Random Round Up: Binge Edition

It's that time again! Me sharing what are the things I've been consuming, watching, enjoying, while procrastinating from my actual to do list, AND also taking some much needed time away and resting. Much like the rest of the world, I binged and enjoyed Squid Game - I had it marked months prior because I'm still always a little dazed that Korean content is showcased and readily produced with streaming sites. And in that, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole of a TON of Korean shows and movies.

​I feel like Squid Game needs no explanation. The only thing I'll reference is what others (especially on Twitter) have discussed about what gets lost in translation from Korean to English, which is something not just to Squid Game but a lot of the Korean dramas and movies. In that, it feels -- odd -- to understand the nuances and realize that it's not carrying over in English. Even the use of my word "odd" is an (ironic?) translation of the word I actually want to say in Korean... 

What I've realized with the majority of the movies and shows I've recently binged is the critique of the system and a comment towards corruption. Squid Game, classically focuses on capitalism; Hellbound critiques cults and the ways people too easily weaponize religion into fanacitism; The King about political machinations to create the history that is celebrated. ​Likewise, I've realized I tend to gravitate towards the vigilante, rag-tag type of "fight the man" team, much in the ways One, the Woman is challenging corporate conglomerates (with a dash of murder/ disappearance/ mistaken identity); or Veteran as the team is trying to take down an entitled, violent, person (that represents a much larger system). And to be clear, most of these are incredibly violent (Squid Game and Hellbound, especially so), but also with a dash of humor (sometimes a romance line too). Extreme Job overlays efforts of trying to uncover a drug ring with getting waylaid by their too-effective undercover operation as a fried chicken place and Don't Date That Guy infuses an espionage tale with a sarcastic refrigerator (yes, you read that right). 

And as a random observation, I didn't realize how many zombie shows and movies I've been enjoying. It's not a trend I thought I'd like (and I completely skipped over the vampires and werewolves excitement), but in thinking about Kingdom, Train to Busan, and most recently Happiness, I apparently really like zombie things, or at the very least, the way Korean directors are showcasing zombie storylines and tying it back to... yep, you guessed it, corruption, greed, and the human condition.

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