March 17 - 24, 2005

COMING SOON

THEATRICAL RELEASES

3/28 OLD BOY
Cannes Grand Prix winner and critical darling gets a US release.

4/? ONE MISSED CALL
Takashi Miike's slick n'styley contribution to the dead-girls-with-long-hair-haunting-appliances genre.

4/8 EROS
A limited release is scheduled for this one-handed three-hander -- three short films about sex. There's one from Wong Kar-wai, one from Stephen Soderbergh and one from Michelangelo Antonioni. WKW and SS are supposed to be just fine, MA's is supposed to be a new breed of torture.

4/8 KUNG FU HUSTLE
The latest from Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow...more of an action flick than a comedy, but something of a marvel of modern-day filmmaking. This is a great movie, classic kung fu kind of stuff with wild action scenes, but who knows what'll happen in the US. It's been slapped with an "R" from the MPAA and now it's been pushed back from a March 18 opening.


4/20 SAVE THE GREEN PLANET
The cracked Korean masterpiece at Film Forum. The most violent anti-violence movie ever made!


4/29 3-IRON
Kim Ki-Duk's latest festival favorite gets a NY/LA release, followed by a national roll-out.

4/29 -­ 5/1
ASIAN CINEVISION @ BAM
ACV brings a selection of recent Asian flicks to BAM, like THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED (Japan), MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK (Hong Kong) and A PECK ON THE CHEEK (India).

5/13 UNLEASHED
Jet Li rubs shoulders with Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman in his latest English-language outing that used to be called DANNY THE DOG, which was a much more fun title.

And most exciting for Bollywood fans, an Amitabh Bachchan retro at Lincoln Center - called by many to be the greatest actor alive - it's a great line-up though I sure wish they had DON. Details below.

IN GENERAL RELEASE

BORN INTO BROTHELS (USA, 2004)
Metro Twin, UA 64th and 2nd, Chelsea Clearview, Village East

BRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2004, USA, 120 minutes)
Union Square 14, Paris Theatre (58th St. and 5th Avenue), 42nd Street EWalk, BAM
review:http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?isindex=bride+and+prejudice


STEAMBOY (2005, Japan)
This is Director Otomo's first full film since AKIRA, and I have to say that I found it highly boring. Long, full of giant explosions, and without a very compelling story the best you can do is watch the brown-on-brown, clockwork visuals. I've found that most critics are reviewing Otomo's reputation, not the movie he made. But that's just my opinion.
Read more reviews here:http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?isindex=steamboy

NOW PLAYING
Angelika Film Center
SCHIZO (2005, Kazakhstan)
A coming of age movie set in the Central Asian, Kazakhstan, and directed bySergei Bodrov. She's Russian mainstream director and her long flick is set in a pretty location, but her main character is passive, and the movie meanders for way too long. However, it does look pretty stunning.
read reviews:http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?^Shiza+(2004)

Cinema Village
NOBODY KNOWS (Japan, 2004, 141 minutes)
read a review:http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/nobodyknows


ImaginAsian Theater(239 East 59th Street, btwn 2nd and 3rd Ave)

BEAUTIFUL BOXER (2004, Thailand, 108 minutes)
3/11 -­ 3/24 daily at 6PM
read a review:http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/beautifulboxer


ONG BAK (2003, Thailand, 108 minutes)
3/11-­3/12 @ midnight only4/18 ­ 4/24 @ 10:30PM
read reviews:http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?isindex=Ong+Bak

SKY BLUE (2003, Korea, 86 minutes)
3/11 - ­34/17 @ 2PM, 10:30PM
read reviews:http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/skyblue

MAGDALENA, THE UNHOLY SAINT (2004, Philippines, 113 minutes)
3/11-­3/17 @ 12PM, 4PM, 8:15PM (no 8:15PM show on 4/16)4/18 ­ 4/24 @ 1PM
A rebellious chick takes over her mom's job after her mom dies. The job is selling holy trinkets and working miracles and, apparently, her prayers get answered even though she doesn't believe in any of it and she becomes a holywoman.

MORNING RAGA (2004, India, 110 minutes)
3/18- 3/24 @ 3:30PM and 8:20PM
A bus accident devastates a small Indian village. A jingle composer starts a band to deal with his grief and he and a young girl must convince a grieving mother that she needs to be in the band with them. Hopefully, it's better than it sounds.

Japan Society
OTAKU CINEMA SLAM
March 4 ­ May 27, 2005
This showcase of Japan's geekiest movies has some great surprises hidden on the inside. The flicks all deal with obsessions, pop culture, and costume fetishes. Keep your eyes peeled for OTAKUS IN LOVE, the incomparable CUTIE HONEY, and the apocalyptic giant monster movie to end all giant monster movies, GAMERA 3.

QUARTET FOR TWO (aka Rendan) (2001, Japan, 104 minutes)
Thursday, March 17 @ 6:30PM
Yuki Amami (who played male roles in the legendary Takarazuka Theater) stars
in this drama about the impact of a family breakup on two small children.

Korean Cultural Service
The KCS will be hosting a series of DVD projections of Korean films each month, hosted by Im Hyun-Ock who is one of the producers of NOWHERE TO HIDE, Lee Myung-Se's incredible cop film.

THREE...EXTREMES (2004, Korea/Hong Kong/Japan, 118 minutes)
Thursday, March 17 @ 6:30PM
Hong Kong's Fruit Chan (DURIAN, DURIAN), Korea's Park Chan-Wook (JSA, OLDBOY), and Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER) team up to make a three part horror flick. Miike's is a moody, slow-paced story about a pair of contortionists. Fruit Chan's is a body horror epic about eating dumplings made of fetuses in order to stay young, and Park Chan-Wook's is a tight,real-time thriller about a film director and a disgruntled extra.
Read a review:http://www.heroic-cinema.com/review.php?ID=3extreme


REWIND (2002, Korea, 100 minutes)Thursday, March 31 @ 6:30PM
A melancholy romance.
Read a review:oops, couldn't find one

Landmark Sunshine
STEAMBOY (2005, Japan)

Lincoln Plaza
NOBODY KNOWS (Japan, 2004, 141 minutes)

Loew's State
BLACK (2005, India, 125 minutes)
Starts February 11 @ 12:20, 5:15, 9:45
read a review:http://www.mtvindia.com/mtv/movies/reviews/05/black/index.php


Quad
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004, China, 119 minutes)

Village East
BEAUTIFUL BOXER (2004, Thailand, 108 minutes)

BORN INTO BROTHELS (USA, 2004)

FACE (2002, USA)
Bail Ling and Kristy Wu and Kieu Chinh (Joy Luck Club) star in this mostly student film about generations of Chinese American mothers and daughters.The actors are great, but the movie is so predictable you can time the plot twists before they happen. It also sat on the shelf for a while (subways are a dollar fifty and everyone uses pagers).
read reviews:http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/face

AMITABH BACHCHAN: THE BIGGEST FILM STAR IN THE WORLD
April 8-19
We're proud to welcome legendary Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan!Tickets re now on sale for a special live event with Mr. Bachchan In Person, and for a 13-film retrospective at the Walter Reade. A BBC survey recently confirmed what his millions of fans worldwide already knew: Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (known as AB to his fans) is the most popular film star in the world, the most recognized face, the biggest box-office draw. We are deeply honored that Mr. Bachchan accepted our invitation to Lincoln Center for this heartfelt tribute.

AN EVENING WITH AMITABH BACHCHAN
Friday April 15: 7:30 pm at Alice Tully Hall
AB will appear in person to talk about his career. Clips from a few of his best-loved performances will be shown, special guests may join AB on stage, and questions will be taken from the audience.Tickets: $60. On sale at Alice Tully Hall Box Office, Broadway at 65th Street, 212.875.5050 or online at www.lincolncenter.org

Walter Reade Theater will present 13 of AB's best-loved films including Zanjeer (1973), Abhimaan (1973), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Satte pe Satta(1982), Agneepath (1990), Aankhen (2002), Dev (2004), Black (2005) and others.
For film schedule and tickets online
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/4-2005/ab05.htm