Dublin Writers Museum in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Writers Museum in Dublin, Ireland

This museum resides inside an 18th-century mansion in Dublin City Centre next to the Garden of Remembrance. The Dublin Writers Museum first opened in 1991, and is dedicated to the lives and works of some of the most renowned Irish authors. The various exhibits include books, letters, and portraits from well-known writers such as James Joyce,…

Why Dennis Quaid’s ‘Reagan’ Biopic Can’t Arrive Soon Enough

Why Dennis Quaid’s ‘Reagan’ Biopic Can’t Arrive Soon Enough

Hollywood can multitask as well as any industry. Stars, producers and screenwriters spent the last four years castigating anyone, and anything, associated with President Donald Trump. That didn’t stop them from proselytizing about open border policies, gun control and other progressive issues.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonShowtime is no different. The…

DREAMLAND: Margot Robbie Robs Banks and Steals Hearts

DREAMLAND: Margot Robbie Robs Banks and Steals Hearts

Thanks to her powerful screen presence, transformative acting ability, and timeless beauty, Margot Robbie is the rare 21st-century actor who can show up in a film set during pretty much any time period without seeming out-of-place. In Dreamland, which Robbie also produced through her LuckyChap Entertainment shingle, she’s dropped into the middle of 1930s Texas…

Boelson Cottage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Boelson Cottage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Constructed on land granted to John Boelson (or Jan Boelsen in some documents) in 1677 by the colonial Swedish authorities, the cottage is one of the oldest surviving residences and buildings in Philadelphia. It’s believed to have been constructed between 1678-1684 Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonComposed of wood and fieldstone in Dutch and Swedish-style,…

When Ships Are Abandoned, Stuck Sailors Struggle to Get By—and Get Paid

When Ships Are Abandoned, Stuck Sailors Struggle to Get By—and Get Paid

When Captain Alexander Ovchinnikov took over command of the ship Gobustan in Istanbul, the term “COVID-19” hadn’t been coined yet, “quarantine” was the stuff of apocalyptic science fiction, and few people outside of China knew where Wuhan was. It was December 25, 2019. Ovchinnikov, 39, was still on that ship through the summer, along with…

‘A Drama in Time’ in Edinburgh, Scotland

‘A Drama in Time’ in Edinburgh, Scotland

Commissioned as part of the 2016 Edinburgh Art Festival, “A Drama in Time” is a set of five neon artworks by Scottish artist Graham Fagen. They depict two seascapes, two sailboats, and a skeleton in the middle. Its title comes from a quote by Patrick Geddes, a city planner noted for his improvements to the…

How Dystopian ‘Low End Kid’ Captures Our Risk-Averse Age

How Dystopian ‘Low End Kid’ Captures Our Risk-Averse Age

Why did I write “The Low End Kid?” I started with a simple idea. What if the heroes we worship today end up vilified in a future society blinded by utopian morals? And to really turn things around, what if thugs become the champions who hunt the fallen heroes for money and glory? Read moreA Guide…

Jarjeer Mule And Donkey Refuge in Marrakesh, Morocco

Jarjeer Mule And Donkey Refuge in Marrakesh, Morocco

Exiting Marrakesh (Marrakech), the view seems to empty out like sand in an hourglass and becomes all sky. The highway to the south runs along a line of futuristic-looking lights and eventually arrives at the Jarjeer Mule And Donkey Refuge. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonTerracotta cubist buildings mirror the minimalist logo…

SWANS – WHERE DOES A BODY END?: Swans and the Glowing Man

SWANS – WHERE DOES A BODY END?: Swans and the Glowing Man

Fans of the group Swans will know exactly what I’m driving at because if you ask someone, “do you like Swans?” and the reply is never the simple reaction you get when you talk about other bands. A Swans fan will never say, “well, the early stuff is cool..” or ” yeah they had some…

Abandoned Badbea in Highland, Scotland

Abandoned Badbea in Highland, Scotland

Records show that this area was originally inhabited around 1793, but Badbea is most famous for the remains of the clearance village. Here lie the ruins of former homes perched on the steep slopes above the cliff tops of Berriedale.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBadbea village was settled during the 18th…

The Radical Act of Opening a Brewery as a Native American

The Radical Act of Opening a Brewery as a Native American

Morgan Crisp listened in horror as members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians lambasted her newly launched craft beer brand, 7 Clans. Around 650 out of 14,000 active members had petitioned the tribal council to force the company to change its name and that of its flagship brew, MotherTown Blonde Ale. Both allude to…

EUFF 2020: BEYOND THE HORIZON: Observation over Dictation

EUFF 2020: BEYOND THE HORIZON: Observation over Dictation

Beyond the Horizon (Le milieu de l’horizon) is the kind of film in which nothing major happens but everything is happening in plain sight. Also, the script observes the characters instead of dictating their moves. It’s laid back, from the setting to the filmmaking technique, nothing is extrinsic. Neither does it try to adhere to…

How They Shot ‘Russian Ark’ in One Take With No Hidden Cuts

How They Shot ‘Russian Ark’ in One Take With No Hidden Cuts

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 looks into the feature-length continuous shot in Russian Ark. In more ways than one, Russian Ark is a singular film. Created under uniquely restrictive circumstances and committing to a…

Watch: Coca-Cola’s 2020 Christmas Video Directed by Taika Waititi

Watch: Coca-Cola’s 2020 Christmas Video Directed by Taika Waititi

“This Christmas, give something only you can give.” Nothing like a big warm holiday hug. Coca Cola Great Britain has unveiled their annual holiday commercial and this one is special – primarily because it’s made by Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi. The “Coca-Cola Christmas Commercial 2020” is a 2-1/2 min adventure about a hard-working…

Queerly Ever After #39: YOU & I (2014)

Queerly Ever After #39: YOU & I (2014)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here. In Nils Bökamp’s You & I, Jonas (Eric Klotzsch), a German twenty-something photographer who has recently broken up…

Copper Crow Distillery in Bayfield, Wisconsin

Copper Crow Distillery in Bayfield, Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa made history when tribal members Curtis and Linda Basina launched Copper Crow Distillery in 2018. The husband-and-wife team became the first Native Americans to make distilled spirits on a reservation in nearly 200 years.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonTo do it, they first…

The Demon of Palazzo Salina in Bologna, Italy

The Demon of Palazzo Salina in Bologna, Italy

One of the best ways to admire Bologna is by looking up. Visitors will find towers hidden between palaces, amazing architectural designs, and faces.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonPalazzo Salina Amorini Bolognini in Piazza Santo Stefano is an exquisite example of Bolognese Renaissance taste. The first stone was set in 1517,…

Thanks for Joining Our Tour of All 50 States of Wonder!

Thanks for Joining Our Tour of All 50 States of Wonder!

Several months ago, Atlas Obscura invited you to come along with us as we journeyed—digitally—across all 50 U.S. states (and Washington, D.C.) in pursuit of the unsung wonders scattered across the country. That was July. The COVID-19 pandemic was raging, and we hoped that a virtual journey would sate readers’ hunger for travel while many…

Target Flirts with Censorship, Free Speech Groups Yawn

Target Flirts with Censorship, Free Speech Groups Yawn

The phrase “book burning” evokes dictators demanding certain thoughts be expunged from society.  Literal book burnings date back centuries, but the invention of the printing press made the practice more commonplace in the modern era. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe Nazis embraced the concept in the 1930s, incinerating roughly 25,000 “un-German” books”…