As the trailer for Broker highlights, this 2022 Korean film is from the same studio that created the 2019 Oscar-winner Parasite. Both films contain a blend of mystery and family and social drama, although Parasite is overall much darker and well merits its thriller genre. Broker exhibits beautiful artistry and social commentary like Parasite, but …
Continue reading “Broker” Versus “Parasite”: A Comparison of Two Award-Winning Korean Dramas
Have you ever thought about the fact that Easter should be an even bigger deal than Christmas? The goal of Christmas, after all, was Easter. Christ was born so that he could live a sinless life, die in the place of sinners, and rise again as a promise of eternal life to those who believe …
Continue reading Six Books That Remind Us of the Joy of Easter
Ten years and 59 books later, my Christmas blogging tradition that began in 2013 continues with another literary December tribute, bringing my Christmas book review total up to 65. I hope you find some new gems for your Christmas library in the reviews below. The Legend of the Poinsettia / retold and illustrated by Tomie …
Continue reading A Decade of Decembers: Christmas Legends & More To Enjoy This Season
For me at least, every poetry journey starts in an unexpected way. If you’re reading this after watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix, then your journey to this spot had the same origin as mine a few months ago: the brief quote from the poem “Charcoal” by Ahn Do-Hyun that appears in Episode 12 of …
Continue reading Poems for the Autumn: A Collection of Korean Poetry by Ahn Do-Hyun
Horse stories have captured our imaginations for quite a while now, perhaps explaining the existence of eyebrow-raising horse film subgenres, from Hallmark movies with faith themes to straight-up romance stories. You know you’ve seen it all when you scroll past Rodeo & Juliet or Horse Crazy Too. In this herd of horse movies, a few …
Continue reading My Top Seven Horse Films (Five Based on True Stories)
The Lady is a riveting film with commanding performances from Michelle Yeoh (playing Suu Kyi) and the supporting cast. The production quality blew me away, both from the cinematography, which features the lush landscapes of Burma (now known as Myanmar), to the thrilling soundtrack which mixes orchestral strings with nods to Asian instruments and musical …
Continue reading “The Lady” Continues To Resonate More Than a Decade Later
Christmastime is one of my favorite seasons to visit my local library. I love bringing home a bag full of books every few weeks full of new Christmas stories to try, gathered from browsing the bookshelves, reading reviews, or asking the librarians for suggestions. Last year my librarians gave me a list of their favorite …
“Do you think I need my scarf? I think I’ll take it anyway, just in case.” The dining room was abustle with the donning of coats and shoes. I tugged on my boots, and then we were headed outside. I climbed into the truck’s backseat, clutching a bag of knitting in case the conversation dragged. …
Worthwhile Words 