures, women are valued for their beauty and youth and as they age they are thought of as nagging and annoying.  This is a struggle that seems so prevalent and I found that Miss Granny did such a great job in dipicting those struggles.  It made me wonder why movies like Miss Granny, which seem so relevant to today's society, would not become as popular as other movies like Parasite or shows like Squid Game that became a cultural phenomenon.

I think it is so wonderful that platforms like netflix make movies and shows like Miss Granny so much more easily accessable for everyone.  I wish they would include them more often in recommendations as well, because had I not taken this course, I would probably not have ever seen Miss Granny.

[Joanna Bourque]

My introduction to Korean cinema was in early 2018 with the movie A Taxi Driver, which is centered around the Gwanju uprising and the democracy movement of the 1980s. I was never averse to subtitles as I had been watching japanime for decades, but I had mainly put it on just to have something playing while I was sewing. Within 10 minutes, I had entirely forgotten about sewing and ended up sitting on the floor motionless staring at the TV for the next 2 hours. That, of course, led to a search for more Korean content. I found the website Viki, which provides only Asian TV and movies; Strong Woman Do Bong Soon was my first drama and I have been hooked every since. I was fascinated by the quality of the production, the cinematography, the genre-bending, the hilarity (and often absurdity) of Korean humor, and the overall talent of the cast and crew.

I recently saw Train to Busan and, even in a zombie movie, the chasm between the self-important person weilding tremendous power and the orinary Korean citizen was quite evident, which, as was discussed in the lecture and readings, is a recurring theme in Korean cinema and TV. I have noticed that the majority of Korean movies and TV shows that I have seen (whether rom-com, mystery, thriller, fantasy, or historical) to some degree always manage to shed light on social issues and the struggles of ordinary people. I have also often heard the term Hell Joseon used to criticize the current economic and social inequalities in Korea. As an art teacher, I am always trying to impart to my students the importance of examining and analyzing the arts of other cultures as a medium for understanding. Immersing myself in the study of Korean culture, I am now understanding how accurately Korean cinema and TV reflects the ideas, beliefs, and values of modern Korean society. 

[GianellaSandy]

I, too, just sat down this afternoon to watch Train to Busan straight through from beginning to end.  I agree with Tushurong's post about the self-sacrifice of some of the characters especially when the number of uninfected people began to dwindle.

Another "aha" take away I had from the article was pointing out that an argument the movie makers had with society was economic disparity yet the movie company made a tremendous amount of money from the movie.

 

Finally, I did not know about "Miss Granny"!  I definitely will look for it this week on Netflix.  The young lady playing the lead, Shim Eun-kyung, was a student of mine!  She had been in the states a few years during high school in order to learn English.  

[ZhangTina]

I just watched Miss Granny on Netflix and loved it! I had to stop the movie several times because I was either laughing too hard, or because something happened in the movie that reminded me of my life. I think one of the reasons there are so many remakes is because the topics brought up in the movie are universal. Many themes resonate across cultures, and the remakes all contribute to this idea of glocaliticy.

I notice an uptick in Korean movies on Netflix and have been slowly exploring in this area. I made my first foray into Korean dramas when I watched "Black" (2017) and loved it! I definitely find a shorter series from K dramas more digestible than C drams that can last over 60 episodes a season. I love the historical drama especially, and maybe our reading is right in that I find this more apealing because I'm used to watching this type of thing in C drams, as they "shared historical and cultural backgrounds." 

[ZhangTina]

That is amazing! I read up a little about her after the movie and found out that she went to school in Pittsburg right before she made Miss Granny. I don't know anythig about her other movies and wonder if she actually gets to use English in any of her other movies. 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I was also interested in the background of the word "zombie!" I had no idea that its etimology was so far back in history, and had been incorporated into the cultural spheres of so many different countries. it was surprising, (but also, given the history of the United States, not that surprising) for me to learn that the word zombie has racist roots in American society. When I think of contemporary zombie movies and zombie TV shows and zombie video games today, it seems to me that this once derogatory word used towards African slaves has been completely divorced from its original use, but I guess the next time I watch something about zombies, I'll try to have a more critical eye for what the zombie is actually representing!

[Jeanine Alexander]

Reading the second title I have decided to watch Train to Busan, despite not being a big fan of zombie movies. I am most interested in the term glocalization from the reading and I am fascinated with how Korean film has used this to expand their film base. I was able to watch Miss Granny and it is a fantastic movie. Prior to today I had only seen Parasite and now I may be hooked. I think Bong Joon-ho is correct is saying "Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films!"

[Kathryn Sutherland]

An AHA moment I had reading the article about Train to Busan was deepening my understanding "glocalization"--I've heard this term before, but I think that putting it in the context of South Korea's film industry and the movie Train to Busan made it make more sense to me. I thought it was interesting that although zombie movies are a global phenomenon, by using all Korean actors, and having the characters and the zombies represent anxieties, ineptitudes, and tragedies that were distinctly Korean (the tragic Sewol Ferry disaster, for one), Train to Busan is distinct from other movies in the genre. 

Learning about glocalization and Train to Busan, I was also struck by how similar anxieties are in the US and in South Korea--namely, the widening gap between the haves and the have nots. That capitalism has played out similarly in South Korea as it has here is fascinating (and disheartening). 

 

[Crystal Hsia]

True! I think the lost in translation really hurts the movie watching experience. 

[PayneBrittany]

I relate to this. As someone who has hosted a few Korean interns, it's the best way to experience culture and it leads to a better understanding of each other's culture. Korean culture is pretty different from American culture, making it so appealing. 

[PayneBrittany]

What I find interesting, at least from my perspective, it seems that dark movies are the most popular worldwide and the lighter Kdramas are more popluar (with the exception of Squid Game and maybe Itaewon Class). As someone invested in watching Kdramas, I see a rise in light but new (to Korea) content such as Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young Woo (though don't get me started on this translation).

[PayneBrittany]

I would just like to say that A Taxi Driver  is one of my favorites. As someone very interested in Korean history, I love to watch historical movies. 

[Jeanine Alexander]

I was amazed at the number of remakes especially since the original is so terrific. I may just have to check them out to compare the quality.

[SaenzSotoElizabeth]

As I read through the articles and watched the video presentation I realized that a lot of the reasons I have always seemed "connected" more to plot lines found in Korean dramas and movies is because they depict the every day lives and sometimes fantastical lives of the characters. The storylines tend to be solid (although I have been disappointed at times) and I can connect them to a lot that is common within my own culture/heritage. As a Mexican American many may think that telenovelas would be my go-to, but they never were because they are in my opinion highly sexist, patriarchial, hyper-sexualized amongst other things.

As mentioned in my introduction I have been watching and listening to Asian music and cinema since I was young and have continued to love it. In "The Appeal of Korea: Transnational Screen Culture", Steve Choe stated, "the notion that Korean cinema can speak on behalf of universal humanity and the reminder that this American award could be granted to a film [Parasite] that does not conform to traditional genre expectations, that features Asian actors, is not in English, and so on. I look forward to seeing if Korean cinema and media can push the concept of universality further to reveal its ideological limits and so enable other cinemas to be recognized as universal, through whatever form it may take in the future." UNIVERSAL HUMANITY. That's it. It is as simple as that. Human connection regardless of language or appearance. I, too look forward to seeing further rise of films like Train to Busan, The Thieves, etc. because I have always looked to the humanity, stuggle, and reality of the people of color. I cheered and wholeheartedly agreed when Bong Joon-ho made spoke that famous line about about the one-inch subtitles because storytelling and the emotions you feel from watching or listening to something even though it is not your native language can move you as long as you have a great story (or song) to tell. It does not matter the language, the actors, set locations, etc. We miss out on so much when we only conform to what we know.

[Courtney Caldwell]

I found it interesting (though sadly, not surprising) that when the film Parasite won big in the U.S. during awards season, it was met with outrage and criticism for being something different than what is considered as "traditionally American." Being perceived as "different" or "less than" is unfortunately so common place and while Korean film/entertainment has been drastically on the rise as evidenced by both the reading and lecture, it's still seen by many in the mainstream U.S. as "other." 

Another moment that stood out to me was when Blythe Worthy was detailing their own experience with learning Korean culture, not through film but through a person, Jung-Ah. This made me think of my own experience, not with learning Korean culture, but for me it was Chinese culture. Blythe details how eye opening it was to experience culture through interactions with Jung-Ah, and I related to this with my own experience on Fulbright in China and really being immersed in a culture in a way that made me so much more appreciative of those glimpses of Chinese culture I'd find here around the Bay Area. I think a lot of misunderstandings and negative feelings, like that that came along with the high praise for Parasite at the Oscars comes from a lack of education, well, lack of cultural education. Learning from others by experiencing either the people or places is truly eye opening and can shatter images/stereotypes/misunderstandings. This then, like with Blythe's case, sparks interest to learn more, to embrace the levels of culture like movies, music, tv, etc. 

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