The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

I love a good film festival but I realized I’ve started to take them for granted when I should still be really happy that I live in a city where almost every interesting and cool movie plays. It took me awhile to realize the people who run the New York Asian Film Festival are just film fans who want to share cool movie experiences with fellow fans. So, I want to start by saying how impressively earnest this film festival is. They, the fine folks at Subway Cinema, aim to bring over pop films from Asia that wouldn’t be seen in theaters otherwise, on dvd, yes, but a full-screen movie theater? No. They don’t go for the arthouse flicks that showed at Cannes, Venice and Berlin. They go for crowd-pleasing popcorn cinema. It didn’t hit me until I was sitting in a showing of It’s Only Talk that petered out a couple of times and I wasn’t annoyed. Instead, I was just chilling in my seat reading the copies of articles that were so thoughtfully provided about the NYAFF. These articles outlined the history of the festival and had interviews with the founders which made me fully appreciate the wonderful thing that is the NYAFF.

Now that I’ve expressed admiration for this cross-pop-cultural cause, let me tell you about what I saw.

1) The Great Yokai War (Japan, 2005). I already mentioned this children’s movie by Takashi Miike. It was my fave out of what I saw. It’s charming, it’s funny, it’s over-the-top. It’s not necessarily for children. Screen it before you show it to an actual child and decide if s/he can handle the quirkiness and action (read: greater than G rated conflict resolution going on here). If you live in or near NYC, you can see it starting July 1st at Anthology Film Archives where it will have a decent run.

2) Funky Forest: The First Contact (Japan, 2004). There were parts I really enjoyed but the 150 minute length really took away from it for me. Maybe having 3 directors contributed to the bloatedness of it. They could have edited it down to a good 70 minutes or so and had a fantastic movie. Instead, it’s a kitschy, over-indulgent, at times amusing mishmash. There was a part when I felt like they really dug Spike Jonz’ video of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You (who didn’t love this masterpiece?) but would’ve done better just to have kept it to themselves or maybe asked the Torrance Community Dance Troupe to make a cameo. There was another scene that was straight out of David Cronenberg’s Existenz that just felt too derivative for me to enjoy. But other characters and scenes were unique and fun to watch.

3) Peacock (China, 2005). This was pretty good. Again, it got a little long for me at 142 minutes. I needed about 20 minutes less of it. But it was an interesting story with a nice look. Sometimes the ill-adjustedness of the characters was difficult to watch but it was just part of the story.

4) Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005, Korea). This fantasy about the Korean War did phenomenally well in Korea so I was curious to see it. I liked it a lot. It was definitely a fantasy although the violence was pretty brutal in it. It didn’t shy away from making its anti-war points with strong visuals. It had a high degree of sentimentality but the sweetness won me over. I can’t say the Yankees came off looking too well in this but they tried to make it balanced by having one sympathetically portrayed American. Overall, I would recommend this one as worth seeing.

5) It’s Only Talk (2004, Japan). As I mentioned, the film stopped once near the beginning and again near the end due to technical difficulties. But everyone in the audience seemed pretty absorbed in the story. It was another pretty good one but quite serious – no fantasy here to lighten the mood. I didn’t quite like the ending but aside from that, it had its strong points.

6) Linda, Linda, Linda (2005, Japan). This was a really cute movie. It had a Hal Hartley feel and sound to it – thanks to James “Smashing Pumpkins” Iwa and his incidental music – with it’s deadpannedness that managed to convey complexity of relationships and just being. I love a good high school tale and this had one. I would recommend this one too. It won’t mean the same thing to you if you haven’t seen the movie, but I found a video of The Blue Hearts performing Linda Linda at the dependable youtube.com: watch Blue Hearts perform Linda Linda.

So that was it for me. The festival continues through July 1st. Then on July 2nd, they are having a pay as you wish day and they will show Hong Kong movies rescued from the soon to be completely gone Music Palace theater all day long at Anthology Film Archives. They promised films with the likes of Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. I’m sure it will be fun. One more thing, McDonald’s was one of the generous sponsors of the fest but the ad they made for their Asian Chicken Salad which aired before each movie, evoked chuckles of mockery from the audience. I must say I was avoiding this salad because of the way it seemed to throw “Asian” into the title in such a cavalier manner without any thought to culture. But then my brother tried it and said it was good. So I tried it and despite it’s name, it was actually a good salad. I don’t have a point except I wish it was called something else.

So, I’m so psyched about the new Keane album. I’ve listened to it a couple of times but haven’t gotten the full handle on it yet. I trust that it will grow on me like the first album did. At first I was like, what’s up with every song being an anthem? But now I’m totally sold on them. I also was thrilled to read that they are coming out with yet another best of Replacements album. All I can say is, we should all get it!

Tweet This Post 

Well, I fulfilled my desire to see The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift and it was pretty mediocre. I had another lead on a free ticket but it did not work out yet again. So I had to pay to see it. Ehhh. It was a waste of a cool concept. Surprisingly, the car sequences held my interest more than I had anticipated. As my brother said, Vin Diesel and Sonny Chiba had more charisma in their combined 5 minutes than anyone else for the rest of the time. I know, you’re saying, no one forced me to see this movie. But, I did see another movie set in Tokyo that I would recommend, if it is your thing, called The Great Yokai War by J-Horror director Takashi “I’m the guy who made Audition, and more recently, got banned from Showtime” Miike. It was billed as a children’s movie and I guess if you are a kid who likes horror, then this movie is for you. But my reaction was, I liked it a lot but what kind of children’s movie was that? The main character is a young boy and the cool thing was how the sprites that were reminiscent of the animated Spirited Away were live action/CGI/sock puppets in this one. Yokai refers to sprites and there is a big battle involving them. Hence, the title, The Great Yokai War. Go Go from Kill Bill was in it. She looked like Christina Aguilera. I loved her all white outfits.

But what I can’t stop thinking about was the Rufus Wainwright concert I attended last Thursday, June 15 at Carnegie Hall. On June 14 & 15, Rufus Wainwright recreated Judy Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall concert. It far surpassed my expectations. Rufus sang his heart out and he really showed off his pipes and showmanship. Also, I was pleasantly surprised that I recognized many of the tunes. I just didn’t know the titles. In short, the show was fantastic. I gave him a spontaneous standing O and I am extremely stingy with those.

I would also like to mention that I made it to Shakespeare in the Park already. Impressed? I certainly am. But I was really tired from the night before – when I was at the Rufus Wainwright concert. So I had a hard time staying alert in the second half. But Liev Schreiber did an admirable job as Macbeth. In fact, the entire cast was strong. Of course the set was amazing. It always is. The night was beautiful – a little warm but better than cold I suppose. And at the end, the set opened up so we could see Belvedere Castle with the night sky in the background.

Tweet This Post 

First, let me say that it did not work out for The Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift screening. I got there and though I was supposed to get 2 tickets, I only got one so I turned it in and left. I will survive. But I was a bit irritated.

Speaking of irritating things, I’m fascinated by this mosquito ringtone trend. Here are two places you can listen to them:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/audio/mosquito_sound.mp3
2. http://fork.com/ringtones.php

Select mosquito tones and then try out the different megahertz levels.

I’ve been playing them for people of all ages and getting very different responses ranging from PLEASE TURN THAT ANNOYING SOUND OFF! to What? I don’t hear anything. Fascinating, I tell you.

Tweet This Post 

You know I’m a sucker for Liz Gately’s reality shows on MTV starting with Laguna Beach on to 8th and Ocean. Now I’m watching The Hills and I have to say, I really liked the first ep of Fast, Inc. Of course, it was pitched by the owners of the company, Fast Ashley. But I believe in the power of Liz Gately to put together the ingredients in just the right way. It’s about these guys who find cars for celebrities for personal use, for videos, for photographers who need them for shoots, etc. I think I like the unpolished, gritty approach to it. So, I’ll give it another shot this week and see if I’m still entertained. I just read a review of it somewhere…EW maybe? They didn’t like it so much. But I must disagree.

Speaking of cars, I loved Pixar’s new flick, Cars. So cute, so sweet, so visually stunning! I must see it again soon. To be moved by animated cars is a sign of good writing and overall execution in my book. The short beforehand was cute too – One Man Band. And it was a nice homage to Jeremy Piven’s character in Entourage, Ari Gold, to have him voice Harv, Lightning McQueen’s (Owen Wilson’s character) agent. Entourage Season 3 starts tonight!

I also plan on seeing Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift. I think I’m going to see it a smidgen before it opens. We’ll see if that works out and I can give you the lowdown or at least a thumbs up or down.

Should I take a moment to talk about the MTV Movie Awards? I am a fan of Jessica Alba. I constantly argue with my fellow PCA’s about her talent. They like how she looks. I think she is a good actress. She works hard and puts on a good show – watch Dark Angel Seasons 1 and 2 (currently rerunning on SiTV). You can also peep a funny (and talented) Jensen Ackles on Season 2. My brother is finding it hard to forgive Jessica Alba for Fantastic Four which he said was virtually unwatchable.

So, here are my observations and comments about the pretty humdrum MTV Movie Awards 2006 (the best parts were seeing the clips of the nominees): was that Christian Bale’s real accent? I guess so. He’s really good at dialects within the English language. I don’t think I’ve ever heard his natural speech. Gnarls Barkley’s Star Wars theme was impressively elaborate, i.e., having all of his band members dressed up as Star Wars characters. The best spoof was the King Kong one. This is my case in point – Jessica Alba has acting chops. She was really funny playing the realtor trying to sell a cliff to King Kong. Steve Carrell’s acceptance speech was nothing less than absolutely hilarious. I bet no one has ever thanked Eli Whitney and Kelly Clarkson in the same acceptance speech before. And it was cool to see Do the Right Thing get recognized. That movie blew my mind when I saw it. And that song, Fight the Power, also was mind-blowing.

Tweet This Post 

Well, let’s start with graduation mix I made. I haven’t made a mix in a million years. But a situation arose and I felt like making one. I was so pleased with the outcome, I had to share it.

Graduation 2006 – Live Life, That’s What It’s For!
Playlist Notes: I spent a lot of time creating a nice flow so I wanted to share this iMix. The theme is enjoying your graduation and feeling inspired to move on and experience what’s next – while dancing. It starts and ends with instrumentals but really builds up in tempo and mood in the middle with cool songs. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out, and I’m giving it as a graduation present this year so I hope the recipients like it too!

Graduation The O’Neill Brothers
Graduation Vitamin C
Breaking Free Gabriella & Troy
Fly Hilary Duff
Look Through My Eyes Everlife
Upside Down Jack Johnson
Unwritten Natasha Bedingfield
Do You Believe In Magic Aly & AJ
We’re All In This Together Cast – High School Musical
Celebration (Single Version) Kool & The Gang
Axel F Crazy Frog

So, it all started when the composer Edward Elgar was being awarded an honorary doctorate at Yale in 1905. His friend thought it would be nice if everyone marched out to Elgar’s March #1 entitled Pomp and Circumstance written in 1901. After that, it was a done deal. Every American junior high, high school, college and graduate student would march at graduation to this tune forever more. Read more about the history at wikipedia.

---

Imagine my surprise at discovering that Roddy Frame had just released a new album. His voice sounds the same to me like when he was 18 although he’s older now. His guitar-playing and song-writing still appeal to me just as much as ever.

---

I finally watched New York Doll. It was bittersweet but touching and fascinating.

---

What can I say about Three Days of Rain? Here’s my nutshell review: Julia Roberts looks great but is stiff and ill at ease, miscast perhaps, Paul Rudd is fine, Bradley Cooper shines, the writing is great and the rain is spectacular.

---

And I’m so excited. Through channels known only to me, I got an advance copy of Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. No director commentary by Michel Gondry or by Dave Chappelle. But the extras are still cool. There is a 28-minute making-of featurette which is fairly illuminating. And there is an 18-minute featurette about the college marching band in the movie. Very sweet. I was pleased all over again for the people who got to attend the show. If you haven’t seen it yet, Dave goes back to his hometown and invites all these friendly folk who would seem to have never left town let alone visited Brooklyn.

Tweet This Post