I only went to a handful of movies at the NYAFF but I still had a good time and also was reminded of what hard work festivals are for the serious pop culture addict. I think it’s the consecutive days of movie-going, seeing the same people, grabbing a bite at the same place. It’s geeky but fun. So I liked all the movies I saw. Also, my appreciation for the work they do at Subway Cinema has solidified. They really make an effort to bring Asian cinema to NYC that we might not otherwise be able to see.
1) Exiled by Johnny To: It was another triad movie. I liked Triad Election a lot. This one also had sentiments about the HK handover to China in 1997. Also, it was about loyalty even among gangsters. It was artful, as is Johnny To’s style. It grew on me. At first I worried that it was going to be too stylized but it all paid off in the end.
2) I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay by Park Chan-Wook: People love this guy’s work. I’m not one of them. I said it before, I felt like History of Violence was the movie he’s been striving to make with the Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance). But it’s cool that people have been drawn to modern Korean cinema. I’m very into Rain’s yodeling song which you can see and hear at youtube. I didn’t even know what he looked like before this movie so it wasn’t distracting at all. He was decent I thought. The actual story was sad but I got into it when I realized it was not a totally absurdist movie like… what was that movie I saw last year? It was Funky Forest: The First Contact. I thought that movie tried too hard to be odd.
3) Cruel Winter Blues notable for starring Sol Kyoung-gu considered one of the best actors in Korea right now: He was good. I thought this one was the best of the lot. It was a Korean gangster movie but it wasn’t exploitative or cliched. It had morality front and center as a theme. The mother-son theme ended up being very touching.
That’s all I saw. I considered two others though: The Banquet featuring Zhang Ziyi in this martial arts version of Hamlet. I will see it eventually. The other one was Big Bang Love by Mr. Controversy himself Takashi Miike.
Sicko
Saw it last week. It was a mixed bag. He had interesting storylines and footage but then he did that thing where he puts a lot of time into outliers, as a fellow PCA pointed out, and gets on the sensationalistic side which makes his points vulnerable to being easily discredited. But he does have a sense of entertainment. He showed up at the screening at the end but didn’t really say anything to the audience. He sort of said hi to people as they walked by and then he was surrounded by tv cameras. I would say, if you’re interested, you will find something in it.
I heart music, summer re-mix
Well, since Keane, I’ve gone to a couple of classical music concerts. Good for the brain. I was supposed to go to Morrissey tonight but he’s ill so it has been postponed. I did go see Tammany Hall NYC the other night. It was nice to hear them live again. It has been a long time, a couple of years I think. Yes, here is that review. It was an early show and people seemed to trickle in from work so at first I was feeling a little like Mel on Flight of the Conchords. My fellow PCA said we are definitely not Mel although she is kinda funny with her husband Doug driving her around. Anyway, it was a small acoustic gig. The place was cute, Club Midway. They had the brew I favor. The rain finally came and cleared up the brutal humidity that night. It was a lovely evening.
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