MIDSOMMAR, Ari Aster’s follow up to his terrific (at least for the first three-fourths) Hereditary, improves on the earlier work this much: instead of situating his narrative in Utah he moves his story to an exotic faraway land (well, Sweden) where the notion of a possibly malevolent conspiracy can be more easily established. Yes, xenophobia, though arguably much of horror literature and film sprouts out of a fear of the Other.

MEAT CONCEPTS Inc., the group behind KPub BBQ, Thai BBQ,Ogawa, Oppa Chicken, Modern China, and Rico’s Lechon, among others, is opening several new concepts this year: a Chinese hotpot restaurant, another Cantonese concept, a steakhouse, and a Korean stew spot.

INSIDE a 19^th-century silk merchant’s house in Katsunuma, Japan, about 70 miles west of central Tokyo, the three Aruga brothers are pouring several white wines in their timbered tasting room. All are made at their Katsunuma Jyozo Winery under the Aruga Branca label from the country’s unique grape variety koshu, and all are delicious: One is elegant and sparkling; another fresh, bright, and lemony; a third succulent and tangy; still another savory and smoky; and a fifth barrel-fermented version is round, rich, and smooth.

SKIP the line at Bo’s Coffee with a chatbot called Botty.

PRAGUE — For revelers at one Prague megaclub, gone are the days of being squashed at the bar waiting to get a watered-down cocktail.

IN THE early days, animals in the forest bullied the sun for producing unbearable heat. When the sun disappeared for quite a long time, the animals apologized daily by writing “Sorry” on stone, smoke, and fire, and spelling the word out with their bodies. In desperation for sunlight, the chicken unceasingly chuckled until the sun rose. Unfortunately, when the chicken and the sun gave each other a high five upon rising, the chicken turned into fried chicken. Thus is the legend, according to Max’s Restaurant.

YELLOW CAB has just introduced the New York Famous XL Pizza Slice for P109. The New York Famous XL Pizza Slice — which has four variants: classic Margherita, Cheese, Hawaiian, and Pepperoni (photo) — comes from an 18” pizza.

“THE ARTIST is a creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim,” Oscar Wilde wrote in the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray. In his work, an artist values how the audience sees not its creator, but rather themselves and their environment.

BALLET MANILA will be staging a classic, two fairytales, an opera and a cantata for its 24^th season at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.

Cao and Lianben at Calle Wright MORE LIGHT THAN HEAT an exhibit of works by Lesley-Anne Cao and Lao Lianben will be on view at...

SAN DIEGO — Marvel Studios superhero movie Avengers: Endgame will claim the top of the global box office charts by Sunday, distributor Walt Disney Co. said.

SAN DIEGO — Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios on Saturday unveiled a star-packed slate of superhero films for the next two years that includes Angelina Jolie in The Eternals, Mahershala Ali in a remake of Blade, and Natalie Portman as a female Thor.