The Wilder Shores of Marx
I’m quite enjoying this book. It’s written by Theodore Dalrymple (pen name of Anthony Daniels, a British doctor) who travelled to five communist countries (Albania, Romania, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba) in the late 80’s. His observations and his writing are both phenomenal. The book is worth it, if only for his summary description of north Korea as “a land of forced labour, where everything was either forbidden or compulsory, and which out-Orwelled Orwell.”
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
I’m really not a fan of Elijah Wood, but this series was so interesting, and Wood was actually really good in it. The part fit him well and he played it perfectly. Both seasons are on Netflix in Korea (the first is much better than the second).
SwordMaster
This is a late add — I’d forgotten about this, but the quality of Chinese movies (and dramas) has improved dramatically over the past few years, and this movie is no exception. I got to see it on Korean TV in Chinese with Korean subtitles, so I got a good workout and my wife got to enjoy it too. She even skipped her regular Chinese drama to watch it with me.
It’s well worth it. Here’s the trailer for you…