Fantasia ’13: The Burning Buddha Man

Where was the Seaddattha when the Bamiyan valley Buddhas were destroyed Afghanistan? Instead, the secret society is plundering Kyoto’s Buddha statues, supposedly for their own protection.  However, a young girl quickly learns things are not as they seem in Ujicha’s mind-bending animated feature, The Burning Buddha Man (trailer here), which screens tomorrow as an official selection of the 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival.

Young Beniko is suddenly alone in the world.  Her parents, or at least their torsos, disappeared while protecting their temple’s Buddha statue from an uncanny intruder, while the grandmother she never really knew remains in a mystical catatonic state.  Enju, a monk who claims to be a friend of the family, welcomes her into his retreat.  He explains to the baffled girl how the Seaddattha have perfected matter transference to enable their crime spree.  He also introduces her to his son Enji, a carver of Buddha statues, whose techniques might just prevent the sort of fusion tragedies that befell her parents.  Then things get really, really weird.

Rendered through a mix of the “gekimation” style of paper cut-out animation and live action (largely reserved for spurting vomit and blood), Burning has an absolutely bizarre look and vibe.  Think of it as equal parts H.R. Giger, René Laloux, and South Park.  You have never seen a film like this, particularly considering how seriously it treats its Buddhist subject matter, notwithstanding the scatological bits.  As Beniko raises her consciousness to battle her powerful nemesis, she seeks not to kill but to reform his corrupted soul.  That is a noble sentiment, so good luck with that.

In Burning, the themes and visuals trump bourgeoisie characterization and narrative cohesion.  It is a massively archetypal head-trip.  You would not consider it traditional anime by any stretch, yet one can see the hints of shared old school elements when the forces of good and evil fuse themselves into Golem like creatures for the final cosmic battle.

Even though Burning features a resilient young heroine and a respect for both religion and the sanctity of life, it is not exactly appropriate for family viewing.  Sure, an occasional head explodes, but the film’s motifs and implications would just be too challenging for mortal parents to explain. Recommended for fans of animation and cult cinema with a taste for the profound and the eccentric, The Burning Buddha Man screens this Monday (7/22) at the J.A. De Seve Theatre as part of this year’s Fantasia Festival.  Anyone remotely near Montreal who is in anyway intrigued should see it when they can.  Those attending the fest should definitely also check out Big Bad Wolves, Black Out, Confession of Murder, Drug War, Ip Man: the Final Fight, It’s Me It’s Me, The Last Tycoon, The Rooftop, Thermae Romae, and When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep.  More to come.

Japan Cuts ’13: The Samurai that Night

Japan gave the world one of the greatest revenge stories of all time.  Sadly, Hollywood is reportedly returning the favor by butchering Keanu’s 47 Ronin into some kind of cheesy Frankenstein’s Monster.  It turns out vengeance-taking is trickier proposition than people realize.  A grieving husband understands this only too well in Masaaki Akahori’s The Samurai that Night (trailer here), which screens tonight as part of the 2013 Japan Cuts: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Kenichi Nakamura was always socially awkward, but the hit-and-run death of his wife Hisako reduces him to a scant shell of a man.  Nearly five years later, Hiroshi Kijima, the violent petty thug responsible for her death, has been released from jail.  He is neither reformed nor remorseful, but he is a little unnerved by the daily death threats he receives from Nakamura promising to kill him on the fast approaching anniversary of Hisako’s death.  Yet, he still has the presence of mind to use the poison pen letters to extort money from Nakamura’s earnest brother-in-law.

A moodier, slower burner than even the original misunderstood Death Wish, Samurai hardly gives viewers any consolation whatsoever.  Nakamura is a profoundly damaged soul, Kijima is absolutely rotten to the core, and neither is likely to change.  Still, agonizingly touching moments spring up in the most surprising places, such as when the rough hewn employees of Nakamura’s metal works express affection for their disintegrating boss.

Far from a genre crowd-pleaser, Samurai vividly depicts the ugly, awkward, and messy realities of violence.  Viewers are not likely to forget the climatic showdown, precisely because of the ways it undercuts expectations and payback genre conventions.

As the sweat-drenched tighty-whitey wearing Nakamura, Masato Sakai fearlessly put himself out there.  At times, he is absolutely painful to watch, like a huge open sore picking itself apart on-screen.  In contrast, Takayuki Yamada’s Kijima is a study in fiercely controlled aggression. Mercifully, Kinuwo Yamada and Tsutomu Takahashi add a deeply humane dimension to the film as bystanders sympathetic to Nakamura.

You have to admire the integrity of writer-director Akahori’s vision.  His unforgiving depiction of human nature never gives his characters anyplace to hide.  It is a world of drab colors and humdrum homes that looses nothing in the translation.  This is a writer’s film much more than a director’s film, matter-of-factly presenting the angst and cruelty of his characters.  Powerfully brought to life by an accomplished cast, The Samurai that Night is highly recommended for those not intimidated by everyday tragedy when it screens tomorrow night (7/21), as this year’s Japan Cuts concludes at the Japan Society.

Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives

Evidently, expat Julian Thompson had a spot of legal trouble back home.  He and his drug-running brother Billy now assume Bangkok is their oyster and act accordingly.  However, Thompson might just miss those coppers with their due process.  The family business will get decidedly ugly in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives (trailer here), which opens today in New York.

Julian is the sensitive Thompson brother.  He runs the legit side of their Muay Thai boxing club front and keeps his regular prostitute Mai on-call, even though he never fully avails himself of her services, if you get the drift.  Billy Thompson was always their mother’s favorite.  Unfortunately, he is now dead, but he sure had it coming.

After raping and killing an under-aged prostitute, the elder Thompson brother was locked in a room with her guilt ridden father, who knew what to do.  Chang was the one who told him to.  The mysterious retired police officer still seems to call all the shots on the Bangkok force.  Although he sometimes appears eerily bad-assed, Chang is probably just a metaphorical “Angel of Death.”  Of course, Thompson is just as dead either way.

Given the circumstances of his brother’s death, little Julian has trouble ginning-up sufficient outrage to seek vengeance.  This is not the case for their Oedipus Complex-on-wheels mother, Crystal.  She blows into town like a hurricane, determined to avenge her preferred son.  Crystal will also take every opportunity to mess with Julian’s head, while re-asserting control of her far-flung illicit businesses.  Killing a cop is no big deal to her, but Chang is no ordinary flatfoot.

For what it’s worth, Only is nowhere near the train wreck Cannes reviewers made it out to be.  The film has its memorable moments and performances.  Yet, there is no denying Winding Refn’s approach is rather self-indulgent.  There are so many long slow David Lynchian shots of empty hallways, viewers will half expect the giant and the dwarf to eventually pop out of a door.  There is also an oppressively misogynistic vibe to the film.  Thai actress Ratha Phongam is a lovely woman, who does what she can with Mai’s pencil thin character, but the way the Thompsons treat her is rather appalling—and she gets off easy compared to others.

Of course, some might call Crystal Thompson a strong female character.  That is certainly true, but a foul mouthed, sexually manipulative, woman-hating, sociopathic mommy-monster should not exactly constitute a feminist role model.  Kristin Scott Thomas is rather awe-inspiring in the role, hardening her tart-tongued imperious image in a forge of Hellfire.

To the film’s credit, it finally finds Ryan Gosling’s comfort range: sullen and emasculated. The film also delivers vicarious payback during Julian’s massive beatdown scene.  Audiences will start to cheer in their heads “that was for the interminable Blue Valentine and that was for the pretentious The Place Beyond the Pines, and that was for its ridiculously awkward title.”

Frankly though, Vithaya Pansringarm is the star of the film, following-up his breakout performance as the murder-solving Buddhist monk in Tom Waller’s Mindfulness and Murder.  An intensely righteous screen presence, his Chang is like a Dirty Harry with a divine mandate.  As the president of the Thailand Kendo Club, he also swings a sword with authority.

Throughout Only, Winding Refn’s directorial hand is so heavy it nearly crushes everyone on screen, except KST and Pansringarm—they never wilt.  Too laborious and too stylized, it still serves as a dramatic showcase for its fine supporting players.  Only recommended as a curiosity piece for cult film veterans, Only God Forgives opens today (7/19) in New York at the Angelika Film Center.

Japan Cuts ’13: I Have to Buy New Shoes

A young photographer finds romance where he least expects it: Paris.  Sure, it is the City of Lights, but he assumed his short sight-seeing trip would only entail some brotherly chaperoning.  Instead, he spends some ambiguous quality time with an attractive older Japanese woman in Eriko Kitagawa’s I Have to Buy New Shoes (trailer here), which screens tonight as part of the 2013 Japan Cuts: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Sen Yagami only came to Paris at the insistence of his younger sister, Suzume.  However, she contrives a way to ditch her indulgent brother along the bank of the Seine before they even reach their hotel.  She has plans of her own, involving her long-distance artist boyfriend.  This is rather inconvenient for Yagami, since he does not even have their hotel information.  Fortunately, a broken heel precipitates a meet-cute with expat magazine editor Aoi Teshigahara, at the expense of his ground-up passport.

Initially, Teshigahara helps him navigate Paris as a friendly fellow countryman abroad, but a mutual attraction slowly grows between them.  Surprised and confused by their feelings, Teshigahra and Yagami engage in a halting courtship dance that is refreshingly chaste compared to most films.  Nonetheless, Yagami will not see much of his hotel, wherever it might be.

Following in the tradition of Brief Encounter, Shoes has already been widely compared to Linklater’s Before trilogy as well as the 1990’s Japanese television work of Kitagawa and producer Shunji Iwai.  Yet, this is a much quieter film, saying more with a look than a page self-consciously clever dialogue.  The title may sound like chic lit, but Kitagawa maintains a vibe of mature sadness that is anything but.

It is impossible to overstate what Miho Nakayama brings to the film as Teshigahara.  A long time Paris resident herself, she is a smart, sophisticated, and beautiful presence throughout the film.  Yet, when she lowers the dramatic boom, it is simply devastating.  Poor Osamu Mukai’s Yagami is just no match for her, even though he has some nice moments expressing the younger man’s very real disappointments in life.  He is no boy toy, not by any stretch.  Mirei Kiritani also brings unexpected depth to seemingly coquettish Suzume late in the third act.

Just about every scene of Shoes has a subtle surprise, yet invariably rings true.  It is a classy package, capitalizing on the Parisian backdrops and sparingly incorporating Ryûichi Sakamoto’s evocative piano themes in just the right moments.  Above all else, it is a stunning showcase for Nakayama that would elevate her to the absolute top tier of international stardom in a more just world.  Very highly recommended for those who appreciate intelligent, grown-up relationship films, I Have To Buy New Shows screens tonight (7/18) as this year’s Japan Cuts continues at the Japan Society.

Broken: Parents Worry

Her name is Skunk, not Scout, but it is easy to understand how viewers might hear it that way.  This British coming-of-age tale might yearn for Mockingbird comparisons, but it is a pretty good film when considered on its own merits.  Skunk will indeed observe the best and worst of people in Rufus Norris’s Broken (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Archie is a conscientious single father, but there is only so much he can do to protect his tomboy daughter.  Life has not done her excessive favors, starting with the mother who abandoned the family shortly after her birth.  However, she gets along with her older brother relatively well and her solicitor father is a good provider (yes, he is a lawyer, just like Atticus Finch).  She seems to be maturing into a responsible young adult, caring for her Type 1 Diabetes and starting a new term at school.  However, a violent assault on Rick Buckley, an ambiguously developmentally challenged young man living across the street, will set off an escalating series of tragedies.

Skunk always liked Rick and his middle aged parents, but Bob Oswald’s trampy delinquent daughters next door are a different story.  It was their false accusation of rape that precipitated the attack poor Rick.  In the annals of bad movie neighbors, they are some of the worst.  Nonetheless, Skunk will also see examples of ennobling human behavior, including that of Mike Kiernan, her favorite English teacher and her nanny’s ex-boyfriend.

For good or for ill, just about every significant event in Broken is driven by parents’ concern for their children.  Even the knuckle-dragging Oswald is acting on flawed parental instincts and has his moments of fundamental decency here and there.  Indeed, Broken excels at showing human nature at its messiest and most complicated.  Strangely though, it ends with a rather overwrought excursion into symbolic expressionism at odds with the rest of the film’s grounded realism.

Tim Roth might be channeling his inner Gregory Peck, but he is still fantastic as Archie.  It is a smart, patiently understated, and wonderfully humane performance.  Avoiding most of the pitfalls young actors fall into, Eloise Laurence is neither too cloying nor too overly obnoxious as Skunk and her vocals on the film’s soundtrack nicely reinforce the sad pseudo-nostalgic mood.  She makes it clear this is a bright kid, but sometimes a bit of a handful.  Denis Lawson (Wedge from Star Wars) is quietly compelling as the anguished Mr. Buckley, while Rory Kinnear humanizes the mercurial Oswald to a remarkable extent.

While Broken may not break any new cinematic ground (and the late inning stylization is a mistake), the honest earthiness of its characters is dramatically compelling.  Likewise, Roth’s work will speak directly to most parents, representing a marked but welcome departure from the sort of rogues and fast talkers he often plays.  Recommended for viewers who appreciate family dramas with grit, Broken opens this Friday (7/19) in New York at the Quad Cinema.

Japan Cuts’ 13: A Woman and War

Convinced the anticipated American occupation will descend into an orgy of atrocities, a dissolute author and a jaded lover resolve to while away the final days of WWII in a state of abject hedonism.   They are right to be concerned about rape and murder, but it will be a returning Japanese veteran who will indulge his new found sadism in Junichi Inoue’s A Woman and War (trailer here), which screens tonight as part of the 2013 Japan Cuts: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Sold into prostitution at an early age, the woman has always worked in close proximity to men and booze.  No longer able to obtain sake rations, she is forced to shutter her tavern.  On closing night, she pledges to shack-up with any customer man enough to step up.  Nomura accepts, more or less out of boredom.  Once talented writer-of-his-generation, he avoided military service by churning out propaganda tracts for the government.  He probably saved his life that way, but he now hates himself to the core of his being.

Meanwhile, Ohira has been discharged from the army, but his homecoming is not exactly happy.  Most of the old-timers loudly suspect his amputated arm was the result of a self-inflected wound.  He has not been able to resume traditional marital relations either.  It seems Ohira has been so warped by the Nanjing-like war crimes he committed in China he can now only perform when engaging in forms of deadly sexual assault.

Make no mistake, this can be a very hard film to watch.  Inoue explicitly establishes a “war = sex = death = the Emperor” equation, leaving no question as to the cruel nature of Ohira’s crimes.  This is not for the squeamish.  There will be only survivor of Ohira’s attack’s: Nomura’s lover.  However, she will search out her assailant, in hopes of repeating their past encounter.

Although it was produced in a state of pitched outrage against the imperial, war-mongering mindset, defending Woman and War against charges of misogyny would be a tricky business.  Clearly, Inoue argues you cannot leave Nanjing in Nanjing, but his depiction of his female protagonist is decidedly problematic.  It is not just the nature of her arousal.  She is also attracted to the death spectacle of war, like fireworks that kill.  Still, you cannot say Inoue isn’t provocative.

Noriko Eguchi deserves all the credit in the world just for accepting the lead role.  It is a quiet, reserved performance, but over time she reveals the layers of scar tissue surrounding her soul.  As the writer, Nagase Masatoshi seems to be basing his portrayal on equal parts Charles Bukowski and post-Paris Rick Blaine.  It sort of works in the moment, but it is hard to fix him in your mind after the screening.  However, Jun Murakami is so cold, clammy, and banally evil as Ohira, he will leave viewers feeling profoundly uneasy about the nature of humanity.

Inoue set out to make a bold statement with A Woman and War and he succeeds on that level.  The film acts as a defiant corrective to Japan’s growing revisionist movement.  It is not academic in its approach, nor does it water anything down, bearing close to comparison to the equally sexually charged Caterpillar, from Inoue’s late mentor, Kōji Wakamatsu.  

If ever there was a serious film for mature audiences, this would be it.  Yet, despite its ragged edges and in-your-face indulgences, audiences will know they have seen something bold when it is over. Recommended for those who appreciate fervent and feverish filmmaking, A Woman and War screens tonight (7/17) at the Japan Society as part of this year’s Japan Cuts.

NYAFF '13: The Rooftop

That’s right, “Wax” is the word.  Named for his hair styler, Wax is a singing kung fu motorcycle gang member, who is out to win the heart of the innocent ingénue.  There will be dancing, fighting, and swooning in Jay Chou’s The Rooftop (trailer here), the closing night film of the 2013 New York Asian Film Festival (and also part of the Well Go USA spotlight), which opens theatrically in New York this Friday.

Wax and his bowling biker buds live in the Rooftop section of Galilee, under the shadow of the huge outdoor billboards.  They do not mind the scenery though.  In fact, they are rather fond of the one featuring Starling, a budding starlet and supermodel.  Wax’s three stooges, Tempura, Egg, and Broccoli refer to her as “Sister-in-Law” to needle the big smitten lug.  Everyone assumes nothing will ever come of his impossible crush until the day Wax picks up some part-time stuntman work getting the snot beat out of him on the set of her next picture.

Of course, she notices him.  As their chaste courtship heats up, William (the one-named), Starling’s mobbed-up movie star patron, contrives to sabotage their romance.  We know he is bad news because he is an associate of Red, one of Tempura’s unfriendly rent-collecting rivals working for the corrupt housing authority.  That’s right, some of the villains are Taiwanese HUD bureaucrats, albeit decidedly more flamboyant than our homegrown variety.

For his second outing in the director’s chair, pop idol and action super-star Chou channels his inner Baz Lurhmann, unleashing a kaleidoscope of colors and staging big flashy, razzle-dazzling musical numbers. Clearly, not afraid of a little sentiment, Chou indulges one big melodramatic set piece, after another.  One minute Wax and Starling are strolling through a carnival, next they are dancing in the rain, and shortly thereafter they stare into each other eyes in his quaint rooftop neighborhood as fireworks explode in the background.  It’s all good.

Chou and the radiant Li Xinai look like an attractive couple and develop some half decent romantic chemistry together.  She even does some legit acting in her own scenes. However, the crafty old HK vet Eric Tsang often steals the show as Dr. Bo, the lads’ martial arts mentor and local snake oil salesman.  Alan Ko also has his moments as Tempura, the enforcer trying to go straight.  Unfortunately, the shticky comic relief delivered by Egg and Broccoli becomes embarrassing over time.

Still, Rooftop has a few gags that will have viewers laughing in spite of themselves.  Truly, this is kitchen sink filmmaking.  Chou throws it all in, including a way over the top framing device.  Yet, Mark Lee Ping Bin, considered one of the world’s finest cinematographers for his work on films like Norwegian Wood, makes it all look bright and sparkly.  If you want spectacle, Chou has your spectacle right here.  Recommended for those who thought The Great Gatsby was too staid and did not have enough martial arts, The Rooftop officially closed this year’s NYAFF last night, but will open this Friday (7/19) in New York at the AMC Empire.

CCI-IFF ’13: PostHuman (short)

We might be in for a dystopian future, but there are those among us who won’t go down without a fight, perhaps including Terrance the hacker. He will demonstrate his talents to a mysterious woman and potential audiences for further and longer exploits when Cole Drumb’s animated short film PostHuman (trailer here) screens at the 2013 Comic Con International Independent Film Festival.

Evidently, the beautiful but deadly Kali was once an involuntary test subject in a secret government ESP lab.  She intends to rescue her last surviving fellow guinea pig, with Terrance’s help at the keyboard, while his faithful dog Nine looks on.  There’s your backstory, now its go time.

PostHuman is the perfect short for fans of the original Heavy Metal movie and magazine, both in terms of the hardboiled action and Kali’s wardrobe.  It is short, but it is violent, in a good anti-authoritarian sort of way.  Co-produced and co-edited by Jennifer Wai-Yin Luk, PostHuman is a muscular film with a striking anime-ish look that could easily serve as the prelude for a longer film or an ongoing series, like the 21^st Century indie version of a backdoor pilot.

There are three reasons Comic Con attendees should queue up for PostHuman.  It is short, so it will not take too much time away from standing in other lines.  It is action-driven, so it is easily processed.  Perhaps most notably, it also stars the voice of geek pin-up Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica.

PostHuman is a cool short film that hopefully leads to future follow-ups.  It is exactly the sort of screening press attending Comic Con should be covering.  Fans on-the-ball enough to get their tickets in the ten minutes they were on-sale and then organized enough to arrange lodging should check out whatever they wish and get plenty of guilt-free swag. 

However, my colleagues ought to bear in mind Christopher Nolan was once indie.  Those who were in front of the curve on Following probably feel pretty smart now. Indeed, the CCI-IFF has a lot of talented filmmakers who have the potential to become big names, definitely including the team behind PostHuman.  Highly recommended, it screens this Thursday (7/18) in San Diego, along with Dawn Brown’s charmingly nostalgic House of Monsters and Lee Dae-hee’s surprisingly bittersweet and mature Padak, as part of Comic Con’s 2013 Independent Film Festival.

Nicky’s Family: The Father of the Kindertransport

As a proper British gentleman, Sir Nicholas Winton never boasted of his heroic efforts in the days leading up to World War II.  Fifty years after the fact, his beloved wife chanced upon a treasure trove of documents in their attic.  Much to his surprise, she was rather determined to make his story known to the world.  A BBC special later, the newly knighted Winton became known as the “British Schindler.”  Czech filmmakers Matej Mináč and Patrik Pašš reveal the full extent of Winton legacy in Nicky’s Family (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Alert and active at 104, Winton is clearly somewhat bemused by his new found celebrity.  Since his parents converted to Christianity, Winton is not officially recognized as a “Righteous Gentile,” but that hardly matters.  As a young man, Winton was a promising banker, poised to become one of his generation’s “Masters of the Universe.”  However, when a friend pulled out of a planned skiing vacation, Winton agreed to join him on a fact-finding trip to the Sudetenland-less Czechoslovakia.

More clear-sighted than many of England’s blue bloods, Winton was already alarmed by the rise of National Socialism.  Seeing the conditions in Czechoslovakia’s refugee camps only compounded his concerns.  He resolved to at least save as many children as possible launching what would become known as the Czech Kindertransport.  Winton’s fascinating story of intrigue, involving beautiful German spies and a less than indulgent boss, came to an abrupt end when Britain formally entered the war—until the BBC started tracking down survivors of the Kindertransport for their benign ambush.

When Winton comes face-to-face with the grown children of the Kindertransport, it is powerful real life drama.  It is also rewarding to hear how the survivors and their children and grandchildren have embraced humanitarian causes as a way to repay (or pay forward) Winton’s defiant compassion, at least up to a point.  However, director Mináč and his editor-co-writer-co-producer Pašš, rather overdo the feel-good call to service which ends their documentary.  After a while, the cavalcade of classrooms working to save the world becomes numbing. 

Still, the documentary’s undeniable strength is the story of Winton’s rescue operations, told through his on-camera recollections and dramatic recreations.  Gripping like an espionage thriller but also inspiring, these sequences really constitute the guts of the film.

Yes, many documentaries have addressed historically related subjects in recent years.  However, the presence of Winton and the participation of many of his “children,” such as rocket scientist Ben Abeles and Canadian journalist Joe Schlesinger, who serves as a supplemental narrator, sets Family apart from the field.  Just hearing from the centenarian Winton is sufficiently significant.  Recommended for students of history and parents ready to start teaching their children about the tragedies of WWII, Nicky’s Family opens this Friday (7/19) in New York at the Quad Cinema.

Computer Chess: Analog Dreams of a Digital Future

In 1980, all music was analog.  So was just about everything else.  Computers were generally recognized as the coming thing, but they were still too large, bulky, and slow to be a part of most people’s daily lives.  However, these zero-point-zero generation computers could be programmed to play chess.  A motley assortment of early computer pioneers will pit their chess programs against each other in Andrew Bujalski’s retro Computer Chess (trailer here), which opens this Wednesday at Film Forum.

In a tacky suburban chain motel, some of computer science’s shabbily dressed elite have come together for a computer chess tournament.  The winner will face off against the arrogant human host, Pat Henderson, who has never lost a match to a machine—at least not yet.  He and his opening night panel predict that will end by 1984, a year rife with significance.  The defending champs from Cal Tech are still the presumed favorites, but their TSAR program is acting decidedly buggy.  It is so bad, the project director, geek superstar Dr. Tom Schoesser, hastens his arrival for an emergency diagnostic session.

Things seem to be going well for the MIT contingent, with Shelly Flintic receiving an inordinate amount of attention as the first woman team-member in the competition.  In contrast, nobody wants to deal with the prickly, borderline homeless Michael Pappageorge, even if he is a mad genius.

Bujalski fully embraces the technology of the era, shooting Chess in black-and-white, on now archaic late 1970’s video cameras.  The film is even rougher and grainier than viewers will expect, yet Bujalski’s nostalgic vision will win them over.  Indeed, it is clear throughout the inspired first four-fifths of Chess that the game of chess is really just a stand-in for innumerable AI applications to come.  We can also recognize Pappageorge as the sort of social drop-out who either became the Bill Gateses of the world, or more likely remained marginal figures, haunting tech clearance auctions, buying bizarre obsolete hardware to continue building their mad visions.

Myles Paige arguably deserves award consideration as Pappageorge, finding pathos in his obnoxious behavior.  Texas-based film editor Robin Schwartz is also gives Chess some soul as Flintic, one of the few competitors with any facility to make human connections.  University of Chicago professor Gordon Kindlmann’s Schoesser has a knack for making his theory-heavy dialogue sound smart and accessible, while in his on-screen debut, film critic Gerald Peary chews the scenery nicely as the pompous Henderson.

Considered one of the godfathers of Mumblecore, Bujalski now demonstrates how handy it is to have some plot and an underlying concept supporting a film.  Still, he overplays his hand in some respects.  Initially, the hippie-dippy encounter group sharing the motel is a rather brilliant piece of era-appropriate cultural satire that could have been lifted from 1980’s uber-zeitgeisty Serial.  However, whenever Bujalski contrives ways for the two groups to intersect, the forced comedy falls flat.  Likewise, the genre payoffs he offers late in the third act are head-scratchers that make little sense in the film’s overall context.

Frankly, Chess works best when suggesting TSAR might just be the not so distant ancestor of WarGames’ Joshua and 2001’s HAL 9000.   Nonetheless, Bujalski presents a consistently compelling time-capsule that captures the innocent fascination and single-minded commitment to innovation that drove the digital revolution.  A sly period production with a keen understanding of early computing, Computer Chess is recommended for Wired readers when it opens this Wednesday (7/17) at New York’s Film Forum.

Japan Cuts ’13 & NYAFF ’13: The Kirishima Thing

Is he a teenaged John Galt or is something more sinister afoot?  Either way, the mysterious absence of a high school’s top BMOC leaves a void his peers will struggle to fill in Daihachi Yoshida’s The Kirishima Thing (trailer here), which screens tonight as a co-presentation of this year’s Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival.

Even though he was selected to the state squad, Kirishima has reportedly quit the volleyball team.  His friends and teammates have yet to hear it from him directly, because he has not been to class lately. He has not even contacted his bombshell girlfriend Risa, whose insecurity mounts when everyone turns to her for answers. 

She is still at the top of the social pyramid, but the interregnum loosens her hold on Kasumi Higashihara, a geek-turned-hottie.  Temporarily falling back into old habits, she even attends a Tetsuo screening where she runs into Ryoya Maeda, the socially awkward leader of the school’s film club.  Picking up on the spirit of anarchy, Maeda convinces the club to defy their faculty advisor by shooting the sort of zombie film they always wanted to make.

As Maeda starts to get ideas about everything, including Higashihara, prize-winning band saxophonist Aya Samashima considers acting on her attraction to Kirishima’s elitist crony, Hiroki Kikuchi.  However, these are not pleasant times for the bench-warmer taking Kirishima’s place on the team, thanks to Kubo, the punishing team captain.

Will the established social order breakdown or will knuckle-draggers like Kubo maintain it the hard way?  Just how irreplaceable is Kirishima to the school’s social ecosystem anyway?  It is hard to say for certain, because K Thing presents so many conflicting viewpoints. Kirishima and his absence mean many things to many people.  He is probably a better chap than Kubo, but viewers never have the chance to see for themselves.  Instead, he serves as a giant Rohrschach to evaluate his peers.

Frequently doubling-back, K Thing excessively analyzes relatively mundane encounters from just about every POV.  At times, it really is overkill, but in the process, Yoshida fully develops his large cast of characters and their intricate relationship dynamics.  When the film is over, alert audience members will be able to produce flow charts of who likes who.  Despite the mysterious vibe lurking over the proceedings (and an occasional zombie flight of fantasy), these kids and their school feel really real.

Evidently, some things about high school are universal, but this student body is unusually good looking.  Nevertheless, Ai Hashimoto is fantastic as the chameleon-like Higashihara.  Who she is largely depends on who she is with, but Yoshida never condemns her for that. Arguably, it is a reflection of human nature. Suzuka Ohgo is compellingly intense as Sawashima, even though she hardly looks like a band-geek. Appropriately ambiguous, Ryunosuke Kamiki’s Maeda comes across as a half-victim and half-provocateur, which suits the film nicely.

K Thing will not shake viewers to their souls like Tetsuya Nakashima’s thematically related Confessions, but it will still get under their skin.  One could argue it is also more genre than it initially appears. Yoshida skillfully balances his large ensemble, getting brutally honest performances out of the young but accomplished cast-members. Recommended for those who appreciate dark teen dramas, The Kirishima Thing screens tonight (7/14) at the Japan Society, as a co-programmed selection of Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival.

Japan Cuts ’13 & NYAFF ’13: Thermae Romae

When in Rome, do as the Japanese do.  Time-travelling Roman Architect Lucius Quintus Modestus unwittingly adopts this strategy.  Sure, you might think he looks more Japanese than Roman, but there is no need for pedantry when Hideki Takeuchi’s Thermae Romae (trailer here) screens tonight as a co-presentation of this year’s Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival.

Nursing his wounded pride at a Roman civic bath, the recently fired Modestus is inexplicably pulled through the drainage system into modern day Japan.  Initially contemptuous of the old-timers soaking in the neighborhood bath, the man has to admit their facilities beat anything Rome has to offer.  It all rather overwhelms his Roman pride, while his chiseled looks overwhelm aspiring manga artist Mami Yamakoshi.  After causing a great deal of naked commotion, Modestus quickly returns to his era, just as mysteriously as he left.  Soon, he is the toast of Rome, applying the innovations he observed in Japan.

His new found fame earns Modestus the ear of the stern but wise Emperor Hadrian and his thoughtful counselor Antoninus.  Of course, the Emperor’s hedonistic adopted son Ceionius is a different story.  Each time Modestus needs inspiration for a major commission, he somehow finds his way back to Japan and Yamakoshi, whether it be the upscale bathroom showroom where she works part-time or her mother’s rustic mountain spa.  Eventually, she will pulled back to classical Rome with him, just in time for a major imperial power struggle.

Based on a popular manga series that also spawned a short-lived anime incarnation, Thermae Romae has plenty of pratfalls and fish-out-of-water humor, but the cast plays it surprisingly straight. In fact, Masachika Ichimura and Kai Shishido play Hadrian and Antoninus as if they thought Sir Derek Jacobi might be popping round the set in his I, Claudius costume.

Hilariously stone-faced Kore-eda regular Hiroshi Abe does not really have that option, given how much time Modestus must run about in his altogether.  Still, he conveys a sense of the architect’s principled rectitude, even when embroiled in truly outrageous situations.  In a role original to the film, Aya Ueto is likable enough as Yamakoshi, but she is saddled with a problematically passive character.  There are plenty of Euro-looking Romans as well, dubbed into perfect Japanese to keep the madness chugging along at full steam.

Partly filmed in Italy’s celebrated Cinecitta studio, Thermae’s period production scenes frankly look better than they needed to.  It also observes the conventions of time travel movies, without getting bogged down in them.  Lightweight but entertaining, it is a goofy romp that avoids all the cheap excesses of recent “Blank Movie” spoofs.  Recommended for fans of time travel and manga-inspired films, Therma Romae screens tonight (7/14) at the Japan Society, as a co-programmed selection of Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival.

Japan Cuts ’13 & NYAFF ’13: A Story of Yonosuke

He was the sort of guy who would always help a friend move.  He would also loan them money without grumbling.  Yonosuke Yokomichi was a mop-topped tool, but he had a good heart.  The impact he had on his college friends is slowly but surely revealed in Shuichi Okita’s massively bittersweet A Story of Yonosuke (trailer here), which screens today as a co-presentation of the 2013 Japan Cuts and this year’s NewYork Asian Film Festival.

In the 1980’s, Japan’s booming economy had our opportunistic politicians worked up into a protectionist fury.  As a freshman business administration student, Yokomichi would seem well placed to join the economic elite, even if he is a naïve kid fresh off the bus from the coast.  However, our protagonist’s college years will be more defined by his involvement in the samba club than his course work.

Actually, the samba club looks like a blast.  Characteristically, it was something he just fell into.  Joining on freshman orientation day with two recent acquaintances, he would stay, even after an unplanned pregnancy forced Kuramochi and Akutsu to drop-out.  Yet years later as a happily married couple they reflect on how Yokomichi brought them together.

Yusuke Kato also has found memories of the title character, even though it took him a while to warm up to the earnest doofus.  Nonetheless, it would be Yokomichi’s tolerance that the jaded Kato remembers so fondly.  Ironically, it is Kato who introduces Yokomichi to Shoko Yosano, the great love of his life and perhaps vice versa.  It takes a while for them to realize it though and given the film’s elegiac tone, it is probably safe to assume they never really get in synch.

There are no big known-down drag-out melodramatic episodes in Story.  The film is too smart for that kind of acting-out.  Instead, Okita focuses on the sort of small telling moments that become indelibly etched in memory.  When he finally delivers the film’s Rosebud moment, it is devastatingly effective because of its casual simplicity.

Somewhat resembling a Japanese Louis Garrel, Kengo Kora is gangly and weirdly fidgety, but he plays Yokomichi with a fresh-faced charisma that grows over the long haul.  The on-screen chemistry he forges with Yoriko Yoshitaka’s Shoko Yosano is mature, complicated, and highly credible.  Likewise, her work as the one who got away (or let him get away) is remarkably honest and multifaceted. As her character evolves day-by-day and year-to-year, it is hard to say just what their relationship truly meant to her, but it was definitely something. Yet, Ayumi Ito is the film’s secret weapon, giving it unexpected bite as Chiharu Katase, a scandalous older woman with whom Yokomichi develops a long-term flirtation.

Deceptively simple sounding, Yonosuke is an epic film about the sort of people and events that are typically not portrayed in a grand manner.  Combining good humor and an elegant sensitivity, A Story of Yonosuke is an excellent film that is likely to be sadly overlooked by arthouse distributors because it lacks a sexy hook.  However, those who see the film will remember it warmly just like the title character’s friends.  Highly recommended, it screens this afternoon (7/13) at the Japan Society, as a joint presentation of this year’s Japan Cuts and New York Asian Film Festival.

Japan Cuts ’13 & NYAFF ’13: It’s Me, It’s Me

The expression “delete bad copies” sounds like relatively benign office work, until you start encountering your own personal doppelgangers.  Much to his surprise, Hitoshi Nagano gets along rather well with his first other “me.”  He is okay with the next one too.  Then things start getting complicated in Satoshi Miki’s It’s Me, It’s Me (trailer here), which screens tonight as a co-presentation of the 2013 Japan Cuts and this year’s New York Asian Film Festival.

Nagano does not have a lot going on in his life.  Having thrown in the towel on his photography ambitions, he limps through each day as a clerk in a big box appliance store.  One fateful day at a fast food restaurant, a loud mouth young wheeler-dealer named Daiki inadvertently leaves his smart phone on Nagano’s tray.  Acting on a perverse impulse, he uses the phone to con Daiki’s mother into depositing a few hundred thousand yen into his account.  Feeling remorseful, Nagano tries to return the money.  However, Daiki’s mother will not take it back.  She also seems to think he is her son, Daiki. 

As it happens, they could indeed be twins.  Yet, when Nagano visits his own mother, she does not recognize him.  Instead, she insists Daiki the Doppelganger is actually Hitoshi Nagano.  Later, the man who admits he kind of, sort of is Daiki explains to Nagano his mother was particularly upset because a third doppelganger had been coming round, making scenes.  That would be Nao, the hipster student.

When the three get together, they are like three peas in a pod—different but the same.  They start calling their bolt-hole “Me Island” and cover for Nagano when he needs to bail on work.  As if meeting his second selves were not eventful enough, he also starts cautiously pursuing Sayaka, an attractive older customer, who is married to a gangster. The mood darkens drastically though when Nao starts bringing round even more doppelgangers.

Based on the novel by Hoshino Tomoyuki, IMIM is one of the most original takes on the doppelganger archetype since Capt. Kirk battled his evil twin in the late Richard Matheson’s “The Enemy Within.”  Part urban fantasy, part dark thriller, and part surreal head-trip, it is devilishly difficult to classify.  In a way, IMIM has a vibe similar to Sion Sono’s Love Exposure, in which strange and bizarre circumstances take on nationwide significance that everyone accepts with matter-of-fact nonchalance.  Indeed, the straight-faced media reports on the mushrooming “copy deletion” phenomenon serve as a sly social commentary, but they are deadly serious for the original Nagano.

J-pop star Kazuya Kamenashi nicely steps into the postmodern Alec Guinness role of Nagano et al, creating intriguingly distinct personas for each “me.” Yuki Uchida adds some grace and sophistication as Sayaka, while Ryo Kase is all kinds of creepy clamminess as Nagano’s abusive store manager, Tajima.

It’s Me, It’s Me is a very clever film that patiently establishes its character(s) and premise.  As a result, the payoff is subtle but satisfying.  A smart genre hybrid, It’s Me, It’s Me is recommended quite highly when it screens tonight (7/13) at the Japan Society, as a joint presentation of this year’s Japan Cuts and New York Asian Film Festival.

Killer Toon: Death By Webcomics

Maybe those fuddy-duddies at the Comics Code Authority were not completely off-base regarding the corrupting influence of comic books.  Take for instance Kang Ji-yoon’s webcomics.  Her lurid depictions of supernatural vengeance are certainly popular, but they also seem to be coming true in real life. How exactly does she get her ideas?  That will be the question in Kim Young-gyun’s Killer Toon (trailer here), which opens today in Los Angeles at the CGV Cinemas.

Kang is not great when it comes to deadlines, so her editor Seo Mi-sook is initially quite relieved to finally receive her latest comic via e-mail.  Then she starts reading it.  Oddly, the first panels self-referentially depict her working late on the very same webcomic, but then flashes back to her deepest, darkest secret.  A malevolent presence starts terrorizing the understandably freaked out Seo, eventually forcing her to commit suicide, both in the comic and real life.

Responding to the call, Detective Lee Ki-cheol finds Seo’s body and the suspicious comic open on her computer.  Having evidently never seen a horror movie before, he decides this could be a career making case.  Logically, Kang becomes their prime suspect after she mysteriously arrives on the scene of another ostensive suicide foretold in her comics, at least until yet another interested party kidnaps her.

Like the E.C. Comics that obviously inspired it, everyone is guilty of something in Toon and therefore has it coming to some extent.  Combining live action with liberal samples of Kang’s work presented in a motion comic style, Kim’s film clearly evokes Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, but it takes the concept even further.

As a result, Toon looks very cool, but it has a unfortunate habit of contradicting itself.  In fact, it seems compulsively driven to pull late inning switcheroos with the true nature of a primary character that simply become exhausting.  Still, Kim consistently maintains the heavy atmosphere of portent, slickly transitioning between Kang’s comics and the film’s objective reality.  The past clearly haunts the present, regardless of the exact nature of the machinations at work.

In probably his darkest role to date, musical theater veteran Um Ki-joon is surprisingly good as Det. Lee, an arrogant and ambitious man, but not a dumb flatfoot by any stretch.  Likewise, popular rom-com movie star Lee Si-young is quite the convincing basket case as the gruesome graphic novelist.  Kim Do-young’s ill-fated editor makes a memorable opening scene victim and Hyun Woo is also appropriately cold and clammy as Det. Lee’s twitchy junior.

Indeed, Toon boasts a strong ensemble and a darkly stylish look.  Unfortunately, screenwriter Lee Sang-hak’s adaptation of Lee Hoo-kyung’s novel just doesn’t always add up.  There are far too many “wait, why did” moments.  Still, for fans of horror movies and comics, there is some fun stuff to be found here, as well as some hardcore retribution to keep them on the straight-and-narrow.  Recommended for genre enthusiasts who value visual flair over narrative logic, Killer Toon opens today (7/12) in LA, at the CGV Cinemas.

Pacific Rim: Kaiju vs. Jaegers

At least, they do not destroy New York City.  For an apocalyptic film that constitutes real restraint.  The bad news is it is only a matter of time before all of mankind finds itself on the business end of the next major extinction event in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim (trailer here), which opens today nationwide.

In the not too distant future, way down in Deep Thirteen . . . a mysterious alien race has begun rising through a breach in the Earth crust, sending gigantic monsters up to ravage Pacific coastal population centers.  They become known as “Kaiju” in honor of the great Japanese genre monster movies.  To combat this threat, the frontline nations joined forces to create giant Iron Man-like fighter-crafts they call “Jaegers” (the German word for hunters).  For a while, the Jaegers were taking care of business, but the Kaiju evolved, becoming bigger, stronger, and harder to kill.

Nobody understands this better than Raleigh Beckett.  Siblings like Beckett and his brother Yancey were often recruited as Jaeger pilots, because they are highly “drift compatible,” meaning they can form a strong neural bond with each other to control their massive fighting machines.  Unfortunately, when Yancey dies in battle his surviving brother shares the experience.  Shortsightedly, the Jaeger Project is discontinued in favor of a public works boondoggle of a barrier wall.  When that predictably fails, Beckett’s former commanding officer Stacker Pentecost rounds up all the mouth-balled Jaegers and a motley crew of pilots for a last stand.

There are the odd environmental implications to Rim, but frankly the film only mentions the ozone depletion mumbo-jumbo explanation in passing.  Of course, in old school Kaiju movies, the atomic bomb was always responsible for creating the monsters.  Ironically, a nuclear warhead might represent humanity’s salvation in Rim, if Pentecost’s team can slip one past the goalie, deep enough down the breach.

Even if it is an effects driven tent-pole, most cineastes will be interested in any film starring Idris Elba and Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi.  As one would expect, Elba is one of the very few name actors who has sufficient presence and masculinity to pull off the gruff on the outside, but slightly less gruff on the inside Stacker Pentecost (by the way, is del Toro’s Ronco character name-generating machine still under warranty?). 

Yet, the real breakout star is Kikuchi, who exhibits both acute sensitivity and legit action cred as rookie Jaeger pilot Mako Mori.  Charlie Hunnam is basically adequate as the out-for-redemption Raleigh Beckett, but that constitutes a significant improvement from his embarrassing turn in the laughable atheism advocacy potboiler, The Ledge.  Mana Ashida also deserves great credit for her tremendous green screen work as the young Mori, but viewers will start to absolutely despise del Toro for making her look so terrified.

Obviously, Pacific Rim is inspired by Kaiju classics, like the Godzilla and Daimajin franchises, but in terms of tone, the film feels more closely akin to anime, with its battling bots and angst-ridden crews.  In fact, the Jaegers bear a distinct resemblance to the Eva units in the Evangelion series. Frankly, a cheesy j-pop theme song would have come as a welcome relief from Ramin Djawadi’s ridiculously ominous score.

The visual effects are suitably impressive, particularly when rendering a sense of the enormous mass and scale of the Jaegers and creatures.  Still, it is too dark overall, never really giving viewers a good daytime shot of the Kaiju.  You start to wonder if they are allergic to Vitamin D.  As usual, the 3D adds little to the experience.

Frankly, the 3D surcharge might just price Rim out of a recommendation.  Kikuchi and Elba are excellent and the concept of a big budget, updated take on the Kaiju genre is pretty cool.  However, the script is rather workaday and a little of the bickering scientists’ comic relief goes a long, long way.  For Kaiju fans looking to beat the heat, Pacific Rim opens today (7/12) nationwide, including the Regal Union Square in New York (screening both the 3D and glorious 2D versions).

Japan Cuts ’13 & NYAAF ’13: I’m Flash

Rui Yoshino’s family heeded the advice of a certain science fiction novelist.  They started their own religion.  Perhaps cult would be a more accurate term.  Regardless, his telegenic looks have served the church well during his tenure as “Guru.”  Unfortunately, scandal threatens to disrupt the family business in Toshiaki Toyoda’s I’m Flash (trailer here), which screens tonight as a co-presentation of this year’s Japan Cuts: the New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema and the New York Asian Film Festival.

The Guru has not been himself lately.  Physically, he is fine.  He walked away from the car crash that killed a motorcyclist and left his single young lady passenger in a coma.  However, the incident has left its mark in other ways, as viewers will learn over time.  To protect their frontman and their interests, the family sequesters the Guru in his tropical compound, recruiting three unnamed underworld types to serve as his bodyguards.  Their services will indeed be needed.

A controversial figure in his own right, Toyoda bounced back from his unplanned filmmaking hiatus with two wildly idiosyncratic films.  His hard-rocking period fantasy Blood of Rebirth is a redemption allegory of unusual power, which will reverberate in viewers’ heads, perhaps for all eternity.   His subsequent Monster’s Club, an austere invitation to sympathize with the devil, might have been more about exorcising some of his own tortured demons.  Happily, I’m Flash is an eerie return to form and arguably Toyoda’s most accessible film since his “troubles.”  In fact, I’m Flash often seems poised on the brink of a caustic noir portrait of corruption in the Chinatown tradition, yet it always remains slyly elusive.

Death Note’s Tatsuya Fujiwara nicely hints at the imp of perverse lurking inside the not-as-dumb-as-he-looks Guru and Ryuhei Matsuda sets off all the right alarms bells as the bodyguard who is not too young and impetuous or old and cantankerous, but just deadly right.  Kiko Mizuhara also keeps viewers thoroughly off balance in her flashback sequences as the mystery woman.  Still, everybody wilts when sharing the screen with Michiyo Ookusu as the Guru’s Machiavellian mother—have mercy.

Like everything about Toyoda, I’m Flash is bound to be divisive.   Those with a taste for intelligently challenging films will appreciate its genuine air of mystery.  It is also a surprisingly handsome production, capitalizing on the evocative locale and subtly creepy set design, most notably the Guru’s villa, which looks as if it could grace the cover of both Architectural Digest and Cult Living.  

Toyotarô Shigemori’s cinematography is also weirdly effective, in a way that is difficult to pin down.  Over-used as a form of critical shorthand, the term “fever dream” does not really apply here.  This is clearly our world, in broad daylight, but something still feels not quite right. Very highly recommended for the moderately adventurous, I’m Flash screens at the Japan Society, this evening (7/11), the opening night of this year’s Japan Cuts, in conjunction with the New York Asian Film Festival.