Feminist Fury: Call Jane & She Said

Well, 2022 has been a year to infuriate most women with the overturning of Roe v Wade and continued indignities to our rights and protections as human beings. So if you're feeling the need to watch some movies about women fighting back against sexism, corruption, and the patriarchy, this blog post is for you.

Call Jane: Directed by Phyllis Nagy with a screenplay from Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, this is a fictional story about the very-real group called the Janes, a group of women in Chicago who helped women get abortions in the pre-Roe era from 1969 to 1973. Elizabeth Banks stars as Joy, a suburban housewife who develops complications during her pregnancy with her second child. Her doctor advises her that the only option would be to terminate the pregnancy, but unfortunately, the hospital's medical board (comprised of all male doctors, natch) does not agree, prioritizing the life of the unborn fetus over the life of the very sick mother. At her wit's end, Joy tries every loophole, but cannot find a way to get a legal abortion. Which is when she discovers the Janes, run by the competent and compassionate, Virginia (Sigourney Weaver). They have developed a whole system of how to help women obtain abortions, shepherding them to a doctor on their payroll, and making follow-up calls to ensure their health and safety afterwards. It's extremely illegal, but these women know how dangerous unwanted pregnancies can be to desperate women and are willing to fight the good fight.

The movie is beautifully scripted, always propelling you along Joy's journey as she first gets this abortion and then gradually finds herself sucked in by the Janes. This film has much to say about gender roles, mothers and daughters, solidarity amongst women, and the many ways in which the patriarchy can pit women against themselves. Joy is a prim and proper Catholic and while she recognizes the need for an abortion in her case, she is still very judgy of other women who seem to be using the Janes' service in a more "casual" fashion. But Virginia sets her straight on the Janes' philosophy to never judge the women they take on, and we get to watch Joy's gradual evolution from a slightly frustrated housewife to a strident feminist activist.

The movie also doesn't shy away from all the complications and problems with this group of very white women. Wunmi Mosaku plays Gwen, the group's only Black member, who is frustrated that women of color often cannot avail them themselves of the group's services because they are too poor to pay the exorbitant fee charged by their shady doctor. It's a showcase for the need for intersectional feminism, and how solving one problem cannot solve for all of society's ills; you need to evolve and change and be capable of fighting more than just one fight at a time. Thankfully, this is a story where women band together and triumph, showing remarkable resilience and courage. But given that this country has yet again failed to protect abortion as a right for us all, this movie is a stark reminder of what the women of 2022 are facing once again.

She Said: At this point we are all aware of the broad strokes of the Weinstein scandal. But this movie is the story of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey (played by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan), the New York Times investigative journalists who did the fearless reporting that first exposed Weinstein's predatory behavior and eventually got him held to account for his crimes. It's a little sad that a movie with so many roles for women exists just because it is about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, but oh well. C'est la vie. 

Directed by Maria Schrader from a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz that adapts Kantor and Twohey's articles and book recounting their investigation, the movie is a fast-paced thriller, a throwback to films like All the President's Men or Spotlight, where we all know where the story is headed, but we are all watching with bated breath anyway to see what happens next, and how these reporters are going to find their sources and then convince them to go on the record. Mulligan and Kazan are wonderful and you empathize with them every step of the way, particularly as their characters are reckoning with their own challenges with marriage and motherhood (this movie is a reminder that behind every great woman, there's a man who is willing to take care of the damn kids). But they are relentless and determined to give a voice to women who feel like the entire system has let them down.

This movie is shot in New York, which meant that I spent a lot of time excitedly recognizing places I've been to and identifying weird production design matters like the fact that a Wafels & Dinges kiosk had been renamed Weinman's (what gives, does big Wafel not support women?!) But apart from those delightful asides, this is of course a movie that made me alternately sad and furious. Ashley Judd features prominently, as the first woman who agreed to go on the record, and while it's great to see her tell her piece in this movie, it's just another reminder of all the movies we didn't get to see her in after Weinstein blackballed her in Hollywood. This is a movie where you can already predict exactly how you're going to feel when you walk out, but it is still a great watch. It is riveting, moving, and ensures that attention and focus is given to the brave women who spoke up so this monster could finally be silenced. Now we just need to take down all the other monsters in his wake.

Comic Chaos: Weird, The Menu, The People We Hate at the Wedding

Do you need some laughs over Thanksgiving? Well here are some reviews of three very different comedies - whether you're into music, murder, or mayhem, I've got you covered.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: I'm not an Al Yankovic fan - I know he exists, I've heard some of his song parodies, but he's not someone whose career I have been following closely over the decades. However, that really didn't matter when watching this movie, because it is a ridiculous and witty satire of the musical biopic genre that led to my then having to Google questions like "did Weird Al really date Madonna?" (No, he did not.) The genius of this film is that while it purports to be a biopic, it is just a tissue of lies with random truths scattered throughout. But with Daniel Radcliffe playing the adult Al Yankovic, you're in for a damn good time.

Directed by Eric Appel, who co-wrote the screenplay with Weird Al himself, this is an over-the-top movie that feels like an SNL sketch but has the legs to keep the joke going for 100 minutes. The cast is marvelous, with all manner of great comedians and actors popping in for cameos, and once I got used to the idea that I wasn't supposed to take any of this seriously, I could sit back and enjoy the show. You won't leave this movie having learned much about Weird Al at all, but you will get to hear a lot of his music and have a newfound respect for his satirical talents. After all, he is "the best, OK not best, but arguably most famous accordion player in a very specific genre of music."

The Menu: Directed by Mark Mylod (known for his work on Succession - an "eat the rich" show that is certainly relevant to this movie), from a screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, be prepared for a movie that is thrilling and funny, but will also leave you feeling deeply hungry by the end. This is the story of an acclaimed chef (played by the always menacing Ralph Fiennes) who runs an exclusive restaurant called Hawthorne on a private island. Guests have to be shipped in to enjoy his dramatic and meticulously crafted tasting menu, and this movie gives us the story of what happens when the chef has decided he has had enough of catering to his wealthy, privileged, and rude clientele. 

Anya Taylor-Joy also stars as Margot, a woman who has been dragged on this excursion by her boyfriend, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), a pretentious dolt who is obsessed with food and likes to condescend to her about her palate. The other guests include actors like Judith Light, John Leguizamo, and Janet McTeer, who are all playing different types of rich asshole who are about to get a comeuppance. I won't give anything further away, but suffice to say, once this meal gets underway, it becomes increasingly clear that maybe everyone shouldn't stick around for dessert. The movie is beautifully plotted with an eerie and elegant production design capturing the absolute desolation of this remote restaurant that's going to quickly become the scene of much horror. The guests are terrible people, but so is the chef who has given up his life to satisfy these people and turned into a monster himself who treats his staff contemptibly. It's a delicious (pun intended), funny, and thoroughly entertaining movie that you can't tear your eyes away from. And once you finish, you're really gonna need a cheeseburger.

The People We Hate the Wedding: Based on the 2016 novel by Grant Ginder (that I absolutely loved and highly recommend), this is a light and fun adaptation by the Molyneux sisters, directed by Claire Scanlon. I'll be honest, I read the book five years ago and only remember that I loved reading it, but cannot tell you if this film is true to the novel. Instead, I had to judge the movie on its own merits, and I found it to be a frothy bit of fun, one of those 90-minute crowd pleasers that are perfect for a Sunday afternoon. 

This is a story of a complicated and dysfunctional family that have to gather in England for a daughters' wedding. Naturally, chaos ensues, all set to a soundtrack of banging pop music hits. You've got Allison Janney playing the matriarch, with Kristen Bell and Ben Platt playing her American children from her second marriage, who are jealous and judgy of her more rich and privileged English daughter from her first marriage, played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson. People like Karan Soni, Jorma Taccone, Dustin Milligan, and Lizzy Caplan also pop in and out of the supporting cast, keeping things fresh and interesting. The challenge of condensing this book down into a movie is that we have a lot of complications without much depth or background about the various resentments and insecurities festering in this family; I would have happily watched this as a six-episode miniseries instead. But as long as you don't get too hung up on the details, you can enjoy a classic comic tale of families that harbor secrets, bicker, and then have to learn to forgive and move on.

This One's for the Girls: Catherine Called Birdy, Hocus Pocus 2, Disenchanted

Do you have young girls at home? Well here are a bunch of movies they might enjoy. Though, let's be real, I'm 35 and wanted to watch these movies too. So whatever, gather round, young and old, and stream some charming young adult movies to while away the winter blues. 

Catherine Called Birdy: Directed by Lena Dunham who adapted the screenplay from the beloved novel by Karen Cushman, this is an utterly charming movie set in medieval England, about a young girl, Catherine (nicknamed Birdy, natch) who has just turned fourteen, has gotten her period, and is therefore of marriageable age. Played by Bella Ramsey, the wondrous actress you may remember for her scene-stealing turn as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, prepare yourself for some rousing feminist comedy. 

The cast of this movie is absolutely stacked with Billie Piper playing Birdy's loving mother, and Andrew Scott playing her layabout father who has mismanaged the family's funds and therefore needs to marry his daughter off for a good dowry. We also get Joe Alwyn (aka Mr. Taylor Swift) as Birdy's Uncle Greg, who she is very attracted to in the manner of most teenage girls and their tendency to unfortunate crushes. 

As someone who was once a teenage girl herself, and as an Indian woman who has had to rail against arranged marriages all her life, this movie certainly struck a chord. It is fierce and funny, and I will be reading the book posthaste. The production design and costumes are all beautifully rendered, the soundtrack is filled with incongruous pop music that will keep your toes tapping, and Ramsey is an absolute star, commanding the screen in every scene and making you root for this awkward but endearing child who simply wants the freedom to be a kid for a little while longer. It's a slight but satisfying film and certainly worthy of adding to your ever-growing streaming queue.

Hocus Pocus 2: Every year, my friend Laura and I watch Hocus Pocus for Halloween. So we were very excited to do a double feature with this brand new sequel. Unfortunately, our love for the original could not be matched, but I suppose it's still a valiant effort to tap into our nostalgia and desire to revisit these witches once again.

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker return as the Sanderson sisters, three women who were burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials. 29(!) years have passed since the events of the original film and apparently everyone has gotten over it. So of course, yet again, a virgin lights a Black Flame Candle, and the witches come back to haunt the youth of 2022 during Halloween and yet again try to cast a spell so they can be powerful forever.

The main difference here is that they've eschewed a teen romance plot. Instead, our protagonists are three young teenage girls (played by Whitney Peak, Belisssa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham), and they must band together with their own special brand of magic to defeat these old witches. The movie feels very Disney, and doesn't feel quotable and fun like the original, but maybe it's just a question of having to watch it a dozen more times until it seeps into my bones. It follows a lot of the same beats as  the original, has nothing particularly fresh to add on, and ends with a whimper that suggests there will be no further sequels. It's a great watch to indulge in your nostalgia, but ends up being more of a trick than a treat.

Disenchanted: My mother and I went to see Enchanted in theaters in 2007 and absolutely loved it. Now, 15(!) years later, we have this perfectly adequate sequel that went straight to streaming on Disney+. It deals with the age-old question of what happens after "happily ever after." We had left our lovely heroine Giselle (the always charming Amy Adams) with her true love, Robert (the always dashing Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter, Morgan (played by Rachel Covey in the original, but now played as a more sarcastic teenager by Gabriella Baldacchino) living in an apartment by Central Park. However, this movie opens ten years later, Giselle has had a baby, and they've decided to move to the suburbs. Gasp.

What follows is a story about the difficulties of continuing to live a fairytale life when the very real problems of parenting a baby and moody teen intervene. Giselle also finds herself up against a trio of territorial moms, played by Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, and their leader, Maya Rudolph. Let's revel in that casting for a second. Of course, Giselle then makes a wish, things go awry, and we get a lot of special effects and magic as everyone tries to sort everything out before the stroke of midnight.

The songs aren't very memorable, the costumes are fantastic, the special effects are standard. Amy Adams is acting her heart out, particularly in some scenes that require her to play a double role of sorts, but none of that can help this film re-capture the magic of the original. What made Enchanted so...enchanting, was the fish-out-of-water concept, but here we get a wicked stepmother plot that turns our heroine into an anti-heroine and that's no fun. Like with Hocus Pocus 2, Disney is trying to cash in on our nostalgia for the original - they succeed a little, but like Giselle, our wish for more of a fairytale doesn't quite come true. 

From the Past to the Future: Till & Wakanda Forever

If you go to the theatre right now, you can treat yourself to a particularly powerful double feature with two very different but equally remarkable movies that feature an abundance of Black talent in front of and behind the camera. One is a story of this country’s horrific racist past. And the other is the sequel to a futuristic fantasy of Black excellence. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Till: Almost every one I know has refused to see this movie because it will be too sad. And yes, I can confirm that I sobbed. But oh it is such a good movie, such a deeply moving and beautiful portrait of a heartbroken and devastated mother who channeled her overwhelming grief for her son into something powerful. Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Keith Beauchamp and Michael Reilly, this movie takes its time, never rushing a single scene, and allows every character to display the riot of emotions that they experienced in the wake of this traumatic event.

Danielle Deadwyler is an absolute revelation as Mamie Bradley, the mother of Emmett Till (played by the heartbreakingly charming Jalyn Hall), the fourteen-year-old boy who was brutally lynched in Mississippi in 1955. The film tells this story from the very beginning, showing us how close Mamie and her son were, and how nervous she was to send him off to stay with relatives in Mississippi after he had been born and raised in Chicago and never experienced the deeply segregated racism of the Jim Crow South. We then see the events leading to his horrific murder, and the subsequent aftermath. 

This is a brutal story that we are all familiar with from textbooks and online articles, but this movie channels Mamie's emotion and heartbreak in a searing way. We see the guilt of her relatives who couldn't save Emmett when his murderers abducted him from their home, and the absolutely disgusting proceedings of the court case where the white defendants were allowed to brazenly lie while the Black witnesses, despite fearing for their lives, bravely offered up the truth, but to no avail. Is it an infuriating and painful movie? Of course. The fact that it took until March 2022 to pass the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in this country is a reminder that we are still barely making any progress since 1955. But it's an important and inspiring movie as well, about the strength and courage of Mamie Bradley and the other Civil Rights leaders who kept fighting despite constant horrors and indignities. It's a useful reminder that while a society may be the absolute worst, it always contains people who are striving to make it better.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: This was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and yes, I can reassure you, it absolutely does not disappoint. Like the original film, this is a brilliant movie that features captivating production design, music, costumes, and Afro-futurism giving us a vision of an African superpower that the rest of the world regards with awe. However, in this sequel, director Ryan Coogler (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole), introduces us to the new civilization of Talokan, led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), a half-human half-god who has been leading his people since they fled underwater to escape the colonizers who were enslaving the Maya. They also have vibranium, and now their existence is being threatened by the United States and other countries who are trying to get their hands on this invaluable metal.

What follows is a thoroughly intriguing plot where we have two civilizations that have traditionally been oppressed by white Europeans now facing a conflict against each other that has been instigated by those same white folk. This movie may be nearly three hours long, but you will be riveted as you watch this marvelous interplay between people of color who have been pitted against each other by their oppressors and now have to deal with the ugly human thirst for vengeance. There's plenty of action, distinct stunt choreography, and sublime cinematography to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Of course, this is also a movie about grief. Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played King T'Challa/Black Panther in the first film, died in 2020, and this movie fully grapples with the death of that character and the impact it has had on his surviving family members. Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright are fantastic as Queen Ramonda and Shuri, T'Challa's mother and sister, who are mourning his loss and dealing with it in entirely different ways and finding it hard to come together as a family. If you are mourning the loss of Boseman, this is a movie that will help you process your grief in a myriad ways, and it's a loving and beautiful ode to an actor that we all dearly miss. It's sad to think of the many directions this franchise could have gone if he was still alive, but this movie is a fitting tribute and a reminder that the filmmakers still have plenty of ideas up their sleeve to ably steer this ship in the years to come. Black Panther was one of my all-time favorite movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with this installment, it continues to be a highlight of the genre. Wakanda Forever!

Flee to Distant Shores: The Banshees of Inisherin & Decision to Leave

If you’re looking to escape from America for a bit as we try to ascertain the state of our democracy, I’ve got two intriguing movies for you. Pack your suitcase, we’re going to Ireland and South Korea!

The Banshees of Inisherin: I have watched two movies written and directed by Martin McDonagh and seen two of his plays. If you are similarly familiar with his work, you will not be surprised by the tone of this particular movie. As always, we begin with a black comedy with some intriguing, very Irish folk on the fictional island of Inisherin, and the dialogue is biting and hilarious and intriguing. And then everything just escalates and gets wildly preposterous and really puts the “black” in black comedy.

I don’t want to give too much away as you need to experience the whiplash for yourself. The film reunites the dream team of Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell (they previously starred in McDonagh’s brilliant 2008 directorial debut, In Bruges). Here they play Colm and Padraic, two best friends who would reliably rock up to the pub for a pint every afternoon. But this movie opens with a dramatic twist - Colm simply doesn’t want to talk to Padraic anymore.

This evokes a whole range of emotions from Padraic. First he thinks it must be a joke, then he gets increasingly perplexed, then he gets depressed, then he gets very angry. Colm declares that Padraic is exceedingly dull and he needs to focus on writing music rather than chatting with this boring man, which is a rather brutal way to dismiss a long-standing friendship. Meanwhile Padraic lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and she offers up a great contrast as the seemingly only sensible person on this island while these two men bicker. The entire island community is a close-knit bunch of weirdos who are trying to avoid all the troubles raging on the mainland (the movie is set in 1923 during the Irish Civil War) but instead, this disagreement between Colm and Padraic escalates into its own troubling saga.

This is an extremely funny, extremely dark, twisty movie about how spectacularly insane men can be. It examines the bonds of friendship and family, the ache of loneliness, and is all set in the most beautiful landscape you can imagine. The setting is idyllic, even while the people turn into absolute lunatics, so strap in for a very unexpected journey.

Decision to Leave: We don't get to see many film noirs anymore. But director Park Chan-Wook (who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeong Seo-kyeong) has got you covered. In this movie, we get a stylish, ethereal mystery, wreathed in fog and lust, and while the plot is at times so twisty that it can make your head hurt, you cannot tear your eyes away from the screen.

Park Hae-il stars as Hae-jun, a detective in Busan who specializes in solving murder cases. When he is called to investigate the death of a man who fell from the top of a mountain, he finds himself intrigued by the man’s wife, Seo-Rae (Tang Wei), a Chinese immigrant who fled to South Korea in a shipping container and then married her abusive and now-dead husband. Her Korean isn’t great, so there’s some great use of translating apps and banter about vocabulary and her strange use of overly formal words. I’m sure this back-and-forth is even more rich if you speak Chinese or Korean, but it still makes for riveting viewing as you’re reading the subtitles and feeling the sexual tension ratchet up between these two characters.

Hae-jun is married but his wife lives in Ipo, so there’s a lot to contend with as he travels to see her on weekends and then returns to Busan during the week to continue his weird obsession with this case and the dead man’s wife. I won’t give away more plot, but suffice to say, there are plenty of twists and turns and fake outs that keep the suspense dialed up to an unbearably high level. Park Chan-Wook won Best Director at Cannes this year and I can certainly see why. This movie feels like a work of art in the way that it is shot and the choices made in how to frame scenes, blend images, and make unsettling transitions. It is certainly a puzzling spectacle, and while it did feel a bit too long, I can’t claim I was ever bored. This is a movie that trafficks in a lot of vibes, but at the end of the day it also delivers a rather robust mystery, and that is always a winning combination.

TV Bonanza Part 3: Welcome to Wrexham, Magpie Murders, Business Proposal

Do you want to spend less time in America when you watch TV? Well then today I am taking you on a journey to Wales, England, and South Korea. Strap in, it’s gonna be a fun ride.

Welcome to Wrexham: I love a sports documentary. I don’t really love watching sports (except the second innings of a cricket match) but I am always down to watch a documentary that edits all the highlights together for me in a way that gets my blood pumping and makes me want to jump off the couch and scream in support of a team I had never even heard of before I pressed Play. Which is what will happen to you when you watch Welcome to Wrexham, the story of how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought a struggling Welsh football team and decided to invest in it so that it could move up into the next league in the English football league system.

The show is perfect for a novice like me who knows nothing about how English football works. It gives you a rigorous primer in the background of this team, the town, the players, the coach, the support staff, the fans, the local pub owner, just every damn thing that goes into the ecosystem of running this team. It is comprehensive and empathetic, effortlessly weaving in individual stories into the grand narrative of this team’s quest for promotion into League Two, and it finally made me understand why people get so passionate about football. Every match that is played is a nail-biting extravaganza, and this show is beautifully shot and edited, cutting away at crucial moments and giving you just the right context you need to appreciate every moment for its grace and pathos. And it’s also a story about the bromance between Reynolds and McElhenney, two very non-English men, who earnestly share a desire to help this Welsh town and its people (along with having a healthy fear of losing the millions of dollars they've poured into this venture). If you love football, you will love this show. If you don’t know anything about football, you may love it even more. 

Magpie Murders: I just recently finished reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz and then discovered they adapted it for TV this year. So I promptly binged the whole series and found myself just as charmed by the show as I was by the book. This is the story of Susan Ryeland (the marvelous Lesley Manville) who is Alan Conway's editor. Alan (Conleth Hill) is an arrogant mystery writer and while Susan doesn’t love the man, his books are a reliable bestseller for her publishing company. However, the latest manuscript she has received, the latest in a series starring fictional detective Atticus Pund (Tim McMullan), is missing the final chapter, containing the grand denouement of the murderer. And before she can get that chapter, Alan turns up dead, due to an apparent suicide. Heavy emphasis on the “apparent.”

The show does an ingenious job of taking the twisty structure of the book and successfully adapting it for TV. Because what we get are two separate murder mysteries - the one involving the author of the book, but also the one contained within the book itself, which is set in the 1950s in a sleepy English village where the lord of the manor has been killed. Alan wrote people from his real life into his books, so the casting is doing double duty here to make those connections. If you’re looking for two compelling stories for the price of one, I highly recommend you watch this show, though even more than that, I highly recommend you gobble up the book like I did first. I will say the book was allowed to be a bit more liberal with its language, so the show got a bit laughably prudish at times. But the acting and production design are, of course, impeccable, because the British know how to pull off a murder mystery series like no one else. This story is an ode to Agatha Christie and Poirot but is still fresh and fun, so you can get your daily dose of nostalgia along with six episodes of murderously entertaining television. 

Business Proposal: I was looking for something light and fluffy to watch and my friend Candice suggested this show. As I hadn’t watched a Korean show in a while, I figured I should dive back into that world, and oh what a treat. For twelve episodes, you will get a screwball comedy that is full of twists and turns but never fails to delight. Kim Se-jeong and Ahn Hyo-seop star as Shin Ha-ri and Kang Tae-moo. Ha-ri works as a researcher for the food company where Tae-moo has been newly appointed as the CEO. His grandfather is desperate for Tae-moo to get married and insists he go on blind dates with the daughters of other wealthy Korean families. Meanwhile, Ha-ri is best friends with Jin Young-seo (Seol In-ah) who is the daughter of a wealthy Korean family (can you see where this is going?). When Young-seo's father asks her to go on a blind date with Tae-moo, she begs Ha-ri to take her place instead and act crazy so that he will want nothing to do with her. And from there we get a classic tale of mistaken identities and absolute hilarity.

This show brightened my day in hourly installments. I would dole it out to myself when I needed a boost and it never failed to charm me. It's a steady romcom, where you’re desperately waiting to see when these people will figure out who they really are and acknowledge their feelings for each other. The side plot involving their best friends also stumbling their way into love means that you get even more lovely romance than you were expecting. And you will also get plenty of laughs from the supporting cast who make up the family and colleagues of the main characters. As with any Korean show, the production design and costumes are stellar, and there’s even more emphasis on food than usual given that the leads work for a food company. If you’ve been looking for a breezy way to get acquainted with Korean TV, this is definitely the way to go. But maybe grab some fried chicken and kimchi before you start.

TV Bonanza Part 2: The Rings of Power & House of the Dragon

Two powerhouse fantasies have been jostling for our attention these past few months and it's very clear to me who won. But let's dive right into my reviews and see if you feel the same way!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: As a lifelong LOTR fan, obviously I was going to eat this show up with a big ol' spoon. And of course, I was terrified they were going to ruin it and create some sort of bloated behemoth like the Hobbit movies that I eventually gave up on. But to my delight, the creators, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, have delivered an engaging and vibrant world, that can stand perfectly well on its own two feet but has plenty of callbacks and asides for us die-hard nerds who have spent way too much time in Middle-earth.

This show tells the story of how the Rings of Power (including that all-powerful One Ring that would become the focus of this world so much later) came into being. But don't expect that to happen right away - there's a lot of table-setting to be done. There are many different storylines: there's a band of migrating Hobbits who run into a mysterious stranger whose identity will remain secret until Episode 8; there's the story of young Galadriel (played by the wonderful Morfyyd Clark) who is on a vengeful quest against Sauron and has to team up with Numenorean and Southland men (and women!) to go into battle with some dark forces; and we have young Elrond (played by the equally wonderful Robert Aramayo) who serves as an ambassador to the dwarves because of his long friendship with Durin IV (a charming Owain Arthur) and his wife, Disa (the even more charming Sophia Nomvete).

The casting of this show is far more diverse than anything we saw in the movies and there are plenty of leading female characters who have just as much to do (if not more) as the men. Shot in New Zealand, the scenery, costumes, and production design are just as awe-inspiring as ever, and the show manages to both fall into comforting rhythms we've come to expect from the original LOTR trilogy, and also feature some genuine surprises and narrative trickery that keep you on your toes. The first season finale was genuinely a roller coaster where you couldn't be sure what would happen until the very end and it certainly whetted my appetite for future seasons. This is a show that has taken what worked in the original, and then improved upon it to create something worthy of 2022 audiences. It is leaping from strength to strength and I can't wait for Season 2. 

Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon: Yeah, this show just took Game of Thrones and said, let's do more of the same! I slogged my way through the first season hoping for something fresh and appealing (to be clear, I did love GoT until the battle-heavy politics of the final seasons), but I merely got a lot of blood and gore, a lot of incest and nudity, and confusingly-named characters who I simply could not keep straight in my head and whose political machinations bored me to tears. Unlike Game of Thrones, which could move across different lands and introduced variety by virtue of geography, this show is merely concerned with in-fighting amongst the Targaryen clan, with Paddy Considine playing the ailing King Viserys I Targaryen who currently commands the Iron Throne (the show takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones). He declares that his heir will be his daughter Rhaenyra (played initially by the younger Milly Alcock and then by the older Emma D'Arcy in the latter half of the season), which of course angers the traditionalists who think there can only be a male heir (why is it that the fantasy genre chooses to incorporate changes to our regular world like dragons and magic, but then insists on retaining the patriarchy?). Let the drama commence.

There's a lot going on in this show from week to week, none of which I was following particularly well. Again, the casting is slightly more diverse, with House Velaryon containing many Black people in blond wigs, and there are plenty of powerful women running around, but my God, must we constantly be subjected to bloody childbirth scenes? And of course there's plenty of rape and incest going around because in the GoT universe, sex is always used as a bargaining chip or a means of exerting power over other individuals. 

The main addition is that there are many more dragons. As the series begins, it's hard to understand why the Targaryens even bother as the dragons never seem to do anything. But towards the end of the season, that special effects budget starts to come through and there seems to be a promise that maybe we'll get more dragon entertainment in subsequent seasons. I don't know if that's enough to tempt me though. I'm kind of over this dark, grim, medieval world. And at one point, when Daemon Targaryen (a deliciously creepy Matt Smith) started listing a tally of dragons, much like a recitation of all the Greek ships in The Iliad, I felt my patience waning. This show is steeped in its lore, and given how dull and needlessly violent that lore is, I think it's time I stopped watching.