Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy: Never Quit the Game

I've been reading a number of disappointing contemporary novels in which the main character exercises minimal control of their fate so Kim Byung-woo's Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy is a welcome counterbalance. It's leading man Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop) is stuck in a choose-your-own-adventure narrative for which taking drastic action is the only way to survive. You see, he's been propelled into a scenario containing endless parallels to a dissatisfying online novel that he's been reading and recently finished. Now, finally, he has the chance to influence the outcome — as well as who lives and who dies — every time a new crisis arrives. Joining him in his postapocalypic journey are spiderwebby former co-worker Yoo Sang-ah (Chae Soo-bin), insect telepath Lee Gil-yeong (Kwon Eun-sung), muscle buddy Lee Hyeon-seong (Shin Seung-ho), tough girl Jeong Hee-won (Nana a.k.a. Im Jin-ah), loner Lee Ji-hye (Kim Ji-soo) and former fictional hero Yoo Jung-hyuk (Lee Min-ho).

If mentioning the biggest stars at the end seems strange, well, Omniscient Reader is a pretty strange movie. I mean, when's the last time you heard of a scifi pic in which heartless ETs set off a series of disasters on Earth so they could be entertained by human players in a live-streamed reality TV series / videogame? The metaphors aren't hard to decode. Nor is the plot hard to follow despite the reviews I read online. One villain is a politican! Another's a rich guy! Another's a sexually predatory businessman! And then there's quite a variety of lizard-like demons. What's the message? Teamwork and good friends will get you through the worst of times. And let's not forget the small joys that come when little kids mind-control oversized praying mantises.

KPop Demon Hunters: Gonna Be Golden

Serious question: Why hadn't I heard about the famous names associated with the global sensation that is KPop Demon Hunters? Why wasn't my social media feed flooded with mentions of Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil), and Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island)? I realize they're not the point — and certainly not the stars — but I might've streamed this animated musical sooner had I known the talent providing the voices to the supporting cast. I'm loyal to actors I like that way. And since nobody did clue me in, I'm awfully late to this Netflix and chill party. Well, better late than never.

For KPop Demon Hunters justifies its status as the most-viewed original film in the history of Netflix and you won't have a hard-time understanding why its break-out tune "Golden" has been nominated for a MTV Video Music Awards in the category, Song of Summer — Korean lyrics in tact. It's plot is pure popcorn: Three gal pals (Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo) who are rockstars by day, demon-slayers by night find saving the world getting harder when their enemies take the form of an impossibly irresistible boy band, helmed by a dreamy lead singer (Ahn Hyo-seop). Troubled pasts, forbidden romance, catchy tunes, a three-eyed magpie, a clumsy tiger, and some seriously tested loyalties... KPop Demon Hunters has all that while it telling a sing-a-long tale of redemption. You're my soda pop. My little soda pop.