“Children of the New World” By Alexander WeinsteinPicador (240 pages, $16)The typical protagonist of Alexander Weinstein’s cautionary tales in “Children of the New World” is a man who could benefit from reading these stories, but probably never would, unless someone found a way to pipe them directly into his eyeballs.He’s no longer young, though sometimes youngish, emotionally connected to few people beyond his wife (if he has one) and easily swept away by virtual reality, shared-world environme

When Mara Wilson was a little girl, Hollywood couldn’t get enough of her.She was one of those child actors who seemed preternaturally mature. Her vocabulary was surprisingly expansive. She could carry on full-blown conversations with adults. And she appeared to be in full control of her emotions, bringing out the puppy dog eyes at just the right moment.Interviewing Wilson on the “Today” show in 1994, Katie Couric declared: “Every time I see you in a movie, I just want to put you in my pocket and

As elderly men stroll around lush, sun-soaked parks in the city, equally aged women approach them offering energy drinks called “Bacchus,” which is also the name of the Roman god of wine and debauchery. This exchange is code for a particular type of prostitution among seniors in Korea, and forms the basis of director-writer E J-yong’s “The Bacchus Lady.” The contemplative erotic drama has been garnering international attention, screening at numerous international film festivals -- Berlin, Hong K

Member of a Seoul-based college dance group Lee Hyo-min (not her real name) says she has no fancy tricks up her sleeve when it comes to dieting. She simply “starves” herself, said the 22-year-old.　“I drink water and iced Americano,” the aspiring dancer told The Korea Herald. “If I get really hungry, I have one bite of pizza or something that the group has ordered.”According to Lee, “just not eating” is the most effective way to lose weight, easier than counting calories or calculating the nutrit

Imagine having to outdo yourself each time you take on a new project. “It’s like having to hit a home run again and again,” said Mary Spackman, founder and principal designer at Spackman Associates.While the name may be unfamiliar to most, it is a go-to name for those in the know. The interior designer who returned from the US after working for four years at the New York-based Rockwell Group was taking time off raising her young son when she was approached to renovate the home of a CEO. That pro

MILAN (AP) -- This was already Gigi Hadid’s season.She drew crowds outside the Max Mara shop on opening day of Milan Fashion Week, and indulged fans with selfies. 　 Then she opened and closed the Max Mara show on the second day of womenswear previews for next spring and summer on Thursday, and took top billing at Fendi. But in between, things took an ugly turn when a former Ukrainian television reporter grabbed her from behind and picked her up in the air as she left the Max Mara venue. Video po

TORONTO (AP) -- The offer to star in Antoine Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven” came to Chris Pratt while he was on a hunting trip with friends, listening to an audio book of Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove.” Having recently learned some card tricks of his own, the part -- a gun-slinging card sharp -- felt like kismet. “All of the signs in my life pointed me toward doing this movie,” Pratt says. “It’s like when you get dealt a hand that you don’t even throw a single card back. You’re like: That’s t

Seven warriors fight for the vulnerable, in a formula that bears revisiting in “The Magnificent Seven.” Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece, “Seven Samurai,” begat the classic 1960 Western “The Magnificent Seven,” then a late ’90s TV series and now, a big budget action adventure Western directed by Antoine Fuqua. It’s an appealing concept -- bad guys who can be good, loners who can work together and find camaraderie in a team when it comes to protecting innocents.With the blockbuster cast that Fuq

The Magnificent Seven(US)Opened Sept. 14Western, action. Directed by Antoine FuquaA motley crew of stealthy gangsters led by Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) attempts to defend the helpless town of Rose Creek when ruthless industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) seizes control of it. Ben-Hur(US)Opened Sept. 14Drama, action. Directed by Timur BekmambetovPrince Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) is falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman

Fairy tales waste no time getting under the skin. They pretend to be innocent, once upon a time and all that, but they never are. The darkened wood, the hooded stranger, the soup served at dinner hide only briefly a more sinister intent.Freud called it uncanny, this transfiguring of the familiar into something weird and powerful, and writers have long reveled in making this leap. Between reality and fantasy is a delicious brew of dissonance and disorientation, all in the service of greater truth

“The Oliver Stone Experience” By Matt Zoller SeitzAbrams (480 pages, $50)Is there another living American director with a greater run of movies than Oliver Stone? The dozen films he directed over a span of 13 years, from 1986-1999, form a body of work unparalleled in contemporary cinema. They came one after the other -- artful provocations, sometimes clouded in disreputable airs, that delved into recent history and modern-day affairs with a defiant ferocity and style: “Salvador,” “Platoon,” “Wa

Writers from around the world will exchange ideas and share literary works at the Seoul International Writers’ Festival taking place from Sept. 25-Oct. 1 at the Arko Art Center and Daehakro Arts Theater in northeastern Seoul. 　One of the festival’s programs “Free Talks” will pair up writers to engage in conversation about their works and the theme of this year’s festival, “the forgotten and the unforgettable” in literature. The talks will take place at the Daehakro Arts Theater from Sept. 26-30.

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Over 60 historical sites in southeast Korea, including national treasures Bulguksa Temple and Cheomseongdae Observatory, were found to be damaged after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the historical city of Gyeongju last Monday, followed by over 400 aftershocks -- the largest of which occurred Monday evening measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale. The Cultural Heritage Administration, the Gyeongju city government and a number of relevant organizations are scra

Numerous historical sites in Gyeongju suffered damage ranging from severe to minor cracks during the earthquake that hit the city last Monday, the largest to be recorded on the Korean Peninsula.The Cultural Heritage Administration, which is in charge of preserving the country’s cultural sites, announced Sunday that some 60 cultural assets have been damaged. Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. to 935) and located north of Busan on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, hous