Subway Cinema News

Playing this week in New York

Anthology Film Archives
WHALE HUNTING (Korean, 1984, 112 minutes)
Thursday, July 24 @ 6:30pm
Bae Chang-Ho’s WHALE HUNTING was a massive popular hit in Korea when it opened, one of the first movies to come along in a while that sought to do little more than entertain the audience. Byung-Tae becomes a whale fisherman after his crush crushes his heart.  Circumstances lead him to be arrested when he meets a beggar (played by Korean icon, Ahn Sung-Ki) who becomes his ally in an existential mission to rescue a mute woman.  They band together and vow to take her back to her remote hometown.  Sounds somewhat idyllic if you don’t count the gangsters on their tail and the challenges that arise to foil their honorable intentions.  As the film progresses, it is unclear whether Byung-Tae is driven to rescue the woman or himself from tragedy.
(More info)

WONDERFUL TOWN (Thailand, 2008, 92 minutes)
Last Day is Thursday, July 24
Aditya Assarat’s WONDERFUL TOWN plays until Thursday, July 24. The love story is set in post tsunami Thailand between an architect from the city and a small town local.  The backdrop of this film looms large with its contrasting scapes of gorgeous scenery and pervading sense of tragedy. Caught between the expansive tides of the ocean and the defeating force of nature, the lovers fall prey to the surging tides of emotion and longing.
(Read a review)
(Showtimes and schedule)

BAM
BEST OF THE OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL (Friday, July 25)
ANIMATION BLOCK PARTY (Saturday, July 26 & Sunday, July 27)
Feeling too old for cartoons?  Justify your obsession with hundreds of other kids trapped in adult bodies at this weekend-long fest of local and international animation films. A smoldering mix of independent, musical, and narrative films will be featured for your indulgent pleasure. Includes a smattering of Asian filmmakers. Many filmmakers of all kinds and blends to introduce their work.  Feel free to leave your Speed Racer underoos at home.
(More info)

Film Forum
THE HUMAN CONDITION (Japan, 1959 - 1961)
Through August 7
One of the great film trilogies of all time, Director Kobayashi’s three-part story of one soldier’s life during World War II, is finally being shown in New York with all three parts playing virtually back to back. The schedule’s too complicated to get into, but you don’t want to miss this. This epic film was a life long dream fulfilled by the director, Kobayashi, who wanted to capture the dehumanizing aspects of war during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. Played by an all-star cast that shines in all their gritty charm, THE HUMAN CONDITION tracks the lives of compelling characters who are embittered and hardened by war. The silver screen can hardly hold the scope, length, and the horrible visual splendors of war with cloudscapes towering over the black and white shades of the countryside.
(More info and schedule)

ImaginAsian
CANARY (Japan, 2005, 132 minutes)
starts Friday, July 25
Inspired by the deadly gas attacks by the members of the Aun Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system.  The story spotlights 12-year-old Koichi who lives with his mother and l’il sister at the cult compound.  When the cult disbands, their mother is missing, and they are forced into a children’s center until their grandfather comes only for the girl.  Koichi runs away from the center looking for his mother and sister.  On his search, he runs into a young girl who is also on the run from her abusive father.  As their young fates intertwine while they head for Tokyo, be prepared to be sucked into the touching and painful tween world they create together.
(More info)

TAKE OUT (2008)
Starts Friday, August 1
Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou ’s TAKE OUT takes you on a ride through the streets of New York as seen through the eyes of a Chinese take-out deliveryman biking through the spires and mire of the city.  Ming Ding struggles to stay on top of his debt for being smuggled into the States.  The pressure is on when the collectors demand the payment at the end of the day. Shot with a clear vision and offering an undoctored portrayal of the (fictional) life of an illegal immigrant, TAKE OUT shows you how it feels to be the guy at your apartment door with a bag full of Chinese food, waiting for you to tip him a dollar.
(Read a review)

Walter Reade
Japanese Screen Classic Series (July 30 - August 14)
Starting Wednesday, July 30 at 5pm with Akira Kurosawa’s RASHOMON.  The highly acclaimed film is set in feudal Japan where a violent crime takes place.  The story is told and retold from the different perspectives of the witnesses.  As each story is shared, it becomes clear that memory is a subjective and fuzzy human asset.  Beyond the confusion, a vein of truth is revealed among the combined narratives.  A black and white Zen lesson in letting go of perception as a fixed reality,  RASHOMON unfolds like a multilayered steel cut fan that holds the secrets of a gruesome and intriguing tale.

Also screening this week:
Kon Ichikawa’s HER BROTHER on Wednesday, July 30 at 7pm
Kento Shindo”s A LAST NOTE on Wednesday, July 30 at 9pm
On Thursday, July 31 at 6:15 pm, Yoji Yamada’s TORA-SAN’S SUNRISE AND SUNSET.
Nagisa Oshima’s VIOLENCE AT NOON on Thursday, July 31 at 8:30 pm
(More info)