Shadyside’s Nak Won Garden Offers Korean Specialties; ‘The Exorcist’ Visits Row House (Sat., 10/24/15)

1) Perhaps you’ve seen the line for seating stretched out the door. Nak Won Garden, located next to Giant Eagle’s Market District, is the hottest Korean restaurant in the city right now. It’s also a family affair. Chung-Chu Yi and his sister and her daughter all help to run the establishment. They promise more traditional dishes, but, no worries, they have plenty of kimchi and that Korean BBQ Americans love. Pittsburghers, meanwhile, love Nak Won Garden. As for vegetarians, the menu asks to simply “Lettuce know before ordering.” Gotta love a restaurant with a sense of humor. 5504 Centre Ave., Shadyside. (CM)

2) The Exorcist—It’s difficult to explain now the phenomenal media explosion caused by the release of The Exorcist in 1973. Front page stories about lines around the block, grown men passing out in the theater, people throwing up during the movie … it was cultural landmark. And it’s all about a little girl possessed by the devil and the two priests called in to rid her of the demon. Director William Friedkin used every cinematic trick available at the time to scare the living bejesus out of theater-goers. He’s helped considerably by a cast of top-notch actors: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller, and, of course, Linda Blair as the bedeviled Regan MacNeil. 2:15 and 9 p.m. Ends on Halloween. Row House Cinema, 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville.

3) Bridge of Spies—It’s amazing to think there are now adults (under age 30) with no memory of the Cold War between America and the U.S.S.R. For much of the 20th century, America’s battle against the Soviets was the defining aspect of not just our foreign policy but also of the American character itself. Steven Spielberg takes a trip back to those days with this story based on the U-2 incident in which a CIA pilot was shot down over Russia, causing a huge crisis since the United States denied ever carrying out espionage in Russia. An American lawyer, James B. Donovan, was assigned to negotiate the exchange of the pilot for a spy living in America. The Coen Brothers wrote the screenplay, along with Matt Charman. Tom Hanks stars, with performances from Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, and Peter McRobbie. Check Fandango for local screens and times. (TH)

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