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• YES: JCVD

  Monday, Sep 8, 2008 9:58PM / Standard Entry

  Everyone’s favorite Belgian kickboxer, Jean-Claude Van Damme, has taken on the greatest role of his lifetime… as Jean-Claude Van Damme. That’s right, the Muscles from Brussels gets all meta in the second feature film from director Mabrouk El Mechri. Though this is technically not the first time Jean-Claude Van Damme has played himself (come on, don’t pretend you never saw this scene from Friends), this is no sanitized sitcom cameo. Van Damme plays the part wrinkles and all (literally and figuratively): an aging, washed-up action star with several failed marriages, child custody woes, and a history of substance abuse—all true to his own life.
  

  The above trailer was put together for last year’s Cannes Film Festival in order to secure financing for the flick. Reviews from premieres at this year’s Cannes and TIFF (where it screened as part of the infamous Midnight Madness programme) have been near-to glowing, and Van Damme reportedly shows some real acting chops throughout, which is quite a surprise if you’re even passingly familiar with the rest of his filmography. This flick could possibly pull the real JCVD out of the direct-to-video wasteland he’s been occupying in recent years, so here’s hoping it isn’t too highbrow (read: in French with subtitles) for an American release in the near future.

  JCVD Trailer

  
  

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• YES: Johnnie To Retrospective

  Saturday, Jul 5, 2008 4:37AM / Standard Entry

  
  

  

  Hong Kong cinema has been hit hard in the past decade, as A-list directors such as John Woo (Hard Boiled), Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China), Wong Kar-wai (2046) and the Pang Brothers (The Eye) have all been lured by the siren song of the Hollywood machine, with—to put it kindly—mixed results. Thankfully, director Johnnie To is holding down the fort. To is not only prolific, directing several major films each year, but he consistently cranks out intelligent, entertaining movies in a wide range of genres, from triad shoot-’em-ups (The Mission) and gritty police procedurals (PTU) to quirky romcoms (Love on a Diet), sci-fi epics (the Heroic Trio films), and films that combine several genres or defy categorization altogether. An industry veteran, To has been getting some long-overdue recognition on the international festival circuit with nominations in Cannes and Berlin of late, and the AFI’s “Johhnie To: Action Auteur” series is a great way to get acquainted with his work. The retrospective focuses mainly on To’s crime-based films, but even the series opener, 2007’s cop thriller Mad Detective, serves as a perfect example of his genre-bending sensibilities. Lau Ching-wan, one of To’s stable of recurring actors, stars as Inspector Bun, a psychologically damaged man who employs a bizarre combination of deductive reasoning, ESP, and highly erratic, borderline schizophrenic behavīor to solve crimes. It’s a wild ride and a testament not only to To’s originality but to the unique spirit that put To and his fellow Hong Kong directors on the map in the first place. The series runs to Monday, Aug. 18, at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; see their calendar for a complete schedule.

  [Thanks to the AFI for correcting the spelling of To's English first name on their web site, after I pitched an email fit when they misspelled it in there and in their publication. I forgive you...mostly.]

  
  
  

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• NYAFF08 - Day One

  Saturday, Jun 21, 2008 4:17PM / Standard Entry

  Day one involved me getting from DC to NY. I usually take the Chinatown bus (picks up in DC's Chinatown and drops off in NY's Chinatown), which is the cheapest way to make the trip, especially considering the price of gasoline in the States these days. I've taken the Chinatown bus many times before with no problem, but today's journey turned out to be something of a nightmare. Not even n hour outside of Baltimore (less than halfway there), the bus's front right tire blew out, and we were stranded on the side of the road for over 2 hours while we waited for a repair truck to come change the tire. (Don't they keep a spare on board?!?) Ugh...
  
  What's usually a 4 hour trip ended up being closer to 8, and so I actually missed the opening film of the fest, "Then Summer Came" starring Jo Odagiri. Bummer, but I was told later that the movie was kind of sappy, and that the audience was comprised of about 70% middle aged Japanese women crying and swooning over Jo Odagiri, with the other 30% just waiting for it to end! There was a great after party at nearby Belgian beer bar Vol de Nuit, where I finally got a chance to meet the guys from Subway Cinema, who curate and organize the event every year. Much geeking out ensued, as it's all too rare to talk with people as obsessed with Asian cinema as myself (You should have been there, Raul, you would have loved it!)
  
  So, no reviews from today, but tomorrow I'm planning on seeing the Death Note spinoff L: Change the World as well as the exploitation-fest Tokyo Gore Police. More to come...!
  
  Gallery posted here.
  
  
  

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• New York Asian Film Festival 2008

  Friday, Jun 20, 2008 7:55PM / Standard Entry

  
  I'll be in NYC this weekend for the opening festivities of the 7th New York Asian Film Festival. This year's fest is the largest yet, with 43 films screening between June 20 and July 6 at the IFC Center and the Japan Society. I actually got to lend a hand this year, designing some of the print print pieces to promote the fest. I'll try to post updates and reviews of the films I see. Who knows, maybe I'll even run into some AnDers while I'm there? More to come...
  
  
  

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• YES: Hometown Boy Makes Good

  Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008 8:54PM / Standard Entry

  
  

  

  I don’t read Pitchfork, so maybe this is old news, but I just wanted to make sure that everybody (and by everybody I mean zzvvhh and busyb) knows that Wale’s new mixtape is available for free over here. It looks like DC may finally get on the hip hop map with this kid, who so far sounds like he’s far from a one hit wonder (Tabi who?). It’s not really a concept album, but he has strung together about a half dozen or so Seinfeld samples, including a sick reworking of the show’s opening theme. He even drops an audio clip of Michael Richards’ famous comedy club meltdown, but he uses it not to launch into a tirade against Kramer but rather to explore the deeper meaning of the n-bomb. Anyway, it’s not all deep, though. Dude has plenty of ass-shakers, and no one’s flowed this good over go go music since Salt n’ Pepa. But the main reason you should get this is to hear the voicemail message Julia Louis-Dreyfus left Wale. Seriously.

  UPDATE: Here’s some ping-ified love for my homie kyletm, who reported on this at the time upcoming mix way back in March. (Hey, I read EW too!)

  
  
  

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