This weekend, Buddhists around the world celebrate Vesak Day, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and the passing of Gautama Buddha. Did you know that at the moment, this is the sole major world religion whose various denominational heads are either LGBT-friendly or are supportive of same-sex marriage? Let's wish them a blessed holiday!

Our pick for the week is The Avengers. If you haven't known yet, this sausage and latex suit fest has broken opening weekend records all over the world. The superhero movie brings together Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow as Earth's last defenders against an alien invasion headed by Loki.

If you're not into beefcake action, how about some interracial sadomasochism on the side? Love and Bruises is directed by Chinese director Lou Ye, and tells of the fireworks that develop between a French construction worker and a Chinese teacher after their disastrous first date rape.

Till next week,

Vernon Chan