I have been sick for a few days, so no other updates except posting stuff I wrote about the 29th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF).
Despite the freshness of this year's festival, one focus remains the same: "present stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience" and to bring the largest Asian cinema showcase in North America to the audience.
This year's SFIAAFF presents 108 films (including 31 feature narratives and 16 feature documentaries) and 58 programs during its 10 day run.
The opening night film "West Is West" (UK 2009 | 102 min.) is a comedy about a Pakistani immigrant family living in London.
The closing night film "Surrogate Valentine" (USA 2011 | 75 min.) is a docudrama style comedy about local indie musician Goh Nakamura, directed by Bay area director Dave Boyle.
This year's centerpiece presentation is a Vietnamese film "Clash" (Bẫy Rồng | Vietnam 2009 | in Vietnamese | 100 min.). The film is like a marriage between a Hong Kong martial art flick and a Hollywood violent action blockbuster. It tells a story about cracking down a gangster's operation, and it has nothing to do with the Vietnam War, for a change.
Besides these big nights, the festival presents a wide spectrum of recent Asian cinema as well as a few retrospective programs that certainly enchant the sophisticated and diverse cinema lovers around the Bay.
I will write more about those films in the near future.
Let's bring the stories to light. But first, turn off the light and watch some great movies at the 29th SFIAAFF.
My picks of some must-see films at this year's SFIAAFF:
These are my picks of documentaries at this year's festival. Any title or film image is linked to the festival Web site that contains showtime and ticket information.
Is it possible that you are moved into tears when watching a documentary about high school chorus and when listening to their beautiful songs? Absolutely, if you are watching "One Voice," directed by Lisette Marie Flanary whose "Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula" rocks the audience at the 25th SFIAAFF.
This deeply touching film follows a few leaders of the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest which involves thousands of the students enrolled in Kamehameha Schools in Hawaiʻi. These students embrace the Hawaiian heritage, cherish the Hawaiian culture, discover the Hawaiian identity, and realize older generations' Hawaiian dream by singing in Hawaiian language in the annual song contest.
This enchanting film is not just about a song contest, it is about Hawaiʻi. It is a must-see at this year's festival.
A hard-working Korean immigrant family in Chicago falls apart after the father passed away, the mother is murdered, and the son, Andrew Suh, kills his sister's boyfriend. What happened? Why? Iris Shim's directorial feature debut "The House of Suh" is a solid work that brings this tragic high profile case to the audience. Most importantly, it allows us to know who Andrew Suh really is and why he pulled the trigger on September 25, 1993, when he was only 19 years old.
It is a heartbroken and tragic story for all parties involved. However, behind the headlines, there is a deeper story to be told about the articulate Andrew Suh whose potential is cut short by the event. This film impressively unfolds that unforgettable tale with honesty and intelligence.
In China, if there is still a piece of sky that is blue all the time, not gray because of pollution, that sky must be above Tibet. However, the lives under that piece of blue sky might be as primitive as hundreds of years ago. A fascinating documentary "Summer Pasture" intimately observes the nomadic life on this breathtakingly beautiful yet uncompromisingly harsh land.
The film follows Locho and his wife Yama who live with their infant daughter in Dzachukha, regarded as the highest, coldest, poorest, largest, and most remote area China. They live in an extremely difficult environment, work hard in a very traditional nomad way, and cope with the fast moving modern world. Yet, their lives are also filled with love, humor, happiness, and hope.
This is truly an eye opener about lives in Tibet on the backdrop of Tibet's splendid landscape.
I Wish I Knew (海上传奇 | China 2010 | in Chinese | 125 min.)
Although in general people are fond of their hometowns, people coming from Shanghai are passionately affectionate about this beautiful city. Therefore, it is only fitting to let Shanghainese tell Shanghai's history in first person for the occasion of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. Composed of interviews from all walks of life in Shanghai, "I Wish I Knew" is a beautifully photographed genuine love letter to this arresting city. However, it is a surprise that this love letter is directed by the Jia Zhangke, who is regarded as the leading voice of the "sixth generation directors" in China.
If you love Shanghai, you will be delighted by this poetic film. If you love Jia's cinema language, you will be entertained by Jia's reinvention of himself. Nevertheless, you will learn about Shanghai's past, present, and the future through Jia's lenses.
One documentary I have not seen but looking forward to at the festival is "Open Season" by directors Lu Lippold and Mark Tang. The film is based on a high profile tragic hunting incident on November 21, 2004 in Birchwood, Wisconsin. A Hmong immigrant Chai Vang had a dispute with white landowner. In the end, six people were dead and two were wounded. Chai Vang is sentenced to six consecutive life terms plus seventy years.
As explained in this NPR interview last year, the filmmakers re-examine the case in the scope of culture clash and racial relationship.
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) offers unique opportunity for accessing great Asian films that you will not be able to see on the big screen in the US otherwise. Sometimes, small independent films do not have a distributor even in Asia.
For example, an acclaimed Chinese film "Grain in Ear" (芒种 | China 2005) was only released in South Korea, but we had the luxury to see it at the 24th SFIAAFF in 2006.
The following is my selection of not-to-be-missed narrative features at this year's festival. As always, any title or film image is linked to the festival Web site that contains showtime and ticket information.
Bi, Don't Be Afraid! (Bi, đừng sợ! | Vietnam/France/Germany 2010 | in Vietnamese | 90 min.)
Through 6-year-old Bi's observant and curious eyes, the story unfolds in Bi's home that hosts three generations. Like a restless and aimlessly little butterfly, Bi drifts freely and connects other family members—from his ailing grandfather, to his absent and adultery father, and to his unrequited love bearing aunt.
With engrossing characters, lyrical style, terrific performance, and aesthetic cinematography, "Bi, Don't Be Afraid!" promise to be one of the most memorable films at this year's festival.
Dance Town (댄스타운 | South Korea 2010 | in Korean | 95 min.)
Korean director Jeon Kyu-hwan's final installment of his "Town Trilogy" is "Dance Town," an unflinching honest look at the poignant reality for many "invisible" people in a town.
Ra Mi-ran gives a brilliant performance as Ri Jeong-rim, who defects from North Korea leaving her husband and mother behind. Ri Jeong-rim must build a new life in South Korea, but that proves to be almost as difficult as she crosses the border of North and South Korea.
Would she be better off if she had stayed in the North? You can draw your own conclusion after watching the film.
Chinese director Zhang Meng's (张猛) new comedy "The Piano in a Factory" is a delightfully entertaining comedy, especially for those who enjoy the Northeast Chinese dialect, which is frequently used for the comic effect—that is what China's most famous comedian Zhao Benshan (赵本山) speaks.
Chen Guilin (Wang Qian-Yuan) is an ex steel worker turning into a street musician after the steel factory is closed down in Anshan. When his daughter announces that she would live whoever has a piano during Guilin's divorce, he is determined to keep her daughter—he gathers his pals and builds a piano in the abandoned steel factory from scratch, with scrap materials they can find laying around. They end up a piano with a steel body as you can see in the trailer. Hence, the direct translation of film's Chinese title 钢的琴 would be "A Steel Instrument."
The film blends well with its often hilarious comic moments and not always convincing story line, and brilliantly inserts exhilarating surreal dancing routines and constantly amusing Russian (Soviet Union to be exact) songs. However, I am afraid that some of the jokes might be lost in the translation if you do not speak the language.
The following is a few films that I have not seen yet (for some, on purpose), but I am looking forward to at the festival.
Dooman River (두만강 | China 2010 | in Korean | 89 min.)
Besides "Dance Town," another film about crossing the North Korean border is "Dooman River," by Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu (张律). This time, it's the border of North Korea and China—Tumen River (图们江), director's hometown. The film is about the friendship of two boys from North and South Korea respectively, on the backdrop of waves of the North Korean refugees coming to China.
Zhang Lu's previous films "Grain in Ear" (SFIAAFF '06) and"Desert Dream" (SFIAAFF '08) makes me believe that this is a film I cannot afford to miss on the big screen at this year's festival. A must see.
This is the annual so-called "surprise screening" at the festival, which means you will not find this film in the festival catalog and the selection is almost always a crowd pleasing Asian box office hit. And with huge Asian super stars, of course. This year, the star is the one and the only: Won Bin (원빈).
Winning multiple awards at Taiwan's Golden Horse Award in 2010 and traveling among film festivals, "The Fourth Portrait" tells a story about ten-year-old boy's broken family. This film promises to be a treat that is character driving with powerful performance.
When Love Comes (當愛來的時候 | Taiwan 2010 | in Chinese | 109 min.)
Another big winner, including best picture and best cinematography, at Taiwan's Golden Horse Award in 2010 is a family drama "When Love Comes" that touches the core of the meaning of family in Taiwan today.
I will do this quick and dirty, with minimum words, since each picture already worths thousand words.
The City has been having fantastic weather the last couple weeks, with beautiful sunny weather and summer like temperatures. Where was I? The beach of course.
Yup, that beach right there in the picture. When I was lying on the warm sand, this is all I see, while hearing the sound of the wave.
Then, a bunch people show up. One of them wants to be like the Little Mermaid.
Then I moved on, went to the highest point, over looking the City.
I have not been back to the Botanical Garden for a long time. It's a perfect time to revisit now because it's the blooming season. Yes, the spring is here, except everywhere else.
The next stop? Asian Art Museum. I noticed this in the grand foyer. "To be content with what we possess is the greatest of all riches." Hmmm... In that sense, I think I am very rich. Isn't that easy to say when you actually possess something? Try to preach this to the homeless people.
Yes, I also went to visit the Aquarium of the Bay for the first time. It turns out that I wasn't missing anything. It's no comparison to The California Academy of Sciences. However, I took couple pictures of the jelly fish, dancing elegantly.
Hong Kong's "Demon Chef" Alvin Leung is in town for the Papillon X event. He is famous for "X-treme Chinese" cuisine. On Friday, when he was making a "Sex on the Foggy San Francisco Beach" from food (yes, even the condom is made from eatable ingredients), I took a photo in action.
I even tried some of the "sand" on the plate, made from some oat meal. Inside the "condom" is some soymilk.
It turns out that sex won't just be on the beach. Today, I visited "On the Edge: Erotic Photography Exhibition," very briefly, out of curiosity. Oh, boy. My eyes hurt. I have never seen so many vaginae at the same time (nor separately).
This is also why I love this City.
Tomorrow, I will go back to the wild to take more pictures of the wild flowers and enjoy the beautiful weather before the rain returns next week.
I know, I overloaded the pictures this time.
Oh, almost forget, a film review I wrote a week ago.
By now, anybody who has even just heard about the movie "127 Hours" probably already gets the message—bring a sharp knife when you go explore in a never never land (or the lack of). Some cave divers indeed bring a sharp knife with them. However, that does not seem enough to save their fate during their adventure in director Alister Grierson's 3-D thriller "Sanctum" (USA/Australia 2010 | 109 min.). Nor will it save the film from sinking into the deep cave.
Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) leads a National Geographic team inside South Pacific's underwater Esa-ala Caves that is regarded as "the mother of all caves." His resentful 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) comes for a visit, joined by an uppity financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) and his equally arrogant girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson). After they reach inside the cave, a heavy storm causes a flash flooding and cuts off the route for getting out of the cave. They must find a new way to escape the sanctum with limited resources, supplies, and few options, if any at all. During the struggle for survival, all hell breaks loose gruesomely, both in natural and in human.
Although we are expecting danger when a parachute is needed for falling into the cave, the film is still a hair-raising experience. It reminds us that we should leave the nature alone sometimes. Occasionally, the film displays great visual of underwater and inside the cave. The film would have been fascinating if it were a documentary about surviving on National Geographic Channel.
Unfortunately, no. The film wants to create some human drama. Actually, lots of them. Although it is produced by the creator of "Avatar,"James Cameron—"the king of the world," but this film has a different writing team. Yet, this film's cheesy dialogues are just as laughable as in "Avatar," if not worse. As for the 3-D, when it is all dark in a cave, why is it matter if it is 3-D or 2-D? Unless, the film crew turn on the superb lighting.
Most of the characters are stubborn and ego driving. Whenever they escape from a terrifying episode in the extreme condition, they shout at each other, quarrel with each other, when they are not trying to kill each other. Here is my advice for them: next time when you dive into that mother of all caves, you should learn from James Franco in "127 Hours,", go by yourself, and do not tell anybody where you are going, but do bring a sharp knife, just in case.
Ops! It's almost 10 days after the Chinese New Year! The year of rabbit. I made a rabbit shape with my hands to celebrate the holiday.
Happy the Year of Bunny!
On Chinese New Year's Eve, I made eight dishes and one soup, besides the midnight dumplings. I want to celebrate it just the way when I was a little kid. Although I didn't cook as many dishes as mom did.
Roma tomato marinated with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, basil, pomegranate, and red onion.
Lotus root and pine nut.
Slow braised pork shoulder.
Stir-fry garlic leek.
Stir-fry mixed veggies and mushrooms.
Of course, I must have fish.
And chicken soup.
Forgot to take others, but anyway, a very festival feast to celebrate Chinese New Year.
After finished dinner, I started to make dumplings, with chive and pork fillings.
That comes the grand finale at midnight. Now I am complete and I will have a very happy and prospering new year.
On Chinese New Year Day, I bought more colorful fruits, mango and pineapple.
Remember Zhang Yimou's directorial debut "Red Sorghum" (红高粱 | China 1987 | in Chinese | 91 min.)? There is that word "red" modifying sorghum, although as far as I can remember, the color is actually purple.
I guess whoever comes up with that name is not very good at colors. Similar as "red onion"—all of them are purple, and none is red.
Anyway, I almost forgot what a bowl of purple, hmmm red, sorghum tastes like. It has been a long time since I had it. When I was in Beijing last October, I bought a bag of sorghum. Tonight, I cooked it in my rice cooker.
Well, they are so white.
And it doesn't taste like what I vaguely remembered either. I guess it's just not the same when you take the "red" out of the "red sorghum." It is quite disappointing.
So is China, when she is no longer a red China. Now China is pink—the color of ¥100.
What happened to the color "red?"
Next Wednesday will be Chinese New Year. I wish I were in Harbin. I have been thinking what to cook on the Chinese New Year's Eve...
Behind every life, there is a story. The life might not be earthshaking, but the story could be fascinating. Based on award-winning Canadian author Mordecai Richler's novel, "Barney's Version" (Canada 2010 | 132 min.) tells a life-long story of Barney, a man who is flawed almost in every front, but never loses his passion for love.
Going back and forth between present time and decades earlier, the film pieces together the life of a heavy drinking, chain smoking, anything but good looking, grumpy Jewish TV producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), highlighted by his three failed marriages. Of course, the story unfolds from Barney's perspective, therefore, it's Barney's Version.
Barney's first brief marriage is with Clara (Rachelle Lefevre) when they experiment the lifestyle of hippies in Rome, Italy. After he moves back to Montréal, he gets married with his second wife (Minnie Driver), who is from a wealthy Jewish family. On the wild Jewish wedding night, he notices the gorgeous Miriam (Rosamund Pike), who is a guest attending his wedding. He falls for Miriam immediately, during his own wedding with another woman. He begins his persistent courtship with Mariam. Miraculously, he wins her heart and marries her. After Barney cheats on her, Miriam leaves him, but he never stops longing for her.
Barney is a complex character that is strange and unusual, unlikeable yet unforgettable, unfaithful but romantic, obnoxious whereas pitiful. Paul Giamatti's terrific performance already wins him a Golden Globe Award last week. However, regardless how passionate Barney appears to be when he is pursuing Miriam—and no one doubts his love for Miriam—it is almost impossible to comprehend why Miriam falls in love with Barney.
Despite the long running time filled with higgledy-piggledy happenings, the film provides plenty laughter and entertainment, especially from the Barney's offbeat father Izzy (Dustin Hoffman).
Barney might not be the decent guy by any means, but he certainly lives a larger life, loudly and resolutely.
Perhaps it is pure coincidence that this year's SF Indie Fest and SF Winter Music Fest overlap with the Chinese New Year celebration, but it is no accident that the festivals have been drawing large crowd and contributing to San Francisco's film and music culture over the years.
SF IndieFest's films used to be so independent that they made Sundance look like Hollywood. Time has changed, so does Sundance, as well as SF IndieFest. Films at these festivals become more mainstream and more commercial, although that is not necessarily a bad thing.
However, many films at SF IndieFest are still as indie as they can get—you probably will not be able to see on the big screen anywhere else, for most of them. Of course, that does not apply to two high profile films at this year's festival: "Kaboom" (USA 2010 | 86 min.) and "Heartbeats" (Les amours imaginaires | Canada 2010 | in French | 102 min.).
"Kaboom" is a melting pot of over the top goofball comedy, soap opera melodrama, sexual identity bending story, and wacky sci-fi adventure. The plot involves several overly sexed college students who try to sleep with each other, solve a mystery, and even save the world. If nothing else, the film is definitely indie and shows plenty facial hair—in this film, you will not see typical twinkie guys from a typical college campus.
The film is about a love triangle among three close friends. That is a perfect story to be told in a city like San Francisco which is famous for its romantic sceneries, sexually (among other things) liberal spirits, and left-behind hearts.
For some odd reasons, some people fall in love, some people fall out of love. Most often, the processes are equally intense and profound human experiences. Yet, very few can figure out those odd reasons behind the mysterious transformation in mind. In "Blue Valentine" (USA 2010 | 120 min.), director Derek Cianfrance intimately tells such a story about a couple's falling in and out of love. This film readily becomes one of the best films from last year, with the brilliant performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who both deserve an Academy Award nomination.
The film intertwines the current and past relationship between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). When Dean first meets Cindy, he is charismatic and persistent, chasing after Cindy. It is sweet and romantic. They passionately fall in love. After they get married, the magnet disappears. Dean feels content to be with Cindy and their daughter, but Cindy expects Dean to have bigger goal in life and feels suffocated by the marriage life. It is devastating and heartbroken. The marriage is falling apart.
This is definitely not a pleasant, rather poignant, film to watch. If you can slice the movie into pieces and only watch the part how Dean and Cindy fall in love, that would be a funny and charming romantic comedy and a entirely different film. Instead, the harsh reality that the love between Dean and Cindy is fading away always emerges and gets into the middle of their earlier courtship. Like in real life, you wish the problem goes away, but it keeps coming back.
However, regardless what stage their relationship resides, the emotion is always raw and honest, touching and absorbing. As if you are watching two close friends' ups and downs, but you are unable to offer any comfort or to take a side. Moreover, you care and feel for them.
They are not living an easy life, but also not out of ordinary.
Once again, it's time for me to compose my top ten films in 2010.
During the entire calendar year of 2010, I watched 215 feature films. I was planning to watch 20% less films compared to the 208 feature films in 2009, but accidently, I watched more instead. Ops.
Again, my top ten films are selected from the films I saw in 2010, not based on when they are released in the theaters. Why? Because this seems the best way to define "a film in 2010." We are living in a small world now. If I fly to Beijing or New York to see a film that has not opened in San Francisco, does this film belongs to 2010 or 2011? Why should a film's year be based on the US release date?
Enough said.
Therefore, "Mother" (마더) is on my Top Ten Film in 2009, while it appears on many critics' top ten lists for 2010.
One of my top ten films in 2008 "Happy-Go-Lucky" is notoriously overlooked by the Academy Awards last year, so are the director Mike Leigh and the leading actress Sally Hawkins. Like the protagonist in that film, acclaimed writer/director Mike Leigh does not seem to be affected by this a bit. Just look at his new film "Another Year" (UK 2010 | 129 min.). This delight film is jammed with charm, affection, and humor.
The film is divided in four seasons. In each season, it tells a story inside the cozy nest of Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), where their adult son Joe (Oliver Maltman) and Gerri's co-worker Lesley Manville occasionally visit.
Tom and Gerri are a happily married couple and live together almost perfectly. Every single moment they spend time together, you can sense their content and appreciation to each other, regardless they are cooking or gardening, reading or chatting, even when they are just having a cup of tea on the back of their truck. Sharply contrary to their happiness, restless Mary is lonely and unhappy, drinks a bit too much, and lacks of social etiquette from time to time. Mary is the one who generates the most comic moments in the film, but the jokes are at her expense. Tom and Gerri warmly provide nonjudgmental support to Mary's immature behavior, until Mary shows jealousy toward Joe's happy-go-lucky new girlfriend Katie (Karina Fernandez). Of course, being Tom and Gerri, they forgive any missteps Mary may have, and embrace her again with warmth and kindness.
Director Mike Leigh does not explain the magic behind Tom and Gerri's bliss, nor does he need to. He simply presents and adores these lovely life-affirming characters as the way he creates them. He shows the world that people can continue to have a fulfilled joyful life even when they grow older, unless you are like Mary who is getting old alone.
Constantly, Tom and Gerri irresistibly charm us with their amiable attitude. Don't blame on Mary, who would not love to have friends like Tom and Gerri? Being grumpy and bitchy is never attractive, even you are Lewis Black. However, compared to Tom and Gerri, Mary is absolutely miserable, especially in the later half of the film, when she is not even funny any more.
The film tells its stories that seem ordinary and uneventful, as the title implies that this is just another year. However, these stories reflect the reality how happiness can be found and lost in these daily routines. It is up to us to find the joy of living, either you already find it like Tom and Gerri, or you are desperately searching for it like Mary.
And, you might want to find a truck and sit on the back to sip a cup of tea. Oh, in the rain too. In the film, Tom and Gerri surely make it look like the best thing to enjoy in life. It probably is if you enjoy doing it.
The film is based on a semi-autobiographical screenplay written by the late legendary filmmaker Jacques Tati. With little dialogue, if any at all, the film elegantly tells a heartwarming yet melancholia story between an aging magician and an innocent country girl, and the magician's performance partner—an energetic rabbit.
The film's protagonist is a French magician named Tatischeff—Jacques Tati's full last name. He clumsily staggers with stiff feet, but smoothly executes his magical routines, even his magic performance's appeal is fading away fast in the late 1950s when rock 'n' roll takes over the center stage. He travels from place to place and struggles to find gigs. When he performs in a small coast village in Scotland, he meets an innocent girl Alice who is fascinated by his magic. She follows him to Edinburgh and stays with him in a hotel. Quickly, Alice gets comfortable with the city life, and Tatischeff can no longer keep up with her desire for things she thinks the magician produces with magic; therefore, he continues his journey to keep his magic alive.
The film is a remarkable achievement for creating lovable characters and telling a touching story, all by hand-drawn fantastic animation and beautiful music scores, which is composed by the director Sylvain Chomet as well. Each frame, especially of those landscape sceneries, is perfectly marvelous as if it is a Chinese ink-and-wash style painting from a museum. You wish the animation would stop and freeze, so not only you can take a detailed look at the painting, but also allow the magician and his performance art to stay at the time being eternally.
In an age that computer generates everything, including real person in a live action film, it is extremely refreshing and gratifying to see such a high quality animation like this. Perhaps soon, films like "The Illusionist." might become a nostalgic art form in memory, just like Tatischeff's magic performance, but not before enchanting the audience.
Happy New Year! 
