Week 4: the final stretch “Breathless,” South Korea Reviewed by James Tabafunda Song-hoon (Yang Ik-june) is an enforcer for his gangster friend Man-shik (Jeong Man-shik). Song-hoon’s personal life, filled with […]
Deadly balloons the subject of documentary that sheds new light on WWII
By Thi-Le Vo Northwest Asian Weekly Just when we think we’ve leaned enough about the weapons used during WWII, a documentary entitled “On Paper Wings” draws our attention to a […]
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Week 3: Real life is a drag “The Red Race,” China/Germany Reviewed by Jason Cruz Do you ever wonder why the Chinese have great gymnasts at the Summer Olympics?
Northwest Asian Weekly at SIFF
Week 2: Film reviews of those with a message “Kabei — Our Mother,” Japan Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin Japanese director Yoji Yamada’s 74th film abandons the samurai storylines he’s previously […]
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Film reviews of the good, the great, and the ones you absolutely can’t miss “Daytime Drinking,” South Korea Reviewed by James Tabafunda
‘24 City’ falters when fiction appears
Directed by Zhang-ke Jia, “24 City” is a Chinese film that blends documentary and fiction. It opens with a grim tone: Factory workers heat and hammer metal, and shots reveal people lingering alone and in smaller groups. The film follows individuals as they recount the story of how a factory turned into an apartment complex, a reflection of how China modernized.
Director takes huge risk in casting a disabled star; the gamble pays off
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly “Please set your volume high,” urges Japanese director Go Shibata in his introduction for the DVD release of his second feature film, “Late Bloomer.”
‘Gran Torino’ falls short on depiction of Hmong
The Internet Movie Database, with listings for roughly 755,000 films and TV shows, lists only four movies featuring the Hmong language.
Who doesn’t want to be millionaire?
“Slumdog Millionaire” opens with our hero, Jamal (Dev Patel), getting smoke blown into his face by a police interrogator. Then he gets his head slammed into a bucket of water, and electrical shock is applied to his feet. English director Danny Boyle always makes Jamal’s fast grin, quick mind and mischievous pranks fun to follow. However, he never reconciles this fun with the film’s often-devastating spin throughout India.
‘Pool’ film hypnotic and deep
A languorous meditation on free will versus destiny, Chris Smith’s fine film “The Pool” traces a few weeks in the life of Venkatesh, a teenager who labors at a modest hotel in the dusty city of Panjim, Goa.