September 2 - September 9, 2004
Will the Republican Convention never end? Boring and eternal, the result hasn't been riots or excitement or even much money flowing into the city... all it's done is vacuum up all the people in midtown and hog all the press.

The release of Hideo Nakata's DARK WATER has reportedly been canceled due to pressure from the studio that's producing the remake. The same thing almost happened with JU-ON, and it looks like this'll be a future trend: companies picking up the remake rights for an Asian movie and smaller, trickier companies trying to beat them to the box office with the original.



COMING SOON
September 17, the much-anticipated, fresh-outta-Cannes, super cartoon from Japan, GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE teleports itself into the ImaginAsian theater.

September 18 rings in the TEMPTATION 2004 concert at Nassau Coliseum, and then on 9/25 you can see it at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Whuzzat, you say? It's a gigantor concert that beams down the biggest stars in Bollywood for an all-signing, all-dancing, all-glitzy extravaganza. Who are the biggest stars in Bollywood? Shah Rukh Khan! Preity Zinta! Rani Mukherjee! Saif Ali Khan! And then a bunch of other people. Guaranteed to be like swimming in a big sea of cheese, in the best possible sense.
More details:
http://www.poojanka.com/

September 17 sees Taiwanese arthouse film, GOODBYE DRAGON INN, appear like magic at Cinema Village. It's all about the last day of a movie theater that happens to be showing King Hu's martial arts epic, DRAGON INN.

September 24 brings Thai arthouse director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, to the Anthology Film Archives with the release of his acclaimed ants-at-the-picnic flick, BLISSFULLY YOURS.

October 1 - 17 brings us a good Asian line-up in the New York Film Festival - see below for more details.

October 2 sees a Shaw Brothers retrospective at Lincoln Center - part of the New York Film Festival (see below).

November 12 sees a contemporary Korean Cinema retro at Lincoln Center.



NOW PLAYING
Angelika
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (2003, Japan, 114 minutes)
Released to compete with HERO, this mainland Chinese epic Western (set in old timey time China) is a pretty drab affair. There's a certain amount of "let's go on an epic quest" feel to it, and the performances are generally good, but after HERO, well, where's the pretty colors?
Read a review:
http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?warriors+of+heaven+and+earth


Broadway Theater (Broadway and 53rd)
The hit British musical, BOMBAY DREAMS is chuffing along. But even a score by A.R. Rahman (including "Chaiya Chaiya" from DIL SE, and "Shakalaka Baby" from NAYAK), a role for Madhur Jaffrey, the biggest Indian cookbook writer in the West, and inflatable Ganesh statues (plus a big fountain) haven't saved it from almost unanimous critical slams. Yikes! I liked it, but I like Bollywood, and if you don't know Bollywood you probably won't like it, and who in the US knows much about Bollywood? Bolly-bummer.
Ticket info:
212-239-6200


Cinema Village
JU-ON (2003, Japan, 92 minutes)
10:30PM daily
Japanese horror hit, JU-ON, just can't be killed. First it was at the Angelika, then it was at Village East, then the ImaginAsian, now it's at Cinema Village.
More on JU-ON:
http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/nyaff04-juon.htm
Or read a review at:
http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/juon.shtml


Film Forum
THEY CAME FROM TOHO: GODZILLA AND THE KAIJU EIGA
August 27 - September 9
Uh-oh. It's an enormous Godzilla retrospective at Film Forum featuring literally dozens (okay, a dozen) classic and contemporary Toho giant monster movies. Call them kaiju eiga, if you will, but don't blame us if someone beats you up for being a dork. The schedule is online and Film Forum sez that if it doesn't say "subtitled" then it's most likely dubbed in English (you know, for kids). But do not miss GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTER ALL OUT ATTACK. Not only is it a super chilly fresh title, but it may be the best modern Godzilla movie ever made. It's subtitled, and directed by Shusuke Kaneko who directed the hard rocking GAMERA movies in the 1990's.
More info:
http://www.filmforum.com/films/toho.html


ImaginAsian Theater
239 East 59th Street (at Second Avenue)
Two movies are currently running at New York's only all-Asian movie theater with the dorky name:

TAEGUKGI (2004, Korea, 145 minutes)
Saving Private Ryan for Korea, this epic war flick replicates the strengths and weaknesses of Spielberg's flick. But somehow TAEGUKGI feels more like an old time Hollywood epic, along the lines of GONE WITH THE WIND or DR. ZHIVAGO, only with more amputated limbs. The promotional effort for this movie doesn't let you know that it's not just the highest grossing movie of all time, but it made TWICE as much money in Korea as its nearest competition (the Lord of the Rings movies). That would be like an American movie making $500 million dollars, instead of leveling out at the $200 million mark which seems to be where our super-blockbusters hover these days.
Searing and brutal. Well worth your $10.
Read a review:
http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm04.html#taegukgi

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE
Well it doesn't start playing until Sept 17, but tickets are on sale now for this psychedelic anime freak-out about sex robots and basset hounds.
Read some reviews:
http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?%5EInnocence+(2004/I)


Loews Lincoln Square
A 3-day FREE festival of Indian films opens Tuesday, Sept. 7th, but you must RSVP-ASAP to be guaranteed admittance. And here's the guy who holds the magic key: Keith Lewis (212) 561-1562 or tantrainc@aol.com

Also, here are the reported showtimes (note that some of these overlap, so it would appear that they are being screened in more than one cinema. Either that of the reported times are wrong!

Tues. Sept. 7 @ 8:30pm
SHOLAY
(if you can only see one of these films, make it THIS so-called "Curry Western")

Wed Sept 8 @ 6pm
DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE
(Shahruhk and Kajol in a Yash Chopra romantic-comedy charmer)

Wed Sept 8 @ 6pm
MOTHER INDIA
(not much fun, but dammit, it's good for you!)

Thurs Sept 9 @ 3pm
CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI
(classic comedy from 1958 that made many Top Ten lists)

Thurs Sept 9 @ 6pm
LAGAAN
(Bollywood made safe for contemporary Western viewers)

Thurs. Sept 9 @ 6pm
MUGHAL-E-AZAM
(epic melodrama from 1960)


Loews State
Bollywood keeps on keeping on! And for fun, we're linking you to reviews of these movies over at Sulekha.com where average people - like you! - post their thoughts that range from "Pakistan cinema halls have turned into brothels!" to "Ash’s wrinkles on her neck show it is time for her to marry and quit Bollywood." Hooray for the voice of the little man!

KYUN! HO GAYA NA (2004, India, 180 minutes)
Bollywood super-glamourpuss, Aishwarya Rai, stars with hunkie Vivek Oberoi. It's a love story, and Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan plays someone's dad. Mixed reviews all over the place, and some people think Ash's neck looks wrinkled.
Read a review:
http://www.sulekha.com/movies/moviereview.asp?cid=305406

DHOOM (2004, India)
Abishek Bachchan (son of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan) stars in this cat n'mouse thriller about a gang of motorcycle-riding bank robbers who masquerade as pizza delivery boys. Change of pace of the Yash Raj production house which is famous for its glossy romances. Sounds like big, empty-headed fun.
Read a review:
http://www.indiafm.com/reviews/04/dhoom/index.shtml

PHIR MELENGE (2004, India)
Bollywood takes on PHILADELPHIA. With a plot supposedly lifted from that 1993 flick, this movie tackles the subject of Living With AIDS. Yes, Bollywood's finally made an AIDS movie, starring Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty, no less.
Read a review:
http://www.indiafm.com/reviews/04/phirmilenge/index.shtml

FIDA (2004, India)
A love story starring the extremely talented Kareena Kapoor, it's a stylish, suspenseful romance and its getting pretty good reviews for being something fresh in the sometimes-stale world of Bollywood romances.
Read a review:
http://www.indiatarget.com/bollywood/movie/review/column/1102.shtml


34th Street Loews (between 8 and 9 Avenues)
TAEGUKGI (2004, Korea, 145 minutes)
Saving Private Ryan for Korea, this epic war flick replicates the strengths and weaknesses of Spielberg's flick. But somehow TAEGUKGI feels more like an old time Hollywood epic, along the lines of GONE WITH THE WIND or DR. ZHIVAGO, only with more amputated limbs. The promotional effort for this movie doesn't let you know that it's not just the highest grossing movie of all time, but it made TWICE as much money in Korea as its nearest competition (the Lord of the Rings movies). That would be like an American movie making $500 million dollars, instead of leveling out at the $200 million mark, which seems to be where our super-blockbusters hover these days.
Searing and brutal. Well worth your $10.
Read a review:
http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm04.html#taegukgi


New York Film Festival
October 1 - 17 at Lincoln Center
Tickets go on sale September 12
This year's festival features a pretty strong Asian line-up, and a Yasujiro Ozu retrospective (didn't BAM just do this?). Here's a rundown:

Cafe Lumiere - Hou Hsia-hsien's latest

House of Flying Daggers - the latest martial romper stomper from Zhang Yimou, who's rapidly turning into the action director to beat

Tropical Malady - Apichatpong Weerasethakul's latest brain-boggler

Woman is the Future of Man - Hong Sang-Soo's latest Korean art film

The World - from Jia Zhangke, director of Platform

All three INFERNAL AFFAIRS movies (do not miss a chance to watch 1 and 2 back-to-back)

"Elegance, Passion and Cold, Hard Steel," a tribute to the Shaw Brothers Studios

More info:
http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyff.htm

And better even more good info:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20040822/va_mi/leigh_1


Two Boots Pioneer Theater
EVERYBODY SAYS I'M FINE (2004, India, 100 minutes)
Actor Rahul Bose has become a director with this lo-budget Bollywood indie about a hairdresser who can read minds by touching people's hair. And, yes, he learns that we're all confused on the inside and that people aren't what they seem and that you can't judge a book by its cover. Sorry, I just fell asleep. What was I saying?
Read reviews:
http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?everybody+says+I%27m+fine


Union Square 14 (and other theaters)
HERO (2002, China, 98 minutes)
Opens August 24
Right outta the New York Asian Film Festival comes Zhang Yimou's HERO, his eye-popping martial epic starring Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Donnie Yen. It's about two years since this movie was released everywhere else in the world, but better late than never, no? With cornea-blistering visuals by long-time Wong Kar-wai collaborator, Christopher Doyle, this flick is not the Second Coming, as many would have you believe, but it is an awe-inspiring spectacle on the big screen. It took a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering and pressure to get this movie released in the US at all, but bless 'em for finally doing it.


Village East
ZATOICHI (2003, Japan, 116 minutes)
Japanese auteur, Takeshi Kitano, directs and stars in this modern installment in the classic Japanese ZATOICHI series. Zato-who? Zatoichi, the blind masseur who roams Japan killing jerks when he's not relieving head and neck tension. Kitano adds in tap dancing, digital blood spray, and his own, patented deadpan morbid humor.
Read a review:
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/zatoichi/



Special Note:
An Exhibition of original movie posters from Japanese Monster Movies is taking place at Posteritati that'll run through Sept. 7 (so get there fast).

Posteritati (phone: 212-226-2207) is located in downtown New York at
239 Center Street (between Broome and Grand Streets), and is open
Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

More details:
http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=2691