6/45

Im Sooyeon (CINE21 reporter): Like the feather in Forrest Gump, a lottery ticket drifts into a military unit near the North Korean border. Chunwoo (Ko Kyung Pyo) has just 100 days to go before he’s discharged from the army. Once the lotto ticket he finds turns out to have the winning numbers, there’s nothing he can do to hide his smile, but when the ticket makes its way over the border in a fluke moment, risky negotiations between the two sides begin. The scene where the characters gather together in the “Joint Supply Area”—conspicuously not given its real name—signals to the viewer that 6/45 is a direct homage to the film Joint Security Area, the real-world name for the site. More precisely speaking, the movie aims to be the comedy version of Joint Security Area. The movie succeeds in its singular goal of making the audience laugh by foregoing serious commentary on politics between the two Koreas and never panders with melodramatic turns. The non-stop laughs from Ko Kyung Pyo, Lee Yi Kyung, Um Mun Suk, Park Se Wan, Lee Soon Won, Kwak Dong Yeon and Kim Minho are on par with the comedy Extreme Job. Try not to judge the film for what may appear to be childish scenes, such as when the North and South Korean soldiers send men over to each side as collateral until they receive their prize money or when both sides are united by the song “Rollin’” by Brave Girls. 6/45’s charm comes from its power to make audiences laugh the whole way through despite its simple plot.

Street Man Fighter (Mnet)

Choi Jieun (writer): Speaking on the subject of Street Man Fighter, a spin-off of 2021’s most popular show, Street Woman Fighter, the reality shows’ chief producer, Kwon Youngchan, remarked, “While on the female dancers’ survival show there was jealousy and greed, the male dancers frequently displayed loyalty and pride.” It’s unimaginable that someone so close to the projects would ever make such a comparison, especially considering that the pivotal scene in the first episode of the new series was a battle full of one-upmanship and put-downs between the eight all-male dance crews. Provocation and rivalries are to be expected in a competition program, but it’s difficult to see any “loyalty and pride” on a set where disrespectful slang and curse words are thrown around without restraint. If the producers and dancers want to maintain the show’s popularity as the competition heats up, they need to seriously consider what respect means both on and off camera.

“Call Me Anytime” feat. Kim Bum Soo, prod. Lee Hyori (Babylon)

Na Wonyoung (popular music critic): EGO 90’S is a carefully produced lucid recreation of the past. It’s been meticulously polished to emphasize everything from the singers’ engaging vocals and singing styles to the musical landscape that supports them, resulting in a faithful and ambitious homage to earlier times. As the finale of a grand banquet playing host to a whole history of Babylon’s colleagues, the song “Call Me Anytime” was written by Kang Hwaseong, a well-known composer and arranger, with Lee Hyori and Kim Bum Soo contributing to the lyrics and music. This is a meaningful turn of events given the two have appeared on TV shows like Hangout with Yoo to capture a similar atmosphere. Rather than their more simplistic TV appearances of late, “Call Me Anytime” capitalizes on their full potential as already proven by them in the K-pop scene of old and is remarkably successful at preserving the power of the past for its own use in the present. The song’s characteristic gentle yet sturdy synths, captivating percussion, melody that takes the listener on an emotional journey and vocals that flawlessly direct the whole thing not only pay homage to the past but also leave no doubt that this style works just as well in the present day. The lyrics reflect how the big, historied names along for the ride on Babylon’s EGO 90’S can and do appear throughout the album: “You can call me anytime / Anytime.”