Cultural News Today

Surprisingly for a country known for its strong adherence to Catholicism, the Philippines was a major producer of sex films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The “bombas”, as they were known – the term best translates as “bold” and roughly means scandalous – were a mix of soft-core and hard-core pornography, and their female stars became well-known celebrities who frequently graced the covers of newspapers and magazines. HBO Asia’s ‘nasi goreng... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2TRwayw

An odd-couple Netflix double bill this week, featuring a film that feels like it could have been a 10-part series and a 10-part series that looks like a film (albeit an extended one). Said film is Dear Ex, a Taiwanese tragicomedy starring, well, a couple of odd couples: gay male lovers on one hand, the ex-wife and son of one of the men on the other. The older man of the two is a professor apparently settled in his marriage, who suddenly disappears with a local-theatre actor and stage manager... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2Ijn1NJ

In this regular feature series on some of the most talked-about films, we examine the legacy of classics, re-evaluate modern blockbusters, and revisit some of the most memorable lines in film. We continue this week with the 2001 film Amelie . Like a patisserie shop window display full of colour and quirk, the 2001 romantic comedy Amelie is an acquired taste: a treat for some, too saccharine for others. It might also be the Frenchest film ever made, accordion soundtrack and all. Oscar-winner... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2IqEYu6

After a year in which the pop music universe was gripped by BTS fever, it’s now almost Hong Kong’s turn to fall under the spell of the world’s biggest K-pop outfit. The seven members of BTS will be performing four shows in Hong Kong on March 20-21 and 23-24. BTS World mobile game should get boost from K-pop stars’ Grammys debut Their last full concert in Hong Kong was staged in 2017, but a lot has happened in the world of BTS since then, including a history-making No. 1... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2TOaaog

On a cool spring night, Tsang Man-tung leads 100 people in a guided meditation exercise on a Hong Kong rooftop. Waving his arms theatrically, he strikes a bronze-coloured bowl held in one palm with a wooden mallet held in the other. As he directs participants to close their eyes, direct their focus inward, and practise long, slow breaths in and out, the background roar of air conditioner units and a busy road below seems to dull; external stresses melt away. Improve your mental health by... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2BEfzal

Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste Home (2013) describes how to eliminate household rubbish with composting, recycling and reusable products. Fanny Moritz, founder and chief executive of Hong Kong online reusable products store and zero-waste platform NO!W No Waste, explains how the book changed her life. At the end of 2015, I had just returned from a long break in France. I was lost in my job (Moritz ran her own digital agency) and looking for a new meaning to my life. I’d had a difficult... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2S5SClF

Hong Kong schoolchildren spend hours on electronic devices, according to a recent survey. While a return to reading books might seem like the stuff of fantasy novels, one person who is doing her bit to help kids go “old school” is newly minted children’s author Jessamy Woolley. After quitting her corporate job in Britain and moving to Hong Kong in 2015, Woolley followed her passion for fitness – she works as a spinning instructor at the XYZ cycling studio, in Central... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2N94FOq

The investigation into black actor Jussie Smollett’s account of being beaten in a racist, anti-gay attack took a sharp turn Friday when police announced the arrest of two black men they believe assaulted the Empire cast member. At least one of the men worked on the TV show, police said. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said authorities had probable cause to believe the suspects committed assault and battery against Smollett. But they had not been charged as of Friday afternoon.... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2tqpsDT

Filmmaking in Cambodia has always been a low-key affair – but it does come with the royal seal of approval. That’s because the country’s late King Norodom Sihanouk, who died in 2012 at the age of 89, was a prolific filmmaker who made around 50 films from the 1940s to the 2000s. Sihanouk’s films, which were shot in 16mm, 35mm, and later on video, covered a range of topics including Cambodian politics, but his main focus was always clear – to promote and preserve... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2S7lRVv

By Kim Jae-heun Women were allegedly given date rape drugs at a club in Seoul linked to K-pop star Seungri, a member of boy band BigBang, so their VIP customers can sexual assault them, says a member of the club. When K-pop fans’ admiration turns to obsession A man who claims to be a VIP member of the club said staff at the Burning Sun nightclub regularly texted rich customers to tell them they had women “ready” for them, according to South Korean broadcaster MBC. He said that... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2S4vyDN

Crank up the volume, start a mosh pit and get ready to open a dark portal to the hottest new metal band on the scene, fronted by … someone’s grandma. Did you make the grave mistake of forgetting to visit your dear old amah [grandma in Hokkien] this year? If so, she’s coming after you with searing put-downs in the song Please Come Back Home. The Chinese band with a pig for a lead singer: Pig Cage squeals discontent Malaysian film collective Grim Film has welcomed in the Year... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2SDNdra

Contemporary art from the private collection of the late British pop legend George Michael will go on display in Hong Kong and Shanghai later this month, previewing a Christie’s London auction of works belonging to the artist, who died in 2016. The stopovers in Hong Kong and Shanghai are particularly fitting for artwork collected by the pop icon. Before launching his Grammy-gilded solo career, Michael’s pop duo Wham! made history as the first major Western act to play in China in... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2N6pbir

3.5/5 stars Another year, another decade-spanning relationship drama from one of China’s so-called sixth-generation filmmakers. Wang Xiaoshuai’s So Long, My Son, which received its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday, is more empathetic and fulfilling than Jia Zhangke’s Ash Is Purest White , which received its premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Berlin 2019: Ondog review – Chinese-Mongolian drama on the cycle of life The... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2tmGZwN

See You Again in Pyongyang: A Journey into Kim Jong Un’s North Korea by Travis Jeppesen. Published by Hachette. 4 stars When Travis Jeppesen, a 37-year-old writer and art critic, spotted the ad offering a one-month study programme in North Korea, he didn’t hesitate. Not that he was any wide-eyed naif: he had visited four times before. But he was done with package tours, with being shuttled from monument to tedious monument. If he were to return to the Democratic People’s... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2SwNhcl

Dancers in hot pants. Factories pumping out Air Jordan lookalikes. TV dramas that are actually fun to watch. North Korean pop culture, long dismissed by critics as a kitschy throwback to the dark days of Stalinism, is getting a major upgrade under leader Kim Jong-un. Chinese K-pop star, Exo’s Lay Zhang aims to make it big in America in 2019 The changes are being seen in everything from television dramas and animations to the variety and packaging of consumer goods, which have improved... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2tiDJTg

Whether you’re coupled up or broken up, there are far worse things to do this Valentine’s Day than Netflix and chill. To commemorate the holiday, the streaming service is introducing a slew of love-themed offerings for the hopeless (and cynical) romantic in all of us. Five film, shows and specials you can watch: Big Mouth: My Furry Valentine Now streaming. Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg’s raunchy animated series has a bonus episode that’s just as sweet and smutty as you... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2N5OkK9

Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li Random House A few years ago, I wrote an article suggesting novels to read on “Blue Monday”, the day each January that is believed to be the most depressing of the year. The books included Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005) and Nevil Shute’s end-of-the-world tear-jerker On the Beach (1957). What to read in 2019, from literary greats to emerging authors Superficially at least, Yiyun Li... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2N4AOXl

2/5 stars Forget about cheesy romcoms, give yourself a reality check with Love Talk, which opens in Hong Kong cinemas on Valentine’s Day. Lacking schmaltz or melodrama, this documentary film invites audiences to take a long, hard look at the truths about marriage – and why you should think twice before stepping into one. More Than Blue review: Taiwanese remake of Korean melodrama We mean it when we say there’s no embellishment. The entire 86-minute feature consists mostly of... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2Su1zKS

An hour into the Bollywood film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, the central character, Sweety, tells her male suitor she is in love with another woman. The inebriated young man is so amused that he cracks up with a loud “What?” Most audience members probably reacted the same way. For Sakshi, a lesbian woman who goes by one name who saw the film in a Mumbai cinema recently, it was a prodigious and emotional moment. “I was watching a woman committing to her love for another... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2UUb3vt

Danish singer-songwriter MØ, British trip hop star Bonobo and English electronic duo AlunaGeorge have been announced as the headline acts at this year’s Sónar Hong Kong music festival. Other notable acts appearing at the third local edition of the influential Spanish electronic music and arts festival on April 13 include experimental American bassist/producer Thundercat, Canadian DJ/producer Ryan Hemsworth and John Talabot, a DJ from the festival’s home city of... from South China Morning Post - Culture feed http://bit.ly/2RWtsWM