Slow and Steady

The Meeting of 'The Glory' Stars and the 'Cold Handsome' Actor, A Combination Unpredictable by Poster Alone When I first encountered the poster for the movie Sister, the first thing that caught my eye was undoubtedly the names of the actors. Cha Joo-young, who left a strong impression as "Stewardess Hye-jeong" in The Glory; Jung Ji-so, who proved her acting skills playing the younger version of Song Hye-kyo in the same work; and Lee Soo-hyuk, who possesses unique visuals and a deep voice. The combination of these three actors with strong personalities, who are rarely seen together in one place, was enough to stimulate curiosity by itself. The cool and dreamy atmosphere exuded by the poster seemed to imply that this movie was not a simple drama but a thriller genre hiding a secret. However, it was impossible to predict what kind of story would unfold just from the expressions of the actors in the poster, making me head to the theater with both anticipation and ...

A Dystopia That Captivated 3.8 Million Viewers, The Overwhelming Worldview of 'Concrete Utopia' Concrete Market is a spinoff that continues the worldview of Director Um Tae-hwa's masterpiece Concrete Utopia, which was released in 2023 and received acclaim from both critics and audiences. The original film depicted the psychology of a group of humans facing extreme situations, set in the limited space of the "Hwang-gung Apartments," the only building left standing in Seoul after a devastating earthquake. Beyond the simple fear of disaster, it chillingly and realistically portrayed human selfishness and collective madness revealed under the pretext of survival, succeeding in capturing both box office success (attracting 3.8 million viewers) and critical acclaim. Therefore, public expectations for how this fascinating dystopian worldview would expand were naturally sky-high. Between Survival Instinct and Morality, The Heavy Philosophical Questions Posed by the Origin...

"What in Winter, That Thing in Spring"... The Strange Resonance of the Title The title, What in Winter, That Thing in Spring (literal translation), which drips with the unique sensibility of Japanese dramas, exudes an unusual aura from the start. A typical romance drama would likely use intuitive words like "Love," "Dating," or "Excitement," but this drama hangs up a vague and abstract title borrowing the senses of the seasons. It seems to be trying to talk about an emotion that lingers on the tip of the tongue but is hard to explain in words. The moment you play the drama, you realize that this ambiguity is the identity of this work. Without a flashy opening or stimulating events, a unique atmosphere that seems to exist somewhere between the cold air of winter and the listlessness of spring fills the screen. It is the start of a very unfamiliar drama that brings a wave of curiosity and bewilderment simultaneously, making you wonder, "What o...

"This is a Genre Possible Only in Japan!" The Essence of Absurdist Comedy The single thought lingering in my head throughout the movie was, "Whose head did this concept come from?" The movie Hell's Garden (Jigok-no-hanazono) is a work that encapsulates the unique B-grade sensibility of Japanese culture, also known as the "sick taste" (byeongmat) code. The direction feels like comic book imagination transferred directly to the screen, and the actors' acting—which is funnier because it is so serious—makes the viewer let out a wry smile before eventually getting sucked into that worldview. It confirms once again that this is a distinct domain that Hollywood or Korean cinema wouldn't dare attempt, one that only the Japanese film industry can digest. It is the birth of a truly "mind-boggling" movie with zero realism but a substantial pleasure derived from its brazen setting. Continuing the Lineage of School Violence Films? An Office Versio...