So it has been over 2 weeks (I know I suck...) since my last post so I have a lot to talk about.

To start with this weekend, Chiaki and I hit up a double feature and our local multiplex on Friday with a matinee of Ratatouille with my nephew Isaac and then a later showing of Sicko with just the two of us. I must say it was one hell of a film day. Ratatouille surprised the hell out of being and was a highly entertaining animated yarn from the fine folks at Pixar. I know a lot of people may not believe me but I found it to be the best film from the company since Toy Story 2 (yeah I know everyone loves The Incredibles, but oddly enough I was even more impressed with this one). Sicko, on the other hand, is Michael Moore's comeback film for me. I was highly disappointed with his previously way overrated collage known as Fahrenheit 9/11. Important film yada yada yada. I just didn't feel a connection with the last film. Half because I could give to shits about politics and the other half being I didn't feel Moore did enough hands on documentary shooting that I have grown to love from the man and instead relied on long lost footage of political eff ups. I don't know. Sicko, however, was the man back to his good ol' tricks. Covering something we all can connect with. Damn, was it entertaining. Go and see both Ratatouille and Sicko. Please.

So the Cleveland Cinematheque, as usual, as a very cools schedule lined up for the months of July and August. In July comes screenings of grindhouse classics Vanishing Point and Two-Lane Blacktop along with two early Spielberg films Duel and Sugarland Express. Also on the roster is the controversial doc Zoo, about a strange subject matter a bit awkward to discuss, and Allegro the follow up from the director of Reconstruction (a very cool flick from Denmark). August brings Lights in the Dusk from Germany's Aki Kaurismaki, The Boss of it All the latest from Lars Von Trier, Election and its sequel Election 2(renamed Triad Election here in the states) and Day Night Day Night a film which has been getting alot of acclaim and I am dying to see. Last but surely not least is a screening of Cordoba Nights as part of a series of local films from local filmmakers. The above mention film is by the Campbell brothers from Kent, one of which I had a few classes with in my college days at Kent State. They have grown from their days of over-the-top gore films and have settle down with a quirky road film set in Cleveland with this latest film which I hope sends their filmmaking in a whole new direction.

Speaking of up and coming filmmakers, everyone really ought to watch the film competition reality show now airing on Fox Tuesdays called On the Lot. It started off pretty lame but the show is weeding out all the crappy filmmakers and some really great shorts are finely showing through. A highly light from last week was two outstanding films one from director Zach Lipovsky entitled Die Hardly Working (the best of the bunch) and the other from female director Shalini Kantayya (who scores major brownie points from me by exclaiming her favorite filmmakers are Wong Kar Wai and Pedro Almodovar) called Dr. In -Law. Hands down there is something wrong if these two people are not fighting it out in the finale of the show. Please do yourself a favor and check out there shorts below:

Die Hardly Working

Dr. In-Law

Shalini has a knack for visuals and inventive cinematography while Zach is just a well round genius when it comes to clever and innovated film ideas. Big fan of both directors. Can't wait to see the rest of their stuff. They really impress me from film to film.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Chiaki and I are hitting the road for our annual trek to New York next weekend. We plan on catching a few films at the New York Asian Film Festival and hitting up our usual spots while in town. We are also catching a Neil LaBute play called In a Dark Dark House which we are extremely excited about and I plan on going more in depth on it and other things in my next post. Also expect some dvd reviews of the Polish film The Third Part of the Night and The Ear from the Czech Republic courtesy of the amazing UK dvd company Second Run.

One of my favorite bands of all time are making their way to Cleveland on Sunday and I may have to make a lil' trek to the Beachland Tavern to see them. I haven't seen the Panthers since I lived in California which is probably going on close to 3 years now. Matter of fact in the last 4 years I have seen only 5 bands play (Envy, Panthers, Turing Machine, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Pixies). Talk about lame. I used to go ever weekend when I was younger. If I can talk Chiaki into going, this will be my 4th time (or is it 3rd?) seeing them live. They put on one hell of a show. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Check out some of their newer tunes here.

I just had to put this up on the top of the page today. I will admit, I am quite the late bloomer on the western genre. I always thought John Wayne when I thought "western" until I stumbled upon Once Upon a Time in the West westerns arrived. It didn't help that my father-in-law who I first met in dvd release in late 2003 and thus my love of spaghettiJanuary 2004 was also a big spaghetti western (or as Japan calls them macaroni western) fan too my love for the genre just grew. Last year I had the opportunity to all catch Once Upon a Time in the West and Duck, You Sucker (a highly neglected Sergio Leone film here in the states) on the big screen at the wondrous Cleveland Cinematheque. Amazing. One hell of an experience. Now finally last week the Sergio Leone Anthology hit the shelves. The "Dollar" series (Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) and Duck, You Sucker all in one box (and sold separately). All housed in 2 disc sets packed with extras. I can finally part ways with my The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 2-disc, along with my Duck, You Sucker UK Special Edition. I picked this baby up online for a whopping $49.22 (it retails at some stores for 100 bucks). Awesome. So go out and by this stuff now, please. If your short on cash, at least do yourself a favor and pick up Duck, You Sucker!

Its really hard to believe that is has been 10 years since John Travolta has done a anything worthwhile. Face/Off, a largely underrated film, will celebrate its 10 year anniversary with a special edition dvd. Containing among other things, an alternate ending and John Woo commentary, the disc is planned to hit shelves on September 11th. Count me in on this one (I can replace my barebones laserdisc).

Speaking of dvds, look at this damn thing:

I mean, really come August 7th, who's not gonna want this. Does it really matter that the features are all the same. I mean come one the dvd is wearing an Elvis suit (not to mention it has its own collar). How more genius can you get, honestly. Should be a purchase even for all you Bubba haters out there.

So I have continued my search for a film called The Magicians. From Korean director Song Il-Gon the film was filmed as one continuous shot ala The Russian Ark and a handful of other films. I caught Git (aka Feather in the Wind) which I absolutely loved at last year's New York Asian Film Festival and really regretted missing this film (his most recent work). Funny thing is the film has never shown up on dvd in the last two years since its Korean release. I recently emailed the people who own the print in which the festival played last year. Here is hoping they know how I can locate a dvd copy. If all goes well I will have more information on this later.

I am off...

Man, am I late on my update. But suffice to say I am here so you better listen up. Chiaki and I caught Hostel Part 2 over the weekend. I suppose all you naysayers can stay the same but I will say that it is quite an enjoyable sequel. Where most sequels retread, this film only add more to the first film. I honestly believe if you are a fan of horror you should really give these films a chance. They really impress the hell out of me. With the first Hostel, the ingenious Thanksgiving trailer, and now this - Eli Roth is on one bad ass roll. I am actually dying to see what he does with Stephen King's novel Cell, which is set to be his next film. And I will stop there with Hostel talk cause for some reason everyone hates em.

On to the latest Tsai Ming-Liang film I Dont Want To Sleep Alone, which I oddly enough went to see for myself. Chiaki was deep into Summer classes and the rest of my friends I know would not like the film so I traveled to Cleveland on my own. God, am I so glad I took the trip. The thing is a masterwork. Clearly his strongest film since What Time Is It There?, the film was just spellbinding to watch. If you have never caught a Tsai Ming-Liang film before then it is a damn travesty. His shots are as static and non-moblie as can be but the beauty lies in what takes place with the view. I could not due it justice trying to explain you must simply see it for yourself. His shooting style is all about composition and I really think only a true film buff can really understand the beauty of his craft. As always Lee Kang-Sheng and Chen Siang-Chyi fill the leads with just the right substance to their characters. Just amazing. In the next two months it makes its way around the US from New York to LA and a little in between including Austin, Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston. Please go and see it! Check here for complete schedule of times and places.

So I was skimming a recent issue of the Daily Variety and they were discussing the smaller studios fall/winter hopefuls which got me a little excited. Films I was hoping to see before the year are still scheduled to arrive by Christmas including two of my most anticipated films of the year the latest from Wes Anderson The Darjeeling Limited and Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Throw in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution; David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises; and Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights and you have one hell of a year end film list. Man, I can't wait.

I leave you with a link to the Le Doulos trailer, the latest Jean Pierre Melville film to get the royal reissue treatment here in the US courtesy of the wonderful Rialto Pictures.

So I have to admit, I am not a big kung fu flick kinda guy, that title clearly goes to my brother, Kevin. Matter of fact, the man knows everything there is to know about both martial arts and samurai cinema. If I have a question about either genre he is my go to man. I just recently even borrowed the Shaw Brothers classic Come Drink with Me cause I had yet to see what many call one of the greatest films of China. Which brings me to my main discussion. For the record, if you don't already know, the Shaw Brothers were the gods of Chinese film during the 60s through the 80s and even, I believe, produces films today.

Up until now the best possible transfers of the plethora of Shaw Brothers films was their Hong Kong reissues which have spread over the last 5 years or so. Image Distribution in the US have tried releasing close to 20 titles but most reviewers claim that they seem to each have pretty faulty film transfers. Here's hoping The Weinstein Company's very own Dragon Dynasty can truly do the films justice.

Come June 19th, the company plans on releasing the first for of many Shaw Brother films. 36th Chamber of Shaolin, King Boxer (which if my memory serves me correctly, was a huge inspiration for Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle and would assume The Last Dragon too), The One Armed Swordsman, and My Young Auntie. Each film come in exclusive special editions with some brand new spankin' transfers. After just one viewing of this trailer I plan on picking up all four sight unseen (I believe all four played at the Cleveland Cinematheque a few month back but I failed to catch them). Check it out for yourself, below, right now:

I will be back in a day or two with my reaction to Tsai Ming Liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, Knocked Up, and Hostel: Part II (which I plan on seeing this friday).