2009 New York Asian, Tribeca and Gen Art Film Festivals

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FILM
2009 Japan Cuts Festival
coverage by Wade-Hahn Chan

Reviews:

"Confessions of a Dog": Gen Takahashi doesn't like the police very much, and the police don't like him either. This is especially true following the creation of "Confessions of Dog," a no-holds barred indictment of the Japanese police force.

"Halfway": Eriko Kitagawa's feature debut balances strong emotions with a delicate touch, creating a compelling portrayal of teen romance that is refreshingly unpretentious in its execution and naturally sweet in tone.

FILM
2009 New York Asian Film Festival
This is a personal favorite of Meniscus' and possibly the best film festival in the Big Apple, hands down!!!
coverage by Christopher Bourne, Wade-Hahn Chan and Yuan-Kwan Chan

Reviews:

"Breathless": Yang Ik-june's astonishing debut film is an indelibly potent depiction of the daisy chain of domestic violence and how it swallows up everyone in its wake.

"K-20: Legend of the Mask": Armed with an assortment of colorful characters, a talented cast (led by Takeshi Kaneshiro), and superb special effects and stunts, “K-20” delivers a rollicking three-dimensional amusement park ride full of twists and turns.

"Magazine Gap Road": Nicholas Chin’s independent film from 2007 is one of the boldest Hong Kong-based films released by a first-time director in years.

"Old Fish": The day-to-day work of a policeman can seem banal to non-first responders. Conversely, police thrillers and TV shows are often a strange combination of hard-nosed drama and bracing action. “Old Fish,” a Chinese film portraying a cop in an extraordinary situation, turns this formula on its side.

"Written By": In attempting the difficult task of mapping out the visceral experience of personal loss, director Wai Ka-fai comes up with a marvelously affecting film.

Videos:

Tak Sakaguchi and Isao Karasawa mock fight!: Sakaguchi ("Versus") and his friend (stuntman Karasawa) engaged in a friendly duel before the June 29 screening of "Be A Man! Samurai School."

FILM
2009 Tribeca Film Festival
coverage by Christopher Bourne, Wade-Hahn Chan and Yuan-Kwan Chan

"About Elly": One of the strongest selections of the Festival is a psychologically penetrating film in which a woman’s disappearance gives rise to all sorts of complex issues of morality (both within an Iranian context and without).

"American Casino": The title of Leslie Cockburn’s nothing-if-not-timely documentary says it all, an apt description of the world created by the reckless Wall Street financiers who have brought the U.S. economy (as well as the rest of the world’s) to its present sorry state.

"Black Dynamite": Starring Michael Jai White, “Black Dynamite” is a hilarious send up of blaxploitation that maintains a steady appreciation for the genre.

"Dazzle": “Dazzle” is a film composed entirely of a phone conversation. Sounds unbearable? It is, but mostly due to the film’s lack of focus.

"Departures": As baffling as the Best Foreign Language Film victory of “Departures” at the Oscars seemed for many, it’s not hard to see why the upset happened: The film is as straightforward and old-fashioned as it gets.

"The Exploding Girl": The précis of Bradley Rust Gray’s film sounds like boilerplate mumblecore. But in the masterful hands of Gray, this becomes a delicate and gorgeous slice of New York life, brilliantly observed and brimming with emotion.

"Garapa": Jose Padilha creates a devastating and depressing observation of hunger Brazilian cities and outskirts in the documentary “Garapa.”

"Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench": Damien Chazelle’s film wears its many influences—MGM musicals, Michel Legrand’s French New Wave musical scores, 1950’s and 1960’s jazz documentary films—as well as its heart on its sleeve, but his grand ambitions overwhelm his grasp of film grammar basics.

"Kobe Doin' Work": Spike Lee’s documentary on Kobe Bryant details—from pre-game start to post-game finish—a typical workday of the L.A. Lakers’ star player, but it comes off as a somewhat forced re-branding exercise.

"Moon": “Moon” is a darkly funny and cerebral sci-fi story that is buoyed by a great performance by Sam Rockwell.

"Shadow Billionaire": Buoyed by first-person accounts and historical footage, the documentary admirably tackles the surreal life of DHL founder Larry Hillblom but doesn’t quite succeed in its execution.

FILM
2009 Gen Art Film Festival
coverage by Christopher Bourne and Pei Chien

"Asshole": What kind of person would make a short film about bowel movements?

"Gigantic": Much of the independent film world has now become a frightening landscape of “Juno” clones, and Matt Aselton’s film “Gigantic” is proof of this.

"Lymelife": At first blush, Derick Martini’s autobiographical debut would seem to be an unpromising rehash of warmed-over indie-film tropes. But “Lymelife” has much more on its mind than its scenario would suggest.

Queen Kong

Kong Hyo-Jin

Actress Kong Hyo-Jin introducing Ryoo Seung-Won's spy spoof "Dachimawa Lee" at the New York Asian Film Festival at a June 26th screening.
photo by Christopher Bourne

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