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VirginIslander
Joined: 24 May 2006
Location: Busan
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 Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 3:29 am Post subject: Korea and D-War: A lesson |
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My girlfirend and I went to see D-War two weeks ago and we decided to walk out after twenty minutes. Instead, we snuck into a film staring a rat who can cook French food. It was much better.
Today, we were at the the movie theater again, and several Koreans were buying D-War tickets.I asked my girlfriend why so many people are watching the film, despite the negative reviews.
She said "because its Korean." If you can understand that, then you can understand Korea. |
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Cynical Optimist
Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Location: S.E. Korea
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 4:21 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, I watched the whole thing. It didn't get better. It felt like a Korean's attempt to copy Hollywood movies by plucking things out of them and tossing them in his film. And I swear the scene with the FBI guys at the cave was so hokey-looking that it reminded me of the Power Rangers! And those beasts and monsters (of the evil army) looked a lot like things from Lord of the Rings, no? Of course this could be forgiven if the story was good. But, alas, it was not. And...
***SPOILER ALERT*****
there was an actual, REAL, totally unabashed deus ex machina ending!
I watched it with some Koreans and I had to bite my tongue after cuz I figured this movie probably has a good connection to some kind of Korean pride thing. |
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in_seoul_2003
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 4:45 am Post subject: Re: Korea and D-War: A lesson |
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| VirginIslander wrote: |
She said "because its Korean." |
There's a Letter to the Editor in Friday's JoongAng Ilbo written by a Korean. The title is "Despite Patriotism..." something or another.
What realy struck me was one the last sentences where he says, "We must pray for the day when Hollywood is conquered."
1. Given all the possible things that people can channel their resources into why on earth should they be invoked to pray for Hollywood success?
2. Ironically, if you want to conquer Hollywood this means that you deem Hollywood worthy of being conquered, particularly since you are living in its image, and, hence, Hollywood has already conquered you.
3. Conquer? What a strange word to use. Why so fuking militaristic?
Anyways, the letter begins about how we should see the movie for its own cinematic merits and not just patriotically, but ends up being purely patriotic.
That's another negative notch for JoongAng Ilbo (they're quickly adding up). |
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Pak Yu Man
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Location: The Ida galaxy
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 4:48 am Post subject: |
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Here's what my wife said.
"They are (the Korean people) giving the guy (clown who made the movie) another chance. They hope he will move on and make a better movie."
WTF? They are paying him for his crap movie. I've been here 9 years and i still don't understand Koreans and their "everyone stick together" mentality. |
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Horangi Munshin
Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:15 am Post subject: |
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Some of my students have seen it.
The consensus is,
nice:
effects
crap:
acting
story
originality.
They saw the LOTR similarities too |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| Given all the possible things that people can channel their resources into why on earth should they be invoked to pray for Hollywood success? |
I think what they mean is they want Korean movies to have the international success that Hollywood has. I think they wince inside when they have to admit everyone knows Brad Pitt but no one outside of a handful of waygookins knows any Korean actor by name. It seems to come from that same inferiority complex most of us are familiar with--you know, world famous, all over that large, underpopulated country in North America. |
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in_seoul_2003
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:40 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Given all the possible things that people can channel their resources into why on earth should they be invoked to pray for Hollywood success? |
I think what they mean is they want Korean movies to have the international success that Hollywood has. I think they wince inside when they have to admit everyone knows Brad Pitt but no one outside of a handful of waygookins knows any Korean actor by name. It seems to come from that same inferiority complex most of us are familiar with--you know, world famous, all over that large, underpopulated country in North America. |
Sure. I just find the "we" (a whole nation of mindless drones marching to the beat of one drum) and "pray" (on hands and knees) coupled with the symbolism of "conquered" to be so intense it's both cheesy and a bit scary at the same time.
He could have just said, "Let's hope for success in Hollywood." Still silly but at least palatable. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:21 am Post subject: |
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99% of the Koreans I met said the movie sucked. Most of them went just to see how bad it really was.
Personally, it was interesting to see it. Its like they took the worst scenes from 10 movies and put them together.
It was like Star Wars Episode 1 + LOTR + George Lucas style dialogue + Softcore Porn plot/acting. |
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Letiz7
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:51 am Post subject: |
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| in_seoul_2003 wrote: |
both cheesy and a bit scary at the same time.
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Bit like the whole country really. |
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Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 8:00 am Post subject: |
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Some of my students in one of my classes asked what I thought of the movie. I gave a thumbs down gesture, and they all had shocked, disappointed looks on their faces, as if I were putting down Korea, itself. So now I just lie and tell my kids, "D-War? Yeah, it was okay."
But when it comes to movies, I'm pretty picky. I probably don't like a good 90% of the movies that I see. |
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