P1Harmony in Chicago: Show-Stopping Performance – Concert Review

P1Harmony, expanding from theaters to arenas, are currently on their P1ustage H: UTOP1A Tour, travelling across eleven cities through North America after their opening show in Seoul. They most recently hit the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena stage. Before the show began, fans gathered all along the arena, with lines stretching far beyond what one…

77th Cannes Film Festival: “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” Review

Kowloon Walled City, a military fort turned ungovernable residential area in Hong Kong that was demolished in 1993, feels like the product of a screenwriter’s imagination run wild. As depicted in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the city’s self-sustaining ecosystem is almost entirely shut off from the real world, its 35,000+ residents living and…

26th Far East Film Festival: “Ransomed” Review

Where film demands dramaticism, realism is forfeited, Ransomed is the latest piece of Korean cinema to take a bit of history and whip up a fun action flick around it. The true story it’s based on of a Korean diplomat’s abduction in Lebanon is like a small meringue, sitting atop a thick lemon tart of…

“Wanderland” – Blish’s Debut Album Offers Hope and Inspiration

“Every cloud has a silver lining” is how Korean artist Blish begins his enigmatic first full-length album, Wanderland. The first track, Rewind, has an extended invitation with an optimistic message that begins his storytelling. Whilst the chirping birds in the background are unexpected, it’s a delightful way to accompany the vocals of both Blish and…

38th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival – “Heavy Snow” Review

Heavy Snow, written and directed by Yun Su-ik, is a subtle, heartwarming, and delicate narrative that depicts a friendship and budding romance between two teenage girls and their tumultuous journey through adolescence. At the centre of the story is Seol (Han So-hee: Nevertheless, My Name), a teenage actress whose world is transformed when she encounters…

74th Berlin International Film Festival: “Young Hearts” Review

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Set amongst the fairytale-like rural landscapes of Belgium, Anthony Schatteman’s Young Hearts takes us into the lives of Elias (Lou Goossens) and Alexander (Marius De Saeger) as they pry open their feelings for one another – and navigate first love. With musical magic from Ruben De Gheselle, the film suffocates you with…