Jinny’s Kitchen

Lee Jiyeon: Jinny’s Kitchen, a spin-off of the show Youn’s Kitchen, is open for business. Lee Seo Jin was a kitchen manager in the original show and has now become the owner of the snack bar Jinny’s Kitchen in Bacalar, Mexico, there to promote K-street food. While Youn’s Kitchen and Youn’s Stay were known for their calming and laid-back atmosphere, Jinny’s Kitchen is more like an entertaining sitcom. With Lee in charge and the newly hired intern V there as well, there’s a noticeable shift in the overall tone of the show. “The man I used to know became the CEO,” Park Seojun said. “It doesn’t feel the same.” The once kind soul he used to hang out with is nowhere to be found. In his place stands a commander who bellows out, “Profit is the king here.” There’s also a distinct chemistry between Lee and V, the goofy and energetic new intern who refuses to give in to his boss’ demands, as when V is asked how many bottles of juice have been sold and he cheerfully admits to selling two but drinking four himself, leading Lee to shut his eyes to escape from reality for a moment. The different dynamics between not only those two but all of the cast—including manager Jung Yu Mi, director Park and another intern Choi Wooshik—make for lots of laughs in the first episode. The K-street food that looks so good it makes one of the customers decide they “should come back,” coupled with the beautiful backdrop of Mexico’s scenic views, adds even more to the show’s appeal.

The Whale

Im Sooyeon (CINE 21 reporter): Weighing 272 kg and with his blood pressure measuring 238/134, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), who suffers from congestive heart failure, has reached a state where he can barely even move without assistance. Despite his nurse and only friend Liz (Hong Chau) warning Charlie that he could die within a week if he doesn’t go to the hospital, Charlie decides to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), whom he hasn’t seen in nearly nine years, and tells her that he wants the two of them to complete an essay on Moby-Dick together. The Whale is the latest film from director Darren Aronofsky, who has previously explored themes centering around the brinks of self-destruction and the potential for (anti)religious salvation in his previous works Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and Black Swan. The portrayal of Charlie’s self-destructive overeating in the wake of the death of the man he loved is even more uncomfortable and controversial than Aronofsky’s previous films as it runs the risk of coming across as fatphobic. In The Whale, the act of essay-writing is presented as the only path toward salvation, which requires expressing oneself as one truly is. The film conveys its message by making the audience fully confront the painful reality of Charlie’s body image. After a long slump following The Mummy series, Fraser’s acting in The Whale has earned him a Best Actor nomination for the 2023 Academy Awards.

“Snowdrift” (Jowall)

Na Wonyoung (music critic): In “Snowdrift,” every inch of sound forms a small, indistinct lump. Jowall’s mastery is on full display in this song, as well as in his previous work, in which he has demonstrated his skillful use of sound to capture the most intimate scenery of the human mind in all 21st-century Korean underground and indie music. Of all his work, “Snowdrift” shares the most similarities with “Afterword,” which he released last year. In the musical landscape of this latter song, fragments of sound from Jowall’s previous solo works flutter in the air like pieces of memories. The snowy haze created by overlapping sounds in “Snowdrift” shares this in common as well. Taehun Lee and Han Sangchol craft a magnificent soundscape using guitars alone and their surprise appearance on the track, which they both play on and are sampled for, comes on like a sudden snowfall. However, the mixed, muddled sound may make it difficult to pinpoint their exact contribution. Still, just like you can continue to discern the unique shapes of individual snowflakes in the heavily falling snow by taking a closer look, you can also recognize familiar shapes and forms in this wintry soundscape. Taking out the noise (presumably borrowed from Han’s solo album) wavering in the background, you get a feel for the gritty texture of the drum as it flits by, the thick snowflakes of electric guitar pouring out and the subtle echoes it all leaves behind. The murmured vocals and subtle harmonies in the chorus gradually pile up into a thick bed of snow and the strings and piano fill the gaps left by the vocals in the slow, breathy blizzard. Cries, or perhaps the sound of dripping water, also burst forth from somewhere far off in the wintry landscape. Despite all the sounds being swept up and covered by each other, “Snowdrift” ultimately exudes warmth rather than an icy chill. Jowall’s skillful songwriting includes a pop melody and composition style wrapped up in an unconventional sound, emphasizing the effect sentimentality has in the song. Finally, Ricardo Martins’ bass performance came about after an accidental encounter and stands out distinctly in the storm of sound and emotion with its rounded tone and chunky riffs, sounding almost as if there wasn’t anything accidental about it at all.