Fifteen days. We. Are. Done.
Last night was so fetch. The staff and volunteer leads were all dressed up, the theater was buzzing with people from everywhere, and the adrenaline was pumping. Part of the staff piles into theater seven, before the screening of IP MAN begins. Phil does a quick introduction for our chairman Dan Hom who proceeds to thank the board members and patrons. He then recognizes the four women in his life, mother, daughter and wife. And then of course, Lee Ann. Lee Ann gives thanks to everyone who makes this festival possible, and has the staff come to the front of the theater to be recognized. It feels good to know that we are making a difference and that our efforts are appreciated.
Hung out in the lobby for about an hour or so before we can go set up at All American Grill. Karin Anna Cheung is hilarious and she has some really funny behind the scenes stories of THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH. Then my friend and I were looking for my name on the stars from the star campaign. Genius that I am, I’m walking around looking up at the stars instead of where I’m going. I end up completely running into the chairs we have in the Ikea Lounge and made this loud scraping noise before losing my balance and falling into them. I stood up and started cracking up. My friend’s like, did you just trip over those chairs? I nodded, still laughing, and he tries to convince me that no one saw. It’s ok if you laugh at me. If I can’t laugh at myself for being a klutz, I wouldn’t have nearly as much fun as I do. Anyway, we didn’t find my star. Sad. But it was cool looking at all the different stars we had up.
Then hung out at the Toyota booth for a while before going upstairs with Karin, Mark, Chi and Eugene. Took a trip to YogurtLand and just kicked it until we could get into All American Grill. As soon as that place opened for us to set up, we took over. Food stations, go. DJ table and equipment, go. Silent auction, go. Add patrons and mix well for a good time.
The night went very smoothly and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We even had stars from WHITE ON RICE, THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH, and ALL ABOUT DAD come back to celebrate the closing night of our tenth anniversary. Thank you guys for making the trip! It’s much appreciated =)
Then cleaned up a bit before heading out to Chorus for some karaoke-ing. Good times.
Much thanks to:
Volunteers (this festival would not happen without you guys)
Staff (this festival would REALLY not happen without you guys)
Lee Ann Kim (this festival wouldn’t even exist without you)
Board of Directors (you guys rock!)
Sponsors (we love you guys!)
Community Partners (thanks for supporting!)
Patrons (we do this for you! Hope you all enjoyed it!)
Industry Guests (we do this for you too! Thanks for coming out!)
Our wonderful, wonderful, wonderful host, UltraStar Cinema and their staff
Tonight? Well, if the party don’t stop, then Megan’s farewell party is the place to be. And tomorrow night? That’s Halloween, silly. I’m sure you’ll find something to do. And Sunday? If you’re suffering from SDAFF withdrawals, go see Ong Bak 2 (it actually opens today at the Landmark Hillcrest Theater). If we can create enough demand for Asian film, we’ll send a message to the big wigs that we want to see Asians on screen! Thereby creating opportunities for Asian actors (Ok, so it’s a bit of a stretch, but we can try). And next weekend? WHITE ON RICE plays in theaters nationwide! As a bonus for the San Diego crowd, the cast will be back! Gaslamp Reading Theater.
Take care, SDAFFers!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
NORTH KOREA NEEDS A “KOREA” (CAREER) CHANGE
One of this year’s most engaging topics at the SDAFF were the various films and forums that discussed the rampant and tyrannical regime that exists in North Korea and how that Communist country is currently being ruled by a man in which part of his name pretty much describes the situation of the people of N. Korea…ill.
Kim Jong-il, son of N. Korea’s first god complex president Kim Il-sung, became president of North Korea October 8th, 1997, three years after Il-sung passed away in 1994 from a heart attack.
One could possibly say that if Il-sung thought he was a god, his son Jong-il must have been a connoisseur of cheese, thus the crazy notion that Jong-il’s motto could have been “cheeses saves.” But Jong-il also had a god complex and legend has it that he too can control the weather.
However, apparently he must have been sleeping during the 1990s as he was not able to bring about the needed weather pattern changes to nullify the great famine between 1995 and 1998, that was brought on by drought and flooding.
Seriously, all kidding aside, it does not matter how much the West pokes away at Kim Jong-il, he will merely poke away at his own people until they burst and deflate into nothingness.
Where Tibet has Gere, Dafur has Speilberg, and even Bangladesh had the Beatles, no celebrity is willing to speak out for the dying, starving and oppressed people of N. Korea.
Yet there are filmmakers and others trying to get the word out, to let the world know what the frick-frack is going on over in N. Korea as their pseudo-smiling president has become famous to American teens for his persistent bad hair days as depicted in the puppet-comedy TEAM AMERICA, and the too well known to the discerning public for the hair raising fear he instills upon the his people, and his hair-brained nuclear weapon schemes.
They are a different brand of celebrity, ones who are willing to speak for the N. Koreans who needlessly die in concentration…oops…I mean labor camps for committing deadly crimes like reading a bible, stealing a slice of bread for a meal, being a friend or relative to someone who said something negative about N. Korea or “god forbid” about Kim (which of course he does forbid).
I have already written about the powerfully emotional treatise on the plight of a N. Korean man trying to save his dying wife by sneaking into Communist China to get medicine and the subsequent events that affected him, his wife and only child in CROSSING.
Over the weekend, there were two main events that were a must see: The eye opening documentary film KIMJONGILIA, directed by N.C. Heikin; and the NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS panel featuring Heikin, UCSD’s Professor Stephan Haggard and human rights activist for the N. Korean people Hannah Song.
In the heart wrenching KIMJONGILIA, a handful of Korean refugees who escaped the damning clutches of N. Korea reveal through personal accounts of life North of the 38th Parallel, a life that in no way parallels anything we are accustomed to in the United States.
What makes this film more powerful than any of those documentaries that bludgeon you with images of inhumane suffering and archive footage of violence gone awry, is that via dance and the compelling stories of these brave men and women that fled N. Korea, you get drawn into the film and hear what is being said, so you tune in rather than get turned off.
What was disappointing (but expected) to hear was how the Chinese treat the N. Korean refugees. Although they are required by international law to protect these defectors, the Chinese gladly send them back to N. Korea, knowing full well that they will be killed upon their return.
The Chinese claim that the N. Korean’s are a burden on that part of the country’s economy. It must also be a burden getting all that money through a growing economy compliments of Western Capitalism…oops, wrong…that doesn’t exist in a Communist country…right?
The NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS panel further discussed and analyzed these above topics and much more as I was able to weasel in a final comment at the end of the panel when I summarized, “So what you are all saying, is that North Korea needs a career (Korea) change.”
Kim Jong-il, son of N. Korea’s first god complex president Kim Il-sung, became president of North Korea October 8th, 1997, three years after Il-sung passed away in 1994 from a heart attack.
One could possibly say that if Il-sung thought he was a god, his son Jong-il must have been a connoisseur of cheese, thus the crazy notion that Jong-il’s motto could have been “cheeses saves.” But Jong-il also had a god complex and legend has it that he too can control the weather.
However, apparently he must have been sleeping during the 1990s as he was not able to bring about the needed weather pattern changes to nullify the great famine between 1995 and 1998, that was brought on by drought and flooding.
Seriously, all kidding aside, it does not matter how much the West pokes away at Kim Jong-il, he will merely poke away at his own people until they burst and deflate into nothingness.
Where Tibet has Gere, Dafur has Speilberg, and even Bangladesh had the Beatles, no celebrity is willing to speak out for the dying, starving and oppressed people of N. Korea.
Yet there are filmmakers and others trying to get the word out, to let the world know what the frick-frack is going on over in N. Korea as their pseudo-smiling president has become famous to American teens for his persistent bad hair days as depicted in the puppet-comedy TEAM AMERICA, and the too well known to the discerning public for the hair raising fear he instills upon the his people, and his hair-brained nuclear weapon schemes.
They are a different brand of celebrity, ones who are willing to speak for the N. Koreans who needlessly die in concentration…oops…I mean labor camps for committing deadly crimes like reading a bible, stealing a slice of bread for a meal, being a friend or relative to someone who said something negative about N. Korea or “god forbid” about Kim (which of course he does forbid).
I have already written about the powerfully emotional treatise on the plight of a N. Korean man trying to save his dying wife by sneaking into Communist China to get medicine and the subsequent events that affected him, his wife and only child in CROSSING.
Over the weekend, there were two main events that were a must see: The eye opening documentary film KIMJONGILIA, directed by N.C. Heikin; and the NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS panel featuring Heikin, UCSD’s Professor Stephan Haggard and human rights activist for the N. Korean people Hannah Song.
In the heart wrenching KIMJONGILIA, a handful of Korean refugees who escaped the damning clutches of N. Korea reveal through personal accounts of life North of the 38th Parallel, a life that in no way parallels anything we are accustomed to in the United States.
What makes this film more powerful than any of those documentaries that bludgeon you with images of inhumane suffering and archive footage of violence gone awry, is that via dance and the compelling stories of these brave men and women that fled N. Korea, you get drawn into the film and hear what is being said, so you tune in rather than get turned off.
What was disappointing (but expected) to hear was how the Chinese treat the N. Korean refugees. Although they are required by international law to protect these defectors, the Chinese gladly send them back to N. Korea, knowing full well that they will be killed upon their return.
The Chinese claim that the N. Korean’s are a burden on that part of the country’s economy. It must also be a burden getting all that money through a growing economy compliments of Western Capitalism…oops, wrong…that doesn’t exist in a Communist country…right?
The NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS panel further discussed and analyzed these above topics and much more as I was able to weasel in a final comment at the end of the panel when I summarized, “So what you are all saying, is that North Korea needs a career (Korea) change.”
SDAFF 2009: Twice as Nice
ROUGH CUT was amazing!!! I love how at the surface level, it’s mindless fun, but when you start thinking about it, the movie is actually pretty deep. There’s a lot of different layers going on, and the movie doesn’t get too much into them, leaving it ambiguous and open for interpretation. Between the lines, ROUGH CUT touches on identity, coming to terms with who you are versus the appearance you portray, and prioritizing what is important in life. I love how the lines between reality and imagination blur together, in more than one way, defining, or trying to define, what is real and what isn’t. And the action sequences were really good, I think they were realistic enough. Actually, I think the tone throughout the movie was pretty realistic, as in you get pulled in emotionally, empathizing with the characters. My favorite scene, which is NOT an accurate portrayal of the movie as a whole, is where Mi-na and Gang-pae are in the bathroom and Mi-na keeps kissing Gang-pae. He asks her, “why do you keep kissing me?” and Mi-na responds along the lines of to take the pain away, so you don’t get hurt. AW! Too cute! And the ending was like, whoa, did that really just happen? The movie is excellent and I didn’t want it to end. I’m so glad I caught it. I want to see it again =)
Then hung out at the theater, raving about how much I liked ROUGH CUT, running into friends of all sorts, and letting the volunteers find similarities between my brother and me. That was too much fun. All week, the volunteers have been bugging me about never being at the theater the same time as my brother because we don’t look alike at all and they wanted to compare the two of us. So they had this joke going where the two of us were the same person, just in different disguises. I think they decided we have similar smiles and that we’re both light of heart. Either way, I love my brother <3.
Then headed in to see MUSHI-SHI. I don’t follow the anime, so the whole experience was new to me. The second half of the movie was such a mind trip. At the end, everyone was like, “What?!” and I spent the rest of the credits with my friend Vince (who follows the anime) trying to figure out what just happened. There are still parts of the ending that neither one of us know what to make of.
Then we had some more volunteer fun. Still trying to find similarities between my brother and me. And all I’m going to say is that Anthony and I are trouble for Mark.
Tonight’s gonna be a good night.
IP MAN (7pm) and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. Silent auction and announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
ALL ABOUT DAD (5:30pm) Added screening! Director Mark Tran and actor Chi Pham are scheduled to attend! Yay!
THE REAL SHAOLIN (7:30pm) Added screening!
LEGEND IS ALIVE (9:30pm) Added screening!
IP MAN (Encore @ 9:45pm)
Then hung out at the theater, raving about how much I liked ROUGH CUT, running into friends of all sorts, and letting the volunteers find similarities between my brother and me. That was too much fun. All week, the volunteers have been bugging me about never being at the theater the same time as my brother because we don’t look alike at all and they wanted to compare the two of us. So they had this joke going where the two of us were the same person, just in different disguises. I think they decided we have similar smiles and that we’re both light of heart. Either way, I love my brother <3.
Then headed in to see MUSHI-SHI. I don’t follow the anime, so the whole experience was new to me. The second half of the movie was such a mind trip. At the end, everyone was like, “What?!” and I spent the rest of the credits with my friend Vince (who follows the anime) trying to figure out what just happened. There are still parts of the ending that neither one of us know what to make of.
Then we had some more volunteer fun. Still trying to find similarities between my brother and me. And all I’m going to say is that Anthony and I are trouble for Mark.
Tonight’s gonna be a good night.
IP MAN (7pm) and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. Silent auction and announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
ALL ABOUT DAD (5:30pm) Added screening! Director Mark Tran and actor Chi Pham are scheduled to attend! Yay!
THE REAL SHAOLIN (7:30pm) Added screening!
LEGEND IS ALIVE (9:30pm) Added screening!
IP MAN (Encore @ 9:45pm)
Etienne! at SDAFF!
Etienne! is our special film as it features an adorable hamster as one of the leading actors. Etienne! himself was not able to attend the screening, but the director of the film, Jeff Mizushima, attended- along with Richard Vallejos who played Richard, and Vito Razi who played ...... Vito!
Etienne! was a huge success at our festival! We love Etienne! Yes! Etienne! always needs to be written with an exclamation mark! Don't forget!
Etienne! was a huge success at our festival! We love Etienne! Yes! Etienne! always needs to be written with an exclamation mark! Don't forget!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
SDAFF 2009: The Choices We Make
It’s amazing how the choices we make can influence a person, and in a position of authority, an entire community.
Last night I went to the 9500 LIBERTY screening at the Jacobs Center. I’m really glad I went because most of the audience was not from the festival; rather they were from our community partners (Anti-Defamation League, UCSD Cross Cultural Center, USD Trans-Border Institute, Bayside Community Center, Border Angels, and MAAC Project). It’s good to see a different crowd coming out to support.
The documentary follows the race relations and the impact of the passing of an immigration policy in Prince William County, VA, from bloggers to politicians, to immigrant families to people who have been there their entire lives. The first time the immigration policy was on the agenda to be voted on, the board of supervisors unanimously voted in favor for it, despite the questionable language of the policy. The result of which negatively effected the community. Immigrant families no longer felt welcomed, leaving the county the same time the housing bubble burst. Prince William County suffered economically worst than other areas that did not have the same policy.
The choices we make, the things we say, even the most off-handedly ones, and equally important the things we don’t say or do, have a ripple effect of touching someone’s life. So when we make conscious decisions on serious issues, our impact are that much greater.
Can you imagine, if each board member voted the way their gut told them to, without fear, they could have avoided this whole fiasco? I don’t know how some people live with themselves, knowing that their actions have serious consequences and still chose to do the popular thing, even though it’s not the right thing.
Life’s not easy, but it usually has a way of coming back to haunt us, whether we realize it or not.
I don’t think Eric Byler or Annabel Park intended for such a discourse on actions and consequences, but that’s the beauty of interpretation.
Take care, SDAFFers.
Tonight:
Second screening of 9500 LIBERTY at 4pm at the UltraStar theater. Director Eric Byler to attend.
ROUGH CUT at 7:10pm
MUSHI-SHI at 10pm (If I’m not to tired).
Tomorrow:
Closing night! IP MAN and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. Silent auction and announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
Last night I went to the 9500 LIBERTY screening at the Jacobs Center. I’m really glad I went because most of the audience was not from the festival; rather they were from our community partners (Anti-Defamation League, UCSD Cross Cultural Center, USD Trans-Border Institute, Bayside Community Center, Border Angels, and MAAC Project). It’s good to see a different crowd coming out to support.
The documentary follows the race relations and the impact of the passing of an immigration policy in Prince William County, VA, from bloggers to politicians, to immigrant families to people who have been there their entire lives. The first time the immigration policy was on the agenda to be voted on, the board of supervisors unanimously voted in favor for it, despite the questionable language of the policy. The result of which negatively effected the community. Immigrant families no longer felt welcomed, leaving the county the same time the housing bubble burst. Prince William County suffered economically worst than other areas that did not have the same policy.
The choices we make, the things we say, even the most off-handedly ones, and equally important the things we don’t say or do, have a ripple effect of touching someone’s life. So when we make conscious decisions on serious issues, our impact are that much greater.
Can you imagine, if each board member voted the way their gut told them to, without fear, they could have avoided this whole fiasco? I don’t know how some people live with themselves, knowing that their actions have serious consequences and still chose to do the popular thing, even though it’s not the right thing.
Life’s not easy, but it usually has a way of coming back to haunt us, whether we realize it or not.
I don’t think Eric Byler or Annabel Park intended for such a discourse on actions and consequences, but that’s the beauty of interpretation.
Take care, SDAFFers.
Tonight:
Second screening of 9500 LIBERTY at 4pm at the UltraStar theater. Director Eric Byler to attend.
ROUGH CUT at 7:10pm
MUSHI-SHI at 10pm (If I’m not to tired).
Tomorrow:
Closing night! IP MAN and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. Silent auction and announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
BIG WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING PROUD SDAFF KEEPS ON BURNING
Over the past three days, for me and my wife Silvia (the Chi Reader in the lobby), we have been burning that mid-night oil having the most awesome time you can imagine, getting home around 1:00 am every night. By the way what day is it today?
Silvia gave readings to over 75 people, offering advice on emotional issues, physical injuries and the most common problem dehydration, as she would also explain the importance of what color is best for chi flow and how to drink water.
When I was not watching a film, I’d be doing bean detox and handing out the ancient Chinese secret of Chi Twigs, some say Chi Sticks, but if you say that too fast, it sounds like a concession stand snack.
We’re also happy that we have been able to help out the SDAFF volunteer staff who in my opinion have been doing a bang up job….dudes and dudettes, you guys rock and roll.
This is the first in a series of 8-track flashback blogs, no not stuff from the 1970s, but bits and pieces of stuff that I have not been able to yak about yet that hopefully will add flavor to the festival’s events and share stuff about the films and interview bits that you may not have already heard about.
So in the words of WAYNE’S WORLD, when they do that funky flashback special effect…doodely doot, doodely doot, doodely doot.
I am so happy that Dustin Nguyen’s film LEGEND IS ALIVE finally arrived from Singapore, Friday, Oct. 16th, one day after it was supposed to show on opening night. It would have been a shame to deprive audiences of such a great film.
But it arrived with an unbeknownst beckoning of broached beggared and brandished absences that boggled our brains after Nguyen bestowed upon of us at the break.
I hear some of you perhaps saying….”What?” Read on.
So Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18th, 2009 was the West Coast premiere of LEGEND IS ALIVE, Nguyen’s second martial arts spectacle where he plays a mentally challenged martial artist named Long who is taught the Vietnamese martial art of Tay Son Binh Dinh as a means to cope with his mental deficiencies.
In order to inspire Long to do good, his female martial arts teacher tells Long he is the son of Bruce Lee but that he should never practice martial arts to hurt people only to use them to protect those who are in need. Of course events conspire that lead him to break out of his shell and do the right thing.
Of note, Tay Son Binh Dinh originates from Binh Dinh province and although the history is unclear two major practitioners of the art led what is known as the Tay Son Uprising that began in 1771 and ended in 1802, where during these times King Nguyen Hue fought and defeated Ching Dynasty invaders from China.
Although known for its aggressive sword fighting techniques, it is one of the few Vietnamese martial arts that women were encouraged to learn thus the smart choice of making Long’s teacher in the film a woman.
After the film, SDAFF’s Phil Luque chatted with Nguyen.
Grinning a grinly grin, Nguyen grunted, “Hmm, the ending of the film has been changed.”
The version of the film sent to the festival was from Singapore and apparently the censors of the movie over there decided to re-edit the film without telling anyone.
As you can imagine, any country that will arrest you for trying to sneak chewing or bubble gum into the country is going to take out a sizeable bite of the film, chew it up and swallow it, because spitting out gum in public is punishable with execution (well not really, just up to one year in prison and/or a public flogging).
Well, who ever edited this film deserves a flogging with a piece of sticky gum and a prison sentence of watching Wrigley’s Chewing Gum commercials for a year.
Nguyen was attracted to the story sharing that in the film Bruce Lee is not the legend that is alive but that the living legend is the mother’s unrequited love for her child who is sick due to the effects of agent orange.
The herbicide agent orange, part of the United States government's initiation to create rainbow chemicals (named by using a color to describe the compound), was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war to defoliate Vietnam’s jungles in order to eliminate hiding places for the North Vietnamese and to also destroy food crops that fed their armies.
After Nguyen filled us all in on the missing parts, certain parts of the film made more sense.
It is important to note that this is not a kung fu or martial arts film and when Nguyen signed on to do the film it had very few fights. But as the project moved along, the director kept adding in more action scenes and soon it had received the label of being a martial arts film.
What is so refreshing about Nguyen’s performance is that the fights look nothing like what he did in his first martial arts film THE REBEL and that is a testament to him and the fight choreographers of the film.
Nguyen closed the by saying that this was physically the hardest film he ever worked on as you can tell that the main villain knew nothing about martial arts or how to fight on camera as he constantly kept hitting Nguyen for real.
But at the end of the day, it was not the fighting that made the film, but the story and Nguyen’s performance. Cheers, lad.
Silvia gave readings to over 75 people, offering advice on emotional issues, physical injuries and the most common problem dehydration, as she would also explain the importance of what color is best for chi flow and how to drink water.
When I was not watching a film, I’d be doing bean detox and handing out the ancient Chinese secret of Chi Twigs, some say Chi Sticks, but if you say that too fast, it sounds like a concession stand snack.
We’re also happy that we have been able to help out the SDAFF volunteer staff who in my opinion have been doing a bang up job….dudes and dudettes, you guys rock and roll.
This is the first in a series of 8-track flashback blogs, no not stuff from the 1970s, but bits and pieces of stuff that I have not been able to yak about yet that hopefully will add flavor to the festival’s events and share stuff about the films and interview bits that you may not have already heard about.
So in the words of WAYNE’S WORLD, when they do that funky flashback special effect…doodely doot, doodely doot, doodely doot.
I am so happy that Dustin Nguyen’s film LEGEND IS ALIVE finally arrived from Singapore, Friday, Oct. 16th, one day after it was supposed to show on opening night. It would have been a shame to deprive audiences of such a great film.
But it arrived with an unbeknownst beckoning of broached beggared and brandished absences that boggled our brains after Nguyen bestowed upon of us at the break.
I hear some of you perhaps saying….”What?” Read on.
So Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18th, 2009 was the West Coast premiere of LEGEND IS ALIVE, Nguyen’s second martial arts spectacle where he plays a mentally challenged martial artist named Long who is taught the Vietnamese martial art of Tay Son Binh Dinh as a means to cope with his mental deficiencies.
In order to inspire Long to do good, his female martial arts teacher tells Long he is the son of Bruce Lee but that he should never practice martial arts to hurt people only to use them to protect those who are in need. Of course events conspire that lead him to break out of his shell and do the right thing.
Of note, Tay Son Binh Dinh originates from Binh Dinh province and although the history is unclear two major practitioners of the art led what is known as the Tay Son Uprising that began in 1771 and ended in 1802, where during these times King Nguyen Hue fought and defeated Ching Dynasty invaders from China.
Although known for its aggressive sword fighting techniques, it is one of the few Vietnamese martial arts that women were encouraged to learn thus the smart choice of making Long’s teacher in the film a woman.
After the film, SDAFF’s Phil Luque chatted with Nguyen.
Grinning a grinly grin, Nguyen grunted, “Hmm, the ending of the film has been changed.”
The version of the film sent to the festival was from Singapore and apparently the censors of the movie over there decided to re-edit the film without telling anyone.
As you can imagine, any country that will arrest you for trying to sneak chewing or bubble gum into the country is going to take out a sizeable bite of the film, chew it up and swallow it, because spitting out gum in public is punishable with execution (well not really, just up to one year in prison and/or a public flogging).
Well, who ever edited this film deserves a flogging with a piece of sticky gum and a prison sentence of watching Wrigley’s Chewing Gum commercials for a year.
Nguyen was attracted to the story sharing that in the film Bruce Lee is not the legend that is alive but that the living legend is the mother’s unrequited love for her child who is sick due to the effects of agent orange.
The herbicide agent orange, part of the United States government's initiation to create rainbow chemicals (named by using a color to describe the compound), was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war to defoliate Vietnam’s jungles in order to eliminate hiding places for the North Vietnamese and to also destroy food crops that fed their armies.
After Nguyen filled us all in on the missing parts, certain parts of the film made more sense.
It is important to note that this is not a kung fu or martial arts film and when Nguyen signed on to do the film it had very few fights. But as the project moved along, the director kept adding in more action scenes and soon it had received the label of being a martial arts film.
What is so refreshing about Nguyen’s performance is that the fights look nothing like what he did in his first martial arts film THE REBEL and that is a testament to him and the fight choreographers of the film.
Nguyen closed the by saying that this was physically the hardest film he ever worked on as you can tell that the main villain knew nothing about martial arts or how to fight on camera as he constantly kept hitting Nguyen for real.
But at the end of the day, it was not the fighting that made the film, but the story and Nguyen’s performance. Cheers, lad.
ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS for CLOSING NIGHT!
The official line-up of SD Asian Film Festival additional screenings is out!
5:30 ALL ABOUT DAD
7:30 THE REAL SHAOLIN
9:30 LEGEND IS ALIVE
There is a reason why these films are screening again. Don't miss your chance to watch the selection of our most popular films! Tickets on sale now-- selling out fast!
http://sdaff.bside.com/2009
go to TICKETS
5:30 ALL ABOUT DAD
7:30 THE REAL SHAOLIN
9:30 LEGEND IS ALIVE
There is a reason why these films are screening again. Don't miss your chance to watch the selection of our most popular films! Tickets on sale now-- selling out fast!
http://sdaff.bside.com/2009
go to TICKETS
SDAFF 2009: Three Days Left! Screenings Added!
I can’t believe it’s Tuesday already. There’s today, tomorrow, and Thursday left of the festival! So go watch more movies! Because you’re not going to be able to see movies like these again for a whole YEAR!
Last night, I missed SCANDAL MAKERS and I’m SOOO sad. But I had tons of fun selling merchandise. We have T-shirts ($15 but $10 for members), hats ($10), Reel Voices DVDs ($10), stars ($10), and limited edition coffee mugs ($15 but $10 for members). We also have special promotions going on. Depending on which movie you go to, we’ll also throw in a gift card from one of our amazing sponsors when you purchase SDAFF merchandise. Last night for SCANDAL MAKERS, it was a $5 gift card to the first 20 people who bought something from the merchandise table. Who knows what we’ll be giving away next. Best part about selling stuff? Hanging out with the volunteers and coming up with marketing and sales tactics. I think we have a little too much fun sometimes (but then again, I’m easily amused).
At any rate, I was able to catch the 10:15pm showing of ICHI and for a Monday night, the theater had a pretty good-sized audience. Go patrons! ICHI was GOOD and I’m glad I stayed up for it. I haven’t seen the original ZATOICHI or the remake of it, but I enjoyed ICHI. I thought the story was well put together. It definitely had it’s funny moments, which I’m glad for because Ichi was always so solemn (Can you imagine Joker from THE DARK KNIGHT asking Ichi “Why so serious?!” and then getting his butt kicked?). Haruka Ayase is so cute. I really want to see her in something where she’s a lot more expressive. Any suggestions anyone?
If you missed ICHI last night, there’s another showing of it tonight at 7:30pm, and again on Thursday at 4:15pm.
Speaking of additional showings, we added ALL ABOUT DAD (5:30pm), THE REAL SHAOLIN (7:30pm), LEGEND IS ALIVE (9:30pm), and IP MAN (9:45pm) to Thursday afternoon/night.
And attention volunteers! We have another secret volunteers only screening coming up! Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for details!
Tonight: West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114). It’s free and it’s at 7pm and directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are scheduled to attend.
Tomorrow: Going to see ROUGH CUT at 7:10pm
Thursday: Closing night! IP MAN and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. There will be a small silent auction at the reception, so if you missed out at the Gala, here’s your chance! We’ll also be announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
Last night, I missed SCANDAL MAKERS and I’m SOOO sad. But I had tons of fun selling merchandise. We have T-shirts ($15 but $10 for members), hats ($10), Reel Voices DVDs ($10), stars ($10), and limited edition coffee mugs ($15 but $10 for members). We also have special promotions going on. Depending on which movie you go to, we’ll also throw in a gift card from one of our amazing sponsors when you purchase SDAFF merchandise. Last night for SCANDAL MAKERS, it was a $5 gift card to the first 20 people who bought something from the merchandise table. Who knows what we’ll be giving away next. Best part about selling stuff? Hanging out with the volunteers and coming up with marketing and sales tactics. I think we have a little too much fun sometimes (but then again, I’m easily amused).
At any rate, I was able to catch the 10:15pm showing of ICHI and for a Monday night, the theater had a pretty good-sized audience. Go patrons! ICHI was GOOD and I’m glad I stayed up for it. I haven’t seen the original ZATOICHI or the remake of it, but I enjoyed ICHI. I thought the story was well put together. It definitely had it’s funny moments, which I’m glad for because Ichi was always so solemn (Can you imagine Joker from THE DARK KNIGHT asking Ichi “Why so serious?!” and then getting his butt kicked?). Haruka Ayase is so cute. I really want to see her in something where she’s a lot more expressive. Any suggestions anyone?
If you missed ICHI last night, there’s another showing of it tonight at 7:30pm, and again on Thursday at 4:15pm.
Speaking of additional showings, we added ALL ABOUT DAD (5:30pm), THE REAL SHAOLIN (7:30pm), LEGEND IS ALIVE (9:30pm), and IP MAN (9:45pm) to Thursday afternoon/night.
And attention volunteers! We have another secret volunteers only screening coming up! Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for details!
Tonight: West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114). It’s free and it’s at 7pm and directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are scheduled to attend.
Tomorrow: Going to see ROUGH CUT at 7:10pm
Thursday: Closing night! IP MAN and All American Grill for the reception afterwards. There will be a small silent auction at the reception, so if you missed out at the Gala, here’s your chance! We’ll also be announcing the winner of our Star Campaign (again, it doubles as a raffle for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! Winner need not be present).
Monday, October 26, 2009
SDAFF 2009: Ways to Support SDAFF
If you’ve been following my blog, it’s pretty obvious that I love SDAFF. And since it’s a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting audiences with the human experience through the media arts, we need all the help we can get. How can you help us? Easy.
Monetary-wise:
1. Watch movies. The Foundation not only puts on its annual film festival, but also has multiple screenings throughout the year. Some of them are even FREE! To stay up to date on what we’re doing, sign up for our e-newsletter at www.sdaff.org (we don’t spam! Promise!)
2. Become a member. There are different levels of membership; Friends, Donors, Supporters, Patrons, and Producers. Depending on your level of membership, you receive different benefits, from receiving discount tickets, to free merchandise, to members only exclusives. For more information on becoming a member, visit www.sdaff.org.
3. Buy SDAFF merchandise. Yes, we have merchandise! We have t-shirts for sale and this year, we have these awesome SDAFF mugs. Please visit our merchandise table to check them out.
4. Buy a star. This year, we are launching our star campaign. Basically, you purchase a star for $10 each and you can have your name, or the name of a loved one, or an organization, written on the star. During the festival, your star will be “shining” and you can point it out to your friends – “Hey look! There’s my name!” Not only that, but for every star you purchase, you will be entered into our drawing for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! (Winner will be announced at the festival’s closing night party on October 29. Winner need not be present to win). Visit our merchandise table to buy stars.
Blood, sweat and tears:
1. Become a volunteer. It’s a non-profit organization and volunteers are the heart and soul of SDAFF. Without volunteers, there would be no SDAFF. And for patrons, your festival experience would be seriously lacking if there weren’t volunteers to help with all the behind the scenes madness. Contact Mark or Julie, our fabulous volunteer coordinators, for more information on signing up. mark@sdaff.org or juliez@sdaff.org
2. Serve on the Board of Directors. A different kind of volunteer, the BoD is comprised of a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise, overseeing governance, ensure adequate resources and help with the Foundation’s strategic direction. You can talk to any of the board members about their experience with SDAFF and about joining. Or if you’re set on becoming a board member, you can contact us at info@sdaff.org or 858.565.1264.
3. Spread the good word. There are still A LOT of people in San Diego who have not heard of the Film Festival, never mind the foundation. The average person knows 250 people. Each of those 250 people know another 250 people. That’s potentially 62,500 people! So tell a friend to tell a friend! Change your status on facebook or twitter. Follow us on twitter online, become a fan on facebook (and leave us comments!), and we still have a myspace!
4. Bring your friends and family (or your hot date). This is pretty much the same as spreading the good word. But this goes a step further in actually getting people to our events. Because two is better than one.
Monetary-wise:
1. Watch movies. The Foundation not only puts on its annual film festival, but also has multiple screenings throughout the year. Some of them are even FREE! To stay up to date on what we’re doing, sign up for our e-newsletter at www.sdaff.org (we don’t spam! Promise!)
2. Become a member. There are different levels of membership; Friends, Donors, Supporters, Patrons, and Producers. Depending on your level of membership, you receive different benefits, from receiving discount tickets, to free merchandise, to members only exclusives. For more information on becoming a member, visit www.sdaff.org.
3. Buy SDAFF merchandise. Yes, we have merchandise! We have t-shirts for sale and this year, we have these awesome SDAFF mugs. Please visit our merchandise table to check them out.
4. Buy a star. This year, we are launching our star campaign. Basically, you purchase a star for $10 each and you can have your name, or the name of a loved one, or an organization, written on the star. During the festival, your star will be “shining” and you can point it out to your friends – “Hey look! There’s my name!” Not only that, but for every star you purchase, you will be entered into our drawing for a 7-day Holland America Line Cruise for TWO to the Caribbean or Mexico! (Winner will be announced at the festival’s closing night party on October 29. Winner need not be present to win). Visit our merchandise table to buy stars.
Blood, sweat and tears:
1. Become a volunteer. It’s a non-profit organization and volunteers are the heart and soul of SDAFF. Without volunteers, there would be no SDAFF. And for patrons, your festival experience would be seriously lacking if there weren’t volunteers to help with all the behind the scenes madness. Contact Mark or Julie, our fabulous volunteer coordinators, for more information on signing up. mark@sdaff.org or juliez@sdaff.org
2. Serve on the Board of Directors. A different kind of volunteer, the BoD is comprised of a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise, overseeing governance, ensure adequate resources and help with the Foundation’s strategic direction. You can talk to any of the board members about their experience with SDAFF and about joining. Or if you’re set on becoming a board member, you can contact us at info@sdaff.org or 858.565.1264.
3. Spread the good word. There are still A LOT of people in San Diego who have not heard of the Film Festival, never mind the foundation. The average person knows 250 people. Each of those 250 people know another 250 people. That’s potentially 62,500 people! So tell a friend to tell a friend! Change your status on facebook or twitter. Follow us on twitter online, become a fan on facebook (and leave us comments!), and we still have a myspace!
4. Bring your friends and family (or your hot date). This is pretty much the same as spreading the good word. But this goes a step further in actually getting people to our events. Because two is better than one.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
SDAFF 2009: What a Weekend!
Friday night was pretty laid back. Got to Jsix lounge early to set up. Once people showed up after the premier of THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH we pretty much just kicked it and talked. Gotta do a shout out to Stephen Chin and Louis Song, two of our board members, for making it out to Jsix. It is much appreciated!
Saturday was pretty nuts for me. Found out the night before that my long lost cousin would be making another appearance at SDAFF so I definitely had to go catch the second screening of ALL ABOUT DAD. I was in the middle of getting ready when I got a call. Turns out that my 10% chance of picking up Kero One, one of the Blowfish artists, became an 95% chance. Of course, it would be right in the middle of the movie, and I don’t like starting a movie and then not be able to finish it in one sitting. So I headed down to the theater anyway to say hello to my long lost cousin. I told him about my situation, and he was pretty chill about it. He said that the DVD would be coming out in December and I could just catch it then. So there you go! If you missed ALL ABOUT DAD, the DVD will be released in December.
As I was waiting for flight information and phone numbers to come though, I had one of the volunteers play photographer for me. Last year, Toyota had these key chains they gave away and I had taken a pair and turned them into earrings. The Toyota representatives totally loved it. So when I found out that they had new key chains this year, I knew I had to get my hands on them. With characters as cute as Dan, Frank and Mani, who could resist not taking a couple of each? So I worked some magic and viola! Toyota earrings! I was a bit bummed that the representatives weren’t at the theater when I was there, but it’s all good. I modeled our lovely turquoise SDAFF shirt and each pair of earrings by the respective car (meaning, if I wore the Mani earrings, I posed by the car with Mani on it).
As soon as all the information about Kero One’s flight came in, I took off to the airport. Picked him and DJ King Most up. They’re really cool guys and super laid back, talking a bit about San Francisco versus San Diego. Dropped them off at the Towne and Country before heading back to the theater to drop off left over materials from Jsix lounge. Caught my cousin and his costar Minh Do in the lobby talking to a group of fans, so that was cool.
Then I went home and ran errands before heading down to Canes for set up. We had a few snags here and there, but nothing detrimental to the overall production. I gotta thank J-Wok for providing food for the volunteers. I hadn’t eaten since noon and the food was still delicious even though it was cold by the time I got around to eating it. Much love for feeding us. And definitely doing a shout out to Myx for helping make Blowfish happen. They even had a whole camera crew covering the event that night! Beautiful interviewer included! Be on the lookout for exclusive Blowfish footage. Then doors opened and we were counting down the minutes to start time. Running around and making sure things stayed on schedule was hectic, but not stressful, thanks to our performers for being there when they were supposed to be there and to Dan Matthews for making a good time line. You guys make my life easier so thank you!
The event itself went well, and very smoothly if I don’t say so myself. Performances by Vox Merger, Kero One, Dannu, Zen, and KeyKool of the Visionaries, and of course Lyrics Born with music videos by the respective artists, Far*East Movement, and ApSci. Yay! And a really cool part of the show was Lyrics Born rapping/making a shout out to SDAFF and to our chairman Dan Hom, who was in the house! And if I’m not mistaken, it was his first Blowfish experience. Woot! Go Dan!
After clean up was done, we kicked it at the hotel for a bit before going out to grab a bite to eat. That was pretty much the end of the night. And today was a catch up on sleep day. Overall it was an excellent weekend.
Tomorrow, Monday, October 26: SCANDAL MAKERS @ 7:30pm
Tuesday, October 27: 9500 LIBERTY @ 7pm @ the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114) (Free) – West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center. Directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are schedule to attend.
Take care!
Saturday was pretty nuts for me. Found out the night before that my long lost cousin would be making another appearance at SDAFF so I definitely had to go catch the second screening of ALL ABOUT DAD. I was in the middle of getting ready when I got a call. Turns out that my 10% chance of picking up Kero One, one of the Blowfish artists, became an 95% chance. Of course, it would be right in the middle of the movie, and I don’t like starting a movie and then not be able to finish it in one sitting. So I headed down to the theater anyway to say hello to my long lost cousin. I told him about my situation, and he was pretty chill about it. He said that the DVD would be coming out in December and I could just catch it then. So there you go! If you missed ALL ABOUT DAD, the DVD will be released in December.
As I was waiting for flight information and phone numbers to come though, I had one of the volunteers play photographer for me. Last year, Toyota had these key chains they gave away and I had taken a pair and turned them into earrings. The Toyota representatives totally loved it. So when I found out that they had new key chains this year, I knew I had to get my hands on them. With characters as cute as Dan, Frank and Mani, who could resist not taking a couple of each? So I worked some magic and viola! Toyota earrings! I was a bit bummed that the representatives weren’t at the theater when I was there, but it’s all good. I modeled our lovely turquoise SDAFF shirt and each pair of earrings by the respective car (meaning, if I wore the Mani earrings, I posed by the car with Mani on it).
As soon as all the information about Kero One’s flight came in, I took off to the airport. Picked him and DJ King Most up. They’re really cool guys and super laid back, talking a bit about San Francisco versus San Diego. Dropped them off at the Towne and Country before heading back to the theater to drop off left over materials from Jsix lounge. Caught my cousin and his costar Minh Do in the lobby talking to a group of fans, so that was cool.
Then I went home and ran errands before heading down to Canes for set up. We had a few snags here and there, but nothing detrimental to the overall production. I gotta thank J-Wok for providing food for the volunteers. I hadn’t eaten since noon and the food was still delicious even though it was cold by the time I got around to eating it. Much love for feeding us. And definitely doing a shout out to Myx for helping make Blowfish happen. They even had a whole camera crew covering the event that night! Beautiful interviewer included! Be on the lookout for exclusive Blowfish footage. Then doors opened and we were counting down the minutes to start time. Running around and making sure things stayed on schedule was hectic, but not stressful, thanks to our performers for being there when they were supposed to be there and to Dan Matthews for making a good time line. You guys make my life easier so thank you!
The event itself went well, and very smoothly if I don’t say so myself. Performances by Vox Merger, Kero One, Dannu, Zen, and KeyKool of the Visionaries, and of course Lyrics Born with music videos by the respective artists, Far*East Movement, and ApSci. Yay! And a really cool part of the show was Lyrics Born rapping/making a shout out to SDAFF and to our chairman Dan Hom, who was in the house! And if I’m not mistaken, it was his first Blowfish experience. Woot! Go Dan!
After clean up was done, we kicked it at the hotel for a bit before going out to grab a bite to eat. That was pretty much the end of the night. And today was a catch up on sleep day. Overall it was an excellent weekend.
Tomorrow, Monday, October 26: SCANDAL MAKERS @ 7:30pm
Tuesday, October 27: 9500 LIBERTY @ 7pm @ the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114) (Free) – West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center. Directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are schedule to attend.
Take care!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
SDAFF 2009: ROFLMAO
Wow. KOLLABORATION: COMEDY NIGHT was friggin hilarious. I’m so glad I went to the show. I was laughing so hard, my face hurt. Does anyone know if it’s possible for your face muscles to cramp up?
First up was PK talking about his childhood and growing up as the preacher’s youngest son (amongst other things). Then Walter Hong was introduced as the cleanest comedian. That was a falsehood. Regardless of how clean his act is, he is still really funny, talking about relationships and getting the audience involved. (On a side note, he has this awesome laugh; love it!) To close the evening was Randall Park, telling us a childhood story about his elementary school crush. Too cute.
Then we headed to YogurtLand for the meet and greet. Walter Hong was so excited about putting Cap’n Crunch in his yogurt. Oh, and I told Randall Park the story behind the quote “I LOVE RANDALL PARK!! I F*CKING LOVE RANDALL PARK!” Lol. Afterwards, went over to the DoubleTree for a private reception. It was pretty chill, just talking and listening to people sing DIFFERENT STROKES. And getting the most awesome introduction ever. And dancing to JUMP ON IT with the guys (even PK got in on that). Good times.
Tonight, Friday, October 23:
World premier of THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH @ 7pm. Cast and director scheduled to attend.
After party at JSix Lounge (616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101).
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 24:
SDAART NOW: ACTORS WORKSHOP @ 2pm @ Mission Valley Doubletree Hotel
REEL VOICES @ 4:30pm @UltraStar cinemas
Small reception to follow
FRUIT FLY @ 6pm Cast and crew scheduled to attend
SCANDAL MAKERS @ 7pm
BLOWFISH: INTERSECTION OF SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Doors open @ 8:30pm @ Canes (3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109)
I feel like our anthem should be I PARTY by Far*East Movement.
First up was PK talking about his childhood and growing up as the preacher’s youngest son (amongst other things). Then Walter Hong was introduced as the cleanest comedian. That was a falsehood. Regardless of how clean his act is, he is still really funny, talking about relationships and getting the audience involved. (On a side note, he has this awesome laugh; love it!) To close the evening was Randall Park, telling us a childhood story about his elementary school crush. Too cute.
Then we headed to YogurtLand for the meet and greet. Walter Hong was so excited about putting Cap’n Crunch in his yogurt. Oh, and I told Randall Park the story behind the quote “I LOVE RANDALL PARK!! I F*CKING LOVE RANDALL PARK!” Lol. Afterwards, went over to the DoubleTree for a private reception. It was pretty chill, just talking and listening to people sing DIFFERENT STROKES. And getting the most awesome introduction ever. And dancing to JUMP ON IT with the guys (even PK got in on that). Good times.
Tonight, Friday, October 23:
World premier of THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH @ 7pm. Cast and director scheduled to attend.
After party at JSix Lounge (616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101).
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 24:
SDAART NOW: ACTORS WORKSHOP @ 2pm @ Mission Valley Doubletree Hotel
REEL VOICES @ 4:30pm @UltraStar cinemas
Small reception to follow
FRUIT FLY @ 6pm Cast and crew scheduled to attend
SCANDAL MAKERS @ 7pm
BLOWFISH: INTERSECTION OF SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Doors open @ 8:30pm @ Canes (3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109)
I feel like our anthem should be I PARTY by Far*East Movement.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
JAPAN AND KOREA: LAUGHTER IS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
During my last blog I alluded to how for Japan and Korea, at least cinematically, World War II still runs deep in their respective psyches, whether it is issues of Japanese Colonialism or Japan ignoring what the world knows they did during those times.
Of course not every film from these countries are about these topics, but based on Asian Film Festivals around the United States and the world, the popularity of the theme is still strong.
So last night I was happy…nay…full of glee and laughter, a welcome change of pace for films from these respective countries, showing that we are all just looking to have some fun.
The “What? are you kidding me?” freakazoid Japanese jive ALF meets HELLO KITTY a-mews-ing feature NEKO RAMEN TAISHO (aka PUSSY SOUP) and the krazy and kooky Korean komedy MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT.
If you’ve seen these films, then you’ll get the play on Harry Chapin’s famous song.
The Cat’s in the Ramen Shop and the Silver Spoon,
Little kitten Taisho and the Harimao goon.
“When you coming home, dad?”
“Only to beat your butt”
But we’ll loose our noodles then, dad.
You know we’ll be good agents then.
Directed by Terra Shin, which is not an earthly limb bone but a director who has the upper leg on many of his Korean comedy contemporaries, MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT surprised me, not just with its smart comedy but the screenwriting.
It’s MR. AND MRS. SMITH, ala Mr. and Mrs. Kim, as two former lovebirds lose, then find, then lose, then find, then lose then find love amid their secret gents lives on opposing sides, yet on the same side, in which the thing is neither of them know it.
Fans of Korean films will probably fawn over actress Kim Ha-neul as the leggy Agent Ahn Su-ji and her Mr. Smith counterpart Kang Ji-hwan as the bumbling rookie agent Lee Jae-jun. Their on screen chemistry is as good as Na+ and Cl- (sodium chloride), which by the way means a solid chemical match that can lose its bond in water, as it did once during a rain scene in the film too.
However, I thought the best performance was the subtle humor and the excellent timing in line delivery by Jang Yeong-nam who played Lee’s boss, Chief Hong, leader of the Harimao Squad.
As a screenwriter, I was impressed with the subtle details that screenwriter Cheon Seong-il set up during various parts of the story. Whether it was the lobster hammer, the silver spoon or the pregnancy gag, each had payback later in the film, something that often falls short in poorly written screenplays from any country.
Notice as a further homage to MR. AND MRS. SMITH that one of the lead villains looks, has the hair and dresses like Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft character.
Although there was actually an unexpected but pleasant inkling of fight scenes, with a few worthy martial arts skills weaved in for stylism, the fights were never meant to be the major set pieces of the film and the movie was still enjoyable without them.
PUSSY SOUP was as bizarre as it was a purr-fect end to the Night of the Roundtable pseudo-discussion of these films with Sir Phil Luque Laugh-a lot, showing one mo’ time that the new SDAFF Extreme movie series was worth the time and effort of the film programmers.
If you’ve heard of the cartoon, sing the paragraph below to the same cadence of the famous TV animated program, FELIX THE CAT.
Taisho the cat, the wonderful, wonderful, cat, whenever he gets in a fix he reaches into his ramen bowl of trix. Taisho the cat, the wonderful, the wonderful cat, you’ll watch the noodle contest, your eyes will freak, your mind will squint with “huh?”, watching Taisho fall in love with a…cat?
After Taisho gets ousted from his cushion TV job, where his father is a living feline legend, the kid kitten fails as a sushi chef, doctor and taxi driver.
Just as he is about take the rest of his nine-lives, an old, sage-looking human takes Taisho under his noodle wing and teaches him the way of ramen rolling and cooking.
A year later, Taisho becomes quite the celebrity, cute girls want his picture and a dredge of a late human teen misfits into Taisho life, his status as top ramen cat is challenged by a familiar nemesis who challenges him to an iron chef, ramen-making contest.
Does Taisho have the metal to win the gold or will he sink in the mercury polluted water like a lead balloon as his nemesis might steel the show, put-tin Taisho back out on the streets without a nickel, unless they can iron out their differences.
Did I honestly just write a paragraph using all those metals. Yikes, it either must be getting late, or the cat has got my tongue because I’m having to much fun or I’m losing my noodle. The SDAFF will do that to you.
Oh, one last thing. My wife Silvia will be back in the lobby doing free Qi readings and free Qi checkups for your good health and well being, this whole weekend Friday-Sunday (Oct. 23 – 25). Did I ever tell you that she used to be an actress in Taiwan in the early 1980s? Yep.
Of course not every film from these countries are about these topics, but based on Asian Film Festivals around the United States and the world, the popularity of the theme is still strong.
So last night I was happy…nay…full of glee and laughter, a welcome change of pace for films from these respective countries, showing that we are all just looking to have some fun.
The “What? are you kidding me?” freakazoid Japanese jive ALF meets HELLO KITTY a-mews-ing feature NEKO RAMEN TAISHO (aka PUSSY SOUP) and the krazy and kooky Korean komedy MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT.
If you’ve seen these films, then you’ll get the play on Harry Chapin’s famous song.
The Cat’s in the Ramen Shop and the Silver Spoon,
Little kitten Taisho and the Harimao goon.
“When you coming home, dad?”
“Only to beat your butt”
But we’ll loose our noodles then, dad.
You know we’ll be good agents then.
Directed by Terra Shin, which is not an earthly limb bone but a director who has the upper leg on many of his Korean comedy contemporaries, MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT surprised me, not just with its smart comedy but the screenwriting.
It’s MR. AND MRS. SMITH, ala Mr. and Mrs. Kim, as two former lovebirds lose, then find, then lose, then find, then lose then find love amid their secret gents lives on opposing sides, yet on the same side, in which the thing is neither of them know it.
Fans of Korean films will probably fawn over actress Kim Ha-neul as the leggy Agent Ahn Su-ji and her Mr. Smith counterpart Kang Ji-hwan as the bumbling rookie agent Lee Jae-jun. Their on screen chemistry is as good as Na+ and Cl- (sodium chloride), which by the way means a solid chemical match that can lose its bond in water, as it did once during a rain scene in the film too.
However, I thought the best performance was the subtle humor and the excellent timing in line delivery by Jang Yeong-nam who played Lee’s boss, Chief Hong, leader of the Harimao Squad.
As a screenwriter, I was impressed with the subtle details that screenwriter Cheon Seong-il set up during various parts of the story. Whether it was the lobster hammer, the silver spoon or the pregnancy gag, each had payback later in the film, something that often falls short in poorly written screenplays from any country.
Notice as a further homage to MR. AND MRS. SMITH that one of the lead villains looks, has the hair and dresses like Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft character.
Although there was actually an unexpected but pleasant inkling of fight scenes, with a few worthy martial arts skills weaved in for stylism, the fights were never meant to be the major set pieces of the film and the movie was still enjoyable without them.
PUSSY SOUP was as bizarre as it was a purr-fect end to the Night of the Roundtable pseudo-discussion of these films with Sir Phil Luque Laugh-a lot, showing one mo’ time that the new SDAFF Extreme movie series was worth the time and effort of the film programmers.
If you’ve heard of the cartoon, sing the paragraph below to the same cadence of the famous TV animated program, FELIX THE CAT.
Taisho the cat, the wonderful, wonderful, cat, whenever he gets in a fix he reaches into his ramen bowl of trix. Taisho the cat, the wonderful, the wonderful cat, you’ll watch the noodle contest, your eyes will freak, your mind will squint with “huh?”, watching Taisho fall in love with a…cat?
After Taisho gets ousted from his cushion TV job, where his father is a living feline legend, the kid kitten fails as a sushi chef, doctor and taxi driver.
Just as he is about take the rest of his nine-lives, an old, sage-looking human takes Taisho under his noodle wing and teaches him the way of ramen rolling and cooking.
A year later, Taisho becomes quite the celebrity, cute girls want his picture and a dredge of a late human teen misfits into Taisho life, his status as top ramen cat is challenged by a familiar nemesis who challenges him to an iron chef, ramen-making contest.
Does Taisho have the metal to win the gold or will he sink in the mercury polluted water like a lead balloon as his nemesis might steel the show, put-tin Taisho back out on the streets without a nickel, unless they can iron out their differences.
Did I honestly just write a paragraph using all those metals. Yikes, it either must be getting late, or the cat has got my tongue because I’m having to much fun or I’m losing my noodle. The SDAFF will do that to you.
Oh, one last thing. My wife Silvia will be back in the lobby doing free Qi readings and free Qi checkups for your good health and well being, this whole weekend Friday-Sunday (Oct. 23 – 25). Did I ever tell you that she used to be an actress in Taiwan in the early 1980s? Yep.
SDAFF 2009: Round Two
I came into work this morning and commented on the music we had playing in the office. My coworker said something along the lines of “Yeah, it’s not that funky music we usually have.” I did a little dance and he says, “Dang, Pamela, getting down! It’s too early for that!” I respond, “Early? I’ve been rocking out ALL WEEK!”
So are you guys ready for round two? Delirium is beginning to set in and this is going to be a whole different level of madness.
Tonight, Thursday, October 22:
KOLLABORATION: COMEDY NIGHT: MONROK KOREANAIRE @ 7pm – Randall Park’s going to be there. Love his stuff. Also in our line up is Monrok, Walter Hong, and PK. $6.50 for members/$8 students and military/$9.50 general public (UltraStar Cinemas).
Tomorrow, Friday, October 23:
World premier of THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH @ 7pm. Cast and director scheduled to attend.
After party at JSix Lounge (616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101). It’s a sexy movie with sexy people so you know it’s going to be a sexy party ;) dress to impress. Simply show your ticket stub or festival pass to get in.
Saturday, October 24:
SDAART NOW: ACTORS WORKSHOP @ 2pm @ Mission Valley Doubletree Hotel ($7 to get in)
This is a new event this year. If you’re thinking about becoming an actor, you should definitely come check it out. You’ll get practical advice from local experts on the business of acting. Randall Park is also a guest speaker at this event, so you know it’s going to be a good time. Presented by the San Diego Asian American Repertory Theater.
REEL VOICES @ 4:30pm @UltraStar cinemas (Free) – We’re showcasing our teen produced program which takes a fresh and raw look at the compelling stories of high school filmmakers. You never know if these kids are going to be the next big thing, so come check them out!
BLOWFISH: INTERSECTION OF SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Doors open @ 8:30pm @ Canes (3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109) 21+ only, $15 if you RSVP at blowfish@sdaff.org or $18 at the door – Lyrics Born, Kero One, and Zen, Dannu, and KeyKool of The Visionaries.
Sunday, October 25:
NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS @ 4:00pm @ UltraStar cinemas (Free) – For two American journalists detained in North Korea, Euna Lee and Laura Ling experienced hell on earth. But they KNEW there was a better world; most of the citizens in North Korea don’t. Join Stephen Haggard (author of Famine in North Korea), N.C. Heikin (director of KIMJONGILIA), and Hannah Song (executive director of Liberty in North Korea) for an intellectual discourse on human rights and the humanitarian crisis.
Tuesday, October 27:
9500 LIBERTY @ 7pm @ the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114) (Free) –West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center. This documentary captures a very intense and heated battle about immigration, racial profiling, identity, and the fear of a “minority take over” situation. Directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are schedule to attend.
Thursday, October 29:
CLOSING NIGHT @ 7pm of IP MAN.
After party upstairs at All American Grill. Make sure you have your IP MAN ticket stub or all festival pass!
So are you guys ready for round two? Delirium is beginning to set in and this is going to be a whole different level of madness.
Tonight, Thursday, October 22:
KOLLABORATION: COMEDY NIGHT: MONROK KOREANAIRE @ 7pm – Randall Park’s going to be there. Love his stuff. Also in our line up is Monrok, Walter Hong, and PK. $6.50 for members/$8 students and military/$9.50 general public (UltraStar Cinemas).
Tomorrow, Friday, October 23:
World premier of THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH @ 7pm. Cast and director scheduled to attend.
After party at JSix Lounge (616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101). It’s a sexy movie with sexy people so you know it’s going to be a sexy party ;) dress to impress. Simply show your ticket stub or festival pass to get in.
Saturday, October 24:
SDAART NOW: ACTORS WORKSHOP @ 2pm @ Mission Valley Doubletree Hotel ($7 to get in)
This is a new event this year. If you’re thinking about becoming an actor, you should definitely come check it out. You’ll get practical advice from local experts on the business of acting. Randall Park is also a guest speaker at this event, so you know it’s going to be a good time. Presented by the San Diego Asian American Repertory Theater.
REEL VOICES @ 4:30pm @UltraStar cinemas (Free) – We’re showcasing our teen produced program which takes a fresh and raw look at the compelling stories of high school filmmakers. You never know if these kids are going to be the next big thing, so come check them out!
BLOWFISH: INTERSECTION OF SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Doors open @ 8:30pm @ Canes (3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109) 21+ only, $15 if you RSVP at blowfish@sdaff.org or $18 at the door – Lyrics Born, Kero One, and Zen, Dannu, and KeyKool of The Visionaries.
Sunday, October 25:
NORTH KOREA: IN FOCUS @ 4:00pm @ UltraStar cinemas (Free) – For two American journalists detained in North Korea, Euna Lee and Laura Ling experienced hell on earth. But they KNEW there was a better world; most of the citizens in North Korea don’t. Join Stephen Haggard (author of Famine in North Korea), N.C. Heikin (director of KIMJONGILIA), and Hannah Song (executive director of Liberty in North Korea) for an intellectual discourse on human rights and the humanitarian crisis.
Tuesday, October 27:
9500 LIBERTY @ 7pm @ the Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114) (Free) –West Coast premier of 9500 LIBERTY at the Jacobs Center. This documentary captures a very intense and heated battle about immigration, racial profiling, identity, and the fear of a “minority take over” situation. Directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are schedule to attend.
Thursday, October 29:
CLOSING NIGHT @ 7pm of IP MAN.
After party upstairs at All American Grill. Make sure you have your IP MAN ticket stub or all festival pass!
Everyone needs a good laugh: Live Comedy on Thursday, Oct. 22
Kollaboration Comedy Night: MONROK KOREANAIRE
Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.
"Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy ... Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use." —Helpguide
San Diego Asian Film Festival seriously wants you to get your laugh on at its first-ever standup comedy night. SDAFF welcomes Kollaboration Comedy for an entertaining, 90-minute showcase of some of the funniest, emerging Asian American comedians. The evening features the talent of MONROK, Walter Hong, PK (Paul Kim), and Randall Park—who has appeared on "MADtv," MTV's "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" and more.
"In the Know" Buzz for FREE Tickets: Anyone who has a movie-ticket stub from SDAFF films dated Wednesday, Oct. 21 or Thursday, Oct. 22 can bring it to the box office at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas in Hazard Center to redeem it for a FREE voucher to see Kollaboration Comedy Night. There is a limited amount of FREE vouchers—first come, first served.
Regular-price tickets for Kollaboration Comedy Night on Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. are also available at the box office:
UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas in Hazard Center
7510 Hazard Center Dr.
San Diego, CA 92108-4521
Here are some video clips of:
Randall Park - Plenty of videos
Randall Park - Clip about appearing at SDAFF 2009
Of course, there is also a wide variety of great films showing today. Here is a LINK to the film schedule for Thursday, Oct. 22.
SDAFF 2009: Animation Program: Illusion Sheds Light on Reality
The days have blended together and I’m having a hard time keeping things straight. I remember going to the ANIMATION: ILLUSION OF LIFE program last night. And it was really good. Shout out to our animation curator, Sam Chen, for doing another kick ass job. He asked me last night which was my favorite, and honestly, there are so many good ones, I can’t decide. The range of artistic style and story line and themes are so diverse, I’m soo glad I’m not on the festival jury to pick BEST ANIMATION. I think when people hear the word “animation,” they think it’s something for children. In reality, it is not; animation is a form of art. I could sit here and talk about each animated short, but that would defeat the purpose of having you go see it. Last chance to catch it is Tuesday, October 27 at 7pm.
I will, however, highlight THE VEILED COMMODITY, directed by Dickson Chow and Vinh Chung. Not only is the art amazing, but for a six minute film, THE VEILED COMMODITY speaks volumes. Most people think that slavery is a thing of the past, but just because it is no longer an open market, does not make it nonexistent. Modern day slavery is a very real thing and it usually comes in the forms of forced labor and/or prostitution. It’s not something people want to think or talk about, making it difficult to market, and for Chow and Chung to make a film about it deserves some recognition. For that, I’m really glad that Dickson Chow was present for last night’s screening and was gracious enough to do a Q&A afterwards. He described how he decided to take on this project, why he chose the topic of modern day slavery, the mediums he used, the length of time it took to complete the project, his role in the film, scoring the film, and so forth. I don’t remember if he talked about the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, but I remember seeing it in the credits. The foundation promotes awareness about modern day slavery, and for more information, please visit www.fdff.org.
I also want to mention Becky’s Fund, sort of in response to BREATHLESS, since it completely slipped my mind the other day. Becky’s Fund, www.beckysfund.org, is a non-profit organization that serves the victims of domestic violence and strives to end violence in the home. There are other organizations just like this one, but I want to highlight Becky’s Fund because it caters more specifically towards the API community. A lot of domestic violence victims do not come forward and seek help, and with the way the API culture is structured, API victims are even less likely to speak about it. If you, or someone you know is involved in domestic violence, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are people who will help and will provide safety.
Here is a link to the San Diego Regional Domestic Violence Phone Guide:
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/hhsa/programs/phs/documents/SanDiegoRegionalDVResourcesList.pdf
Connecting audiences to the human experience.
I will, however, highlight THE VEILED COMMODITY, directed by Dickson Chow and Vinh Chung. Not only is the art amazing, but for a six minute film, THE VEILED COMMODITY speaks volumes. Most people think that slavery is a thing of the past, but just because it is no longer an open market, does not make it nonexistent. Modern day slavery is a very real thing and it usually comes in the forms of forced labor and/or prostitution. It’s not something people want to think or talk about, making it difficult to market, and for Chow and Chung to make a film about it deserves some recognition. For that, I’m really glad that Dickson Chow was present for last night’s screening and was gracious enough to do a Q&A afterwards. He described how he decided to take on this project, why he chose the topic of modern day slavery, the mediums he used, the length of time it took to complete the project, his role in the film, scoring the film, and so forth. I don’t remember if he talked about the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, but I remember seeing it in the credits. The foundation promotes awareness about modern day slavery, and for more information, please visit www.fdff.org.
I also want to mention Becky’s Fund, sort of in response to BREATHLESS, since it completely slipped my mind the other day. Becky’s Fund, www.beckysfund.org, is a non-profit organization that serves the victims of domestic violence and strives to end violence in the home. There are other organizations just like this one, but I want to highlight Becky’s Fund because it caters more specifically towards the API community. A lot of domestic violence victims do not come forward and seek help, and with the way the API culture is structured, API victims are even less likely to speak about it. If you, or someone you know is involved in domestic violence, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are people who will help and will provide safety.
Here is a link to the San Diego Regional Domestic Violence Phone Guide:
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov
Connecting audiences to the human experience.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
SDAFF 2009: How to Fold a Crane
As part of our fold a prayer/crane and cancer awareness campaign, we have a table set up at the theater for patrons to fold a crane. Manning the table are volunteers who are capable of folding cranes and are patiently teaching people how to do so (at least, that’s the idea). Apparently, my folding crane style is different from the instruction poster at the table. So for anyone who I taught and is now struggling to remember what to do next, but can’t figure it out because I have a rebel style, here are step by step instructions with pictures!
Make sure you have a square piece of paper.
Fold it in half toward you
Fold it in half again.
The creases should be on the left and top side and should be able to open like a book.
Take the top right corner of the “book” and fold it down along the left hand crease.
Open the folded “book” cover.
Do the same thing to this side so it looks like a triangle.
This is where it gets a bit tricky. If you hold the top of the triangle up, you should be able to see all the different layers.
Take the very inside layers and while holding the two outer triangles, open it along the creases.
This is what it should look like if you look at the insides.
You should get a square. Turn it so that when you set it down, it should look like a diamond and it opens toward you. There should also be a crease straight down the middle.
Take the right corner of the top layer and fold the bottom half along the middle crease.
Do the same thing for the left side.
Flip the whole thing over. Take the right corner of the top layer and fold the bottom half along the middle crease.
Do the same thing for the left side. At this point it should look like a kite.
Take the top triangle of the kite, and fold it down along the top of the two smaller triangles.
Make sure you make this crease really well.
It should look like a triangle.
Open that very triangle you just made so it looks like a kite again.
Open the two side triangles so it looks like a diamond.
Tricky bit: From the bottom of the diamond (the corner closest to you) you’re going to peel the very top layer and take it to the top, as far as it’ll go.
It should look kind of like a boat.
You’ll want to flatten your boat shape along the creases already in the paper.
Flip the whole thing over. Do the same thing: Open the two side triangles so it looks like a diamond.
Take the top layer and flip it to the top so it looks like a boat.
Flatten. You should have an elongated diamond.
If you notice, the bottom half of your elongated diamond should be able to move, like legs (if it’s your top half the moves, just turn it upside down).
Now the legs are a bit too fat. So we’re going to take the right corner of the top layer and fold the bottom half along the middle.
Do the same thing to the left side.
Flip the whole thing over.
Do the same thing: Take the right corner of the top layer and fold the bottom half along the middle.
Repeat on the left side.
Ok, this part is difficult for me to explain, but what you’re going to do is stick your index fingers between the two layers.
Pinch the middle and fold the middle closed.
Pinch those two parts together.
Whatever is left hanging, you want to pinch them together in their own little section.
Flatten.
Here, it should look kind of like a fox.
Take the top layer of the fox nose and turn it all the way up to its ears.
Flatten it so it makes a crease.
Flip the whole thing over.
Repeat: Take the fox nose and fold it up to its ears.
Flatten.
This next part is like what we did earlier. Stick your index fingers between the two side layers.
Pinch the middle and fold the middle closed.
Pinch those two parts together.
Whatever is left hanging, you want to pinch them together in their own little section.
Flatten.
If you look from the top of where everything opens, you should be able to see the insides of the fox nose.
Take that and slightly pull it out at any angle you like.
This is going to be either the head or the tail.
Do the same to the other one.
Pick one side to be the head.
Fold the tip down.
I like to kind of crease it along the inside so the head stays in place.
Now I’m sure you can tell where the wings are.
Pinch them at the base (as close as you can get to the middle).
Slowly pull them outwards.
Sometimes it’s easier to kind of wiggle the wings back and forth as you’re pulling the wings out so the middle pops up more.
And viola! You just made a crane!
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