The West Coast Trip

Had sort of a vacation on the West Coast for two weeks. Took about 500 pictures but none of them do justice to what I and Nicole experienced in the Redwood Forests of Northern California. Here is a recap of the trip for you in the list of 5 most memorable things we experienced out there with pictures:

5. Chicken Wings at Pok Pok, Portland, OR

We stayed at my sister, Yoonmee and her husband, Brandon's house while we were in Portland. They are truly gracious hosts and great guides to this great Northwestern city. While we were there, we realized that Portland has much more vigorous and sophisticated food culture than New York. Numbers of non-starbucks coffee shops equals its homeless population, mobile food trucks are everywhere and there are several designated spots throughout the city where different food stalls enticing you with the menus as diverse as Korean tacos to Hungarian Schnitzel sandwich. We ended up trying as many different cuisine as we could. But we didn't make it to the famous Voodoo Donut which the wait line was stretching over blocks even on weekdays.

So Yoonmee and Brandon were raving about this new Vietnamese restaurant that serves the best wings they ever tasted. "Don't get anything else, just get the wings!", they told us.

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings were indeed glorious. The order comes with 6 large wings in its entire wing span that you have to break as you chew along. Sticky, tangy, salty and slightly hot (we ordered 'hot') with visible pepper seeds stuck on the wings. Apparently they just opened its Brooklyn branch and Lower Eastside branch (wings only). I can't vouch for anything else in their menu as I haven't had anything but wings. But oh man, they are better than Korean hot wings.

4. Cabin in the Woods, Mt. Hood, OR

Yoonmee and Brandon bought a cabin in Mt. Hood a couple years back and have been working on it the whole time. It's their pride and joy and we finally got to visit it.

I always imagined it to be a small squeaky wooden shack with an outhouse, no running water and very minimalist setting. At least that's how I envisioned in my jaded New Yorker mind. To my surprise, the cabin was A-framed beautiful two story structure with a brand new deck that surrounds it. The interior of the cabin can be featured in the next issue of Interior Magazine. It is not far from the main road and you could easily walk to a local convenient store. Hike trails are everywhere and the surrounding forests are beautiful.

3. Henry V at Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavillion under the setting sun, Ashland, OR

Originally, we were planning on going down to the Redwood Forests in non-stop 8 hour drive from Portland. Then Yoonmee and Bran suggested a stop over at a small town called Ashland, famous for their annual Shakespeare Festival. So we decided to stay one night on the way down to Cali and see a play. And it turned out to be a great decision.

Ashland looks like a wealthy suburban town with beautiful dry weather, giftshops and outdoor cafes. But obviously the main attraction is the festival.

Henry V was their main focus this year. With my flimsy knowledge on the play from college years and the subsequent viewing of Kenneth Branagh's film version, I really didn't really expect much. First it was the three story Elizabethan stage with coliseum seating was, upon entering, awe-inspiring. It only got better- with superb production that was way better than any Shakespeare in the Park (from the little I've seen over the years). As the young king roused his outnumbered brothers in arms into an improbable victory over France, the sun was setting and soon the stars appeared above the mountains. It was an amazing experience.

2. Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA





What can I say? The giant redwoods made me speechless. We got rain, sun and everything inbetween. But we didn't get the misty forest we wanted, until...

1. Lady Bird Johnson Grove, The Redwood National Park, CA



And we got that too!

Lonely Death

In den Tag Hinein/The Days Between (2001) - Speth
Twenty-something Lynn (Sabine Timoteo) works as a dancer at a disco and at a college cafeteria. She stays between her professional swimmer boyfriend's apartment and her brother's house. Neither place gives her any warmth. Things change when she meets Kenji, a Japanese student studying German. Their drunken night exchanges (them not completely understanding each other) give us a bit of insight to their lonely lives.

Maria Speth's The Days Between has everything I look for in a film. She obviously is heavily influenced by wayward youth cinema of WKW and Tsai, but her sensibilities are still very much European. There is nothing cute or sentimental about The Days Between. It has more in common with Eric Zonca's Dreamlife of Angels (which is featured as Lynn and Kenji go see the film). Speth's less concerned about solid storytelling which keeps her apart from Andrea Arnold or Lynne Ramsay even. Lynn's indecisiveness and going with the flow attitude rings much truer than any film about youth romance. Even though she is rebellious, she is still bound by tradition, family and most of all, herself. There is no sense of irony or glibness about the film. The ending surprised me and deeply affected me. Timoteo is lovely. Her long black hair with uneven bangs are the look to die for. I can't advocate this film enough around here. An amazing film.

Challenged Finnish Punk

The Punk Syndrome (2012) - Passi, Kärkkäinen

Pertti, Toni, Kari and Sami can really put on a great show. They are the members of very popular punk group in Finland, Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (Pertti Kurikka's Name Day). As Kari sings in his guttural voice about the greatness of coffee, their shared disgust for pedicure, politicians and living in group homes, it's hard to resist but to rock out to their catchy tunes. But it's extra hard for these kick ass punk rockers to keep everything together, for they are mentally challenged. They have to, among other things, concentrate on not missing the cue to start playing, watch out for falling pants, try not to soil themselves on stage and remember  taking back their instruments after the show.

They all have very distinctive personalities, so they collide more often than not. Pertti is the composer and lyricist, guitarist and has a peculiar tendency to closely examine people's clothes (for seams). He knows how the babies are made. Emotionally volatile Kari is in love and wants to marry his long time girlfriend. Bossy Sami is deeply involved in politics and living in the same group home as Kari. They get on each other's nerves. Young Toni wants to move out of his parents' and vie for beautiful Liisa's affection in a group home. 

Punk Syndrome presents Pertti Kurikka's Name Day just as they are. Directors J-P Passi and Jukka Karrkkainen wisely decide not to jump in and explain things for us. It's a great slice of life doc about these strong personalities, as they struggle to keep it together everyday. We see their blemishes and shortcomings as well as their genuine love for the music and their all too humanness. Ironically, punk is a fitting music for these outsiders who wants to be accepted and loved. And they rock!

For tickets and more information, please check Silverdoc website.

Coltrane's "I Want to Talk About You"

I recently broke down and got a small turntable for the first time. I've been foraging people's garbage for old records ever since, like an old Chinese lady collecting soda cans in the middle of the night. I got this rare record by John Coltrane which was put out posthumously. On one side it's 17 minute live version of one my favorite things of all time, My Favorite Things. But what wowed me was his rendition of I Want to Talk About You, taken from Live at Birdland record. Listening to the last 3 minute solo by Coltrane is one of the most thrilling experience I've had in a while.

I took some pictures of the record:

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2012

A famous Chinese political dissident artist, rapes in the military, battered reporters in Tijuana narco-war zone, a crimes against humanity trial in Cambodia, child soldiers in Sub-Saharan Africa are few of the subjects in this year's Human Rights Watch Film Festival which will be held at Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC, 6/14-28. These films are real eye openers, shedding a light on the injustices either hidden or neglected all over the world.

Here are previews for five outstanding documentaries I was able to see:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry | Screens June 15th, 7:00pm at FSLC

Engrossing portrait of a fiercely political artist in the internet age. AWW became famous denouncing Beijing Olympics as the party propaganda even though he designed 'Bird's Nest' stadium for the games. Well regarded and very popular among young people as the beacon of free speech fight/representative of everyman, AWW's confrontational works has won him no friends at the ruling party. He was assaulted and hospitalized by police and arrested and has been detained and tortured until recently. AWW embodies the paradoxical nature of communist/capitalist China.

Brother Number One | Screens June 19th, 8:45pm, 20th, 4pm, 21st, 6:30pm at FSLC

In Brother Number One, a Kiwi athlete, Rob Hamill, gets a rare opportunity to speak as a witness at the war crime trial against one of the Pol Pot's henchmen, now a born again Christian, Commander Duch. In 1978, Hamill's older brother was captured by Khmer Rouge when his sail boat went off course, accused of spying, sent to the infamous S-21 Prison camp in Cambodia. There he was tortured and killed along with the countless others. An unofficial death toll under Pol Pot regime is estimated at 2 million. Filled with first hand interviews, testimonies, the documentary is a gut wrenching experience to say the least.

Reportero | Screens June June 21st, 4pm, 22nd, 9:30pm, 23rd, 3:30pm at FSLC

In Mexico's narco-traffic war, the horrendous acts of violence are inflicted on the criminals and ordinary citizens alike. Kidnappings, drive-by shootings and beheadings are common occurrences. It's no exception for the journalists. A Tijuana based weekly Zeta have been running independently without influences from the government or corporations for the last 30 years. Then as they start reporting on drug-wars, they've become a target as well. These are truly brave individuals.

The Invisible War | Screens June 18th, 8:45pm, 20th, 6:30pm at FSLC

The Invisible war tells the staggering number of rapes and the systematic coverup in the US military. The governments pathetic response in the training video is "Hey, wait 'til she is sober." What's more heartbreaking is most of the service woman featured in Invisible War were true believers of military system, thinking they could serve the country best being soldiers, but fell victim to forever masculine culture.

Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare | Screens June 24th, 25th, 6:30, 27th, 4pm at FSLC

Another searing doc about American Healthcare. Yes we need to change our eating habits, yes it should be 'health' care not 'disease' care. Yes the system is still totally screwed up. Pay per visit system means shorter visit time and less doctor/patient face time. There is no money in being primary care physician. Escape Fire spells out the obvious problems for us. It's also about time someone crystalizing that healthcare is a human rights issue. Oddly, the recent Public Option debate in the Healthcare Overhaul is absent in this documentary.

For tickets and more information, please visit Human Rights Watch Film Festival website

Coco & Igor

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009) - Kounen

Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen) debuts The Rites of Spring in Paris, 1913. The production (choreographed by Nijinsky) is very avant-garde. The reception is so terrible, by the end, there is a riot in the theater. Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) is there in awe of its dissonance. For her as a strong, independent, 20th century woman, his music is the way of the future, well fit for her sensibility. 7 years later, she, still in mourning her boyfriend's death, invites Stravinsky and his family (sick wife and 4 kids) to her estate outside Paris. Unbeknownst to him, she is the sole supporter of the entire season of his production.

Kounen paints a very complex picture in two artists whose feeling and respect weren't totally mutual. In the eyes of Stravinsky's wife and many others, Chanel was a collector of people, adulteress and a cold hearted bitch. For the composer, she was an object of desire, a mere 'shop keeper', not an artist of equal status.

The soundtrack is great, so as dark, sumptuous cinematography and production design. Mouglalis's dark, slim elegance is quite magnetic. Mikkelsen's tortured genius has a real weight and depth. Kounen paints the artists as tragic figures, as misunderstood geniuses and lonely souls. It's much better than fluffy fairy tale that was Coco Before Chanel.

Alien Prequal

Prometheus (2012) - Scott

Making a prequel/sequel out of a horror movie is always a flimsy proposition. Alien, perhaps Ridley Scott's second best in his spotty filmography, was a no nonsense, tight sci-fi horror which was, if anything, atmospheric and thrilling. Prometheus then, is just an upscale version of the franchise, explaining pointlessly, the origins of that HR Giger backdrop of the original, at the expanse of the actors who are wasted here (especially Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce). There are inevitable plotholes, unexplained motivations, shoddy deaths. What Prometheus has though, are a gorgeous production design, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba.

Once upon a time, Ridley Scott was a visual and tonal lyricist. There were duelists in the Napoleonic era who duel each other throughout their entire life without any explanation. There were unicorns in slow-mo. He even took away silly (debatable) narration of Dekkard from Blade Runner. That man is dead now. Prometheus was entertaining and pretty enough, but nowhere as great as his older stuff.

KAFFNY 2012: The LA Riots, 20 Years Later

As a part of the festival, KAFFNY revisits the 1992 LA riots which was sparked by acquittal of 4 police officers in the police brutality case of Rodney King. It cost 53 lives and a billion dollars in property damage. As the rioters looted and torched the South Central while police were busy guarding Beverly Hills and other rich neighborhoods, it was Korean American businesses that took the brunt of destruction. As it was the case last year with documentary filmmaker Dai sil Kim-Gibson Retrospective, KAFFNY devotes a part of the festival to present Korean American experiences that are more socially relevant, giving it extra weight and importance. Building upon the last year's presentation of Kim-Gibson' documentaries Sa-i-gu (4/29) and Wet Sand and a panel discussion that included the prominent African American filmmaker Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep), this year's program consists of documentaries from the 2nd generation Korean Americans' point of view.

It includes: Pokdong (The Riots), a personal documentary directed by Alex Ko, touching upon his parents' experience as a hard working, small time business owners whose American Dream was shattered when their video store was burned down in the riot. In a very short period of time, Ko manages to capture the whole spectrum of the first-hand immigrant experience without ever trivializing it.


Then there is Clash of Colors: LA Riots of 1992, directed by David Kim, a former vice president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, who had been working on closely with various community organizations as well as the Los Angeles Mayor's Office trying to find ways to improve the relations between the African American community and the Korean American community in response to the alleged Black/Korean conflict that had been widely reported by the Los Angeles as well as national media during the years leading up to the riots. In it, Kim points out the media hyperbole in conveniently made up tensions between the two communities, when the real problem was deep seeded in years of economic inequality and neglect in the South Central. Thorough in its examination of race relations and apt reflections, like Kim-Gibson's docs, Clash of Colors gives a voice to the silent, largely untold Korean American communities' side of the story in the riot.

The program also includes music video from the 90s, "I Got My Mind Made Up", The LA Riots: Reflections on Our Future and clips from ongoing doc project Scenes from LAR20 by non other than the KAFFNY founder Dae Hoon Kim and Ho Sik Kim, with community activist and TV show host Kathy Choi.

Click here for Dai-sil Kim Gibson Retro at KAFFNY 2011

Invisible Dreams

Oh, Woe is Me/Hellas Pour Moi (1993) - Godard







I can't decide which Godard films have more beautiful images, as I go through his catalog. Oh, Woe is Me is certainly stunning, but proves to be one of the most inscrutable. Godard seems to suggest that there are limits to the image/film portraying the truth (and faith in god). As one character says, "I'm still touched by words." The film is in book chapters, its characters constantly talking about the existence of god in the modern world and representation of the truth. He ties the idea of faithlessness in the modern world with the limits of the imagery (now I think I understand better about nature images in his films). Then there is light/darkness dichotomy. In a stunning sequence, he closes the lens iris on a portrait shot of a beautiful model from overly exposed to complete black gradually, against undulating lake backdrop. The body gets easily overshadowed by darkness, but our spirit? "The night is for everyone, therefore more democratic," one character says in the beginning of the film. For everyone because they can hide their sins in darkness. God switches bodies with Simon (Gerard Depardieu) to be with Simon's beautiful, redhead school teacher wife, Rachel (Laurence Masliah). Is he pretending to be god or is it all her dream? Contemplative, invigorating, enthralling...just what the doctor ordered. This needs a definite rewatch or two.

Scandinavian Fever

Henning Mankell's Wallander: Revenge (2012) - Brandstrom

As if The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Millennium Trilogy, The Killing and The Headhunters weren't enough to satisfy the recent Scandinavian films/literature craze overseas, the superb, original Swedish TV series Wallander (not to be confused with the equally popular Kenneth Branagh's BAFTA winning adaptation on BBC) finally makes a landfall in the US, in a standalone, 90-minute film version, titled Henning Mankell's Wallander: The Revenge in theaters. As a shrewd marketing ploy, Music Box Films is releasing the entire first and second season (13 espisodes) on VOD itunes, Amazon and Vudu earlier and DVD on May 29th. The Revenge is the season 2 premiere episode.

Before Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander, there was Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander. Based on an original story from immensely popular Swedish crime writer Mankell, Wallander: The Revenge follows the titular chief inspector Kurt Wallander (Krister Henriksson) as he investigates crimes and solves mysteries in the deceptively dark underbelly of picturesque modern Sweden.

The film starts with Wallander having achieved his life's dream- buying a house by the sea. The celebration is cut short by the citywide power outage. Someone blew up the only transformer in Ystad and in the middle of chaos, a civic official who allowed a controversial exhibit, depicting the prophet Mohammad in an unflattering way is murdered. Then the strategic car bombs go off and a nurse is murdered in the hospital in the same fashion as the official. The military is called in and the small idyllic town turns into a war zone. Wallander's hunch is the murders and the bombings are connected.

In the wake of the killing rampage in Norway just last year, Wallander: The Revenge weaves the state of multi-ethnic Scandinavia today into a storyline. It paints the complex picture of the society in tumultuous times where fear-mongering and racial profiling have become household names.

So how does Wallander: The Revenge stack up as a standalone film? Fast paced, topically up to date with likable characters, it works as a tight, intriguing thriller. Sure you might feel that you are thrown into the world of Wallander cold feet. But thanks largely to Krister Henriksson's downbeat, old fashioned, heavy drinking and slightly sexist Wallander, you feel somehow at ease in his world. His Colombo-esque affability is the film's best asset against the cold, tech savvy and always changing world.

As the film sets up for the rest of the season, one can detect future conflicts (with the sexy new recruit) and a new love interest in the form of his new boss and neighbor (Lena Endre from the Millennium film trilogy), I can see myself easily getting addicted to the series.

Henning Mankell's Wallander: The Revenge opens June 1 in limited release in New York and LA. The 13 Wallander films are available on VOD and DVD now.

Crystal Clarity

The Devil, Probably (1977) - Bresson

Which is more painful: seeing a baby seal clubbed to death or the main character shot dead in mid-sentence? This precisely measured condemnation of the modern world seeing through an intelligent young person, The Devil, Probably is a quietly angry film. Watching it is a frustrating experience also. Bresson's 'actors' go through their lines in their monotonous delivery. We don't see the victim when the bus runs over him. We only see passengers' feet and so on...

Charles denounces everything, from religion to psychoanalysis to money and sees no reason to go on living while the world is getting destroyed. What's remarkable is its clarity in disdain for destructive nature of human and making the case for ending life, without judgment.

There is a short poignant moment at the end where Charles stops before on his way to die. From an apartment, its door ajar, there is a music blaring from TV set. The scene is very brief and in typical Bressonian fashion, there are no discernible emotions, no coverage, no closeups. Even art can't change his mind. Superb spiritual granddaddy to recent Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31st.

The Man Who Sailed His house

Found this article in, of all places, GQ magazine. It's a true account of a man, Hiromitsu Shinkawa, who survived three days at sea on the patch of what it was the roof of his house after the devastating tsunami in Japan last year. It's a harrowing tale of survival. it's a bit long but amazing read:

Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Click here for the story:
The Man Who Sailed His House

Visual Aural World of Jean Detheux

I hate the term 'experimental' cinema, it has a bad connotation, for me at least. The term is too loose and too narrow at the same time. But I am at a stage where I feel more and more attracted to non-narrative films, searching for pure visual aural experience. I stumbled upon the work of Belgian computer artist (living in Montreal, Quebec) Jean Detheux. His computer generated abstract animations are best experienced alone in a dark room with a headphone set over your head. It's truly a hypnotic experience. The best example of his amazing work I recommend is 10 minute piece called "...lilac shrieks and scarlet bellowings..." It's a beautiful symphony of colors, music and human voices.

"...lilac shrieks and scarlet bellowings..."   (9 min 57 sec)


Here is another beautiful one with pianist Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, music written by Steve Reich

NY Counterpoint   (11 min 34 sec)



Please be sure to check out his vimeo page

Breillat's Feminism

The Last Mistress (2007) - Breillat

I really dig Catherine Breillat's brand of feminism now. I don't know how much is actually adapted from its source novel by Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, but The Last Mistress is quite opposite from other nineteenth century novels about suffering women in the rigid society. The film is a period piece about a married woman (Asia Argento) being seduced by a handsome young aristocat (Fu'ad Aït Aattou). Then she leaves her old husband, goes through a tumultuous relationship and ends up owning him like a slave.

Argento, at age 32 when the film was made, is a radiant beauty and magnetic force, opposite of Aattou's girly man. She struts around in various ethnic costumes, smoking, whipping, knifing, etc. Her husky voice and evil laughs have more seductive power than ever. The ending was kinda draggy and unfocused. But it's definitely a must for Argento fans.

Across 110th Street is a hell of a tester

Across 110th Street (1972) - Shear

Capt. Martelli (Anthony Quinn), a Harlem veteran, honkey with loose knuckles, is obviously displeased when a young black Lt. named Pope (Yaphet Kotto) declares himself in charge in a high profile murder case of money laundering gone awry btwn mafia and black folks. Bringing Pope in was a political decision by the higher-ups. The three suspects of the massacre are on the loose only to be hounded by mafia and cops alike. The (anti)hero of the film is Jim Harrison (Paul Benjamin), a down and out parolee who pulls out the job with the others and dreams of a small time happiness with his aging girlfriend who works at a club. Even though he is a ruthless killer, you root for him somehow, feeling his sadness all the way through the final shootout.

110th St. is that archetypal 70s New York film: dirty streets, scant characterizations, appearances by many NY character actors and moral muck all captured in energetic and gritty handheld camera. Even Bobby Wormack's titular song is in its mono-glory, quite different from the superslick cleaned-up version Tarantino uses in Jackie Brown. Its un-stylized violence and melancholy without cornball make Michael Mann movies look like high school plays. It doesn't cater to John Singleton style hammering approach to make a social comment either. I loved it.

Silent Lovers

Cœur Fidele (1923) - Epstein




Great use of camera movement, close-ups, rapid cuts and focus for psychological impact and poetic visuals. But it's all about Gina Manès's unusual beauty that shines through. Will investigate the world of Jean Epstein more.

Unsentimental Mood

The Docks of New York (1928) - Sternberg


Bill (George Bancroft) is a brutish stocker, shoveling coal in the boiler room of the ship. He gets one night off ashore before he ships back out. He happens to witness a blond girl (Betty Compson) plunging into the water in a suicide attempt. He rescues her and carries her to a local bar (naturally) to bring her back to life. Since she doesn't have anything to wear, he breaks in, steals some lady clothes from a nearby store. With encouragements from others, on a whim, he asks the girl to marry him. Everyone including the wedding party knows that they have no intention of keeping their bows.

The Docks showed me that not all silents are slapstick comedies, camera tricks or overacting. It's unsentimental, pessimistic and its emotions complex and subtle. Our hero and heroine are not button-cute but downtrodden and world weary. No one asks the girl why she tried to kill herself. We never get to find out. But Compson's sad smile is more telling than anything. The ending is sort of a copout but Sternberg doesn't go all the way to make it corny. Beautiful cinematography too. It's great.

No More Lonely Nights

Lonesome (1928) - Fejos




Jim is a factory worker and Mary, a switchboard operator. They are lonely working class folks in the big city. It's July 4th weekend and they decide to go down to Coney Island to have some fun. Jim notices Mary first, soon the attraction is mutual and they spend the whole time on the beach until they realize it's night. After having a good time at the boardwalk and various amusement ride, they get separated. A terrible thunderstorm ensues and they come home, wet and melancholic.

Lonesome is a virtuosic filmmaking: graceful, playful camera movements, sophisticated editing techniques- multiple exposures, impressive shot transitions, ingenuous setups- handheld rollercoaster rides, cheap but effective in-camera thunderstorm effects, etc. Jim and Mary's connection and their heartache in being separated after finding someone special is very palpable. You can feel the sexual energy when they reunite at the end. I bet they get to have the best sex of their lives after the credits roll- one can only hope. Barbara Kent has the most beguiling smile among the silent era actresses.

Trapped

City of Pirates (1983) - Ruiz







Ruiz's adult fairytale has no city nor pirates but crazy colors, incomprehensible plot and Anne Alvaro's long, emotionless face. It has something to do with Ophelia complex and being trapped by family, gender, history, time.... Most of the surreal dialog/monologues completely went over my head, but the haunting images have cumulative effect as the film progresses. Not completely impenetrable and not as mystical and silly as Jodorowsky surrealism, but there seems to be more of a meaning and weight to Ruiz than just a simple mindfuck. As I'm left with a lot of things to chew on, I think I can really get into Raoul Ruiz.