1988 film My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) in Pittsburgh-area theaters, December 7 - 11.

The 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from December 7 through 11 as part of this year's Studio Ghibli Fest.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece[.]

It plays locally in many area theaters, including Cranberry Cinemas, Waterworks Cinemas, AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC CLassic Westmoreland, and the Cinemarks in Monroeville and Robinson. Some shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubed in English, and tickets are available online.

"Korean Literature in the World Today" with author Han Junghyun, December 3 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center will present "Korean Literature in the World Today" on December 3 with author Han Junghyun.

Join us for a talk by Han Junghyun, a fiction writer from South Korea, as she discusses contemporary Korean literature and her role in shaping it. Her debut short novel, The Language of Adolf and Albert, won the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer’s Contest in 2015. Since then, she has received several prestigious awards, including:

• Today's Writer Award for Juliana Tokyo (2019)
• Young Writer's Award and Queer Literature Award for Our Wish is a Science Boy (2020)
• Kim Yu Jeong Literature Award and BUMA Democratic Uprising Literary Award for Kyoko and Kyoji (2021)

Join us to hear more about her literary journey!

It runs from 5:00 to 6:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map). 

"We Learn" Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Korean classes resume at Carnegie Library in Oakland, Saturdays from December 7.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Oakland will resume its free "We Learn" Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Korean classes Saturdays from December 7 through February 22, after finishing its most recent session on November 16.

Miniso in Robinson still coming soon, misses November target.

The Miniso at the Mall at Robinson, one of two of the Chinese-owned Japanese specialty stores under development in the area, remains coming soon. It had announced earlier this month a November opening, but appears to be at least a few days away. It was first announced for the mall in October, and would be the third Miniso in the area, along with the location in Greensburg and the yet-unopened South Hills Village Mall location.

Compilation film Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, featuring first two episodes of season 2, in Pittsburgh, from December 5.

The compilation film Solo Leveling: ReAwakening will play in Pittsburgh from December 5.

Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- features a catch-up recap of the first season coupled with an exclusive sneak peek of the first two episodes of the highly anticipated second season in one momentous theatrical fan experience. Over a decade has passed since a pathway called a "gate" which connects this world and another dimension suddenly appeared, and people with superhuman powers called "hunters" have been awakened. Hunters use their superhuman powers to conquer dungeons inside the gates to make a living, and Sung Jinwoo, a hunter of the lowest rank, is considered the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind. One day, he encounters a double dungeon, a high-level dungeon hidden inside a low-level one. In front of a severely wounded Jinwoo, a mysterious quest window pops up. On the verge of death, Jinwoo decides to take on the quest, which makes him the only person who can level up.

It plays locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

NCT Mystery Lab: DREAM( )SCAPE in Cinemas in Pittsburgh-area theaters, December 11 and 14.

The concert film NCT Mystery Lab: DREAM( )SCAPE in Cinemas will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on December 11 and 14.

NCT DREAM’s third world tour, ‘THE DREAM SHOW 3: DREAM()SCAPE,’ is coming to the big screen once again, bringing back the vibrant world bathed in Pearl Neo Champagne! Join the journey as the story of the Mystery Lab unfolds—a special laboratory where the secrets of growth are discovered on the path to one’s dreams, and where the prescription for comfort and healing is shared. Captured from Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, witness their breathtaking performances that radiated youthful energy, plus the passionate efforts behind the scenes. Don’t miss NCT DREAM Mystery Lab: DREAM()SCAPE in Cinemas—a stage for both escaping into dreams and embracing new beginnings.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC CLassic Westmoreland, and the Cinemark theater in Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ), Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し), and The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) comprise Studio Ghibli Week at Row House Lawrenceville, from November 29.

The Row House Lawrenceville will feature four films for its annual Studio Ghibli Week starting November 29: 1998's Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便), 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ), 2001's Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し), and 2023's The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか).

Studio Ghibli Week runs through December 5. Tickets and movie information is available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

Album making-of documentary RM: Right People, Wrong Place in Pittsburgh, from December 5.

The upcoming film RM: Right People, Wrong Place will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from December 5.

A film that chronicles artist RM's eight-month production of his second solo album, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” while candidly recording the endless concerns of the person Kim Namjoon, and the things he immerses himself in and loves.

It plays locally December 5 through 8, and December 14, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Page Turners Book Club: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, December 12 in Oakland and online.

The December installment of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Page Turners Book Club is Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, held on December 12 at the Main branch in Oakland and online.

Join us once a month for discussions as lively as the page-turning titles we read!! December’s discussion will be on the Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa.

Note: This book discussion is a hybrid event. Attendees are welcome to join in-person, which takes place in the Director’s Conference Room on the first floor of CLP-Main Library, or virtually using the link provided in your RSVP confirmation email. Some copies of the title will be available at CLP-Main at the New & Featured desk. Newcomers are always welcome!

This title is available for checkout in our Catalog, and also as an eBook on Hoopla and as an eAudio on Hoopla.

The event runs from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. A synopsis:

1994 film Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ) in Pittsburgh-area theaters, November 26.

The 1994 film Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on November 26, part of this year's Studio Ghibli Fest.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-nominated director Isao Takahata, comes an action-packed ecological fable about the clash between nature and human civilization. The tanuki (raccoon dogs) of Tama Hills find their fun-loving community under attack when their quiet woodlands are threatened by encroaching developers looking to create still more houses and shopping malls. Desperate to survive, the tanuki band together and learn the ancient art of transformation, shape-shifting into a comical variety of humans and spirits as they undertake a last-ditch plan to scare away the humans and save their home, in this deeply affecting, funny and heartfelt look at what it means to live in the modern world.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the CHartiers Valley Luxury 14, and tickets are available online.