[Q] WHAT’s Korean Cinema…❓[A] Christmas IN August…❗️ (Christmas IN Asia + Podcasts ON Fire!)

Personally though, Korean Cinema can mean different things to me and not least often relates to the period of time for which I may romanticise about.  It could be those great films from Korea in the 1960s, the lovely ones from South Korea in those 1990s or indeed those brilliant ones around the start of this current century, and year of 2000 onwards.

Christmas also, can mean various things for me… and this could be to do with a change in age, a feeling of melancholia, family changes or of course, where I may be residing at this festive time of year.  For example, I’ve recently returned from a rather cold South Korea, to a mild, sometimes cool, sometimes hot and somewhat cold, Chiang Mai, Thailand and all this time having many phonecalls with family members back in my home country of England, which could be cold right now, or windy, or rainy or simply a nice sunny but crisp day.

All of the latter influences can alter how I feel when Christmas time approaches – and let’s not forget that I spent about a 3rd of 2025 in that ‘olde England’, so memories and thoughts of family, friends, history and surroundings hit me often.

Add to this, the Christmas decorations which appear here in Thailand (yes… there are many, many, many!) and of course in Seoul and other cities.  One can not help but feel a little Christmassy even if sweating in Northern Thailand and spicy food.

“Christmas in August” is a really sweet, well-made film which Koreans (and of course the director HUR Jin-ho and cast & crew) should all be proud of and it was a posting by a certain Paul Quinn – yes, he of http://www.hangulcelluloid.com/ ‘fame’, a website dedicated to Korean cinema, reviews & related interviews for almost a decade & a half – and the guy/s at Podcast On Fire which prompted me to not only highlight this festive film, whilst also highlighting the many podcasts which exist out there thanks to Mr Q and a Mr B and no doubt others who are involved.

Yes… Podcast On Fire is a network or podcasts specialising in aspects, genres and specific areas of Asian cinema.

At least 5 such podcasts in that network exist or have existed and those include:

Podcast On Fire:

This essentially covers classic and contemporary Hong Kong cinema.

What’s Korean Cinema?:

Focusing on South Korean films, including both acclaimed debuts and historical pieces.

Japan On Fire:

Exploring various aspects of Japanese cinema, including director spotlights and historical anime.

The Director’s Series:

A kind of focused, in-depth look at the work of specific directors of Asian cinema.

That “What’s Korean Cinema?” series is the one which I, MMM [aka Jason Verney] am most familiar with and it’s the one which this week bring us a review and talk about “Christmas In August”.

So, as well as wishing you festive greetings and good health to one & all (apart from those evil ones in this world!), I’ll simply add a few links below and be on my way to a Christmas-mood AND Korean film of my choosing and cosy-up inside, be it hot, cold or mild outside!

PodcastOnFire.com (podcasts available on various streaming platforms)

http://facebook.com/POFNetwork

https://podcastonfire.com/category/whats-korean-cinema/

http://www.hangulcelluloid.com/christmasinaugust.html

http://www.JasonVerney.com

http://www.YouTube.com/JasonVerney