ACF 619: Farewell to this year's NYAFF

Today, Thursday, June 8th, 2010, is the last day of this year's New York Asian Film Festival. (Fortunately, Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS film series will continue through Friday July 16th.)

Here's today's schedule of the final NYAFF films playing at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater, at 165 West 65th Street, Upper Level, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue:

Tian An Men

1:45 Tian An Men (97 minutes)

3:35 Merantau (106 minutes)

Gallants

6:00 Gallants (98 minutes)
- intro and Q&A by Bruce Leung

8:45 Blades of Blood (110 minutes)

For info about these final NYAFF films, click here.

ACF 616: NYAFF concludes, JAPAN CUTS continues tomorrow, Thursday, July 8th

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 8th, 2010, will hopefully mark the end of New York City's current heat wave. Whatever the weather, Thursday will somewhat sadly be the final day of this year's New York Asian Film Festival. Fortunately, the JAPAN CUTS film series will continue through Friday July 16th.

Here's the schedule of NYAFF films playing on Thursday at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater, at 165 West 65th Street, Upper Level, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue:

Tian An Men

1:45 Tian An Men (97 minutes)

3:35 Merantau (106 minutes)

Gallants

6:00 Gallants (98 minutes)
- intro and Q&A by Bruce Leung

8:45 Blades of Blood (110 minutes)

For info about these final NYAFF films, click here.

Also on Thursday, two films will be shown at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, as part of its JAPAN CUTS: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema film series:

Image (c) "Accidental Kidnapper" Production Committee

6:15 PM Accidental Kidnapper (111 minutes)

Image (c) 2008 "One Million Yen Girl" Production Committee

8:30 One Million Yen Girl (121) minutes)
- A Best of Unreleased Naughties! film
- Stars Yu Aoi, who I first fell in love with when he saw her star in Hula Girls (2006). She was also terrific as one of the leads in Honey & Clover, which was released in 2007.

For information about these and the remaining films in the JAPAN CUTS series, click here.

For my blog post with info about today's (Wednesday's) schedules, click here.

ACF 614: Wednesday's schedule for NYC's two Asian film festivals

Above image from Castaway on the Moon

The two fantastic film fests in NYC continue tomorrow, Wednesday, July 7th, 2010, with more offerings of terrific films.

Subway Cinema's 9th New York Asian Film Festival will be screening four films at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on its next to last day:

1:15 Scandal Makers (108 minutes)

3:40 Symbol (93 minutes)

5:45 Doman Seman ( 124 minutes)

- intro and Q&A with director Go Shibata and actor Monchi

8:45 Castaway on the Moon (116 minutes)

- intro and Q&A by director Lee Hey-Jun

For info about these and the remaining NYAFF films, click here.

There are two offerings at Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema on Wednesday:

Electric Button (Moon and Cherry)

(c) 2004 Love Collection Project

6:30 Electric Button (Moon and Cherry) (82 minutes)

- U.S. Premiere

- A Best of Unreleased Naughties picture

8:30 Bare Essence of Life: Ultra Miracle Love Story ( 120 minutes)

- New York Premiere

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, NYC.

For info about these and the other Japan Cuts film series screenings, click here.

For my post about today's (Tuesday's) screenings, click here.

ACF 613: NYAFF and JAPAN CUTS schedules for Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Above scene is from Alien vs. Ninja

(c) 2010 Sushi Typhoon & "Alien vs. Ninja" Production Committee

The heat wave continues in New York City, and so do two great Asian film festivals.

Here's what the New York Asian Film Festival will be showing tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center:
1:15 Cow (109 minutes)

3:45 Alien vs. Ninja (85 minutes)

- intro by producer Chiba

6:00 Gallants (98 minutes)

- intro and Q&A by Bruce Leung

8:30 Golden Slumber (139 minutes)

For info about these and other films at NYAFF, click here.

For my post on today's (Monday's) NYAFF schedule, click here.

While over at the Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), your choices on Tuesday will be:

Photo (c) 2007 "The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck

and God in a Coin Locker" Production Committee

6:15 The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (110 minutes)

- North American Premiere

- A Best of the Naughties* film

Photo (c) 2005 "Hanging Garden" Production Committee

8:30 Hanging Garden (114 minutes)
- introduced by and followed by a Q&A with director Toshiaki Toyoda

- A Best of Unreleased Naughties* film

* Best of Unreleased Naughties is a special selection of films from the last decade which have not been treated to U.S. release.

For info about these and the other films being shown in JAPAN CUTS: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema, click here.

ACF 612: NYAFF schedule for Monday, July 5th, 2010

Above still is from Mutant Girl Squad

New York City is having a heat wave with high humidity.

Just one more good reason to get yourself over to the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater to catch one or more of tomorrow's New York Asian Film Festival screenings:

1:30 Kung Fu Chefs (91 minutes)

3:40 Actresses (104 minutes) - intro by director E J-Yong

6:00 Mutant Girls Squad (85 minutes) - intro and Q&A by directors Noboru Iguchi and Yoshihiro Nishimura

8:30 Doman Seman (124 minutes) - intro and Q&A with director Go Shibata and actor Monchi

For info about the films showing Monday, and the entire festival schedule, click here.

ACF 610: Red Cliff (original uncut international version) at NYAFF

Red Cliff (Uncut Original Version)
Directed by John Woo
China/Hong Kong, 2008/2009
In Mandarin with English subtitles
288 minutes (one 10-15 minute intermission is planned)

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 5:45 PM.

Red Cliff is an epic tale set about a major battle just prior to China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.). It's also a personal triumph for director John Woo. It was released in two parts for the Asian market and in a condensed version in the United States. NYAFF is screening the original, full-length Asian version with an intermission between the two parts.

Tony Leung as Zhou Yu

In the name of the Han Dynasty Emperor, Prime Minister Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) sets out with a huge army to "subdue" two kingdoms in the south. His motives actually may be more along the lines of ultimately uniting all the kingdoms under his personal rule. After being defeated by Cao Cao, Liu Bei (Yong You), the leader of one of the southern kingdoms, sends his his emissary and chief strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to convince Sun Quan (Chen Chang), the ruler of the second southern kingdom, to join him in an alliance against Cao.

While many of his advisers urge surrender, Sun Quan ultimately accedes to the advice of Zhou Yu (Tony Leung), his chief military commander and others to join in the fight against Cao Cao, despite his overwhelmingly larger forces. The decisive Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, took place in the winter of 2008/2009 A.D.

Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhuge Liang

Obviously there are a considerable number of significant characters involved, but overall it's fairly easy to follow who's who and which side they're on. (I confess I might have had a slight advantage because I've played - and still own -- the PlayStation 1 fighting game Dynasty Warriors, which features and describes many of the main characters.) So while the story of the battle of Red Cliff may be a familiar one to almost all Chinese, even the unfamiliar viewer should be able to follow the story without any significant difficulty.

This uncut version of Red Cliff gets an unqualified ACF rating of 4 out of 4 stars; highest recommendation. It's a magnificent film with great acting, fantastic battle scenes, and top drawer special effects. You simply must see it.

Director John Woo

This screening of Red Cliff is presented in association with Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York.

And here's some useful info for those of you who can't make it to today's screening:

Red Cliff was presented theatrically in the United States as a Magnet Release. The U.S. theatrical (shortened) version is available from Magnet on a single DVD. The original, full-length version, as is being presented at NYAFF, also is available from Magnet either as two separately packaged DVDs or in a single package containing both DVDs.

I own the single package with both DVDs and highly recommend it, if you can't see it on the big screen with a live audience of fellow Asian film fanatics. Both DVDs include worthwhile extras, especially those pointing out the difficulties this production faced, mainly from the vagaries of nature.

(All photos courtesy of Magnet Releasing)

ACF 608: Boys On the Run at Japan Society, Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at noon

Boys On the Run / Boizu on za ran
Directed by Daisuke Miura
Japan, 2010, 114 minutes, 35 mm, color
In Japanese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Co-Presented with the New York Asian Film Festival
Showtime: Sunday, July 4th, 2010, at 12:00 noon

Life has put me a bit behind the eight ball in that I haven't been able to watch my screener DVDs as much ahead of time as I normally would. That's again the case with this film, so I don't have the time to put up a full review now.

Kazunobu Mineta, who plays Tanishi, looks a lot like Jerry Lewis did in his early solo films in the '50s and early 60's, and I'm old enough to remember seeing those films in the theater when they came out. Tanishi is in some ways a lot like a Lewis character, but darker and sicker.

The film might be termed an anti-romance. What I loved about it was that, aside from knowing that Tanishi would screw up, the film was unpredictable, which made it quite engrossing.

ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, highly recommended, but be advised that parts of the film are pretty explicit sexually and other parts are rather gross.

Here's a brief description from the Japan Society website:
A movie that will capture the heart of the serial masturbator in all of us. Based on the manga by Kengo Hanazawa, Boys is all about Tanishi, a 29-year-old virgin who spends his leisure time pleasuring himself with porn and slaving away at a dead end job. He even manages to screw up an almost-relationship with a real live woman, who winds up leaving him for his hunkier colleague (Ryuhei Matsuda). The only answer? Fight! And fight Tanishi does, as much as he possibly can

Order tickets here.

For the complete JAPAN CUTS schedule, click here.

JAPAN CUTS screenings take place at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues, New York City.

ACF 606: JAPAN CUTS - today's events

Here's what's happening at Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS film series this evening, July 2nd, 2010:

Golden Slumber
Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura
Japan, 2010, 139 min, 35 mm, color
In Japanese with English Subtitles
New York Premiere
Co-Presented with the New York Film Festival
Showtime 6:15 PM

Description:
Yoshihiro Nakamura's Fish Story was the sleeper hit of last year's festival, but his new movie makes it looks like child's play. Befuddled everyman Aoyagi finds himself inexplicably framed for the assassination of Japan's prime minister. Soon the delivery guy is sprinting from one government kill squad to another, as the plot breathlessly spins out of control and weaves together the mother of all conspiracy theories. But a conspiracy is just another word for a social network after all, and like a vaccine fighting a virus, Aoyagi's buddies and exes from past and present come together to rescue their endangered friend.

Buy tickets online here.

The Blood of Rebirth
Directed by Toshiaki Toyoda

Jaoan, 2009, 83 min, 35 mm, color
In Japanese with English subtitles
Co-Presented with the New York Asian Film Festival

Showtime 9:00 PM

Introduction and Q&A with director Toshiaki Toyoda

Description:
A gonzo head trip in the spirit of Jodorowsky, Blood of Rebirth does for samurai what El Topo did for cowboys. Marking Toshiaki Toyoda's return to filmmaking after a five-year absence, it's a psychedelic tribute to the human ability to break free of all limits, shatter all prisons and endlessly be reborn. Set in the hazy past, and based on a famous folktale, a masseur is murdered and comes back from the dead for revenge. Toyoda's intense visuals grab you by the face while space rockers Twin Tail stick their throbbing soundscape deep into your ears. Together they lift you out of your body, off this planet and up to distant stars.

Buy tickets online here.

Blood of Birth will also be shown on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010, at 3:45 PM.

JAPAN CUTS screenings take place at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues, New York City.

ACF 602: Secret Reunion at NYAFF

Secret Reunion / Ui-hyeong-je
Directed by Hun Jang
South Korea, 2010, 116 minutes
Starring Song Kang-Ho and Gang Dong-Won
In Korean with English Subtitles

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 2:10 PM

Song Kang Ho (Thirst, The Host, Secret Sunshine, J.S.A.: Joint Security Area) is probably the Korean actor most familiar to American audiences. Here he plays Lee Han-kyu, a South Korean National Intelligence Service agent. Gang Dong-Won portrays Song Ji-won, a North Korean agent who's part of a three-man assassination team.

Lee decides not to call in back-up when an opportunity arises to bust the spy ring, and things go all to hell. The leader and Song get away and only the third member of the team is captured. Lee is forced into ignominious retirement, and Song is left all on his own.

The film flashes forward a few years to find Lee leading a motley crew that locates young women from other Asian countries who have fled the Korean husbands they were made to marry. Song is happily working construction, hoping to one day reunite with his wife and child in the North. They recognize one another, but neither one gives the other the slightest hint of this. Lee, hoping to finally bust the spy ring and redeem himself, gets Song to become his partner, replacing two incompetent employees Lee has let go.

Song Kang Ho is always a delight to watch. He strikes me as a contemporary Korean version of the kind of everyman character associated with many roles played by Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and Tom Hanks. Here, once again, he raises the level of the material just by virtue of his likeability.

Not that the material in any way is shabby, quite the contrary. Secret Reunion is a captivating tale with many humorous elements. It's enjoyable throughout and concludes with a sweet and satisfying ending.

ACF Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

ACF 599: Simon, Sammo, and Me!

Last night, between the screenings of Eastern Condors and Echoes of the Rainbow at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater, The Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, New York and The New York Asian Film Festival held an invitation-only reception to honor Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, and this year's line-up of Hong Kong films. And yours truly was one of the most-fortunate invitees. Not only that, but I got to meet and speak, albeit briefly, and get my picture taken with both Simon Yam and Sammo Hung. (The previous night, Friday, Simon received the Star Asia Award, while Sammo got the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by Angela Mao, to Sammo's utter surprise and shock.)

Both of these gentlemen and huge stars of Hong Kong Cinema were very gracious to all. Both posed for numerous photographs and signed both programs and DVDs that people had brought. Truly class acts.

Simon Yam and me

Simon arrived at the reception first, while Sammo was still at the Q&A following Eastern Condors. I told Simon how much I'd enjoyed him in PTU: Police Tactical Unit and so many other films. I also briefly described how I'd come to be interested in and write about Asian films. I was so touched when, a few minutes after we'd parted, he came over to me and thanked me for my interest in and love of Hong Kong movies.

Sammo Hung and me
(That's Joyce Mina Godenzi, Sammo's wife,
in the background behind my right shoulder)

Sammo arrived a bit later. I'm not a celebrity whore by any means, but I was in total awe of being in his presence. I mean, above and beyond his extensive credits as actor, director producer, action choreographer, etc. this guy went at it with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon!

My wife took two shots of Sammo and me. After taking the first, she told me that I should smile. When I later looked at the first photo, I saw that I looked like I was terrified, probably because I was so nervous just being next to a legend whom I admire immensely. So glad this second one came out as it did.

After thanking Sammo for all of his wonderful work, I told him that I was sorry if what I was about to say brought up any unpleasant memories. I then told him that I thought that his series Marshal Law was one of the greatest things that had ever happened on American TV, and that I was so sorry that it had been ruined by others. (By this I meant those who decided to turn the "fish-out-of-water" police actioner into a TV version of Rush Hour by bringing in Arsenio Hall, though I didn't mention this specifically to Sammo.) Sammo seemed to take this in stride, but in any case I just had to let him know what a great show it had been to watched initially.

The New York Asian Film Festival has been off to a great start this weekend, and I expect that it's going to be a phenomenal success this year. In the meanwhile, it's provided me with one of the most memorable evenings and photo mementos of my life. Thanks to The Hong Kong Economic Trade Office and to all those at SubwayCinema which presents the NYAFF.

P.S. - The food and drink were both plentiful and delicious!

ACF 598: The Storm Warriors - a NYAFF 2010 Preview Review

The Storm Warriors
Directed by The Pang Brothers (Oxide and Danny Pang)

Starring Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse
Hong Kong, 2009, 110 minutes
In Cantonese with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Sunday, June 27th at 12:00 noon (Simon Yam is scheduled to be at this screening)
- Thursday, July 1st at 9:00 PM

As I sometimes like to do with films I'm reviewing (as opposed to one's I'm just putting out the word on), first I'll present the publicity statement, then my own take on the film. I especially feel the need to do this here to be as fair as possible. You'll understand when you read my review comments at the end of the post.

Here's what SubwayCinema.com had to say:

In 1998 the Hong Kong film business was in danger of disappearing, but out of nowhere came THE STORM RIDERS, a special effects extravaganza based on a popular comic book and directed by Andrew Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS). A massive hit across Asia, it single-handedly saved the Hong Kong film industry. Now, 12 years later, comes THE STORM WARRIORS, based on the same Ma Wing-shing comic and with some of the same cast, but otherwise a standalone flick that is the closest cinema has ever come to putting Chinese martial arts comic books, with all of their surreal techniques and freaky superpowers, on the silver screen.

From the very first frame the choirs are wailing like a death metal concept album times infinity, and every shot is a blast-beat drum solo, every edit is a power chord and when the characters fight it's like two planets smashing into each another. Cloud (pop star gone supernova, Aaron Kwok) has been captured by Lord Godless (Simon Yam, playing an evil Japanese warlord) along with his master, Nameless (Kenny Ho, playing one of the original comic's most popular characters). Their armies are destroyed, their powers have been stripped and things look grim. Suddenly, Wind (Cheng) swoops to the rescue and the good guys take to the hills. Nameless informs Cloud and Wind that they're going to have to level up to defeat Lord Godless, and while he helps Cloud invent a new style of sword-fu, Wind is sent off to learn Evil Power from Lord Wicked.

With special effects layered so heavily they transform battles into dreamy, psychedelic abstractions, even the actors are digitally enhanced as Evil Power turns Wind into a brooding goth dreamboat that not even TWILIGHT's Edward Cullen can rival. Swords are so powerful they cut the weather in half, ultimate weapons are made from the spinal columns of dead gods and everything ends on a note of rock opera tragedy. What other summer blockbuster concludes with the hero traumatized and wounded, raving "Why didn't you kill me?!?" A happy ending? Happy endings are for sissies.

Won the 2009 Hong Kong Film Award for "Best Visual Effects."

AsianCineFest Review:

First, a couple of positive thoughts. There will certainly be those who'll really enjoy this supernatural martial arts fantasy which is based on the hit Hong Kong comic series Storm Riders by Wing Shing Ma. And many of the special CG effects are indeed top-notch.

On the other hand, I myself didn't care for the film much at all. The "story line"is really thin, even for this sort of fare, from which one doesn't tend to expect much. The directing is uninspired, which seems to be the way the Pang Brothers have been going lately, as in 2008's Bangkok Dangerous.

For me there wasn't any evidence of actual "acting" by anyone on the screen. And we all know that even when doing a film based on a comic book (or a video game, for that matter), and even when working in front of a green screen, it's still possible to "emote." I just didn't see any evidence of it here.

So overall I really can't recommend the film, which is a successor to 1998's The Storm Riders. (There's a Storm Warriors III currently in production, for which I don't hold out much hope of redemption.) But if supernatural martial art films are your thing, or if you simply can't miss seeing Aaron Kwok (Cloud) or Ekin Cheng (Wind), feel free to give it a try. You very well may enjoy it.

ACF 597: Let The 'Fest Begin!!!!!

A scene from Takashi Miike's Yatterman

The ninth New York Asian Film Festival begins today at 3:00 PM with a screening of Yatterman at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater.

Complete NYAFF 2010 schedule here.

ACF 596: Sophie's Revenge - a NYAFF 2010 Preview Review

Sophie's Revenge
Directed by: Eva Jin
Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing, So Ji-Sub
China, 2009, 108 minutes
In Mandarin with English subtitles
New York Premiere

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Tuesday, June 29th at 4:00 PM
- Saturday, July 3rd at 9:45 PM

Sophie's Revenge is a delightful romantic comedy that stars Zhang Ziyi as Sophie, a cartoonist who was engaged to marry Jeff (Korean actor So Ji-Sub) an absurdly handsome young doctor. Trouble is Jeff abandons Sophie shortly before the nuptials because he's fallen for Joanna (Fan Bingbing) a ravishing actress .

Pressured by her mother, who's already made extensive preparations for the marriage ceremony, and assisted by two female friends and a male photographer she meets, Sophie embarks on o series of attempts to win Jeff back. Not surprisingly, these tend to backfire regardless of the tactic employed.

I found Zhang Ziyi almost unrecognizable throughout most of the film. Partially it's because her face is a bit fuller than in the past. (Did she put on a few pounds for the role, or is it just that she's not the super slender young ingenue she used to be?) But I think the most credit must go to those involved with her hair, make-up and costumes. I paused my screener DVD a number of times and almost always saw little of the Z.Z. I'm used to seeing.

Th's is also the first comic role I can recall seeing her in, and I've got to say she really pulls it off well for the most part, both emotionally and physically. My only slight problem was with her somewhat excessively repeated tendency to fall down. That ploy tended to get a bit old after awhile.

Still, Sophie's Revenge turned out to be a wonderfully funny surprise. Zhang Ziyi is a great comedienne. Who knew?! I highly recommend that you check this film out.

ACF 593: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 starts in one week!

Sammo Hung (left) and Donnie Yen go at it in Ip Man 2

That's right, just seven more days until the latest -- and I'm bettin' the greatest -- New York Asian Film Festival arrives. It'll run from June 25th to July 8th, 2010. There'll be a huge number of films shown at several great locations, including the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater! Talk about going big time!

There will also be several special events and appearances by such Asian film luminaries as Sammo Hung and Simon Yam, both of whom are to receive awards.

Tickets for some screenings are already sold out, so get yourself over to subwaycinema.com, check out the schedule, and start makin' your plans.

And don't forget about this year's JAPAN CUTS Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema. It'll run from July 1-16, 2010. Some of the initial offerings will be cosponsored with NYAFF. Click here for info about JAPAN CUTS, another terrific annual film series.

Damn, do I love livin' in New York!!!!!

ACF 576: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 is coming sooner than you think!

Begin making your plans to attend every possible screening that you can of what promises to be the best New York Asian Film Festival thus far. And that's saying a helluva lot!!!

Links for further info:

Subway Cinema:
http://subwaycinema.com/

Subway Cinema Blog:
http://subwaycinemanews.com/

Subway Cinema Mailing List:
http://subwaycinemanews.com/join-subway-cinema-news-mailing-list

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/NYAFF

Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/subwaycinema

Japan Society JAPAN CUTS: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema
http://www.japansociety.org/japancuts

Film Society of Lincoln Center:
http://filmlinc.com/wrt/wrt.html#ca
- At this time the only info that seems to be available is the announcement of the NYAFF from June 25-July 8. The announcement includes a paragraph describing the festival and an indication the tickets go on sale Thursday, June 10th. I suggest you check back periodically.

ACF 549: More NYAFF 2010 news

The New York Asian Film Festival 2010 will run June 25 - July 8. I'll continue to do my best to keep readers updated. But I strongly, very strongly, and most strongly urge you to check out the Subway Cinema/New York Asian Film Festival sites listed at the bottom of this post. In the meanwhile, here's some of the extremely exciting news about this terrific annual love-fest for fans of Asian Cinema:

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2010
Co-presented for the first time with The Film Society of Lincoln Center!
All screenings at the Walter Reade Theater!
Additional screenings July 1 - 4 at Japan Society!
Special Midnight shows Fridays & Saturdays at the IFC!

Like Vandals storming the gates of Rome, the New York Asian Film Festival rampages through the Film Society's Walter Reade Theater June 25 ­ - July 8, unleashing an orgy of the latest and greatest pop masterpieces Asian cinema has to offer. For nine years, the NYAFF has been North America's leading festival of popular Asian cinema but now it's teamed up with the Film Society of Lincoln Center to also become North America's fanciest!

America's art-house theaters normally show an anemic sliver of what Asian cinema has to offer but the NYAFF's 2010 line-up is a brawny slab of 35 blockbusters and break-out hits that audiences in Thailand, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan actually buy tickets to watch.

The full line-up will be announced in May, but this year's festival will have three major events, so mark them on your flesh now!

THE STAR ASIA AWARDS

The NYAFF will be presenting three Star Asia Awards to actors Western audiences should know more about. The ceremony will take place on opening night, June 25, and the recipients will all be at the festival to receive their awards.

Rising Star of Asia Award to Huang Bo
One of China¹s most popular new actors, Huang Bo got his break in Ning Hao's 2006 comedy, CRAZY STONE, and he¹s gone on to specialize in earthy, foul-mouthed characters. A leading man with a character actor¹s face, he won a Golden Horse for his performance in COW, and we'll be screening it as part of the NYAFF 2010, as well as his movie CRAZY RACER.

Star Asia Award to Simon Yam
Starting as a character actor in the 1970's, Simon Yam has gone on to become one of Hong Kong¹s favorite leading men, winning Best Actor at the 2010 Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW, an official selection of this year's New York Asian Film Festival. From his performance as the insane fashion plate, Judge, in Ringo Lam's FULL CONTACT to his turn as the dapper pickpocket, Kei, in Johnnie To's SPARROW, Simon Yam has been one of the world's best, and most debonair, actors. In this year's festival, he appears in ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW, STORM WARRIORS and BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS.

Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award to Sammo Hung
A special Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award will go to the legendary actor and director, Sammo Hung, to honor his legacy of onscreen work. Jackie Chan's "older brother" at Master Yu Jim Yuen's Chinese Opera School, Sammo has worked as a producer, director, action-choreographer or stuntman in over 230 films. In this year's NYAFF, Sammo Hung choreographed the action in IP MAN, he co-stars in the festival's official opening night film, IP MAN 2, and he stars in the cracked action-cooking-comedy KUNG FU CHEFS. There will also be a special screening of his 1987 Vietnam War movie, EASTERN CONDORS, preceded by an onstage chat with the maestro about his career.

RETURN TO THE OLD SCHOOL: HONG KONG'S NEW MARTIAL ARTS CINEMA
After 2009's film, IP MAN, became a massive box office hit, savvy Hong Kong producers unleashed a wave of old school-inspired martial arts films that went back to basics: no CGI, no fancy wire work, no fakery. Instead, they were all about blazing hand-to-hand combat, hard-falling stuntmen and lightning fast kung fu. In conjunction with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, this year's NYAFF features a special focus on Hong Kong's new wave of old school kung fu.

This year's line-up will include Jackie Chan¹s latest movie, LITTLE BIG SOLDIER; we¹ll be screening GALLANTS, a rollicking action comedy starring a gallery of old school greats like Bruce Leung and Chen Kuan-tai; and two movies about Bruce Lee's teacher and Chinese folk hero, Ip Man: an encore presentation of the original IP MAN and the North American Premiere of IP MAN 2, our official Opening Night Film.

We'll also be screening the award-winning, 2009 Hong Kong blockbuster, BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS; the insane cooking kung fu flick, KUNG FU CHEFS; and the totally mad throwback to visually bonkers Hong Kong comic books of the 70's, THE STORM WARRIORS, and much more.

UP FROM THE JAPANESE UNDERGROUND
Independent movies get a bad rap, but for the past two years some of the wildest Japanese films have been shot on video for about $1.95. Hip hop wannabes stranded in the middle-of-nowhere will be ripping up the screen in the award-winning 8000 MILES (about male rappers, dying on the vine) followed by a screening of the much-anticipated follow-up 8000 MILES 2 (about female rappers, languishing in obscurity). Director Yu Irie will be here for both screenings. We'll also be screening two films from director Tetsuaki Matsue, who will also be attending the festival. First up is his Japanese/Korean personal odyssey porno documentary, ANNYONG YUMIKA, that's a testament to the passions aroused by one Japanese skin flick actress working in Korea. Then we're screening LIVE TAPE, one of the most ambitious concert films ever made and winner of "Best Japanese Film" at the Tokyo International Film Festival, starring Kenta Maeno, known as Japan's Bob Dylan. Kenta Maeno is expected to attend the screenings.

We may be in a new location, but the NYAFF will still be as raw and potent as moonshine. Although we're on the Upper West Side, we're still showing movies that'll mess you up and ruin you permanently for the pale, lifeless junk Hollywood has to offer.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Subway Cinema is a New York-based film programming, exhibition, and marketing collective, committed to increasing exposure and appreciation for Asia's popular cinema with year-round events and screenings. Its flagship event is the New York Asian Film Festival (June 25 - July 8) which the New York Times has called "...one of the city's most valuable events..."

Launched in 2002, the Festival selects only the best, the strangest, and the most entertaining movies to screen for New York audiences. It was the first North American film festival to put a spotlight on Johnnie To, Bong Joon-Ho and Park Chan-Wook and it also held the largest retrospective of Tsui Hark's work outside of Hong Kong. It is widely considered invincible.

For all festival news, keep your eyes on our blog: http://www.subwaycinemanews.com/

Or check out our Facebook page: "New York Asian Film Festival" on Facebook

And watch for write-ups and schedule info on our website: http://www.subwaycinema.com/