Due to my extensive non-writing work schedule and too many concurring assignments, I was only able to attend four films at the year’s San Diego Asian Film Festival. Still, between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai’s swoon-worthy Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s massively essential A City of Sadness, it was time well spent. I wrote up each screening over at The House Next Door.
I fell in love with MMMM at Cannes, so it’s great to see the film finally arrive in theaters stateside. Aside from writing the film up in a review proper, I had the pleasure of interviewing star Elizabeth Olsen and director Sean Durkin, two huge talents we’ll probably be talking about for years to come.
Also, an earlier piece I wrote for “31 Days of Horror” on Roy Ward Baker’s insane Quatermass and the Pit.
Werewolves. Horny teens. Ginger Snaps. Here’s my review for Not Coming to a Theater Near You‘s “31 Days of Horror.”
The 2011 San Diego Asian Film Festival started on Thursday, October 20 with opening night screenings of Almost Perfect and Park Chan-wook’s cell phone movie Night Fishing and runs through October 28. I haven’t had the opportunity to make it down to the festival until today, but I plan on seeing some of the most notable entries all fast and furious like. If you’re in the San Diego area, here are a few recommendations for Saturday, some must-sees if you will either based on hype or me having already seen them at other festivals.
Saturday, October 22
Ninja Kids!!! (12pm) – Takashi Miike delves into yet another genres/realm with this children’s fable about juvenile ninjas.
Aftershock (2pm) – One of China’s largest grossing blockbusters, I can’t help but want to see this theatrically.
The Day He Arrives (6pm) – Hong Sang-soo is one of the world’s great filmmakers, and his latest, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard program at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is an impressive extension of his previous work.
Norwegian Wood (8pm) – Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh-Hung made one of my favorite films of the 1990s (Cyclo), so any chance to see a film by him on the big screen is a no-brainer.
– For more information on the 2011 SDAFF, click here.
There’s a new Almodóvar joint out there, and it’s nasty fun. Get going people.
If you have the chance to see Andrew Haigh’s sublime romance Weekend, I highly recommend it. The two central performances are superb, a combination of raw nerves, tenderness, and sincerity.
MATCH CUTS 