[TV] Kim's Convenience: Season 1 Review

It's hard to avoid the lure of "relatable content" as it were especially when it comes to entertainment. And thus as a gay man I have watched more than my fair share of LGBT-themed movies just out of curiosity. Similarly I've ended up watching various Asian-flavor or sort of deals and thus I totally enjoyed the unique view on the Asian American experience that is Fresh Off the Boat.

So I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me when Netflix recommended Kim's Convenience as something that I'd enjoy. And on the surface I support it had a quirky mix of familiar elements but you replace America with Canada and that's what you get in the end.

The show is funny for its own reasons and the sort of jokes it delivers week after week have a distinct Korean flair versus other shows. And maybe that helps sell a particular experience that helps the show continue to grow its audience.

[TV] The Cravings Series Review

I really do enjoy eating with Tobie and our eating adventures have taken us to many different restaurants and other new places. And so it's no surprise that we also enjoy watching shows  that celebrate good food like the Netflix documentary series "Chef's Table" and others. And now we've found ourselves exploring other food-related programming.

It was a bit of a surprise me that it seems there's a whole segment of Korean television programming that ties shows to food. Whether it's cooking or eating (but eating seems to come up more), they have literal shows that has this as a key element.

So we took a gamble on The Cravings on Netflix as it featured ridiculously short episodes, and thus made for easier viewing scheduling. And we ended up blitzing  through the two seasons of the show rather quickly.

I'm not sure what the background of this show was given how at times it felt like something sponsored by Lee Kum Kee products or whatever. But hey, it's still a fun show.

[Movies] Okja (2017) Review

With filmography that brought us Snowpiercer, it's hard to determine what might come next from the likes of Bong Joon-ho. So the last thing I expected was a movie about a super pig. Literally, it's a giant porcine-like creature as the inherent star of the show.

Okja genuinely got me excited given the talent involved and the rather insane marketing that came with this Netflix production. They had Twitter profiles, a Fast Company article and of course a fictional company website set in-universe. So yeah, that's a lot to celebrate.

It's interesting how different this movie feels from some of his other stuff. It definitely has more of a mass appeal given the focus on a younger protagonist. They had some stellar animation for Okja to really give it character. And they had great actors brought together to tell the story in away that really hits home.

It's quite brilliant.