Matching my personal favorite movies, from historical epics to 60’s murder mysteries, with some of the best k-pop songs, and vice versa. Also, check out the colors playlists! This is just for a bit of fun; I hope you can find a new movie and / or song to enjoy. Share your favorite pair in the comments down below!
(Also: can you tell I spent way too much time making these little poster boards on Canva? Lol.)
(Check out my other favorites lists here)
#1: The Handmaiden
(Starring Kim Minhee and Kim Taeri)
Setting: Korea, 1930s
Languages: Korean and Japanese
Genre: Horror / Romance / Thriller / Historical
Description: A Korean pickpocket is hired by a conman in a scheme to scam a Japanese lady during the midst of Japanese Occupation, but falls in love with her instead, and finds herself tangled in a web of lies, conflicting plots, and murder.
Songs:
#2: Marry My Dead Body
(Starring Greg Hsu and Austin Lin)
Setting: Taiwan, 2022
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Mystery
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Description: a homophobic policeman retrieves a red envelope and accidentally becomes married to the ghost of a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances, and now they must investigate together, while somehow managing to tolerate each other. Yes. Yes, really.
Songs:
- Identity by SHINee
- Beautiful Beautiful by ONF
- Black Out by IU
#3: Charade
(Starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant)
Setting: Paris, 1963
Languages: English, a little French
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Description: a classic of midcentury cinema, often called “the greatest movie Hitchcock never made”, Charade follows a recent widow and the mysterious man who always seems to be hanging around her, played by the incredible Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, as they investigate her husband’s murder and attempt to find where he could have hidden 250,000 stolen dollars.
Songs:
#4: Mad Max Fury Road
(Starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy)
Setting: Fantasy World
Language: English
Genre: Action / Dystopia
Description: in this heart-pounding, action-packed dystopia, a world-weary soldier and a defecting lieutenant of the country’s abusive leader help the man’s five kidnapped “wives” run from his tyranny and begin a chase across a vast desert wasteland that calls into question who truly is a hero and who truly deserves redemption.
Songs:
- Roll Up by Blackswan
- A Song Written Easily by ONEUS
- Blame It On Me by TWICE
#5: Operation Hyacinth
(Starring Tomasz Ziętek and Hubert Milkowski)
Setting: Kraków, Poland, 1985
Language: Polish
Genre: Thriller / Drama / Political
Description: A love story wrapped up in a compelling crime drama, Operation Hyacinth is based on a real Polish police operation during the AIDS crisis, and follows a young policeman named Robert as he investigates a serial killer targeting gay men and his own repressed identity.
Songs:
#6: The Wild Robot
(Starring Lupita Nyongo and Pedro Pascal)
Setting: Fictional Island (future)
Language: English
Genre: Animation / Drama
Description: a highly advanced robot crash-lands onto an island inhabited only by animals, and slowly but surely manages to find a family amongst them, raising an orphaned gosling and teaching him to fly with the help of a plucky fox, an exhausted mother opossum, and a sarcastic old beaver, and questioning what truly makes a family.
Songs:
#7: Gunpowder Milkshake
(Starring Karen Gillan and Lena Headley)
Setting: USA, 2020
Language: English
Genre: Thriller / Comedy
Description: a heart-pounding, quick-tempered blaze, Gunpowder Milkshake follows an assassin in her mad dash to save a young girl from being killed in revenge for her actions, and the syndicate of women around her she recruits to make it happen.
Songs:
#8: The Paradise Of Thorns
(Starring Jeff Satur, Engfa Warin)
Setting: Thailand, 2023
Language: Thai
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Description: after his partner Sek dies suddenly in an accident, before gay marriage becomes legal, Thongkam faces an uphill battle to keep their durian farm when Sek’s mother and adopted sister claim it as their own. What’s at points a quiet, emotional drama and commentary on queer rights is also a bloody thriller that ends with more than one person dead, and never the person you expect.
Songs:
- Modern Life by Woosung
- Put It Straight (Nightmare Version) by (G)I-DLE
- Burn It by FTISLAND
#9: Emma
(Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Josh O’Conner, and Johnny Flynn)
Setting: England, 1815
Genre: Historical / Romance
Description: Emma (2020) sticks out from the wealth of Jane Austen adaptations with its commitment to the source material, its sharp-tongued wit, and the delightful performances of its main cast. If you love Bridgerton but wanted something more historical, this is the movie for you.
Songs:
- Have We Met Before By Eric Nam
- Knock Knock by Oh My Girl
- Queen Of Hearts by TWICE
#10: Towards Zero
(Starring Geraldine McEwan and Greg Wise)
Setting: Cornwall, England, 1954
Genre: Mystery
Description: one of Christie’s best (and most underrated) mysteries, Towards Zero takes place on an isolated island in England, where a group of people with seemingly tenuous connections have gathered for a week, and shockingly…a murder occurs.
Songs:
- The Red Shoes by IU
- I Need Somebody by Day6
- Something’s Wrong by Kwon Jin Ah
Let me know your thoughts!