Caporegime
How many of you, like myself, googled how much 45 billion won was? 
Squid Game
- Thread starter NVP
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I googled how much money he won, in episode 1, at the horse race, and later the piggy back pot.
And usually I don't touch my.phone watching movies/TV
And usually I don't touch my.phone watching movies/TV
Soldato
I must have missed a couple of zeros when converting, as I remember saying 'they go through all that just for that!'
Soldato
I pretty much felt the same way.
The whole Battle Royale "survive to the death" scenario feels a little tired at this point. Once you get past the initial "oh, it's one of those types of "games"" shock, the story became a little flimsy, and was just a case of "what quirky game will they use to whittle down the cast this time?". I didn't feel utterly compelled to continue it for the sake of following the actual story, like I would with say, Breaking Bad or similar. As I continued watching, my overriding feeling was just "ok, there's these characters, people die, and more people die, and yet more people die, yada yada yada, and then what?".
It was enjoyable enough, but I am also a little puzzled how it blew up so much. I think like you also said, that Korean culture is very "in" at the moment, plus I guess a lot of the younger generation will not have seen Battle Royale, so it would seem extra shocking to them.
It was enjoyable enough, but I am also a little puzzled how it blew up so much. I think like you also said, that Korean culture is very "in" at the moment, plus I guess a lot of the younger generation will not have seen Battle Royale, so it would seem extra shocking to them.
Permabanned
Only other vaguely similar premise I have watched was Hunger games and that's utter drivel. Though i guess Running Man but that's not going to be beaten. 
Caporegime
The VIPs were clearly low-rent English speaking talent because the nuance would be lost on the local audience anyway, especially when hidden behind their masks, but I thought the Korean cast was excellent.
I thought the VIPs were a bit of a let down to be honest - they felt like the 1970s English baddie In kung fu B-movies.
Caporegime
It was OK. Only watched it as not much on netflix now. I think it's covid lag coming in.
Wasn't great.
Acting was a bit naff and I'm usually not fussy about that.
Main gripes
-plot holes,
-actions being taken by characters to provide plot they wouldn't normally take.
-predicable - time invested into characters means you know the outcome. I think every single outcome is predictable
-flawed concept. The games are terrible. One of them near the end is just so ridiculous I'm sure the players actions wouldn't have happened in that way (glass)
Yeah not great.
I think the only bit I liked is the last half of the last episode. But even that was a bit 'ugh'
Wasn't great.
Acting was a bit naff and I'm usually not fussy about that.
Main gripes
-plot holes,
-actions being taken by characters to provide plot they wouldn't normally take.
-predicable - time invested into characters means you know the outcome. I think every single outcome is predictable
-flawed concept. The games are terrible. One of them near the end is just so ridiculous I'm sure the players actions wouldn't have happened in that way (glass)
Yeah not great.
I think the only bit I liked is the last half of the last episode. But even that was a bit 'ugh'
VIPs were definitely a let down
Caporegime
Interesting piece from the Guardian on the VIPs acting:
Given how amused my wife always is at any German-language dialogue in Holywood films, that makes sense to me.
“I think the first thing to dispel is this myth that they just pick us up off the street,” says Michaels, pointing out that every role he has ever played has come at the end of a long audition process. Alongside his screen work, Michaels also writes and directs, and has years of experience as a performer.
“It’s different for every show, but non-Korean performers often act with dialogue that is translated by a non-native – sometimes even by Google Translate – so it can sound unnatural,” he says. While actors do have the freedom to fix clunky dialogue, it often happens at the last minute, and comes with plenty of restrictions. “And often we don’t have the scripts for the rest of the show,” he adds. “We are only given our scenes, so we have no idea of the tone.”
Kennedy says this problem was exacerbated on Squid Game. Not only were the VIPs handed their scenes without context – which meant they had to invent their own backstories for their characters, which they described to me as “total idiots” and “dirtbag millionaires” – but “We were all wearing very heavy plaster masks, and sitting on couches that were at least 20-30ft away from the closest VIP. We all had to yell our lines vaguely into the air, which added to the weird tonality of the delivery.”
Additionally, Kennedy says that all the acting on Squid Game – and in Korean drama in general – is deliberately heightened, something non-Korean viewers might have missed. “Whether they’re watching with a dubbed or subtitled version, people who don’t speak Korean don’t have the understanding needed to fully judge a Korean actor’s performance. What might be cartoonish or broad about them is lost in translation, whereas the VIPs had no such luxury”.
Sometimes, Michaels says, these issues can be compounded by the editing process. Naturally, an editor who doesn’t speak English as a first language might end up using an imperfect take. “If I was editing a Russian actor speaking Russian, I wouldn’t have any idea if he was saying his lines correctly, or if his intonation was natural,” he says. “There might be two takes. One of them could be perfect, the other wooden. If I’m editing it, the wooden one might move faster or cut more smoothly or the continuity might be better, so I’d just go with that.”
“It’s different for every show, but non-Korean performers often act with dialogue that is translated by a non-native – sometimes even by Google Translate – so it can sound unnatural,” he says. While actors do have the freedom to fix clunky dialogue, it often happens at the last minute, and comes with plenty of restrictions. “And often we don’t have the scripts for the rest of the show,” he adds. “We are only given our scenes, so we have no idea of the tone.”
Kennedy says this problem was exacerbated on Squid Game. Not only were the VIPs handed their scenes without context – which meant they had to invent their own backstories for their characters, which they described to me as “total idiots” and “dirtbag millionaires” – but “We were all wearing very heavy plaster masks, and sitting on couches that were at least 20-30ft away from the closest VIP. We all had to yell our lines vaguely into the air, which added to the weird tonality of the delivery.”
Additionally, Kennedy says that all the acting on Squid Game – and in Korean drama in general – is deliberately heightened, something non-Korean viewers might have missed. “Whether they’re watching with a dubbed or subtitled version, people who don’t speak Korean don’t have the understanding needed to fully judge a Korean actor’s performance. What might be cartoonish or broad about them is lost in translation, whereas the VIPs had no such luxury”.
Sometimes, Michaels says, these issues can be compounded by the editing process. Naturally, an editor who doesn’t speak English as a first language might end up using an imperfect take. “If I was editing a Russian actor speaking Russian, I wouldn’t have any idea if he was saying his lines correctly, or if his intonation was natural,” he says. “There might be two takes. One of them could be perfect, the other wooden. If I’m editing it, the wooden one might move faster or cut more smoothly or the continuity might be better, so I’d just go with that.”
Given how amused my wife always is at any German-language dialogue in Holywood films, that makes sense to me.
I hate to be that guy, but the setup for the whole thing was pretty obvious.
Sticking in the old man was only ever going to lead to a few scenarios, like a charlie and the chocolate factory, you saved me and was good to me proving your a kind person, so heres my fortune or something. Or that he was the one in charge all along with a backstory to tell.
I mean he stood out like a sore thumb. Same could be said about the friend after the second game, it was obvious that each character was superfluous to the story as those two would eventually showdown.
I still found watching how each would meet their end interesting but at the same time the ending was rubbish. Especially annoyed that he mulled around like hobo for a year and left that poor kid in a home without his parents or sister.
Not sure if it was bad writing or the story was always going to be over several seasons but the Brother/Cop thing didn't really make much sense, but I guess that's because it will be revealed.
I mean he stood out like a sore thumb. Same could be said about the friend after the second game, it was obvious that each character was superfluous to the story as those two would eventually showdown.
I still found watching how each would meet their end interesting but at the same time the ending was rubbish. Especially annoyed that he mulled around like hobo for a year and left that poor kid in a home without his parents or sister.
Not sure if it was bad writing or the story was always going to be over several seasons but the Brother/Cop thing didn't really make much sense, but I guess that's because it will be revealed.
Yeah I don't blame the VIPs for their scenes. End of the day the actor, especially a minor actor, gets cast by the production and does what they are told with basically no say.
So if the instruction is to speak these lines that the entirely korean team put into google translate and think sounds good then it's gonna be a bit cringe when native english speakers hear it.
So if the instruction is to speak these lines that the entirely korean team put into google translate and think sounds good then it's gonna be a bit cringe when native english speakers hear it.
Soldato
Watched this last week. Never seen any dubbed stuff before, probably should have watched the subtitled version after reading comments here.
First episode was good - thought the panic after people started getting killed in the first game was realistic.
After that I found it quite unbelievable that they all went home and came back again. After getting so brutally killed I don't think many would return.
The Sang-woo & Ali marble scene - I found this quite silly. I don't believe that anyone would be so dumb as to hand over his bag of marbles in a game where the objective is to keep hold of them. Plus not to see them being switched for stones, then not to check the bag after them being given back, then just to hang them on a tiny string around your neck. No it's all a bit daft that bit.
The rest was ok but didn't have the punch of the first episode. The later games were far less brutal in comparison to the first and it was obvious who would survive to the end. The screeching woman character was annoying. The after lights out fight scene was a bit dumb too.
As for the characters, maybe it was the dubbing but I didn't really get their over the top style and very dumb decision making.
I liked the red guards - all very surreal and silently terrifying in a psychological way.
On the whole because it was so different to anything I've seen before I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.
After that I found it quite unbelievable that they all went home and came back again. After getting so brutally killed I don't think many would return.
The Sang-woo & Ali marble scene - I found this quite silly. I don't believe that anyone would be so dumb as to hand over his bag of marbles in a game where the objective is to keep hold of them. Plus not to see them being switched for stones, then not to check the bag after them being given back, then just to hang them on a tiny string around your neck. No it's all a bit daft that bit.
The rest was ok but didn't have the punch of the first episode. The later games were far less brutal in comparison to the first and it was obvious who would survive to the end. The screeching woman character was annoying. The after lights out fight scene was a bit dumb too.
As for the characters, maybe it was the dubbing but I didn't really get their over the top style and very dumb decision making.
I liked the red guards - all very surreal and silently terrifying in a psychological way.
On the whole because it was so different to anything I've seen before I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.
The thing is I can believe people would come back. Their lives were basically nothing, most had nothing to live for and many would be considering suicide. Why not come back for a chance to turn your life around and live? I reckon if they did a real life one in the UK they wouldn't struggle to find 456 people to take part.