Latest news with #South-Korean
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Squid Game series 3 leaves fans devastated
The South-Korean hit drama Squid Game returned for its third and final season on Friday (June 27th) and it does'nt disappoint, however you may find yourself peeking at the tv from behind your hands at times. If you haven't yet seen Series 3 yet, 'SPOILER ALERT! The macabre survival drama stunned viewers when it first appeared on Netflix three years ago, and was an unexpected cultural phenomenon, drawing millions of viewers into its tale of deadly competition. Its a lengthy drama full of psychological intrigue and melodramatic twists and turns that will mess with your mind and your soul. The human psyche has never been tested so much, by such a simple concept. The South-Korean language drama Squid Game returned for its third and final season on Friday. Pic: No Ju-han/Netflix The whole premise of Squid Game is a group of ordinary people, from all walks of life, but with one thing in common, they are down on their luck, in debt, or just dirt poor, and they are offered a chance to take part in a series of games with the chance to win billions (of won). They are recruited from the subway stations of Seoul by the promise of easy money, however, nothing is as it seems. Taken to an island and given green tracksuits numbered from player 001 to the final participant, number 456, they enter the candy coloured arena full of wonder and excitement. However, after the first game, they realise they have entered a type of hellish reality where they will have to outwit each other, by playing simple childrens games like 'Red Light-Green Light' or 'Marbles', but with deadly consequences for the losers. So you get the idea. Its a tough watch at times, not just literally bloody, and downright terrifying, but utterly devastating when you realise you are so invested in the back stories of the leading characters, especially the leading man, Korean superstar Lee Jung-jae, aka player 456 – Gi Hun. The macabre survival drama stunned viewers when it first appeared on Netflix three years ago, and was an unexpected cultural phenomenon, drawing millions of viewers into its tale of deadly competition. Pic: No Ju-han/Netflix When we meet Gi-hun in Season 1, he is not immediately likeable, as he is a bit of a deadbeat dad to his eight year old daughter, borrowing money from his own elderly mother, to take his little girl out for fried chicken for her birthday. He struggles with a gambling addiction and has accumulated quite a debt, but basically he is a good guy who tries his best for his mom, and his daughter. When Gi-hun is approached by 'The Recruiter' to take part in a game with the chance to win billions of won, he sees it as an opportunity to finally get his life back on track. Now, jumping to Season 3, which I binge watched last Friday and Saturday, it's difficult to know how to describe it, but I would say, gripping, mind boggling, intense and ultimately heartbreaking. The writer and producers have been slated and critisised for the ending of the Final Series, which sees much loved characters killed off and in some of the worst ways possible, but it's the psychological trauma when teammates have to choose who will die, and who will be spared, that really leaves a scar. Now, jumping to Season 3, which I binge watched last Friday and Saturday, it's difficult to know how to describe it, but I would say, gripping, mind boggling, intense and ultimately heartbreaking. Pic: No Ju-han/Netflix This was especially traumatic when the dwindling numbers of players were, of course, the best and some of the worst characters, and it made for compulsive viewing. Even after the horrors they endured, seeing teammates killed off one by one, or sometimes dozens at a time, and despite being given the chance after every game, to quit and escape with their lives, they vote to keep going. And it's not that they were lulled into some false sense of security or thinking that the game is in any way fair, they were so driven by the desire for the money, and delusional enough to think they could outwit the bosses and survive, they voted to stay. Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game. Pic: No Ju-han/Netflix Series 3 does not do anything vastly different from Series 1 and 2, but why change a winning formula? However, we do see ALL of the leading characters lose their lives, with a surprising twist in the form of a newborn baby who is included, with her young mother, in the games. The Emmy award-winning series has been at the top of the Netflix charts for the past three years and has catapulted some of South Koreas finest talent to Hollywood superstardom in a short space of time. With its pastel coloured sets, a host of very different characters from every walk of life, and very bleak messages about the state of humanity, it makes for compulsive viewing. Series 3 does not do anything vastly different from Series 1 and 2. Pic: No Ju-han/Netflix Some South Koreans have been commenting on the series on social media and reflecting on the society that inspired the programme, with some people commenting that the show 'actually showed the true feelings and raw inner thoughts of Korean people'. Another social media post said 'It reflected reality so well, like how in real life, at work, its just full of ruthless people ready to crush you. This show nailed it.' SQUID GAME – SERIES 1, 2 and 3 Now showing on Netflix
Al Arabiya
05-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump says he is planning 100pct tariff on foreign films
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he plans to impose a 100 percent tariff on films produced overseas, extending his restrictive trade policies on US imports to the entertainment sector for the first time. In a post on Truth Social, the American leader said he was directing the Commerce Department and his trade representative to 'immediately begin the process of instituting' the levy on foreign movies. 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' Trump continued. The president also positioned foreign productions as a national security threat, saying other nations were using films for messaging and propaganda. Trump's post followed meetings the president had over the weekend with actor Jon Voight and his manager, Steven Paul. They met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club, according to people familiar with their visit who asked to not be identified because the meetings were private. Voight and Paul presented the president with their plans for more federal tax incentives for US film and TV production. Their proposals include expanding existing tax credits and bringing back ones that have expired. The Voight group didn't propose tariffs as part of their plan, but the president talked about those levies at their meetings. No specifics on the tariffs were discussed. In January, Trump appointed Voight along with actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to be special ambassadors to Hollywood with the goal of boosting US jobs. It's not clear how such a tariff would work, nor how such movies would be valued for tariff collection purposes. Many films from Hollywood studios involve global production, including shooting locations in foreign countries and post-production work that can be done anywhere in the world. Other unanswered questions include whether the fee applies to films already shot, but not yet released, or only new productions. Upcoming releases that include extensive foreign locales include Walt Disney Co.'s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which was shot in the UK and Spain, and Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth, with locations in Thailand, the UK, Malta and the US. The action follows a move by China last month to 'moderately reduce' the number of Hollywood films allowed in the country in retaliation for Trump's aggressive tariffs on the US rival. The China Film Administration said in April that the restrictions would 'inevitably further reduce the domestic audience's favorability toward American films.' While the US film industry is the most influential in the world, foreign films have seen a rise in popularity in recent years, drawing award-winning acclaim. The South-Korean thriller Parasite, for instance, won four Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture category in 2020. The film and TV industry supported some 2.3 million jobs in the US in 2023, according to the Motion Picture Association trade group. The association didn't respond to a request for comment on Trump's tariffs made outside of regular working hours. Film and TV work in the US has contracted in recent years for a number of reasons. Media companies have cut back on spending in an attempt to boost their profits as they shifted from traditional TV to streaming services. Those streaming services are expanding globally and looking to produce more films for foreign markets. Spending on film and TV production in the US fell 28 percent between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the research firm ProdPro. Other countries, such as Canada, Australia, and the UK, are seeing an increase in film and TV production, due in part to attractive tax incentives and lower production costs. Movie and TV filming in the greater Los Angeles area declined 22 percent in the first quarter, reflecting California's continued loss of business to other areas.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
'National security threat': Donald Trump plans 100% tariff on foreign films
The action, however, follows move by China last month to moderately reduce the number of Hollywood films allowed in the country in retaliation for Trump's aggressive tariffs Bloomberg President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he plans to impose a 100% tariff on films produced overseas, extending his restrictive trade policies on US imports to the entertainment sector for the first time. In a post on Truth Social, the American leader said he was directing the Commerce Department and his trade representative to 'immediately begin the process of instituting' the levy on foreign movies. 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' Trump continued. Trump's post followed meetings the president had over the weekend with actor Jon Voight and his manager, Steven Paul. They met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club, according to people familiar with their visit who asked to not be identified because the meetings were private. Voight and Paul presented the president with their plans for more federal tax incentives for US film and TV production. Their proposals include expanding existing tax credits and bringing back ones that have expired. The Voight group didn't propose tariffs as part of their plan, but the president talked about those levies at their meetings. No specifics on the tariffs were discussed. In January, Trump appointed Voight along with actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to be special ambassadors to Hollywood with the goal of boosting US jobs. It's not clear how such a tariff would work, nor how such movies would be valued for tariff collection purposes. Many films from Hollywood studios involve global production, including shooting locations in foreign countries and post-production work that can be done anywhere in the world. Other unanswered questions include whether the fee applies to films already shot, but not yet released, or only new productions. Upcoming releases that include extensive foreign locales include Walt Disney Co.'s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which was shot in the UK and Spain, and Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth, with locations in Thailand, the UK, Malta and the US. The action follows a move by China last month to 'moderately reduce' the number of Hollywood films allowed in the country in retaliation for Trump's aggressive tariffs on the US rival. The China Film Administration said in April that the restrictions would 'inevitably further reduce the domestic audience's favorability toward American films.' While the US film industry is the most influential in the world, foreign films have seen a rise in popularity in recent years, drawing award-winning acclaim. The South-Korean thriller Parasite, for instance, won four Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture category in 2020. The film and TV industry supported some 2.3 million jobs in the US in 2023, according to the Motion Picture Association trade group. The association didn't respond to a request for comment on Trump's tariffs made outside of regular working hours. Film and TV work in the US has contracted in recent years for a number of reasons. Media companies have cut back on spending in an attempt to boost their profits as they shifted from traditional TV to streaming services. Those streaming services are expanding globally and looking to produce more films for foreign markets. Spending on film and TV production in the US fell 28% between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the research firm ProdPro. Other countries, such as Canada, Australia, and the UK, are seeing an increase in film and TV production, due in part to attractive tax incentives and lower production costs. Movie and TV filming in the greater Los Angeles area declined 22% in the first quarter, reflecting California's continued loss of business to other areas.
Gulf News
05-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf News
Trump announces plans for 100% tariffs on all foreign movies
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he plans to impose a 100% tariff on films produced overseas, extending his restrictive trade policies on US imports to the entertainment sector for the first time. In a post on Truth Social, the American leader said he was directing the Commerce Department and his trade representative to 'immediately begin the process of instituting' the levy on foreign movies. 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' Trump continued. The president also positioned foreign productions as a national security threat, saying other nations were using films for messaging and propaganda. It's not clear how such a tariff would work, nor how such movies would be valued for tariff collection purposes. Many films from Hollywood studios involve global production, including shooting locations in foreign countries and post-production work that can be done anywhere in the world. Would the fee apply to films already shot, but not yet released, or only new productions? Upcoming releases that include extensive foreign locales include Walt Disney Co.'s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which was shot in the UK and Spain, and Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth, with locations in Thailand, the UK, Malta and the US. The action follows a move by China last month to 'moderately reduce' the number of Hollywood films allowed in the country in retaliation for Trump's aggressive tariffs on the US rival. The China Film Administration said in April that the restrictions would 'inevitably further reduce the domestic audience's favorability toward American films.' While the US film industry is the most influential in the world, foreign films have seen a rise in popularity in recent years, drawing award-winning acclaim. The South-Korean thriller Parasite, for instance, won four Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture category in 2020. The film and TV industry supported some 2.3 million jobs in the US in 2023, according to the Motion Picture Association trade group. The association didn't respond to a request for comment on Trump's tariffs made outside of regular working hours. Film and TV work in the US has contracted in recent years for a number of reasons. Media companies have cut back on spending in an attempt to boost their profits as they shifted from traditional TV to streaming services. Those streaming services are expanding globally and looking to produce more films for foreign markets. Spending on film and TV production in the US fell 28% between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the research firm ProdPro. Other countries, such as Canada, Australia, and the UK, are seeing an increase in film and TV production, due in part to attractive tax incentives and lower production costs. Movie and TV filming in the greater Los Angeles area declined 22% in the first quarter, reflecting California's continued loss of business to other areas. In January Trump appointed actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to be special ambassadors to Hollywood with the goal of boosting US jobs. Voight is expected to introduce some ideas shortly, including incentives for businesses.
