Taking of Tiger Mountain (2015) New York Asian Film Festival 2015

Tsui Hark glorious mess of a film is full of enough crazy action that you won't mind that it takes about 45 minutes before it makes sense.

The film begins on New Year's Eve in New York Chinatown as a young man pops in to see his friends before the ball drops. Seeing a Peking Opera version of the Tiger Mountain story he travels back to China to see  family. We then flash back to 1946 and the story of a group of PLA soldiers who battle well armed bandits for control of a village and surrounding territory.

Based a true incident which spawned a well loved novel which spawned a Peking Opera play which gave the film it's name TAKING OF TIGER MOUNTAIN is a batshit crazy action film that simply overwhelms the senses. Tsui Hark has fashioned a crazy 3D confection that has all sorts of things exploding into your lap. As pure popcorn powered motion picture goes this film is top of the heap. The extended battle sequences are jaw dropping (one reminded me of the end of Miike's 13 ASSASSINS) and the rest of the action sequences aren't bad either (though the mid-end credit what if sequence is also mind blowing). As a ballet of wild motion this film can't be beat.

The problem with the film is it takes a good 45 minutes to get into it. The plot is so comvuluted that unless you have read the novel you won't know what the hell is going on or worse who is who. As it is some of the mid-film action gets bogged down by the uncertainty of which side are we seeing now. If director Hark didn't have a decades long reputation from throwing the plot out (the ZU MOUNTAIN  films or 7 SWORDS anyone?) I would have packed up shop and gone home. Eventually it does all click and then goes like gangbusters, but for a while its really confused.

A minor problem, which depends on how you see the film is that the film was shot for 3D. Watching the Bluray at home one of my brothers wandered in and wondered why the special effects looked so weird to which I responded "this was shot for 3D".  "That explains it" he said before he wandered off.  The effects are heavy CGI and are full of things created to blow up or crash in the audience.  I'm thinking it looks great in 3D but in 2D it looks really weak.

Still this is a kick ass film and one that is highly recommended for the action film lover.

The New York Asian Film Festival Interview of SABU

This is the tag team interview I did with Nobu Hosoki of Yahoo Japan of the great director Sabu on July 8th 2015 at Lincoln Center.

Sabu was in town to introduce and talk about his film CHASUKE'S JOURNEY, which concerns an angel who comes to earth to save a girl destined to die. Its one of Sabu's best films and in danger of becoming one of my all time favorite films.

A couple of quick notes about this interview:

Sabu doesn't speak English, or he doesn't speak it well (When I met him in 2011 at the Japan Society he indicated that he didn't speak English) so all of the questions were translated in and out of English. Nobu being the supreme gentleman that he is gave his questions in English so that I could understand what he was being said. Only occasionally would he slip into Japanese to clarify something that was said. 

All of my questions and Nobu's questions are more or less exactly what we said (or what the transcriber says we said). 

All of the statements credited to Sabu are the words of the translator.

The entire interview ran approximately 25 minutes and was done minutes before the screening of Sabu's film in a theater across the street from where this took place. When the interview took place neither Nobu nor myself had seen the CHASUKE'S JOURNEY.

Sabu introduces CHASUKE'S JOURNEY

NOBU: Just warming up. Do you want to start?

STEVE: You go.

NOBU: This is actually based on a novel that you wrote. I was curious about the difference between your novel and the film, the content of it. That's the...

SABU: What changed is the setting. In the novel, it's not set in Okinawa. It's just set in a metropolitan city. There are also more characters in the novel compared to the film.

STEVE: I'm curious, all the larger films are very spiritual. Your early films, like DRIVE, BLESSING BELL, MONDAY there's a very strong karmic relationship. How close is that to your personal belief? Is it of your reflection of what you believe?

SABU Yes I think so, for sure.

NOBU: The novel's illustration was done by Katsuhiro Otomo who created "Akira". I was curious to how the relationship got started and how did he get him to actually do the illustration on his novel?

SABU: My relationship with the director Otomo, the director of Akira, is that his first live-action film, WORLD APARTMENT HORROR I had the starring role in that film. That's why we have this relationship. We just meet maybe once or twice a year.

The publisher, when I was writing this novel, asked me to contact him so that I could ask him to draw the cover image. I actually had to make the call, but fortunately, he said he was very agreeable.

STEVE: I'm very jealous [laughs] .

SABU: [laughs]

STEVE: You've made some films that are not based on novels. You're working from novels. Which do you prefer, working from the novel, like "Kanikōsen" -- you smile, am I saying that right? -- Kanikōsen, where you're working from a classic novel, whereas some of your other films are not based on novels. They're just something you came up with or a screenwriter came up with. Which is better for you?

SABU: I would say that adopting from my original story is much more fun. It's much more enjoyable for me.

NOBU: The main actor is Kenichi Matsuyama. He also worked in a movie called RABBIT DROP or...I don't know the English title. "Usagi Doroppu". How's it different this time around? Obviously, it's been a long time, but how did Kenichi Matsuyama becomes an actor that he is now, that is so different from the previous film that he's working with?

SABU: Before, with Usagi Doroppu, BUNNY DROP in American title, was a manga adaptation. His character was this straightforward depiction. He just did how he was depicted in the manga.

This time, it was based on my original work, and he had a lot of action scenes. He played a yakuza. He's always told me that he wanted to play a role that was based on my original work, so I think he was much more enthusiastic this time than before.

STEVE: I know a lot of the actors in your films show up again and again. Do you like to work with the same actors over and over again, or would you prefer to work with new actors?

SABU: I would like to work with new actors and especially crew. I try to work with new people as much as possible, but when it comes to actors, I feel a little limited in my choices. I just end up working with the same people.

NOBU: This film actually was handled by the Office Kitano, who handle most of Takeshi Kitano's films. I was curious, because his film is oftentimes recognized in foreign film festivals, was it a conscious choice that you team up with Office Kitano for this one because you're targeting film festivals around the world?

SABU: This film began because of my correspondence with Mr. Ichiyama, who works for Tokyo FILMeX. He's also very closely associated with Office Kitano. He made the introduction, so I was very fortunate.

STEVE: One of the things that runs through most of your films is, there's always some of these gangsters. I don't know how to phrase this. Why do you seem to be so fascinated with gangsters and bad guys? There's always somebody chasing somebody. There's always the bad guys are gangsters who always seem to be somehow involved in everything.

SABU: In regards to yakuza, I think they're very easy to use in action scenes. Of course, they're also recognized worldwide as this very symbolic, evil character. I like to use them often. In regards to the running scenes, in these days in interviews, people ask me all the time and comment on the other running scenes. I feel as if it's expected of me by now. It's sort of a fan service now.

Sabu during the post film Q&A

NOBU: This was shot in Okinawa. I heard that he cast some of the local folks for the extras. They have a traditional...I think it's called a festival called Eisa Noh Matsuri. I was curious, talk about the challenge of shooting in Okinawa. Also, explain the Eisa Matsuri that take place over there.

SABU It's been four years since I've been living in Okinawa. For the first time, I've been witnessing all these festivals that are rooted in the community. I'm so intrigued and fascinated by them, so I always wanted to use them in my films. Here was my chance. It fit with the story, fortunately.

In regards to the difficulties of shooting in Okinawa, I heard a rumor that it was very difficult to use them as extras, because people there are very relax and they're very chill. I heard that it's very difficult for them to commit to a time. I didn't really know how many people would be there until the day of the shooting.

I also heard a rumor that they would take a lot of bathroom breaks and just leave and not come back. Fortunately for me, it worked out quite well. They were very dedicated, and the fact that the actors were there really invigorated them. There was a good sense of kinship and community.

STEVE: I'm curious, you've done work for television. You did TROUBLE MAN which is 12 parts, I believe, for television. It's 6 parts or 12 parts. Do you prefer working in television where it's something like a long form, where you can fill several hours, or would you prefer to do a shorter?

SABU Working in television had its benefits. I quite enjoyed it because there's a story that's fitted to TV. To be honest, I prefer film, working in film.

NOBU: I want to ask you a question about Director of Photography Daisuke Sôma. He'd done HELTER SKELTER and the TOKYO TRIBE which is also at the festival.  I was curious to how's the collaboration working with, to set out to do the creation that in his mind?

SABU I worked with the Director of Photography Sôma for Kanikōsen, previously. I remember that he was very quick on his feet. He has very quick footwork. He's very agile in that way, and he was very easy to communicate with, too. It was great to work with him again.

NOBU: I think he also adds to the second unit.

SABU: Sorry, sorry. Second unit, yes.

NOBU: He used to work in the second unit.

SABU: As you mentioned, he worked in the second unit for Kanikōsen . Since then, he really debuted as DP and has been very much in demand. It's wonderful.

STEVE: I have to apologize. I haven't seen the new film, so that's why I'm focusing on his older films.

I'm curious, there's a lot of us in the US who know you and know your work. A lot of people don't, which is a shame. This is a weird question. How would you sell yourself or how do you think we should present your films so that more people can discover you?

Even a lot of Asian-film fans are just discovering you this year at NYAFF or did so when the Japan Society had your retrospective. It was like, "Why haven't I heard of him? This is the first time I've heard of him." What do you think we can do to try to get you more attention here?

SABU: I guess I can just say that...I do get offers to shoot films in the US, so I know I should be more proactive about that. I know that I just need to work harder to be more famous.

NOBU: This one's selected at the competition for the Berlin Film Festival. He's been around a lot of film festivals, but it's not the competition on a significant top-three festival. How's the competition like, in your perspective, this time around? How's the reception at the Berlin?

SABU: As always, my films do get a very warm reception from the audience, because I always hope that...I always intend my films to be enjoyable for the audience. This was my eighth time in Berlin, but what I can say is my experience with the competition, it was completely different from the previous times.

Competition is an entirely different experience. Every time the audience was roused or were having fun, I knew my award was getting further and further away from me. This film is a little manga-like in a way. I know that in Berlin, especially for the competition, they prefer more films that deal with social issues and so on.

I was just surprised that it even got in, in that sense. At the same time, I really respect and appreciate that Berlin is reaching out to find these new films, like mine.


If you want to read the Unseen Films back catalog of reviews for the films of Sabu follow this link.

The final films at NYAFF 2015 TOKYO TRIBE and COINLOCKER GIRL

I'm beat. Its been crazy  on top of the end of this years New York Asian Film Festival (I ended up seeing the Danny Elfman's Music for the Films of Tim Burton at the Lincoln Center Festival twice-it was beyond awesome and I need to write it up) however I want to say a couple of quick things on the last two films that ran at the festival.

TOKYO TRIBE

Everybody loves this film, except a hand full of us. I'm not a fan.

The film is a Hip Hop riff on The Warriors filtered through the twisted sense of Sion Sono.

I'm not going to go into a big discussion of the film- Mondo did a great job here- I will however state my objections:

As much as I like the action and the music, I think the characters are very weak and the lyrics are not very good. That last part maybe a problem with translation, but either way it just didn't work for me- and it put me to sleep

COIN LOCKER GIRL

The final film of the  festival was Jun Hee-Han's COIN LOCKER GIRL. Its a film that came out of  Cannes with a bit of buzz.  Its a film that was described by the director in his intro as fun. If this is his idea of fun I don't want to go to a party at his house.

The film concerns a young girl who was found abandoned in a coin locker. She eventually grows up to be part of a criminal organization run by a woman named Mom. Mom is no mother (a muther perhaps) and will kill anyone who isn't useful- selling their body parts for cash and then disposing of the body either in cement containers or as puree that's flushed down the sink. When a potential romance appears when nice young man enters the picture Mom demands her daughter kill him and thereby sets in motion a blood bath of revenge.

A bleak black violent take on family relationships, the film is punch in the face. It is not a fun film its 110 minutes in hell. Watching it you feel just as bad as the people on screen. For most of it's running time its a very good film. Its got great characters (Mom is one of the most vile female characters ever) and action sequences that have real weight.  The problem with the film goes off the rails in the final third. Somewhere things get a little too crazy and some where about the time we get an extended flashback involving the taking of a picture the absolute grasp the film had on us is gone. What was a four or five star film  becomes a solid three stars as things become a bit too mystical and philosophical.

Reservations aside this is one to keep an eye out for-it's also one of the best closing night films at NYAFF.

The final Q&A of the NYAFF 2015

Nightcap 7/12/15 Not the NYAFF wrap up plus Randi's links

Whats the fastest way to the exit because NYAFF is outta here!

This was supposed to be a wrap up of this year’s New York Asian Film Festival but I’ve gotten lost in writing a very long piece on the changes in the festival over the last few years. I’ll be presenting that piece in another week or so- once I get out from under Japan Cuts and the rapidly approaching Fantasia.

Until then I want to give my quick word on a few films that some of the other Unseen people either reviewed or are in the process of preparing pieces on:

VIOLATOR
Ghost story from the Philippines bored me. I was lost ten minutes in and I just let it play on as it fumbled to find mood and a point. I thought it was a waste of my time. I have no idea what else to say other than it will probably play better in a theater than as a screener at home where I was too easily distracted.

TWENTY
Korean romcom about three friends in love with the same girl. Slick mannered and the sort of film you either click with or don't. I admired it more than I liked it (it uses music to awesome effect). And while I did laugh it was gone from my memory ten minutes after it ended

PARTNERS IN CRIME
Visually stunning, emotionally intense film that follows the aftermath of three school friends finding the body of one of their class mates. Certain that someone was behind the death the boys begin to investigate and try to find a suspect. Of course it all goes horribly wrong. One of the more interesting films of NYAFF 2015.

SOCIALPHOBIA
Friends track down a cyber bully only to find her dead. They then track down her her killer. gritty realistic social media filled mystery that didn't quite work for me.

LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM
Charming off kilter romantic comedy/musical about a gangster with amnesia with a knack for rock and roll. Its wild and crazy and lots of fun.

There are also a few more reviews from me coming (maybe-possibly) including COIN LOCKER GIRL,  WAIKIKI BROTHERS, PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG, VENGEANCE OF THE ASSASSINS and NIHNON KYOKAKU-DEN (and I may chime in on TOKYO TRIBE) so keep reading this week.

My personal BEST and WORST of NYAFF 2015

BEST
Ringo Lam being wonderful
CHASUKE'S JOURNEY
BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES
CAFE WAITING LOVE
COPS VS THUGS
FULL ALERT
FULL STRIKE
MY LOVE, DON'T CROSS THAT RIVER
RUINED HEART
WHISTLEBLOWER
ROBBERY

NICE SURPRISE
EMPIRE OF LUST being a kick ass action film
SECOND CHANCE

WORST
Aaron Kwok just rambling
TAKSU
VIOLATOR
The fact that everything that didn't make these lists was largely completely forgettable


And as always we end with Randi's links:

Get your tooth fixed and your memory wiped
Camel Spiders
A new Wonderland
How Orson Welles Shattered Hollywood's image
BFI Talks and Trailers
The cost of doing a Broadway Show
A really cool Google Doodle
Your new pastor
Crazy Roads
Projecting movies on a cloud



This week more Japan Cuts titles plus new releases.

The final Friday at NYAFF 2015 including Banglasia, Namewee, and Nowhere Girl

I'm exhausted and the two films tonight left me with little to say so I'm going to get it out of the way and move on.

I do want to say that the highlight of tonight was wandering the Highline with Alec on the way to a restaurant

The first film of the night was Namewee's BANGLASIA,which has been banned in Malaysia for reasons that are both unclear and  bizarre.

The film's  plot involves 48 hours or so on the life af a man from Bangladesh who is in Malaysia and wants to get home so he can  marry his fiance who is being forced to marry someone else. In the process of getting his passport  from his employer he ends up wit amnesia  and trying to fight off an invading army...and something.

Namewee waits to go on stage and introduce the film

Sporadically funny at best since the film has not traveled well. If you don't know Malay or the country many jokes just lie there. Numerous times the Malay ex-pats around me were screaming with laughter at a joke or reference while I just sat there stone faced. There is something there but I think you have to be Malay to get it.

Namwee tries to explain why his film can't be shown

After the film Namewee did a Q&A where he tried to explain how he tried to get his film released but each effort only brought more trouble. A name change (the film is title BANGLAMAN) brought no change. Fighting the first bunch of requested cuts brought dozen more. He's not sure why he's being targeted beyond the hair of one character is arranged to parody the wife on the Malaysian PM except the people in power fear his ability do get people to think for themselves. All of his films have been censored, but never like this. He's so hated, he was thrown in jail for fighting the power company,  that he's moving to Taiwan. I support his fight for free speech I just wish this film was remotely in the same ball park as his earlier  ones.

The final film if the night was the not quite World Premiere of Mamoru Oshii's NOWHERE GIRL (It screened two days ago somewhere else).

I'm a huge fan of Oshii- especially his anime. His live action films for me can be devided in to two categories- those that are unique and good and those that are pretentious clones of one story- one woman who is good at fighting who wanders around for an just over an hour of screen time during which time nothing much happens or is explained. There is inferences that it all is deep, but it reallyisn't then finally in the last 15  or 20 minutes there is a really good action sequence that makes you think the preceeding hour may have been better than it really was. It always ends with the girl revealed to be a fighter going off to fight another  battle.

NOWHERE GIRL is exactly like that.

Its also like AVALON, ASSAULT GIRLS, KILL, and two or three other films.

Here a troubled girl is in a school and goes around suffering from PTSD. She is given free reign to do what she wants. Her art teach wonders why she is getting special treatment. Some of the girls tell him to leave it along. Just over an hour in  I walked out- I knew what was going to happen.

After the film Alec texted me to say that the film got better not long after I left. I texted back to say that the film ended with a really cool battle scene. He asked how did I know, and I replied many of his live action films are like that- you can scan through the first hour and then have a by the numbers last 15 minutes.

Based on what he said I made the right choice- and I go home an hour earlier than I thought.

Okay it's almost 3AM time to get ready for the final day of NYAFF.

Cops vs Thugs (1975) New York Asian Film Festival 2015

Kinji Fukasaku's follow up to the BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY series is a no holds barred, balls to to wall, blood soaked send up of the cops and robbers genre. Its has to be a send up because there is no way they could not have known it was as crazy as it is.

Bunta Sugawara plays a cop who is well known in the underworld as being an approachable guy. He knows everyone who is a crook or corrupt and he likes it that way. When a gang war starts, brought on by a politician who was once a gangster and now sees a way to make a killing in a land deal, Bunta finds himself between a rock and a hard place- a feeling made worse by the arrival of a gangbusting honest cop brought in by the crooked politician to turn the tide way from Bunta's friends.

This incredibly violent, no one is truly good film will leave you with your mouth hanging open. What sick mind came up with this film? The only things I can compare it to are Fukasau's other films or the work of Quentin Tarantino who seems to have stolen it's mix of comedy, drama and smart ass remarks.This film just starts violent and then ups the ante at every turn as people are beaten shot stabbed and god knows what else. You'll laugh at the excess, at the same time wincing at the nastiness of it all. While it is very funny the film is ultimately real bleak since the film seems to have a laughing on the way to hell attitude.

As much as I love the film (I gave it 9 out of 10 at IMDB) I hate that the plot of the film fades in the middle of the film  before disappearing in the final third. Frankly this film makes so little sense as to induce headaches when you try to sort out all the plot holes, lost threads, random events and WTF actions. There was a point where I just threw up my hands and just went with it. While I admire its anything can and will attitude I hate that things just happen and it kind of keeps it off my all time great list.

Regardless the opening of the film where we meet Bunta is probably the greatest sequence of bad assery I've ever seen. Game set and Match to Bunta in the battle of movie bad asses-he tops even Eastwood in Dirty Harry as he takes on four mobsters who didn't pay for their sushi. Its beyond classic and is simply one of the greatest introductions ever put on film EVER.

While you missed the film at NYAFF it is on DVD  and streaming so there is no excuse not to have you mind blown by this killer crime film.

Before the the reviews and the text- a look at Wednesday at NYAFF including WOLVES PIGS AND MEN, my interview with Sabu and the glorious CHASUKE'S JOURNEY

This is a quick report on the final night at the Walter Reade for the New York Asian Film Festival for this year. I’m going to be doing long pieces related to both films I saw plus when I get a chance to transcribe it my interview with Sabu

To say that the day was a bit bizarre for me was an understatement. I arrived at the Walter Reade for an early show and talked to Earl who was volunteering for the 730pm CHASUKE’S JOURNEY but was put to work for the 530pm WOLVES PIGS AND MEN. I know he had been bouncing around at the festival but I kept missing him. Several people greeted him warmly since they all loved his smile and his laugh. He has a way with the women- no really the women love him.

I spoke briefly with Rufus about the move to SVA . He said everyone was nervous since it’s the first time they are flying solo ina while. They were hoping it would all go well (the split is due to theater availability- the Walter Reade wasn’t available for as long as they want to do the festival). I asked about the split from the Japan Society and they said it was a mutual thing. Both festival were heading in differing directions. He said next year they are hoping not to have any overlap.

There was much discussion before the first film with a couple of people which was really cool since I got a handle on what other people were thinking of the films.

The first film of the day was WOLVES PIGS AND MEN from Kinji Fukasaku and starring Ken Takakura. It’s a film that is very much of the 1960’s, a kind of bleak familial gangster film with musical numbers (as in musicals) and a cool jazz score. It’s a great looking wide screen film done in a style that no one does any more with a mix of weird camera angles, hand held and traditional camera shots. It’s a very interesting film to see, I’m not sure if I like it- even allowing that I split watching the film between the theater and a DVD at home. I have a great deal to say and a review is coming.

I left WOLVES in the middle to dash across the street to interview the director Sabu. I was doing a round table interview or thought I was but it ended up being a tag team with Nobu Hosoki of Yahoo Japan.

The interview was one of the stranger things I’ve ever done. I prepared for a typical round table, two or three good questions with a couple of weaker in case films only to be told there was going to be two of us which meant I had to essentially prepare for a regular interview on short notice. I was hampered since there was no way to see the film until after the interview so I was limited in what I could ask the director. Nobu was able to read some Japanese interviews and was much more specific while I had to talk in generalities. I was also limited in that I couldn’t be specific in questions about his older films since most of you, my readers, sadly don’t know his films.

I’m hoping to post the interview soon but in going over it I found it interesting that most of the questions I asked would have been asked had I seen the film since the tropes I questioned are in wonderful effect in the new film CHASUKES JOURNEY.

I asked why do all his films have chase scenes and he replied that he’s used them so much he feels they are expected (Much of the first third of CHASUKE'S JOURNEY is a chase of sorts).

Why does he always return to the use of Yakuza characters? He said because they are a short hand for evil. (the angel Chasuke’s human life was as a Yakuza and there are several Yakuza characters.)

I asked does the spirituality and philosophical of his films reflect his outlook on life. He said yes that his films are the way he sees life. He further stated in the post film Q&A that CHASUKE’S premise that heavenly scribes are writing everyone’s life is the way he feels since the twists and turns and the breaks he’s had could only be written by a heavenly screenwriter.

(I’m going to post the whole interview once I double check the sound level and see if it can be transcribed. There were four of us at the table talking at different sound levels plus the rumble of the air conditioning was rough.)

We broke out of the interview close to time and I bolted across the street back to the Walter Reade. Thankfully Alec was saving me a seat or else I don’t know where I would have ended up sitting.

I’m not going to write up CHASUKE’S JOURNEY now. The story of an angel who comes to earth to save a girl destined to die is now one of my all-time favorite films. A celebration of life and of the movies it twists and turns in ways that would leave you screaming at the screen in any other film as being cliché and obvious but here they are perfect. I knew what the end would be at the start and I still cried at the end because Sabu got it all dead nuts perfect.

How good is the film? Alec was seriously considering stuffing the audience award box with extra slips.

As I said no long review now- but know one is coming- I have a great deal to say about the film.

After the film there was a Q&A. Its was good, though atypical of most NYAFF Q&A’s some of the audience questions several indicated either the audience members weren’t paying attention or wanted the film’s “meanings” spelled out and handed to them. (I can’t explain the questions without wrecking the film)

The Q&A done I headed home. The last film of the night was VIOLATOR, which I saw (and hated).

For now that’s the end of NYAFF at Lincoln Center. Now its on to SVA for Friday and Saturday.

Abashiri Prison (1965) New York Asian Film Festival 2015

First in a series of 11 or so films made Ken Takakura a superstar when it was released.

The film concerns Takakura who is tossed into what is concerned the Japanese Alcatraz, a prison in the far north of Japan.  Trying to deal with staying on the good side of the prisoners so he can get out on parole, he also has to deal with the guilt for having left his put upon mother who's second husband was a drunk bastard. When word arrives that his mother is dying of breast cancer Takakura gets involved with a prison break.

Good little action film left me with one big question- how the hell did this spawn 10 direct sequels and a few additional related ones? Don't get me wrong I like this film- I just have no idea  why this clicked so much with audiences. Takakura's back story is pure soap opera, the prison stuff is more amusing than gripping and the characters are cliche. Its enjoyable but the source of a series?

The film does score in two key areas-

First the snow bound look of the film is largely unlike any film I've ever run across. Yes RUNAWAY TRAIN echoes the look of this film, but the deep snow that fills this film and hampers the long final escape sequence makes this film stand out.

Secondly the escape is amazing. Containing several set pieces that are truly awesome (the tram chase and the train encounter) this final section has enough moments to keep the whole fixed in your mind. The sequence, removed from the larger plot is truly amazing, the trouble is that its tethered to cliches of the plot and it takes the edge off all of everything.

I'm not sure that either the snow or the escape warrant the creation of sequels but as a stand alone this is a pretty good film.

River Road (2014) New York Asian Film Festival 2015

Two young boys with issues (both feel the other is loved more by their parents) head home during a school holiday...oh did I mention that their parents are nomadic herders who live way out in the country and the pair have to make the trip alone on camel back (and figure out where they might be?)

This is a small scale epic (the visuals are amazing on a big screen) that is all about the environment. Every thing about this film is geared to get the message about the ecological disaster facing China out. From the disappearing water, the disappearing grass, shifting population and the pollution are all pushed front and center. There is always some indication of the damage we are doing to the environment- largely it's the disappearance of water- no one seems to have any. Additionally all of the characters are not so much characters but allegorical constructs (the dying mother being a stand in for the dying China) and much of the dialog is declarative statements and not the way kids speak to each other.

Surprisingly something about the film over comes all of the messages. By the time we get to the end of the film and the boys are forced to confront the world that isn't the one that they remember we are somehow moved. While I would have liked the film to have been less overt in it's message, I have to give everyone connected to this film bonus points for moving the audiences emotions.

Worth a look especially if you can see this on a big screen.

Red Amnesia (2014) New York Asian Film festival

Am I seeing a ghost or something else?

Supernatural tinged film about an old woman being tormented by strange phone calls and a seemingly ghostly figure of a young man. Her kids are hesitant to believe her until the calls start up at their homes. Could it be ghosts or a business associate who wants to get paid?

Possessing a very rare and Oscar worthy performance from Lu Zhong as the old woman, this is film I'm finding a hard nut to crack. The film is an overlong supernatural tinged tale for the first hour and then some we watch as the Lu Zhong goes through her day and deals with what life has thrown at her. Yes there are the calls and hints of the supernatural, but at the same time the film is largely variations of a theme of the woman's existence where very little happens. We are just watching life. It isn't until the second hour when the film begins to come together. What the film is all about (the guilt we carry about the things we did)  is compelling once it's revealed, but it takes a very long time to get there. I'm not sure if it's worth it even if it deals with the guilt felt by accusers during the Cultural revolution.

As I frequently say- despite my reservations worth a shot if you run across it- though definitely try and be patient.

Second Chance (2014) NYAFF 2015

Teenage girl living on her own in her family's pool hall needs a guardian or else she's getting tossed into foster care. She desperately needs to find her uncle, an AWOL pool champ who disappeared years earlier after a match gone bad.

Thoroughly enjoyable crowd pleaser is a great deal of fun despite being so full of sport cliches there is very little tension. You''l know exactly where this is going but you really won't care because the cast is so game they manage to sell it and keep you interested even though you know in your heart this isn't anything special...

...on the other hand this film is so enjoyable and so much fun you really won't care.

Although it may sound strange a must see film for anyone who just wants a really good time at the movies. Its such a good time it's actually one of the best films at NYAFF this year.

The film is playing July 11 at SVA

Sunday July 5 at NYAFF 2015 : The World Premiere of ROBBERY and a screening of TWO THUMBS UP

This was the first day at the New York Asian  Film Festival that felt like the old NYAFFs. The organizers were talkative, the audience was into the films and the films actually felt like they belonged here and not another ritzier festival.

I  arrived with my friend Stan and we ran into Mr C outside the theater and then headed in. Everyone seemed to be talkative which was good.

The first film was the World Premiere of Fire Lee's ROBBERY. Since the film had never screened before no one knew what to expect. Grady introduced it by talking about the current economic crisis in Hong Kong. The rich are getting richer, the poor poorer. Families are staying together because they simply can't afford not to live together. The young people have a nihilistic attitude because things are so bad that even if they have an advanced degree they can't find work at a 7 Eleven. All of the old stores are closing because they can't afford the rent leaving only Starbucks and the chain stores that blight the world. There is no hope only laughter at the absurdity of it all. We were warned it could be indulgent, dull and raw. Grady added it was a film they had to show because it was so crazy and alive.

I don't know what to say. ROBBERY is a work of a filmmaker who has something to say and he's going to entertain the hell out of you as he does it. Its violent, off color, biting and completely out there and its one of the few films that really belongs at NYAFF.

To be completely honest its also probably one of the best films of 2015 and one hell of a calling card.

The plot of the film has a young man wandering into a 24 hour convenience store and getting a job. As things progress an irate customer decides to rob the store and it spirals out from there. More customers come in, one carrying a bomb. People die- lots  horribly. And there is a steady stream of laughs as the over the top nature of it all keeps going farther and farther over the top.

The audience ate it up. One guy a couple of seats to my left was laughing in a way that scared the crap out of me. No one should have a laugh that sounds like that or laugh that long and hard. Another guy behind me just kept mumbling "I love this film I fucking love this film" over and over again.

I have no idea what to say but its freaking amazing. It ultimately makes no sense but who the hell cares? This is a rollercoaster ride to hell and back and you just have to go with it. Its a film that engages you on every level and forces you to react and think about it. When Stan and I left the theater we ended up talking about the film for an hour afterward and only stopped because he got on a subway home.

Fire Lee has made one hell of a film. Its a film that should get him noticed and hopefully making films for the next couple of decades. I want to compare him to any number of young turk directors, chiefly Tarantino, but he's way beyond most of them. ROBBERY is a film that has so much going for it on so many levels that Lee is clearly a filmmaker working on a level way beyond his years. I can't believe he's a first time filmmaker.

Trust me you want to see this- no you need to see this. Its bleak and black and bloody and nasty and funny. Its not for kids or most proper audiences but as a treat for some one who loves film, who loves to be challenged and loves to come out a film going "what the hell did I just see and when can I see it again?" this is a must see.

After ROBBERY the festival ran the first part of SOLOMON'S PERJURY. After the film there was much unhappiness from the audience who bemoaned having to wait five days to see part 2. Worse were the cries of anguish of those who can't see the second part. Sadly the Subway Cinema decision to split the film, which Grady remarked he didn't understand, will be driving several audience members to the torrent sites to find the second part. (I did not see the film but went to lunch with Stan)

The third film of the day and the last one for me was Lau Ho-Leung's TWO THUMBS UP.

Before the film Lau Ho-Leung came out and gave a brief introduction-basically saying thanks for coming and say he's rather talk about the film after the screening.

The film follows four robbers who get back together after one of their number gets out of prison for a long stint. While in prison he came up with the idea to dress up as cops so they could rob people. He even went further saying that they should steal corpses which are coming back from the mainland since people are transporting money in the bodies.  In short order they pull off their job, but before they can get away they encounter another group of robbers - also dressed as cops- who are better armed and shots are fired, prisoners are taken and things happen.

I'm mixed on the film. For me the main character who gets out of prison is a dick for much of the film and its hard to know why the other guys put up with him. Additionally the really doesn't get going until the robbery actually happens. Once it goes down and things spring from that the film comes to life, but its still more than a bit jagged. Yes its funny, yes Simon Yam's character breaks your heart (no he does not die) but the cartoony nature of it all never fully meshes and it just sort of is okay or good instead of great (which it is in moments).

I will say that the film is an interesting riff on what it means to be a hero. With the frequent use of a Batman balloon the film kind of is almost a clandestine Batman film. Do heroes need uniforms? Do they even have to be good guys? there is much to ponder.

After the film Lau Ho-Leung came out and there was a Q&A. Best known as a screenwriter he talked about how finally directing his first film was so chaotic he didn't have time to be frightened. He spoke of how the film came from a discussion when he was a reporter about how all anyone sees of Hong Kong are cops and triads. What of the robbers? We were told how reading a book of world cinema made him want to make films. Additionally he talked about the ideas behind the film and how anyone could be a hero. It was a really good talk that added a great deal to ones appreciation of the film and it's maker.

After the Q&A I headed home. I had seen the days last film THE FINAL REEL already, and was too tired to contemplate any more films.

Personally it was a great day at NYAFF and the first day that really felt like the old days.

(More pictures of the Lau Ho-Leung appearance can be found on our Tumblr page.)

I'm skipping a big report on Fridays NYAFF events.

Yesterday I spent almost 11 hours in the dark watching five films at NYAFF.  I was planning on writing an uber post that covered all the films and the events however other than being with the infamous Joe Bendel for RED AMNESIA and Stan for BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY there isn't much to report.  It was just movies and giveaways....and that if you go to the Walter Reade Theater lobby during the festival's time at Lincoln Center you can buy tickets for the SVA portion of the festival for 25% off.

Actually the one big deal was Marc Walkow returned to the stage to introduce BATTLES .... giving a great deal of information on the film  and announcing that Arrow will be releasing the new box set-which Marc put together- with new interviews, new docs and 100 plus page book of essays. Based on what Marc said about the film on stage this is going to be one hell of a well researched and informative set. I'm seriously considering replacing my current box set with the 13 disc set

I was then planning on doing one piece that was capsules of the four films I hadn't previously reviewed (I reviewed BATTLES... Wednesday) but the pieces ended up too long so I'm going put the four pieces up over the next few days. For now that's it- we have more screenings to get to so keep reading.

FULL STRIKE (2015) New York Asian Film Festival 2015

Fornicate your mammaries - curse repeatedly uttered in FULL STRIKE

Ten years ago a badminton played  by Josie Ho was at the top of her game and the badminton world, her antics on the court and off earned her the nickname The Beast. When it all turned to crap she retreated from the game, gained weight and ended up supported by her brother. When a shuttlecock shaped meteor crashes near her she finds her self at a seeming abandoned badminton academy. Once there she meets three notorious criminals trying to go straight by being professional badminton players...

I think that's about the first ten or fifteen minutes of FULL STRIKE a largely nonsensical but very very funny film. This is a film that mixes every type humor into a concoction that is the sort of thing where you need only wait a few minutes for something that will come along that will have you laughing so hard you're doubled over in pain when you hit your head on the seat in front of you.

I have no idea how to describe this film- I want to tell you details but a great deal of the fun is finding out who everyone is and how they interact. To tell you too much will take away the joy of discovery.

I will say that its like every sort of sport film you could think of thrown into a blender with every style of humor. There is slapstick and word play and very clever send ups and really weird flights of fantasy. There are odd ball lines like the opening line or crab boy or these long rambling non sequitur by one of the characters that you would think are mistranslated except that at one point after a great deal of verbal nonsense has been thrown around one of the characters asks what all the weird lines mean-its not bad translation its just characters who are on their own planet.

I would add that the film does have a real heart. At one point Josie Ho's character hits a low spot and she calls her brother. She expects on some level to be yelled at but his reply about how she can do whatever she wants and he'll be hind her is wonderfully touching. Equally touching is the ending which is decidedly not something anyone is going to guess going in.

If the film has any real flaw is that the film is wildly all over the place. Things happen for no reason or things happen just for a laugh. There is a long side story involving thieves who know the badminton players that kind of goes nowhere-even if it is used to set up some stuff toward the end. While the weird brain farts do produce laughs and create truly memorable characters it kind of leaves you wondering what some of it was about.

On the other hand, and most importantly none of that matters because this film is just so god damned funny and uplifting- Trust me this movie will make you feel good.

The film played its only time at the New York Asian Film Festival (How could you have missed it?) but I'm hopeful it turns up somewhere else soon- largely because I want a copy.

One of the funniest films of 2015 and a big ball of joy.

(A word of warning there is a scene that rivals the Mr Carbolic scene in MEANING OF LIFE- and it's just as funny and tasteless)

The Isle (2000) New York Asian FIlm Festival 2015

Kim Ki-duk’s The Isle was the first of his films I saw. It was a moment in my personal history that kind of marked me forever, kind of like the first time I saw the sun. Somewhere over the course of the film, I think the moment where the girl pops up through the trap door of the fishing house, I fell in love with the director. I haven’t looked back ever since.

The barest description of the plot has a man going on a fishing holiday on a lake and renting a floating house. He ends up getting involved with a woman who runs a bait shop and turns the occasional trick. This being a Kim Ki Duk film you can expect sex and violence.

Ki-duk is an underappreciated director. Slaving away he turns out mini-masterpiece after mini-masterpiece. Small chamber films about the human condition full of our baser instincts that move us, rattle us and get us thinking. His films are no designed to leave us passive, they are designed to provoke a reaction- even if it’s just an exasperated gasp of “What the hell was that?” which is followed by several hours of discussion. His film Moebius, despite my not being a fan resulted in hours and hours of discussion.

If you’ve never seen a Ki-duk film this is the place to start. This is a film that will reveal the mix of humor and horror that you find in all of Ki-duk’s fiction films. Also what you’ll find is the lyric beauty with which he shoots his films. His films are gorgeous and magical. The opening of his film The Bow is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and every time I watch the film I’ll re-watch the opening minutes five or six times before I move on. All of Ki-duk’s films are like that and The Isle is no exception. You know when I talked about the moment where I fell in love with the film, that’s an image burned into my psyche. If you mention the film the image of the woman’s head in the trap door instantly springs to mind.

This is a great film. If you’ve never seen it you must- especially if you can see it on the big screen where the images will really burn their way into your being.

The film plays at The New York Asian Film Festival on July 9 . For More information and tickets go here.

A very brief review of THE ROYAL TAILOR (2014) New York Asian Film Festival 2014

I’ve seen THE ROYAL TAILOR the story of two tailors in the Emperor's court.

It looks gorgeous. It has a few laughs early (it's billed in some places as a comedy but really isn't), has lots of drama, some great performances but if you’ve seen films about court intrigue and romance you’ve seen this before (it even some how riffs on AMADEUS).

I’d love to hang the images on my wall but other than that its an well done time passer.

The film plays July 9th at The New York Asian FIlm festival. For more information and tickets go here.

CAFE.WAITING. LOVE (2014) NYAFF 2015

Absolutely wonderful romantic comedy that starts off as the story of a college girl who is in a novel writing class who ends up working at the titled coffee shop...but there's more to it than that.

Impossible to describe with out wrecking it film, there are stories within stories that become other things, It's one of my favorite films at this years NYAFF. I've been so swamped with film screeners that I've started assigning bonus points to the films I watch depending upon how distracted I become when watching a film. The less I'm distracted the more points the film gets. I just stared at the screen during CAFE.WAITING. LOVE. over the whole film and then when it was finished I searched the internet for a DVD copy.

This is just a great film. I've seen a couple other romcoms from this year's NYAFF and they pale in comparison. Actually most romcoms this year pale in comparison.

The film works for two reasons. First it is filled with fantastic characters. Once the story is set  up and the characters are allowed to be they do some amazing things. Almost nothing is quite as expected...

...which jumps me immediately to the plot, Its gloriously all over the place, or seems to be. Actually what seems to be all over the place is actually carefully constructed as we are told one thing which is revealed to be another and yet turns out to be a third thing. This happens time and time again and with each revelation we get a big smile as truths bring sighs "oh course, that makes sense". The twists and turns are such that I don't dare tell you anything lest I spoil some sort of surprise- everyone and everything has some hidden side that reflects on some one else.

Trust me you want to discover this on your own.

This film is pure magic. Finding gems like this is what NYAFF is all about.

The film runs Thursday the 9th at 930 and if you can handle the late night it's an absolute must see.

mondocurry corner: Violator @ New York Asian Film Festival 2015

VIOLATOR, a thoroughly creepy and craftily executed low budget film coming to us from the Philippines, could belong to a gradually growing group of films that mix elements of crime suspense and the occult. It’s an affecting combination, taken on as far back as The First Power, and going on to include the likes of Seven (at least in its early act) and Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Kyua (Cure). In the context of such reality-based proceedings between cops and robbers, the eeriness of the supernatural feels like it has that much more potential to bleed into the real world, and thus hits a lot closer to home.

The main plot is a simple and not unfamiliar one: A group of cops, under the lead of an out of shape and near retirement chief, cross ethical boundaries under shaky notion of justice, and are brought to face the error of their ways in their encounter with an inscrutable and possibly possessed young man who lands all too conveniently in their custody. All the while, a catastrophic storm rages outside the police station they are holed up in, leaving them nothing to do but confront their aggression toward one another as well as some toxic inner demons, prodded on by the stranger in their midst.  While this commonly tread does not make this a stand out film, the singular way in which the story is told and other atmospheric effects absolutely does.

New director, Dodo Dayao, who presents Violator as only his first feature, has a knack for drawing on his surroundings to set a grim mood. In one of the film’s initial scenes, a Manila skyline of gray, crumbling buildings is awe-inspiring even as it evokes a strong sense of melancholy. The rainstorm holding the cops in place is rendered in such a way it feels all encompassing.   

The film may come off as a bit more of an exercise in creating terror than a fully flushed out vision, as a lot of pieces are presented without ostensibly fitting them together. That is not to say ideas are not clear in Dayao‘s mind, but their presentation is esoteric to say the least.

Still, letting the ideas simmer can lead to the extraction of some heady takeaways. For instance, the cops being sequestered in headquarters atop a hill from which they are safe from damage, but unable to escape to a better place seems representative of their being trapped within a construct of their own mortal devising.

The confrontation between the antagonizing figure and the chief is also a curious one, in which the established authority figure is faced not with the morality of his ways, as would be expected, but also the shortsightedness of them, as if his lack of achievement is as damning a thing as any wrongdoing.

Along the way, there is a clear preoccupation with cults, and a culture embedded with a pervasive belief in the spirit world. Even as the captain casts skepticism on the notion of something supernatural afflicting their prisoner, they are clearly open to the possibility.

Even if the message is not always clear, Dayao‘s adeptness at creating foreboding chills is. From the maniacal characteristics of the film’s main agitator to freaky found footage scenes of cult activity with an arresting shift in sound quality, he holds an obvious dedication to pushing the conventional boundaries of his craft. And then there joyful moments of sheer cinematic transgression to behold: As one part of the viewer’s brain works on teasing out possible themes, another is simply torn wide open by scenes like one in which disciples of an unrevealed master, scurry across a mountainous landscape, their bodies engulfed in flames. From the oddly placed credits to the strange narrative jumps, there is so much here suggestive of a filmmaker who wants to challenge his audience, or at least put a fresh coat of paint on a too often mundane genre.

This is exactly the sort of obscure international filmmaking that the New York Asian Film Festival has persisted in exhuming for the adventurous New York City filmgoers’ yearly ritual worship, even as it has risen from the humble grounds of the West Village’s IFC Theater to its now esteemed home of Lincoln Center, and in this its 14^th year its added base of the SVA Theater in Chelsea.

VIOLATOR will be screened at theWalter Reade Theater on Wednesday, July 8. Visit the Subway Cinema website for details and tickets.