Latest news with #escapism
The Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald
'The Karate Kid' lives on, 'Guns Up' take aim, and 'The Phoenician Scheme'(s)
This week's episode of Spotlight takes a closer look at just-released escapism films offered at cinemas. The sixth instalment of The Karate Kid franchise takes the legacy of Mr Han to a new generation of kung fu fighters. In Karate Kid: Legends, Li Fong, a young kung fu prodigy struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in and navigate his new home, New York City. With the help from legendary karate masters, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts breakdown. On at cinemas and with returning cast Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, and with Ben Wang and Joshua Jackson, Mr Miyagi's legacy lives on. A family man's moonlighting job as a henchman goes horribly wrong in Guns Up as he finds himself facing deadly consequences while exposing a dark secret and revealing more than he intended. Now he has one night to get his family out of the city and out of harm's way. This action comedy stars Kevin James, Christina Ricci and Solomon Hughes, now at cinemas. New cinema treat The Phoenician Scheme , from acclaimed director Wes Anderson, delivers another distinctive visual extravagance. The quirky comedy tells the story — conceived with Roman Coppola — of a wealthy businessman appointing his only daughter, a nun, as the sole heir to his estate. As he embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, terrorists and assassins. With a spectacular ensemble cast including Benicio Del Toro , Scarlett Johansson, Hope Davis, Tom Hanks and Benedict Cumberbatch — at cinemas
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Doll's house hobby has mental health benefits even if prices make it far from child's play
A log burns in the hearth in the artfully lit drawing room. The armchairs look plush and inviting. Glasses and a bottle of wine stand ready as a grandfather clock keeps time. It is all straight out of a glossy magazine, and yet every carefully crafted item in the room could fit into the palm of one hand. 'I love Victorian (19th century) houses and always wanted to live in one but it never happened,' laughs doll's house enthusiast Michele Simmons, admiring the cosy miniature scene by historical specialists Mulvany and Rogers. The 57-year-old corporate recruiter revived her childhood passion for doll's houses during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since 'flipped' about 10, buying them, doing them up and selling them on. Collectors say their hobby is about escapism, and that it is good for mental health. Photo: AFP She and her daughter thought nothing of flying all night from Boston in the United States to hunt for tiny curtains and a child's cot at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
25 Perfect Summer Reads To Dive Into This Year
Stephen King's "Never Flinch" is one of the best beach reads for summer 2025, featuring recurring ... More King character Holly Gibney. Summer is for going to the beach, hitting the pool and soaking up the sun—often with a book in hand. If your definition of a dream day is catching rays while you immerse yourself in another world, then you need to know the best books for summer. A number of high-profile authors have new tomes coming, while some novels and nonfiction works drawing big buzz are from first-time authors. The best summer reads offer an element of escape, inviting your imagination to take over. Whether you seek beach reads, something to make you think, or books about summer love, you will find the right fit with this list of top summer reads. Summer books don't have a strict definition. They may be written about summer, take place in summer, or simply provide the sort of enjoyable escapism we associate with beach reads. Common themes include romance and suspense, usually featuring more light-hearted fare than you get from fall and winter releases. Well-known authors releasing summer books in 2025 include Stephen King, R.F. Kuang, Ocean Vuong, V.E. Schwab, S. A. Cosby, Susan Choi and Ron Chernow. All the books have an April or later release date, great timing for throwing in your summer tote. The works on this list are ranked based on early critical praise, descriptions of the book, past commercial and critical success of the authors, and advance buzz. A satire that takes on the controversy over trans women in sports, Hot Girls With Balls follows two gifted trans women's volleyball players who happen to be dating—and who are about to make their debut on the men's pro circuit. There are some surrealist twists on everyday life, too, that make this unique. This book is best for those who love romance with a dash of real life. Benedict Nguyen's Hot Girls With Balls is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Romance novels are one of the most popular summer genres, and this love story from former Bachelorette contestant Hannah Brown has a fun premise. Sybil Rain lands in Hawaii to take what should have been the honeymoon for her called-off wedding—and runs into her ex, so she claims to have a new beau—another ex. This book is best for fans of second-chance romance books. Hannah Brown's The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain is available from publisher Hachette Group. Seventeen-year-old Doris Steele needs an abortion, and she needs to keep it quiet in 1960 Georgia. In this propulsive historical fiction novel, Doris calls on her favorite teacher for help, and they road trip to Atlanta, where they encounter Coretta Scott King and a cast of vibrant characters. This book is best for those who crave a smart coming-of-age novel. Mia McKenzie's These Heathens is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Imagine Big Brother set on a deserted island—and with much higher stakes. Lily desperately wants to outlast her 19 opponents and has no desire to return to the depressing real world. But when the reality show contestants are put in deadly situations, is she willing to play those desperate games? This book is best for reality TV lovers and fans of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Aisling Rawle's The Compound is available from publisher Penguin Random House. James Gandolfini was one of the most celebrated actors in the world when he died suddenly in 2013 at just 51 years old. Critic Jason Bailey revisits the life of the Emmy-winning star of HBO smash The Sopranos, speaking to his friends and co-workers and building a new portrait of the sometimes-challenging actor. This book is best for those who love reading the most buzzed-about summer biographies—it's already getting tons of press coverage. Jason Bailey's Gandolfini is available from publisher Harry N. Abrams. The late James Gandolfini, star of "The Sopranos," is the subject of Jason Bailey's new book, a ... More great summer read. When April makes a split-second decision to protect a friend, she gets expelled from school. She begins to put her life back together when she marries an upstanding attorney, whose run for office 15 years later threatens to unravel the picturesque life they've built because of the secrets Amy has kept. This book is best for anyone who wants to read the most-buzzed-about summer literary novel. Amy Blumenfeld's Such Good People is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. A Ukrainian tween struggles with his feelings for another boy, feelings forbidden in his country. But soon he has a bigger problem—the Russian invasion, which destroys his family and forces him and his brother to flee from their grandfather's sunflower farm. They hope to reunite with their father, but mainly they want to survive. This book is best for those who want a beautifully written dramatization of a terrible current event. Sam Wachman's The Sunflower Boys is available from publisher HarperCollins. Time and Publishers Weekly both named this book one of the most-anticipated of 2025. It follows a pair of Black twins who were adopted by different families after their mother vanished. The kicker? Decades later, one twin swears she sees their mom on the street, looking the same as she did when she disappeared. This book is best for those eager for literary suspense. Yrsa Daley-Ward's The Catch is available from publisher W.W. Norton. The acclaimed author of Babel returns with another high-concept pageturner. Rival graduate students in the field of Magick find themselves journeying to hell in an attempt to save their professor, who was killed in an accident one of them may have caused. Dante and Orpheus also factor into the imaginative quest. This book is best for fans of new twists on classic novels. R.F. Kuang's Katabasis is available from publisher HarperCollins. In the follow-up to book club favorite The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab uses three historical timelines to tease out a story about immortality and the limits and challenges of being a gifted woman. Love, rage and a deep hunger collide as the timelines reach a fever pitch. This book is best for speculative fiction fans. V.E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is available from publisher McMillan. As the latest Oprah's Book Club selection, Ocean Vuong's novel about memory and chosen family seems destined for commercial success. Hai is about to kill himself when an elderly widow's cry pushes him to a different path: caretaker. As she fights dementia, he learns how to exist on society's fringes while staying true to himself. This book is best for anyone who loves celebrity book club picks with substance. Ocean Vuong's The Emperor of Gladness is available from Penguin Random House. "The Emperor of Gladness" by Ocean Vuong is the latest Oprah's Book Club selection, making it one of ... More the top summer books. New York Times bestselling author Domenica Ruta spins a tale about single mother Sandy, who's struggling to get her ex to do his share—and she's shocked to find he has fathered another child. The 'other mother' isn't who Sandy expects, and they form a gradual friendship that could just save them both. This book is best for fans of 'chosen family' books. Domenica Ruta's All the Mothers is available from Penguin Random House. Smith is a Black, queer Stanford student whose life comes tumbling down when he's arrested for cocaine possession shortly after his best friend's traumatic passing. He struggles to connect with his uppercrust family and searches for resolution on his own, starting a journey to rediscover hope that may not end well. This book is best for those who enjoy gritty realism and gorgeous writing. Rob Franklin's Great Black Hope is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. A thick biography of someone who lived more than a century ago as fun summer reading? Yes, please, when the author of the book is Ron Chernow (Alexander Hamilton). The Pulitzer Prize winner uses meticulous research to examine Twain's desire for fame and his dark later years. This book is best for anyone who enjoys biographies or a juicy celebrity memoir. Ron Chernow's Mark Twain is available from publisher Penguin Random House. On their wildly popular podcast, We Can Do Hard Things, spouses Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle and her sister, Amanda, examine life's little questions. But they had to confront something bigger recently when all three confronted serious health emergencies or losses—and came out the other side. Here, they give others a recovery roadmap. This book is best for anyone who loves self-help books. Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle's We Can Do Hard Things is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach have co-authored a highly anticipated summer book with Doyle's ... More sister, Amanda, based on their podcast. Harper's Bazaar and Vogue both named this literary fiction debut to their top books of 2025. Sommy, a Nigerian immigrant, struggles to find her place in America while feeling guilty about leaving her brother, who just attempted suicide. She enters a promising new relationship that is threatened when the couple returns to Nigeria. This book is best for anyone who loved Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah. Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo's The Tiny Things Are Heavier is available from publisher Bloomsbury. The much-anticipated adult debut of bestselling young adult author Holly Jackson introduces Jet Mason, a well-off young woman trying to solve her own murder before she actually dies. An attack by an unknown assailant creates an aneurysm that could trigger at any moment as Jet fights to figure out who did it. This book is best for anyone who loved Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder book series. Holly Jackson's Not Quite Dead Yet is available from publisher Penguin Random House. One of the most acclaimed noir writers of the past decade returns with a family drama where the line between good guy and bad guy isn't always clear. Prodigal son Roman returns home to help his brother, determine who put his father in a coma, and solve his mom's long-ago disappearance. This book is best for anyone who loves Southern mysteries. S.A. Cosby's King of Ashes is available from publisher Macmillan. Time and People named this to their most-anticipated books of 2025 lists, and for good reason. Kevin Wilson (Nothing to See Here) trains his droll eye on Madeline Hill and the trio of half-siblings she never realized she had. When they decide to take a road trip to find their deadbeat dad, chaos and laughs ensue. This book is best for those looking for a humorous read. Kevin Wilson's Run for the Hills is available from publisher Harper Collins. In the follow-up to Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, editor Susan Ryeland returns to England, ditching her idyllic life in Greece to become a freelancer whose first project revives the one character she wants to avoid: Atticus Pünd. Anthony Horowitz once again uses the story-within-a-story device that proved so effective in the first two books. This book is best for those who love books set in the UK. Anthony Horowitz's Marble Hall Murders is available from publisher HarperCollins. Author Anthony Horowitz's latest book, "Marble Hall Murders," is among summer's most-anticipated ... More reads. National Book Award winner Susan Choi (Trust Exercise) follows a family through the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy. Ten-year-old Louisa and her father take a nighttime walk on the beach where he disappears. Told from different family members' points of view, the book examines what may have happened that fateful night. This book is best for those who enjoy family drama. Susan Choi's Flashlight is available from publisher Macmillan. The reigning queen of the summer beach book returns with the tale of Joan, who is training to be one of NASA's first women scientists in the space shuttle program. She falls in love not only with the job but also with one of her fellow astronauts, yet their mission threatens to change everything. This book is best for anyone who loved Jenkins Reid's previous books, including The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Any new book by Chilean National Literature Prize winner and international bestselling author Isabel Allende is cause for celebration. In the late 1800s, a pioneering female journalist and her boyfriend set off from San Francisco to Chile to cover the civil war and maybe find her long-lost father. This book is best for Allende's legion of fans or anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Isabel Allende's My Name Is Emilia del Valle is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Will it be great literature? No. Will it be a thrilling ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat? Absolutely. Publishing giant James Patterson and former President Bill Clinton team for a second time on a book about the first female president—whose husband has been charged with murder. This book is best for those who love pulse-pounding mysteries. James Patterson and Bill Clinton's The First Gentleman is available from publisher Hachette. For summer reading at its finest, you can never go wrong with Stephen King. The author revives popular character Holly Gibney, who's hired as a bodyguard for women's rights activist Kate McKay. Holly's also helping the police with a bizarre threat that may tie into her new bodyguard gig. This book is best for Stephen King fans. Stephen King's Never Flinch is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. You can't go wrong with any of these books, which will enhance your beach trips and vacations and give you the summer reading experience you're looking for, no matter what your favorite genre. Two good summer romance novels from top-notch romance writers are: Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (publishing May 27), about a graduate biotech student who has a fling with her brother's best friend. Get Real, Chloe Torres by Crystal Maldonado (published May 13), about a recent high school graduate who tries to reunite her estranged BFFs on a road trip. Good books to read on vacation have pulse-pounding plots. Try these two: The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten (publishing June 10), about a podcaster obsessed with the earlier disappearance of four young women who may be on their same path. The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera (published May 6), the third in his excellent series about doomed romance. Good beach reads for 2025 include mindless fun that you won't want to put down: A Mother's Love by Danielle Steel (publishing June 24), about a recent empty-nester trying to outrun the ghosts of her past. Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch (publishing July 1), about a former ultramarathoner who returns for one last race—only someone doesn't want her to finish. Good books to read on an airplane should have such an exciting plot, you don't want to put them down for the entire flight. Try these two: Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (publishing June 24), a thriller about three women and what the men in their lives are hiding. With a Vengeance by Riley Sager (publishing June 10), about a woman in the 1950s looking for revenge against people who ruined her family when she lures them all to the same train ride.
Digital Trends
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
The Midnight Walk taught me that it's okay to embrace the darkness
As I'm sure is the case with many people right now, I'm currently going through it. It's hard not to look at the state of the world right now and not spiral a little bit. Concerns about the economy and the destructive rise of AI have bled into my personal and professional anxieties, leaving me in the dark. So many times this year, it has felt like my fire has been blown out. But you are not doomed to eternal blackness once a flame goes out; with a little effort, it can be rekindled. So perhaps it was fate that I sat down to play The Midnight Walk this past weekend on a whim. After two exhausting weeks of travel that fully drained my energy, I decided to settle in for developer MoonHood's debut game. I didn't know much about it other than the fact that it's an adventure game that features a Claymation art style that's a dead ringer for Tim Burton's work. Though it can be played on a normal display, I chose to try it on PlayStation VR2 instead. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just wanted to disappear for four hours — a textbook case of escapism. Recommended Videos Thankfully, The Midnight Walk didn't let me drift away. Instead of escaping my troubles in a fantastical world, I got the wisdom I needed from a moving fable that's about both reigniting your inner fire and knowing when it's okay to embrace the darkness. Like any great fantasy, it only whisks us away to bring us back to where we started with fresh eyes. Fire in my heart Created by a new studio founded by developers who worked on Lost in Random, The Midnight Walk is a playable fable built out of clay. In it, I control a character known only as The Burnt One who sets out on a quest to bring light to a dark world. I am accompanied by a critter named Potboy, a sentient lantern whose flame is exactly what I need to navigate fire-based puzzles that have me lighting candles and heating up cauldrons to raise platforms. It's a straightforward adventure game that's entirely built around light puzzles instead of combat. Its most immediately striking quality is its stop-motion art. Like this year's South of Midnight, it does a convincing job of adapting physical animation to an interactive medium, complete with characters that are animated on twos. At first, I see an obvious parallel to Tim Burton, but The Midnight Walk has its roots in deeper animation traditions. I'd liken it more to classic European and Soviet films, sharing more in common with Yuri Norstein's Hedgehog in the Fog than The Nightmare Before Christmas. It strikes a delicate tonal balance that's somewhere between cute and creepy. It's childlike, as if pulled out of a storybook, but mature and emotional in the same breath. It's sort of a Rorschach test for players as there are a few ways you could categorize it depending on how its tone hits you. At times, it's a warm and charming adventure. Other times, it's nearly a horror game in the vein of Little Nightmares. That duality isn't a flaw, but rather a function. The Midnight Walk is very much about the tension present in its tone. The story takes place across five chapters, each of which is centered around fire as a multi-purpose symbol. In some tales, fire is a fundamental resource needed for survival. I need to bring fire back to a freezing town to keep it warm, for instance. Other tales abstract it a bit more. One chapter tells the story of a craftsman and his strained relationship with his daughter, a conflict that snuffs out his creative passion. Much of the gameplay has me resolving those issues by wielding the power of fire to solve villagers problems as I embark on a trek up the fabled Midnight Walk to restore a burnt out sun. MoonHood gets creative about how to turn its symbol into gameplay. I occasionally need to grab giant matches and strike them against a box to light torches. I can command Potboy to move around and light objects up with the press of a button, making for some clever 'one-player co-op' puzzles. One repeated sequence has the two of us running through a raging storm, stopping to hide behind rocks before a big gust of wind freezes us. In those moments, I need to huddle around his burning head to stay warm. Fire isn't just an element here, but a lifeline. It's no wonder that the residents of this world feel so lost without it; they are left wandering through the darkness. You might be tempted to boil story down to a battle of light vs. dark, a dull crutch of a theme that so many games lean on. The Midnight Walk is far more nuanced about that though, which is where its excellent VR mode comes into play. Darkness can be terrifying for The Burnt One. It hides monsters that stalk the hero, forcing me to occasionally tiptoe through stealth sequences lest I have the bejeezus scared out of me. But like fire, darkness can be a tool too. When I close my eyes (literally on PSVR2 thanks to excellent eye tracking), I develop a superpower. I can hear hidden objects like keys, allowing me to find them by tracking the sound. When I see a blue eye icon, I can close my eyes to reveal secret paths. Some enemies have that same eye and I can vanquish them by standing tall and shutting my eyes rather than turning and running away. I'm scared the first time I do that, as I can hear the sound of a charging beast approaching. But when I open my eyes, it has disintegrated. The nuance to The Midnight Walk's story is in how it sees darkness as a necessity like water. Rather than being something to escape, it's framed as a constructive force that allows us to recover when times get tough. There is room for self reflection in the seemingly infinite blackness. Stretch out as far as your body will allow to fill that void and then strike a match when you're ready to continue the long walk. That idea resonated with me by the end of the four-hour journey. The more I played, the less I dreaded the dark. The horror elements dissipated as I grew more confident. I could close my eyes without fear, beating the monsters on their home turf. I was still on a quest to rekindle a lost flame, but I found that I could navigate the twisted clay world even without it. We are not lost even when the lights go out. There's always a path forward. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen. The Midnight Walk is available now on PS5, PC, and compatible VR headsets.
