APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB - JUNE 11 ISSUE - SUMMER ALREADY!
06.12 - Posted by APAFW
Dear APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB: JUNE 11, 2004 (DAMN ITS SUMMER ALREADY!)
Print this out - it could get long!
CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN AND ASIAN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA!
We apologize if you got this more than once. We know we are on so many different lists.
Please pass this information on to other people who are interested in Asian American and Asian international cinema. We try very hard to keep you always updated as to films that are popping up in your area. Please note that you are a part of over 10,000 people who are on this list nationwide and it is published on www.asianamericanfilm.com!
Note: To subscribe - send an email that says "please subscribe" to apafirstweekend@aol.com
For those of you who are first timers here, the mission of this email newsletter blast to keep everyone aware of Asian American and Asian international films that will be coming out so that we can go out and support them.
First weekend box office receipts are very important to Hollywood and to our films because these reports will make or break a film. If the films does well on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the "first" weekend it comes out, theater owners and distributors will make their decisions on Monday mornings about a film's life.
So, we encourage each and every one of you to go out there and support our Asian American and Asian international filmmakers. It is at the box office where we can show our strength and our power for our films and and filmmakers. Even if you don't have the time to sit through the film on the first weekend - go to the theater and purchase a ticket so that we can show box office $$$ numbers. It is extremely important. At the end of the day.. the color in Hollywood is GREEN! Show up and vote for yourself at the box office!
In this Issue -
It's been about a month since our last email. Reason being, after the VC Film Fest - the LA Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival - it got a bit quiet out there. There are quite a few filmmakers finishing up and starting up on features for later this year and early next year - so that's very encouraging. The VC Film Fest was a huge success and closed with a bang with Zatoichi - The Blind Swordsmen - imagine 900 of your closest friends cheering on Beat Takeshi as the lengendary no-seeing warrior! It was an incredible evening. Strangely enough, Miramax moved the release date back for Zatoichi and for HERO - Zhang Yimou's amazing latest film. Looks like we won't be getting this til mid summer. But, ROBOT STORIES - Greg Pak's critically and audience acclaimed first feature is still kicking out there - and it looks like the US is going to get a major taste of Japanese original horror this summer with both TAKASHI MIIKE'S chilling GOZU - YAKUZA HORROR THEATRE hitting in July in 20 markets, along with JU ON - THE GRUDGE. So keep on the look out for those eye covering thrillers. So, here we go:
1. ROBOT STORIES - SEATTLE AND CLEVELAND!
2. IMELDA - AWARD WINNING DOCU ABOUT THE NOTORIOUS IRON BUTTERFLY FIRST LADY OF THE PHILIPPINES OPENS IN THEATERS
3. THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS - JUNE 17 - 26 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS
4. ASIAN AMERICAN ACTRESSES STAR IN MAINSTREAM FILMS THIS SUMMER - TAMLYN TOMITA IN "THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW" AND ELIZABETH THAI IN "SAVED"
5. ASIAN AMERICAN MALE ACTORS GET THEIR OWN LEAD IN UPCOMING "HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE" - JULY 30
6. TOM HUANG's AWARD WINNING "FRESHMEN" NOW ON DVD!!!
7. COMPELLING DOCU "SAIGON USA" HAS NORTHWEST OPENING
8. NEW YORK'S ACV ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS COMING
9. TAKASHI MIIKE'S GOZU COMES TO THE US - WHEW!
10. OTHER NOOZE
*******************************************************************************************
1. ROBOT STORIES - SEATTLE AND CLEVELAND!
Greg Pak's award winning first feature film is still making waves out there and winning audiences across the US. If you are in Seattle or Cleveland - it's your turn to see what the rest of the country has been talking about... Here's the latest info:
"Robot Stories" opens in Seattle and Clevland TODAY, June 11!
Hey, Robot Buddies! Many thanks for signing up for the "Robot Stories" newsletter, bringing you the latest scoop about the award-winning independent feature film starring Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono, Greg Pak, and Wai Ching Ho; written and directed by Greg Pak; and produced by Kim Ima and Karin Chien. It's a huge effort to get a genuinely independent feature film out to the world, and we enormously appreciate your help and support.
Please feel free to pass on info to friends in cities where the film is opening. Full scoop as always at http://www.pakfilm.com
BIG NEWS!
"Robot Stories" opens today, Friday, June 11, in Seattle and Cleveland. Director Greg Pak is in Seattle to attend all the Friday evening shows and all the Saturday shows -- and there's a nifty (and free) reception Saturday night! See below for the full scoop, and please feel free to forward info to your friends in those towns!
"Robot Stories"
Everything is changing... Except the human heart.
Winner of 33 awards, including the
Special Jury Award, Asian Film Festival of Dallas
For screening times and locations, visit http://www.pakfilm.com
"If there was ever an underdog in the swift current of independent
distribution, 'Robot Stories' is it, and it's probably a better film than
'I, Robot' could ever hope to be."
Jeff Shannon, The Seattle Times
"A remarkable bit of work"
Robert Wilonsky, Dallas Observer
"Close to perfect"
San Francisco Chronicle
Seattle - June 11-17
Director Greg Pak at all Friday evening shows and all Saturday shows!
Free reception Saturday, June 12, 9 pm - 1 am, at the District Lounge in the
Best Western University Tower Hotel, 4507 Brooklyn Ave. NE, Seattle.
Reception guests must be 21 or over. Free drink with "Robot Stories" ticket
stub! Sponsored by the Northwest Asian American Film Festival and the
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.
Showtimes:
Friday - Sunday - 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:10pm, 9:30pm
Monday - Thursday - 7:10pm, 9:30pm
Varsity Theatre. 4329 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 781-5755
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/Seattle/VarsityTheatre.htm
Buy your tickets online!
http://movies.channel.aol.com/showtimes/theater.adp?tab=showtimes&theaterId=
7027
Cleveland - June 11-12
Cleveland Cinematheque
Friday at 7:30
Saturday at 9:20
http://www.cia.edu/campuslife/cinematheque/
2. IMELDA - AWARD WINNING DOCU ABOUT THE NOTORIOUS IRON BUTTERFLY FIRST LADY OF THE PHILIPPINES OPENS IN THEATERS
IMELDA finally gets its opening in theaters this week -
June 11 - NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, BERKELEY, CHICAGO, DENVER, SAN DIEGO AND HONOLULU!
June 25 - LOS ANGELES/CERRITOS
August, September - SEATTLE, ATLANTA, ST. LOUIS AND BOSTON
For more info contact www.imeldathemovie.com
After a long time in coming and many edits, IMELDA comes to the big screen. Yes, it's IMELDA MARCOS - former first lady of the Philippines - as told by IMELDA MARCOS. The film covers her entire life from birth to her almost deadly attack by an audience member to her family's exile in Hawaii to now - as Ms. Marcos still reigns as one of the most powerful women in the world. The film is compelling and beautiful to watch. It has been getting excellent reviews from festival to festival and now is available for all to see at a theater near you. IMELDA won the Sundance 2004 Best Cinematography Award for Ferne Pearlstein - the documentary's director of photography. And rightly so, the film is beautifully shot and looks great on the big screen. From Amsterdam to Sundance to Berlin, IMELDA continues to get outstanding reviews. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SHOES!!!
While the film will have it's run on network broadcast on PBS in 2005, it's a must catch at the theaters now!
Below is the partial listing that we were able to pull from the website. www.imeldathemovie.com
Confirmed U.S. Play date Summary
Starts Wednesday, June 9—New York City (exclusive 2-week run from June 9 to June 22)
Starts Friday, June 11—San Francisco, Berkeley, Chicago, Denver, San Diego, Honolulu/Aiea
Starts Friday, June 25—Los Angeles/ Cerritos
August/ September—Seattle, Atlanta, St. Louis, Boston
NEW YORK CITY—OPENS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
Film Forum Theatre
Daily Showtimes: 1:00, 3:15, 5:45, 7:50, 10:00
Address: 209 West Houston St. (off 6th Avenue)
New York, NY (downtown Manhattan)
Film Forum, ph: 212-727-8110, 212-627-2035
SAN FRANCISCO—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Landmark Lumiere Theatre
1572 California St. at Polk
San Francisco, CA 94109
Ph 415-267-4893
www.landmarktheatres.com
(Official Selection, San Francisco Asian International Filmfest 2004)
BERKELEY—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas
2230 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley CA 94704
Ph 510-464-5990
www.landmarktheatres.com
SAN DIEGO—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Landmark La Jolla Village Cinemas
8879 Villa La Jolla Drive
San Diego CA
Ph 619-819-0236
www.landmarktheatres.com
CHICAGO—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Landmark Century Centre Cinemas
2828 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Ph 773-509-4949
www.landmarktheatres.com
DENVER—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Landmark Chez Artiste Cinema
4150 E. Amherst Avenue
Denver CO
Ph 303-352-1992
www.landmarktheatres.com
HONOLULU/ AIEA—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Pacific’s Consolidated Pearl Ridge West 16 Cinemas
Pearl Ridge Center Phase 2
98-1005 Moanalua Rd., Aiea Hawaii
Ph 808-593-3000
www.consolidatedcinemas.com
LOS ANGELES—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 25
Landmark Westside Pavilion Theatre
10800 Pico Blvd. at Overland Drive
West Los Angeles CA 90064
Ph 310-281-8223
www.landmarktheatres.com
L.A. / CERRITOS—OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 25
Regal Edwards Cerritos 10
12761 Towne Centre Drive
Cerritos CA
Ph 562-403-1133
www.regalcinemas.com
PHILIPPINES (METRO MANILA & PROVINCES)
(playdate and theatres to be announced soon)
SEATTLE, ATLANTA, BOSTON, ST. LOUIS—OPENS AUGUST / SEPTEMBER
(Landmark Theatres—to be announced soon)
3. THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS - JUNE 17 - 26 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS
It's that time again for one of LA's most outstanding film festivals. It's a great place to see films and network with many of today's emerging filmmakers, writers, actors, producers and other film industry insiders. So, don't miss it. Log on to www.lafilmfest.com for a complete schedule of films, parties, special events, and special guests.
MIRA NAIR is this year's GUEST DIRECTOR and she has chosen some of her favorite films to be shown at the LAFF!
Asian AMerican films and Asian international filmmakers will make their mark at the festival including the following films:
A HARD STRAIGHT - compelling documentary from GORO TOSHIMA - Oakland based filmmaker brings a gritty story of 3 ex-cons trying to make it on the outside. Heart wrenching and insightful. Don't miss this one - JUNE 22 AND JUNE 25
AFTER THE APOCALYPSE - Feature debut from YASUAKI NAKAJIMA - New York based filmmaker kicks ass with this film that takes place in the near future somewhere - with five survivors of the Third World War. June 21 and June 24 Info on the director - YASUAKI NAKAJIMA was born in Hokkaido, Japan. Shooting a short claymation film with second-hand Super-8 mm film camera in his apartment at night while working during the day as a highrise window cleaner. In 1994, he hitchhiked all around Australia filming his 6-month experience in the desert. He moved to New York in 1996 to join the independent film community. JUNE 21 AND JUNE 24
GOODBYE, DRAGON INN - Critically acclaimed film from Taiwan's most cutting edge filmmaker TSAI MING-LIANG (THE RIVER; THE HOLE; WHAT TIME IS IT THERE) - Don't miss this one! JUNE 18 only!
HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE - Sneak preview of the JOHN CHO/KAL PENN crazy film opening this summer. Yes, two Asian American male leads in a mainstream studio release from Hollywood - being touted as "starring the Asian guy from American Pie, the Indian dude from Van Wilder from the white guy who directed Dude Where's My Car?" It's worth taking a look at! June 18 also - but will open nationwide July 30 (mark your calendars!!)
HERO - from ZHANG YMOU - what can we say? This has to be one of the most beautiful films ever! And they are screening this masterpiece outside at the John Anson Ford Theatre - JET LI, MAGGIE CHEUNG, TONY LEUNG, ZHANG ZI YI, DONNIE YEN are all outstanding! Yes, everyone has the VCD from Chinatown - but seeing this masterpiece on the big screen will take your breath away. June 18 at the Anson Ford Theater - outdoors. Note: HERO will be released in theaters in July from Miramax if they don't move the release date back again. Check it!
IMELDA - WINNER OF THE SUNDANCE 2004 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD FOR FERNE PEARLSTEIN
Acclaimed documentary about former first lady of the Philippines IMELDA MARCOS as told by Mrs. MARCOS. The film covers her entire life from birth to her rise as wife of President Ferdinand Marcos to her exhile in Hawaii to now where she remains still a very influential woman of the world. June 21 and June 22.
INVISIBLE LIGHT - Feature film debut from emerging artist GINA KIM. Story revolves around two women on two dfifferent continents who share who share the same man. Lyrical, hypnotic, and complex insight into two lives that have been influenced by one decision. June 22 and June 23.
JU-ON: THE GRUDGE - from Japanese director SHIMIZU TAKASHI. ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOVIES EVER - CAUTION: DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE ALONE - There will probably be a US remake of this scary ass film. In short: every neighborhood has that one house where strange things have gone on - and this one is no exception! Again, don't go alone. Lions Gate will release this film later this summer or early September. June 24!
SOUTH OF THE CLOUDS - Critically acclaimed film from Chinese director Zhu Wen. Story follows a widower/retiree who wants to travel to Yunnan province in southwest china - his kids don't know why and the man offers little explanation except to follow his dream. June 18 and June 19
UNTOLD SCANDAL - Acclaimed film from Korean director E J-yong - Remember the film and book DANGEROUS LIAISONS or Les Liaisons Dangereuse? This time it's set in 18th century Korea where Confucial ideals rules the behavior of a society on the brink of change. June 18 and June 20
VIBRATOR - A new wave of Japanese cinema has recently been re-energized - and this one from RYUICHI HIROKI is at the head of the pack. Inner voices and thoughts plauge this attractive freelance writer REI - who runs into blonde trucker TAKATOSHI and the two take off to find their lives. June 23 and June 25.
UP FOR GRABS - while not a film by an Asian filmmaker - the center character is an Asian American man caught up in reality! - This entertaining documentary follows the controversy of the baseball that SF GIANTS Barry Bonds hit when he slammed his 73rd home run on October 7. Fan Patrick Hayashi came up with the ball after a huge crush of folks fought over the legendary baseball - however, only to be challenged by another fan and future publicity hog Alex Popov, who claimed he was the owner of the ball before it get knocked out of his hand. Sounds like grade school? It's real life and here it's non fiction reel life. Check this out June 18 and June 20.
Short filmmakers include:
Dennis Lee's award winning JESUS H. CHRIST
Karen Lin's award winning PERFECTION
Sinyun Won's BREAD AND MILK
Taika Waititi's beautiful TWO CARS ONE NIGHT
Ed Chen and Mahyar Abousaeedi's FREE RADICALS
Saar Klein's NOUVEAU RICHE NO. 11 and NOUVEAU RICHE #34
Grace Lee's excellent BEST OF THE WURST
Check the schedule for the timing of these short films - Some are before features and others are in the shorts programs.
OTHER EVENTS NOT TO MISS AT LAFF
"RAP SESSION WITH HOLLYWOOD'S TOP EXECUTIVES OF COLOR" - june 18 - 4:30 PM - Could be a good place to network
Meet:
Adrienne Bowles - Focus Features
Devon Franklin - MGM
Peter Kang - 20th Century Fox
Susan Lewis - MTV FILMS/PARAMOUNT
Zola Mashariki - Fox Searchlight
Vanessa Morrison - 20th Century Fox
DIVERSITY EXPO - June 18 - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM - definitely a good place to network
Log on to www.lafilmfest.com for more info and tickets
4. ASIAN AMERICAN ACTRESSES STAR IN MAINSTREAM FILMS THIS SUMMER - TAMLYN TOMITA IN "THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW" AND ELIZABETH THAI IN "SAVED
Who says we can't see ourselves at the multiplex or in blockbuster films. Check out former Joy Luck Club sassy girl TAMLYN TOMITA in the mega hit THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW - as a scientist - and thankgod they didn't make her speak with an accent. This was a reunion of sorts for TAMLYN and the film's lead star DENNIS QUAID who appeared with her in the legendary COME SEE THE PARADISE as husband and wife. And TAMLYN has much screen time. On the subject of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW - big props to the casting folks for a pretty diverse cast for a mainstream film. Yay!
And in case you have not yet seen one of the summer's best films out there - make sure you check out SAVED! Stars Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Jena Malone and our own ELIZABETH THAI. Yes, sister Elizabeth Thai gets major screen time in what will be the summer sleeper of 2004. Great film.
5. ASIAN AMERICAN MALE ACTORS GET THEIR OWN LEADS IN UPCOMING "HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE" - JULY 30
YES, this is not a typo! This summer make sure you catch JOHN CHO and KAL PENN as the two leads in the crazy zany dude comedy of the summer HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. Basic story - Two roommates - Cho and Penn - get high one night and get the munchies and set out to look for White Castle burgers - and along the way meet some interesting and crazy people. Lots of fun and loads of laffs - The amazing thing is that the director, the writers, the producers and the studio all kept the leads Asian American. Can we say this is a first - for a mainstream comedy released by a major studio to have two Asian American males as the leads in a non-cultural film. And they even set it up for a possible sequel or a series of sequels. Rated R probably for the dope smoking and loads of sexual references and farting and all that crazy stuff. But finally, we get to play zany dudes in the leads. Check out the website www.haroldandkumar.com and check out the trailer. Recently Cho and Penn have been inducted into the White Castle Hall of Fame... they even made a vegetarian White Castle for Kal Penn! While the film probably won't win an Oscar - it is making history! Hats off to the director DANNY LENIER and to the writers - J. Hurwitz and H. Schlossberg and to New Line Pictures for keeping it real.Mark July 30 as the date to see this crazy ass comedy.
6. TOM HUANG's AWARD WINNING "FRESHMEN" NOW ON DVD!!!
Speaking of KAL PENN - he starred in Tom Huang's feature film FRESHMEN which won awards at numerous film festivals and is now out on DVD.
Tom Huang's multi-award winning independent feature "freshmen" is now out on DVD on amazon.com and towerrecords.com! Support this critically
acclaimed film about the lives of four college freshmen learning about life and love in their first quarter at Los Angeles University. The film has
garnered the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Int'l Film Fest, as well the Final Draft Best Screenplay Award at
the Rhode Island Int'l Film Fest and was also nominated for best Independent Asian-American Feature at aMedia's Ammy Awards.
DAILY VARIETY wrote: "A solid calling card for debuting director Tom Huang and his fresh-faced, very likeable cast," while the ARIZONA DAILY SUN
said: "freshmen is a touching film, and it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible." The LOS ANGELES TIMES said, "freshmen" is so
authentic, it's like eavesdropping on life... What is surprising is the impressive depth and detail of Huang1s characterizations, his keen ear for
dialogue and his ability to get his actors to seem to be living their roles... They all exhibit the talent and focus to bring their characters
fully alive."
You can check out all info on the film at www.freshmenthefilm.com, which has the trailer, reviews, and pics. You can buy the DVD for $12.99 at
towerrecords.com at: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2986722
Or for $13.50 at amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00011ZBN4/qid=1086953225/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl74/103-5609745-3702231?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846
The DVD is also available at such sites as BestBuy.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, Blockbuster.com, and more... Just do a search under DVDs
for "freshmen" (no, not that one...- the one from Tom Huang)
Or you can email us at info@freshmenthefilm.com if you want to buy one from us for $12 (+$2 for shipping). You can send us a check, pay by PayPal,
and even get the DVD signed by the filmmaker at no extra charge. Also included on the DVD is the festival favorite short, Red Thread by filmmaker Cynthia Liu, starring The Gilmore Girls Keiko Agena and Eddie Mui. Nice Bonus!
Synopsis: Billy Joel-obsessed San Ling wonders why he's dating the cute white girl. Neurotic sheltered Rick Kennedy can't deal with lesbians and wonders why he can't be an English major. Perky free-flying Judy Oz just wonders where the next party is. And driven assistant-manager-to-be Tonisha Watkins wonders why she is fighting for her life to stay in school in the first place. Ah, just another day in the lives of some college freshmen. freshmen follows the stories of these four
wide-eyed co-eds as they journey through their first quarter in school and learn that the toughest class to pass is growing up.
7. COMPELLING DOCU "SAIGON USA" HAS NORTHWEST OPENING
Seattle Vietnamese American group debuts with Northwest Premiere of film SAIGON, USA
Nearly 30 years ago, the last American troops withdrew from Vietnam following more than a decade of war. Vietnamese in Saigon trying to escape on the last flights out of the country dominated the news footage from April 30, 1975, the day that Saigon fell. This spring, a new coalition of Seattle Vietnamese American groups and individuals began organizing a regional commemorative event for April 30, 2005. This fledgling group, called the Unity of Vietnamese Americans (UVA), will present the Northwest premiere screening and reception for the documentary film Saigon, USA, as the first in a series of programs leading up to next year's gathering.
The screening will be at the
Theater Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S, Seattle) on Saturday, June 26 at 7pm.
Co-director Robert C. Winn and film subject, former Seattle Times reporter, Vu Huy Nguyen will be present for a Q&A and
hosted reception at Saigon Bistro following the screening.
Saigon, USA is the first major film to show the many facets of contemporary Vietnamese America. The documentary, presented in partnership with the
Northwest Asian American Film Festival, examines the explosive and complex dynamics of Vietnamese Americans in Orange County, CA, a community still
haunted by the aftermath of the Vietnam War. In 1999, when a Vietnamese video store owner posted a picture of communist leader Ho Chi Minh, hundreds
of Vietnamese Americans demonstrated outside his store for 52 days.
Saigon, USA directors Robert Winn and Lindsey Jang, Chinese Americans based in Los Angeles, had never before seen such large numbers of Asians in
America protesting so passionately for any reason.
"As Asian American filmmakers, we were initially riveted by the unusualsight of Asian Americans in political protest," said Jang. "But we wanted to
get beyond the superficial and find the deeper reasons for all the emotion on the news."
This film encapsulates many of the issues that still remain in the Vietnamese American community in the Northwest-the generation gap between the refugee elders and the American-raised youth; the emotions of immigrants who consider themselves political exiles; and the hostility towards the communist-led current regime in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Americans are the third largest Asian ethnic group in Washington's King County with nearly 27,000 residents, and a total of 43,000 statewide recorded in
the 2000 census. UVA hopes this documentary screening and reception will jumpstart a campaign to build awareness for the 30th anniversary commemoration of the fall of Saigon.
This event is co-sponsored by the Vietnamese Professionals Society, Vietnamese American Economic Development Association, and the International
Examiner. For more information, go to www.nwaaff.org or contact Van Diep at (206) 634-0919 or chez_van@yahoo.com.
8. NEW YORK'S ACV ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS COMING
Mark your calendars Asian American International Film Festival - July 16 - 24, 2004 | Manhattan
Films are being finalized - but log on to www.asiancievision.org to get the latest news. Watch here as we get closer to July for more info.
And if you are a filmmaker, log on and find out about the 64 HOUR SHOOT OUT! See you in New York!
9. TAKASHI MIIKE'S GOZU COMES TO THE US - WHEW!
PATHFINDER PICTURES and KLOCKWORX films will present GOZU - YAKUZA HORROR THEATER. Gozu is the outrageous critically acclaimed film from Japan's horror master TAKASHI MIIKE (AUDITION, IICHI THE KILLER, etc...). Zany, crazy, scary, and whacky - GOZU definitely underscores why many US critics have dubbed Miike as Japan's David Lynch. GOZU is playing at CINEVEGAS in Las Vegas this coming Wednesday, June 16 and will be released in the US beginning on July 16 at the Cinema Village in New York and on July 23 at the NuArt Theater in Los Angeles. Following these engagements, GOZU will open in about 20 markets across the states through Landmark Theaters. MIIKE will be IN PERSON on JUNE 16 in Vegas at the 10 PM screening at CINEVEGAS. If you are a MIIKE fan - this is one of his best and craziest.
10. OTHER NOOZE
* FACE - by Bertha Bay Sa Pan is supposed to be coming out this summer - we will have dates hopefully soon.
* SAVING FACE - by Alice Wu and starring Michelle Krusiec and Joan Chen is suposed to come out later this year - watch for dates
* MAGNIFICO - amazing film from the Philippines was picked up by Unitel Pictures for US distribution - watch for dates
* JU-ON : THE GRUDGE - picked up by Lions Gate to be released later this year - watch for dates
Other films recommended right now in theaters - (both Asian and non Asian)
1. BAADAASSSSS - Mario Van Peebles film about his father Melvin Van Peebles and his struggle to make the first Black American film where the Black man wins. Based on a true story. The struggle portrayed in this great film is exactly what our own Asian American filmmakers are going through in order to establish our own Asian American cinema. This is a must see! Lessons learned.
2. SUPER SIZE ME - Huge documentary hit from Sundance - 30 day diet from Mickey Dees and what happens to this guy? You can imagine - it's a wake up call for all of us who only munch on fast food and don't exercise. And it's loads of fun, too! Make you think twice about all those carbs we all love so much!
3. SAVED - mucho fun - and Elizabeth Thai is in the whole movie! Worth seeing!
4. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE - great fun - for every one who was picked on in high school! Crazy and zany and could be another sleeper hit this summer. Worth checking out when want something other than action blow up films.
5. SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER AND SPRING AGAIN - Beautiful film.
6. THE STORY OF A WEEPING CAMEL - Amazing film from Mongolia. In limited release right now - we will try to get theaters for you. But, by all means don't miss this film if it's playing by you.
That's it
See a movie - you have choices
And if you can make it to LA for the LAFF - it will be well worth it!
Vote for you at the box office!
Peace,
APAFIRSTWEEKEND FILM CLUB
