By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Ursula Liang’s “labor of love,” 9-Man, which documents the Chinese American sport of street volleyball has received critical acclaim. We first covered the documentary in December 2012. Since then, the film and its makers have traveled the country showing it at various festivals and receiving awards. The film was […]
Portraying family through film
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Kelly Huang, American and of Laotian heritage, recently finished her short film “A Refugee Story: Khamsay Huang,” a portrait of her elderly uncle, Khamsay, and his story of leaving Laos during wartime and coming to America. The film went online recently courtesy of the SEARAC (Southeast Resource Action Center) […]
Time to watch some movies — Fish, robots, ghosts, and more…
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Ryōtarō Makihara’s “Hal: The Movie” manages many turns in its hour-long running time: Some bright, some sinister, some funny, some eerie. It starts with some fish being watched through a fish-eye lens, and for the remainder of the brief but beguiling narrative, the script, from Izumi Kizara, casts doubts […]
EDITORIAL: Remembering, wishing, resolutions
We asked our amazing NWAW writers and contributors to help out with the holiday issue. We
Noh-inspired drama comes to Seattle
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Local composer Garett Fisher’s new project is a collaboration with the Takeda Noh Troupe, led by famous Noh
“Marine Boy: The Complete First Season”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly “There’s ‘Marine Boy,’” said Mom, poring over the TV listings. “You want to watch ‘Marine Boy’?” That was Mom, circa 1975. I was seven. Or it could have been circa 1978. I was 10. “Marine Boy,” originally created as “Kaitei Shōnen Marin” (“Undersea Boy Marine”) for Japanese kids in […]
“Vampire” decidedly anti-”Twilighty”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly “Vampire,” from the celebrated Japanese director Shunji Iwai, takes to the opposite extreme in artistry. Iwai, in his first English-language film, wants to explore vampire nature, but he wants to do it in an anti-“Twilight” style. Tough, gritty, bloody, and smeary.
In ‘The Garden Of Words’
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly “The Garden Of Words” marks animator Makoto Shinkai’s fifth major work, and the only major criticism I can muster is that he doesn’t seem to like producing feature-length projects. Of the five, only two, “The Place Promised In Our Early Days” and “Children Who Chase Lost Voices,” run long […]
Finishing ‘Eleven Samurai’
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Director Eiichi Kudo’s “Eleven Samurai” (1966) completes his gritty, visually rich samurai trilogy. It features elements derived from the two earlier films, “13 Assassins” (1963) and “The Great Killing” (1964), but introduces additional elements, making the film worthy of its brethren.
The Great Killing
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly “Warning,” reads the back of the DVD box for “The Great Killing.” “Contains violence, strategy.” All three of Eiichi Kudo’s groundbreaking samurai films (“13 Assassins” featured last week and “Eleven Samurai” to come shortly) contain that same warning. All three do indeed contain violence and strategy as advertised, but […]