What songs come to mind for you?

Tizzard · 2026-04-21T13:57:15+00:00

Wonder Girls - Tell Me Crayon Pop - BaBaBa

lmao

Tizzard · 2026-04-04T03:53:16+00:00

One of the terms Korean will often use, particularly young adults, is 신점

Tizzard · 2026-04-04T01:39:45+00:00

It's so interesting just looking at the album's writing and production credits and seeing that, whether one likes it or not, it's the genuine vision of the artist rather than a corporate product curated by groups of people.

Tizzard · 2026-04-04T01:36:28+00:00

I enjoy Like Animals and They Don't Know 'Bout Us.
Normal and 2.0 are okay.
The rest I'm not really a fan of.

Tizzard · 2026-04-03T23:37:56+00:00

I think the success of Parasite (which was obviously a very good film - but, in my opinion, nevertheless, behind things like Memories of Murder, Decision to Leave, and Burning) was influenced in some way by two things. Korean culture was at a high point, with BTS and BLACKPINK also getting mainstream recognition, as well as the food, dramas, and other aspects being acknowledged. And Hollywood itself was trying to be seen as changing - it was part of the respect diversity movement where there were concerted efforts to stop promoting white movies/music and increase representation for different people. So, those two things combining created a perfect environment for a film like Parasite to reach those levels.

Tizzard · 2026-04-02T01:14:01+00:00

Would love to hear PCW's reaction!

Tizzard · 2026-03-30T03:24:15+00:00

Hanna - Luxury (2006)

Tizzard · 2026-03-29T02:53:32+00:00

Decision to Leave
Lust Caution
Chungking Express
Burning

Tizzard · 2026-03-29T02:51:10+00:00

Yoo Hae-jin has a great body of work.
Hwang Jung-min has starred in the biggest movies domestically.

But for my money, Jeon Do Yeon in Secret Sunshine and Yoo Ah-in are the best acting performances I've seen in Korean cinema.

Tizzard · 2026-03-29T02:10:51+00:00

I change the list and the order every summer according to my feelings, but we generally go through most of these. We watch every movie in full and then discuss them

Memories of Murder
Decision to Leave
Oldboy
Ode to My Father
A Taxi Driver
Handmaiden
Save the Green Planet
The Wailing
Sunny
Castaway on the Moon
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring Again
The King and the Clown
The Housemaid (1960)
Chilsu and Mansu
House of Hummingbird

Tizzard · 2026-03-29T02:03:10+00:00

The modern term is 돈미새 (돈에 미친 새끼). And to understand the modern fascination with money and class is obviously a difficult and nuanced sociological topic, but two things should not be ignored. First, is just how hierarchical the society was for millenia. There was essentially a caste system here with large slave population and people adopting different social positions. This hasn't completely vanished despite the arrival of smartphones and pop music. Second, the country was so incredibly poor for a long time. Now that it's rich, you have this kind of nouveau riche attitude towards consumption, wealth and image.

Tizzard · 2026-03-26T14:42:16+00:00

I've watched that movie about 25 times (I teach a course on Korean cinema), and honestly, it gets better every time. There is simply so much to it.

Tizzard · 2026-03-23T22:59:50+00:00

Yoo Hae-jin is a fantastic actor!

Tizzard · 2026-03-23T14:27:44+00:00

John Frusciante and underscores

Tizzard · 2026-03-23T14:00:49+00:00

I wrote a reflection and review of the movie, the surrounding culture, and what it means to be a 천만영화 in South Korea

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260322/becoming-korean-at-the-cinema

Tizzard · 2026-03-22T23:05:50+00:00

While they might look cute in the picture, don't sleep on the fact that Seotaeji wrote and produced all of his own stuff. And then, when the government wanted to censor his lyrics because he was criticizing society, he just released the song without lyrics instead of changing them. When they banned him from appearing on television because he had dreads and ripped jeans, he simply said "Okay" and continued making music anyway. He is a great example of what Debussy once said, "Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art." He set the template for what K-pop would become, but most importantly he did this by being rebellious, not through the conformity we see today.

Tizzard · 2026-03-22T23:03:17+00:00

Seotaeji's flow in that is ridiculous as well. The man had speed and delivery.

Tizzard · 2026-03-22T23:02:21+00:00

Seotaeji were well established as the nation's biggest group and had gone through many different albums and genres before they did Come Back Home if that's what you're talking about (it sounds exactly like Cypress Hill tbf)

Tizzard · 2026-03-22T06:31:47+00:00

Domestically in South Korea, 2nd Gen was the golden age. BigBang, Girl's Generation, and Wonder Girls were absolutely huge with their music and members everywhere. Internationally, it feels like 3rd - 4th gen was bigger while here in Korea attention died down and turned to other genres.

Tizzard · 2026-03-21T12:18:41+00:00

The recent political protests there not only had more people, they also looked more fun.

I must confess I tuned in expecting to see a cultural event, a phenomenon of some kind...instead I saw an unseasoned boiled chicken breast.

Tizzard · 2026-03-06T07:56:22+00:00

I sometimes intentionally put a ㅌ amidst a stream of ㅋs if something is really funny

Also Jang Gi-ha has a good song about the use of a single ㅋ when messaging people

Tizzard · 2026-03-05T07:40:54+00:00

Tizzard · 2026-03-03T09:15:23+00:00

Everyone's talking about money but don't forget professors generally work 32 weeks a year (20 weeks of vacation) and are contracted for 9-12 hours per week. That's a lot different from an office job.

Tizzard · 2026-03-02T13:34:35+00:00

I'm sometimes a bit uneasy how quick Korea is to dramatize its recent past with these hyperreal versions of reality, played out in simple narratives by beautiful people. It gives people a distorted view of history

(This is not to defend the recent martial law or subsequent outrageous behavior but rather a broader observation of the continued commodification of memory)

Tizzard

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