Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bloopity Bloop]

I've seen a good number of Korean films, and outside of a select few (which I thought were entertaining), I don't particularly like them.

Regardless of genre, they tend to hammer you over the head with melodrama. If I''m watching a comedy, I don't want some random sub-plot about how Minho gives his heart to some girl in need of a transplant.

I saw Gwang Hae a few weeks back and several overly long soapy sob scenes marred what would have otherwise been a decent flick.

Even movies I did particularly enjoy--like TaeGukGi--inundate you with heavy-handed scenes you'd find in some generic soap opera.

Does anyone else feel this way? Every time I watch a Korean film, I hope I don't have to watch grown men bawling their eyes out. 95% of the time, I leave disappointed.

[Steelrails]

Well, depends on the genres you enjoy. I'm a bit of an Art House fan, so I tend to avoid most of those sappy movies. But people can find art house movies slow paced, ponderous, and flat-out boring.

Films like My Dear Enemy, This Charming Girl, The President's Last Bang, Princess Aurora, Secret Sunshine, Singles, Crush & Blush, and Feathers in the Wind tend to avoid the typical Korean movie cliches. In fact, once you start getting into the trendier directors and such, the more such cliches vanish. Really, its mostly the generic films that are like that.

Look for films based on the director. As far as actors go, Song Kang Ho and Jeon Do-yeon have the sheer talent to turn a crappy movie into a mediocre one.

[highstreet]

The Korean movie industry is not what it once was. Companies afraid to take risks. So they play it safe.

[Unibrow]

I love Korean movies personally. Especially thrillers and crime movies. But Kim Ki Duk is my favorite director. Bad Guy is one of my favorites, and he produced Poonsang, another excellent film.

[fermentation]

Like anything else, you need to avoid mainstream movies that cater to as many people as possible. Or in this case, as many Koreans as possible. Many Korea movies can't seem to decide what genre they're trying to be. Taegukgi was the same. It was mix of Saving Private Ryan and your run of the mill K drama. It puzzles me when people say it's better than Saving Private Ryan.

I also despise Korean comedies for the same reason.

I generally don't watch Korean movies, but the good ones are really good. The ones that have a vision and a director who knows where he's taking the movie.

[fosterman]

I don't like Korean movies.
I don't Korean TV

and I HATE Korean dramas! with a passion!