Yesterday’s biggest pop culture news kept me up all night: Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will be premiering globally on July 4. There will be eight episodes for this season.
But unlike the previous seasons that had us submerged into a grotesque alternate reality where nighttime seemed to be longer than any of the days, the show’s third installment is giving us a glimpse of a warm, adventure-filled (and soon-to-be-gone-wrong) summer. It’s so much more vibrant than we remember it to be, and even lets its characters embrace the bold and eccentric neon colors of the 80s.
The first ever Netflix-produced Korean drama requires you to pay attention to every second it plays on the screen. The story has enriched itself with details that is revealed in perfect and patient pacing—a narrative that is intensely gripping, heightening its viewers’ senses with the atrocious politics it tries to depict.
There’s no denying that “Kingdom” is indeed an addition to the long list of Korean period dramas. But what makes it different is its effort to build the political landscape of the era. While it shows a power struggle, it gives time to communicate the difficulty of the times, the frustration of the people, and the battle of politics versus philosophies.
The last time we saw Spider-Man on our screens, he immortalized this line: “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good.” But it seems like the young hero, along with half of the universe, was able to survive Thanos’ wipeout after all. Let’s be honest: We knew “Endgame” would undo the deaths of the film that came before it. But even in the out-of-this-world Marvel Cinematic Universe, shit like that change you (Cue “Iron Man 3”).
In the official trailer of “Far From Home,” we see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) packing for a trip to Europe with MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon), and the rest of the gang. He decides to skip on his heroic duties on this vacation, but as Marvel fans know by now, the Avengers are such strong magnets to trouble.
We’re beyond excited to see how Jon Watts along with screenplay writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have decided to continue this geeky and rookie chapter of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. So far, its one and only trailer was dropped and we already have so many questions running in our heads. These are some of them:
Joe Goldberg and Peach Salinger aren’t exactly the best of friends in the Netflix adaptation of Caroline Kepnes’ bestselling novel, “You.” In fact, they’re the fiercest of competition.
The charming bookstore manager (played by Penn Badgley) falls in love with Beck (Elizabeth Lail), an aspiring and struggling writer. They first meet at Mooney’s, where Beck buys a copy of “Desperate Characters” after Joe’s recommendation. From their first interaction, Joe seems to be overly observant—alarmingly accurate, in fact—as he tries to interpret Beck’s flirtatious hints.
He soon meets Beck’s friends, and the Queen Bee of the group is none other than Peach Salinger (Shay Mitchell)—this extremely loaded Brown alumna, who also happens to be JD Salinger’s relative. First off, Joe isn’t exactly a fan of the “Catcher in the Rye” writer—just cause he thinks he can see straight through the phonies of his world (how ironic). He called Salinger’s readers pretentious. And that prejudice doesn’t really change towards the other Salingers of the show.
Last Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Greenbelt Gallery was completely surrounded by a swarm of fans—phones were held up in the air, with booming voices calling the attention of two Hollywood stars: Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell.
The two star in what is proving to be Netflix's first global phenomenon of 2019, a thriller based on Caroline Kepner's "You." Its episodes were first released last Christmas, but it's undeniable that the show's popularity continues to rise.
Badgley asked the crowd for a show of hands, curious to see who were troubled by the character he was playing—Joe Goldberg. "Not too many, I see," he said. Fans then screamed they loved Joe. "You probably loved me playing as him," the 32-year-old actor joked.
Badgley revealed he didn't have that much fun as the lead, but only because it wasn't a type of character worth celebrating. "The scenes with Shay (playing Peach) were the most fun, the scenes with Paco were the most heartwarming, and the scenes with Beck were the most heartbreaking," Badgley shared.
According to Badgley and Mitchell, who plays Joe Goldberg and Peach Salinger respectively, "You" has been a meta experience to watch. The stars pointed out that the show touches a lot on how people nowadays project images of themselves and their lives online and, on the flipside, how social media is used as a tool for one to build their own perceptions of people.
But that's not all that makes it relevant and relatable—it's that underlying desire to connect and develop meaningful human relationships that is consistent among all its characters. Only for some of "You's" personalities, this desire is carried out to the extreme.
The 10-episode series centers on the charming Joe Goldberg. He's been tagged as the last nice guy in New York, a real score to anyone who fancies a guy who reads (and could give you a lecture on classic literature). But behind his unassuming and kind front is a troubled man, engulfed by his insecurities and outrageous fears.
Photo by Karl Hui for alike. This article was previously published by alike Media.
Stories of the walking dead aren’t at all new. It starts with an impossible endemic to stop, and we are all left to follow the survivors’ strife in a decaying city. But it was the South Korean film “Train to Busan” that introduced a new breed of zombies—ones that are lightning fast and blind in the dark—and, for our viewing pleasure, made a once worn out narrative exciting again.
South Korea clearly isn’t done telling its tales about these flesh-eating monsters, especially with the growing popularity of its thrillers internationally (among them “Okja,” “The Battleship Island,” and “The Prison”). And when you put the genre of historical drama and apocalyptic thrillers together, you’re sure to have a new show to binge-watch.
Netflix original “Kingdom” explores a new take on how period dramas are done—quite an ambitious undertaking for the streaming giant’s first-ever K-drama production. Well, the Joseon era had to have more problems than just the assassination of its emperors, right? In this horror series, the royal family is once again at the center of a power struggle, with the crown prince (played by Ju Ji-hoon) framed for treason.
Ju Ji-hoon plays the crown prince in Netflix’s newest horror series/Netflix
But here’s the unveiled twist:The prince also takes on a quest to uncover the origins of an infectious plague turning his subjects into the undead. His journey towards the truth is much rooted in familial redemption—because from what the trailer suggests, the king himself has become a monster of the palace.
Joseon is facing famine, but the unfruitful land isn’t just what strikes fear in the masses—now they are forced to satiate an evil hunger that lurks in the night.
“Kingdom” does seem to be cut from the same cloth as “Rampant,” a film by Kim Sung-hoon (the same man behind the famous movie with Gong Yoo as its lead actor), with its shared historical setting and the zombie narrative defying its dystopian archetype.
But one shouldn’t tag the series as an unoriginal concept. After all, the “Kingdom” unites two of Korea’s most compelling industry names—“Signal” screenplay writer Kim Eun-hee and “Tunnel” director Kim Seong-hun. The two industry greats are known for their exhilarating storytelling methods, often surprising fans and viewers alike with the unconventional and breathtaking twists they set.
All episodes will be available for streaming on Jan. 25 next year, and we know we’re putting this drama on our 2019 must-watch list!
I’ll get straight to the point. “Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald” is an overambitious yet underwhelming addition to the Potterverse. But—yes, here’s the absolutely divisive catch—the way it wields magic on the screen is still as jaw-dropping as ever.
While it’s a reunion between director David Yates and JK Rowling (who’s now in charge of the franchise’s screenplay), the sequel takes on a different tone. One that is grimmer than the first, with a certain swiftness that is nothing but an illusion.
Ricky Nierva can make an entire room laugh. But he second guesses his own punchlines and always has to make himself clear—“these are the jokes, people,” he says.
The Pixar animator has been with the film studio for two decades, and has the prized Woody statue to show for it. This certified PixNoy, which stands for Pinoys working at Pixar, came home to inspire young aspiring animators at the first Comic Con Asia last March.
“If you have any dreams of being in animation, I’m here to tell you one important thing: It’s possible,” Ricky shares to an audience of art students and Pixar fans of all ages.
“I want you to know that the things that you do will be shared to the world,” he adds.
Getting the whole world entertained is clearly a herculean task. But it is one quest Pixar takes on one blockbuster hit after another, even it requires at least four whole years to come up with a single but great story to tell. One that is built on research, visual story and even inclusivity.
And Ricky helps paint that story on the big screen.
In a lot of ways I consider myself as a basic, social media image-obsessed millennial. I've been closely watching how my overall Instagram feed looks like since 2014, carefully choosing images that are crisp, coordinated, and well-captioned. Curating my feed serves as my only creative pursuit—or, at least, the only one I am capable of. Now I don't take the best photos for sure. But the thing is, my Instagram account is a personal visual diary that has no intention of gaining the approval of anyone else but of my own brand and vision of aesthetic. But that doesn't mean I don't get giddy over other people's compliments and enthusiastic inquiries on how I manage to do so. It doesn't take much effort to end up with a well-curated feed. Here are 6 steps I follow to keep my Instagram the way it is:
Remaining in the shadows is the protector of Hell’s Kitchen, solidifying his status as a strong figure in Marvel’s television universe, even more so after the abrupt cancellation of two of its Netflix titles. It makes you wonder what sets Daredevil apart—how it stays inventive and impressive—and the third season has all the answers.
It’s not easy to mount yet another vigilante-driven story. And after the second season had degraded itself to setting the pieces for “The Punisher” and “The Defenders,” the next one had to embody the very core of what makes Daredevil the hero that he is: Redemption.
