Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I keep on getting worse with this whole thing. I guess things have been busy as of late, but then again when is it not. So I am back with a quick little post before I unfortunately head off to work.

Let's see. I am really try hard to think of all the things I wanted to talk about these last two weeks but everything has slipped my mind at the moment. The Toronto Film Festival has since past without my attendance and not far behind is Chicago International Film Festival in the beginning of October which really is not going to fit into my schedule, which is a shame. Last time we went there (about three or four years) we had a crappy experience (which is strange cause I really enjoy Chicago) and witnessed a not so great film, which we actually walked out of because it was insanely boring and repetitive. I apparently the running time was over 3 hours and we saw about an hour and 30 minutes. Let me tell you I never walk out of films. Maybe once or twice in my whole life of film viewing. So bad experience to say the least. Nonetheless, no trip to the fest this year. Oh well.

My plans this weekend our to catch Eastern Promises and oddly enough Resident Evil: Extinction. I know I have never seen the others and never cared to but this one seems like it has a whole Spaghetti Western/Mad Max/Dust Devil kinda feel to it which is very appealing as is the current tv spots. First in line though is Eastern Promises though. A History of Violence really impressed me 2 years ago (although I know some people did not think the same...yeah I'm talking to you, Bo). I will fill you guys in after my viewing which will most likely be tomorrow sometime.

Also in the next day or two will be a review of the Italian classic, Bellissima.

Alright so it has been awhile but here is another review. Today's dvd comes from the fine folks over at Tartan films and his entitled The Perfect Crime.


In my opinion, director Alex de la Iglesia is a touch sell in the US. I say this because he usually doesn't stick to one particular genre. When he first received international claim it was because of his earlier horror work (which included the amazing Day of the Beast), however, has his film career began to take off he took flight in all sorts of directions still at all times staying close to his strongest love - humor.


The Perfect Crime takes a horrific incident and creative a very funny and heartwarming film. Rafael (played to perfection by Guillermo Toledo) is one hell of a salesmen not to mention a bonafide ladies man. The thing is when it comes time for a promotion he has to best out his rival, Don Antonio, for the job of floor manager. After Don Antonio unfairly wins the postion, a simple spat turned to murder. Rafael hopes to get off clean but discovers that their is one witness to the unfortunate crime. Loudres (performed to the 'T' by actress Monica Cervera) is her name and her unfortunate looks have failed to grab his attention. She decides to blackmail him to cover up the crime and all hell breaks loose with hilarity along for the ride.


What makes The Perfect Crime so entertaining is its acting and how both the actors and the director has a knack for delivering humor in spades. Actors Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera bring the right touch of laughs and emotion to make this a fun and fast ride. Director Alex de la Iglesia really shows that he is one of the most inventive and adventurous directors working in Spain today.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good laugh and a great time.

So recently I stumbled upon the coolest thing ever. IFC First Take. Okay so it wasn't just recently. For a while now I have known that IFC started this off shoot which would release films in lmited theaters (aka New York and LA) and on cable the same day. Well not normal cable, just certain cable providers 'on demand; services and Directv. I just didn't follow it all that much and didn't really know anyone had Directv (Nate you should have told me...) until my brother whiched from Dish to Direct a month or so ago.

Flash to Sunday night. Kevin and I watched our first (in a long line) of films on Directv on demand service called 'IFC in Theatres.' You pay just $6.99 and you have yourself a brand new indie/foreign film on your television. Our first viewing was a french film called Dans Paris, which I have been dying to see.
While it wasn't what I had envisioned I still really dug it. I am a big fan on the two leads (Louis Garrel and Roman Duris) and the directed did a great job creating a modern day French New Wave film. I really dug a little singing scene late in the film which would normally seem out of place in any other film but seemed to fit just fine in this one. This also explains why director Christophe Honore chose a musical as his latest film, Les Chansons d'amour (a film I rambled on and on about in May). I think the more I watch it the more I will dig it more. He has it until October 1st (when they apparently erase it from your DVR) so I might take a gander at it in the not so distant future.

Next Up is a film written, directed, and starring Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiam fame called I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. It also stars Sarah Silverman and a handful of other cool little actors/comedians and I have heard some really good things about. Also laying in about a week or two is a new horror film called The Last Winter starring Ron Perlman and James LeGros. I heard it is amazing and is very reminiscent of John Carpenter's The Thing. I can't wait! I really wish I had access to this earlier cause I could have watch such awesome films like a recent favorite of mine The Aura, which also aired on IFC in Theatres.' On the other hand, I am glad I have a chance now to catch things in the not so distant future like Hsiao-Hsien Hou's Flight of the Red Balloon and at the same time as LA and New York folk, no less.

Sad news in the music biz for me at least. One of my favorite bands Planes Mistaken For Stars have called it quits. They plan on doing one last tour in the following months with the closest venue being Detroit. Looks like I will have to take a road trip to see them one last time. It's a damn shame. If you recall their latest record, which is absolutely amazing, was one of my favs from last year. At least a some good news is coming out of all this. Singer Gared O'Donnell has two bands in the works - a solo of sorts project entitled Hawks and Doves and a more band like project called Hexes. Let's hope at least one of them rips as hardcore as Planes did. We'll see. Speaking of my favorite bands, my boys from Japan, Envy have both a dvd (Transfovista) and a four track cd ep (Abyssal) hitting Japanese shelves in mid November. Good thing Chiaki and I are hitting Japan for New Years.

Yeah, you heard it right. Chiaki and I are back to Japan (it has been nearly 4 freaking years) at the end of the year for a whopping 16 days. I can not wait. Not only do I get to see my amazing Japanese family but I get to see a amazing beautiful country. We are planning some mini trips like a trek to tokyo for 2 or 3 days and maybe even a trek to Hiroshima to see our friend Miho (depending on where she will be living at at the time). And then there is my favorite thing - shopping. Lets face it. Unless I am shopping for music or films I get bored. American malls. Boring! Outdoor Promenades. Boring! Shopping in Japan. Amazing! I love everything whether it is a 7/11 or a huge Tokyo store. Either way I am in heaven. I am counting the days. I am also getting to meet my other brother in law (the middle child) Makoto who Chiaki herself hasn't seen in over 7 years. Shun-chan (Chiaki's youngest brother) will also be around so I am exciting to hang with him again also. And then there's Japanese New Years. Man will it be awesome. More on this as we begin to plan everything out.

Alright I suppose I will shut up for now. I felt like I should make a nice size post since it has been a few weeks since my last good one. I also have a zillion dvd reviews to do too soon. I don't want to upset anyone so next time return I will have a review or two in hand. Promise (for real, this time!).

The new trailer for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and man is a beauty. The film is the highly anticipated follow up to Andrew Dominik's amazing 2000 debut Chopper. I think 7 years is long enough to wait so this thing needs to come out now. It's set to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival in a few weeks. Really wish I could go. If you can't make it feast your eyes on the trailer below instead.

Kristen Bell cast in Heroes. Oh, so cool.

Couldn't resist posting this...another brilliant Old Spice commercial starring the one and only Bruce Campbell:

(love this poster design)

So, in case you are wondering, I am still sadden by the passing of the great Michelangelo Antonioni and I have been watching a handful of his films recently. Yesterday was Blow-Up and L'Avventura. I will have to honest. Don't get me wrong I love black and white films. love them. Something like Mike Nichol's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I couldn't even picture in color. And while I love his trilogy of L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse, you some how wonder how they would look in color. Antonioni was similar to someone like Seijun Suzuki, in the sense that his knack for color created a whole other character to his films and made my love for them even stronger. Look at Antonioni's brilliant Il Deserto rosso (Red Desert). The colors are amazing. He actually made his crew paint most things over to make the colors more vibrant. And when I say most things I mean even blades of grasses which his crew painted to look greener. Nonetheless I love all his work I have seen (and own in one shape or form) including the films mentioned above and of course the beautiful The Passenger. I have been dying to see the much criticized Zabriskie Point so that I could form my own opinion of it but I seems to be very hard to find a widescreen copy of it (most things out there are on a full screen transfer...I mean why bother with a film shot 2.35...I can wait).

So I miss the guy. I really hope positivity comes out of his passing such as more of his films to hit the dvd shelves. That would be nice. We will see.

So I really do plan to catch up on my film reviews. Next post, promise.

Okay, definitely diggin' the Death Proof dvd cover art.

It is a sad day in both the film world and personally. One of my favorite filmmakers of all time and a true icon to the film industry, Michelangelo Antonioni, died yesterday at the age of 94. If you all know me you know some of my favorite films were by the acclaimed director. From The Passenger to Red Desert to Blow-up (my favorite film), the man made masterpiece after masterpiece. The man will be surely missed.

Okay, announcement has finally come through, courtesy of Fangoria, for the separate released Grindhouse films from Tarantino and Rodriguez and to me it is a bit of a mixed bag.

First up, Tarantino's Death Proof on September 18th:

• Finding Quentin’s Gals featurette
• The Guys of DEATH PROOF featurette
• Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike featurette
• Introducing Zoe Bell featurette
• Quentin’s Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke featurette
• DOUBLE DARE trailer
• International poster gallery

As you can see, not much there. Would have liked a QT commentart track at least. Bonus points for a possible new grindhouse trailer though (I am guessing that is what DOUBLE DARE is?).

Then from Rodriguez's court Planet Terror on October 18th:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Rodriguez
• Deleted scenes
• Cooking School featurette
• 10-Minute Film School featurette
• The Stunts featurette
• The Make-up and Effects featurette
• The Badass Babes featurette
• The Renegade Guys featurette
• The Costumes featurette
• The Production Design featurette
• International trailer

Alot better. More of the usual form the man. I am sure it will be one entertaining as hell commentary track and his film and cooking school featurettes are always a treasure. My question though? No Machete trailer?? or Don't or Thanksgiving? I am a bit disappointed. Unless of course they are easter eggs on the discs. That would be a delight.

Alright. I suppose that is all for now. Back in a little while (which could mean days...ha ha), with a review of two.

Alot of things I want to talk about tonight but I am pretty tired so who knows how long this will be.

I will start things off with some rather sad news. Remember just a short while ago when I said I may have found a new favorite actor with Ulrich Muehe of The Lives of Others and Funny Games.

Well, the brilliant actor passed away just a few short days ago from stomach cancer. Apparently he was planning on working again with the always intriguing Michael Haneke in the not so distant future. He will be missed.

All the happy news department side of film, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, and (one of my personal favs) Gael Garcia Bernal are about to beginning film of the latest from Fernando Meirelles entitled Blindness. You may know this amazing director from his two previous masterpieces The Constant Gardener and City of God. I truly can't wait.

How I which I could go to Venice this year for their annual international film festival. The film slate is insane this year. Check it out:

In Competition

Todd Haynes' I'm Not There
Lee Kang-Sheng's Help Me Eros
Ang Lee's Lust, Caution
Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django
Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited
Andrew Dominik's The Assination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Out of Competition

Claude Chabrol's La Fille Coupee en duex
Takeshi Kitano's Kantoku Banzai!
Shinji Aoyama's Sad Vacation
Jia Zhangke's Useless

And that is just a little taste of the films set for the festival. Not to mention a special tribute to Spaghetti Westerns with over 30 classic films of the genre set to screen. Amazing stuff.

Speaking of amazing stuff comes the announcement of two dvds I am really looking forward to in the coming months. First up is Magnolia Pictures release of Severance one hell of a great horror comedy which really could have gotten a Shaun of the Dead following if it was marketed a tad bit wider. Nonetheless check out the disc and its features coming to shelves on Septemeber 25th:

• Audio commentary by Smith, cast and crew
• Making-of featurette
• Not So Special Effects featurette
• Genesis of SEVERANCE featurette
• Fight Scene Training featurette • Being Danny Dyer featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• Alternate ending
• Storyboards

In October we should welcome the Criterion Collection release of Days of Heaven. With one beauty of a cover this release should be a definite for all film fans. While I have never seen this Terrence Malick classic (I am however a huge fan of his Badlands), I have heard nothing but good thing about it over the years. Below is the cover art and specs:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, editor Billy Weber, and camera operator John Bailey

New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack

Audio commentary featuring Weber, art director Jack Fisk, costume designer Patricia Norris, and casting director Dianne Crittenden

New video interviews with cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Bailey

PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Adrian Martin and director of photography Nestor Almendros

While I am sure there is much more yet to say (including some long overdue film reviews I have discussed several times earlier) I will leave you all with the first poster from Tim Burton latest, his film version of the famed play Sweeney Todd. Tell me this isn't a bad ass poster. Enjoy...

Wait no longer. I bring you The Darjeeling Limited trailer:

If this film lives up to its amazing trailer, it will hand downs be the film of the year (and this is saying alot...especially with the new Paul Thomas Anderson film hitting this year too). Lets hope this will be the year of Wes and PTA.

So have any of you guys ever read my reviews over at KFC Cinema. Probably not (aside from Daniel Lee, of course). Therefore I thought I would post some links for your viewing pleasure. Yeah, I know there not the greatest but I am getting better I think. Some of them I wish I proofread before publishing though. Suffice to say here are a handful...

Flower and the Angry Waves
Black Test Car
Red Angel
Linda, Linda, Linda
Naked Pursuit

Here is one of my earlier ones when I first started writing for the page:

Family

So yeah. Most of the reviews are pretty positive. Then again I try to get my hands on good films to review, hence the positivity. Some times, however, that is not always true. Case in point the last two reviews. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy. If you think they're bad, at least you can get a little laugh.

Back to reality. Apparently the trailer for Darjeeling Limited (the latest from Wes Anderson) hits theaters this weekend either attached to Sunshine or Once (according to several websites). I myself can not wait. Take a gander at the final poster artwork. Looks a bit familiar but I dig it.

I am sure I had alot of great things to say but they have all slipped my mind at the moment. I will be back soon. I promise. Plus next post will have a dvd film review or maybe two...

It's about frickin' time...


Need I say more....wait no longer than October 2007. This is why we love you Criterion Collection.

	New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Raoul Coutard
	Archival interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Jean-Pierre Melville
	New video interviews with Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker
	New video essays: filmmaker and critic Mark Rappaport's "Jean Seberg" and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Breathless as Film Criticism"
	Chambre 12, Hotel de suede, an eighty-minute French documentary about the making of Breathless, with members of the cast and crew
	Charlotte et son Jules, a 1959 short film by Godard, starring Belmondo
	French theatrical trailer
	New and improved English subtitle translation
	PLUS: A booklet featuring writings from Godard, film historian Dudley Andrew, Francois Truffaut's original film treatment, and Godard's scenario

So like three friends have informed me it has been another two weeks since we last spoke. Oops. sorry guys. at least I know I have three readers, right.

Where was I....ah, yes Chiaki and I got back from our trip to new york last weekend. It was swell, really. We love that damn city. Spent alot of time in Koreatown this year, oddly enough. Sippin' on some OB beer (hmm..tasty) and hittin' up the karoke rooms (man am I a horrible singer). We explore new parts of the city this year and attempt to get more reacquainted with it. Didn't get a hold of my new york friends, whom seem to have disowned me but oh well what can you do (Dani, Ali, Chris, Brandon...if your out there I miss you guys).

Chiaki and I fell in love with a play in west greenwich village called In a Dark Dark House with Ron Livingston (of Office Space) and Frederick Weller. Both we amazing specially Weller as was the supporting role played by Louisa Krause. Two hour off-broadway play with three acts last roughly 30-40 minutes each. Weller was in all three acts, Livingston in two, and Krause in one. Powerful stuff. Really showed me that Neil LaBute (the playwrite) still had some amazing stuff left in him. LaBute, if you don't know used to be an amazing screenwriting/directing god. He made to jaw-dropping films (In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors), an above average semi-Hollywood flick (Nurse Betty), a full blown Hollywood romance (Possession), back to a great little indie (The Shape of Things) and then a Hollywood remake (The Wicker Man). Throughout that time his original plays came to life throughout the New York and London (Bash, The Shape of Things, Fat Pig, Some Girls). Personally the man works best in film when he is able to direct his own material ala 'Shape', 'Men', and 'Neighbors'. Therefore I look forward to future projects hoping for the best.

Also caught two flicks at the New York Asian Film Festival. Nightmare Detective (the latest from Shinya Tsukamoto) and Freesia; both from Japan. We enjoyed both of them. Currently I am in the process of writing a little article about both for KFC Cinema so I will let you all know when that goes up. I will say, while I really dug Nightmare Detective I still believe that Vital is Tsukamoto's stronger picture. Freesia on the other hand surprised the hell out of me. Went in knowing nothing and came out truly satisfied. More on this soon.

Caught Black Snake Moan last night and really liked it alot. As one review stated elsewhere, an admiration or understanding of southern blues music will really help in your satisfaction of the film. Craig Brewer, the writer/director has a love for music. Just as in his debut Hustle & Flow, music plays a crucial role in the film along side the actors.

Well, I suppose I am off for now. I forget what else I wanted to talk about. I swear I will try to be back in a day or two with the usual sass. Also a review or two will be in order at next post. promise.

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.