FanFare

A major accident (building collapse) takes the lives of 48 people. The lives of the survivors, those who lost loved ones, and those connected to the parties blamed for the tragic event are marked forever. IMDB Rating: 8.2 [more inside]
posted by kbar1 on Nov 12, 2022 - 1 comment

A high school becomes ground zero for a zombie virus outbreak. Trapped students must fight their way out or turn into one of the rabid infected. IMDB 7.5 rating [more inside]
posted by kbar1 on Oct 29, 2022 - 4 comments

This is a loose retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, set in modern day South Korea and wrapped in a murder-mystery-thriller. 12 episodes; episodes drop Saturday and Sunday on Netflix; Sep 3 through Oct 9, 2022. Director: Kim Hee Won (Vincenzo); Screenwriter: Jung Seo Kyung (Handmaiden, Mother). [more inside]
posted by kbar1 on Sep 28, 2022 - 8 comments

Reply 1988 centers on the lives of five families living in a small neighborhood in Seoul. No cell phones, just one TV in the main living area, and absurdly large family meals (frequently shared with the whole neighborhood). As with Hospital Playlist, Prison Playbook, and the rest of the Reply series, shows from this writer & director pair are about relationships; in Reply 1988 the relationships are between the childhood friends as they slowly mature, between parents & children, and across all the adults. It’s a slice of life drama, with a lot of comedy, romance, culture, and history mixed in. 20 episodes, most over 90 minutes. [more inside]
posted by kbar1 on Jun 21, 2022 - 2 comments

Noodle shop employees by day and demon hunters by night, the Counters use special abilities to chase down malevolent spirits that prey on humans. Circumstances bring So Mun, a high school student, into their circle. [more inside]
posted by idb on Jan 31, 2021 - 6 comments

After the shocking double-reveal cliffhanger at the end of season 1 (currently at 93/97 on Rotten Tomatoes) this South Korean period drama, set soon after the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, is back for another 6 episodes with more palace intrigue, class warfare, beautiful costumes and gorgeous cinematography, set against the backdrop of a massive plague of flesh-eating monsters. On Netflix.
posted by mediareport on Apr 5, 2020 - 2 comments

A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea -- and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide. (Netflix, tvN Korea) [more inside]
posted by oh yeah! on Mar 31, 2020 - 7 comments

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks to sustain their livelihood. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. [more inside]
posted by youarenothere on Oct 19, 2019 - 61 comments

Adopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth. Previously on the blue.
posted by catch as catch can on Jun 5, 2018 - 1 comment

When a group of con men pose as church elders to swindle a village facing destruction due to the building of a new dam, an earnest priest brought in to tend the congregation and a vicious local drunk find themselves caught up in the con men's game. [more inside]
posted by gusottertrout on Jul 4, 2017 - 2 comments

The quiet mountain village of Goksung is plagued by outbreaks of violence. Suspects include: a foreigner, a ghost, a rash, and bad mushrooms. Jong-goo — an affable, bumbling cop — must solve the mysteries to save his own family. Directed by Na Hang-jin (of The Chaser and The Yellow Sea). Run time: 2h 36m. [more inside]
posted by fleacircus on Dec 18, 2016 - 15 comments

Spoiler-friendly zone for discussing Society Game, a Korean variety show broadly similar to Survivor. [more inside]
posted by Panthalassa on Nov 6, 2016 - 31 comments

This week.... Hostilities flare up between North Korea and South Korea. Vladimir Putin bans the import of many types of food from the West. Greece President Alexis Tsipras resigns (but will still run for reelection) after just seven months in office amidst controversy over his bank-mandated austerity measures. And Now: Another Check-In With The Most Patient Man On Television. (That would be Steve Scully of C-Span's Washington Journal.) The main story: discrimination against LGBT couples still legal in surprisingly much of the nation. YouTube (15m) And Now: The Most Patient Man On Television Faces His Greatest Challenge. Finally, a follow-up on the business of John Oliver's church, Our Lady Of Perpetual Exemption. They got rather a lot of mail, including a giant bag of seeds, followed by gianter bag of seeds the next day. They also got beef jerky and a 100-Trillion-dollar bill from Zimbabwe (worth about 40 cents). Last Week Tonight is taking a break for two weeks. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Aug 24, 2015 - 6 comments

A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and focuses its attention on attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches. [more inside]
posted by Ik ben afgesneden on Apr 10, 2015 - 10 comments

In The Host, toxic chemicals create a monster of a problem in Seoul, South Korea. The director is Bong Joon-ho of Snowpiercer fame. It's funny, scary, and good fun. This is the pick for April 10. [more inside]
posted by Ik ben afgesneden on Apr 2, 2015 - 4 comments