So in just a few weeks, Chiaki and I are off to New York for a fun little trip. My parents wanted to get us plane tickets for our anniversary but instead I talked them into getting us a few nights in Queens instead. May as well go somewhere you can drive, right. And what so happens to be going on in a few weeks in the wonderful New York City. Well that would be the New York Asian Film Festival. We went last year and it was truly the highlight of our year (others than Chiaki's family coming for our wedding last year, of course). We love New York. Just love it. If we can someday down the line get some great jobs that can easily be found in New York City, then that's where we are heading. But for now good ol' Ohio will suffice, with an annual trek to the big city.

Last year we ended up catching University of Laughs (a truly amazing film which should have been on my top ten last year...oops I forgot), Vital (a film that split us...I dug it alot, while Chiaki was disappointed), and Cafe Lumiere (which we both felt disappointed with). This year we are spending an extra day in the city to explore it more and are once again catching three films:

Funky Forest

A total bizarre looking film from Japan, starring everyone favorite actor Tadanobu Asano which by the view of the trailer reminds me of last years Survive Style 5+ (a film that was on my top films of 2005 list).

Git (Feather in the Wind)

A very poetic looking film that is highly praised where ever you read. It is by a really inventive Korean director who is supposed to be one of the best of the country's independent filmmakers. I have seen his previous work Spider Forest recently and found it to be very unique. I am really looking forward to this film also.

The final film was are going to catch is not part of festival but was something we couldn't pass up while visiting NYC.

Red Desert

This is a film I have been dying to see. Fortuately, the month we are planning on going to New York just so happens to be when the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) are screening a retrospective of Michelanglo Antonioni. It just so happens to be the same week that we picked is when they are playing Il Deserto Rosso (Red Desert) one of his films I haven't been able to get my hands on to see. It was meant to be I guess.

So we are pretty excited to go. Yeah to catch the films of course but also to travel throughout the city. Can't wait.