teh Forum

Seattle International Film Festival 2004
May 20 - June 13
225 Films!!




This may be of particular interest to el SpiderMonkey. (Maybe you can swing by Pac Place to get any tix we decide we can't miss before they sell out.) Click the image above for the full roster, but here are some that have caught my attention:

MUST SEE:


Azumi - 2003
Director Kitamura (VERSUS) one-ups Tarantino (KILL BILL) in the genre of the female assassin with a bloody mission. Along with nine other orphans, Azumi has been trained to eliminate the power-hungry warlords of Japan's Tokugawa Shogun era. Forced to kill friends and enemies alike, Azumi is unaware of the epic bloodshed that yet awaits her.
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Filmography: Versus (2001)
Principal Cast: Aya Ueto, Kenji Kohashi, Yoshio Harada, Hiroki Narimiya, Joe Odagiri, Aya Okumotoê
Note: This has been playing in Japan for the last few months.



Innocence (AKA Ghost in the Shell 2) - 2003
North American Premier
Direct from Competition in Cannes. In 2032, female humanoid "pleasure dolls" begin murdering members of the political and financial elite. Special agents Bateau and Togusa investigate, and when the fully mechanized Bateau begins to feel a small pang for humanity, his judgment is affected, in this highly anticipated follow-up to the international animé hit Ghost In The Shell.
Original Name:Kokatu kidotai: Inosensu
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Filmography: Avalon (2001); Ghost in the Shell (1995)



Twilight Samurai - 2003
This Oscar-nominated, elegiac story of Iguchi is set in the waning days of the Japanese feudal system. A departure from the "fastest sword in the East" genre fodder, the film follows Iguchi's struggle to balance the upbringing of his two daughters and his hopes of re-marriage, against the demands of being a professional swordsman.
Original Name:Tasogare Seibei
Awards: Japanese Academy Awards 2003 (Best Film, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography); Hawaii Film Festival 2003 (Best Feature); Hong Kong Film Festival 2003 (Best Asian Film); 2004 Official Oscar Nomination (Best Foreign Language Film)
Director: Yoji Yamada
Filmography: Jugosai: Gakko IV (2001); 15-Sai: Gakko IV (2000); Gakko 2 (1997); Gakko (1994)
Principal Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Mitsura Fukikoshi, Rie Miyazawa, Ren Osuri


The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi - 2003
An old blind masseur wanders from town to town revealing to no one that he is in fact the master swordsman, Zatoichi. Based on the popular movie series from the '60s, legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano directs, but also stars as the white-haired Zatoichi, who stumbles into a gang war and ends up taking on an entire mob.
Awards: Toronto 2003 (People's Choice Award)
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Filmography: Dolls (2001); Brother (2000); Hana-Bi (Fireworks) (1997); Getting Any? (1995); Boiling Point (1990)
Principal Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ogusu, Yui Natsukawa, Guadalcanal Taka



Donnie Darko - Director's Cut - 2004
World Premiere
Autumn, 1988. Donnie is an unstable teenager in a not-quite-normal suburbia whose existence becomes even more surreal after a dislocated jet engine crashes into his room. Following that, he has a vision of a six-foot rabbit named Frank who tells him the world will end in 28 days. Newly added never-before-seen footage highlights this modern cult classic.
Director: Richard Kelly


JAPANESE (other):


9 Souls - 2003
In jail for various crimes, nine convicts escape and hit the road. En route, each begins to realize that freedom has its own burdens. Their collective search for redemption results in a humorous road movie that is graced with unexpectedly moving moments of tenderness.
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda
Filmography: Blue Spring (2001); Unchain (2000); Pornostar (1998)
Principal Cast: Yoshio Harada, Ryuhei Matsuda, Koji Chihara, Onimaru, Itsuji Itao, Kee



Bright Future - 2003
Yuji and Mamoru are working dead-end jobs in an industrial laundromat. Mamoru invites Yuji home to see his poisonous pet jellyfish. After a shocking turn of events, Yuji inherits the jellyfish and is haunted by specters of Mamoru's disturbing actions. Director Kurosawa (CURE, SÉANCE) deftly explores the banality that evil represents for today's disaffected youth.
Original Name:Akarui Mirai
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Filmography: Doppelganger (2003); Pulse (2001); Séance (2000); Charisma (1999); Cure (1997)
Principal Cast: Joe Odagiri, Tadanobu Asano, Tatsuya Fuji, Takashi Sasano Shiraishi


Doppelganger - 2003
Japan's reigning master of paranoia injects wild plot twists and a touch of humor into his latest psycho-thriller, a story about an obsessed scientist whose life takes on unanticipated complications when he confronts his psychotic double. From the director of previous SIFF hits Séance (2000) and Cure (1997).
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Filmography: Bright Future (2003); Pulse (2001); Séance (2000); Charisma (1999); Cure (1997)
Principal Cast: Yakusho Koji, Nagasaku Hiromi, Yusuke Santamaria, Emoto Akira


My Grandpa - 2003
Godai Tamako is a 14-year-old dreamer living an ordinary life with her parents and grandmother. Things quickly turn extraordinary when her 68-year-old grandfather returns home after spending 13 years in prison for killing a yakuza. Full of wonderful performances, this delightful inter-generational comedy teaches lessons about responsibility and courage.
Original Name:Watashi No Gurampa
Awards: Montreal World 2003 (Best Asian Film)
Director: Yoichi Higashi
Filmography: The Crossing (2000); Village of Dreams (1996); No More Easy Going (1979)
Principal Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Satomi Ishihara, Tadanobu Asano, Mitsuru Hirata



Ramblers - 2003
Directed by the Jim Jarmusch of Japan, RAMBLERS is a low-key comedy with the tone of a wise MANGA.
Two amateur filmmakers agree to meet a well-known actor in a remote town. Unfortunately, the actor fails to show, condemning the filmmakers to enforced idleness amongst a cast of increasingly eccentric—even absurd—characters.
Original Name:Riarizumu no yado
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
Filmography: No One's Ark (2002); Hazy Life (1999)
Principal Cast: Keishi Nagatsuka, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Machiko Ono


Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space - 2003
Imagine Hello Kitty on acid and you're almost there. Tamala, the adorable but profanity-prone feline, lives in the superflat, high-tech, black-and-white world of the year 2010. Traveling from 3500 B.C. (Before Cats) to 15th century Italy and beyond, she has unexpectedly colorful adventures, and encounters the Dark God of Death in this hallucinatory head-trip.
Awards: Fantasia 2003 (Best Animation)
Director: t.o.L.


NON-JAPANESE OF INTEREST:


BAADASSSSS! - 2004
More than thirty years after the release of Melvin Van Peeble's groundbreaking Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, his son Mario directs a revealing portrait of him. Illustrating political defiance through filmmaking, Mario plays Melvin struggling to raise money for his vision—under the guise of creating a black porno film.
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Filmography: Love Kills (1998); Panther (1995); New Jack City (1991)
Principal Cast: Mario van Peebles, Joy Bryant, T.K. Carter, Ossie Davis, Nia Long, David Alan Greer
Note: Will release theatrically


Before Sunset - 2004
Nine years ago, two strangers met, spent a night together in Vienna, and parted before sunrise. They're about to cross paths again—in Paris—and get the chance to find out what might have been. But they'll have just a few hours to figure out if they belong together in this teasingly romantic continuation of Before Sunrise.
Director: Richard Linklater
Filmography: The School of Rock (2003); Tape (2001); Waking Life (2001); The Newton Boys (1998); Before Sunset (1995); Dazed and Confused (1993); Slacker (1991)
Principal Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy


Before Sunrise - 1995
An opportunity to see a sparkling new print of the modern classic. This romantic, witty and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke on a train and romance ensues as they spend their remaining 14 hours together in Vienna.
Awards: Berlin 1995 (Silver Bear - Best Director)
Director: Richard Linklater
Principal Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy


DIG! - 2004
DIG! chronicles the professional and creative rivalry between Portland's The Dandy Warhols and self-proclaimed genius Anton Newcombe, lead singer of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Culled from fifteen hundred hours of footage filmed over seven years, DIG! is a mesmerizing look at success and self-destruction in the indie rock world.
Awards: Sundance 2004 (Documentary Grand Jury Prize)
Director: Ondi Timoner


Primer - 2004
A mind-bending, densely packed head-trip about time travel. While working on an independent project in their garage, two engineers accidentally discover a way to travel back in time. First they use their machine for experimentation, then small financial gains, and soon find themselves plagued by larger moral questions.
Awards: Sundance 2004 (Alfred P. Sloan, Dramatic Grand Jury Prize)
Director: Shane Carruth



Riding Giants - 2004
Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-boys) makes his foray into the world where men embrace a near-religious mindset and seek the ultimate stoke: big wave surfing. The documentary shows the development of the sport, from surfing's humble origins in Hawaii to today's jaw dropping stunts.
Director: Stacy Peralta
Filmography:Dogtown and Z-boys (2001)
Principal Cast: Laird Hamilton, Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, Narration by Sean Penn



Hero - 2002
From renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou, comes the story of a master swordsman who wins an audience with the king after bravely defeating the region's three deadliest assassins. Hero is gorgeously filmed and features thrilling fight scenes and a powerhouse cast of contemporary Chinese actors.
Awards: 2003 Academy Award Nominee (Best Foreign Film)
Director: Zhang Yimou
Filmography:
Happy Times (2000); The Road Home (1999); Not One Less (1999); Keep Cool (1997); Lumiere and Company (1995); Shanghai Triad (1995); To Live (1994); The Story of Qiu Ju (1992); Raise the Red Lantern (1992); Ju Don (1989); Red Sorghum (1987)
Principal Cast: Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi
Note: I own the DVD but this is showing at the Cinerama!



Natural City - 2003 S. Korea
US Premiere
Visually astonishing, with elements of BLADE RUNNER, THE MATRIX and MINORITY REPORT, fused with a story of AMOUR FOU. The year is 2080 A.D. Agent R is in charge of eliminating runaway cyborgs, but when he falls in love with a female cyborg scheduled for destruction the renegade couple takes flight, hotly pursued by Agent R's erstwhile colleagues.
Director: Min Byung-cheon



Sky Blue - 2003 S. Korea
This groundbreaking film combines miniatures with hand-drawn and state-of-the-art computer animation to tell the story of a future society divided in two. Earth's eco-system is collapsing and people live under perpetually dark and cloudy skies. The creation of Ecoban, a shielded, self-sustaining city, provokes an epic conflict between the haves and have-nots.
*Shown in English*
Director: Moon-sang Kim



Last Life in the Universe - 2003 Thailand
Language: Thai and Japanese
SIFF award-winning director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Mon-Rak TRANSISTOR) teams up with the brilliant cinematographer Christopher Doyle (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) to create a haunting meditation on the mysteries of love and chance. The focus is on the romantic yearnings of a shy, suicidal librarian who finds himself drawn into a relationship with a gorgeous young woman who is his opposite in every possible way.
Awards: 2004 Official Oscar Submission (Foreign Language Film); Venice: Upstream 2003 (Best Actor)
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang

***

It is a bit overwhelming to look this page with the description of 225 movies. I didn't really delve into Europe too much. Please post if you find anything else of interest.

Those all sound good. The problem is, I just had to pay my taxes. It may be about 2 weeks before I can make major ticket purchases. Or maybe I can try some kind of jickery-pockery to get some money before then.

I think the real problem is deciding which ones to see and which to skip.

That's also true. I've seen a few of those listed, but it still might be nice to see them on the big screen, especially Hero and maybe even Azumi.
Another 3-4time a week movie extravaganza could be fun though...

Have you seen Azumi? How was it? What else have you seen?

Innocence and Twilight Samurai are a must. They might be worth doing whatever is possible to get those tix now. I imagine Zatoichi is worth it as well.

Ramblers would probably be my pick of the non must see Jp flicks. Primer won at Sundance and sounds pretty cool. Riding Giants looks good but it will likely make a theatrical release. The Korean/Thai movies are hit or miss.

I'm gonna try to find some trailers and look at the times.

TRAILERS!!

Azumi Trailer, AKA ZWIASTUNY - no subs

Innocence - no subs

Twilight Samurai - no subs

Zatoichi - via apple

Baadasssss - via apple

Before Sunrise - via apple

Primer - official site

Natural City - looks hot

Last Life in the Universe - official

Others are welcome to find those I haven't.

Might have to do this as well.

Exploding Cinema

Exploding Cinema looks to push the boundaries of cinema by encompassing elements of visual art, design, and music to redefine the range of film’s ever growing possibility and influences. Reflecting our rapidly changing world, today's artists are incorporating a wide range of influences into their work and inventing new ways to experience and interact with the moving image.

Firday 6/4 9pm @ The Hideway
FCS North, Scientific American, DJs on Trikes

Here is the schedule of events for selected movies:

FRI 5/21
6:45 Egyptian - Twilight Samurai - I have plans this day and cannot make it

SAT 5/22
9:00 Egyptian - Dig!
9:30 Harvard Exit - Baadasssss
Midnight Egyptian - Azumi

SUN 5/23
1:30 Harvard Exit - Twilight Samurai

TUES 5/25
5:00 Harvard Exit - Baadasssss

SAT 5/29
6:30 Pac Place - Donnie Darko Director's Cut
6:30 Harvard Exit - Ramblers
9:30 Harvard Exit - Primer

MON 5/31
4:15 Harvard Exit - Ramblers
9:30 Harvard Exit - Primer

FRI 6/4
6:45 Cinerama - Zatoichi
9:00 Cinerama - Natural City

SAT 6/5
2:00 Harvard Exit - Before Sunrise
7:00 Cinerama - Before Sunset
9:00 Egyptian - Sky Blue
9:15 Cinerama - Hero

MON 6/6
9:00 Cinerama - Zatoichi

TUES 6/7
4:00 Cinerama - Hero
4:15 Egyptian - Sky Blue

FRI 6/11
7:15 Pac Place - Last Life in the Universe
9:00 Egyptian - Riding Giants

SAT 6/12
4:15 Pac Place - Last Life in the Universe
9:00 Cinerama - Innocence

SUN 6/13
2:00 Harvard Exit - Riding Giants

***

I would like to see Twilight Samurai almost more than anything else, but I definitely cannot go on the Friday and may be busy that Sunday as well.

Azumi is only showing the one day at midnight so we can probably skip that.

Monday 5/31 9:30 Primer
Mon 6/6 9:00 Zatoichi
Tues 6/7 Hero or Sky Blue
Sat 6/12 9:00 Innocence

All seem pretty doable to me.

Would be cool to squeeze in Natural City, but may not be able to.

What are your thoughts S-MonXor? What is your schedule like these days anyway?

May be a good idea to buy at least the Innocence and maybe Zatoichi tix in advance.

... like to see Hero on the large screen.

I'll try to figure out some money for buying a few tickets this week.
Azumi was pretty good. Same style as Versus. Really manga-esque characters and plot. Good stylish action fun. I could go without seeing it again if it means being able to afford seeing something else good and new.

Yes Azumi is readily available on DVD for less than the ticket price for the festival. Zatoichi might be as well.

***

A quick search and ebay and I have ascertained that all of the following movies are available from Asian DVD clearing houses. All guaranteed region free, with English subtitles, and lower quality then the official DVDs:

Azumi
Twilight Samurai
Zatoichi
Bright Future
Hero (duh!)
Natural City
Last Life in the Universe

Maybe we should have a film festival of our own.

I am certainly still down with seeing some of these but the pressure to squeeze in as many as possible is unneeded.

Notice Innocence & Primer are not. Hero, Zatoichi, and Twilight Samurai (looks like that Sunday is okay) would all probably be worth the big screen trip... but a better value might be the DVD.

The single Innocence showing and the Monday Primer I am good for. Sunday Twilight Samurai? Hero? What exactly are your thoughts?

I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I wasn't too impressed with Innocence. Lotsa close-up shots of people talking most of the time.

I'm probably pretty much ok for anything. I like the banner ad on the Natural City page though: Shoot the terrorist, win an iPod. Maybe the US army should offer iPods to new recruits as a limited time promotional thingy...
So remind me which movies you can make it to and that I should try to get tickets for. I work weekdays more or less from 10:30ish to sometime after 5:00, but I could get off early probably anytime. The only day I know that I might be unavailable is June 1 when I'm stuck at the immigration building for an undetermined number of hours.
Is the new never before seen footage in Donnie Darko different from the extra stuff on the DVD? It might be interesting to see that. On the other hand, anything to do with airplanes and stuff crashing still brings back horrible memories of sept 11 and may cause my head to explode.