As yet another teaser for a potential feature on Lim Ji-yeon’s acting, here’s a quick look at how many evil faces she makes in just one scene. The above image is from a YouTube thumbnail for her show Welcome 2 Life, which we can use as a reference. She’s expressing anger, but it’s a comedic scene. There’s a measure of indignant shock tempering the threat. … More Park Yeon-jin’s Evil Faces
Today is The Glory Day, everyone, which I’ve been excited about for at least a month. I watched the first new episode this morning, and wow, was it scary. I’ve been meaning to write something more substantive about Lim Ji-yeon, because she was so impressive in Part 1, but now having seen her play a kind-hearted character — a doofus, even — in Welcome 2 Life, her transformation here is astonishing. She’s so evil, I just want to sing her praises all day. … More Casual vs. Stressful Viewing
Before I’d seen it for myself, Decision to Leave was my horse in the race for the Palme d’Or. Last year’s Cannes Film Festival was only another opportunity to proclaim my love for Park Chan-wook, a love that hasn’t abated even after a less-than-stellar entry in his catalogue. But I remember reading the list of award winners, and noting that while he won Best Director — and that is one of the best directed films of 2022, for sure — the grand prize went to something called Triangle of Sadness?! Not the best introduction of movie to prospective moviegoer. … More The Weight of a Winner
I don’t know where this is coming from, K-Drama, but it’s good. … More Steal Her Look
I heard that J.Lo is starring in a new action movie, so I read what it was about and my excitement dropped like the Tower of Terror, or any related sort of drop ride. Here’s IMDb: “While fleeing from dangerous assailants, an assassin comes out of hiding to protect her daughter she left earlier in life.” Sound familiar? … More Violent Women Chronicles #1
I really had to come around on this. While better than “Predator: Skulls,” which was floating around for a while, “Prey” is way too common a title. Even in one medium – video games – it’s contentious, with a 2006 Prey and a completely unrelated 2017 Prey that had the title foisted upon it. It’s also a movie about lions and a Michael Crichton book about deadly nanoparticles. … More The Worst Titles of the Year 2022
Wow! Where to begin? Maybe with a group I’ve yet to properly explore — KARA. Or Kara, because I just cannot with the all-caps. Sorry, BLACKPINK. This is a 2nd-gen girl group which debuted in 2007, the same year as Girls’ Generation. … More November Round-Up: A Very Good Month in K-Pop
In the genre of anxiously commenting on women demonstrating physical prowess, we see that it’s staged, but have to admit that Yuhuan is incredibly impressive. Turns out, she’s a taekwondo champion, and her Instagram page allowed us better-angled looks at her elegant but brutal craft. … More When Your Favorite Instagram Star Lives in China
There are two hurdles for me and music, and maybe K-pop in particular: repetition, and “cool.” I may need to explain the latter. I don’t know if it was just the environment I grew up in, but I felt like the only thing worse than being uncool was trying to be cool. Even today, nothing is worse than cringe; nobody likes Elon Musk. For me, Blackpink skews too western, and while I respect their artistry – I love Jisoo’s voice – there can be something uncanny about the style. It’s like when anime music has too much broken English. Remember Black Lagoon? … More Selfish, by YooA
I feel like I wait months for any sort of news, or spend years buoyed by rumors and fan hopes (“Bring back Level Up Project!”), so when the big announcements come, I’m caught completely off-guard. In short, 2022 keeps on giving. … More September Round-Up: A Sudden Attack
With Eyes East 