The closing gala film is Panay (Wawa No Cidal) - a drama following the struggle of an indigenous community in Taiwan with urban development and gentrification.
Singer songwriter and TV host Ado’ Kaliting Pacidal stars in Panay and will also be giving a Q&A after the film. Ado'Kaliting hails from an Amis background - a Taiwanese ethnic minority group, much like the community portrayed in the film. Check out her Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyuhZzjr5k9oaKZdO-K-WJQ
Netflix has recently added lots of old Shaw Brothers films - hurrah! Including this stunning wu xia masterpiece with the beautiful Cheng Pei Pei.
May I also recommend a documentary on there - General Tso's Chicken. It's basically the story of the Chinese American diaspora told through food. This dish is not familiar here in the UK, I'm not sure what the equivalent is. One of our national dishes is chicken tikka massala, a subverted Indian dish that has been created to appeal to British palates. It would be interesting to see a documentary made about that. Talking of documentaries there's a good one on Chinatowns of the world on BBC iPlayer Radio now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0380gh0
Here's last weeks' show where I was joined writer and musician AndyMartin to discuss his book Chinese Cinema: A Study of Chinese Films from 1905 to 2005.
2. Boat People directed by Ann Hui 3. Tiger Cage directed by Yuen Woo Ping (produced by Michelle Yeoh's ex husband Dickson Poon, fact fans) 4. Daddy, Father and Papa directed by Clifton Ko Chi Sum
5. Men Behind the Sun directed by Mou Tun-Fei This film documents unbearable atrocities carried out by the Japanese in a chinese prisoner of war camp in Harbin. I watched a clip on Youtube and it is so disturbing I am unable to post anything. I notice is turns up in this list of the 50 most disturbing movies of all time! Go search for yourself. This looks so horrific, I cannot watch!
7. Young and Dangerous directed by Andrew Lau 8. 15 directed by Royston Tan, set in Singapore 9. Too Young directed by Derek Yee starring Jaycee Chan (Jackie's son)
In this week's episode I play some spooky tuneage for Halloween, pay tribute to the sadly departed HK movie legend Tien Feng and interview Hyujin Cho, producer of the London Korean Film Festival.
The London Korean Film Festival celebrates it's 10th year in 2015 with a bumper programme. I'm very excited that director Chung Chwang Hwa will be giving a Q&A and 3 of his films will be screening:
Voodoo Women - Smiley Smith (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)
Vampire - The Upsetters (Loch Ness Monster, Trojan LP)
Legend of Sleepy Hollow - The Monotones (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)
Dracula Prince of Darkness - King Horror , thought to be Laurel Aitken (Loch Ness Monster, Trojan LP)
Kung Fu Master - Solo Banton (Music Addict, Jahtari EP)
Last Blade - Disrupt (Music Addict, Jahtari EP)
Yunnan Reggae - Lao Hei (soundcloud)
Arriran - Various (Korean Folk Volume 1 LP)
Zombie Jamboree - King Flash and the Calypso Carnival (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)
The Taiwanese director made these films in Korea with Korean cast and crew...including the 1967 martial arts movie A Swordsman in the Twilight.
There are also more populist movies in the Audience Choice strand of the festival. HK actor Simon Yam stars alongside Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae and Gianna Jun in the heist movie The Thieves, which in 2013 was the secondhighest grossing movie of all time at the Korean box office.
I've made it to the BFI to see a couple of films in their season of Chinese cinema. Sadly time, money and distance mean I haven't been able to see more. However I was pleased to see that Fei Mu's 1948 film Spring in a Small Town is available to rent via the BFI Player and I hope to get to that soon. Films Watched @BFI: Drunken Master 1978 Dir. Yuen Wo Ping, starring Jackie Chan and Hiu Siu Tien Shame it was dubbed and we were only notified of this on the day. Still, great to see on the big screen. I'll never tire of that film, I must have watched it 20 times at least. Best training scenes. Stone cold classic.
Nice PJs Fong Fong
The Spooky Bunch1980 Dir. Ann Hui, starring Josephine Siao Fong Fong and Kenny Bee A Fong Fong movie on the big screen?! How could I resist?! Great, strange little film with a docu-feel that ticks Hong Kong nostalgia box and ghostbusting with a gourd box. YES! Phantom laugher in the cinema again. Why is the mere mention of congee funny? See www.easternkicks.com/reviews/the-spooky-bunch Not to be confused with Sammo Hung's Encounters of the Spooky Kind, also 1980.
Other notable films: The Yellow Sea (watched on Mubi.com). Korean film from Director of The ChaserHong Jin-Na. Brutal artery slashing fun. Badass. Must see soon: The Raid 2 Can't wait for: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2 with Donnie and Michelle directed by Yuen Wo Ping. Waiting for the wuxia.... Will I ever get to see on the big screen?: Wong Kar Wai's The Grand Master. Tony 'He's so fine doo lang doo lang' Leung as Ip Man.
I've been doing a little research on who has the best selection of east Asian films available for streaming online and after having signed up to:
Netflix
Love Film
Mubi
I can reveal that I no longer subscribe to Netflix or Love Film. Netflix is like a crummy video shop from the late 1980s that only has a very limited selection of films and a lot of B-movies you have never heard of. It does carry some Cine Asia titles as well as Shaolin Soccer but I found it lacking for my East Asian movie fix needs. Worth signing up for a free trial month and watching all the good stuff then cancelling though. If you do that please watch the TV series 15 Storeys High with Sean Lock and Benedict Wong as it is extremely funny and many was sadly slept on when it aired on BBC. Also it is shot just round the corner from where I grew up in South London (although maybe that's just cool to me!). Love Film appears to have a lot of titles but when you get down to the nitty gritty most of the East Asian films are DVD rental only and not available for online streaming. Disappointing. Mubi has a different approach - only 30 films are available to watch at any time and they add a new title every day and remove one. Therefore if you see a movie you are interested in has been added you have 30 days to watch it. OK so the choice is limited but the selection is excellent. It's like having a world cinema / art house / old movie geek select films for you (like a proper video shop used to be). The East Asian selection has been pretty great with Johnny To movies like PTA, Sparrow and Mad Detective (currently available) being on the Mubi rotating movie shelf. Mubi is the only site I've kept a subscription to (and you get a bloody good deal if you sign up for a year, about £30 I think). I've watched obscure Thai art house film Hi-So as well as Hong Kong classic The Internal Affairs Trilogy and Park Chan Wook's I'm a Cyborg But That's OK (currently available). It also shows old Amercian noir movies from time to time which you cannot seem to get anywhere else (crazy, I'd love to see more old movies available and not just on youtube - by the way all the old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies are on youtube, fantastic watching!) Now if only there was a site that streamed high quality Shaw Brothers movies! Mubi does lack a good martial arts selection but on the whole it is the best provider for streaming East Asian cinema. A Lucky Cat recommendation. (Picture show here is fan art created by Jerry Johnson, see: http://mubi.com/topics/mubi-fan-art-logo-competition)
Cold War Hair-Off between Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-Fei
I realise it’s been an absolute age now since the Terracotta
Far East Film Festival and I have neglected to review the movies I saw – apologies.
Let me remedy that right now with a review of HK cop
corruption thriller Cold War directed
by Longman Leung and Sunny Luk.The film stars Chinese Ken doll Aaron Kwok,
veteran hard head Tony Leung Ka-Fei and a cameo by Andy Lau appearing as, well,
Andy Lau. I want to say Charlie Yueng features too but she doesn't really, she's just there.
The storyline is pretty weak
and a little muddled at times so I won’t bore you with too many of the details,
suffice to say Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung KF have different policing methods and
a battle of egos ensues.Meanwhile some
master criminal maniac is kidnapping cops and blowing up Hong Kong.Tony Leung KF provides all the screen
magnetism with some superb acting; if the film had been from his POV rather
than Kwok’s it would have been more watchable.Aaron Kwok may have fluttered the hearts of many in the audience but he
just isn’t my cup of tea.I just cannot
believe in a character whose hair remains perfectly coiffured after chases,
fights and explosions.When pitted
against a veteran HK star such as Tony Leung KF I’m afraid Aaron’s acting just
doesn’t cut the mustard.
Like Aaron’s hair the production and art direction of the
film are just a little too slick.Colours are muted and metallic, there are obligatory helicopter shots
swooping over HK’s skyline and a totally gratuitous fireworks explosion atop a
hotel.At quite a few points in the film
I found myself asking ‘ who is this new character’and ‘why should I care?’Not a good sign.
Andy Lau breezes in for a couple of scenes but even his
suave charm is not enough to save this movie.Infernal Affairs it aint.I would suggest that if you want to see a
well-crafted film about police corruption with characters you actually care
about then watch the Johnny To movie PTA.I recently saw this film and loved every
moment, there is something to be said for a simple storyline, stripped back
action, actors with gravitas such as Simon Yam and Lam Suet (to be fair to Tony
Leung KF he is in this bracket too) and of course a brilliant auteur director
like Johnny To.
After reading through I feel I have been a bit mean about
Aaron Kwok.I did enjoy him in The Detective, perhaps under different direction
he can escape his heart throb Cantopop persona.I think the blame for this overly coiffured bouffant of a movie can be
laid at the doors of Longman Leung and Sunny Luk as
they not only directed but wrote the screenplay too.
The play concerns
identity, displacement and belonging. It was inspired by the singer Chinese singer Zhou Xuan and the song Four Seasons which is a tale of separation, love and small
people whose lives are destroyed by big events.
Zhou Xuan,
is one of China’s great movie stars whose life was as dramatic and
tragic as any of the characters she portrayed. I discussed her fascinating life and career in my radio programme on The Seven Singing Stars of Shanghai. Her legacy lives on today and the song Four Seasons featured in the 2007 Ang Lee film Lust, Caution.
Daniel York's short film, Mercutio’s
Dreaming: The Killing Of A Chinese Actor, was recently nominated for
four awards at the WMIFF festival.
Daniel's full length play, The Fu
Manchu Complex, will open the autumn season at Ovalhouse Theatre this
October 2013.
I spoke with Daniel, who is also the Vice Chair, Equity Minority Ethnic Members’ Committee, earlier this year about the RSC Orphan of Zhao casting controversy. Daniel York is now part of the group British East Asian Artists.
I am really pleased that Zhou Xuan's life and work will be brought to a wider audience with this play. The Pathe 100 compilation of her music is highly recommended (see below).
I knew Bruce was the cha cha champion of Hong Kong in 1958 but I'd not seen all these pics and the video before. Roast Pork Sliced from a Rusty Cleaver blog has some nice early photos of Bruce and some stills from the 2010 film Bruce Lee, My Brother. The still pictured here is from that film.
Another Bruce Lee biopic is in the pipeline: Birth of the Dragon. Find out more here .
On a side note earlier this year I visited the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A museum and saw Uma Thurman's yellow and black jumpsuit from Kill Bill on display. There was no reference to the fact that this was a homage to Bruce Lee's costume, disgraceful! Apart from that gripe the exhibition was wonderful btw.
It is not often that a film opens with a man cutting a large gash into his own thigh only to stick a large metal rod into the wound, but when it does happen you know you are in for something original, to say the least. One thing that can be said about director Shinya Tsukumoto, is that he does not do things by halves. As the man (credited as "Metal Fetishist", played by Tsukumoto) sees his wound has been infested with maggots he runs out into the street only to be hit by a car. The car's driver, a Japanese business man (Tomorowo Taguchi), and his girlfriend (Kei Fujiwara), figure their best solution is to dump the still living man in the woods and have sex in front of him, as you do. As punishment, the metal fetishist forces the businessman's body to gradually transform into a working pile of metal.
With gloriously inky black and white photography and an uncompromising take on the body horror sub-genre of horror cinema, it is easy to see why Tetsuo: The Iron Man has become so beloved among cult circles. Like a lot of science-fiction and horror which these days would be described as "cyber-punk", Tetsuo: The Iron Man acknowledges the post industrial, post-modern, technologically advanced world. It also acknowledges that with such advancements comes the fetishisation of such industrial advances to the point where it becomes lustful, making the eventual metamorphosis ironic. Machine and flesh become one and the more our lives are integrated with such technological advancements, the more we allow it to become us, making the outward transformation a reflection of peoples' inner need for industry. Like David Cronenberg’s Videidrome, Tsukumoto shows the integration of technology into our lives is here made to be a literal metamorphosis, where flesh and machine become one and the same.
Although, while all this may be true, I may be giving too much credit to audiences who just came to see a man's penis transform into a gigantic power drill, which is the image I am left with after watching this movie.
As a piece of visual story telling, the film is relentless, using high contrast black-and-white to tell its story, instead of dialogue, which there is very little of throughout the sixty-seven minute running time. Such a pulpy visual style allows the film to have a distinctive aesthetic, and Tsukumoto's use of close ups allows us to see even the tiniest of details, such as sweat on a character's face. Comparatively speaking, Tetsuo: The Iron Man’s visual style and use of sound is not dissimilar to the early work of David Lynch, especially considering both favour disturbing, nightmarish, black and white visuals. Perhaps what is most impressive about the film's visuals is that they show just how lacking in boundaries filmmaking can be and that incredibly violent or disturbing imagery can be intellectually important.
Structurally, the film is somewhat of a mess, with nothing more than a handful of vignettes making up its brief running. It is because of this that the film does not quite live up its reputation as a cult classic, and falls just short of the mark. It also rushes a little too quickly from scene to scene, which on one hand is a good thing, since it moves too quickly for you to question the film's logic, but on the other hand, means that it is hard to allow the film to really connect. Although, having said that, regardless of whether the really work as a cohesive whole is almost irrelevant; especially if you do not look at it too seriously, especially when the film's greatest punch is in its visuals. Besides, long after details of the plot have been forgotten, people will remember this film, whether it be for its metaphoric, cyberpunk body metamorphosis or simply for its distinct visuals.
In conclusion, while I believe this to believe this to be a worthy entry into the cyberpunk sub-genre of science-fiction and horror, and deserving of its reputation. It falls just short of being a cult classic due to it lacking details in its plotting, structure and character motivation, but it is shockingly original and full-blooded. However, it is easy to see how its relentless visuals have inspired a generation of filmmakers, both in Japan and in the West, since there is nothing else like it and is such a crazy ride. Where it succeeds, other than with its visuals, is how it handles the transformation from man to a machine. While this is a well worn trope, it is handled with incredible imagination and with fantastic make-up and costume designs to make it look convincing.
8/10
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, Shinya Tsukamoto’s sequel to his cult beloved film, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, opens with a man being shot in the street by a man named Yatsu (Tsukamoto), who extends his arm as if it were a gun, and fires the shot from his hand. As openings go, it is not quite as heavy going as the opening for the first movie but it does give you an idea of the film’s tone.
Tomorowow Taguchi, who played the lead in the first movie, plays Taniguchi Tomoo, a man who is has no memories of his life before he was adopted at the age of eight. As he, his wife, Kana (Nobu Kanaoka) and his son, Minori (Keinoske Tomioka) are walking through a shopping mall, a pair of skinhead thugs forcibly inject Taniguchi with something, try to kill him and attempt to kidnap his son. Luckily, he is rescued by Kana and the child remains unharmed. When his son is, once again, taken and Taniguchi is, once again, attacked, his rage consumes him and he turns into something resembling a human weapon, similar to the power shared by Yatsu.
There are two things which are immediately apparent about Tetsuo II: Body Hammer. The first is, despite the “II” in the title, this is as much of a sequel as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is a sequel, by which I mean it is not. Instead, everyone involved seems to have started again and remade the first film with a much higher budget and better visual effects. The second thing which is apparent, despite still being about a man changing from a mild mannered weakling into a metal warrior, there seems to be a conscious effort to make a more marketable film. For one, it is shot in colour, and was shot in 35mm film stock, both of which seem to be geared towards making the film more accessible for general audiences. Also, this film is focused more on action whereas the first film concerned itself more with grungy body horror.
It is not only in style where things are more conventional, since its plotting has a clearer, more conventional, beginning-middle-end style structure. Even the film’s characterisation leans towards the typical.
This loss of the former film's roughness and experimentation makes the film far less interesting than its predecessor, and unfortunately, with the loss of the experimentation, comes far less interesting sound and visuals. In addition, unlike James Cameron's Aliens and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, the tonal shift from horror to action is a little jarring and does not work as well with this franchise.
Having said that, there is still plenty to recommend. There are some fantastic pieces of production design, such as the skinheads' hideout, which is gigantic industrial area with various pieces of machinery spitting out sparks and molten metal. While the visuals are not as nearly as strange or imaginative as the previous film's, it still has its own style, relying heavily on red and blue filters, for creating mood.
Perhaps the best thing about the film is how it looks at a metropolitan city like Tokyo. Tsukamoto is known for having a love-hate relationship with Tokyo, and is quoted as saying, "It's strange. Part of me loves a city like Tokyo, but part of me would quite happily destroy it." And, true to form, the final shots of the film are of Tokyo in ruin as Taniguchi, Kana and Minori look on with a peaceful, even happy look on their faces. Before that, the city is shown as being sterile and made of nothing but steel and glass, which has a strong contrast with the scenes set in the bad guys' lair, or an abandoned factory where Taniguchi and Yatsu fight at one point during the film. Whereas the first movie used its main character turning into metal as a way to prod at the reliance on the expansion of industry, this film makes the same point, but expands its gaze out to the city, where reliance on technology and industry cannot be ignored.
In conclusion, while the film is certainly weaker than the original,it is not completely without merit. Shinya Tsukamoto directs action with a deftness, but without the spark and imagination that he did horror, and overall the film feels as if it is compromised and polished to make it acceptable to general audiences.
7/10
Kotoko
Japanese auteur, and cult favourite director, Shinya Tsukamoto’s latest film is at once brutal, frustrating, distressing, and, at times a little touching. Tsukamoto directs with a realistic eye, favouring handheld camera work and naturalistic lighting which is uncharacteristic of his former work, which was often more stylised. Kotoko, the protagonist, is played by singer-songwriter Cocco in her debut acting role, and as well as playing the film's lead, she is credited as a co-author on the script, writing and performing the music and providing art direction.
Kotoko is a single mother who lives alone with her child. She is tormented by terrifying visions and often sees doubles of the people she meets in her day to day life, who are almost always hostile and threaten either her or her child. Her only escape from such horrific hallucinations comes when she sings and when she cuts herself, which she does not do in an attempt to commit suicide, but to confirm to herself the body’s willingness to survive. Her condition is only made worse by her child’s constant crying and by her TV, which constantly blurts out horrific news about a masked knifeman who is on the loose. As her mental state continues to deteriorate, she is deemed unfit to raise a child and her son is taken out from her and is sent to stay with her sister who lives in the country with her family. As Kotoko tries to create a normal life for herself, she meets a man named Tanaka (Tsukamoto), who admits to her that he has been stalking her and the two form a strange, almost masochistic relationship.
Perhaps what is most interesting about Kotoko is Cocco's performance and influence over the film. It is an unbearably intense and tragic portrayal of a woman losing her mind, and she absolutely convinces during the scenes where she starts to see things that may or may not be there. To people who are not aware of her career as a musician, they may be surprised that this is her debut performance. Luckily, Tsukamoto gives her free rein, allowing her scenes to play out in front of the camera with seemingly little restraint. At times, the camera is fixed on her for several minutes at a time as she sings or dances and as her voice and dance steps become more primal and erratic. In scenes such as this, she is utterly captivating, showing just how terrifyingly fractured her mind has become.
Although, I should make it clear, Cocco's performance, while defiantly central, does not overshadow Tsukamoto's filmmaking, and instead feels like a partnership between the two. As well as directing and co-scripting the film, Tsukamoto is also the film's producer, editor and is one of two directors of photography, along with Satoshi Hayashi. Technically it is an extremely competent piece of work with the star's art direction and the director's photography meshing seamlessly. At no point is this more true than the scenes in Kotoko's apartment, which are designed and shot impeccably and use coloured lights well to symbolise her growing insanity.
Unfortunately, one of its greatest strengths can also be seen as a weakness, in terms of story telling. As we see the world from Kotoko's point-of-view, it means questions are never really answered. Paradoxically, one of the greatest strengths of the film is that it uses its vagueness to keep us guessing. Eventually, it gets to the point where we simply do not know whether what we are seeing is a fantasy or a reality.
The film does not pretend to be a searing look into a particular mental illness, but in terms exploring madness and psychological horror, it is very sharp. From its opening frame it grabs you by the short hairs, keeping you wriggling in discomfort until it ends. Shinya Tsukamoto, in terms of style, is often mentioned in the same breath as David Cronenberg due to their use of "body horror", so it is nice to see him apply the same intensity to horror of the mind
9/10
Thanks to Calum Syers for these excellent reviews.
Sadly I was unable to host this week's show due to illness.
Thankfully fellow Resonance FM presenter Alex Fitch stepped in. Alex is also the assistant editor of 'Electric Sheep' film magazine and was joined by the editor of the magazine Virginie Selavy to discuss East Asian films showing at the London Film Festival - e.g. 'The Samurai That Night', 'Nameless Gangster', 'For Love's Sake' and 'Helpless'(still from this film is pictured here).
Alex and Virginie also discussed Filipino cinema - in particular Virginie recommended 'Mondo Manilla' by independent filmmaker Khavn and 'The Woman in the Septic Tank' dir. by Marlon Rivera.
UK DVD releases from Third Windows were also highlighted: 'Kotoko' and 'Tetsuo I & II' by cult director Shinya Tsukamoto. The Terracotta Festival tour was mentioned too (currently at the Genesis cinema in Mile End London).
Vintage northern soul vinyl was supplied by Virginie and Alex kindly provided dim sum lunchbox snacks (blueberry oreos and sweet potato crispy bars).
For all the Electric Sheep reviews of East Asian films at the 56th LFF see: http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/news/2012/10/22/east-asian-films-at-the-56th-london-film-festival/
Virginie is a member of the fab all-girl dancing troupe The Actionettes.
'Kotoko' and 'Tetsuo I & II' by cult director Shinya Tsukamoto are covered in my next blog post where reviews are contributed by writer Calum Syers…..
Playlist
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda (The Good, The Bad and The Weird OST)
Dance theme - Koji Endo (Sukiyaki Western Django OST)
Violent Love (Ai to Makoto) - Satoshi Tsumabuki
Twiggy Twiggy - Pizzicato Five (Austin Powers OST)
Humpty Dumpty - The Vogues
Here Comes That Feeling - Brenda Lee
What Shall I Do - Frankie and the Classicals
Theme from The Godfather - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Released on DVD 8th October. Hope to review this documentary on my show this Saturday.
The guy who says "I love the culture but I want something new" is like a caricature! I watched teh BBC piece on Ai Wei Wei with Alan Yentob a few years back (when Ai was exhibiting at the Tate Modern) and really enjoyed that.
I'm back from a summer away from blogging, refreshed after a post-free month or so!
I bring you news of the upcoming Zipangu Film Festival. This year the festival will be at the lovely Cinema Museum in good ole South London, which I first visited for an Anna May Wong screening last year. The Festival is on for a brief weekend only and has a superb selection - curated by writer and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. So stock up on iced matchas and get yourself ready for a weekend of Japanese celluloid pleasure from 14th - 16th September!
Crossways
Last year at Ziapngu I had the pleasure of watching the rarely seen 30's horror film The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen. This year another vintage gem is on offer with the 1928 film Crossways dir by Kinugasa (one of the first Japanese films ever seen in the West, with a new score by Minima).
My picks of the festival are both showing on the opening night Fri 14th:
A short animated film by Atsushi Wada The Great Rabbit
The Great Rabbit
Somi - The Taekwon-do Woman
Somi - The Taekwon-do Woman which has never before been shown in the West, co-production between Japan and North Korea, made in 1997. The film promises lush, epic martial arts action with a kick ass female lead in Ri Mi Yang (apparently an amateur who was chosen by the North Koreans "because they thought that the Japanese might like her face").
But there's aso a cat themed movie I should mention! Chat Noir Lucy which looks fabulously colourful and fun (see pic below).
You really are spoilt for choice, such a great line up. A connoisseur's festival for sure. All the details and how to book: http://zipangufest.com/
Here's the podcast of last week's special edition of Lucky Cat when I was joined live in the studio by Jing Jing Xie, Candy Ma, Ming Qiang Xie (Jeremy) and Zach Dunbar (all pictured above).
A wonderful show to record, featuring live performances of Mandarin versions of songs from the musical Sweet Charity by Boulevard Productions. Music from reknowned pipa player Wang Ting is also featured.
Himizu, the award-winning film from Japanese director Sion Sono has opened in selected cinemas across the UK. I saw this film at the Terracotta Film Festival and was transported by it's tale of the harshnesses of life and the little tendernesses that love can bring.
I have to confess to not making it all the way through director Sion Sono's 4 hr upskirt panty photo epic Love Exposure,so I was not really familiar with his work. The skill he shows as a director in Himizu did make me want to see his more recent serial killer film Cold Fish (more on that later).
Himizutells the story of two teenagers’ struggle to live in a dystopian future Japan destroyed by a natural disaster (the tsunami possibly). The 2 young lead actors give extraordinary performances coping in the turbulent, surreal and sometimes evil world which surrounds them (masochistic parents, dysfunctional relationships, violent yakuza gangsters). At times I found the relentless violence (lots of slapping and hitting) quite difficult to bear, I wondered if it was a metaphor for the way that nature has repeatedly brutalised the Japanese landscape with natural disasters. The ensemble cast are excellent too - especially Den Den (star of Cold Fish) who plays a yakuza with a penchant for garish 1980s' jumpers.
The only thing I would fault the film on is a sometimes predictable use of music to enhance the drama. Other than that it is easy to see why it won the audience award at the Terracotta Film Festival.
Go see at the cinema while you still can:
http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/himizu
The reason this post is entitled 'Sad Goodbye' is that Third Windows have announced that Himizu will be their last theatrical release. You can read more about why that is here at Twitch Film.
TWF will continue to distribute East Asian titles on DVD and Blue Ray and indeed Sion Sonos' Cold Fish is now out on DVD and Blue Ray. This stars the charismatic Den Den as a fish shop owning psychopathic serial killer. Den Den's performance is outstanding and the film is a cringe-making, creepy, beautifully harrowing, wonderful piece of film making.
Thursday 14th June
5.30pm on Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com
I will be broadcasting a special edition of Lucky Cat previewing the Chinese Visual Festival. This is the second festival of Chinese visual culture brought to London by China Culture Connect. I will be joined live in the Resonance FM studio by the Festival's Marketing Manager James Mudge and the show will feature a live musical performance by Boulevard Productions (pianist Dr Zachary Dunbar and actor/singer Ming Qiang (Jeremy) Xie and friends). Boulevard Productions will be performing a Mandarin version of the classic musical Sweet Charity at the Festival's Music Night on 28th June.
The Festival opens on June 22nd, the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, at the Free Word Centre in central London and will feature the UK premiere of the film Dragon Boat by acclaimed director Cao Dan. Through the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing, the film tells the story of rapid economic development in modern China and the resulting disappearance of rural traditions. Cao Dan will be at the Gala for an audience Q&A session.
The Festival runs from 22nd June to 6th July 2012 across four central
London venues and is themed Run, China, Run. The theme ties in with the Olympics; hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics has affected Chinese society and the festival looks at the ‘aftershock’ of the 2008 Beijing Olympics through a variety of Chinese films and art. The running also refers to China's race for modernisation.
The film section will feature 17 independent documentary films from China. As well as Cao Dan for Dragon Boat, other directors will be present for audience Q&A sessions, including Wang Bang for University City Savages on 27th June and Guo Xiaolou for Once Upon a Time Proletarian on 6th July.
The Chinese Visual Festival will present its first Directorial Retrospective on 30th June, Zhou Hao – The Constant Documentarian, with his two most influential films, Senior Year and Using being shown at the Birkbeck College Cinema.
The Festival also includes an art exhibition by Wu Xiaohai and a music concert by renowned Pipa musician Wang Ting.
The full programme and tickets for all events are available on the Chinese Visual Festival website:
www.chinesevisualfestival.org
Do tune in for a preview of the Festival on Thursday 14th June at 5.30pm on Resonance 104.4 FM with me Zoë Baxter.
The radio show will also be repeated on Resonance the day the Festival begins (7pm Friday 22nd June).
Here's Episode 2 of my first ever series. Still on the lookout for episode 1, hope to add that soon.
For the playlist and info see my original post from 2005.
