tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356717372007-10-30T12:22:29.164-10:00andersonBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-26678719623777106322007-08-09T18:36:00.001-10:002007-08-09T18:36:34.725-10:00

Test test test

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-68818036699017352622007-04-27T21:31:00.000-10:002007-04-27T21:40:37.986-10:00

Sorry it took so long to finally blog a new entry here. We've switched servers and had to work out kinks in the system, coupled with the fact that I was just lazy for the past few months with this blog. Sorry, everybody! But to make it up to you, here's some video that Eugene Hernandez from IndieWIRE captured at the Apple Store Soho Filmmakers Party at the Tribeca Film Festival a couple of

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-70778218793088461082007-03-28T15:17:00.000-10:002007-03-28T15:27:26.073-10:00

The HIFF Spring Showcase is less than a month away (April 20 - 26) and the film program is now online! I'm really proud of this year's selections and we've got something for anyone. You like David Lynch? You got it. Crime thrillers from Hong Kong? Ditto. A rom-com about the twisted look of beauty and body image in South Korea? We've got it here too. Remember, tickets go on sale April 6th! In the

aletag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-38341636137791904982007-02-16T21:53:00.000-10:002007-02-17T00:53:44.553-10:00

So, I am back from Berlin. With intermittent access and/or 30 euros for net access, I couldn't do the daily blog from Berlin that I wanted to do. Therefore, I will consolidate as much as I can and send in a report early next week. In the meantime, I ran into my friend Wei at Tegel airport and she was in town to catch some screenings and attend a Yoshitomo Nara opening!! He's designed everything

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1170758181484394142007-02-06T00:26:00.000-10:002007-02-06T00:36:21.496-10:00

Well, before I leave for Berlin with, hopefully, daily news reports, I just want to highlight two very funny segments associated to precocious child star Dakota Fanning. SNL did a hilarious skit with Amy Poehler as Fanning, hosting her own talk show. Amy Poehler is dead on too! Another clip is from a Japanese TV show from 2004, when Fanning was on the press tour for WAR OF THE WORLDS in Japan.

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1170375118268183922007-02-01T14:06:00.000-10:002007-02-06T00:38:57.466-10:00

One of the sleeper hits at the Sundance Film Festival, Maori director Taika Waititi's EAGLE VS. SHARK is generating a lot of advance buzz before its U.S. summer release from Miramax. Over at GreenCine, they've compiled some review quotes about the film. Spring Showcase Update: The film will have its Hawaii premiere in April!

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1170116061077366462007-01-29T12:11:00.000-10:002007-01-29T14:21:18.146-10:00

How many film awards do we need? Well, here's a worthy one, I think. HKIFF will be throwing the first Asian Film Awards in March. What's great is that it's Pan-Asian and the list of nominees is pretty amazing. Here are some of the nominees: ~ BEST FILM ~ 1. Curse of the Golden Flower Hong Kong / Chinese mainland 2. Exiled Hong Kong 3. The Host South Korea 4. Love and Honor Japan 5. Opera Jawa

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1170071687318545882007-01-29T01:48:00.000-10:002007-01-29T01:54:47.326-10:00

In-between her busy schedule shooting LOST on Oahu, Yunjin Kim recently acted in an indie film directed by comedian Margaret Cho. Apparently, it's about two, dueling Asian-American sisters in the competitive world of belly-dancing. Tamlyn Tomita plays her sister-rival. Sounds pretty funny! Read more at Asian Popcorn.

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169926462146664802007-01-27T09:27:00.000-10:002007-01-27T09:35:04.446-10:00

ANATA WA WASURENAI (We Will Not Forget You), is based on the life of a South Korean man who sacrificed his life in an attempt to save a drunken man from falling into the tracks of an incoming train in Tokyo. That was almost 6 years ago. This new film, which is significant because it is a South Korean/Japanese co-production, was recently shown in a private screening that had Emperor Akihito and

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169716278751734052007-01-24T22:59:00.000-10:002007-01-24T23:11:18.780-10:00

Nia Dinata's LOVE FOR SHARE won the Halekulani Golden Orchid for Best Feature at the last LVHIFF. Highly controversial for its portrayal of women living in Indonesia, Dinata's latest (just producing duties on this one) continues the trend. According to the BBC LONG ROAD TO HEAVEN, a retelling of the terrorist bombings in Bali five years ago that killed over 200, with most of the casualties being

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169700828526066572007-01-24T18:42:00.000-10:002007-01-24T18:54:43.620-10:00

Alain Delon, one of the most revered French actors ever, for his seminal roles in PURPLE NOON, ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, and one of my favorite films of all time, LE SAMOURAI, has agreed to star in Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To's next film. To what the role will be for the now 72 year old legend, there are no details yet. Shooting commences at the end of the year. I'm salivating already! Thanks to

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169698111352189662007-01-24T18:03:00.000-10:002007-01-24T18:08:31.393-10:00

Wow, this is pretty ingenious. Cinematical has discovered an old STAR WARS fan film that recreates the famous Battle of Yavin sequence from the original film. You know it, don't you? It's the final battle that takes place on the Death Star with Luke Skywalker piloting his X-wing into the trenches with Darth Vader close behind him. Anyway, what's brilliant about this fan film is that it is

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169694594367488882007-01-24T17:01:00.000-10:002007-01-24T17:09:54.376-10:00

Johnnie To, the hardest working man in the Hong Kong film industry, won two awards at the recently held Hong Kong Film Critics Society awards. ELECTION 2, or TRIAD ELECTION, as it is called in the U.S., won best feature and EXILED, his pseudo-sequel to the great THE MISSION, garnered him the best director prize. Spring Showcase Update:We'll be showing both titles in April!

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169610305432866552007-01-23T17:37:00.000-10:002007-01-23T17:45:05.440-10:00

Man, I really want to see this film! I'll catch it in Berlin in a couple of weeks, where I'll try to have daily reports from my favorite film festival! Read more about the film at Variety. Check out the amazing trailer here!

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169540614979305982007-01-22T22:13:00.000-10:002007-01-22T22:23:34.986-10:00

One of my favorite films from last year was Nobuhiro Yamashita's fantastic LINDA LINDA LINDA, which HIFF showed at the last spring showcase. Anyway, Viz is releasing the DVD on April 24th and it's now available for pre-order at Amazon! Awesome!! "Linda, Liiiindaaah! Linda, Linda, Liiiindaaaaah!"

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169411383844877382007-01-21T10:19:00.000-10:002007-01-21T10:29:43.866-10:00

Yasmin Ahmad is one of the most dynamic filmmakers in Malaysia. With GUBRA winning acclaim at festivals around the world, as well as ringing up major controversy in her homeland for its frank portrayal of women bucking stringent, Muslim conventions, who wouldn't be interested to see what she has next? Well, her latest film MUKSHIN, is opening in Malaysia in March and will also have its European

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169270481376505122007-01-19T19:12:00.000-10:002007-01-19T19:21:21.383-10:00

One of the best blogs on Asian cinema, KAIJU SHAKEDOWN, a Variety blog run by Grady Hendrix of Subway Cinema and the great New York Asian Film Festival, is closing shop today! I'm completely shocked and stunned by this development. From their second-to-final entry, it looks like Grady's editor is moving on from Variety and he's decided to do the same. Cryptic. Let's hope they have a big

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169087702026727092007-01-17T16:15:00.000-10:002007-01-17T16:35:02.133-10:00

Korean actresses have been associated with the popularity of the Korean Wave: they're beautiful, easy-on-the-eyes and are great spokespeople for various products, raking in millions of dollars. Their visage is everywhere in not only South Korea, but all over Asia. But, are they suffering Anna Kournikova syndrome?Well, The Korea Times has an article chronicling this very syndrome on four starlets

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1169085884555599782007-01-17T15:54:00.000-10:002007-01-17T16:04:44.570-10:00

Here's a hilarious segment from THE COLBERT REPORT, discussing the very public tiff between Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Stephen Colbert does a good job of dropping names like Preity Zinta! Bollywood is becoming quite prominent in the western media this month, especially with the whole controversy over at BIG BROTHER UK. Poor Shilpa Shetty!

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168921888879552052007-01-15T18:14:00.000-10:002007-01-15T18:33:42.733-10:00

Ugh, more remakes! MY SASSY GIRL, one of the most successful Korean films of all time, is finally getting the Hollywood makeover, which is usually a bad thing. For a time, the remake was going to be directed by BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM'S Gurinder Chadha, but now the reigns have been given to newcomer Yann Samuel. Anyway, starlet Elisha Cuthbert, she of 24 and cougar trap fame, plays the titular

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168920622905884972007-01-15T17:50:00.000-10:002007-01-15T18:10:22.926-10:00

One of my favorite Japanese actors, Tadanobu Asano, is starring in a Russian funded biopic of Mongol warlord Genghis Khan. Entitled THE MONGOL, the pic is directed by Sergei Bodrov, who last directed Hawaii's own Jason Scott Lee in the Kazakh film NOMAD, and produced by Bill Kong (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON). The film will be distributed in the U.S. by Picturehouse. Check out some cool set

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168659520222164242007-01-12T17:20:00.000-10:002007-01-12T17:38:40.233-10:00

Louis Koo, hot, young Hong Kong talent that he is, has not one, but two blogs! What's cool is that he gives insight on the films that he is acting in, like THE IRON TRIANGLE among many others. You can read more about his web presence at Kaiju Shakedown.This reminds me of other cool, young actors who are blogging as well. Aside from getting cool little peeks into their day-to-day world, it makes

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168658115992202552007-01-12T17:09:00.000-10:002007-01-12T17:15:15.993-10:00

Cinematical has a report on the short films from this year's Sundance Film Festival, which will be made available to download on Apple's iTunes. With the new iPhone coming out in June, and multiple mobile carriers providing video content, these are truly interesting times for the film industry.

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168657608362360492007-01-12T16:52:00.000-10:002007-01-12T17:08:29.766-10:00

Our friend and America's most famous film critic, Roger Ebert, released a statement today via ABC7 Chicago's website. Overall, his recovery is progressing, but slower than expected. He most likely won't be able to work the Oscar red carpet this year, and his syndicated television show, Ebert & Roeper, may undergo a format change in the next few months. Cinematical has a report on Roger's update

andersontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35671737.post-1168511629572797612007-01-11T00:21:00.000-10:002007-01-11T00:33:49.580-10:00

I'm usually not a big fan of STAR WARS fan films. They tend to be well-edited with some fairly passable special FX, until you see the main actors, who tend to be overweight and very wooden. Ironically, one of the most popular fan films tend to be spoofs, like TROOPS, which was a major milestone for not only fan films, but also the internet and streaming video (way back in 1997). Well, here's

anderson