Altogether, Joseph Stalin maintained about 20 different summer cottages or dachas, mostly around the Black Sea coast. He had health issues that included poor joints and lungs, so the weather of this warmer region was often comforting. He used this large building complex in Sochi rarely. However, it was always staffed and running just in…
Whether praising Miley Cyrus’ bona-fides and Andie MacDowell’s hair or extoling the virtues of the #16 taco special at Santa Barbara taqueria La Super Rica, Bill Murray was at his Bill Murray-est in accepting the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Maltin Modern Master Award, the festival’s highest honor. Murray was arguably the festival’s biggest “get”…
Located in the famous Gangnam District of Seoul, Seonjeongneung is a large park that stands out in the middle of the bustling and crowded capital of South Korea. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThis site is the burial ground of two kings and a queen of the Joseon Dynasty. The westernmost area…
California’s deadly, damaging wildfires worsen by the year. The state’s naturally dry landscapes, parched by a changing climate, have turned into tinderboxes. A stray match or lightning strike has the capacity to incinerate forests, fields, and neighborhoods. Last year saw a summer and fall of choking smoke and blood-red skies over huge portions of the…
When it comes to the carryover effect between America’s social dilemmas and its dependence on artificial intelligence, the command, unfortunately, is not “delete,” it’s “copy and paste.” That is the basis of Shalini Kantayya‘s frightening and informative documentary Coded Bias. The film, which premiered at Sundance 2020, has been the source of much-needed attention and much-deserved praise….
Most Americans haven’t heard the name Virgil “Bus” Carrell. But drive across the country and you’ll see Carrell’s work. And if you’ve entered a national forest, driven to a natural monument, or crossed the Continental Divide, you’ve probably even pulled over and snapped a selfie next to one of his creations. Those quirky brown-and-cream trapezoids,…
“Do not let yourself be blinded!” Focus Features has released an official trailer for Final Account, a eye-opening and frightening look back at Nazi Germany. And oh yes it definitely has an important connection to the events of nowadays. “Everyone knew, but no one said anything.” Filmmaker Luke Holland (who sadly passed away last year)…
The Palazzo del Tè was built in the 16th century as a leisure palace for Federico II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua. Italian artist and architect Giulio Romano, who had been a student of Raphael, designed the building. Today it is widely considered to be Romano’s masterpiece. The palace is filled with elaborate decorations and paintings—one room,…
Some news stories get far more attention than others, and there’s often a reason for it. When a liberal celebrity unleashes an anti-Trump jeremiad, for example, it quickly ricochets around the web. If that same star does something embarrassing, or hateful, on social media, reporters often look the other way. Read moreA Guide to The…
This story was originally published in The Conversation and appears here under a Creative Commons license. Among the human remains in Harvard University’s museum collections are those of 15 people who were probably enslaved African American people. Earlier this year, the school announced a new committee that will conduct a comprehensive survey of Harvard’s collections,…
Wongaksa Pagoda is a 12-meter (40-foot) pagoda located in Seoul, South Korea. The 10-story marble building is hidden away in Tapgol Park, in the center of the busy city. The pagoda was constructed in 1467 as a part of Wongaksa Temple, which King Sejo had established two years earlier on the site of an older…
If there is one thing I have missed most since the COVID-19 locked down the world is a nice cold pint of craft beer at my local tap house or dive bar. The flights sampling the local brewery, the hoppy aroma and taste igniting the senses, and the solid sound of relaxation as the filled glass…
In 1935, Florida adopted Stephen Foster’s melody Old Folks at Home as the official state song, and by 1950, at the behest of pharmaceutical magnate Josiah Lilly, a culture center was opened beside the Suwannee River to honor the quintessential American composer. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe Culture Center’s museum features…
Created in 1960 by Ray Neon Signs, this sign originally advertised the “ua-modern” Civic Pharmacy. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe blocky, pastel-colored letters exemplify Googie architectural design — a futurist space-age aesthetic popular during the Atomic Age in the 1950s and 1960s. A well-known example of this era is the “Welcome…
Sports metaphors are a fact of life, and so are stories about underdogs. The latest sports story about an underdog team and its gruff coach, “Big Shot,” does not get any points for originality, so much as productivity and speed. But while it’s easy to see what this new Disney+ series (available April 16) is up…
A firefighter stumbles into an unusual job in Those Who Wish Me Dead, the latest from co-writer/director Taylor Sheridan. The post at a fire tower was supposed to be quiet. Hannah needed quiet, reeling as she was from a tragic forest fire that left several of her crew dead. Haunted by the mistakes she believes she…
Standing proudly outside an extension to the Finnish Parliament building is an oversized steel strawberry patch. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIn 2005, the Finnish Parliament commissioned six pieces of artwork to decorate the new Finnish Parliament Annex, also known as “Little Parliament.” Out of 1,719 competition entries, this design by Finnish…
The world’s longest bridge fountain is located on the long Banpo Bridge overpassing the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. The bridge is already a curious structure, as it’s designed on top of the previous Jamsu Bridge, forming the upper half of the first double-decker bridge in the country. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect…
Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out the new Hulu arrivals for April 2021, including new documentaries on WeWork and Bigfoot, a pair of Denzel Washington thrillers, one of 2017’s best films, and more! Hulu Pick of the Month…
★★ Directed by: #BenFalcone Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #BenFalcone Starring: #MelissaMcCarthy, #OctaviaSpencer, #JasonBateman, #BobbyCannavale Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Emily Davison In a world where supervillains (known as ‘Miscreants’) are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one…
★★★ Written & Directed by: #AnastasiyaYevchenko Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonStarring: #OleksiiOleksiuk, #ViktoriyaLevchenko, #KirillZhylin Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’A soldier is thinking about his family, by opening door after door in his corridor of opportunities but everything…