Monday, March 8, 2010

Monday Movie Recommendations

We had our 11:30 meeting at the Goam campus today.  Even though Ian's schedule is a mess, it's tough not to be a little jealous of the new set up.  His desk and computer are in his classroom which means that he is set up like an actual teacher, not just shoved in the corner (or closet, in the case of Haso).  And he has Rahee and Angela (who speak very good English) if he ever has a moment to be bored.  The campus looks really nice.  I'm interested in what sort of changes will happen to my campuses at the end of May.

The meeting went normally.  Everyone is still confused about the Goam schedule and no one really has time to care about what I'm up to, which is a bit of a relief.

Ian and I have decided to make our way through the "Greatest Movies Ever" book that Justin gave us for our wedding.  We plan to watch all the movies on the list that we haven't seen; it's doubtful we'll make it throught them in six months.  We started a week ago with "The Graduate" and we'll be watching "The Godfather: Part 1" tonight with the second part following tomorrow.

In that spirit, I wanted to recommend a few Korean films to you.  Well, the only three Korean movies I've actually seen, at least.

Gwoemul or The Host in English.  The literal translation of the title is "Monster."  You may remember it's limited release in the states.  The plot follows a family as they deal with the catastrophic events following a very large mutant's emergence from the Han.  It's a blockbuster, but it has political bite, especially regarding American military presence in Korea.

 
Oldboy.  It's phonetically the same in Korean ("oldaboi").   It's probably one of the most famous Korean films ever made.  It's actually part of a trilogy, falling between Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.  The plot follows a man who searches for answers as to why he was imprisoned in a hotel room for 15 years.  It's dark, but empathetic and it has an excellent reputation with critics (including Western ones).


 Treeless Mountain.  This film is my favorite of the three that I've seen, mostly because it depicts the Korea that Ian and I know and see on an everyday basis.  The film follows the two sisters after they are left behind by their mother, who tells them she is going to look for their father.  They're left with their aunt, a caricature of common people in rural Korea.

You can watch all three films instantly on Netflix.

Good night!

1 comment:

  1. I will put them on my Que (spelling) , the first and last one you mentioned look quite intriguing. Glad your meeting went well. Just think if you were to be there a second year Julia might actually value your opinion, or at least get your name right. Happy movie watching.

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