“The Silence of IDOL” (MUPLY)
Yee Siyeon: The web variety show “The Silence of IDOL” is inspired by the kind of character-building retreats every Korean middle and high school student has been on, and despite the title, the show is a far cry from silent. Instead, idols are tasked with secretly preparing for a talent show while avoiding the intense scrutiny and ire of a strict chaperone. It’s full of the expected excited screams, but the tables also tend to turn, with the guest stars startling the teacher instead or even trying to strike a deal with them as the adult does their best to hold back their laughter and not break character. In the episode featuring KATSEYE, the chaperone dons the archetypical hard-line look of a red ball cap and polo shirt while issuing stern commands in a tone that’s instantly recognizable to any Korean viewer. But with Yoonchae being the only Korean in the girl group, the others don’t have any prior experience with such retreats or even fully grasp what’s going on and are unfazed by their chaperone’s chilly demeanor, blatantly asking him, “Who are you?”

The group questions the whole Korean retreat culture and the supposed health and safety benefits of monitoring students’ sleeping habits but they quickly immerse themselves in the whimsical world of “The Silence of IDOL” and the humorous clashes with the chaperone begin. Megan flippantly pretends to be the new chaperone, while Sophia and Lara come to their groupmate’s aid when the real chaperone tries to dole out a punishment to Yoonchae (“No,” they yell, “this is our maknae!”—though they visibly relax when it turns out the “punishment” is just having to wear a cute hat to bed.) After repeated disruptions by the glorified hall monitor, KATSEYE draws their own conclusion: “Maybe he just wants to dance with us.” Eventually swayed by the members’ eager stares as they count, “Hana, dul, set!” in Korean, the chaperone repeats a single short line from the group’s song “Gnarly” to fulfill their expectations and to be free of their antics. The group previously wore Korean school uniforms while exploring an amusement park and sharing both food and culture in “The Debut: Dream Academy,” and they continue to build bridges between cultures on “The Silence of IDOL,” showing off what makes each of them different and special for a truly entertaining experience. Consequently, the episode surpassed two million views within just four days of release. After successfully executing Operation Trap the Chaperone, the group lets out a triumphant rallying cry that should establish them within the world of Korean variety shows: “Who are we? KATSEYE!”

“Sinners”
Bae Dongmi (“CINE21” reporter): The year is 1932, when slavery has been abolished but the racist Jim Crow laws remain. The place is the Mississippi Delta, divided starkly into Black and white communities. On one side of the street are shops frequented by African Americans. On the other, bars and cafes for white patrons. Now more versed in the ways of the world after having worked with Al Capone’s gang in Chicago, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both Michael B. Jordan) return to their Delta hometown with a dream: to open a bar for the Black community. They envision a space where African Americans, who toil day in and day out on cotton and sunflower plantations for meager wages or “plantation scrip”—fake money—can finally relax. The twins serve their guests Irish beer and Italian wine, rarities in the Delta, while their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) lights up the stage with his innate musical talent.

In a supernatural twist, Sammie’s deep, resonant voice summons the spirits of their enslaved ancestors and those of future generations of rappers to the bar. Director Ryan Coogler sets up a realistic vision of a Mississippi where racism runs rampant, but weaves a tale where the past and future of African Americans collide in fantastical ways. Though Sammie has the power to soothe souls when he sings the blues, he also inadvertently attracts darker forces. KKK plantation owners turned vampires hear his song and begin to descend upon the juke joint. To defeat them, daylight must break. Can the main characters—Smoke, Stack, and Sammie—survive the night and make it to morning?

“Sinners” is a standout Black horror film in the vein of movies like “Get Out” and “Us,” taking the sociocultural horrors African American viewers feel in their bones and casting it into cinematic terror. The KKK vampires circle the bar relentlessly, demanding the twins let them inside, casting both the onscreen characters and the audience into discomfort as the threatening presence looms ominously just outside. The film’s horror stems from the unease of being subjected to an unrelenting, undeserved gaze and the ever-present dread of invasion. Coogler, celebrated for his films like “Black Panther” and “Fruitvale Station,” drew on his own experiences as an African American man to pen the screenplay for “Sinners.” Unlike the many films coming out lately based on comic books or real-life stories, this is an entirely original script, and it still went on to be a box-office smash, grossing $200 million in North America when released back in April—the highest of any original screenplay in the past eight years since Disney’s animated hit “Coco.” It's a time of uncertainty for the global film industry, where expectations at the box office skew pessimistic, but “Sinners” made an exception for itself—standing in defiance against fears that the age of cinema is over as it awaits the dawn.

Turnstile performs “NEVER ENOUGH” live at Baltimore’s Wyman Park Dell
Kim Doheon (Music Critic): Turnstiling. The crowd that witnessed the closing performance on the first day of the 2024 Pentaport Rock Festival knows exactly what this means. The electrifying chaos of the mosh pit filled fans with camaraderie and soon they were instinctively scaling the stage to celebrate the climax of a hardcore show. Swimming in their overwhelming love for the music, the boundary between stage and audience vanished. After always looking up at the main stage from afar, we were suddenly standing on it together—shaking hands, hugging, and crying ecstatically. It’s a memory etched far more deeply into my mind than any footage or written coverage could capture.

Turnstile, a five-piece band from Baltimore, inherits the spirit of hardcore punk while also putting their own modern twist on it to share it with the wider world. And they’re about to make us all smile yet again. Their fourth studio album, “NEVER ENOUGH,” is set to drop on June 6. The four singles already released hint at something extraordinary, and their music videos are stunning works of art in themselves. Members Brendan Yates and Pat McCrory spearheaded the album, and a film of the same name will soon premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Everything is tied together under the idea of “togetherness.” In the video for “NEVER ENOUGH,” the band plays their instruments against several different natural backdrops. “SEEIN’ STARS/BIRDS” feature people from all different walks of life coming together for a hardcore show. The camera in “LOOK OUT FOR ME” follows a car cruising through the streets of Baltimore. In all the videos, one common thread runs through them: people coming together. It’s hard not to cry hearing them yell out, “These birds not meant to fly alone.”

The band’s concert at the Wyman Park Dell, filmed with vintage 1990s VHS aesthetics, preserves an important idea: In music, everyone should be free and equal. The band raised over $35,000 from the performance and donated it to a nonprofit working to support homeless individuals in their hometown of Baltimore. So let’s keep turnstiling.