Thursday, July 3 is the day before independence day in the US, so we’re calling it Dependence Day and celebrating our sick dependency on Asian movies by showing some of our best films, all in a row. Also, we’re giving out massive prizes. We’re getting rid of tons of swag that hasn’t been given out yet, plus at all 6 of the day’s screenings we’ll be giving away a Mega Supreme Enormous Prize Pack that contains the following prizes from our sponsors:

1 Dragon Dynasty DVD of either PTU or Jackie Chan’s ROB-B-HOOD
1 Bonehouse Asia DVD of either LONG DREAM or NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE
1 TLA Releasing DVD of Pakistani horror film HELL’S GROUND
1 copy of Osamu Tezuka’s manga, DORORO vol. 1, from Vertical
1 six pack of Kirin Beer
1 bottle of Jinro Soju
1 year-long subscription to Giant Robot Magazine
1 Danger After Dark t-shirt from TLA Releasing
1 SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO t-shirt
1 New York Asian Film Festival t-shirt
And it will all come to you in a special edition New York Asian Film Festival messenger bag from Manhattan Portage. You can’t beat that with a stick. Well, you could, but it would be difficult. And strange.

Our screenings that day are:

12:00 noon – high-kicking, adrenalized Vietnamese flick, THE REBEL

2:10pm – Takashi Miike’s action fest, LIKE A DRAGON (which some of us like better than SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO)

4:20pm – the awe-inspiring glory of TOKYO GORE POLICE

6:30pm – Korea’s biggest blockbuster of the year, PUBLIC ENEMY RETURNS

9:00pm – the jaw-dropping documentary about stuntmen, ACTION BOYS, followed by a Q&A with director Jung Byung-Gil, producer Lee Ji-Youn, and actor/stuntman Kwak Jin-Seock

11:55pm – the sleaziest women-in-prison movie ever made, SASORI

And because THE REBEL, LIKE A DRAGON and TOKYO GORE POLICE are all matinee shows you can use your matinee pass to get in or purchase a Subway Matinee Six Pack so that if you bring friends you guys can go to these matinee shows for $8.25/ticket instead of $11.50/ticket.

Comments (0) Jul 02 2008

Nothing to report, not even Magic Marker Rembrandt. Tired. Body is exhaustion-shaped. The only thing to warn people about is that the Wednesday, July 2 screening of SPARROW is getting very close to selling out so get your tickets early. They’re going even faster after this piece in last Friday’s New York Times in which Dave Kehr wrote

“But the most beautiful film in the festival has got to be SPARROW (Wednesday)…a new work by Hong Kong’s prolific and prodigiously talented Johnny To. Simon Yam, the ruthless gang boss in Mr. To’s 2005 ELECTION, here slips into a weightless, Cary Grant manner as the leader of a small band of Hong Kong pickpockets — all brothers — whose gallant attempt to liberate a young woman (Kelly Lin) from her older underworld protector leads him into a gloriously staged finale: a pocket-picking duel conducted in the rain. No gore here, just an infectious joy that somehow evokes Ernst Lubitsch collaborating with Sergio Leone.”

And, we’re going to be making another live, on stage phone call to Johnnie To’s offices right before the screening hoping that he’ll pick up and give us all a special message of peace, love and understanding.

Also, ALWAYS 1, screening Wednesday, July 2, is getting close to sold out. If you want to experience one of the biggest, best feel good movies of the last few years (and its sequel, ALWAYS 2, coming up over the weekend at Japan Society) then get your tickets before they’re gone or you’ll become a regret machine.

Also, the two shows of ACCURACY OF DEATH at Japan Society are close to selling out. Very close. So close that Criswell predicts they’ll be totally gone by Wednesday. And, finally, a reminder that SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO is completely sold out. Sorry, but it’s getting a US theatrical release in August of this year from First Look pictures.

And last but not least…kittens!

Comments (0) Jul 02 2008