BamBam Home

Yoon Haein: In EXchange (also known as Transit Love), BamBam shows off his knack for entertainment and what makes him so charming by arousing both laughter and empathy with a few gentle but impactful words: “They’re really funny people.” He’s sweet enough to take an affectionate look at the cast and honest enough to say exactly what he feels, though without ever being rude. BamBam’s just as charming today on his YouTube series, BamBam Home. The show’s format is straightforward: BamBam plays host at home and invites a guest who brings snacks and receives some of BamBam’s home-brewed beer in exchange, and the two get to talking. (Note, however, that he hosts with conditions: no washing dishes or any other kind of cleaning up and no walking on his prized living room carpet.)

What makes BamBam Home so fun to watch is BamBam’s unique way of speaking and his ability to keep things light. When idol SAKURA expresses concern over her inability to wink, BamBam replies, “I can’t wink [either],” then wields his mastery of the ending pose to teach her a new one. In another video, when EXchange cast member Sung Haeeun asks why BamBam only invited her onto the show, he warmly replies, “I was able to deeply relate to you and I sincerely hoped that you become happy.” Then, when Haeeun is curious about the rule about not walking on the carpet, BamBam says, “Only for [you], Haeeun, you can do it as much as you want,” and demonstrates himself walking on it, readily breaking his own rules to build their friendship. YENA, another guest, mentions she’s thinking about moving, and BamBam says, “It’s good to look it up on Naver,” recommending the search engine. It evokes a certain style of humor in the way it verifies his status as a long-term foreigner who’s lived in Korea for 12 years. He and SAKURA also exchange extremely Korean cheers, like, “life is hard,” and, “let’s sleep [when we’re] dead,” sympathizing with each other in a sort of roundabout comfort in a refreshing scene of two foreigners who have adjusted to life in another country and are idols at the same time. BamBam’s conversational style can come across as brutally honest at times, but his jokes are welcomed because he only makes them once he’s established a solid rapport with the listener, and he’s also very good at coaxing his guests into speaking openly and honestly. And they’re real conversations—a pleasant and fun rarity on a platform like YouTube where most videos are jumping up and down for attention.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Im Sooyeon (CINE21 reporter): In the 31st entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the first of Phase Five, the device built by Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), daughter of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), accidently sucks Ant-Man’s and Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) families into the Quantum Realm. Ant-Man’s image as an everyman has been diminished but the film expands the series as it takes concrete steps towards playing on the concept of timelines that has been established in the MCU as of late. It’s also a particularly important movie to catch for fans of Marvel as it’s the first proper look at Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who’s expected to become the central villain of the MCU moving forward in what is commonly being called the Multiverse Saga. But while starting a new chapter is a big task, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t overly serious. Jeff Loveness, a writer for the misanthropic adult cartoon Rick and Morty, helped give the script its kitschy humor, and the space opera feel is inspired by the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who.

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Caroline Polachek)

Kim Doheon (music critic): Caroline Polachek, former leader of the disbanded indie pop band Chairlift, built her chops writing music for pop stars like Charli XCX, Travis Scott and Beyoncé before setting out on her solo career. After releasing two studio albums under different stage names, she’s been putting out unimaginably fantastic music, beginning with Pang in 2019 and most recently her masterful new album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Polachek cheerfully deconstructs what it means to be a diva in a world of pop music that demands them and makes very accessible music with messages strongly reminiscent of mythology and absolutely inimitable soundscapes. When she shouts and gasps for “desire” in ecstasy, we’re looking at her posing as a priest as she receives the divine word of the god of lustful desire. Desire is easily twisted, forces us to choose between hope and despair alone, and sometimes coerces us into giving up everything we have, including faith and our sense of self. But desire is the pressing force that urges us forward and the source of the beauty of endless change and the ability to change into anything. Caroline Polachek is an animal who has liberated herself from hunger and all longing. She’s the diva of our time, crawling and drooling on a dirty subway platform as she prepares to consume the world in one bite.