(all images in this post are taken from the current art exhibit at Japan Society)

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Drop everything! On Tuesday, March 23, the Korean Cultural Service is holding a free screening of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE at the Tribeca Cinemas at 7pm. Park Chan-Wook’s movie is one of the few Korean movies that can truly be called a masterpiece of world cinema. A soul-destroying look at the necessity of revenge and the price it exacts, this jaw-dropping film stars Song Kang-Ho, Bae Doo-Na and Shin Ha-Kyun – three of Korea’s best actors. Tickets are free and given on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6:30pm. (more info) (read more about the film)

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CHILDREN OF INVENTION and FALLING FOR GRACE are both screening at the former ImaginAsian theater (now the Big Cinemas Manhattan). CHILDREN has gotten rave reviews (read one in the NY Times) and is a powerful tearjerker about a single mom raising her two children. FALLING has gotten much more mixed reviews (read some) but it does feature Margaret Cho, so that’s something. (tickets and showtimes)

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As part of their chanbara series, the Japan Society is screening the fifth Zatoichi films, ZATOICHI ON THE ROAD: FIGHTING JOURNEY (read a review). One of the darker Zatoichi movies, it’s screening on Saturday, March 20 @ 5pm – that’s a new screening time for this series, so make a note. (tickets and showtimes)

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At the Asia Society is the series “China’s Past, Present, Future on Film” from March 6 – April 16. What’s screening this week? PERFECT LIFE, produced by Chinese arthouse god, Jia Zhangke, is part documentary/part feature film, it’s a movie that tells, “the bleak stories of female migrant workers in China.” So if that’s what you’re into, head to the Asia Society on Mar 19 @ 6:45pm.

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Unbelievably, HOUSE is still playing midnights at the IFC Center. (tickets and showtimes)

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Taiwanese freedom flick starring James Van der Beek (Dawson!), FORMOSA BETRAYED, is still playing in NYC. (showtimes)

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Bollywood blockbuster about 9/11, MY NAME IS KHAN, is still playing in Kew Gardens and Edison, NJ. (showtimes)

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Comments (0) Mar 18 2010

Japan Society has just launched Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, an exhibition of art to run from Friday, March 12 – Sunday, June 13. Utagawa Kuniyoshi is one of the most influential Japanese illustrators of all time. His freaky and bizarre paintings from 150 years ago like this…

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…have been wildly influential on anime, manga and the Japanese visual imagination. (Here’s a picture gallery of some of the 130 pieces on display) (More info)

Comments (0) Mar 18 2010

KIMJONGILIA, the documentary about North Korea’s prison camps, opens on March 19 at Cinema Village. Here’s what the filmmakers have to say about their flick:

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“KIMJONGILIA, The Flower of Kim Jong Il, is the first film to fully expose the disaster through a tapestry of defectors’stories,North Korean propaganda, and original performance. This feature documentary shows why the defectors fled, describes their hair-raising escapes, and recounts the dangers they face in China, hunted by Chinese as well as North Korean police. These refugees are from every walk of life, from child concentration camp inmates to an elite concert pianist.”

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The film’s director will be in attendance at certain opening weekend shows. Here’s the official website with trailers and all kinds of jazz, and here’s a review (that says the film “must be seen to be believed.”) and here’s a link to tickets and showtimes. Also, read some reviews.

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Comments (0) Mar 18 2010