Pop Cultures of East Asia
Kyle Ravelo
Blog Post 1
Blog Post 2 - The East Asian Underworld : Closer than you Think
Although the common individual has rare encounters with gangsters and the underground society of illicit activities, it is seen through the variety of films we covered in class that these untouchable individuals we stereotype are have similar motives and behaviors as any normal person. In other words, we often see those involved in organized crime to be violent, unempathetic, and driven by money, but we see from a different perspective that they have have the same characteristics and challenges as most individuals. This can be seen through the variety of challenges the characters face and themes in the movie “A Better Tomorrow”. John Woo’s film focuses on the relationship between the Kit, Ho, and Mark, while the gangster versus cop attributes of the film fuel the conflict.
The dynamic relationship between the three main characters not only drives the adversity in the movie, but also breaks the stigma of masculinity and men. Their emotionally intense encounters change the audience’s understanding of masculinity. Julian Stringer makes a critical analysis of the relationship between the brothers in his article by stating, “... the film squeezes intimacy where it would normally be socially sanctioned - romantic or familial relationships with women. Instead, in the male melodrama of doing and suffering, men take over the women’s rights to tears and feeling, while simultaneously preserving their virile, active masculinity.” Even with their ongoing conflict, the dynamic relationship between Kit and Ho not only brings them together but also reveals the true brotherhood and closeness the characters share in moments of difficulty and pain. Overall, John Woo was breaking boundaries and rules about male masculinity by invoking true human emotions, such as sadness, revenge, and love, between the brothers. It forces the audience to think about how even individuals who live completely different lifestyles are closer to our own self than we believe.
Blog Post 3 - Hallyu & KPop Culture
Although KPop has always been a significant influence of the Korean Wave, the recent global breakthrough has mainly been a factor of the capitalizing on extremely talented artists and social media marketing for the purpose of expanding South Korea’s global recognition and soft power. In other words, the Hallyu has been able to reach international markets because of South Korea’s efforts to export their entertainment idols in a new light across a larger audience than just South East Asia. As stated in the article Catching up to the Hallyu? by Kim, “the idea of reorienting the economy towards the production of gross national cool has been applied in the Korean context as well… culture and creativity are now seen as key economic resources, unlocking a whole new sphere of interstate competition.” While this idea is not a new concept, very few countries have been able to dominate the entertainment industry. Only the most talented and popular artists are able to develop a global fan base. When we examine the global virality of Psy success, his songs spread rapidly through the internet because of his unique persona and catchiness of his music.
Although his fame was quick and short lived, his example of becoming an global internet sensation had sparked the Korean Hallyu wave for other artists. In comparison to the virality of BTS, the global success of the group has solidified their position in the entertainment market, as well as bringing KPop to new heights in the entertainment industry. Overall, the success and popularity of BTS has transcended past achievements of KPop artists and brought the Hallyu to new heights across the world. I would love to not only see how far the success and fan base of the group is able to go, but also what groups may follow in their footsteps from South Korea.
Because of the camera techniques used by Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of the most unique action movies ever made. In other words, Ang Lee’s directing style ensures that he captures authentic action for viewers to easily see and enjoy. For example, one of my favorite scenes in the movie that perfectly represents this is Jen Yu fighting the gang men in the restaurant after she leaves the temple. Jen Yu finds herself in a chaotic situation, as she duels about a hundred men all by herself. As chaotic as the scene is, she defeats everyone with ease. Similarly, the scene itself flows very smoothly even though action is very complex in a small restaurant. Camera techniques, such as long cuts, slow motion shots, and wide angle frames are some of the key components to ensuring the action is both clear and exciting. Overall, his simplistic and clear cut directing style is used to emphasize the real action going on in the scene is a clear example of how to make any martial arts film exciting, but still simple.
Overall, this is a reflection of the uniqueness behind Martial arts cinema. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is definitely not the first, or best martial arts film ever made. It has been criticized on different aspects, such as being inauthentic or a poor representation of Chinese culture because it was targeted towards a larger demographic than just Chinese audiences. Regardless of these arguments, it is without a doubt that has become one of the most popular martial arts films to reach a global audience because of it’s one of a kind action sequences captured in stunning fashion, and memorable plot as a whole.