nyaff 2019

THE FABLE (Still #6)

Netflix Acquires THE FABLE And THE FABLE: THE KILLER WHO DOESN’T KILL For November Releases!

Lee B. Golden III

Ever had one of those days where you were sifting through Netflix and surely enough you came across something you were bound to be interested in only before you kept scrolling? Yeah…me too. Only, I can affirm you that this won’t be the case with Kan Eguchi’s 2019 action comedy adaptation, The Fable, which I reviewed that year for its NYAFF premiere. The same goes for its most recent sequel which I also reviewed and well… the rest is history. As much as I and others have been jib-jabbin’ away about these back-to-back hit films and wondering just when the rest of the world would see them, it turns out that Netflix has acquired and listed BOTH titles on its Coming Soon tab with a date set for November 17! The Fable is based on Katsuhisa Minami’s 2014 manga of the same name and stars Junichi Okada as an infamous […]

NYAFF Review: Zhang Wei’s THE RIB Invokes A Beautiful Tale About Acceptance And Revealing What Is Already There

Cesar Alejandro Jr.

Transgendered Huanyu (Yuan Weijie) seeks to get reassignment surgery to physically become a woman; however, before the operation can take place, Huanyu must convince his father Jianguo (Huang Jingyi) to sign off on the procedure as parental consent is needed. Being a devout Christian, Jianguo is adamantly opposed to such a thing and the revelation about the secret life of his only son rattles him and his faith to its core. As father and son try to reconcile their dreams and needs as a family, Huanyu must also come to terms with how the society in China will react when he becomes fully outed and a woman. A powerful examination on the modern state of LGBT politics and social order in China, Director Zhang’s intimate and beautifully shot film features stellar acting and direction but fares less well when compared with similar efforts from Western countries considering the plethora of […]

NYAFF Review: Jo Min-Ho’s A RESISTANCE, A Captivating Paean About A Heroine And Her Truest Faith

Lee B. Golden III

The first time I was exposed to actress Ko Ah-sung was with her role in Bong Joon-Ho’s hit film, Snowpiercer. She was an instant charmer on screen and was especially a thrill to see in Hong Won-Chan’s 2015 psychological murder thriller, Office. Ko’s newest role to date is one of the most viscerally-charged to date with A Resistance, writer and director Jo Min-Ho’s fourth film. The film is based on the life and times of protestor Yu Guan-Sun who was incarcerated among more than 47,000 others throughout for protesting against Japanese annexation. Our film takes us behind the drab, murky walls of Seodaemun Prison where our first sight of our protagonist, once her headcover is removed, is that of a beaten and battered Guan-Sun. At this point, her initial sentence was five years and then cut down to three, during which she’s visibly no stranger to the rough ends of […]

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NYAFF Review: In Jacen Tan’s ZOMBIEPURA, Always Be Prepared!

Lee B. Golden III

In all of Singapore’s history, leave it to director Jacen Tan to blaze a trail introspective enough to pitch the Southeast Asian city-state’s first-ever zombie film. That effort leaves moviegoers with Zombiepura, partly inspired by Tan’s own conception in his heyday as a National Service reservist. This particular story focuses on Kayu (Alaric), a lazy reservist whose only focus at any given point is to take the path of least resistance despite constantly getting chewed out by his commanding officer, Siao On. At best, medical leave is his best and only option, and that’s only if he can fake it properly. Kayu and friend Tazan (Haresh Tilani) eventually make it inside doctor’s office after applying mosquito repellant to make it look like Kayu has early symptoms of conjunctivitis. Just as he’s being diagnosed, a soldiers bring in a dead body, only for it to reanimate and bite its first victim. […]

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Review: Herman Yau’s THE WHITE STORM 2: DRUG LORDS, A Violent Tale Of Rivaling Tycoons And A City Caught In The Middle

Lee B. Golden III

Benny Chan’s The White Storm was a riveting, explosive crime epic in 2013, packed with riveting and high drama led by Louis Koo, Sean Lau and Nick Cheung for its heroic bloodshed narrative. That was six years ago, and with the time its taken for The White Storm 2: Drug Lords to arrive, newly-installed Herman Yau crafts an explosive, spectacular sequel that swells the bodycount. Yau’s tale spans a fifteen year tale of brotherhood, betrayal and retribution, culmimating the interwoven tales of two triad brothers, Dizang (Louis Koo) and Tin (Andy Lau), and a relentless cop named Fung (Michael Miu) on a mission to bust the city’s worst of the worst. Over the course of the film, what neither side is ready for are the casualties that already remain pending as the city’s war on crime spills on the streets, as do the rivalries between bosses. Tin is a junkie […]

NYAFF Review: Kim Tae-Gyun’s DARK FIGURE OF CRIME Tells A Lean, Long Tale Pitting Good Against Unyielding Evil

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Kim Yun-Seok is having a banner year with his directing debut, Another Child, a worthy cosign as one of two milestones for the screen star in the wake of his latest film, Dark Figure Of Crime which opened in October, and screened at NYAFF last weekend. Ripped from the headlines for Kim Tae-Gyun’s sophomore outing, Dark Figure Of Crime, opens with a meet-up at a restaurant between detective Kim Hyung-min (Kim Yun-Seok), his informant Jung-Bong (Kim Young-Woong), and confessed killer Kang Tae-oh (Ju Ji-Hoon) goes awry. Before long, a seperate unit nabs him for the murder of his girlfriend, sparking a grim reunion when Kang gives Kim a potentially prospective phone call confessing to the death and dismemberment of six more bodies. The two commence an arrangement, of sorts, that enables Kim to pursue a cold case roster in exchange for handing Kang perks behind bars. At least one […]

NYAFF Review: Masaharu Take’s THE GUN Takes Provocative And Chilling Aim At Growing Madness

Lee B. Golden III

Tackling award-winning literature for a change of pace, it was Fuminori Nakamura’s 2002 Shincho-prized novel, The Gun, which ultimately sought the interest of director Masaharu Take for his subsequent endeavor at the time. Doused in hypnotic black and white, the celebrated In The Hero and 100 Yen Love helmer’s adaptation enjoins a cast here led by Destruction Babies co-star Nijiro Murakami for an intriguing, introspective view into the downward spiral of a man numb to his own decaying state. Opening with a shot of our lead character, Toru (Murakami), he discovers a gun at a murder scene and takes it into his possession. It’s the start of a dual lifestyle for the young college student whose campus days sees him often with girl-crazy friend, Keisuke (Amane Okayama) whose only main concern is to get laid and party as frequently as possible – something entirely opposite of Toru’s own mindset most […]

NYAFF Review: SABU’s Introspective Oddity In Hard-Hitting JAM Delivers From ‘Misery’

Lee B. Golden III

I’m not a personal believer in Karma – as much fixing there needs in this world, that is. As for Japanese auteur SABU’s latest co-piloting with LDH Pictures, Jam, the concept is pretty feasible a plot device as far as film and storytelling go, though my only real concern was for how at least one character would meet his end here. It fell a bit short on my own expectations, but it’s a small nitpick, though, and it didn’t take much away from my own enjoyment throughout. Pensively etched in doses of wry comedy, brutal drama and action that hits hard where it hurts, Jam culminates around three key characters: A pop star looking to revive his career, an ex-con with a score to settle, and a wheelman desperate to save his girlfriend. Jam kicks off with a stimulating opening score that sets the tone for our first major: a […]

NYAFF Review: Huang Huang’s WUSHU ORPHAN Is So Much More Than Its Message

Lee B. Golden III

I’m sort of just sitting here, trying to sift through any number of films and shows I might recall that deal similarly in the subject matter Huang Huang’s new film, Wushu Orphan, observes (Painted Faces and Dead Poets Society come to mind). Really, it’s part and parcel to helping mysef absorb the two-hour tale Huang elucidates in his latest outing – beautifully shot and conceived throughout, and with an ending that challenges you to be okay with what you just saw. A multi-bracketed coming-of-age drama, Huang’s contemplative Wushu Orphan tells its tale in four chapters, each prefaced by the brief visual of an old man with an eyepatch – a wushu master fresh out of prison journeying between stops to confront other masters. Central to the story is Youhong (Noah Jin), an inexperienced teacher hired by his uncle (Ma Zhongshan) who happens to be the acting dean of Zhige Wushu […]

NYAFF Review: Nobuhiro Yamashita’s HARD-CORE Spotlights The Mechanics Of Being Alive

Lee B. Golden III

Nobuhiro Yamashita takes on artful drama with a sci-fi twist in Hard-Core, based on Takashi Imashiro’s 1993 manga, and marking Yamashita’s own debut foray into sci-fi. It’s pretty much a slow-burn process to work through but the characters in their iteration here are made interesting enough that you’re compelled for the most part to stick with it to the end. We meet our lead character in Ukon (Takayuki Yamada), a scruffy, down-and-out barfly whose wayward path eventually lands him employment with an aging nationalist named Kaneshiro (Takuzo Kibukukuri), who wants to re-educate today’s youth. He finds friendship in Ushiyama (Yoshiyoshi Arakawa), a kindhearted mute, and the two are then-led to a cave in the Gunma Prefecture where they’re commissioned to dig for Shogun’s buried gold. The two share a room together near an abandoned factory whereupon during one evening, Ushiyama discovers what he thinks at first is a corpse. He […]

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NYAFF Review: Hung Tzu-Hsuan’s THE SCOUNDRELS Is All About Second Chances

Lee B. Golden III

Having made a name for himself as a prolific action filmmaker while attending Shih Hsin University, filmmaker Hung Tzu-Hsuan is finally making way with his feature debut, The Scoundrels, drawing a cast of award-winning talents to lead the charge. Liao Wen-Jui (JC Lin) was once a star basketball player whose prospects and career promise are all but lost after getting physical with a fan. A few years later, life hasn’t really improved for Wen-jui given his teetering relationship with physiologist, Shin-jie (Nana Lee), and toiling away as a parking fee collector. Vying for some extra cash, his secret employment with a gang behind a notorious crime spree involving the use of GPS gadgets to track and steal cars is whole ‘nother bag of worms. For this, the last thing he needs is to be held at gunpoint for no reason, which is exactly what happens after discovering a pool of […]

NYAFF Review: For The Destination In Bernard Rose’s SAMURAI MARATHON 1855, It’s All About The Journey

Lee B. Golden III

Times are-a-changin’ in director Bernard Rose’s jidaigeki debut, Samurai Marathon 1855, a 105-minute period epic based on Akihiro Dobashi’s 2014 novel with a story centered around Japan’s very first marathon. A beachfront diplomatic meet-up beteeen U.S. navy officer Commodore Perry (Danny Huston) and the Shogun’s Chief Minister, Ioki Suketora (Etsushi Toyokawa) offsets Rose’s epic tale which introduces us to Annaka village Lord Itakura (Hiroki Hasegawa), and his rebellious daughter, Princess Yukihime (Nana Komatsu), a talented artist with whom, he’s betrothing to Tsujimura (Mirai Moriyama), another of his loyal samurai, to help sustain his bloodline. We also meet a seemingly benign accountant bearing much more than meets the eye in Jinnai (Takeru Satoh), who happens to be secretly loyal to an underground clan of ninja, trained from boyhood and beholden to the shogun. Having long since been assigned to report on any anomalous activity from Annaka village, his mission finally takes […]

NYAFF

NYAFF XVIII Official Trailer: Applaud Accordingly

Lee B. Golden III

What better way to get revved up for this year’s New York Asian Film Festival than the official trailer? Indiewire shared the exclusive goods a few days ago but it’s finally making the viral rounds and offering a hefty dose of excitement to the willing masses who plan on having their minds blown for seventeen days straight. What didn’t kill us made us stronger. The 18th edition of NYAFF has life-threatening swimming pools, bizarre families that are scarier than the undead they cultivate, batshit crazy kung fu magic, treasure hunting robots, x-ray sex and more. Then there’s the stuff more grounded in reality that will leave you buzzing in different ways, from teenage rivals vs. their parents, to a family of fibbers, displaced immigrants, stolen identity, terminal illness turned on its head, etc., whew! It’s all fantabulously diverse and provocative heralding vibrant and exciting voices from China to Malaysia, Taiwan, […]

THE FABLE - Mizuki Yamamoto, Junichi Okada, Fumino Kimura

THE FABLE: Meet Your Weird Assassin Neighbor Next Door In The New Special Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Japan audiences are less than a week from the premiere of Gachi Boshi helmer Kan Eguchi’s new film, The Fable, and the campaign has been pretty amply paced thusfar since rolling out its initial teasers last December. Nippon TV launched sales in Hong Kong earlier this year, based on Katsuhisa Minami’s Weekly Young Magazine publication since 2014 and features Samurai’s Promise and Library Wars franchise star Junichi Okada. Your slightly offbeat neighbor might actually be an assassin on vacation. As his nickname implies, the Fable is an enigmatic assassin who terrorizes the underworld. The overworked assassin gets an order from his boss. “Live the life of a normal man for one year. Kill anyone during your vacation and I kill you.” In incognito, the Fable is given the name, “Akira Sato” and his partner is “Yoko.” They start their new lives as a regular brother and sister with a pet […]

NYAFF XVIII: Furie, The Fable, Yuen Woo-Ping, Veronica Ngo, And So, So, SO Much More!

Lee B. Golden III

Adding to the awesomeness of Yuen Woo-Ping receiving the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s 18th New York Asian Film Festival, actress Veronica Ngo will also be on hand serving as competition juror on top of snagging her own award in the form of the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. These are only scratching the smallest surface area within the plans that lie ahead for some of the amazing titles that are finally heading to North America on the festival front. This includes Angga D. Sasongko’s graphic novel adaptation of 212 Warrior, the center piece of Kan Eguchi’s action comedy, The Fable, Bernard Rose’s Samurai Marathon, Jo Min-ho’s provocative period drama, A Resistance, and a raft of other amazing and worldly titles throughout Asia. This also includes Well Go USA’s recent hits like Yuen’s Master Z: Ip Man Legacy and the homeward-bound Furie, along […]

Movie And Musical Majesty In NYAFF’S KOKDU: A STORY OF GUARDIAN ANGELS Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Tickets are on sale for the North American premiere for The New York Asian Film Festival’s upcoming premiere presentation of Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels. The live action cinematic presentation enjoins the filmic feats of directors Kim Tae-yong (Memento Mori, critically acclaimed Late Autumn) and music director Bang Jun-Seok (The Throne, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days), along with a 20-piece ensemble from the National Gugak Center. Kokdu: A Story Of Guardian Angels signals the latest partnership between the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), Film at Lincoln Center, and the New York Asian Film Foundation. As for what this all entails, there’s a trailer out and about as of last week to help sample the goods to come and you can view that above. The show has already been touring in select parts of the world now, including Germany […]

NYAFF XVIII: Yuen Woo-Ping To Receive Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award On July 1

Lee B. Golden III

Summer is here and for cinephilic types, that means more festive film events forthcoming. Our own New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) kicks off on June 28 with a pending line-up that will also bear host to a celebration of venerable martial arts cinema auteur, Master Yuen Woo-Ping. The legendary action director, best known by the global kung fu cinema cult fandom at large and mainstream audiences for his work on The Matrix trilogy, both Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon films and the dual Kill Bill revenge saga, will be on hand to receive the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award on July 1. The celebration will also include a 35mm presentation of seminal Donnie Yen headliner Iron Monkey (1993), Well Go USA’s presentation of Yuen’s sequel-bound Master Z: Ip Man Legacy returning actor Max Zhang to his role in the preceding Ip Man 3, and Yuen’s 1982 classic, The Miracle Fighters. […]

KOKDU: The NYAFF Invites You To A World Of Live Fantasy Cinema And Wonder In NYC City Next Month!

Lee B. Golden III

New York City’s film festival scene is a rich and vibrant kind, cultivated and host to a world of dazzling and unique features. Going into this summer, The New York Asian Film Festival will be no different this month with the announcement of its first venture, the U.S. premiere of Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels. The Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) is partnering with Film at Lincoln Center, and the New York Asian Film Foundation to present the hybrid live/cinematic show being billed as “a once in-a-lifetime film and concert experience marrying cinema with traditional Korean music (gugak)”. Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels has already made waves in the last three years including at Busan International Film Festival, and earlier this year at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival as a part of the Generation KPlus lineup. Both a fairy tale and a phantasmagoria, the film follows […]

NYAFF Winter Showcase: MISS BAEK Star Han Ji-Min Illuminates As Film Ambassador For First-Year Event

Lee B. Golden III

Folks attending the first weekend of the NYAFF Winter Showcase got first hand entertainment last week with actress Han Ji-Min for the opening premiere of Lee Ji-won’s new drama, Miss Baek. Han was announced in mid-January as the organization’s Film Ambassador for this year’s inaugural Winter event launching two-weekends of notable Asian titles centric on the 99% and the extraordinary lives of ordinary people, coupled with a dose of old school kung fu and action films to boot. The first-ever Winter Showcase took place at Chelsea’s SVA theatre in New York City where the actress spoke to the audience and introduced the award-winning film. Han etches her place in NYAFF’s now 18-year history, following in the footsteps of summer edition attendees such as actors Lee Byung-hun (Keys To The Heart), Gang Dong-won (Ilang: The Wolf Brigade) and Kim Yoon-seok (Dark Figure Of Crime). “I’m so honoured to become the first […]