Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema Announces Inaugural Film Lineup

New York, NY, July 6, 2017 – Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, is proud to announce its first-ever film lineup at the inaugural 10-day event taking place August 4-13 at Kew Gardens Cinemas and Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens, and at the Queens Museum in nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park. From a pool of nearly 400 film submissions, the festival will present over 150 remarkable films from 24 countries, which will compete for awards in the categories of Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation & Experimental Film. The festival will throw a Kick-Off Party on Friday, Aug. 4 at Austin’s Ale House’s Trackside Cafe by the Long Island Railroad Station in Kew Gardens, beginning at 8:00 p.m., with a plaque dedication ceremony in honor of the late Rodney Dangerfield (who grew up in Kew Gardens), presented by Friends of Maple Grove, and free beer tastings from some of the top breweries in Queens from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The party is free and open to the public, but requires an RSVP and is on first come, first-served basis, by Thursday, Aug. 3.

“After more than a year of planning, Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema is finally here!” said Founder and Executive Director Jayson Simba. “We could not have made this extraordinary event possible without the generosity and support of the residents of Kew Gardens. I would like to give a particular shout out to Maple Grove Cemetery and the Friends of Maple Grove, whose generosity and support has lead to many introductions to officials in the Queens community, not to mention that without them we wouldn’t have a headquarters from which to operate. I’d also like to thank members of the Kew Gardens Civic Association for allowing us to discuss the inner workings of a film festival, something that will be a first in the community. We hope our festival will help this historic hamlet of Queens continue to thrive and prosper both economically and culturally, and plan to keep this tradition going every year hereafter.”

Winners for every category, chosen by the festival’s specially selected jury, will receive a personally engraved unique statuette at the Grand Awards Gala on the final night of the Festival, Sunday, Aug. 13, a ticketed event that will take place on the rooftop penthouse of the world-famous Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The jurors are: Rodney Ferrer, director of the critically acclaimed web series “City of Mercy”; actress Marlene Forte (“Fear the Walking Dead,” “Dallas”); Sam Adelman, assistant editor on “Donnie Brasco,” “Practical Magic” and “Desperately Seeking Susan”; Tassos Rigopoulos, award-winning Forest Hills filmmaker and assistant professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College; Nicole Tisen, associate producer of the PBS multiple Emmy Award-winning documentary series “POV”; and Allan Knee, writer of “Little Women” on Broadway and the film and stage versions of “Finding Neverland.”

The Opening Feature Film on Saturday, Aug. 5 is the World Premiere of Zachary Raines’ comedy ACCIDENTS, which will be paired with the narrative short A MAN FULL OF TROUBLE directed by Michael Johnston. The Narrative Feature program includes other World Premieres such as Pierre St-Jacques’s 36 STEPS ON A CURVED ROAD, Manuel Mira’s GÉNERO (GENDER) and Heather Fink’s INSIDE YOU; the North American Premiere of Rankin Hickman’s DARK MERIDIAN; the East Coast Premieres of West Liang’s ALL I WANT, David Ray’s GRAND UNIFIED THEORY, Alexander Gutterman and Aboubacar Camara’s IN WINTER and Julia Butler and Daniel Mentz SLIPAWAY; and other New York and Queens premieres. The Closing Feature Film on Saturday, Aug. 12 is the New York Premiere of Francesco Calogero’s SECOND SPRING, paired with the narrative short THIS WAY TO WONDERLAND directed by Zenas Cao.

Among the Documentary Features is the North American Premiere of Susanne Helmer’s MELANIE, the U.S. Premiere of  Eve Lamont’s NEIGHBORHOOD UTOPIA, the New York Premiere of Todd Nilssen’s THE LAST STOP, the Queens Premieres of Sean Kernan’s CROW STORIES and Jessie Auritt’s SUPERGIRL, and other New York and Queens premieres.

Audiences will recognize several stars from the big screen including Timothy Spall (2014 Cannes Film Festival best Actor winner for “Mr. Turner”) in the East Coast Premiere of STANLEY A MAN OF VARIETY, Dee Wallace (“E.T.,” “The Howling,” “Cujo”) in the New York Premiere of RED CHRISTMAS and Campbell Scott (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Singles”) in the World Premiere of David McElfresh’s A LOTUS TIL RECKONING.

The festival also presents a number of Queens-made films including the World Premiere of Forest Hills filmmaker Louie Cortes’ GOOD DAY, Kew Gardens Hills resident Jermaine Manigault’s narrative short LANGUAGE IS DEAD, the feature NOWHERE, MICHIGAN by Robert Vornkahl of Woodhaven, the short CHOICES by Rick Hamilton of Long Island City, and several others.

The Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park will play host to specially selected programming, free to the public (with RSVP), featuring selected films and discussions. On Sunday, Aug. 6 at 2:00 p.m., there will be a Special Presentation of James Solomon’s THE WITNESS, the acclaimed documentary that unravels a myth about the purported 38 witnesses who watched Kitty Genovese being murdered in Kew Gardens. The film will be followed by a discussion with Solomon and guests. On Thursday, Aug. 10 at 4:00 p.m. there will be a Special Presentation of Joe Minion’s TRAFFICKING, an indie film made in the 1990s, but never shown publicly till now. Perhaps best known for writing the Martin Scorsese film "After Hours,” Minion will be on hand after the screening for an in-depth discussion. Then at sundown that evening, there will be a Special Outdoor Screening on the lawn behind the Queens Museum and in front of the Unisphere, of Adam Irving’s OFF THE RAILS, the story of Queens’ own Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger’s syndrome imprisoned for his love of the New York City transit system.

Beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug.12 at Maple Grove Cemetery's The Center, the festival will present three one-hour Panel Discussions covering important and relevant topics in today’s independent film industry. These panels will be free and open to the public, and seating will be on a first come, first served basis. The panel topics are:

• Wonder Women - the challenges and importance of women in independent film.
• Film Distribution in this modern day and age featuring sponsor Synimatica, and other distribution professionals.
• Production Resources - making the best of your low budget.

TICKET INFORMATION: Film screening and event tickets and festival passes are now available online at http://www.kewgardensfestivalofcinema.com/shop/. For the screenings at Kew Gardens Cinemas, tickets may also be purchased at the box office starting Aug. 4.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

5 Burro Cafe, Ateaz Organic Coffee & Tea, Austin’s Ale House, BlogTalkRadio, Bright Baum, Comfort Inn & Suites Kew Gardens, Fractured Atlas, Genera, IndiePix Films, InkTip, Maple Grove Cemetery, Marriott New York Laguardia Airport, Print House NYC, Queens Museum, Shake Shack, Simple DCP, Soundview Media Partners, Synimatica, Videomaker, The Village Voice, WriterDuet, Yelp.

PROGRAM DETAILS BELOW:

For complete program and schedule information, visit:

http://www.kewgardensfestivalofcinema.com/movie-schedule/  

OPENING FEATURE FILM:

KFC (2017) NYAFF 2017

After about six admonishments that this film never happened nor will ever happen the narrative begins. What follows is 65 minutes of ugliness, cruelty and "WTF was that" behavior as people are killed, tortured and eaten by various members of the cast.

While most certainly a punch in the face and a poke in the eye, KFC is one of the least films I've run across at this year's New York Asian Film Festival. An unending stream of loosely connected cruelty I was ready to throw up my hand early on but hung there because the film is so short.

Truly little more than a catalog of bizarre behavior this film never adds up to very much. Sure it provokes a reaction but since its made clear at the start this is not now nor will ever be a mirror of reality what is the point? The publicity material lists it as having something to do with the cycle of violence, I'd rather think it has more to do with the pretentiousness of the director.

I'm sorry there is this point I have to call everyone out on a film and say- guys I've seen more films than you and you're full of shite. I've seen way too many pretentious pieces of trash by first time directors that have been sold to the cinema establishment as works of art to recognize a bad bill of goods when I see one. I've seen even more pretentious pieces of melding of art and horror to know when someone is doesn't know when they've fallen on their face.

This movie is just pain and misery and eye pokes for no good reason.

Rationale aside the bits in KFC are often quite chilling and well done. Taken on their own terms they are masterpieces of horror. The trouble here is that there is nothing meaningful to link them together and since the film insanely thinks it's making a high and mighty point (a fact stressed both in the film and in the publicity material) instead of just delighting gore hounds the film becomes a spectacular failure. (this would have been great if there was no pretense)

For gore hounds and depraved individuals who should be locked up only

JB's take on the film can be found here

FANTASIA’S 21st EDITION TO CLOSE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF A TAXI DRIVER

The North American Premieres of Cannes sensation GOOD TIME and Agnieszka Holland’s Berlinale award-winner SPOOR; new works from Takashi Miike and Sion Sono; a Special Screening of SXSW hit ATOMIC BLONDE; Canadian bows for PATTI CAKE$ and BUSHWICK; the World Premiere of Robert Morin’s breathtaking INFILTRATION; and Lifetime Achievement Awards for Turkish acting legend Cüneyt Arkın and Luchador cinema superstar Mil Máscaras are among the Montreal genre festival’s many new announcements for its gargantuan 21st edition

Montreal, July 5, 2017 – The Fantasia Film Festival has announced the remainder of its mammoth 2017 film lineup, in addition to its juries and special events. Read on for the newly-announced attractions, and visit fantasiafestival.com to browse the festival’s complete programming, consisting of over 150 features and more than 300 shorts.

THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF A TAXI DRIVER WILL CLOSE FANTASIA 2017 WITH AN EYE-OPENING BURST OF PURE EMOTION

On May 18th, 1980, one of the darkest chapters in South Korea's recent history began. Protesting against Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship, hundreds of citizens of Gwangju, particularly students, were beaten, arrested or killed by the army who was hiding behind a well-orchestrated propaganda campaign blinding the entire nation. So when struggling single-father Man-seob decides to take a German journalist from Seoul to Gwangju in his taxi to clear off his debts, he has no idea how dangerous their journey will be. Director Jang Hoon has established himself as one of the most talented and versatile Korean filmmakers with award winning films like ROUGH CUT and THE FRONT LINE. Reteaming with Hoon after the action thriller THE SECRET REUNION, legendary actor Song Kang-ho (THE HOST, SNOWPIERCER) delivers one of the strongest performances of his career in this unforgettable historical drama. Fantasia is incredibly proud to close its 2017 edition with A TAXI DRIVER, hosted by director Jang Hoon. International Premiere. Director in Attendance.

JOURNEY INTO THE NIGHT AT THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF GOOD TIME

A tense, nocturnal odyssey of poor decision-making that escalates to a nearly unbearable pitch, the Safdie brothers’ Cannes Competition sensation GOOD TIME is a high-wire exercise in intensity, starring Robert Pattinson in a career-best performance. Tipping their hats to ’70s thrillers, the Safdies’ new film also builds beautifully on their previous effort, HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT – here’s another maddeningly bleak vision of New York City’s underbelly, nonetheless beaming with humanity and authenticity. North American Premiere. Directors in Attendance.

PREPARE TO GO NUCLEAR! ATOMIC BLONDE EXPLODES INTO CANADA

Directed by David Leitch (JOHN WICK, the upcoming DEADPOOL 2), ATOMIC BLONDE, screening in our Action! section, is a blistering blend of sleek action, gritty sexuality, and dazzling neon-drenched style with a cast that includes Charlize Theron, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, and Sofia Boutella. The film boasts one thrilling fight sequence in particular – set in a stairwell and with no cuts – that has already entered the annals of action film history. Official Selection: SXSW 2017. Special Screening.

CAMERA LUCIDA WORLD PREMIERES LE PROBLÈME D’INFILTRATION (INFILTRATION)!

Fantasia’s Camera Lucida section is back! Dedicated to the most original and singular visions, at the outer edges of genre cinema, it will close this year’s selection with the World Premiere of Robert Morin’s LE PROBLÈME D’INFILTRATION (INFILTRATION), also screening during the festival’s closing night on August 2, 2017. An experimental film and formal experiment only Morin could have made, LE PROBLÈME D’INFILTRATION (INFILTRATION) is a unique, angst-ridden portrait composed of a series of distinctive, surrealistic long takes, that brilliantly convey the existential crisis and downward spiral of Dr. Louis Richard (Christian Bégin), a plastic surgeon specializing in burn victims. A bold film that simultaneously evokes German Expressionist art and avant-garde video. See below for the rest of the Camera Lucida line-up. Director, Cast, and Crew in Attendance.

HUNTED HUNTERS AND ECO-CONFRONTATION: THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF SPOOR

The big-screen return of one of Polish Cinema’s national treasures, Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA EUROPA, THE SECRET GARDEN), still such a vibrant filmmaker at nearly 70 years of age, SPOOR took home a richly deserved award at the Berlinale earlier this year. Unconventional, poetic and beguiling, it is a genuinely radical film – some have even called it dangerous – that is one part fantastical murder mystery, one part eco-thriller. A retired teacher who speaks truth to power to protect the region’s wildlife finds herself at the center of a surreal series of happenings, with hunters and authority figures found murdered, various animal tracks near the bodies. Could the animals be having their revenge? One of the most subversive genre works we’ve seen in years. North American Premiere.

SION SONO GOES BACK TO KABUKICHO WITH SHINJUKU SWAN II

Following the 2015 International Premiere of Sion Sono’s Red Light District-set yakuza/talent agency action-drama film SHINJUKU SWAN, Fantasia is proud to unveil the International Premiere of its sequel, SHINJUKU SWAN II! Reuniting maverick filmmaker Sion Sono (TAG, LOVE EXPOSURE, the upcoming Amazon series TOKYO VAMPIRE HOTEL) with superstar Go Ayano (RAGE, LUPIN THE THIRD), this sequel adapts the arc “Yokohama Kingdom” from Ken Wakui’s popular seinen manga series of the same name, and finds our titular, energetic talent scout going head-to-head with a rival Yokohama agency, led by boss Taki (the one and only Tadanobu Asano of SURVIVE STYLE 5+, JOURNEY TO THE SHORE, and ICHI THE KILLER)! International Premiere.

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CELEBRATED TURKISH STAR CÜNEYT ARKIN

Fantasia audiences may best remember him from THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD (aka TURKISH STAR WARS), but to international audiences, Cüneyt Arkın is a legendary icon whose career spanned 50 glorious years and nearly 300 films. He’s done every conceivable genre from grand historical epics and martial arts to romantic comedies, westerns, and hard-boiled crime flicks. He’s played an Ottoman warrior, cop, heartbreaker, pirate, and even a Turkish Davy Crockett. Over his five decades in cinema, the incredible Arkın was his country’s Jackie Chan – acting, writing, directing, and performing his own stunts!

Fantasia is thrilled to present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr Arkın, and will celebrate his extraordinary career with special repertory screenings of THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD, Çetin İnanç’s WILD BLOOD (aka the Turkish FIRST BLOOD!), and the ninjasploitation head-exploder DEATH WARRIOR.

These events, in addition to our World Premiere screening of Emir Mavitan’s NOMAD and a free outdoor projection of Ceyda Torun’s documentary sensation KEDI are presented with the support of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR THE LEGENDARY LUCHADOR MIL MÁSCARAS

Luchador films hold a special place in Fantasia-goers hearts. In the early editions of the festival, screenings of numerous luchador films were held in front of sold out crowds at the 900-seat Imperial Theater. This year marks a very special occasion, as the fest will be graced by one of lucha libre’s most famous heroes, the legendary Mil Máscaras. With Blue Demon and El Santo, this legendary masked wrestler was part of a trio of athletes who, in the 60’s and early 70’s, turned this unique brand of Mexican superhero film into a worldwide phenomenon.

Mil Máscaras will be awarded a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary career as a Mexican film icon and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. The award will be presented before the presentation of a double bill of two features starring Mil Máscaras: 1972’s LAS MOMIAS DE GUANAJUATO, arguably the most famous luchador film of all time (co-starring El Santo and Blue Demon), and AZTEC REVENGE, Aaron Crozier’s recently-produced American feature from writer Jeffrey Uhlmann, who will be in attendance.

THE RAP GAME IS ABOUT TO CHANGE WITH PATTI CAKE$

A sensation on the 2017 festival circuit – first unveiled at Sundance, then swerving by SXSW, and recently closing the prestigious Director’s Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) section of the Cannes Film Festival – PATTI CAKE$ now stops at Fantasia for its Canadian Premiere! Starring the amazing newcomer Danielle Macdonald in the lead role of Patricia Dumbrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, this is a first feature film from acclaimed music video director Geremy Jasper. Reminiscent of films like LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, 8 MILE, and 2016 Fantasia discovery SOME FREAKS, PATTI CAKE$ is a brilliant cult classic in the making; an empowering outsider story told with unparalleled heart and conviction. Canadian Premiere.

STRAIGHT OUTTA FRONTIÈRES: THE WORLD PREMIERE OF RADIUS

Following a mysterious car crash, a man with no memory of his past becomes inexplicably lethal to anyone in his path. His bizarre death force only appears to be neutralized when in the very close vicinity of Jane, a woman who suffers a similarly clouded memory. Together, they’ll try to recall their past and understand the tie that that seems to bind them. But they can’t ever be more than 50 feet apart or people will die. Directed by SANS DESSEIN filmmakers Caroline Labrèche and Steeve Léonard, RADIUS is the latest project seeing the light because of Frontières, Fantasia’s international co-production market. It’s our pleasure to present the World Premiere of this unique Quebec-made genre work. Directors in Attendance.

THE DUMBEST DOUBLE AGENT IS BACK IN TAKASHI MIIKE'S OUTRAGEOUS ACTION COMEDY THE MOLE SONG: HONG KONG CAPRICCIO!

Beloved director Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER) may have received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last year's edition of Fantasia, but he won't stop delivering over the top crowd pleasers! Reteaming with screenwriter Kankuro Kudo, who also directed last year's Audience Award winner TOO YOUNG TO DIE!, Miike delivers a crazier and funnier sequel to THE MOLE SONG: SECRET AGENT REIJI loaded with unambiguous sex jokes, strange action scenes, crotch injuries and gorgeous set pieces. Actor Toma Ikuta (THE TOP SECRET: MURDER IN MIND) delivers an incredible physical performance in the role of the libidinous mole Reiji who is now tracked down by the police, the yakuza boss he work for, and a lethal Chinese gang. Miike is back in all his mischievous glory with the Canadian Premiere of THE MOLE SONG: HONG KONG CAPRICCIO!

TIME AND MIND WILL BEND AT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF ORIGAMI

During one of his many Asian adventures, Patrick (François Arnaud), a visual artist who specializes in Chinese art, encounters a mysterious man who makes him discover his latent gift for time travel. Stunningly directed and compellingly intimate, ORIGAMI is a UFO on the landscape of Quebec cinema that succeeds in applying sci-fi genre markers to a primarily human story. World Premiere. Directors in Attendance.

AN EXPLOITATION-FILLED NIGHT OF JAMES FRANCO’S BLOOD

Fantasia will be presenting the World Premieres of Jenna Cavelle’s BLOOD HEIST – about DIY filmmakers who simultaneously commit a star-crossed armed robbery and shoot a vérité film of it – and Melanie Aitkenhead’s BLOOD RIDE – which depicts the violence and avenging of a ferocious female biker gang lead by Pollyanna McIntosh – as a special rip-roaring indie double bill. Both femme-made, revivalist – nay, revisionist – exploitation films were spearheaded by producer/co-star James Franco and producers Vince Jolivette (SPRING BREAKERS) and Jay Davis. Get ready for blood… and more blood! World Premieres.

IT’S WAR AS BUSHWICK INVADES THE NORTH

After slaying Sundance at its debut and knocking out Cannes (where it had its European Premiere in Director’s Fortnight), BUSHWICK will be making its first Canadian stand at Fantasia 2017! The couldn’t-be-more-timely sophomore feature from directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott (Fantasia 2015’s COOTIES) sees Bushwick, New York erupt into a war zone as Southern nationalist militia forces attack the city. Starring Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow, BUSHWICK almost never stops moving, as Murnion and Milott employ long, fluid takes (shot on real Brooklyn locations) that follow its characters from one hoped-for sanctuary to the next, punctuated by bursts of startling, caught-on-the-fly violence. Canadian Premiere.

SEX COULD BE FATAL IN THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF ALMOST COMING, ALMOST DYING

To reward himself for his new teaching gig in Sapporo, 29-year-old Manabu decides to celebrate New Year's Eve with a little treat at a local sex club. On the verge of... climaxing, he's struck by a brain hemorrhage and ends up buck naked at the hospital surrounded by his worried family who want to know how this happened. Based on the autobiographical manga from Manabu Nakagawa, ALMOST COMING, ALMOST DYING is a funny and endearing independent film from first time filmmaker Toshimasa Kobayashi. With its witty dialogues delivering family interactions worthy of WHAT A WONDERFUL FAMILY! and its creepy bat-wielding giant teddy bear (?!?), Kobayashi perfectly transposes the blend of everyday life situations and weird creativity that made Nakagawa's manga so popular. International Premiere.

MAGIC IS EVERYWHERE. THE UNVEILING OF SYNAPSE FILMS’ DEFINITIVE 4K RESTORATION OF ARGENTO’S SUSPIRIA

As part of our closing night events, Fantasia will be showcasing the first public screening of Synapse Films’ long anticipated 4K restoration of Dario Argento’s SUSPIRIA, just in time for its 40th anniversary. A Grand Guignol fairy tale from the darkest recesses of creative brilliance, SUSPIRIA remains one of the most visually and sonically breathtaking genre works in the history of film, its complex aesthetics all but impossible to reproduce with accuracy on any non-Technicolor – let alone non-photochemical – medium to date. For the past three years, Synapse Films have been working on the definitive restoration of Argento’s masterpiece, with the full cooperation, supervision and approval of its celebrated cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, who spared no effort to accurately reproduce the film’s original IB Technicolor visuals. With all the love and obsession that this extraordinary film commands, SUSPIRIA has been restored from the fully uncut, original 35mm Italian camera negative and will be presented with the legendary 4.0 discrete sound mix not heard since its 1977 theatrical release.

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ACTION! INTRODUCES JURIED COMPETITION, WELCOMES SCOTT ADKINS FOR TWO FILMS!

You can feel the tension rise with this year’s Action! section! From brutal martial arts madness and German slapstick to killer robots from the future, Action! is bigger and better than ever… and this year, it’s bringing in kickboxing superstar Scott Adkins!

Also, for the first time in its long-running history, the films in the Action! section will be competitive, with an esteemed debut jury comprised of Quebec director Érik Canuel, Midnight Madness programmer Peter Kuplowsky, and producer Hugues Barbier!

Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come

Fong Lan is a schoolteacher and Blackie Lau is an outlaw, but they work well together on missions for the Dongjiang resistance to Imperial Japanese occupation. However, those are only short-term assignments. Over the long-term, Fong will endure the occupation and the stress of her clandestine work thanks to the support of her caustic mother. Ann Hui takes viewers behind enemy lines, but she is even more interested in life on the home front. She is admittedly not one to wave the bloody shirt, which is why some speculate her film was precipitously replaced as the opening night film of this Shanghai International Film Festival. Regardless, Ann’s Our Time Will Come released in Chinese-language markets just in time for the official Handover anniversary celebrations and opens this Friday in New York, soon after our own Independence Day.

Poet and future PRC Minister of Culture is renting a room from Fong’s mother (she will be called Mrs. Fong, period), but they can sense he is primed to bolt. Fong herself will help facilitate his flight as part of an underground Varian Fry-like operation to smuggle intellectuals out of occupied Hong Kong. Her grace under pressure is definitely noticed by Lau. He is still relatively new to the resistance, but not to living a shadowy underground existence. Soon, Lau returns to recruit her to lead their urban division. There will definitely be sparks passing between them, but they will not have time for that until after victory.

Both Fong and Lau will become very, very good at what they do. Mrs. Fong is troubled by the risks her daughter takes, but she starts to worm her way into low level resistance activities, to maintain a connection with her. Meanwhile, Fong’s ex, Gam-wing accepts a white-collar office position with the Imperial government. However, he is not a collaborator. Instead, he is an independent mole, looking for an opportunity to do some serious damage on his own initiative.

Frankly, the time has come for an Ann Hui career retrospective, considering how consistent and prolific her work has been, especially as she approaches 70. Arguably, the long, almost self-contained Mao Dun sub-plot gives the film a somewhat episodic feel, but it is still a rich cinematic feast. Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng have terrific chemistry together as colleagues-not-lovers, Fong and Lau. Zhou is still one of the most expressive actresses on the planet, while Peng has developed some tremendous action chops that Hui periodically allows him to show-off. Honestly, Peng has become the movie-star Tom Cruise mistakenly thinks he still is.

Wallace Huo (who has back-to-back New York releases, following Reset) is also terrifically suave and intriguing as Gam-wing—a heroically roguish performance in the tradition of George Sanders in B-movies like Appointment in Berlin. However, Deannie Ip truly takes command of the film in the third act as the unlikely and tragically valiant Mrs. Fong.

As cool as it is to see “Big” Tony Leung Kar-fai playing an elderly Dongjiang veteran chronicling the exploits of Fong and Lau to an interviewer (played by Hui), those modern-day segments mostly take us out of the film rather than pulling us in. This film brings out the armchair editor in us, making us want to tighten it up and tweak the structure precisely because the superstar cast is so fantastic in it. The period production details are also spot-on and the action sequences are brief, but muscular and adrenaline-charged. Ultimately, it is a touching film about family and sacrifice. In other words, it is an Ann Hui film. Quite highly recommended overall, Our Time Will Come opens this Friday (7/7) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

This is Not What I Expected (2017) NYAFF 2017

It must be an olfactory thing. Gu Shengnan and Lu Jin can’t stand each other unless she is cooking for him. She is a sous-chef and he is a hotel tycoon, so they both know food. They just don’t know they’re in love yet, but her dog Boss, an adorable English Bull Terrier, knows it just as well as we do. Somehow all that cooking pays off in Derek Hui’s This is not What I Expected (trailer here), which plays July 11 at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Lu Jin has checked into room 1123 of his latest Shanghai acquisition—and if the kitchen staff does not impress him with something before he checks out at noon, the entire hotel is in trouble. Bafflingly, Gu’s boss (and the ex who just dumped her) waits till the very last minute to ask her to take a shot, but her flair for flavor and aroma saves the day. Soon she is constantly creating dishes to meet room 1123’s challenges.

Much to her embarrassment, Gu realizes Lu Jin is the same rich jerk she previously met under rather disadvantageous circumstances, so she will go to great lengths to avoid a face-to-face meeting. Yet, fate keeps conspiring to bring them together. After years of eating alone, is Lu Jin finally really for ramen for two? If you doubt it, go ask Boss.

Frankly, TINWIE might be the most misnamed film of the year. It is pretty much exactly what we expected, but Hui sure knows how to stage some culinary indulgences. In fact, the cooking scenes are executed with such colorful visual panache, they pull us through the predictable storyline. Plus, Boss certainly holds up his end as well.

The food and the dog up-stage everyone (basically, W.C. Fields was right, he just didn’t take it far enough), but Zhou Dongyu (still red hot popular in China for the local smash SoulMates) is ridiculously cute (and only slightly cloying) as the plucky, brow-furrowing Gu. On the other hand, Takeshi Kaneshiro’s Lu Jin is such a cold jerkheel, it is hard to believe he never gets a Wüsthof through the heart from someone on the exhausted kitchen staff. However, Lin Chi-ling adds some heat as Gu’s third act culinary adversary and perhaps romantic rival as well—in fact, the film suggests they are basically one and the same.

The battery of screenwriters hit every predictable note, at least once, but Hui and art director Ben Luk Man-ah make it all look fresh and frothy. Somehow, it doesn’t feel as slapsticky as it would sound if you broke it down scene-by-scene, thanks in large measure to Zhou’s soulful pluckiness. If you have to go to a “date movie” this weekend, TINWIE is hands down the most stylish choice available. Recommended accordingly,

The morally reprehensible THE REHEARSAL opens Friday

I am not a fan of  THE REHEARSAL. I saw the film last year at the New York Film Festival and I really disliked it. Never mind that the plot makes little sense or that that actor in the lead role can't act, what really bothered was the fact it hangs one couple where the girl is under aged but is completely fine with another one where the girl is even younger.

I know many people have loved the film, but for the life of me I don't know why. When I mention the problem with the under age girls they kind of scrunch up their faces, ponder it a bit and then give a non-answer such as "yea well". I find it kind of funny since many of the film's staunchest supporters are the people who normally ferret out and get upset by similar problems in other films.

If you think about the film, which some day I hope never to do again, you'll see its a gawd awful mess

Alison Maclean's THE REHEARSAL not only has all sorts of plot problems but it is also one of the most morally reprehensible films in a long time. Actually that maybe the first time I've ever said that about a film in print.

The plot of the film has a no talent actor named Stanley going off to a prestigious acting academy. Along the way he meet a girl who plays tennis. It transpires that Stanley and some fellow students use the story of the girl's older sister who had an affair with her tennis coach for their theater project. It seems that the sister is only 15. Where will this all lead?

Into the shitter.

The film has lots of problems, from a main character who isn't that good an actor (both in the film and in real life), to plot threads that go nowhere (even if this is a slice of life over a year there are threads that go nowhere that should), to worst sin of all there really are no characters just cut outs that get moved around. We know everyone by their looks and dress but not by their personality because we never really get to know anyone- we have to infer everything. There are only three “characters” and they aren’t all that great, Stanley just mopes, the head of the school is a cunt despite saying she cares (only about herself and school), and the one interesting character suddenly kills himself off camera. That's it. That's all there is. I have no idea what anyone's name is beyond Stanley.

A bigger problem is that everyone in the film , and even the film itself is kind of morally broken, or if not that at least incredibly stupid.

It begins with the idea that these nimrods would use the story of the sister of one of their girlfriends and not think there would be problem. The idea is insane. Are they that disconnected from reality and the people around them? Apparently. Is Stanley that stupid and that big an asshole that he would allow it, when he supposedly loves some one connected to it? Oh hell yea. He has to be the one of the most uncaring assholes around. More insane is the thought that the school would let them do it once they found out that Stanley was involved in with someone in the family- especially since it's for a performance that is supposed to be getting media coverage. The controversy sure to follow would wreck the school but the head of the school says nothing. Is director/writer Mclean that stupid?

Apparently. I can't imagine that any school would allow it.

The real thing that pisses me off with the film is that repeatedly condemns having sex with under aged girls- the girl who was having sex with her coach was 15 years old and everyone is upset about that. He's been arrested and is heading to jail. One of the actresses has a run in with the coach and is skeeved out by the thought of underaged sex-to the point they decide to do the show as a kind of payback. Everyone is horrified and gets upset....

... but the the trouble is the film has no problem that Stanley, who is over 18 is seually involved with the YOUNGER sister of the 15 year old. This makes her at the very least 14, possibly/probably younger (we never know her age other than she’s younger than the 15 year old).

And this is okay? No one really blinks an eye for the most part. It's also something to be celebrated at the end as Stanley and the girl walk off together... why because Stanley has finally expressed his feelings and said he loves her. Really? No it's not okay.

You can't have it both ways- though the film thinks it can. Had the film time and time again not taken the stance that older guys should be not pursuing younger women you could get away with it and I would have said nothing. But the film keeps harping on it. Clearly the film sees a problem because Stanley is warned by the head of the school in no uncertain terms to knock it off since he was seen with an under-aged girl (clearly it is a problem) and if he gets caught he will be in trouble and the school will suffer...

..which brings me back to if they were worried about that and because the teacher knew who the girl was why would she even consider allowing the performance of a piece based on the tennis teacher. It really makes no sense internally to the film.

Actually the film makes no sense internally as time frames are wonky, plot points don't hang together and details in dialog betray a sense that the filmmakers either had a longer script that ended up cut down or that they really weren't paying any attention to the realities of their movie. I kept wondering why no one caught all the plot problems unless they simply thought no one was going to be paying any attention.

This film makes so little sense in the end that I and a fellow writer who shall remain nameless got yelled at by some people in the screening because we vocalized our displeasure at the film when the end credits started.

What a piece of crap.

NYAFF does Roman Porno WET WOMAN IN THE WIND, DAWN OF THE FELINES, and AROUSED BY GYMNOPEDIES

The New York Asian Film Festival has only dealt with the odd Roman Porno film. Yes, it's run the odd film hand picked but it never went deep into the genre. This year it's making up for lost time by running three. The films are part of Nikkatsu's new series of films where they are bringing in established directors to pay homage and restart the series.

For those who don't know Roman Porno are Japanese softcore sex films that run about 80 minutes and have a sex scene every 10 minutes or so. The studios that produce them generally let the directors do whatever they want so long as the previously mentioned rules are followed.

Okay let me stop right here and make it clear I am not a fan. I love the ones that work, but most of them bore the living shit out of me.  They are filled with great looking people but terribly unsexy, often odd for no reason and go nowhere. Unless you can tell me its a good film I try to avoid them.

That said I waded into the three Nikkatsu films that NYAFF is running this year because the NYAFF programmers rarely let me down....

....At the risk of getting the shit kicked out of me I have no idea why they are running three films since one is just bad and the others are okay... my real question is why in hell are they running two of  them on one day? The thought is just painful. (see addendum below)

AROUSED BY GYMNOPEDIES
Painfully dull film. about a once great director reduced to doing porno who has his lead actress quit. Unsexy, brutish and boring to the point of laughter this film is bad. Quite simply one of the worst films I've seen this year and one of the worst Roman Porno films I've seen which is saying a great deal. Vile and misogynistic the film's the main character is one of the most horrible people I've ever seen in any sort of sex film (and I've seen a lot) It may also be one of the least films I've seen in the 9 years I've been going to NYAFF.

DAWN OF THE FELINES
The lives of three call girls is supposed to be a statement about modern Japan. I'm not too sure of that. A dark down beat story the film is much better than AROUSED. It is the best of the three film in the series  but kind of never gets to build momentum thanks to the sex every ten minute rule and shifts from comedy to drama.

JB's take on the film can be found here

WET WOMAN IN THE WIND.
Breaking the sex every ten minute rule for the first half the film hits into over time in the second half as a woman sleeps with everyone. The film held my interest for the first half but I lost interest in the second when the sex just overwhelmed everything and the monotony of watching other people fake sex began to bore me.

JB's review can be found here

*-ADDENDUM: Lest you think I just hate the films  please note Sion Sono's entry in the Nikkatsu series ANTIPORNO runs at Japan Cuts July 22 and it is one of my favorite films of that festival.


Mondocurry's look at all the films in the sidebar can be found here

Sunday at the movies: RESET plus THE VILLAGE OF NO RETURN, JAPANESE GIRLS NEVER DIE and MON MON MON MONSTERS at NYAFF

After a week where I did not watch any movies, I doubled down and then some with one at the AMC 25 in Times Square and three at during y first visit to this year's New York Asian Film Festival.

I began the day with a trip to the AMC 25 to see the Jackie Chan produced RESET. I wanted to see something just for the hell of it, where I didn't have to review it and JB's review of the film made me want to give the film a shot (JB's review of can be found here)

The film has Yang Mi as a researcher on a time travel experiment which may be close to a real break through. A rival company kidnaps her son and demands she give them all the research (their program went horribly wrong). The kidnap plot goes sideways and soon multiple Mi's are fighting to save their son. Honestly it is complete and utter nonsense from frame one so don't even try to make sense of it- just go with it until the action starts when it blows the doors off everything and just flies. You'll still be screaming at the screen at the whys and hows but the cast will have sold you on the characters so you'll buy the kinetic sequences.

Seriously don't think about it- just get popcorn and see it.

After meeting Nate Hood for lunch we headed up to Lincoln Center for three films.

Strangely things were really low key- and while a good number of the NYAFF family was "there" in the audience the people running the fest were oddly quiet keeping to themselves.

The first film was THE VILLAGE OF NO RETURN.  This a comedy that would make an interesting counterpoint to Sabu's very dark HAPPINESS which is playing at the end of the festival (A review closer to time).

The short version of the plot has a "monk" coming into the village with a helmet that will make them forget the thing that bothers them. The town doesn't trust him but through a chain of events he ends up using it on everyone and taking over the town for his own purposes.

The film is at least a half an hour too long, with way too many subplots that go nowhere.. For example the town is waiting for the arrival of a train - for no reason, and Eric Tsang has very funny series of cameos which have almost nothing to do with anything that happens(well it does, but it could all be removed).

On the other hand if you forgive the excesses the film is can be a great deal of fun. Its funny and thoughtful (what do we lose if we choose to forget our pain?) and it has what maybe the best martial arts sequence in all of NYAFF.  The more I think about the film the more I like it and would gladly recommend it.

JB's review of THE VILLAGE OF NO RETURN can be found here

JAPANESE GIRLS NEVER DIE is a pro-woman tale that is constantly looping back on itself to the point that very little of it makes sense. Worse the looping creates some weird plot anomalies that shouldn't be there.

The film nominally is about woman who is being put upon by her bosses and is having an affair with her next door neighbor. She is the subject of the work of trio of graffiti artists who are using a missing poster of her as the subject of their art. Meanwhile a gang of school girls are going out and beating the shit of guys who are stupid enough to be out on their own.

Told in a manner that not only jumbles the time frame but also repeats sequences several time the film doesn't quite hang together. While sequence have stunning power (some of the scenes about love are wonderful) the film as a whole is head scratcher.  We are rarely with the film and instead are following where it leads a couple of beats behind going "oh so that's what..." several minute after we should have. Worse, because the time frame is jumbled, events don't line up correctly for example the graffiti shows up in sequences which are revealed to take place before they had produced the art.

Some people liked it, most seemed to be scratching their heads. I was left pondering what the programmers saw in the film to make it the first film they got for the festival. Other than the provocative title I found very little here.

JB's review of JAPANESE GIRLS NEVER DIE can be found here

in 2012 Gidden's Ko was one of the most moving and well loved films to every play at NYAFF- YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE. A good many people I know still talk about it as a high point of all the festivals going back to the beginning. Ko's last film was so well loved that his MON MON MONSTER brought out a large crowd on his name alone.

Before the film played a woman in the audience stood up to warned everyone that the film was incredibly bloody- I'm not sure how she knew but she was right (during one scene in particular the audience gasped at the sheer volume of blood). Sam Jamier in his introduction warned everyone that this film was 180 degrees from APPLE OF MY EYE and that it was an incredibly cruel film. He said it was a brutal look at bullying.  It was a statement which resulted in everyone bracing themselves for the worst. And once the film started we got exactly what we had been warned about.

The plot of the film has the most bullied person in school (except one) being accused of theft. When he gets the goods on the bad guys, he abused further by a teacher who tells him to suck it up and make friends with his abusers because connections are what is needed in life. The quartet are sent out on an assignment to feed some elderly people living in a run down building. As a result they stumble upon a once human monster living in the building. Managing to carry it back to a disused part of the school, they tie it up and set about abusing the shit out of it simply because they can.  Meanwhile the sister of the monster begins to hunt for her sibling, slaughtering anyone from the school she meets.

Less a narrative then statement paper, we are forced to deal with huge truck sized plot holes as Ko frequently has things happen to prove his point 10 times over. Everyone, even our hero is vile with only one person, the lowest of the low, who is good. Ko has stacked the the deck and made everyone pure shit- with the result that late in the game changes in character make zero sense. This is yet another trip down the paths of " we are all monsters" and "maybe the so called monsters aren't so bad". We've been here before with the result MON MON is nothing we haven't seen before except that it amps the cruelty level up to 500 on a scale of 10. It is so intent on making it's point and getting a reaction that it goes way overboard on the nastiness at the expense of everything else. The film most certainly provokes a reaction but I'm not sure that's a good thing since the violence is so brutal (such as the amount of the blood in a bleed out at basketball game) that it all becomes ridiculous, effectively cutting its own legs out from under itself.

Worse the film is at times intentionally very funny. There are some jokes and somethings can be seen as funny if you don't see them as having a real world context (and have the blackest of senses of humor). The result of all the humor is that some shocking scenes brought roars of laughter from the audience. Several scenes that should have been sad or touching brought giggles. Nate Hood was horrified because what people were laughing at what wasn't really funny but grand tragedy (and it wasn't gallows chuckles but deep belly laughs). I know why the humor is there (the audience would kill itself if it wasn't) but it undercuts the emotion and prevents the film from indicting those of us in the cheap seats.

Over all I don't know what to think about the film since Ko's themes are far from new- even if the level of violence is. I can't really take it as a horror film because it isn't scary despite some great set pieces (the sister's mass slaughter sequences are amazing). And as a drama the plot holes, stacked deck in the plotting to make a point and odd shifts of character reduce the film to little more than a polemic or cinematic poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Its a film of great pieces but as a whole it just isn't very good.

To be certain the film is going to have a long life as it's mayhem (the bus and basketball sequences in particular) become part of horror's iconic moments- but I seriously doubt that beyond that that anyone is going to be talking about this film two years down the road.

Swim Team (2016) opens Friday

SWIM TEAM PREMIERED at DOC NYC where Ariela filed the following review:

Swim Team is the story of 3 Autistic boys who belong on an autistic swim team called the Hammerheads in New Jersey.

NJ has highest rate of autism in the country. 1 out of 26 boys in New Jersey has autism.

Autism is characterized by difficulties in communication and socializing, as well as repetitive behaviors.

The Hammerheads was started by a husband and wife that have an autistic boy named Mikey. The father knew it wouldn’t be easy but wanted to give the kids something to do. He said many people don’t give autistic kids a chance, and this gives them something.

The three boys the documentary focuses on are Mikey, Robbie and Kelvin. Mikey knows he has autism and wonders why God made him different. He said he feels normal when he’s swimming. Robbie knows he’s a little different but doesn’t seem bothered by the fact. His mom more so worries about his future because she feels that school doesn’t prepare him for the future. They told him he could go to Walmart and learn how to stock, but that isn’t what he wants to do. He has dreams and passions. Kelvin has both autism and tourettes, and feels uncomfortable and upset with his ticks. He even feels uncomfortable on the swim team.

Swim Team is both a very moving and uplifting documentary. Many of the parents’ doctors told them their kids couldn’t speak, and here now they are swimming, socializing and some even wind up getting jobs or joining the regular high school swim team. It gives an inside look at autistic teens. All the teens have such different personalities. Swimming gave these teens confidence and taught them social skills for how to communicate in the world and with their peers. The film makes you hope for the best for them. I definitely recommend this one!

Nightcap 7/2/17 O'Toole and Welles discuss Hamlet, Thoughts on Rollerball and Randi's links

This is a first pass on a piece I may or may not expand. I present it because it has intrigued the hell out of me and I'm fumbling around trying to make it work

I have not watched a film for the last week (more or less). Once I finished up the films I had for early screening for Japan Cuts during my lunch break on Monday I stopped watching films for the week. Even when I was laid out on Thursday I resisted watching OKJA and just lay in bed.

The one exception was this past Tuesday Night when TCM was running the original ROLLERBALL. I ran across it while surfing between innings of the Mets game. I stopped because it was one of the game sequences and I always liked them.

Delaying going back to the baseball game I fell into the plot- of Jonathan E's search for meaning and understanding in a world totally controlled by corporations (remember the tag line was In the future there will be no war. There will only be Rollerball). What struck me what was a dystopia in 1975 and became kind of quaint after that has taken on unexpected echoes today in Trumps America.

While the world of the film was imagined as a kind of ancient Rome meets communism (there are bread and circuses but the masses are not allowed to have heroes- the corporation is supposed to be all) it now plays very differently. Certainly our fear of corporations taking over the world and diving it further into us and them or have and have nots which is much stronger than what it was 40 years ago. There was more a sense of being able to climb your way to the top, now there is only a sense of dumb luck.

While we don't have anything like Rollerball today we have drifted toward the idea of sport being the controlling factor in away with the rise of the NFL whose Super Bowl is a kind of religious event where the crowds behave like those at the Rollerball games.

I know some of this is a "no duh" on many levels but how John Houseman corporate head tries to control James Caan and the masses you suddenly have a weird analog for Donald Trump. Houseman's machinations aimed at getting Caan to play along echoes much of what Trump is doing in the real world. How Trump manipulates, or tries is similar to what Houseman does.  Even Trump's veiled and not so veiled threats against his opponents mirror how Hoseman changes the rules to effectively kill Caan.

As events transpire (such as the whole Morning Joe debacle) it becomes frightfully clear that what is happening politically now is mirrored in the film.

In all honestly there is a very long piece in this. What I need to do is rewatch the film and make notes but until then you should give the film a shot and see it through today's eyes because violent game aside, the politics of the film has suddenly become relevant.

----
And now some links ala Randi

Making Batman Returns
Forgotten train lines
Cool basketball court
Darkside of the seaside
Spotting Fake photos
Hart Island

A Single Rider (2017) New York Asian Film Festival 2017

Lee Byung-hun is quite good as a stockbroker whose life goes upside down when an investment his firm had been pushing is revealed to be a scam ruining thousands. Packing up his stuff he heads to Australia where is wife and son have been living so the boy can get a better education.Filled with shame and regret he can't bring himself to let them know he is there. Making the acquaintance of a young girl he tries to sort out where he belongs.

Interesting meditation on regret is well acted moody drama. The performances are the best part of the film which frequently undercuts itself by insists it is deep and meaningful.

The trick with this film is going to be the final fifteen minutes where the film takes a turn, which will either thrill you or act as a game killer. Its not unexpected as such but at the same time it may change how you see the film- it changed mine (I screamed at the screen)

JB's different take on the film can be found here.

BLOOD OF YOUTH (2017) NYAFF 2017

Impossible to describe simply tale of a computer hacker suffering from a severe brain injury who is quietly aiding the police. Why he is doing it isn't initially clear, nor is the fact that he is not taking the medicine that would keep him alive. What does it have to do with the orchestra conductor or the gangster or even the 20 year old body found buried in the woods?

Good thriller requires some patience for the first hour as plot threads are played out with little attempt to connect them up. In the second hour the threads begin to come together and we at last can begin to see the pattern that was being woven. To be honest this is one of the few times where I was glad I had read reviews of the film before I saw it because it gave me the warning about the rambling middle section which isn't really rambling.

If you like twisty thriller this BLOOD OF YOUTH is recommended.

JB's take on the film can be found here
Nate Hood's take can be found here

In Brief: ROAD TO MANDALAY (2017) New York Asian FIlm Festival 2017

Midi Z's gorgeous to look at downbeat drama, is like his other films a punch in the face and the heart.

The film follows two people who escape from Burma into Thailand hoping for a better life. However their in ability to get the necessary permits to work cause all sorts of tension and it ultimately fractures the relationship.

A solid art film it is deliberately paced and it sucks you in and drags you along. It also gives you much to think about concerning people trying to move to a better place for a better life.

Recommended.

JB's review can be found here

The Truth Beneath (2017) New York Asian Film Festival 2017

One of the best films at this years New York Asian Film Festival THE TRUTH BENEATH will have you shuddering and shaking and talking back to the screen

I swear to you that going into the film I had no clue that one of the writers on the film was Chan-wook Park who post people know was the mad mind behind OLD BOY. While this film isn't quite as twisted as that one it is still a kick in the ass and a punch in the face.

The plot is simple: As a politician heads into the run to election day his daughter goes missing. Most people assume that since she has been a handful that she has just run off, pissed off at her parents. However things aren't quite right answers aren't being easily found  so the politician's wife begins to dig into the case hoping to find the girl before anything bad happens. What she finds will shock her to her very core.

Despite a a few moments where things don't add up THE TRUTH BENEATH is as gripping a thriller as they come. One of the first films I saw in preparing my coverage for this year's New York Asian Film Fest, it set an impossibly high mark for everything that followed. I was blown away by not only the twists but some of the terrible things that happen. It rattled me to my core and then some. Even after seeing 45 films at the festival this is the film I always return to.

I am not going to go into details. As much as I wold love to discuss I'm going to leave the talk to you- which will follow every twist and bloody turn of the tale.

Highly recommended for thriller lovers of all sorts. The film plays Monday at the Walter Reade Theater

JB's review of the film can be found here
Mondocurry's review can be found here

THE GANGSTER'S DAUGHTER (2017) NYAFF 2017

A teenaged girl is reunited with her father, a notorious gangster after her mother dies. Taking her from the island where she has been hiding, they return to Taipei where they slowly bond. However a bad cop is about to blow into their lives and destroy their happiness.

Odd mix of father daughter drama and gangster film never quite meshes. While both parts work well on their own, the gangster business working better, the film never quite comes together with the darkness of the gangster  life not meshing with the lighter portrayal of the daughter. Personally I could never shake the sense that this could have been about a corporate tycoon with the end involving health issues instead of guns.

JB's more detailed review can be found here