Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody (KBS Docu Insight, Netflix)
Kim Rieun: “Mukbang” is one type of content that needs no explanation today. The abundance represented by the overwhelming amount of food that couldn’t possibly be one portion, the sound of swallowing food that has intentionally been highlighted, the satisfaction of seeing noodles being slurped up... A whole new market centered on providing visual and auditory content has emerged perhaps because anything food-related is intuitive for anyone. However, in the documentary Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody (produced by KBS and released on Netflix), mukbang is no more than visual references that are inserted in certain scenes. The documentary is the answer to the question, “Why do Koreans love jjajangmyeon?” in serenade form. The film takes an in-depth look into all aspects of the dish: its glazed appearance, the signature sweet and savory flavors, the recipes, as well as the historical context behind the food. The Korean-Chinese restaurants were the windows into the more exotic world to the ordinary people at a time when foreign cuisine was a rarity in Korea. Follow the expansive cast, including the presenter Paik Jong-won, experts like food columnist Chan Il Park and food anthropologist Joo, Young-ha, comedian Kim Jun-hyun, and MIMI of Oh My Girl, on this jjajangmyeon journey, and you’ll find personal, yet shared sentiments behind this dish. As the go-to dish to have after graduation or on moving day, the bowl of noodles is served up with good memories that are shared by all Koreans. Meanwhile, it has constantly evolved to reflect the times, and remains a dish that is loved by all generations alike; the steak truffle jjajangmyeon is one of the more recent iterations. In essence, Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody is the most compelling commentary on the Koreans’ love for jjajangmyeon. The film doesn’t forget to tip their hats to the Chinese people living in Korea who transformed the Chinese zhajiangmian into jjajangmyeon that better suited Koreans’ tastes and provided insights into the process of one culture localizing into another. This antithesis to the mukbang shows, which provides a deep look into food culture, has risen to second place on the Korean Top 10 list—and it’s something of a symbolic feat. Paik Jong-won commented that, “The standards of the food that the consumers repeatedly order is bound to get raised and developed.” Likewise, the reason why jjajangmyeon is loved by the Koreans, and the kind of content the public demands is constantly changing. And so, the popularity of Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody leaves us with this thought: Perhaps some of us needed a heartfelt video-annotation of why we love something, at a time when we have become weary of constantly being bombarded with visual and auditory stimuli.

Poor Things
Jeong Seohui (Cinema Journalist): “I” am vaster than the vast world. Bella (Emma Stone) knows this. Emma, who has the body of a full-grown woman, is learning to walk and speak. She is “progressing,” fueled by her curiosity, which wasn’t taught to her by anybody. To Godwin (Willem Dafoe) who Bella calls “God,” Bella is a masterpiece. A fetus’ brain is transplanted into the body of Bella, who threw herself out the window while she was pregnant. She is unaware of this when she is brought back to life. “Her body and her mind are not quite synchronized,” hence she doesn’t belong anywhere. She has no roots. Therefore, she is a woman who is unmatched, and she is free to explore as she manages to maneuver her body that still feels awkward to her. She begins with her body, then books, then embarks on every journey imaginable, both the physical and metaphysical, to gain the psyche that she believes suits her best. There are too many explicit sex scenes to function as “ornaments” to the film. Instead, the film merely sees sex as a part of Bella’s life that she happened to be immersed in for a while. Bella has no sense of awe for sex nor life as she was exposed to numerous naked bodies while she experimented with Godwin in his lab. She had been indifferent to the point of being contemptuous, which is why sex couldn’t be her ultimate goal. She is awakened when she looks down on the view minus the wealth that she possessed, wishes to share something with the world but has nothing, and asks what she did to deserve the comfortable life that she leads. Bella, who doesn’t mistake owning things for “success,” never learned about charity. She can stoop down low because she has no interest in the finer things. We get a glimpse of Stone’s dedication to understanding the character in the way that she chooses the moment to reveal her perceptive eyes that she has been hiding. The men who had been restraining her, pulling her forward, and moving her from place to place were in fact “poor” stopovers that Bella brushed past. In the film, Bella condemns the things that she can’t forgive, which is different from the original novel. It is a Bella-like synchronization of the mind and body. Bella was desperate to meet herself and turned to the pureness of her heart. She defined her second birth in her own accord. Today is Bella's day.

The Winners by Fredrik Backman
Kim Boksung (Writer): We typically associate the idea of a “cinematic universe” with superheroes and, of course, film. But the Beartown trilogy of novels from Swedish author Fredrik Backman is just as deserving of the label. It’s not a fantasy series, but rather a humanistic, and more often than not, tragic, read, and The Winners, the latest and final entry, doubles the characters and triples the drama. In fact, there wouldn’t be space here to list all the minds the readers enter in this heavy 700-page read. The thickness of The Winners translates to a certain amount of padding, but with over 100 chapters, each is bite-sized and ultimately moving, and there’s enough recapping of the first two books that you can skip them if strapped for time, or binge the short Beartown TV series instead. No matter how you first get into The Winners and the series overall, with characters from so many different walks of life facing such a wide array of personal issues, no doubt every reader will find someone they relate to. For instance, the almost biblical storm that opens the book and forces two rival fandoms together serves as a valuable lesson for anyone who’s ever found themselves in a heated Internet debate about their bias. Readers be warned, however: Like all good cinematic (or literary) universes, it doesn’t pay to become overly attached to your favorite character. Similarly, you’ll want to steel yourself for some of the plot lines—this is the author of a book called Anxious People, after all.

“Von Dutch” by Charli XCX
Kim Doheon (Music Critic): Charli XCX was yearning for Y2K even before the appearance of the 2020s alternative rock, neo punk, and emo-core. “1999” that she co-created with Troye Sivan was a recreation of the cultural references from 1999 and was equivalent to “Saturday Saturday is a Singer” or “The Best Hidden Songs” to all “kidults” who grew up in the 00s. There was significant buzz, but the results were sub-par. For Charli, who was pioneering the trend by discovering hyper-pop producers and friends to lead the tomorrow of pop, "1999" meant little more than a list of childhood experiences. It turns out that the younger generation have no memories of the 00s, and therefore have no nostalgia for it. But things are different now. We are 20 years into the 21st century, where nothing much feels “new” or “shocking.” Charli XCX, who was born in 2008, uploaded her favorite songs on Myspace, dreaming of becoming a singer. And it’s her turn to be cool now. Her latest track “Von Dutch” exudes confidence, as did the eponymous fashion brand that used to reign supreme. The brand that people couldn’t get enough of was forgotten for a while, but now it’s made a comeback as a cult classic. It is now catering to the fans of retro. Charli identifies with the brand that has come back around, and still sprints forward at the top of her pop music game with her bold dance pop number that she created with producer EASYFUN. As if the cover of her album Crash that literally depicts the image of her crashing into the windshield of a car wasn’t bold enough, she uses the runway of the Charles de Gaulle airport in France and the Airbus A380 like her private stage. The 2020s with rock music and dark humor is no more. Now the aughts, with wild trance and techno music is here.