The Venerable Dhammavanna, a former journalist living in Nakhon Pathom province, about 30 miles outside Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, now wakes each morning at 5:30. First, she meditates, then has a breakfast of rice. Dressed in saffron robes, she tackles her morning work—cleaning, welcoming visitors, even attending to IT snafus. She dines again at 11, and…
We have heard his music in countless movies, operas, pop songs and even Bugs Bunny cartoons, and now we can send a message to say #HappyBirthdayLudwig on Beethoven’s 250th birthday (you can write your own message here that will be stored permanently at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn). The International Beethoven Project (“IBP”) founded by classical musician…
When you first hear of 76 Days and its subject matter, there is an array of emotions that come flooding, with concern and curiosity dueling for the final word. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the global pandemic this documentary centers around forcing the annual festival to resort to virtual screenings, 76 Days, directors Weixi…
This stocky bronze figure, bearing his charming grin and local tattoo is quite the colorful presence in the town center. With only a sycamore leaf protecting his dignity and a single foot bearing his only piece of clothing, “The Sockman” spends his days, leg outstretched, admiring this zig-zag sock. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect…
Next to the appropriately named Sheepwash Bridge in Ashford in the Water in Derbyshire, England, is an ancient sheep pen that was used until the 20th-century. It was designed to house sheep while they were being washed. This was done prior to sheering or taking the sheep to market. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect…
While the Camposanto (monumental cemetery) is right next to one of the most recognized buildings in the world, it does not see nearly as many visitors. The silence and stillness when traversing the open-air hallways adds to the sometimes haunting nature of the 14th-15th-century frescoes. These works of art include “The Last Judgement,” “Hell,” and…
A package brings about an unexpected battle in Shadow in the Cloud, the latest from co-writer and director Roseanne Liang. Maude never got the big assignments. As a mechanic and pilot in WWII, her gender precluded her from a lot, so she was often stuck with unglamorous missions like guarding a package. When she boarded a…
The capital of Scotland is not short on its share of monuments. There are some dedicated to the famous, such as The Walter Scott Monument. Others highlight the more nefarious, such as the Melville Monument commemorating Henry Dundas. Dundas was an 18th-century lawyer and politician involved with the slave trade. Read moreA Guide to The…
The Hollywood sign, which stands on a hill overlooking Los Angeles, is one of the world’s most recognizable sites. A continent away, on a grassy hill overlooking the small town of Rudnik, Serbia, there is a nearly identical sign. Only on close inspection does one notice the differences: The Serbian sign has just one “l,”…
This month, Gastro Obscura is sharing the recipes and stories behind amazing holiday dishes and drinks from around the world in the ongoing series “Home-Cooked Holidays.” In the 19th century, Christmas looked a little different. For holiday fun, revelers in the United States and England scared their friends with ghost stories, told fortunes, and played…
Welcome to How’d They Do That? — a bi-monthly column that unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off. This entry explains how they designed the roar of the T-rex in Jurassic Park. What are some of the most memorable movie sound effects? The threatening hum of an unsheathed…
★★★ Directed by: Christin Baker Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Hillary Esquina Starring: Shannan Leigh Reeve, Mandahla Rose, Nicole Pacent, Ian Ampoyo, Kitty Swink Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight A secret organization interacts with the spirits of the…
“You can actually control the band with a bass.” Gather ’round, Beatles fans! There’s a new documentary in the works. Paul McCartney revealed on Twitter a trailer for a brand new “documentary event” in the works titled Paul McCartney x Rick Rubin. Though, officially, it’s still untitled and still seeking distribution. However, the early word…
Franco Nero is without question one of the most prolific actors in modern cinema, having appeared in nearly 240 features starting in the 1960’s. The son of a carabinieri (police officer), Nero was born in Parma on November 23, 1941. His first major international exposure was in John Huston’s 1966 film The Bible, in which…
They brought them in suitcases and in trunks, tucked into the corners of boats and, later, on airplanes. Seeds that became rapini, cardoons, artichokes, cucuzza squash. Cuttings from knobby grape vines that flourished into backyard arbors. And, above all, bits of stick that grew into fig trees. Starting in the late 1800s, when Italian immigrants…
Anyone watching “Promising Young Woman” should get college credit toward their Gender Studies degree. Few films wear their activism on their sleeve quite like Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut. It’s like a candy-colored TED talk on sexual assault. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThat’s not always a bad thing. In-your-face messaging can work…
Historians are going to have their work cut out for them when they try to bring sense to the strange cascade that has been 2020. Every month brought something that seemed more eventful than the last. Then came the monoliths. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIf—by a force more mystifying than the…
One of my favorite narrative arcs in kung fu films is the process of training: the process by which a young person is transformed both spiritually and physically into a master of martial arts and philosophy. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a masterpiece in creating the narrative of the transformation. The young hero in…
A little more than 60 Royal Bengal tigers roam Bardia National Park, around one-fourth the total tiger population in Nepal. Together with the adjacent Banke National Park, Bardia forms part of the 860 square mile Tiger Conservation Unit, where visitors have a sporting chance of seeing the usually elusive great cats in the wild. Read…
Welcome to Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter lends his ear to a pair of filmmakers sharing their love and knowledge of Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts. The films of Ray Harryhausen have been an inspiration for…
There is a place in North Carolina where some believe you can make a phone call to those who passed on. In Marshall, just north of Asheville, resides a phone booth that contains a disconnected rotary phone. Visitors enter the booth, dial, and talk to those who they have not forgotten. The concept behind the…