ACF 843: Midnight screenings of House at the IFC Center (NY) this weekend

House © 1977 Toho Co., Ltd.

House
Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
With Kimiko Ikegami, Kumiko Ohba, Yoko Minami, Ai Matsubara,
Miki Jinbo, Masayo Miyako, Mieko Satoh, Eriko Tanaka
Japan, 1977, 87 minutes

This great, whacked out Japanese horror film will be shown at the IFC Center here in New York this weekend. For the complete schedule of midnight screenings, click here.

The IFC Center is located at 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street, New York, NY.

For my ACF post about this film when it played at Japan Society in October, 2010, click here.

And for those of you not in New York or unable to make it to these screenings, House is available on DVD from The Criterion Collection, which of course means that it's a top-notch transfer with terrific extras.

(Thanks to Subway Cinema News for putting out the word on these screenings.)

ACF 766: "Onibaba" at Japan Society, New York this Friday, November 12th, 2010

Nobuko Otowa (left, in mask) and Jitsuko Yoshimura
in Onibaba © 1964 Toho Co., Ltd.

Onibaba
Written and Directed by Kaneto Shindo
With Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato,
Jukichi Uno, and Taiji Tonoyama
Japan, 1964, 103 minutes, B&W
In Japanese with English subtitles
Showtime: Friday, November 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM
(Print Courtesy The Japan Foundation with permission Janus Films)

Japan Society (333 East 47th Street, between 1st and 2nd avenues, NYC) will be presenting this classic film on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM.

Kaneto Shindo's tenebrous classic puts the spotlight on the savage appetites of two women. Nestled in a seemingly endless sea of swaying reeds during the war-ravaged days of 16th century Japan, a hard-bitten mother (Nobuko Otowa) and her young daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) lead the nefarious existence of marauders, murdering the stray soldiers and lost samurai who wander into the wilderness surrounding their hut, selling their war gear for rice, and dumping down their corpses down a deep, dark pit.

Yoshimura, Otowa, and Sato (lfeft to right)

When their rough and rugged neighbor (Kei Sato) returns from war, conflicting ferocious passions threaten to shatter the women’s sinister partnership, and soon… the newly formed trio’s precarious cohabitation.

Intensely erotic and steeped in Buddhist symbolism, Kaneto Shindo’s Onibaba is both a macabre parable on modern-day consumerism, and a lyrical morality play on the dark power of primal desires.

Otowa (top) & Yoshimura (below) asleep on a hot evening

TICKETS:
$12 general public/$9 Japan Society members, students & seniors

Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

Part of the Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House film series.

Each film illustrates one or several of the "Six Planes of Existence"—a Buddhist concept commonly referred to as “Six Paths” (Rokudō or Rokudō-rinne) in Japan—within “the realm of Birth and Death” (Samsara).

Yoshimura gleefully runs through the tall grass

Onibaba
The Realm of the Animals: a condition of servitude in which one is governed by instinct, and in which one has no sense of morality and lives only for the present. In this state, one will not shrink from preying on weaker beings for personal gain.

ACF comments: Kaneto Shindo is a prolific screenplay writer and film director. At the age of 98 (!) he and his 45th directorial effort Postcard were recently honored at the Tokyo International Film Festival with a special jury prize. (Read more about that at the Toronto J-FIlm Pow-Wow blog by clicking here.)

Shindo also wrote the screenplay for Hachiko monogatari, a movie about the incredible dedication of a dog to its master. That film was recently remade as Hachi: A Dog's Tale, a very good movie, even though it starred Richard Gere for whom I usually have no use.

Onibaba is most-certainly the film that Shindo is best known for here in the West. Although the Demon mask is perhaps the single thing with which the film is most associated, it's really a movie about survival and sensuality. And it's a cinematic masterpiece. It's available on DVD from Criterion, if you can't make it to Friday's screening, so you have no excuse for not seeing it. And see it you should.

ACF Rating: 4 out of 4 stars, highest recommendation, an absolute must-see.

ACF 745: Special screening of HOUSE at Japan Society on Friday, October 29th

House © 1977 Toho Co., Ltd.

House
Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
With Kimiko Ikegami, Kumiko Ohba, Yoko Minami, Ai Matsubara,
Miki Jinbo, Masayo Miyako, Mieko Satoh, Eriko Tanaka
Japan, 1977, 87 min., digital projection, color
In Japanese with English subtitles.
Print courtesy of Janus Films

Showtime: Friday, October 29, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Get in the Halloween spirit at this upcoming screening at Japan Society:

Alice in Wonderland meets Beetlejuice and Dario Argento: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House is a hallucinatory take on the classic haunted house story. A schoolgirl invites six female classmates to join her on a visit to her aunt's creaky country mansion. Soon, they come face to face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat.

A bona fide cult classic in the making, House is one of the most exciting genre discoveries in years.

Part of Obake! An Evening of Ghosts, Spirits, & Fun.
Tickets to the film grant you admission to all the evening's events.

TICKETS:
FREE for Japan Society members / $15 non-members.

Members: Please call the Box Office at (212) 715-1258 to reserve your complimentary tickets to this performance.

Non-members: Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

House is Not Rated. Please be advised that there are images of violence in the film. Alcoholic beverages will be available only to those over 21 years of age. ID required.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

P.S. - For you non-New Yorkers and those who can't make it to Japan Society, The Criterion Collection is scheduled to release House on DVD and Blu-Ray editions on October 26th, 2010. But Dr. G prescribes that you see it live at Japan Society if you can.

ACF 743: OBAKE! An Evening of Ghosts, Spirits, & Fun at Japan Society

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
The Ghost of Asakura Tōgo Attacks Orikoshi Masatomo
Color woodblock
American Friends of the British Museum
(The Arthur R. Miller Collection), 19612

OBAKE!
AN EVENING OF GHOSTS, SPIRITS, & FUN
Japan Society

Friday, October 29th, 2010, 7:00 PM
With a special film screening of House / Hausu at 7:30 PM

Kick off your Halloween weekend—Japanese style— at Japan Society, New York. Put on your Japan-inspired attire and enjoy a special evening at Japan Society. Watch a ghostly film, take night gallery tours, indulge in Japanese treats and libations, and meet fellow lovers of Japan.

Special gift courtesy of Kidrobot for the best costume!

Schedule:
7:00-10:00 PM - Food, drinks and music by DJ Aki
7:30-9:00 PM - Screening of House (Hausu) by acclaimed director Nobuhiko Obayashi
8:00-8:30 PM - Gallery tour with docent extraordinaire David Moors
9:00-9:30 PM - Second gallery tour
9:30 PM - Best costume prize announcement

About House:
Alice in Wonderland meets Beetlejuice and Dario Argento: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House is a hallucinatory take on the classic haunted house story.

Tickets: FREE for Japan Society members / $15 non-members.

Members, please call the Box Office at (212) 715-1258 to reserve your complimentary tickets.

Non-members: Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

House is Not Rated. Please be advised that there are images of violence in the film. Alcoholic beverages will be available only to those over 21 years of age. ID required.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

ACF 731: MARCH STORY manga due from VIZ October 19th

MARCH STORY © 2008 Hyung Min KIM, Kyung Il YANG/Shogakukan

BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART ARE HAUNTED

IN NEW MANGA SERIES MARCH STORY FROM VIZ MEDIA

Evil Lurks Beneath The Surface of Great Masterworks

And Only One Demon Hunter Can Vanquish The Fiendish Spirits

In A Dark New Tale From The VIZ Signature Imprint

VIZ Media has announced that it will release the supernatural manga (graphic novel) series MARCH STORY next Tuesday, October 19th. The latest addition to the VIZ Signature imprint, by Hyung Min Kim with artwork by Kyung Il Yang, is rated ‘M’ for Mature readers and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

Kim and Yang were both born in Korea and make a terrific team. I devoured my reviewer's copy of the first volume, which contains four stories, in what seemed like no time at all. Each tale is engrossing and the artwork is "to-die-for." It's so intricate and detailed that it often reminded me of some of the "stoner" underground comics that came out in the U.S. in the late 60s and early 70s. MARCH STORY certainly warrants its 'M' rating: its bloody, glory, and has a bit of nudity as well. But it's all to the good.

I give it an ACF Rating of 3.5 out of 4 stars - highly recommended. Treat yourself to a fantastic, collection of Gothic tales of terror. Plus it's coming out well in time for Halloween!


Here's some background descriptive info from the good folks at VIZ:

Among the quiet villages and towns of 18th century Europe, demons known as the Ill hide within the most beautiful works of art and are sparked to life by the torment of their creators. Attracted by their jewel-like allure, unwary viewers can find themselves possessed by the Ill and will be driven to horrific acts of violence. Only the hunters of the Ciste Vihad can dispel the Ill. March is one such hunter, tracking the Ill from town to town to find the antiques that contain the demons before they can possess anyone. If the worst has come to pass, March’s full powers are unleashed to battle the fiendish Ill.

“Great works of art are not what they appear in this intriguing new series,” says Mike Montesa, Senior Editor for VIZ Signature. “Each haunted masterpiece has a dark tale to tell, as do their creators and untimely victims. And March’s own past is filled with similar tragedy. With its elaborate artwork and quick-paced action, MARCH STORY arrives just in time for Halloween and we look forward to adventure fans never viewing pieces of art quite the same way again.”

Writer Hyung Min Kim was born in Jinju, Korea. In 2002 he entered the manga world, and in 2007 he debuted as a storywriter with MARCH STORY, originally published in Japan in Sunday GX. Artist Kyung Il Yang was born March 26, 1970. His debut work, Soma Shinhwa Jeongi, appeared in Weekly Shonen Champ in Korea. Notable works include Zombie Hunter (original story by Kazumasa Hirai) and Shin Angyo Onshi (Blade of the Phantom Master, original story by In Wan Youn). Yang also works on Defense Devil, currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

More information on this and other titles from VIZ Media can be found at http://www.viz.com/.

ACF 730: Kobayashi's Kwaidan kicks off new film series at Japan Society tonight

Kwaidan
(Kwaidan [Kaidan] © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Japan Society

Zen and Violence Unite in Japan Society's New Film Series
Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House

Timed with The Sound of One Hand: Painting and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin (October 1, 2010–January 9, 2011), Japan Society's major exhibition of 17th century Zen paintings, the Zen & Its Opposite film series launches tonight, Friday, October 15, with Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan at 7:30 pm. Another 4 films will be shown monthly through February 13, 2011.

Kwaidan (a.k.a. Ghost Stories) is one of several magnificent movies that Kobayashi (1916 - 1996) directed. Some other significant titles are Samurai Rebellion (1967), Harakiri (1962) and The Human Condition, an epic trilogy of which the first two parts were released in 1959 and the third in 1961. (These, like Kwaidan and the other films in the Zen & Its Opposite series, are available on DVD from Criterion, for you non-New Yorkers.)

Kwaidan is comprised of four stories based on the writings of Lafcadio Hearn. Of Greek and Irish ancestry, he came to the U.S. in 1869, but later moved to Japan, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1895 and changed his name to Yakumo Koizumi.

The four tales were filmed primarily on huge studio sets, which gave Kobayashi and his crew total control over lighting, which is exquisitely used to great effect. Many of the sets themselves are physically stunning in and of themselves.

Kwaidan won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival. It's a masterpiece and will be shown in its 161 minute Japanese version. (When released in the U.S., it was cut to 125 minutes. There also were versions just over 180 minutes long, but the additional 20 or so minutes of footage are no longer available.)

ACF Rating: 4 out of 4 stars. An absolute must-see.

So give yourself an early Halloween present and see Kwaidan tomorrow night at Japan Society. If you're not in the NY metro area, or just can't get there, buy the Criterion DVD or rent it from Netflix. But see this movie!

ACf 729: "In A Cup Of Tea" episode of KWAIDAN at Japan Society tomorrow

"In A Cup Of Tea"
The 4th episode in Kwaidan / Kaidan
(Kwaidan [Kaidan] © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Japan Society

This, the final episode in Masaki Kobayashi"s Kwaidan (1965), is a story in which a writer/narrator (Osamu Takizawa) recounts the tale of Kannai (Kanemon Nakamura), a samurai who notices something strange when he goes to drink a cup of tea. Namely the reflection of another person, not his own, on the surface of the liquid!

Kannai gets totally freaked out when the apparition appears in full three-dimensional form that evening. And things get even more bizarre when three other spirit warriors materialize and Kannai's sword strokes prove totally ineffective against them as well.

For more info about this film series at Japan Society, click here.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

ACF 728: "Hoichi, The Earless" episode of KWAIDAN at Japan Society this Friday, October 15th

Both images are of Katsuo Nakamura
in Kwaidan (Kaidan) © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.

"Hoichi, The Earlless"
The 3rd episode in Kwaidan / Kaidan
(Kwaidan [Kaidan] © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Japan Society

Hoichi, The Earless is the third of four episodes in the film KWAIDAN, which will kick off Japan Society's next film series, ZEN & ITS OPPOSITE: ESSENTIAL (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House. This is the easily longest episode in the film. think of it as the "main course" after the "soup" and "salad" of the first two and before the "desert" of the final segment.

Hoichi (Katsuo Nakamura) is a talented blind musician. He is called upon to perform songs of a long ago sea battle between the Heijke and Genji clans, The trouble is that the invite comes from insistent ghosts and his perfromances take a terrible physical toll on him. To combat this evil influence, the head priest (played by Takashi Shimura) has Hoichi's entire body painted with holy verses. Unfortunately, two small areas are inadvertantly left vulnerable.

For more info about this film series at Japan Society, click here.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

ACF 725: "The Woman Of The Snow" episode of KWAIDAN at Japan Society this Friday, October 15th

Minochi (Tatsuya Nakadai) and the Woman of the Snow (Keiko Kishi)

The Woman Of The Snow"
The 3rd episode in Kwaidan / Kaidan
(Kwaidan 怪談 (Kaidan) © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Japan Society

The Woman of the Snow is the second of four episodes in the film KWAIDAN, which will kick off Japan Society's next film series, ZEN & ITS OPPOSITE: ESSENTIAL (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House.

A pair of woodcutters are forced to seek shelter in a shack when a fierce snowstorm engulfs them on their way home. The elder one's life is taken from him by a supernatural female, but the younger one, Minochi (played by Tatsuya Nakadai, who in my opinion runs a close second to Mifune as the all-time greatest Japanese actor), is spared. However, the phantom woman charges him with the injunction never to speak to anyone of what happened.

Minochi (Nakadai) and Yuki (also Keiko Kishi)

After having returned to his village, he one day encounters the lovely Yuki (Keiki Kishi, who also plays the specter). The two fall in love, marry, have children, and live a wonderful life together. Strangely though, even after the passage of several years and having given birth to three children, Yuki's appearance has not altered in the least.

One night, in a relaxed mood, Minochi forgets himself and recounts the horror he witnessed when he woke up in the shack and found this strange woman taking the life-force from the elderly woodcutter. Consequences ensue, but not exactly what the viewer might expect. Another great tale in the cinematic anthology that is Kwaidan.

For more info about this film series at Japan Society, click here.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

ACF 723: "The Black Hair" episode of KWAIDAN at Japan Society this Friday, October 15th

The "Good" First Wife (Michiyo Aratama)

"The Black Hair"
The 1st episode in Kwaidan / Kaidan
(Kwaidan 怪談 (Kaidan) © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Japan Society

The Black Hair is the first of four episodes in the film KWAIDAN, which will kick off Japan Society's next film series, ZEN & ITS OPPOSITE: ESSENTIAL (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House.

The Black Hair is the story of a destitute but ambitious samurai (Rentaro Mikuni) who leaves his faithful, loving wife for a position far away, one that promises advancement. Unfortunately part of the deal necessitates his marrying a selfish, most unpleasant second wife. Things finally become too much for him and he leaves her and his position.

The "Bad" Second Wife (Misako Watanabe)

When he returns home, he finds his dutiful wife apparently unchanged. But, as one can well imagine, things are not truly as they seem.

For more info about this film series at Japan Society, click here.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd avenues), New York, NY.

ACF 516: Phone - free screening in NY next Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Phone
Directed by Ahn Byung-Ki
South Korea, 2002, 109 min

The third and final film in the current series presented by Korean Cultural Service is Phone. It will screen free of charge on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010, at Tribeca Cinema, 54 Varick Street on Canal. Admission is on a first-come, first-serve policy. Theater doors will open at 6:30 PM and showtime will be at 7:00.

Phone is about the mystery surrounding the cell phone belonging to journalist Ji-Won (actress Ha Ji-won). Seems prior owners have disappeared or died under unusual circumstances. There's a real freak-out performance by Eun Seo-woo as Yeong-ju, the young daughter of a friend of Ji-Won.

Korean Movie Night Series Two: The Remakes is focused on three Korean movies slated to be remade by Hollywood. Director Ahn will be remaking his own horror film for the production company behind the Twilight movies.

ACF 433: Two episodes of Korean Ghost Stories to screen at The Korea Society

The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
(Building entrance on SW corner of 3rd Ave. and 57th St.)

The second installment of The Korea Society's Korean Ghost Stories mini-series features two spine-tingling episodes. Haunted House and The Reincarnated Princess will be shown this Thursday, December 17, 2009, starting at 6:30 PM. Both were originally shown on the KBS television series Korean Ghost Stories, which was also known as Hometown of Legend. They will be presented in Korean with English subtitles.

This is the second of the two-part mini-series. The first, on November 19th, featured a fascinating and informative introduction by Heinz Insu Fenki, both an author and the director of Interstitial Studies Institute at Suny New Paltz. This was followed by a screening of Nine-Tailed Fox, a marvelous tale of a clan that uses the harshest means imaginable to hide a dark secret about some of its women.

Haunted House

In Haunted House (starring Lee Duck-hwa, Lee Min-woo, and Yoo Hye-jung), the ghost of a young woman haunts the family members who sold her into a life of corruption.

The Reincarnated Princess

Two sisters return from the grave to seduce and punish the men who killed them in The Reincarnated Princess (starring Lee Jin, Kang Sung-min, and Lee Ji-hyun).

For further information, click here.

Korean Ghost Stories is a presentation of The Korea Society with support from

ACF 416: 3 episodes of KBS TV's "Korean Ghost Stories" at The Korea Society

Korean Ghost Stories
Classic Korean TV Series Comes to the U.S.

Thursday, November 19 and Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
(Building entrance on SW corner of 3rd Ave. and 57th St.)

Since 1977, KBS’ television series Korean Ghost Stories (a.k.a. Hometown of Legend) has thrilled Korean audiences with spooky tales of the supernatural. Join the members of The Korea Society as we screen three hour-long episodes of this perennial Korean favorite on Thursday, November 19, and Thursday, December 17.

Often drawn from ancient folklore, these tales of tortured ghosts and supernatural curses have a uniquely Korean flavor, as women, forced by Confucian culture into subservient roles, return from the dead to take revenge on the men who caused them misery. The tales also touch on Korean attitudes towards justice, suggesting that the duty of the powerful to protect the powerless transcends even the grave.

Screening Schedule:

Series Introduction by Prof. Heinz Insu Fenkl and screening of Nine-Tailed Fox
Thursday, November 19, 2009 @ 6:30 PM

Author, mythology scholar, and director of the Interstitial Studies Institute at SUNY New Paltz, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl will introduce Korean Ghost Stories with a talk on the show’s important connections to Korean folklore and culture.

The series will then begin with Nine-Tailed Fox (starring Park Min-young, Kim Ha-eun, and Kim Tae-ho), the story of the Lee family's attempt to ensure its prosperity for generations through a deal with a malevolent spirit. However, the family’s peace begins to fall apart when their youngest daughter uncovers the dark secret.

Screening of Haunted House and The Reincarnated Princess
Thursday, December 17, 2009 – 6:30 PM

The second installment of Korean Ghost Stories features two spine-tingling episodes. In Haunted House (starring Lee Duck-hwa, Lee Min-woo, and Yoo Hye-jung), the ghost of a young woman haunts the family members who sold her into a life of corruption, and two sisters return from the grave to seduce and punish the men who killed them in The Reincarnated Princess (starring Lee Jin, Kang Sung-min, and Lee Ji-hyun).

All screenings will be presented in Korean with English subtitles.

November 19 introduction and screening:
$15 for nonmembers ($10 for members and students)

December 17 screening:
$10 for nonmembers ($5 for members and students)

The Korean Ghost Stories webpage @ The Korea Society website includes a link to order tickets online. Click here to go directly to that webpage.

For more information contact Yuni Cho at (212) 759-7525, ext. 323 or email yuni.ny@koreasociety.org.

ACF 320: Yoroi Samurai Zombie - another NYAFF 2009 preview review

Yoroi Samurai Zombie
Directed by Tak Sakaguchi

Starring: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Issei Ishida, Tak Sakaguchi,

Airi Nakajima, and Shintaro Matsubara
Japan, 2008 , 90 min

Horror of horrors! A nuclear family - pa, ma, sis, and younger brother - get kidnapped in a remote rural area by a pair of gun-weilding criminals. Their van breaks down, natch, and papa goes off to get help at a nearby village. Instead he encounters the dreaded Samurai Zombie. Pretty soon heads are flyin' way up in the air and blood's a-gushi' somethin' fierce!

I'm not the biggest fan of horror films, but I enjoyed watching the DVD screener I got in advance of the upcominng New York Asian Film Festival. I'm pretty damnn sure the film'll be even more fun to watch on a big screen and with a live audience of Asiancinemaniacs present.

The film will be shown twice at NYAFF 2009: on Friday June 19th and Friday, June 26th at the IFC Center. On the 26th, writer/director/actor Tak Sakaguchi and stuntman Isao Karasawa will be in attendance.

For more info and to order tickets, click here.

ACF 173: Japanese Horror Film "Kaidan" to screen at Alamo Westlakes

Kaidan (1964), a classic Japanese horror film, will screen tomorrow, November 6th, 2008 at 7:30 and 10:30 pm at Alamo Westlakes, San Antonio, TX.

The film contsists of four distinct, separate stories:

Black Hair - A poor samurai divorces his true love to marry for money, but finds the marriage disastrous and returns to his old wife, only to discover something eerie about her.

The Woman in the Snow - Stranded in a snowstorm, a woodcutter meets an icy spirit in the form of a woman spares his life on the condition that he never tell anyone about her. A decade later he forgets his promise.

Hoichi the Earless - Hoichi is a blind musician living in a monastery who sings so well that a ghostly imperial court commands him to perform the epic ballad of their death battle for them. But the ghosts are draining away his life, and the monks set out to protect him by writing a holy mantra over his body to make him invisible to the ghosts. But they've forgotten something.

In a Cup of Tea - A writer tells the story of a man who keep seeing a mysterious face reflected in his cup of tea.

Click here to buy tickets.

As always, I strongly support seeing films at theatrical venues. But in case you can't make it to either of these one night only screenings - or if you do and love the movie as much as I did - be aware that Kaidan is available on DVD from the Criterion Collection. To purchase it at amazon.com click here.

ACF 171: Thai Horror/Thriller "The Coffin" #1 in Singapore, looks to be coming to U.S.

The Coffin nails #1 Opening on Halloween in Singapore

Passing on the following info about this Thai film that looks really interesting:

With Halloween in the air, moviegoers in Singapore rushed out to see the new Thai horror film The Coffin, making it the No. 1 film at the box office on its Opening Day last Thursday - outgrossing all other films including Saw V.

Inspired by a true controversial ritual of lying in coffins to get rid of bad luck and prolong lives, the English-language film has also broken the record for Best Opening Day for Thai horror films previously held by Shutter.

Written and directed by Thai helmer Ekachai Uekrongtham (Beautiful Boxer), the Karen Mok (Shaolin Soccer) and Ananda Everingham (Shutter) starrer has earlier topped the Box Office chart in Thailand when it opened in August.

Described by 8 Days Magazine as "a poised spine-tingler" and Time Out Magazine as "a scream gem", The Coffin tells a thrilling, mysterious and moving story of an architect and a dietician who decide to go through the ritual to cheat death only to be faced with a series of strange and terrifying incidents afterwards.

Shot in Thailand on actual locations including a 100-year-old temple, real cemeteries, inside active crematorium chambers and an ancient meditation cave, this Thai-HK-Singapore co-production is produced by Live Inc. (Thailand), NGR (Thailand), Global Entertainment Group (Hong Kong) and Scorpio East Pictures (Singapore). It's distrbuted in Singapore by Scorpio East Pictures, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Cathay-Keris Films.

The Coffin makes its U.S. market debut at the American Film Market today.

Official Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5S0lyqLig4

Official Website http://www.thecoffin-movie.com/

ACF 135: Human Lanterns DVD out today!

Human Lanterns / Ren pi deng long

Directed by Sun Chung

Hong Kong, 1982, 95 min

Hong Kong has produced many kung fu movies and horror movies over the years. Human Lanterns (a.k.a. Human Skin Lanterns), which comes out on a single disc DVD today courtesy of Image Enterrtainment, is a cross of the two genres. It's certainly one of the best kung fu horror films every to come out, and a pretty solid offering on any terms.

Lung Shu-ai (Tony Liu, billed as Liu Yung) is a rich and arrogant man who has a serious rivalry with Tan Fu (Kuan Tai Chen). Lung has a beautiful wife (Ni Tien), but also a special relationship with a particular prostitute, Yen-chu. When Tan parades her at a gathering, Lung is outraged and challenges Tan to a contest. The challenge: who will have the best lantern at an upcoming festival.


Naturally, being gentry not artisans, neither actually make the lanterns. Lung learns that the fantastic lanterns of Old Man Tsui actually have been fashioned by Chao Chun-Fang (martial arts star Lieh Lo, who later directed such fare as Black Magic With Butchery and Summons to Death) Seven years earlier Lung and Chao were rivals for the affection of the woman Lung later married. Lung defeated Chao, who harbors major anger at having been humiliated.

Chao accepts Lung's commission to make a magnificent lantern, but utilizes the opportunity to set in motion a dastardly plan of revenge. Women start disappearing, and both Lung and his rival Tan fall under suspicion. From the title, you can easily guess what the kidnapped women are going to be used for.


Human Lanterns may not be top drawer Shaw Brothers product, but it's a terrific film B-film that works pretty damn well as a horror tale and has some quite decent kung fu fighting sequences. Image Entertainment has done better here than they have on some other releases in terms of the Special Features offered. I give it a 3 out of 4 star rating; solidly recommended.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Shaw's Baby Doll: An Interview with Shawn Yin Yin
- The Skin Peel Scene (Alternate Take)
- Production Stills Gallery
- Shaw Brothers Trailers

Check out the Human Lanterns trailer!

Buy Human Lanterns @ Amazon.com.
[Ths link provided as a convenient service to readers. AsianCineFest does not make anything if you chose to use this link.]

ACF 133: Shaw Brothers' Human Lanterns on DVD

Human Lanterns / Ren pi deng long

Directed by Sun Chung

Hong Kong, 1982, 95 min

Recently received word of this Image Entertainment release of another Shaw Brothers' classic on DVD. I haven't seen it yet, but hope to get a screener soon and put up a full review.

Meanwhile here's the description from the press materials I received:

Swordplay, savagery and blood-chilling thrills reign supreme in this outrageous mixture of martial arts and the macabre from Shaw Brothers! Two rivals, one rich and the other poor, enter an unholy pact to win an annual lantern-creating contest in their village; however, the terrifying secret behind their remarkable creations lies within the supple flesh of local maidens, who are disappearing at the hands of a demonic assailant! Now featuring shocking scenes too extreme for its Asian DVD release, this unflinching action-horror masterpiece is now finally available to American audiences to enjoy full strength and full throttle!

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Shaw's Baby Doll: An Interview with Shawn Yin Yin
- Extended Scene
- Shaw Brothers Trailers
- Production Stills Gallery

Check out the Human Lanterns trailer!

Buy Human Lanterns @ Amazon.com.
[Ths link provided as a convenient service to readers. AsianCineFest does not make anything if you chose to use this link.]

ACF 087: "13: Game of Death" Streets 03.18.08

13: Game of death / 13 game sayawng
Directed by Chookiat Sakveerakul
Thailand, 2006, 117 minutes

13: Game of Death is an incredibly great horror/thriller from Thailand. A single disc DVD will be available this coming Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 from Dimension Extreme.

Phuchit Puengnathong (Krisada Sukolsol) is a salesman of musical instruments for Sahamongkol Music, and a more out of luck follow would be hard to find. Another salesman has beaten him to an important sale at a school, and Phuchit, or Chit as he's sometimes called, is fired in a cost-cutting move. Further problems befall him that I won't give away here other than to say that he's not only out of work but also deep in debt.

A chance for salvation arrives unexpectedly when he gets a call on his cell phone. The unidentified caller, who knows all about him and his situation, asks if he's willing to be a contestant in a mysterious game show. All Phuchit has to do is complete 13 tasks. Success at each task will result in increasingly large deposits being made automatically to his bank account. He can chose to quit at any time, but if he completes all 13 challenges, the total winnings will amount to 100 million bhat, a veritable fortune.

Though skeptical, Phuchit accepts and succeeds at the first task, which is simply to kill a fly that's been annoying him. A call on his cell phone immediately informs him that a deposit in the amount specified for the task has been deposited in his account.

Thereafter the tasks get increasingly disgusting, revolting, violent, and unlawful. Before long his very humanity is being challenged, but he's at least as caught up in playing the game as he is in winning the 100 million bhat. Tong (Achita Sigkamana), a friend who installed the computer system at his job, becomes worried about him and manages to hack into the game's website. Will she be able to get through to him before he's totally engulfed by greed, or before he's captured by the police?

Phuchit (r) hides from Police Colonel Surachai (center, background) and his men

Based on a comic by Eakasit Thairatana, the screenplay was written by Director Sakveerakul. He's done a fantastic job taking an outrageous premise and making it sufficiently believable in what, unlike a comic, is essentially a realistic medium.

Krisada Sukolsol is flawless as Phuchit, a simple everyman caught up in something way beyond what he's really prepared to deal with. He won the 2007 Thailand National Film Association Award for best actor. The film received the association's award for best visual effects. One of them will most surely remind you of an effect towards the end of the movie Hannibal.

I'm normally not a big fan of horror/thrillers. Most of them are just too flawed in one way or another for my taste: stupid premise, plot holes big enough to drive a semi through, horrendous acting, whatever. In all honesty, I'm not sure how the opening scene in 13 ties in to the overall story and I found the ending rather enigmatic. Nonetheless, this film totally had me in its grip. I loved it and really look forward to watching it again.

13: Game of Death is that rarest of breeds: an intense, gripping thriller that's also thoughtful and intelligent. The direction, acting, special effects, and musical score are all outstanding . I give it an ACF rating of 4 out of 4 stars, highest recommendation.

DVD Specs:
Price - $19.97
Widescreen format
Unrated (no nudity or sex, but there's a lot of brutal violence)
Languages: Thai Dolby 5.1, English Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Special Features:
- "The Making of 13: Game of Death" (Approximately 16 minutes long, it features the director and cast actually talking about the movie, not doing the "how great it was to work with" blah, blah, blah that I personally can't stand)
- Trailer and Teaser

IMDb links (some DVD subtitle names differ from the IMDb listings):
Game of Death
Chookiat Sakveerakul, director; this is his 2nd film
Krisada Sukolsol, actor (Phuchit), this is his 3rd movie
Achita Sigkamana, actress (Tong); this is her 2nd movie
Saranyu Wongkrachang, actor (Police Colonel Surachai)

ACF 075: "Nightmare Detective" DVD Streets 02.19.08

Nightmare Detective / Akumu tantei
Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
Japan 2006

Great box art image.
(Aside from the knife, however, it has nothing to do with the film.)

The relatively new Dimension Extreme label from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company will be releasing this film as a single DVD on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. It's a tense, taught and gripping horror/thriller from one of Japan's best directors.

The film's New York premiere was a joint presentation of Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival 2007 and Japan Society's JAPAN CUTS film series last summer. I reviewed the film in ACF 037 in July 2007, so I won't go into great detail about the story line here.

Briefly put, weird, apparent suicides seem to be related to a suicide website and to cell phone calls to a mysterious "0" ("Zero"). There's some suggestion that this individual is entering the victims' dreams and making them kill themselves. While some of the detectives assigned to the cases approach the deaths using traditional techniques, others explore supernatural explanations. Leading this effort is Keiko (pop star Hitomi in her first film role).

Nightmare Detective Kyoichi (Ryuhei Matsuda) & Police Detective Keiko (Hitomi)

She's a former desk-jockey who's sought transfer to get away from the theoretical and into hands-on field work. She also happens to wear tight mini-skirts and high heels, all the better to show off her magnificent legs.

She enlists the services of Kyoichi (Ryuhei Matsuda, of Otakus In Love), a troubled, suicidal youth who can enter peoples' dreams. He's reluctant to assist in the case because of the physical and psychological dangers posed. Though suicidal, he doesn't want to die in someone else's dream.

Matters come to a head when one detective and then Keiko herself place calls to "0." With their lives in jeopardy, will Kyoichi stay uninvolved or will he change his mind and risk all to assist the investigators?

Shinya Tsukamoto, who wrote and directed the film, also stars as "0." He first came to prominence with his two Tetsuo films, Tetsuo (1989) and Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992). Truly multi-talented, his achievements as writer, director, producer, actor, editor, etc. are incredible. Use the preceding link to check out his filmography if you haven't already.

As for the DVD release itself, the transfer is superb and the audio crystalline. It has both original Japanese Dolby 5.1 and English-dubbed Dolby 5.1 soundtracks. There are removable English, English for the deaf and hearing-impaired, or Spanish subtitles to choose from.

While there are not many extras, The Making of Nightmare Detective featurette, which runs nearly an hour, is one of the best of it's kind. This might have a lot do do with the fact that it was directed by Tsukamoto himself. Really insightful interviews with him and the other principle actors make it a must-watch. The only other extra is the obligatory theatrical trailer.

I enjoyed this film even more the second time around and was every bit as engrossed as the first time, even though I knew how things evolved. The film's outstanding because it succeeds in putting you right in its nightmares and hoping that Kyoichi and Keiko will somehow manage to get not only themselves but also you out.

Nightmare Detective definitely deserves the ACF rating of 3.5 out of 4 stars (highly recommended) that I originally gave it.

The extras get a 3 out of 4 star (good) rating.

Note: Tsukamoto's Nightmare Detective 2 is in post-production. Something definitely to look forward to. Here's hopin' Dimension Extreme will again be there for us Asian film fans when it's time for a DVD release of that sequel.