25th Annual SF International Asian Film Festival

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Capsule Reviews from the 25th Annual SF International Asian Film Festival
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... PSULES.DTL

"In Between Days" (So Yong Kim, USA/Canada/South Korea, 83 min.) An astonishing debut about a Korean high school girl in Toronto feeling increasingly marginalized as she tries to find herself. The product of a broken home, Aimie feels like an ugly duckling, is not that interested in school and feels the pressure to have sex with her boyfriend -- despite his apparent interest in another girl. Director Kim, shooting with a digital camera on the lowest of budgets, has made such an acutely observed, emotionally engrossing film that it is amazing that it's her first film. Every shot, every edit, every scene feels just right. A must-see. (Fri. 3/16 7 p.m. Pacific Film Archive, Sat. 3/17 2:30 p.m. Van Ness)


"Flower Drum Song -- A Sing-along Presentation" (Henry Koster, USA 1961, 133 min.) The festival revived the film in 2002, which caused Universal to strike a new print, and I think led to the film's recent DVD release. A film the Asian community had for a long time disavowed thanks to stereotypes, it has enjoyed a positive reassessment -- a Rogers and Hammerstein musical with an all-Asian cast, including Miyoshi Umeki (the only Asian actor to win an Academy Award, for best Supporting Actress in "Sayonara"), Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Jack Soo, among many others. The festival organizers say they noticed a great portion of the audience singing along with the songs, and for the 45th anniversary of the film -- based originally on San Francisco writer C.Y. Lee's landmark novel and set here in Chinatown -- has decided to present a sing-along version, in which the song lyrics are projected onto the screen. It sounds like a joyous Saturday night at the Castro. (Sat. 3/17 9 p.m. Castro)

"Ghosts" (Nick Broomfield, UK, 96 min.) Broomfield is a noted documentarian who has made films about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Tupac Shakur, Heidi Fleiss and the serial killer Aileen Wuornos. This time he is delving into feature filmmaking, but no surprise -- it feels like a documentary. It is based on an incident in 2004 when 23 illegal Chinese immigrants drowned in England while cockling at night against a rising tide. The incident created a national furor over the treatment of immigrant workers, and Broomfield has cast a group of nonprofessional actors, including a real-life illegal immigrant worker, Ai Qin, who is terrific. A very absorbing, moving film. (Sat. 3/17 5:15 p.m.; Sun. 3/18 5 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Wed. 3/21 9:30 p.m. Van Ness)

"Pavement Butterfly" (Richard Eichberg, Germany/UK, 90 min.) This 1929 silent revives pleasant memories of the Anna May Wong retrospective in 2004, and is a can't miss event: a rare film, not available on home video, projected on the big Castro screen with musical accompaniment by noted silent film composer Robert Israel. Wong, though born and raised in L.A., was never appreciated by Hollywood, although she had a long career there. The height of her career came in Europe, especially in five film collaborations with Eichberg (the best probably being "Piccadilly"). In "Pavement Butterfly," Wong is a circus performer wrongly accused of a fellow performer's death; she hides out in the studio of a Parisian artist. It's a love affair that, like most involving Wong (onscreen or off), is doomed. (Sun. 3/18 12:30 p.m. Castro)

"Summer Palace" (Lou Ye, China/France, 140 min.) It's clear by now that Lou Ye, with his third film, has to be taken seriously as one of the world's most promising directors. He harked back to Hitchcock's "Vertigo" with his exciting first feature, "Suzhou River," showed an unmistable grasp of visuals and big-time production values with the perhaps overlong "Purple Butterfly," with Ziyi Zhang, and now has made his best film yet -- and is paying a heavy price. "Summer Palace" is about a group of idealistic students at Beijing University and their relationships, which come to a head during Tiananmen Square. Ambitious, bustling with life and with lots to say, it's no wonder this filmmaker has been banned from working in China the next five years. Considering his achievement -- and I don;t think masterpiece is too strong a word -- it was worth it. (Fri. 3/16 7 p.m. Castro; Sat. 3/17 8:30 p.m. Pacific Film Archive)

Special retrospective: The Films of Hong Sang-Soo

"The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well" (1996, 115 min., Mon. 3/19 9:30 p.m. Van Ness); "The Power of Kangwon Province" (1998, 109 min., Sat. 3/17 2:45 p.m., Van Ness); "Woman Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors" (2000, 126 min., Fri 3/16 9:30 p.m. Van Ness; Wed. 3/21 Pacific Film Archive); "Turning Gate" (2002, 115 min., Fri 3/16 7 p.m. Van Ness); "Woman Is the Future of Man" (2004, 88 min., Sat. 3/17 7:30 p.m. Van Ness); "Tale of Cinema" (2005, 89 min., Mon. 3/19 Van Ness); "Woman on the Beach" (2006, 127 min., Sun. 3/18 7 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Tue. 3/20 6:30 p.m. Van Ness; Sun. 3/25 6:30 p.m. Camera 12)

Seven films in a decade -- and Hang Sang-Soo has become one of the most respected interbnational filmmakers in the world.Why, exactly? His films are slow moving. They are frequently frustrating, and sometimes confusing. They don;t follow conventional plotting. But they are some of the truest depictions of human beings -- isolated, narcissistic, unable to communicate effectively and sometimes simply trying to make their way through life. Add to that his celebration of Seoul -- which he places lovingly, vibrantly in the background like the French New Wave used Paris in their early 1960s exploration of misfits -- and we have a series of irresistable films that grow warmer as we begin to know them.

Hong blew the lid off the Korean film industry with his debut feature, "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well," but that may be his worst film, even as it is his most historic. His visual mastery became apparent with his next two films, "The Power of Kangwon Province" and the black-and-white saucy tale of "Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors." His films stop and start; take wrong turns and head off into new, exciting directions. Take a friend -- take a group of friends -- and absorb the films, tuning out all preconceived notions. Then go out for a discussion. Now that['s a fun evening.

Hong will be present at many of the screenings.

RECOMMENDED
"Baby" (Juwan Chung, USA, 100 min) The festival notes hail this as the Asian American "Boyz N the Hood," but Juwan Chung's absolutely captivating feature debut also reminds me of "The Departed" (or, if you will, "Infernal Affairs") -- a young kid in East L.A. is taken under the wing of a gang leader, but that's just the beginning: the kid becomes a young man during a 7-year stretch in prison, and finds little chance of staying on the straight and narrow. A mesmerizing performance by David Huynh in the title role and excellent support work by the rest of the cast, "Baby" is brash, stylish and super-violent. (Sat. 3/17 9:30 p.m. Van Ness; Tue 3/20 9:15 p.m. Van Ness; Sat. 3/24 9 p.m. Camera 12)

"Undoing" (Chris Chan Lee, USA, 90 min.) It's been 10 years since Lee made his last film, "Yellow," which showed to acclaim at the 1997 festival. His new film is an energetic, visually stunning and absorbing neo noir about a Korean American gangster (the excellent Sung Kang) who returns to L.A. after a mysterious absence determined to rectify the past. Yup, it's got one of those typically pretzel-like film noir plots, but the film works best as a character study of redemption, and Lee's direction is confident, bold and just a bit messy and reckless (that's a good thing). (Fri. 3/16 6:45 p.m. Van Ness; Mon. 3/19 9:30 p.m. Opera Plaza)

"Exiled" (Johnnie To, Hong Kong, 100 min.) Since John Woo left for America, Johnnie To has been the best Hong Kong action director -- meaning he's one of the best in the world. Hit or miss, and "Exiled" is a little of both, To's work really pops out on the big screen with fabulous set pieces, but this tale of brotherhood among gangsters won't replace "The Mission," "PTU" or even "Breaking News" in most hearts. Still, gun battles in a rogue doctor's clinic, in a hotel lobby under a twirling can of Red Bull and at a four-star restaurant, plus over-the-top performances by To regulars Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Lam Suet and others, are worth the price of admission. (Wed. 3/21 9:15 p.m., Van Ness)

WORTH A LOOK
"Big Trouble in Little China" (John Carpenter, USA 1986, 100 min.) The festival has been good about reviving films that, becaue of cliches and outright racism, are not well thought of in the Asian community, yet are historically significant nonetheless. The Anna May Wong retrospective and such films as "The Karate Kid II" have been seen on the big screen, and audiences are able to laugh off the silliness and enjoy the work of Asian American actors who have slugged out against the odds for decades. So now we have this piece of John Carpenter silliness, which doesn't seem to have gotten much better with age. Kurt Russell is a truck driver who ends up in San Francisco's Chinatown -- a studio set with ornate passageways, implausible mysticism, and at least one white woman passing as Chinese. Great ensemble work by Dennis Dun, James Hong and Victor Wong make the film, ahem, durable, I guess. As close to a midnight movie as you'll get at this festival. (Fri. 3/16 10 p.m. Castro)

"Footy Legends" (Khoa Do, Australia, 90 min.) A crowd-pleaser about an unemployed widower of Vietnamese ethnicity whose uneasy financial plight jeopardizes his custody of his daughter, and to make everything right he gets his high school "footy" team together to try and win a local club championship. We know "footy" as Australian Rules Football; we also know this by-the-numbers story structure, so there are no surprises or edgy insights, just gentle feel-good entertainment. There's nothing wrong with that. (Sun. 3/18 2:45 p.m. Van Ness; Sun 3/25 2 p.m. Camera 12)

"Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief" (Jake Clennel, USA, 75 min.) A scratch-the-surface look at a fascinating cultural phenomenon: the "hosts" at an Osaka club that provide dinner conversation, dancing and romance to love-starved Japanese women. This would never fly in America, but the growing disconnect between men and women in Japan, as documented in countless films and documentaries, has suddenly made this a vital part of the culture. (Sun. 3/18 9:30 p.m. Van Ness; Fri. 3/23 7 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Sun. 3/25 Noon Camera 12)

"It's Only Talk" (Ryuichi Hiroki, Japan, 127 min.) Thankfully, Kino released three Hiroki movies just last month, including "Vibrator," one of the best films to show at the 2003 festival. He and his muse, actress Shinobu Terashima, are back with another insightful look at male/female relations in Japan. A manic-depressive woman moves to a small town to discover simplicity in life, and soon she finds meaning when her cousin, who has separated from his wife, comes to stay. Hiroki's films are always interesting and unpredictable, but there's something off about "It's Only Talk," the first film from Hiroki that might border on the tedious. Still, if you're in the mood, it might be worth a chance. (Sat. 3/17 6 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Tue. 3/20 9:15 p.m. Van Ness; Thu. 3/22 7:15 p.m. Van Ness)

"Made in Korea: A One-Way Ticket Seoul-Amsterdam?" (In-Soo Radstake, Netherlands, 73 min.) Interesting if not earth-shattering investigation by a documentary filmmaker, a Korean-born adoptee who was raised by Dutch parents in Amsterdam, into his Korean origins, and his attempts to contact the seven other orphans that were on the same plane from Seoul back in 1980. Radstake is straightforward and honest, keeps to the basics and is a genial sort of fellow. We like him. (Sat. 3/17 4 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Mon. 3/19 7 p.m. Van Ness)

"Tre" (Eric Byler, USA, 87 min.) The director of "Charlotte Sometimes" and "Americanese" is back with his third feature, a love quadrangle among narcissistic twentysomethings in the L.A. area. Eric Byler has developed a cult following with his ambitious, minimalist, slothly paced and introverted tales of identity, but after the borefest that is "Tre," one begins to get the impression Byler would be a very good filmmaker if he'd just stop trying to convince everybody that he is one. He's got a really good mind, but his films feel like vanity projects, or worse, like homework. If you're a fan, though, have at it -- you'll like it. "Charlotte Sometimes," a revelation when it came out in 2002, is still his best film. (Sat. 3/17 4:45 p.m. and Sun. 3/18 7:30 p.m. Van Ness; Sat. 3/24 6:45 p.m. Camera 12)

NOT RECOMMENDED
"Dark Matter" (Chen Shi-Zheng, USA 90 min.) The Closing Night film of the festival, perhaps because of the presence of Meryl Streep, the debut film of noted new york-based Chinese opera director Chen about a Chinese cosmology student at a Midwestern university in the early 1990s attempts to be a troubling portrait of an ambitiously brilliant mind thwarted by those who fell threatened by it, with a bit of culture clash thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, this well-meaning film is a total misfire, as Chen fails to show us why the student (Liu Ye of "Curse of the Golden Flower") really has it so bad or how his theories are so brilliant. Streep, as a Chinese-loving benefactor and Aidan Quinn as his overbearing professor do what they can with thin, awkward material. (Thu. 3/22 7 p.m. Palace of Fine Arts).

"Do Over" (Cheng Yu-Chieh, Taiwan, 113 min.) The idea of separate storylines unconnected until the end has become a cliche -- which doesn't mean it's not a legitimate means of approaching a story in the hands of a master (see: Hong Sang Soo). Unfortunately, Cheng has made a super-serious, unsubtle jigsaw puzzle that has an impressive visual style but very little character development (bad idea when you're plot hinges upon an audience caring what happens to your protagonists). The characters do so many illogical things, presumably because the plot requires them to, and you feel so manipulated that by the end, you just don't care how these characters lives touch each other. (Mon. 3/19 6:45 p.m. Van Ness; Fri. 3/23 8:45 p.m. Pacific Film Archive; Sun. 3/25 4 p.m. San Jose)

"The Mistress of Spices" (Paul Mayeda Berges, UK/USA, 92 min.) There's something wrong when you feel like walking out of a film starring the astonishing beauty Aishwarya Rai, but former festival director Berges, the husband of director Gurinder Chadha (they wrote "Bend It Like Beckham," directed by Chadha) has made, quite frankly, an inept attempt at romantic mysticism. Set in San Francisco but quite obviously shot in London, it is an awkward tale of a woman who runs a spice shop who falls for a handsome architect (Dylan McDermott), but worries she will lose her curative powers. (Sat. 3/17 3:30 p.m. Castro; Sat. 3/24 4:45 p.m. Camera 12)

"Shanghai Kiss" (Kern Konwiser, David Ren, USA 105 min.) My question is, why did Kelly Hu do this movie? We know why writer co-director David Ren did it -- he's a young go-getter who is just getting started in Hollywood, and it shows. In what feels like a first-draft script, the film is a romantic comedy of sorts about an out-of-work Chinese American actor, pushing 30, who is dating a high-school girl (and cheating on her with girls he picks up at clubs). When news comes that he has inherited a house in Shanghai, he goes to China and becomes reconnected with his identity, and falls for Kelly Hu, who is....well, beautiful, but what else? Ken Leung makes a heroic effort to make his lead character likable, but to no avail -- "Shanghai Kiss" feels like it was made by a 15-year-old boy trying to be an adult. (Sat. 3/17 6 p.m. Castro; Fri. 3/23 7 p.m. Camera 12)