This week in Asian film.
Now Playing
THE HOST (Korea, 2006, 119 minutes) Bong Joon-Ho’s monster mash is one of the best additions to the “Big-scary- creature-jumping-around-trying-to-eat-you” genre since ALIEN and JAWS. And for good measure he also throws in Olympic archery, brain biopsies, schoolgirl uniforms, dragon barf, military ineptitude, Agent Orange (oops, I mean “Yellow”) and then lets the whole goulash simmer down to a lovely little spoonful of quiet, family intimacy. Needless to say, if you haven’t seen it yet you really should. read more:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/host/
PING PONG (Japan, 2002, 114 minutes) STARTS APRIL 6 at IMAGINASIA
This was The New York Asian Film Festival’s Audience Award winner in 2003 and that says a lot in our book. The best sports movie ever made finally gets a way-too-late release from Viz. But don’t let that expiration date scare you: this flick could have been made yesterday. If you like your sports films all about Rocky slugging someone in the face until the bell rings this ain’t for you, but if you’ve ever played a sport and know all the complicated, tangled dynamics that come with that territory then you’ll feel like PING PONG is saying all the things you ever thought. An amped-up, turbo-charged movie about people who live and die for ping pong, this is the final word on putting sports on film. read a review: http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/archives/nyaff03/pingpong.htm
TIME (Korea, 2006)
One Show only at BAM – April 5th at 7pm
This latest cautionary fable from bad boy director Kim Ki-duk is a bizarre and fascinating exploration on themes of vanity, identity and time. A woman who is insecure in her relationship with her wandering eye boyfriend decides to have surgery to so completely change her appearance that he can’t recognize her. She disappears for six months, but then returns to first stalk him and then seduce him – and it only gets stranger and stranger after that with a climax so frantic and hysterical that you want to give the film a paper bag and tell it to breathe slowly.
JOONG- HOON PARK RETROSPECTIVE
Burns Film Center in Pleasantville
Hosted by Jonathan Demme
Six films will be shown from April 11th through April 17th featuring this famous Korean actor. He will be appearing with fellow legend Sung Kee-Ahn for their film RADIO STAR on April 11th. This is a real treat though I honestly have no idea where Pleasantville actually is. For more information, check the website:
http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/films/0704series_Joong-hoonPark.html
COMING UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
VOICE OF A MURDERER (Korea, 2007) STARTS APRIL 13 at IMAGINASIA
Korea has been making better versions of ZODIAC ever since 2003’s MEMORIES OF MURDER and their latest entry is VOICE OF A MURDERER, a movie about a real-life crime that will hang around in your head for days afterwards like the stench of rotten souls. Based on a real-life kidnapping from the early 90’s, and directed by the man who worked on the definitive documentary about that crime, this movie isn’t about the voyeuristic riff raff who get off on playing Sherlock Holmes, instead it’s about the victim and his family and the emotional punch is like a hammer whacking your brain right on its softest spot. Harrowing, horrifying and truly great this is a movie for real people who can handle real feelings, not folks who need their every emotion validated by a layer critical reviews and auterist chill. It’s also Korea’s most successful movie of 2007. read more: http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/009008.html
THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF SACHIKO HANAI
STARTS APRIL 13 at CINEMA VILLAGE
This is a perversely odd film that gleefully bounces back and forth between nutty political satire and frantic gratuitous sex. And lots of it. Directed by well-regarded pinku director Mitsuru Meike, the main character finds herself in possession of President Bush’s finger that can start a nuclear war – but thankfully she finds a much better use for it. What that is I will leave to your imagination. But any film that treats Bush as the idiot he is, is endorsed by Subway Cinema. For more, go to the Cinema Village website:
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/show_movie.asp?movieid=950
TRIAD ELECTION and ELECTION
STARTS APRIL 25th at FILM FORUM
Hong Kong maestro Johnny To takes us on a lovely trip into the frightening and dangerous intestines of the Triad world – which is in many ways like Congress – except they prefer crushing a rival’s head with a rock than with a boring speech. These two films are spellbinding and electric with performances from some of Hong Kong’s best – Simon Yam, Tony Leung Kar-wai and Louis Koo. Be sure to see Election first and then it’s follow-up Triad Election (or as it was known in Hong Kong, Election 2). You really have to see these films on the big screen. They are big and brash and ballsy. For more info go to the FF website:
http://www.filmforum.org/films/triad.html
THAI TAKES 3
STARTS APRIL 13 at Museum of the Moving Image in QUEENS
The MOMI is putting on a mini-fest of some new Thai films.
THE UNSEEABLE is the latest from the director of TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER
INVISIBLE WAVES is the latest from the director of LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
THE TIN MINE was Thailand’s entry for the Oscars
INNOCENCE is a documentary of school children in a boarding school.
There is also a series of short films.
For more information, see the website:
http://www.movingimage.us/site/screenings/pages/2007/index_thai_takes.html
THAI TAKES 3
STARTS APRIL 21 at TWO BOOTS PIONEER in Manhattan
As an adjunct to the MOMI Thai films, there are Thai films also playing here.
INVISIBLE WAVES on April 21
THE DORM on April 21 has received great word of mouth as a creepy horror film that is as much a coming of age film.
CITIZEN DOG on April 22 is the surrealistic follow up to TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER from director Wisit Sasanatieng.
MONDAY MORNING GLORY
APRIL 20 and 21 at MOMA
A Malaysian film about terrorism.
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2007/Asian_Cinevisions_2007.html
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
The Tribeca Film Festival is back again beginning on April 25 and tickets are for a mere $18! Are they made of gold or what? Getting a zillion dollars in sponsorship and public money isn’t enough for these guys – now they have to soak us as well? This has become such an elitist festival that it really annoys me. Anyway, they have a weak smattering of Asian films if you can afford them. I think there are more French films than Asian on the schedule. Here is what I could find.
Afghanistan:
Zolykha’s Secret
China:
Lost in Beijing
The Matrimony
Still Life (highly recommended)
Iraq:
Half Moon
Japan:
Brave Story (yes, 1 whole film from Japan and an anime at that!)
Pakistan:
Shame
South Korea:
A Dirty Carnival (recommended – solid gangster on the rise type of film)
Turkey:
Tavka – A Man’s Fear of God (highly recommended by a friend)
Times and Words
http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/tixSYS/2007/filmguide/title-detail.php
NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
JUNE 22 to July 8
More info to come over the next few months but it looks like lots of fun so far!
Now Playing
THE HOST (Korea, 2006, 119 minutes) Bong Joon-Ho’s monster mash is one of the best additions to the “Big-scary- creature-jumping-around-trying-to-eat-you” genre since ALIEN and JAWS. And for good measure he also throws in Olympic archery, brain biopsies, schoolgirl uniforms, dragon barf, military ineptitude, Agent Orange (oops, I mean “Yellow”) and then lets the whole goulash simmer down to a lovely little spoonful of quiet, family intimacy. Needless to say, if you haven’t seen it yet you really should. read more:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/host/
PING PONG (Japan, 2002, 114 minutes) STARTS APRIL 6 at IMAGINASIA
This was The New York Asian Film Festival’s Audience Award winner in 2003 and that says a lot in our book. The best sports movie ever made finally gets a way-too-late release from Viz. But don’t let that expiration date scare you: this flick could have been made yesterday. If you like your sports films all about Rocky slugging someone in the face until the bell rings this ain’t for you, but if you’ve ever played a sport and know all the complicated, tangled dynamics that come with that territory then you’ll feel like PING PONG is saying all the things you ever thought. An amped-up, turbo-charged movie about people who live and die for ping pong, this is the final word on putting sports on film. read a review: http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/archives/nyaff03/pingpong.htm
TIME (Korea, 2006)
One Show only at BAM – April 5th at 7pm
This latest cautionary fable from bad boy director Kim Ki-duk is a bizarre and fascinating exploration on themes of vanity, identity and time. A woman who is insecure in her relationship with her wandering eye boyfriend decides to have surgery to so completely change her appearance that he can’t recognize her. She disappears for six months, but then returns to first stalk him and then seduce him – and it only gets stranger and stranger after that with a climax so frantic and hysterical that you want to give the film a paper bag and tell it to breathe slowly.
JOONG- HOON PARK RETROSPECTIVE
Burns Film Center in Pleasantville
Hosted by Jonathan Demme
Six films will be shown from April 11th through April 17th featuring this famous Korean actor. He will be appearing with fellow legend Sung Kee-Ahn for their film RADIO STAR on April 11th. This is a real treat though I honestly have no idea where Pleasantville actually is. For more information, check the website:
http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/films/0704series_Joong-hoonPark.html
COMING UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
VOICE OF A MURDERER (Korea, 2007) STARTS APRIL 13 at IMAGINASIA
Korea has been making better versions of ZODIAC ever since 2003’s MEMORIES OF MURDER and their latest entry is VOICE OF A MURDERER, a movie about a real-life crime that will hang around in your head for days afterwards like the stench of rotten souls. Based on a real-life kidnapping from the early 90’s, and directed by the man who worked on the definitive documentary about that crime, this movie isn’t about the voyeuristic riff raff who get off on playing Sherlock Holmes, instead it’s about the victim and his family and the emotional punch is like a hammer whacking your brain right on its softest spot. Harrowing, horrifying and truly great this is a movie for real people who can handle real feelings, not folks who need their every emotion validated by a layer critical reviews and auterist chill. It’s also Korea’s most successful movie of 2007. read more: http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/009008.html
THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF SACHIKO HANAI
STARTS APRIL 13 at CINEMA VILLAGE
This is a perversely odd film that gleefully bounces back and forth between nutty political satire and frantic gratuitous sex. And lots of it. Directed by well-regarded pinku director Mitsuru Meike, the main character finds herself in possession of President Bush’s finger that can start a nuclear war – but thankfully she finds a much better use for it. What that is I will leave to your imagination. But any film that treats Bush as the idiot he is, is endorsed by Subway Cinema. For more, go to the Cinema Village website:
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/show_movie.asp?movieid=950
TRIAD ELECTION and ELECTION
STARTS APRIL 25th at FILM FORUM
Hong Kong maestro Johnny To takes us on a lovely trip into the frightening and dangerous intestines of the Triad world – which is in many ways like Congress – except they prefer crushing a rival’s head with a rock than with a boring speech. These two films are spellbinding and electric with performances from some of Hong Kong’s best – Simon Yam, Tony Leung Kar-wai and Louis Koo. Be sure to see Election first and then it’s follow-up Triad Election (or as it was known in Hong Kong, Election 2). You really have to see these films on the big screen. They are big and brash and ballsy. For more info go to the FF website:
http://www.filmforum.org/films/triad.html
THAI TAKES 3
STARTS APRIL 13 at Museum of the Moving Image in QUEENS
The MOMI is putting on a mini-fest of some new Thai films.
THE UNSEEABLE is the latest from the director of TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER
INVISIBLE WAVES is the latest from the director of LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
THE TIN MINE was Thailand’s entry for the Oscars
INNOCENCE is a documentary of school children in a boarding school.
There is also a series of short films.
For more information, see the website:
http://www.movingimage.us/site/screenings/pages/2007/index_thai_takes.html
THAI TAKES 3
STARTS APRIL 21 at TWO BOOTS PIONEER in Manhattan
As an adjunct to the MOMI Thai films, there are Thai films also playing here.
INVISIBLE WAVES on April 21
THE DORM on April 21 has received great word of mouth as a creepy horror film that is as much a coming of age film.
CITIZEN DOG on April 22 is the surrealistic follow up to TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER from director Wisit Sasanatieng.
MONDAY MORNING GLORY
APRIL 20 and 21 at MOMA
A Malaysian film about terrorism.
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2007/Asian_Cinevisions_2007.html
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
The Tribeca Film Festival is back again beginning on April 25 and tickets are for a mere $18! Are they made of gold or what? Getting a zillion dollars in sponsorship and public money isn’t enough for these guys – now they have to soak us as well? This has become such an elitist festival that it really annoys me. Anyway, they have a weak smattering of Asian films if you can afford them. I think there are more French films than Asian on the schedule. Here is what I could find.
Afghanistan:
Zolykha’s Secret
China:
Lost in Beijing
The Matrimony
Still Life (highly recommended)
Iraq:
Half Moon
Japan:
Brave Story (yes, 1 whole film from Japan and an anime at that!)
Pakistan:
Shame
South Korea:
A Dirty Carnival (recommended – solid gangster on the rise type of film)
Turkey:
Tavka – A Man’s Fear of God (highly recommended by a friend)
Times and Words
http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/tixSYS/2007/filmguide/title-detail.php
NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
JUNE 22 to July 8
More info to come over the next few months but it looks like lots of fun so far!
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