This show feels like a bit of a throwback because, throughout its five seasons, it never feels “bigger”. Nowadays, even sitcoms have this phenomenon, as they get more seasons, they usually get more money, and with a bigger budget, they can go “out” and shoot on more locations, bring more guest stars, and things of that nature. This never happened for Kim’s Convenience; I guess because it has never gotten “too big”, but weirdly, that contributed to the unique charm and charisma this show has set from the beginning, and it upheld it until the premature end.

But it’s that simplicity, that fact this show always stayed grounded and never felt too big/polished, that worked for me the most. Kim’s Convenience is a simple story done right. Husband and wife, who emigrated from Korea to Canada, opened a convenience store. They have two kids and raised them as well as they can whilst having their business. The show starts with their son (played by Simu Liu) not being part of the family as he got in with bad people and has been through some stuff. That’s the basic premise of this comedic show with some dramatic elements; they tackle everything from racism and integration into different cultures to their children’s experience as first-generation Canadians, and all issues are viewed through a sense of humour that’s oddly relatable.

The best thing this show has is the perfect casting of the family unit. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays Mr. Kim (also known as Appa), and he portrays him so brilliantly. He knows when to lean into the stereotypical “stern dad” and when to take a step back and goes through some character growth throughout the show. Jean Yoon portrays Mrs. Kim (also known as Umma), and she compliments her on-screen husband beautifully; it’s hard to believe they aren’t together in real life. Her character isn’t just “his wife” or “his opposite”; she is a force to be reckoned with and has some funny moments and (later on) some truly touching real-life moments. Andrea Bang portrays Janet, their daughter, who has been dealing with a lot ever since her brother left home, and her parents fixated on her being perfect. That results in her often trying to overcompensate or overachieve in many areas. The already mentioned Simu Liu plays Jung, the son who is now back on the “right track”, but because of unresolved issues from their past, he can’t find his way back into the family.

Those four create the cornerstone of this show and complement/play off each other so well that it’s easy to like them from the first episode. Kim’s Convenience is such an easy watch because every problem this family goes through feels real. I am not a Korean emigrant, but I recognise many things from my family, and it’s through these shows we can see that there is more that unites us than divides us and how many things are universal and many people deal with the same things, no matter where they are from. And when most of those issues are viewed via this comedic lens, this show quickly becomes something you can watch five or six episodes in a row and not get bored. There are always a few great jokes in each episode or something that feels relatable and familiar that you quickly feel like you know this family.

What I appreciated is how, throughout the show, all main characters go through some character growth without losing their “id“. Without going into spoilers, Mr. Kim stays the same on the surface, but you can see him trying to be more understanding/forgiving of his children while examining his childhood. The same applies to Mrs. Kim, although her character goes through something more, but I won’t spoil that. Both Janet and Jung grow from young adults to full-blown adults, and they understand that it is time for them to start building their lives.

The only real issue is the cancellation of this show throughout season five. From what I understand, the creators thought they would have at least one more season, and they got cancelled halfway through shooting the fifth season, so they tried their best to give us some ending. However, it not only feels rushed (which I can’t blame them), there are many loose ends with three out of our four main characters as they all go through significant changes. I won’t even mention who, but honestly, I wish we would have gotten at least one more season, where Ins Choi and Kevin White (the creators of this show) would know from the start that this would be it, and they could plan everything around it. I don’t want everything tied up with a nice bow, far from it. But when we left Kim’s family, things were happening and I wished they would explore them further.

Also, I don’t think this is a spoiler; I wanted to see Jung interacting more with his family and spending more “quality time” together. One big theme of this show seems to revolve around forgiveness, and that gets explored mainly with Jung’s relationship with his dad and how those two want to talk to each other, but they both hurt each other in the past so much, there is so much “residue” they don’t know where to start reconnecting and how to do it. And towards the end, there was finally some progress, and I just wished we would have seen more of that because those scenes always felt special. As I said, the entire family had incredible chemistry, and it was easy to root for them.

The last thing I want to mention is that I liked how this show presented everybody as people. I just mentioned how easy it is to root for the entire family, but they still have issues. No character in this show is without their flaw(s), whether it is stubbornness, short temper, being overachiever, etc. But, it’s because of these flaws, not despite them; I rooted for this family even harder because I believe that’s the “secret” of their relatability. Think of it this way – you love your parents, grandparents, aunties, and uncles. But despite them being related to you, now, when you are an adult, can you say they have no flaws? They do, we all do, because that is what being human is. Some have minor flaws, and others might have bigger flaws, but we try to give them a break because they are family. I think that aspect is what Kim’s Convenience nailed the best, having characters going through character growth without making them into perfect human beings.

Overall, Kim’s Convenience is an easy, funny, and occasionally touching show, and I would recommend it highly. The “core four” performers are great, and their chemistry is wonderful. Even the side characters (Andrew Phung as Kimchee or Nicole Power as Shannon) are fun and get their time to shine as the show progresses. The only caveat I would have to give is if you want to watch this show, get ready for the ending that feels incomplete because it is. I can still hope that we might eventually get one more season, but I know it’s unlikely now (mainly due to Simu and Paul finding success with Star Wars and MCU), but one can always dream. Anyway, if you are looking for a great, chill show to watch, look no further.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

This film may belong to the category of “little films that could”. You can tell the people behind this film shot it on a minuscule budget. And even though I can see how this could be an insult for almost any other movie, it is not for this one, as they have managed to put together something funny, interesting and oddly relatable. What do I mean by that? About 99% of people who will watch this film will never become a stand-up comedian, let alone attempt to become one. And yet, we can sympathize with the trials and tribulations of one of our heroes, who finally “makes it”, only for him to see how making it isn’t the hard part. The hard part is staying at the top.

You may think a movie about such a niche profession could become a bit too “inside baseball” to appeal to anyone outside the show business. And in another universe, or maybe with somebody else at the helm, it could have happened to this film. But Mike Birbiglia must have realised it and made sure this movie was, above all, funny and never too “inside baseball”. I don’t know that much about stand-up comedy; I have heard of certain comedy groups, but on a very surface level, so I am no expert, and yet, I never felt I wasn’t in on any joke or reference. Everything was tailored to the mainstream audience without seeming desperate or wanting to be relatable. And that goes back to the “captain” of this ship and the cast, and here, we have some of the funniest people available.

Keegan-Michael Key is probably the most known actor out of this bunch, and the movie plays into that smartly. In a film with no apparent lead, he is the one you will remember the most, but mostly because he is the best-known one. Who surprised me was Gillian Jacobs. I will be honest; she probably only surprised me because I still haven’t seen Community (2009 – 2015), so I don’t have much to go by for her, but she was the stood out performance for me. Especially; because her character seems to go one way, and then something happens, and she makes a different decision. And Gillian plays her character so earnestly; you are rooting for her, no matter what and understand her decision. Then we have Mike (yep, not only he wrote and directed this film, but he also stars in it), Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard and they all play their parts perfectly. That is probably this film’s biggest advantage, not having an obvious lead and instead having six people who are unique and yet, work so well together. And despite the fact you can tell where most of them are coming from within minutes (this person is wealthy, this one has this chip on their shoulder etc.), they play these archetypes well enough that you don’t care about that, and you are there to enjoy the show.

What may hit the hardest for some people is this film is layered and honest. The film is not shy to show us; how just because you are passionate about this one thing, it doesn’t mean you will be successful. I think this goes back to the relatability of this topic and how, even though it’s “just about stand-up”, it’s not just about that. In a very weird; and clever way, this film is more about life, growing up and realising some people can dream and achieve those dreams and some… will never manage to achieve them. No matter how many hours per day they spend doing the thing they love, how much they sacrifice, eventually, you have to face the music. That layer is something that makes the end of this film so bittersweet, where you see our heroes, and almost everyone is at a different place than they were when the movie started. Don’t Think Twice shows lifelike character growth, what it takes to succeed and what it takes to admit to yourself you “just don’t have it”. Whatever that “it” is.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, on future rewatch, this film climbs up even higher in my ranking, as it missed the “full” 5/5 by a smidge. I believe this film will give you as much as you are willing to “take in”; at the moment. If you watch Don’t Think Twice when you are around 20 years old, you may not enjoy it as much. But I would be willing to bet that if you watch it when you turn 30 years old (or around then), you will suddenly see it through different lenses, as by that time, many people have had their dreams crushed, hearts broken, hope lost, or they actually managed to succeed. But only they know how much they had to sacrifice. Again, this film is about stand-up comedy, but it’s hardly “just” about stand-up comedy.

Overall, Don’t Think Twice is an underseen and underappreciated gem of a funny, relatable and earnest movie. It is filled with great performances and believable characters and has this bittersweet ending that makes you realise how layered this movie is because, at its core, it’s about a group of friends going through life. The stand-up comedy part is just a bonus to keep us entertained. Also, I have to watch more films with Gillian Jacobs.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Don’t Breathe is one of those movies you hear about if you are in any way, shape or form into films at all. What I’ve heard most about this film was that it contains a disturbing turkey baster scene. So even before going in, I knew I was in for a ride. And for the first hour, I enjoyed… well, not enjoyed myself, but I liked what the film was going for. And then the last 30 minutes happened. I know “movie’s gotta movie”, but almost every single decision made by all the characters in the movie towards the end were just… so dumb, it pulled me out of it.

But let’s start from the beginning. I liked what this film was going for, having characters who are so flawed you can’t help but almost stay impartial on who to root for or, in this case, not. I always admire people who don’t see the world in black and white, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say there are no good people here, just a variety of shades of grey and black. Even the “best” character in this film (I am guessing it would go to Jane Levy almost by default) makes some questionable choices throughout the film. And I didn’t mind that at all, if anything, that allowed me to be a spectator in this twisted game of blind man’s bluff (is that really how that game is called in English? You learn something new every day) with a literal blind man. Well, a literal actor who pretends to be blind.

That transitions us well into talking about Stephen Lang. First of all, this man is buffed. Like his muscles have muscles. He spends his free time working out, and by the looks of him, he’s got PLENTY of free time because damn. On a more serious note, props to him for committing to this role by wearing contact lenses that restricted his vision. And his buff persona worked so well for this film, always looming around you were never sure where he might appear next. I thought he’s done a great job playing such an evil character.

I don’t think there was any “single” decision that somehow started to pull me out of the film; it was one blow after another. But it’s hard to write about those decisions without discussing some heavy spoilers, so…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

My main issue and where the film started to fall apart was when characters (pretty much all of them at some point) had the chance to either escape or kill the other party and didn’t do it. And the fact some characters have survived way too much.

Let’s start with the “kill the other party” side. Look, I understand Stephen Lang is a big dude, but the movie made him blind. And not “superhero” blind, where somehow he could sense more than other people. So I can understand he might scratch that, is smarter than the robbers (because they are simply a bunch of idiots), but he still should be easier for them to get rid of. Either to lose him (read, escape) or once they literally had him captured and chained up, not to chance it (they’ve already gone too far at that point) and to finish him off. Honestly, even before that, once his character learns there was more than one person in his home, it felt like especially two people should be able to “trick” him, no matter how buff he is. But since we have to have a feature-length film and them killing him would end it 20 minutes too short, they don’t do it, and he gets loose.

And the same goes for Stephen’s character called “The Blind Man” in the credits. He’s got no problem killing off the strongest out of their group, but he struggles (several times!) with somebody who is not exactly his match. And once they get down and it seems like he (The Blind Man) will kill Dylan Minnette‘s character with gardening scissors, he somehow stabs the other dead body! Which wouldn’t be that tough to swallow had we not seen him being more than aware of his surroundings very well. It seemed like the movie wanted to have its cake and eat it too with his character. You can’t make him this buff ex-soldier who kills one guy almost instantly to not only struggle against the second one but then to miss his body once he’s hovering above him!

The other “survives way too much” problem, yes, it’s about Dylan’s character again. The beating, falling, this guy survived almost everything. I half expected for him to survive even the bullets towards the end. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, but really, he should have been dead long before that.

The infamous turkey baster scene… Sure, it’s creepy and unsettling. But to be honest, I expected, I don’t know more? Maybe this is more of a comment on me rather than the film, but after everything I’ve heard about it, how people “hyped” it out as something so gross they couldn’t watch it… I don’t know. Unsettling? Yes. Tough to watch? Also yes? Will that scene stay with me for a while? Not really.

What hurts more than anything is I enjoyed everything about this film before the last 30 minutes. Because I like it when movies don’t have “heroes vs villains”. Where every character is somewhat of a twisted one, and it’s only up to you whether you will root for the “lesser of two evils” or whether you can sit back and be invested in the story without necessarily rooting for either character. Quite honestly, that was me. Once I’ve realised what was up with our “friendly buffed blind man”, that’s when I realised this movie has nobody to root for here, and it’s a good thing. I was admiring the balls on this film for doing that; it would have been so easy to make him the most sympathetic character, where we could justify him killing the intruders. But the film never takes the obvious route. It’s a shame nobody managed to step back while shooting this film and question whether the characters’ decisions towards the end made any sense.

Overall, Don’t Breathe is a movie that will stay with me for sure. Unfortunately, not for the reasons I thought (turkey baster!) but for remembering that there was a superb horror film here until the already dumb characters (and I am mainly talking about the robbers/intruders here) decided to act even dumber. I would still recommend this film but maybe make sure it’s nowhere near Thanksgiving. Otherwise, your turkey might be dry as fuck that year. Sure, that scene didn’t stun me as much as I thought, but I can still see some people avoiding turkey basters for a while.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke