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FOOD
Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival
coverage by Yuan-Kwan Chan; photos by Bibs Teh

2010 Food Network NYC Festival: A look back at milk, cookies and stone crabs: What is now an annual event boasts a packed lineup of celebrity chef appearances, restaurants previewing new dishes for potential customers and, of course, culinary delights. Inevitably, this means that while some events are spot on (Martha Stewart + milk + cookies), others miss the mark (stone crab + no host).

FILM
Pusan International Film Festival
coverage by Christopher Bourne

The MVPs of the Pusan International Film Festival 2010: My Picks for the Best Films: As usual, the festival was a cinematic feast of challenging, emotional, innovative, and provocative films. Here are the ones that stood out for me.

SPORTS
2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto: Women's event and Legends Cup
coverage by Yuan-Kwan Chan; photos by Kwai Chan

American legends steal the show at 2011 Rogers Cup: Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier and John McEnroe proved that they not only still have the competitive chops, but also provided a surprising and painful reminder of what the ATP Tour is currently lacking today.

Serena Williams wins Rogers Cup, gains seeding for U.S. Open: Determined to grab a U.S. Open seeding, Williams continued her form in Toronto at the 2011 Rogers Cup and won her second straight title, beating Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-2, in the final.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic
coverage by Kwai Chan

On the road to the U.S. Open, some men's names to watch for: As the U.S. hardcourt season crawls through August, here are some names and faces to look for leading up to New York.

Washington Kastles - 2011 World Team Tennis season
coverage by Kwai Chan

Washington Kastles play to packed crowds in new World Team Tennis stadium: Venus and Serena Williams led the Kastles this summer as fans in the Nation's Capital take in World Team Tennis action before the the U.S. hardcourt season.

FILM
Asian American International Film Festival
coverage by Eric Hung

AAIFF Friday Doubleheader: A Romantic Comedy and a Thriller: “My Wedding and Other Secrets” is a formulaic but well-made romantic comedy from New Zealand, whereas “Living in Seduced Circumstances” is a creepy thriller that is much more memorable, even if it does not successfully fire on all cylinders.

LBGTQ Night at the 2011 Asian American International Film Festival: “Tales of the Waria” is a documentary about a community of men who live openly as women in Makassar, the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. “When Hainan Meets Teochew,” a farcical romantic comedy from Singapore about a “womanly” man, a “manly” woman, her ex-girlfriend and their families.

Two mediocre films close out Asian American International Film Festival: Although "Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words" and "Wedding Palace" are certainly not disasters, they feel like missed opportunities.

SPORTS
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
coverage by Kwai Chan

On the road to the U.S. Open, some men's names to watch for: As the U.S. hardcourt season crawls through August, here are some names and faces to look for leading up to New York.

Washington Mystics - 2011 WNBA season
coverage by Kwai Chan

Washington Mystics struggle through 2011 season: 2011 has proven to be a much tougher year, with the Mystics tumbling from first to worst in the Eastern Conference.

Washington Kastles - 2011 World Team Tennis season
coverage by Kwai Chan

FILM
2011 New York Asian and Japan Cuts Film Festivals
coverage by Christopher Bourne and Yuan-Kwan Chan

Reviews:

"The Blade" (刀): Tsui Hark recasts his 1995 wu xia film as a psychedelically fractured, cubist extravaganza.

"Buddha Mountain" (观音山): Li Yu’s fourth feature “Buddha Mountain” is, among many other things, a film of generational collision set in post-earthquake Chengdu.

"City of Violence" (짝패): Ryu Seung-wan’s lean and limber 92-minute noir is very much a back-to-basics production after his previous, more ambitious films “Arahan” and “Crying Fist.”

Japan Cuts films explore the long-term effects of broken childhoods: A couple of films in Japan Cuts examine the paths that kids take years after suffering traumatic childhood experiences. The cinematic approaches to “A Liar and a Broken Girl” (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) and “Into the White Night” (白夜行), however, could not be more drastically different from each other.

"Love Addiction" (ふゆの獣): Yukako, Saeko, Noboru and Shigehisa are two women and two men who could be archetypes for any 20-something searching for love this generation. It is the dynamic of this complicated relationship that director Nobuteru Uchida captures so brilliantly in “Love Addiction.”

"Milocrorze: A Love Story" (ミロクローゼ): Despite its greatest asset - the actor Takayuki Yamada - the film's many structural problems make it a disappointingly uneven work.

"Ninja Kids!!!" (忍たま乱太郎): If you ever felt ostracized at school, or if you always thought kids were smarter than grown-ups (or perhaps even both), then “Ninja Kids!!!” is the movie for you.

Articles:

Tsui Hark receives Lifetime Achievement Award at 2011 New York Asian Film Festival: The palpable contagion surrounding famed Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s (徐克) appearances at the Film Society of Lincoln Center could not be contained, even amongst the fellow esteemed special guests who gladly sacrificed sightseeing time for Tsui time.

“Yakuza Weapon” actor Tak Sakaguchi (坂口拓), special guests attend New York premiere: The U.S. premiere of “Yakuza Weapon” on July 9 at the Japan Society welcomed four guests from the film: co-directors Tak Sakaguchi (坂口拓) and Yudai Yamaguchi (山口雄大); producer Yoshinori Chiba; and actor Arata Yamanaka.

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