Feeling overwhelmed by all the, you know, cheer in the air this time of year? Wishing for a little doom, a little gloom to balance things out? Have I got the book for you, and I mean that in a most complimentary way to the author.Koren Zailckas’ fiercely disturbing “Mother, Mother” is, under no circumstances, a book that you should read when you’re feeling depressed, or you’re kind of hating your mom, or you feel the need for some light chick-lit. It is, however, one of the most profound and ins

Books Jan. 2, 2014

Though director Yang Woo-seok’s latest film “The Attorney” specifies in the very beginning that it is “fiction,” it is hard to separate Song Woo-seok, the protagonist of the film and a fierce Busan-based lawyer in the 1980s, and the late President Roh Moo-hyun. Starring Song Kang-ho, of “Snowpiercer” and “The Face Reader,” who is undoubtedly one of the most famed and respected actors today, the film, which hit its 5 million viewers mark in just 12 days of its release on Monday, revisits Roh’s ea

Film Jan. 1, 2014

The lobby of Imperial Palace SeoulOn top of being a landmark in the city, Imperial Palace Seoul aims to offer the best environment and services for working professionals from home and abroad. The hotel celebrates its 24th anniversary this year.Located in the central business and cultural district of Gangnam in southern Seoul, the property, known as one of the best business hotels in Korea, contains 430 guest rooms and suites including the Royal Suite as well as two-storied duplex suites. Each gu

Travel Dec. 26, 2013

Back in April, as we were wandering the L.A. neighborhood in which he was raised, Walter Mosley mentioned “Parishioner,” a novel that he had published as an e-book original. If you don’t know it, that’s not surprising; it was a small book, sneaked out (if such a thing is possible) in the months leading up to the release of the Easy Rawlins-resurrecting “Little Green.”When I asked why he’d chosen to do it as an e-book, he gave a little shrug. “Oh, you know,” he said. “I write so much, I write so

Books Dec. 26, 2013

DrawingsBy Sylvia Plath(Harper)The most striking thing about the 44 images reproduced in Sylvia Plath’s “Drawings” may be how unpopulated they are.Produced during the two years the poet spent on a Fulbright fellowship at Cambridge ― the same period in which she met and married (secretly, at first) Ted Hughes ― this material evokes a world bound almost entirely by objects: boats, shoes, rooftops, all of it detailed, shadowed, but at the same time more than a little bit removed.That’s not entirely

Books Dec. 26, 2013

“A poem is not so much read as navigated,” Nikki Giovanni writes in “Chasing Utopia.” “We go from point to point discovering a new horizon, a shift of light or laughter, an exhilaration of newness that we had missed before. Even familiar, or perhaps especially familiar, poems bring the excitement of first nighters, first encounters, first love ... when viewed and reviewed.”That’s a pretty good description of what Giovanni is up to in this book, marked by her signature blend of toughness and acce

Books Dec. 26, 2013

The Korean film industry attained a meaningful achievement this year by selling more than 200 million tickets for the first time in history. Following this year’s success, the country’s major film producers recently announced their lineups for 2014. And it seems like local moviegoers will be bombarded with period blockbusters next year.Some of the most anticipated films of 2014 are period dramas, including Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon’s upcoming martial arts flick “Hyeopnyeo” and “Battle

Film Dec. 26, 2013

Chinese actress Tang Wei has a huge fan base in Korea, especially after the release of her 2010 film “Late Autumn,” in which she co-starred with popular Korean actor Hyun Bin.In the romance film directed by Korean director Kim Tae-yong ― the film is also a remake of Korean director Lee Man-hee’s iconic 1966 movie of the same title ― Tang starred as Anna, a Chinese-American prisoner who murdered her husband years ago and is released from jail for three days to attend her mother’s funeral in Seatt

Film Dec. 25, 2013

The English translation of Korean author Bae Su-ah’s short story “Highway with Green Apples” has been published in “Day One,” Amazon’s digital literary journal dedicated to short fiction and poetry from emerging writers, as well as translations of non-English literature.It is the first time that a Korean work of fiction has been published in the journal, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.Born in Seoul in 1965, Bae is considered one of the most unconventional writers in K

Books Dec. 24, 2013

The highly anticipated musical of the year was finally unveiled to the public last month, starring some of the most celebrated musical stars in the country, including Joo Won and Ivy.Titled “Ghost the Musical,” the show is an adaptation of the mega-hit romantic fantasy-thriller film “Ghost,” starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. The musical had its world premiere in Manchester, England, in 2011, and was also performed on Broadway in 2012. The current Korean production is the Asian premiere run

Performance Dec. 23, 2013

In 1996, at the age of 37, Choi Tae-ji was appointed the new director of the Korean National Ballet. The Japanese-born ballet dancer did not have much experience in administrative affairs, spoke Korean with difficulty, and was the youngest person ever to serve in the position. She hung up her pointe shoes and never looked back; her life in suits and high heels began. Now 54, Choi is in her last month as the company’s artistic director, after spending a total of 12 years as its head. Her first te

Performance Dec. 20, 2013

The Attorney Opened Dec. 18Drama. Directed by Yang Woo-seokIn 1981, Busan-based tax lawyer Song Woo-seok ends up defending young students who have been tortured for possession of “illegal” literature and suspicion of being communist sympathizers. Before getting involved in the case, Song had been very successful as a tax lawyer, but his experience defending the young men makes him consider specializing in human rights cases. The movie is loosely based on late President Roh Moo-hyun’s early years

Film Dec. 20, 2013

Spike Jonze is reluctant to call his new film “Her” ― a melancholy romance about a man who falls in love with a sentient, learning and loving operating system ― “science fiction.”He doesn’t want to talk about technology and the modest leap it makes from our cloud- and smart phone-obsessed present to a digitally romantic future.“It’s not about technology,” he says. Then he corrects himself. “It is, obviously, ‘about’ technology. Just not to me. It’s such a big idea ― that you could, one day, have

Film Dec. 20, 2013

Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil has been selected as the best singer of 2013, according to a survey by polling company Gallup Korea. Gallup conducted the survey from July to November, asking a total of 4,263 people from ages 13 to 59 to name up to three singers they thought were the most impressive this year. Cho received the most votes; a total of 17.6 percent of those who participated named him as the best singer of 2013.The 63-year-old, dubbed “the king of singers” in Korea, in April released “He

Performance Dec. 20, 2013