Donovan and I reconvene for a special episode on a little movie called John Wick: Chapter 4. Spoilers aweigh! We begin with a bit of history on the series and its star before narrowing on the latest installment. … More The Next Great American Action Movie [PODCAST]
Join Donovan and I in our second discussion of Physical: 100, covering episodes five through the season one finale. We talk about the increasing difficulty of the challenges — and whether or not they’re suitable to the physiques on display — the game itself, and of course, the Riddle of Strength. … More Physical: 100 – Final Report [PODCAST]
To discuss the new Netflix anime Physical: 100 — up to episode four — we need QNA cohost Donovan Morgan Grant, who offers an insider perspective on the world of fitness, having taken his body into his own, Renaissance sculptor hands. Our conversation covers as many of the contestants as we can, their various dramas in this fitness challenge, and how anyone can integrate a more active lifestyle into their routine. It’s safe to say that Physical: 100 has breached the bounds of the Netflix window and haunts both of our daily lives, daydreaming about those magnificent torso busts we want to be [with]? … More Physical: 100 is a Personal Attack [PODCAST]
From returning favorites like Red Velvet to returning legends like Girls’ Generation and Kara, this episode will take a musical journey through the year’s greatest hits, and mark my own journey as a K-pop fan. … More My Year in K-Pop: 2022
This month, Donovan Morgan Grant returns to provide an overview of the American kung fu movie, which is also the story of the evolution of the action scene and the United States’ cultural perception of China, Hong Kong, and Japan. We start at prehistory, before the advent of martial arts styles, and move through the watershed year of 1973 — challenge the conventional wisdom that that was the beginning — and continue onto the Golden Age and the resulting Doldrums, both pivoting around the rise and fall of The Matrix. Throughout, we introduce the careers of the action icons like Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and whittle down a list of recommendations. … More American Kung Fu Primer [PODCAST]
With Netflix K-shows being renewed left and right, what better a time to talk about Kingdom than this tense moment before season three gets the green light, too? In other words, I couldn’t wait. How could I resist Gianna, focus of this month’s discussion? For whatever reason, when Kingdom: Ashin of the North was released, my first thought was Blood: The Last Vampire, and together, they may say something about international star-making. … More Zombie Mad Scientist [PODCAST]
Well, everyone, it finally happened. A friend of mine said to me, “I’m trying to get into Red Velvet. What do you recommend?” Those are the most beautiful words under Heaven. It more than made my day; it answered with the sweep of catharsis a long-running anxiety I’ve had about the art of recommendation itself, that it’s been lost, that people don’t really mean it when they ask anymore because criticism and curation have been so thoroughly decentralized, but here she is: “What do you recommend?” … More My Red Velvet Spotify Playlist [Podcast]
This month, I’m joined by regular QNA cohost Donovan Morgan Grant for a spoiler-filled and plot-summary-free discussion about recent Netflix release Love and Leashes, our own private movie event of the year. Which of us blinks first and discloses their sexual proclivities? Given that the shock of this movie is its novelty as K-drama, is it actually a major step forward for fictional women in the workplace/bedroom? And if so, can we say that it’s then a step forward for even non-fictional women? … More South Korea Takes a Big Step [Podcast]
In this first or possibly third episode of an untitled podcast, we’re taking a look at four American kaiju flicks: Reptilian, Godzilla (1998), Godzilla (2014), and Godzilla vs. Kong. What begins as a series of reviews devolves into a screed against modern Hollywood moviemaking. … More Those American Godzilla Movies [Podcast]
Stella and I talk once more to review the grand Studio Ghibli catalogue, a continuation of our conversation you can watch below or check out the podcast version here. … More Studio Ghibli Retrospective [Podcast]
With Eyes East 