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Pachinko, Winning Time, and stacked casts

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Pachinko, Winning Time, and stacked casts

Fictional and dramatized adaptations of real events, plus Barbie and Oppenheimer casting announcements

Criticism Is Dead
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Jenny G. Zhang
Apr 19, 2022
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Pachinko, Winning Time, and stacked casts

criticismisdead.substack.com

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Pachinko and Winning Time, two different approaches to retelling history.

Click here to listen to the full episode on the web

Or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, or other podcast apps.

02:32 Pachinko, streaming on Apple TV+, is an eminently watchable drama, but much of its spirit has been lost in the translation from book to screen.

Adaptation is not an easy task: inevitably, things must be altered — some removed, others added — to suit another medium. But we shouldn’t accept it as a given that we will lost so much in an adaptation, either; a few, like Station Eleven (previously discussed here), not only capture the soul of the original, but also manage to stand on their own as rich, original, creative works. The TV version of Pachinko has not quite succeeded on that front, so far — its biggest issue, as New York Times critic Mike Hale writes, is in its “Hollywoodization.” When the series exercises restraint in its emotional peaks, as in the final moments between Sunja and her mother, it achieves real heartfelt beauty. But other scenes feel too engineered, doubling down on wrenching scores and cliché dialogue seemingly in pursuit of making a statement or drawing out tears. It’s a shame, because Pachinko has a lot going for it otherwise: cinematography, acting, costumes, sets, etc.

P.S. Other smart reviews to read: Inkoo Kang in the Washington Post, Shirley Li in The Atlantic.

26:00 HBO’s Winning Time is a self-assured, stylish delight of a show, if you can make it through the scene-setting first few episodes.

The faux archival footage, the film stock, the graphics, the cartoon flourishes, the fourth wall-breaking wink-winks — it’s admittedly a lot, but that’s also part of the fun. There’s a real joie de vivre to this series, a confident swagger that looks and feels different than anything else airing right now. Like Atlanta (previously discussed here), Winning Time is firmly in control of everything it chooses to spend time on, the things it speeds past, and all the (probably plentiful) creative liberties that it takes. This is not a wholly accurate retelling of history, per se, but the kernel of truth — the broader outline of events — remains. What else can we say, it’s fun!

43:05 Plus, culture notes about the Barbie and Oppenheimer casts, which are real who’s whos of notable names.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Bonus links

Hitting you with another recommendation this week:

Twitter avatar for @criticismisdead
criticism is dead pod @criticismisdead
possibly the best show i've ever watched... highly recommend
Twitter avatar for @netflix
Netflix @netflix
Old Enough is the most wholesome show you’ve ever seen — in this unscripted series, Japanese toddlers (ages 2-5) are sent on simple errands to help their parents and the results are just so pure. 20 episodes are now on Netflix. https://t.co/WpzopRA8ct
4:01 PM ∙ Apr 14, 2022

YEP:

Twitter avatar for @hunteryharris
hunter harris @hunteryharris
Image
Twitter avatar for @zachraffio
Zach Raffio @zachraffio
The urgency with which I need them to play brothers https://t.co/t9Z1Ce7DHc
9:25 PM ∙ Apr 17, 2022
5,469Likes208Retweets
Twitter avatar for @zachraffio
Zach Raffio @zachraffio
The urgency with which I need them to play brothers
Image
10:57 PM ∙ Apr 16, 2022
236,460Likes15,244Retweets

True statement: “Adam Driver’s best performance has always been Girls”

Talk to Pelin about Tokyo Vice…

Twitter avatar for @onelongpiece
pelin @onelongpiece
the nosedive that tokyo vice takes after ep3…..🥴
4:28 AM ∙ Apr 18, 2022

That’s it for now. We will be OFF next week, but we’ll have a special episode the week after that!

— Jenny


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Please rate/review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, WHEREVER, and tell a friend about us!

Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.

Some credits:

  • Music: REEKAH

  • Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

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Pachinko, Winning Time, and stacked casts

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