Ep 58: Our Beloved Summer and Nights of Mikey Saber with Mike Rose

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Our Beloved Summer (SBS, 2021-2022). Grace talks about Kim Dami and Choi Woo-shik’s acting careers, their awkward romantic chemistry on the small screen, and how K-dramas today are exhibiting “first” world problems as opposed to more developing-nation problems seen in dramas from 20+ years ago. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Mike Rose (@themikerose on Instagram), and their discussion is a deep textual analysis of Sean Baker’s latest film Red Rocket (2021), Santa Clause and reindeers’ pagan mythology being associated with amanita mushrooms’ hallucinogenic properties, how Red Rocket is comparable to Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria, the time Mike corresponded with Sean Baker, how marginalized people live off the “edge of industry,” Simon Rex’s Hollywood history as a teen movie celebrity with a past in porn, Rex’s gorgeous penis, his past as an MTV VJ, male body image issues, how Red Rocket exposes useless masculinity that justifies its presence by emphasizing stereotypical female weakness, the stigmatization of sex workers, the extent of Mikey Saber’s rationalizing for his own survival, the “nerve” of the filmmaker to use NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” in the opening of the film, and their great love for the  performances and explorations in this film. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.