By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Frequently in “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” anime director Isao Takahata’s first film in 14 years, the edges of the frame seem unfinished, fading into white. This directs the viewer’s attention to the center of the frame, to whatever action, in whatever colors. Then gradually, the frame fills […]
A controversial artist revealed in “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly When Alison Klayman headed to China for an “adventure,” as she puts it, she got what she was expecting, and more. While studying history at Brown University, Klayman did a lot of radio work for NPR. She then went on to work for Global Radio News while in Beijing, […]
Understanding passion and perfection through ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly David Gelb’s remarkable documentary film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” opens quietly with images of a peaceful restaurant, white gloves, and a man explaining the importance of falling in love with one’s work. We soon learn that the man is 85-year-old Jiro Ono, the founder and head chef of the […]
Put ‘A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop’ together, and it’s confusing
“A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop,” the new film from Chinese director Yimou Zhang, is his first film adapted from a Western source.
Goro Miyazaki follows proudly in his father’s footsteps with “Earthsea”
“Tales from Earthsea” is the first feature film directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. The film had a tough time making it to American screens. First, the father disagreed with the son over the film’s animation techniques. Eventually, they stopped speaking to each other during its production. Then, the film’s USA distribution got held up due to copyright issues …
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.