September 1 – October 7, 2023

September 9 – October 14, 2023

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A City of Sadness (1989) was digitally restored and rereleased in theaters across Taiwan earlier this year. Running two hours and thirty-seven minutes, the melancholic art-house film shows in painstaking detail the dissolution of a Taiwanese family prompted by political regime change following World War II. In 1945, the Japanese surrendered Taiwan; soon after, Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang party (KMT) would retreat from China to the island, violently suppress native uprisings, and officially claim the island as its own in 1949.

“This island is so pitiful. First the Japanese and then the Chinese. They all rule us but none take care of us,” one of the film’s protagonists says in Taiwanese, a language that the KMT banned from schools. The English subtitles were less subtle: “They all exploit us and no one gives a damn.”

I attended a sold-out showing on opening weekend. In a somewhat surreal coincidence, the rerelease date coincided with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Just hours before I saw the film, I’d biked to a public square where a crowd of mostly Taiwanese people waved Ukraine’s blue-yellow striped flag. When Ukraine’s anthem was played, everyone put their hands on their hearts. One Ukrainian mother said to me, “Taiwanese people know what it’s like to have a crazy neighbor.”

Today China claims it will take Taiwan by force; the threat of regime change is never far. In Hong Kong, where the film was also rereleased this year, protesters, among them high schoolers, have been imprisoned and sentenced for subversion. But to be fair, in Taiwan—a country ruled by six successive colonial powers—it would be difficult to find a release date that didn’t take on a deep sense of resonance and foreboding. The year City was released, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party killed thousands of nonviolent protesters in Tiananmen Square. In contrast, Taiwan was on the cusp of freedom. It burst with national awakening. Soon, activists who read Mandela in prison would be released and run for election—and win.

The great US filmmaker speaks out on his worries about the state of the industry

Pete's in the hotseat for today's PGMOL panel alongside Luke, Andy and Jim!

The lads discuss aggressive Marseille taxi drivers, how footballers store shirts they’ve collected, and out of date chocolates at Aston Villa courtesy of Big Doug Ellis. Plus, an Arsenal vs Manchester City preview and another pesky England squad!

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Kelly Jensen is out this week, so Erica Ezeifedi and I are filling in on censorship news. Unfortunately, none of us can be Kelly, even with our forces combined, so we’re trying something a little different in the censorship news round-up. Instead of one big story and dozens of bullet points, we have each picked a few book ban stories this week to write a paragraph about — think Today in Books: Censorship Edition.

Welcome to my favorite month of the year! To paraphrase L.M. Montgomery, I’m sure glad that I live in a world where there are Octobers…and October book releases! This month has one of the biggest lists of new books hitting shelves, which means it’s really impossible to narrow it down to just ten. Please know that I hated leaving out so many great books, and you should definitely be on the lookout for new YA books by Isabel Ibañez, Aden Polydoros, Huda Fahmy, Christella Dabos, Brandy Colbert, Kosoko Jackson, Candice Iloh, Ryan La Sala, Tillie Walden, and so many more! (A handy tip? Check out our New Release Index for all the books coming out this month.)

I chose a nice mix of debuts, books by authors who might not be on your radars yet but definitely should be, and some of my personal most anticipated reads. Because it is October, after all, definitely be on the lookout for some of the spookier books for Halloween and seasonal reading, but know there’s something here for everyone —romance, thriller, contemporary, historical fiction, and even a holiday romance (because those holidays are just around the corner!).

So grab your favorite fall beverage and a cozy sweater, and get ready to read!

‘Tis the season for fall romance books. Leaf-filled streets, pumpkin spice lattes, and the looming threat of the holidays all signal the autumnal alarm.

In romance books, every season makes an impact on character development and plot. The fall often represents a period of growth and change. In a place with four distinct seasons, autumn readies the world for the cold of winter. Fall is both protective and bracing at the same time. It is my favorite season because no matter what is going on, the feeling of fall resets my attitude and gives me a welcome break from the summer heat.

I also think the fall season works well as a setting for romance books. Really, cozy autumn books are the perfect site for character growth through radical change. After all, when romance characters pursue happiness and radical joy, they often have to leave behind the people, things, and places that no longer serve them.

The books I present you with today set characters up in a time of change. These contemporary and paranormal romance books with fall settings offer all the coziness of the season. I hope you fall in love with them too.