Don Jon’s a dog.He cares only about his car, his pad, his boys, his family, his gym, his church (Sundays only), girls and porn ― lots and lots of porn. That is, until he meets Ms. Right ― actually two Ms. Rights ― and his bro-licious world is turned upside down when he learns that women are people too.That’s the simple premise for “Don Jon,” the feature directorial/writing debut for actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but it’s handled with such a deft sense of humor and pathos that it transcends any rom

Film Sept. 27, 2013

Author Choe In-ho, a literary legend whose works have been made into numerous movies and TV drama series, died of cancer on Wednesday, about seven months after the publication of his latest collection of essays, “Choe In-ho’s Life.” He was 68.Born in 1945 in Seoul, Choe is one of the very few Korean authors who started their writing careers as a teenager, along with Hwang Sok-yong. He made his literary debut at age 18, while attending Seoul High School, by winning a writing competition hosted by

Books Sept. 26, 2013

In 2009, Samantha Geimer was watching the daytime talk show “The View” from her then-home in Hawaii when the panel took up the topic of her encounter at age 13 with director Roman Polanski. Polanski had just been arrested in Switzerland, more than three decades after the day in 1977 that changed both their lives.“It wasn’t rape-rape,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said, setting off a firestorm of criticism. In fact, it was “rape-rape” by nearly any definition except the charge to which Polanski pleade

Books Sept. 26, 2013

Nicholson Baker never meant to write a sequel to “The Anthologist.” And yet, he explains by phone from his home in Maine, the narrator of that 2010 novel, a poet named Paul Chowder, kept demanding to be heard.“It was more a refusal,” Baker notes, “a refusal on Paul’s part to be overlooked. I was writing a different book, in my own voice, and I kept slipping into his voice. At a certain point, I just gave in.”Baker’s new novel, “Traveling Sprinkler” (Blue Rider), picks up Paul’s story a few years

Books Sept. 26, 2013

A film about a famed shaman and her life intertwined with the tumultuous modern history will open this year’s DMZ Korean International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs), the organizers announced on Tuesday.Written and directed by famed media artist and filmmaker Park Chan-kyong, the documentary film “Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits” follows the tortuous life of Kim Guem-hwa, a well-known shaman in Korea. Born in 1931 in a rural town in Hwanghae Province, now in North Korea, Kim was often threat

Film Sept. 24, 2013

A total of nine Indonesian films will get the festival treatment in Korea this week, including a biopic of Indonesia’s third president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.The first Indonesia Film Festival kicks off in Korea on Thursday, co-presented by Korea’s major multiplex chain CJ CGV, Korean entertainment company CJ E&M, Indonesian chain of movie theaters Blitz Megaplex and Indonesian film distribution company Jive Entertainment. The film festival will be held in Seoul and Ansan, Gyeonggi Province,

Film Sept. 23, 2013

A performance by a French-Canadian troupe will open the 16th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance), the nation’s largest annual dance bash, which kicks off Oct. 7.One of the most reputable genre showcases here, the event is presented by the local section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO. A total of 51 dance companies from 16 countries will present 51 works including some collaborations.For the festival’s opening performance, French-Canadian company Cas Public will present “Va

Performance Sept. 22, 2013

Chatty and bubbly in person, emerging New York-based musical singer Shin Hae-ji (Shawna Haeji Shin) reminds one of Glinda, the popular blond witch in “Wicked.”Yet the 27-year-old is playing a character that’s quite the opposite of Glinda in the U.S. next month. She is making her debut as Kim, the tragic heroine of the popular musical “Miss Saigon,” scheduled to premiere at the Paramount Theatre in Chicago on Oct. 30. After just starring in three shows ― “Rent a White Guy,” “Talent 101” and “King

Performance Sept. 16, 2013

Choreographer Ahn Ae-soon started ballet lessons when she was in elementary school, but her first dance performance as a young child almost traumatized her.“I had worked so hard, really hard,” Ahn, who was recently appointed to head Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, told The Korea Herald. “But then when I was on stage, I forgot everything that I had prepared. I could not perform at all. I was mortified. So I stopped going to lessons the next day.”Korea’s dance scene is fortunate that Ah

Performance Sept. 15, 2013

Dance“SIDance”: The annual Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) is returning in October, featuring a total of 51 dance companies from 16 countries. The opener this year is a performance by Canadian troupe Cas Public, with its stylish variation of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Other invited troupes include France’s Cie Heddy Maalem, Finland’s Dance Theatre Auraco, and Italy’s Ambra Senatore. This year’s SIDance runs from Oct. 7 to 27 at Gangdong Arts Center, Seoul Art Center and Goyang A

Culture Sept. 13, 2013

More silly than its sinister predecessor, “Insidious: Chapter 2” is entertaining for the contortions the script makes to incorporate both a brief prequel and highlights from the first film into a new 105-minute package.This is a Mobius strip of a movie, looping in on itself with ghosts from “The Further” and parallel existences interwoven into the lives of the lost Lamberts of sunny Somewhere, Calif.Those “Saw” / “Insidious” guys James Wan (director) and Leigh Whannell (co-writer, co-star) throw

Film Sept. 13, 2013

When news emerged three years ago that filmmaker Shane Salerno and writer David Shields were working on a lengthy oral biography (with accompanying documentary) about J.D. Salinger, I assumed it would be all smoke and no fire. Salinger, after all, had gone to ground after the publication of his novella “Hapworth 16, 1924” in the June 19, 1965, issue of the New Yorker; even in the wake of his death, in January 2010 at age 91, his estate had preserved the silence of his final 45 years.What had he

Books Sept. 12, 2013

This is the ninth installment in an 11-part series that introduces some of the best walking trails in Korea. Based on each trail’s popularity and the recommendations of travel experts and the Culture Ministry, The Korea Herald selected the 10 best places for walking and hiking. The series received funding from the Korea Press Foundation. ― Ed.Home to some of the most exquisite ancient relics in the country, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has long been the top destination for school trips i

Travel Sept. 11, 2013

By Claire LeeScreenings of a documentary film which challenges Seoul’s claim that North Korea is responsible for the 2010 sinking of the warship Cheonan have been abruptly suspended by multiplex chain Megabox, only two days after the film hit theaters on Sept. 5.The theater chain, a subsidiary of major local daily JoongAng Ilbo, was the only multiplex that agreed to screen the controversial film. The documentary was released in a total of 35 theaters nationwide, 26 being Megabox theaters. The do

Film Sept. 9, 2013

By Claire LeeThe title of Paulo Coelho’s popular 2003 novel “11 Minutes” refers to the duration of sex.Being a story of a young Brazilian prostitute and her adventurous journey to find true love, the novel is an entertaining and almost-spiritual exploration of self-discovery, sexual awakening and personal growth.“No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone,” Maria, the novel’s protagonist, says in the book.“That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world

Performance Sept. 8, 2013