This white, gabled KFC could be mistaken for a particularly good-looking roadside fast-food restaurant, were it not for the fact that it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. This building was the first place to sell what would become known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a yellow neon sign with the restaurant’s original name,…
Like most things this year, the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ Reclamation exhibition did not go as initially planned. Curator and director of public programs Melani N. Douglass wanted to treat kitchen labor—the often-invisible daily work that disproportionately falls on women and feminine people—as high art. She envisioned an exhibition centered around kitchen-like…
A new year, a new Netflix crime-docuseries. So, of course, I’m going to watch it. Whether or not you’re knowledgeable in the disturbing crimes of the Nightstalker, Richard Ramirez, if you’re someone who enjoys this kind of series, you’ll be intrigued. Even if you’re not familiar with the particulars of these crimes, you’ll be curious…
Skiers might not know James Niehues’s name, but they have probably studied his maps. Over a decades-long career, the 75-year-old has hand-painted trail maps for over 200 ski resorts across the U.S. as well as a few in farther-flung places including British Columbia, Serbia, and New Zealand. The so-called “Rembrandt of Snow” stumbled into his…
When COVID-19 first forced the lockdown of my area, my fiancée and I took a moment to reflect on the matter at hand, thousands – if not millions – of individuals stuck within their homes, abiding by regulations and attempting to ride out the storm. And not only were they stuck in one place, but…
Deep in Oak Creek Canyon, a trail meanders among the crumbling remains of some stone buildings. Mostly forgotten and partially consumed by vegetation, these former buildings were the home to some unusual occupants and visitors. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIn the 1870s, before there was even a road through the canyon,…
Most Hollywood fare tackling immigration follow the same playbook. Open borders good. Law and order bad. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWe’ve seen it in TV shows, documentaries and feature films of late, and it’s likely to continue deep into President Joe Biden’s administration. “No Man’s Land” provides a different perspective. The…
Yep, you’re getting another biopic with The United States vs. Billie Holiday, the latest from director Lee Daniels. The advantage here is that Holiday’s life hasn’t been extensively picked over in film. The famous singer of the ’30s and ’40s could fill several movies, so this seems to be focusing on her years being targeted by…
This building resembles a large outcrop emerging from the soil. It houses a trove of information about the prehistoric world that existed in the Côa River valley. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonDuring the early 1990s, a discovery was made along the banks of the Côa River. Researchers found several locations where…
While U.S. audiences were complaining about the frustrating plotting of HBO’s disappointing “The Undoing” back in October, their British counterparts had a similar experience with ITV’s “The Sister,” now premiering in its entirety on Hulu this Thursday, January 21st. It too is based on a mystery novel, this one by Neil Cross (“Luther”), who adapts his…
Hadrian’s Wall is one of the most famous historical sites in the British Isles. Construction began around 122 CE and the wall stretched for 73 miles across northern England. It once marked the edge of the Roman Empire. Several sections and fortifications of the wall remain today and are a popular tourist attraction. However, one site…
Fred Dekker’s “Night of the Creeps” is both a full-fledged sci-fi/horror B-movie and a send-up of those types of movies. It’s quite juvenile at times and, because it’s unashamed of being lowbrow, doesn’t always work. “Creeps” is still among the best genre offerings of the 1980s. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonDekker…
We can all agree that everyone makes mistakes. But the question of whether everyone can learn from those mistakes and be a better person is a tough one to answer. Of course, we want to believe that we, human beings, are capable of change and that even those who have fatal flaws are not past…
★★★★ Directed by: #LouisaFielden Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #LouisaFielden Starring: #KristyPhilipps, #YaseminÖzdemir Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Short Film Review by: #TomWilmot Patrick is a short film written and directed by UK filmmaker Louisa Fielden. The director has produced several shorts in…
On September 5, 1955, friends Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner opened a diner in this Decatur building. The chain restaurant they founded, Waffle House, is now spread across the South, famously never closing their doors save for act-of-God weather events. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBut the very first Waffle House did…
Speaking as someone who loves modern comedy and crafty filmmaking but rarely expects them to be in the same movie, Michael Angelo Covino’s “The Climb” is a gift. The script is sharp enough that even without its batch of engrossing, one-take sequences, it could have been a memorable buddy epic, focusing on Mike (Michael Angelo Covino) and…
In 1989, Jodie Foster took home the Best Actress Oscar for her heartbreaking portrayal of rape victim Sarah Tobias in The Accused. Inspired by a real life case, Jonathan Kaplan’s courtroom drama was not only one of the first Hollywood films to use rape as its central subject, but was one of the first to…
Dunald Mill Quarry is one of the many quarries found in the area surrounding the neighboring villages of Nether Kellet and Over Kellet. While the largest quarry in the area, Back Lane Quarry, is still operational, Dunald Mill Quarry operations ceased in 2008. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonDunald Mill Quarry is…
In 1946, Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People’s Republic of China, briefly lived in this former French Concession villa. The home is located just a few doors down from Sun Yat-sen’s former residence. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonConsidered an influential revolutionary, Enlai worked closely with Mao Zedong as the…
George Mason was a semi-retired farmer who rarely left Virginia or got involved in politics. But Mason had become fed up with the political landscape in the colonies. Mason blazed his own trail in the formation of our government and refused to sign the Constitution. He felt it lacked assurances of individual freedom. The document he…
How can a large art museum in a popular European capital be considered a hidden gem? To be sure, Lisbon’s National Museum of Ancient Art doesn’t have the name recognition or media exposure of the city’s other major art institutions. Nevertheless, it offers museumgoers the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Portuguese culture and its…