April 6 - 12

Grady is out of town at the HK Film Festival, but here is an unorganized rundown of what is happening this week in NYC in the world of Asian film. Check out his coverage here:

http://www.kaijushakedown.com/

There isn't much new in terms of Asian films playing the commercial theaters this week, but there is some great stuff showing up at The Japan Society, BAM, Asia Society and The Museum of the Moving Image. Thank goodness we live in New York City.

The Japan Society (333 East 47th St) - they are presenting a 10 day fest titled "Against the Tide: Rebels and Mavericks in Contemporary Japanese Film". Sure it's a long title, but it needs to be to include all these gems both old and very new. It begins this Thursday night at 7:30. A few highlights.

Maison de Himiko (2005) - from the director of "Josee, The Tiger and The Fish", which played at the NYAFF last year. This one is about an aging drag queen who opens a retirement home for gay men. This is the festival kickoff and the director will be in attendance.

Canary (2004) - two people just told me the other day that we should get this for this year's NYAFF, but the Japan Society beat us to it. Damn them! It explores the world of two children - one rescued from a terrorist cult organization, the other a young girl who joins him on his odyssey to find his sister.

Rikidozan (2004) - a recounting of the true story of perhaps Japan's most famous wrestler in the 1950's. What his fans didn't know was that he was of Korean ancestry.

The Owl (2004) - this sounds tasty and with very similar overtones to the classic film Onibaba. This isn't that surprising since both are directed by Kaneto Shindo - Onibaba in 1964 and now at the age of 91 Shindo made this film. This again deals with a mother daughter combo seducing men to their deaths but plays out more as a dark comedy.

Mixed with these new films are a couple older classics - Kinji Fukasaku's "Yakuza Graveyard" and Shinya Tsukamoto's "Bullet Ballet".

http://www.japansociety.org/events/series.cfm?id_series=1694866756

BAM begins its annual "Village Voice: Best of 2005" fest in which a number of Asian gems appear. Here are the Asian titles appearing.

Bashing (Japan) 4/6
The Wayward Cloud (Taiwan) 4/15
Memories of Murder (Korea) 4/16
Café Lumiere (Taiwan) 4/21
Three Times (Taiwan) 4/22
Princess Raccoon (Japan) 4/23

Of these, Princess Raccoon is a must see for anyone who loves film and quirky musicals – and the same could be said for The Wayward Cloud which is completely outrageous.

http://www.bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=70

The Asia Society is hosting the South Asia Human Rights Film Festival this week. Showing are:

15 Park Avenue - 4/6
Sancharram, the Journey - 4/7
Communities in Conflict - 4/8
Defining Rights - 4/8
Iqbal: The Rampur Express - 4/8

http://www.asiasociety.org/arts/film06southasia.html

Later in the month they are also showing a few Chinese films.

http://www.asiasociety.org/events/calendar.pl?filter_category=3

The Museum of the Moving Image continues paying tribute to one of America's most famous early Asian actresses, Anna May Wong.

Daughter of Shanghai (1937) - 4/8 and 4/9
King of Chinatown (1939) - 4/8
Dangerous to Know (1938) - 4/9

http://www.movingimage.us/site/screenings/index.html

Here are a few other films that are playing town this week.

ImaginAsian Theater - "Sawaan (The Love Season)"

http://www.theimaginasian.com/comingsoon/index.php

Film Forum - "Yan Ban XI: The Eight Model Works"

http://www.filmforum.org/

IFC Center - the classic Kurosawa film "Drunken Angel" plays at noon from 4/7 – 4/9

Two Asian related films are in town as well.

Cinema Village - "Mardi Gras: Made in China" a documentary that tracks where the Mardi Gras beads come from and contrasts the drunken revelers against the factory workers who made them.

IFC Center - "Drawing Restraint 9" is one of the oddest films I have seen of late. Made by the acclaimed video artist Matthew Barney and starring himself and Bjork (who also supplies the music), the film is almost impossible to describe - at times painfully slow and at other times a blast in your face. When he and Bjork submerge themselves in waist-high water and begin cutting off their limbs in ritual calm the guy next to me almost passed out.

And as a non-Asian note, I have to mention that Walter Reade is having a Krzysztof Kieslowski weekend containing many of his works and concluding with his Colour Trilogy on Sunday. I can never get enough of "Red" quite honestly.