TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF KOREAN CINEMA

The not so bittersweet life of Korean Cinema

From Oldboy to Squid Game, Korea has led the way in film and TV in the first 25 years of the century. When we exist in a world of bloated cinematic experiences, banal reality TV shows that are nothing more than minor celebrity creation, and an unending  diet of less than original content the Koreans have contributed some of the most ingenious, original and challenging content for our viewing pleasure.

Squid Game was a huge hit during COVID and something we had never seen before. Its success has led to a real life version a participant experience and created a pathway for more audiences to dip their toe into the world of Korean media.

Bargain and The Glory also garnered great viewing figures on Paramount + and Netflix despite, or because of their complexity and there has been a rise in Thrillers, Rom-Coms and of course Revenge Dramas (Korea's 'go to' genre). The diversity of the product is exciting and challenging and draws on many influences. It can primarily be found on streaming platforms and Netflix, in particular, have a good choice available.

As for cinema-

The foremost Korean contribution to popular culture has been cinema and the film that perhaps announced its arrival was Park Chan-wook's amazing Oldboy (avoid the US remake like the plague) an exceptional piece of work that is comfortably one of the best films of the century. The Korean film that woke up the cinematic world was Bong Joon-ho's Parasite which was the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture Academy Award.

Between these two landmarks there have been a ridiculous amount of quality films coming out of the country: Memories Of Murder a serial killer thriller that beat Zodiac to the punch. A Bittersweet Life a gangster movie as deep as it is thrilling. I Saw The Devil, once seen never forgotten. Train To Busan; just when you thought that the Zombie genre had run out of gas this gave us a thrilling new take. The Host, a monster movie that looks at environmental issues. There are far too many to mention but suffice it to say that there are almost too many to mention.

The role of women in Korean cinema should also not be overstated. The Alpha female is a consistent theme and many of the action films that are produced have female leads that are as devastating in combat as any male action hero from the west. Films like The Villainess and Lady Vengeance have powerful women characters who do not abandon their inherent principles for power.

For me, Park Chan-wook is the finest Korean Director and has produced a consistent output of great films. His new masterpiece No Other Choice is released at the end of January 2026 and I can think of no better way to begin a journey into Korean cinema than going to see it 

No Other Choice Trailer-

Below is my personal list of 25 favourite Korean movies, this list is not a defining list nor is it about "the best" its just my favourites from 25 years of watching the wonderful world of Korean films.

• Oldboy
• Memories Of Murder
• I Saw The Devil
• Decision To Leave
• A Bittersweet Life
• The Handmaiden
• The Man From Nowhere
• The Chaser
• Confidential Assignment
• Parasite
• The Villainess
• The Wailing
• The Witch
• (Sympathy For) Lady Vengeance
• Train To Busan
• The Host
• Kill Boksoon
• Thirst
• I'm A Cyborg But That's Okay
• Snowpiercer
• Past Lives
• Save The Green Planet
• The Call
• Burning
• Sympathy For Mister Vengeance

• 

TOP OF THE SYNTH POPS

 

Hans Zimmer a beneficiary of Synth Pop

The UK charts in the early eighties is remembered for New Wave, Two Tone, New Romantic, The tail end of Punk, ballads and the influence of Disco. Very much a mixed bag but a sub-genre existed that is overlooked and only fondly remembered by a few. Technology was vital to this form of pop as was an understanding of how to write perfect pop songs. Hard to define a cover all name, so let’s call it Synth-Pop and for three years (1980-1983) it produced records that featured new production techniques utilising the Jupiter-8, DX7 synthesisers, TR-808 drum machines and sequencers. and gave the British pop scene a point of difference with its melodic, layered and textured sound.

Band’s purpose built for it, older bands that were given a new lease of life by it, some bands given credibility and bands who went on to great success using it as a base before branching out.

Here’s a Top Ten

1. The Korgis-Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: (1980)

2. New Muzik-A Map Of You: (1980) 

3. The Buggles – I Love You (Miss Robot): (1980)

4. Dollar-Give Me Back My Heart: (1982)

5. The Human League- Don’t You Want Me: (1981)

6. Soft Cell-Say Hello, Wave Goodbye: (1981)

7. Bucks Fizz -My Camera Never Lies: (1982)

8. Eurythmics-Sweet Dreams are Made Of This: (1983)

9. Yazoo-Only You: (1982)

10. Depeche Mode-See You: (1982)

IN PRAISE OF SNOOPY

“Snoopy’s whole personality is a little bittersweet. But he’s a very strong character. He can win or lose, be a disaster, a hero, or anything, and yet it all works out. I like the fact that when he’s in real trouble, he can retreat into a fantasy and thereby escape.”-Charles M Schultz

I am going to say from the off that Snoopy is the greatest comic character of all time. 

Snoopy was born at the Daisy Hill puppy farm and has seven siblings, Spike, Belle, Marbles, Olaf, Andy,  Molly and Rover. 

While he started off as a regular looking dog (a Beagle) he got more humanistic as the years went by. He is the observer of the children that rotate in Charlie Brown's orbit. Charlie Brown being Snoopy's nominal owner.

His enduring appeal is that, while he is far wiser than the children with whom he shares the page, when confronted by  life's absurdities he is able to  retreat into a fantasy world where many of us would like to live and in which he has several aliases, Including Joe Cool, The Word War I Flying Ace, The Famous Author, an Attorney, An Ice Hockey Player and an Olympic figure skater. 

Snoopy's most loyal of friends is a bird called Woodstock who is something of a Sancho Panza figure to Snoopy's Don Quixote They share a common language which is indecipherable to to the children but not to us, the reader. This makes us their confidantes

Why is Snoopy so popular? Hard to say, but he has entered our consciousness and, after 75 years is the world's most famous dog. Like all the greats he is recognisable by one name and his image is instanty recognisable.

For many he is seen as that cute dog, which he is, but he is also a multi layered character that is familiar to everyone even those who have never read one of Charles M Schultz's wonderful 'Peanuts' comic strips that spanned 1950-2000 and was read by 35,000000 people. Charlie Brown may be the lead character of 'Peanuts' but Snoopy is the star

AMERICAN CRIMBO

 

Merry Christmas, dear reader.  I can't write much as I have to return some video tapes

A ONE DUNCE CONFEDERACY

“John Kennedy Tool’s A Confederacy of Dunces follows the misadventures of protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly, a lazy, overweight, misanthropic, self-styled scholar who lives at home with his mother. He is an educated but slothful 30-year-old man”

The incumbent ' leader of the free world" may very well be this century's Ignatius J Reilly, only infinitely less well read. He is reaching peak "My horse is the new Secretary Of State" levels. His rambling and ludicrous pronouncements make The President of St Marcos seems lucid in comparison. Brother Bluto's call to arms is a sonnet compared to the President's outpourings.

He is about to sue the British public, that's right, us. By taking legal action against the BBC he is, in effect, hoping to receive our money in a settlement. His method of dealing with questions he is not capable of answering is to call reporters pigs and obnoxious. His method of dealing with critics is to accuse them of having mental health problems (I'm phrasing it in appropriate terms rather than the language he uses)

His grasp of how the rest of the world views him is slender to say the least, as is his grasp of empathy. This is a man who is incapable of self reflection, is uncomfortable in his own skin as evidenced by his attempts at dancing, and has the capacity to evaluate his past statements of a goldfish.

When it comes to women and girls, where does one start? He is clearly a misogynist allegedly a Paedophile, and quite possibly has leanings towards incest.

His taste of style is that of a senile Liberace as can be evidenced by his obsession with gold plating. When suited up, he is less of a man about town more a tramp about town. You can't polish a turd.

"McDonalds Mr President?"

"Yes, super size me!"

This is a man who thinks fast food is fine dinning and assault's his honoured guest's taste buds with high salt, sugar and fat offerings from the Golden Arches. 

As for Mar-a-Lago, It resembles a scene from Caligula , if they had invented Plastic surgery in AD 47.

You can judge a man by his enemies and those who have come out publicly to denounce him are far more eloquent, talented, humane and trustworthy than his acolytes.

I am hopeful that it's not so much a case of when, but how soon. HE is running out of options as even the most deluded of those who voted or him can see that he is living in an alternative universe. Mind you, they fell for the supposed assassination attempt so who knows.

One thing is clear is that there has never been a bigger downgrade in human history than that from Barrack Obama to Donald J Trump

On reflection, maybe the 47th President of the United States is nothing like Ignatius J Reilly in as much as one is a fictional character and the other, well you couldn't make him up

COME ALIVE. UNSUBSCRIBE

 

"I am no longer interested (not that I was in the first place)"

The joy of unsubscribing. Checking one’s emails is a tricky proposition these days. Wading through the dross and intrusive messages asking you about car accidents, savings, shoes, health, pet care… the list is endless. “Why are they sending me this stuff” my internal voice asks. I neither know not nor can I remember ever having expressed an interest in the majority of topics that land in my inbox, but somehow, I am on the receiving end.

It's the dreaded subscription. And it appears as if subscription is no longer a choice but something that happens automatically when clicking on any number of websites.

Having had just about enough I embarked on an unsubscribe journey. Separating the wheat from the chaff, getting rid of the time wasters and chancers and generally de cluttering. It’s cathartic I can tell you.

I long ago reduced all physical mail to the extent that I receive maybe two letters a week, if that, and both the recycling bin and my peace of mind have benefitted from this. I fundamentally don’t want anyone contacting me unless they are known to me. Those that knock at my door without good reason beware. If I want to find out about a religion I will do so, If I want to hear about an offer, I will seek it out, If I want to donate to a charity I will make arrangements. I don’t need to stand with an uninvited visitor at my threshold trying to engage me in, what is essentially, salesmanship.

And that is what the subscription email is, an unwanted visitor trying to get you to part with your hard-earned cash. So, take my advice and unsubscribe, unsubscribe with extreme prejudice, unsubscribe with gusto. You will feel lighter, you will feel spiritually elevated…perhaps that last statement is going a bit far, but once you unsubscribe your email life will never be the same. Maybe I should go door to door and spread the good news!

EAU DE OH NO

 

  sniff sniff who's there?

Oud. It seems to be the must smell of the year. I don't like the smell of Oud, I find it makes my olfactory senses shudder, and in a London full of odours it's another pervasive interloper to contend with.

The unwashed. These days we have a number of Pound shops, corner shops and discount street stalls where the purchase of deodorant is very affordable and therefore I see no reason to have rampant body odour, but if it were only that simple. The way in which some people reek can only be attributable to never washing, either body or clothes.

Incense. Whoever thought that the pong of burning incense was in any way enjoyable must have had a knock on the head from a plummeting over ripe coconut that resulted in them losing their sense of smell. Once inhaled it reminds one of apathy, it is the smell of ennui.

It's not just the everyday scents that assault ones nostrils. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Truffles! The aroma of burning tyres, the overpowering  pungency from an adjacent restaurant table that results in having to hang one's coat in the garden overnight to get rid of the melted rubber residual pong.

Let us not forget that one smell that is unavoidable it seems; Marijuana/Weed/Puff/Skunk, I don't know what the eponymous kids on the street call it these days but its musky tone is everywhere it seems. Wafting from bedroom windows, balconies and worst of all clinging to the garments of the heavy user like a cloud of ennui. It's as ubiquitous as the smell of fireworks in November as common as the smell of damp leaves as rampant as the smell of vapes.

One of the few benefits of Covid was the availability of masks, this allows us to have at least some protection from these assaults on olfaction. I may take to wearing one again when I am out and about. Or alternatively I could search Amazon for a second hand gas mask

HO HO AND INDEED HO!

 

And so, this is Christmas, apparently. The season to be jolly is upon us once more dear friends, once more. This is not going to be a, as many of you would naturally expect a curmudgeonly post by any means; there are enough Scrooge’s around to supply that. On the contrary I am going to praise Yuletide.

Something about this year has got me all aglow. Maybe because it doesn’t feel like we are saturated with festive fare popping up in all forms of media televisual and social. Yes, there are the predictable eau de parfum and après rasage commercials proliferating; all of which seem to be identical to whatever was conjured up by the creative marketing minds over the last few years, but they are easily fast forwarded through.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have reared their heads once more but rather than seeing it as a cynical excuse to get customers to PayPal their way into debt, these present opportunities to get a discount on those jeans you wanted whilst picking up a bargain for your “precocious” niece’s Christmas box.

“What about Christmas songs?” you say? It’s not all Mariah Carey and Slade you know. I’ve managed to rekindle some enthusiasm for those Christmas records of bygone days. I’m enjoying the Ze Records A Christmas Record long player which features an eclectic mix on artists with interpretations of X-Mas melodies, alongside the A Very Special Christmas albums that were produced to raise money for the special Olympics and feature Christmas songs by Madonna, Run DMC, Eurythmics, Boyz II Men, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandros, Macy Grey, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks  U2 among others. 

Christmas shopping an issue? No. Frankly I spend so little time in shops that I have little contact with shoppers and at this time of year the delivery man (or woman) is King (or Queen) so that when I do venture forth it is not so much of an issue. In small doses crowds of consumers is not an issue especially as a shopping trip at this time of the year is the perfect excuse to get ensconced in the pub. I like a pub at Christmas, correction, I love a pub at Christmas. The tempo of an afternoon down a good British boozer at this time of year is an ideal way to fritter away half the day. People are happier for a start, and the smell of mulled wine, although I am not a fan of the taste, is evocative and welcoming. If there is an open fire, then Bingo! I’ll have a pint and keep them coming.

I'm not sure that this thawing of my cynicism is a conscious decision but, I'm feeling pretty, pretty, pretty, good about Christmas 2025.

CONSUMER OR CATTLE?

 

A night at the Emirates: Arsenal V Brentford

A cold night in North London and an arrangement top meet up with friends for a pre match pint, but to enjoy the pre match drink one has to navigate door staff to whom you have to prove you’re an Arsenal supporter.

When you reach the ground you are herded like cattle through turnstiles after having a body search.

Once in the ground one is treated to a selection of overpriced refreshments and of course any alcohol you do buy (in plastic glasses) you have to drink before going to your seat. Speaking of seats, they are basic and give little room to manoeuvre. My seats were perfectly situated to see the back of a cameraman  and his assistant who sat in my sight line which made for a frustrating viewing experience. But it got worse as whenever Arsenal staged an attack the cameraman stood up and blocked even more of the view.

A half time toilet break was  a urine soaked  wade to the urinals following a long queue.

What struck me was that, for a premium price point the contempt in which the “consumer” is held is completely skewed.

Now I’m not talking about luxury, VIP treatment, just equitable treatment. The supporter being of  value commensurate to the cost of admission .

I can think of no other sport, theatre, opera, ballet, cinema or performance art where the customer is so devalued. Perhaps pop concerts, but as I don’t attend them I can’t vouch for that.

My take away is that I may have to remove myself from the experience. This brings me no joy, but I assume that when one turns up week after week one gets used to it.

It seems that my only alternative is to win the lottery and buy a premium ticket or a box. That’s not me feeling entitled but feeling that we are all entitled to be treated correctly as, without us the club is nothing.

The thing that saddens me most, but also bolsters my conclusion is that going to the Arsenal is mostly about meeting friends. Good people. Honest people. People that you can talk to about the Arsenal and those talks lead to other conversations about all manner of things.

I think that the lesson I’ve learned is that the social aspect is of more value than the game experience, in as much as in the first, respect and having a good time is a major factor and in the former one feels that a lack of respect for fans diminishes the enjoyment of the game

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY CRACK

It’s not easy living with pigeons. I’m talking about Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds here. A flock of them have taken up residence on the local roundabout. They are fed by members of the public who either can’t or won’t read the signs that are displayed alerting them to the fact that feeding the pigeons is bad for the pigeons, attracts rats and is a general hazard/inconvenience for everybody. The signs also clearly state that it is an offence to do so.

I see the would-be bird-lovers daily with their loaves of Aldi bread standing among the throng of avians with looks of derangement on their faces, almost as if they are struggling to deal with the winged masses that they are inviting. 

Of course, there is no one to stop them, no one to enforce the law and prevent the spread of vermin and excrement as there are no police on the streets. They are tucked up in their patrol cars waiting to engage in a high-speed pursuit to get the old adrenaline going.

The pigeon infestation and those that promote it are a metaphor for a bigger social ill, Crack. Yes, the eponymous drug that has taken London by storm. Addicts are rife at the moment in my neck of the woods. Easily spotted by their Olympic level speed as they scuttle along to get their fix. Their caved in faces missing teeth are also a dead give-away as is their tendency to be skeletal.

They can be seen fixing in doorways and benches, they clutter up the place and recite the ubiquitous mantra “got any spare change”.

I stopped to speak to four of them hunkered down in a doorway next to the supermarket and asked them about their lifestyle. One of them told me to “F*ck Off!”, one was too out of it to respond, one uttered incoherent gibberish and the fourth actually engaged and made some valid points.

Like the pigeons they are attracted to the area as the have a choice of commuters going about their daily routine, to ask to simply give them money. They have a weekly Soup kitchen, and the dealers make use of the ample parking to meet the demand.

And, like the pigeon feeders, there are no police officers around to intervene, move them along or indeed arrest the dealers.

So, Pigeons and Crack Heads do what they do unabated. The pigeon feeders’ actions encourage rats, and the addicts encourage drug dealers. The Pigeons won’t leave as long as they are getting a free meal, and the addicts won’t move on as long as they get sufficient small change to cover their costs.

That’s supply and demand I suppose. I wish they would all simply fly away

TWENTY TWENTY FIVE : A CINEMATIC LONG ROAD

 

It’s been a long road this cinematic year, yes, I know it’s not over yet, but It’s time for my year in cinema. The films I have seen in 2025

Nosferatu-Dark gothic take that is both scary and thoughtful. A good job well done

We Live In Time- A surprise. The second-best British film about a couple this year

Alba Rose – A great little movie about loss with a subtle lead performance from Nicola Wright

Luther Never Too Much-A must if, like me, you are a fan of Mr Vandross

Nightbitch- A bit more miss than hit but a original ideas are worth celebrating

Hard Truths – Spot on and timely performance from Marianne Jean- Baptiste. Mike Leigh does it again

Captain America Brave New World – Entertaining fluff. Perhaps it’s a franchise film too far though

The Monkey – I liked it. Very much a retro feel to this tight horror

Maxxxine – The last instalment in the trilogy. Aspires to All About Eve status

Mickey 17 – Disappointing from the great Bong Joon-ho. A blemish on his career

Black Bag – The best British Couples movie of the year. Compelling with uniformally good performances

Alto Knights – Not sure why it needed the multiple roles gimmick. Fell short of the qualities the leads possess

Thunderbolts – The other Marvel team take a bow. Hokum, but fun

Drop – High concept, well executed 

Sinners- Strong shout for film of the year. Singular horror gangster noir from Ryan Cooglar

Mission : Impossible The Final Reckoning – A worthy send-off that ties up a lot of loose ends and proves again that nobody is better at being Tom Cruise than Tom Cruise

28 Years Later – Great, great sequel. Enthralling and elegiac at the same time

The Ballad Of Wallis Island – A gem of a film that should have had more coverage

Hot Milk -Excellent film that uses the old trope of ‘quirky non-conformist meets ordinary girl’ with fresh breath 

Superman – Enjoyable and for once we don’t have to go through the whole origin thing. For fans of Silver Age Superman and All-Star Superman this is essential viewing. Great supporting cast of heroes by the way

Fantastic Four: First Steps – Tough one for me. My favourite comic becomes flesh for the fourth time, so expectations were high. Superb retro design underpins a story of family with a light touch Let’s see where this goes

Friendship – An odd couple dark comedy that is well worth your time 

Weapons – Originality again and a sense of dread pervades this film that packs a punch

The Life Of Chuck – Left me feeling “is that all there is”

The Last Showgirl - Pamela Anderson is fantastic in this story of faded glamour and parenthood

The Roses – This, for me is the worst film that I have seen this year. The two leads give the expectation that one is about to see something special, but it’s far from it. It’s impossible to feel anything about its cast of characters and the moribund story. Hard to know what went wrong. I would imagine ‘everything’

Highest 2 Lowest – Spike Lee returns with another solid performance from Denzel Washington. Doesn’t reach the heights of Lee’s best work but still very watchable 

Companion – The perils of AI made real. Unusual to see humans stalking a robot, and that robot has more soul than the humans involved.

Chungking Express – An Oldie but Goldie. Could have been made yesterday. Loved seeing it again on the big screen. Outstanding 

The Long Walk -Very good Stephen King adaptation, that has some similar themes to Stand By Me

The Surfer -Nicolas Cage is hit and miss. In this he is definitely a hit. Surreal and thought provoking in these times of toxic masculinity

Presence – Strangely unemotional but a one-off experience that leaves you guessing

One Battle After Another – Film of the year. Paul Thomas Anderson gives us his usual excellence in storytelling, pacing and emotional intelligence and as for the car chase; wow!

A House Of Dynamite – Outstanding from Kathryn Bigelow. A premise and delivery of that premise that is exceptional

Bugonia – Strong performance from Emma Stone in a wonderful film that, like most of Lathinos’ work is unique.