South Korea

Why Extracurricular Didn't Want Parental Guidance
Why Netflix’s Extracurricular Didn’t Want Parental Guidance

The absence of parental guidance through the strategic use of antithesis allows Extracurricular to hold its characters accountable for their mistakes.

Jumping Borders With Bong Joon-ho's Universal Language
Jumping Borders With Bong Joon-ho’s Universal Language

We investigate how South Korean director Bong Joon-ho conquer the barrier of spoken language through cinematic language.

Beginner's Guide: Bong Joon-Ho, Writer & Director
Beginner’s Guide: Bong Joon-ho, Writer & Director

With his newfound Oscar glory, Bong Joon-ho’s earlier filmography is ripe for rediscovery, and a beginner’s guide to his career all the more relevant.

PARASITE & The 2020 Oscars: The Beginning Of A New Golden Age In Film?
PARASITE & The 2020 Oscars: The Beginning Of A New Golden Age In Film?

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history by winning both the Oscars for Best Picture and Best International Feature Film. But why exactly is this such a big deal?

10 Great Horror Movies from Around the World Part 3
10 Great Horror Films from Around the World Part 4

In years past, I recommended great horror movies from around the world. Find part one…

GRASS: A Dance Of People & Words
GRASS: A Dance Of People & Words

Not all conversations are deep, some of them are about trivial everyday things. But in Grass, every conversation is an intricate miniature story.

PARASITE: A Deliciously Cinematic Experience Only Bong Joon-ho Could Create
PARASITE: A Deliciously Cinematic Experience Only Bong Joon-ho Could Create

Ever since its Palme d’Or winning debut at Cannes, Parasite has been accumulating buzz like…

NYFF 2019: PARASITE 기생충: A Sharp, Vicious & Essential Masterpiece
NYFF 2019: PARASITE 기생충: A Sharp, Vicious & Essential Masterpiece

Bong Joon-ho has put together an intricate, multi-layered portrait of inequality and class. At the same time, he keeps the experience fun and intoxicating.

Bong Joon Ho's PARASITE: The Film of the Year (So Far)
Bong Joon Ho’s PARASITE: The Film Of The Year (So Far)

While it’s true that film as a medium is intrinsically subjective, it seems pretty clear amongst viewers with knowledge of film that Parasite will go down as a classic.

THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL: Evil Comes In Many Forms
THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL: Evil Comes In Many Forms

Yes, it’s a dark crime drama – but The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil is more mainstream friendly than most South Korean thrillers.

SWING KIDS: Tap-Dancing Jazzes Up POW Story
SWING KIDS: Tap-Dancing Jazzes Up POW Story

The tension between musical and war drama at times overwhelms the picture – but god, even when it’s a failure, Swing Kids is entertaining as hell.

BURNING: A Harrowing Examination Of Duality, Class And Isolation
BURNING: A Harrowing Examination Of Duality, Class And Isolation

Lee Chang-dong’s masterful Burning is a pot of luscious ambiguity that has us pining for answers.

The Beginner’s Guide: Park Chan-wook, Director

In this Beginner’s Guide we dive into the works of South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who is best known for his excessive and notorious use of extreme violence.

THE DAY AFTER: Adventures In Autocritique
THE DAY AFTER: Adventures In Autocritique

While lacking the effervescence of his previous film Claire’s Camera, Sang-soo Hang’s The Day After has a mournful cloud that hangs over this digital monochrome display of admirable honesty.

CLAIRE’S CAMERA: The Compelling Unfamiliarity Of Hong’s Honesty
CLAIRE’S CAMERA: The Compelling Unfamiliarity Of Hong’s Honesty

Watching Claire’s Camera feels like watching a film being made right in front of you with director Hong laying bare his cinematic style in that he doesn’t know where he’s taking us, but he’s just as interested to find out.