Korean Pop Culture Obsessions: Notting Hill (Updated!)

Ever wonder why in certain dramas people only seem to reference Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in reference to Hollywood movie stars? Well it’s that train of thought that started me down this pop-culture rabbit hole.  Unfortunately, the “Brangelina Effect” is too tall an order for me to tackle at this moment. Instead, I’ll discuss my findings of another Hollywood treasure, the 1999 Rom-Com Notting Hill.

Now Notting Hill is very near and dear to my heart.  When I used to work for a movie theater, we each had name tags indicating our favorite film, so I went with the “hip” answer by choosing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Royal Tenenbaums, and Run Lola Run. Fantastic films in which to lord over the average theater patron with my faux cinematic pretentiousness, but put a gun to my head and out comes Notting Hill every time.

Because I literally watch this movie once a season without fail, I am fine-tuned to notice any references (be it real or imaginary) that crop up, so when Secret Garden‘s Oska played “She” (Notting Hill’s equivalent of “My Heart Will Go On”), I always wondered if the Korean reception for the film surpassed even America’s or Britain’s.

So this is the result of my exhaustive “research”, and I’ll touch on some conclusions upon finishing, so dig into some tasty mayo yogurt and enjoy!

Korean Cinema Reviews Volume 3: Boys Old and Werewolf on the Moon

This batch of films actually contains some thematic resonance betwixt the three, which was quite the serendipitous delight. In all films the male lives in a sort of stasis (be it forced, voluntary, or super secret supernatural somethings), with the effect of such meaning they all demonstrate infantile or devolving behaviors not befitting for “normal” society.  Isolation becomes another key theme, and it’s not until they establish a firm connection with someone (namely the female), that they may finally start to feel human again.  Now I’m beginning to wonder if this is random happenstance, or a common occurrence in Korean cinema.  Even Kang Ji-hwan in My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a Secret Super Spy, seemed to be a bumbling genius till he met up with “girlfriend” and became a bumbling genius in a tux. (Was that a stretch..nah)

Anyway, it may be hard to believe but there were some slight differences as well. Which means onto the reviews!

Video Variety – Hard Hitting Journalism Edition: Yeo Chi (Jung Ryeo-Won) Interviews Britney Spears

Thank God for the internet as this one is quite the magnificent mess. This “interview” featuring what I will guess as a pre-fame (aka MLSS) Jung Ryeo-Won (sporting a delightful Aussie accent btw) and a pre-shaved head/umbrella fighting champion Spears. (little context was given but I’d figure it was around 2003?).
I mean where to begin??? For starters I still haven’t managed to watch in its entirety due to embarrassment. Mostly on my end but this whole thing is just so gloriously awkward, much in the way that cringe comedies dare you to look away from the screen.