Slow and Steady

A Cruel Variation of the Trolley Problem, Asking the Definition of Justice Do you know the "Trolley Problem," one of the most widely cited dilemmas in ethics and behavioral economics? A train with broken brakes is running, and there are five workers on the track ahead. If you pull a lever, the train changes direction, sacrificing only one worker to save five. Would you pull the lever? From a utilitarian perspective of "the greatest happiness for the greatest number," saving five might seem rational, but the debate over whether it is morally right to calculate human life in numbers is endless. The newly released drama Bloody Flower on Disney+ is a controversial work that grafts this classic philosophical problem onto the crime thriller genre, throwing a cool and heavy question to the viewers. If a murderer developed medical skills to save more lives based on those sacrifices, could we condemn him? The Power of a Solid Original, Bringing Lee Dong-gun's 'Flower...

A Familiar Yet Unfamiliar Conclusion: The Illusion of Having Seen It As a movie enthusiast, especially regarding the Terminator series, which is called the bible of the SF action genre, I prided myself on having watched every installment. However, strangely enough, Terminator: Dark Fate, the latest entry in the series, felt oddly unfamiliar to me. The appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in the poster was incredibly familiar, yet it was a bizarre experience where the specific content of the movie did not form a picture in my head. Perhaps the fatigue given by the numerous sequels that have poured out over the years and the repetitive consumption of similar images created the illusion that I had already seen it even though I hadn't. It was only after watching it by chance on a cable channel that I realized this movie was the true final chapter of the series that I had missed or perhaps ignored. The Burden of Sequels Left Behind by the Legendary T1 and T2 The Termin...

A Shift in Strategy: From Spectacle to Depth, Netflix Finds a New Path If we examine the recent trends of OTT platforms, including Netflix, we can sense a distinct shift from the early days when blockbuster action movies, pouring in massive capital to provide flashy spectacles, were the dominant force. Initially, stimulating visuals of destruction and explosions were the most powerful weapons to attract subscribers, but as time passes, more viewers are feeling fatigued by these monolithic contents. Cases where vast production budgets resulted in failure in both criticism and box office due to weak narratives and improbable developments have become frequent, leading to a strategic correction within Netflix. Now, movies that possess weighty messages and solid narratives—even if somewhat heavy and requiring serious reflection—are capturing viewers' hearts and acting as key players in increasing "watch time," rather than those offering mere visual pleasure. In this flow, the ...

Intense from the Opening, The Dignity of Netflix's No. 1 Starting with a Corpse Netflix has caused an incident once again. It is the story of the 8-episode drama Lady Dua, which stood at the center of the topic by taking first place immediately upon release. The scent of alluring yet cool mystery emanating from the poster was enough to stimulate the curiosity of viewers. Above all, the highlight of this drama lies in the shocking opening thrown as soon as it starts. Betraying the expectation that a beautiful mise-en-scène will unfold, a horribly damaged corpse appears, and the drama clearly declares that it is not a simple melodramatic love story, but a thick-boned crime thriller and mystery genre. This introduction, where the world of flashy luxury goods and the image of cold death intersect, instantly immerses viewers and shows in short why this work occupied the top spot immediately after its release. Irreplaceable Presence, The Power of 'One-Top' Actress Proven by Shin ...