a korean odyssey

I’ll be in my trailer… watching trailers: Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here!

The Barista CollectiveLeave a comment

Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.

This is not your ordinary Journey to the West: for this week’s Six Damn Fine Degrees, which fittingly coincided with Valentine’s Day, Melanie introduced us to A Korean Odyssey (or, in the original, Hwayugi), a Korean adaptation of the classic Chinese novel from the 16th century – set in the present day, and turning the story into a… modern-day fantasy rom-com?

Continue reading →

Six Damn Fine Degrees #221: Monkey King and the shackles of love

Melanie3 Comments

Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness!

Ah, love.

Son Oh Gong, the Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is in love. Not willingly, mind you. He was tricked by a mortal woman into wearing the Geumganggo. This bracelet makes him infatuated with her and desperate to protect her by any means. He’s infuriated. He’s disgusted. After all, he was originally planning to eat her (it’s a long story)! But he is undeniably in love.

Continue reading →