Well, here we are, at the end of all things. The New York Asian Film Festival has its last full day of programming today. There is one last single screening tomorrow evening at Asia Society (Jay Chou’s THE ROOFTOP, which is already sold out so I won’t be covering it), and then it’s another year’s wait before the festival returns. I hope you’ve found this daily guide somewhat useful — whether or not you could make any of the events, I hope that you, like me, found plenty of new titles to search down on your own. There were some amazing beasts glimpsed here, incredible specimens that would round out any cinematic menagerie. Thanks to Subway Cinema, Film Society Of Lincoln Center, and Japan Society for a great 2013 festival. See you next year!
NYAFF is being presented by Subway Cinema (visit them here), and today’s screenings are taking place at the Japan Society (their site here).
Here are today’s screenings, with pictures & summaries courtesy of the festival:
THE WARPED FOREST
(Asatte no Mori)
Sunday, July 14, 12:30 PM
Co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival
Six years ago, directors Shunichiro Miki, Katsuhito Ishii and Hajime Ishimine teamed up to deliver FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT, a movie so weirdly beautiful, so deeply imagined and so hilariously surreal that it changed lives, cured disease and turned water into unicorn milk. Now Shunichiro Miki, flying solo this time, is back to deliver a film full of nipple guitars, giant store owners, weiner guns and the Pinkie Pankie monster.
Japan, 2011, 82 min. HD Cam, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Shunichiro Miki. With Rinko Kikuchi, Fumi Nikaido, BOBA, Kanji Tuda, Yoshiyuki Morishita.
RUROUNI KENSHIN
Sunday, July 14, 2:30 PM ***SOLD OUT***
Co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival
Japan’s number one box office hit of the year, this live action adaptation of a manga about a Meiji era assassin who leaves his life behind to become a protector of the common man has sold 55 million copies as a manga, and spawned several wildly popular animated adaptations. And it’s one hell of a sword fighting movie.
Japan. 2012. 134 min. 35 mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Keishi Otomo. With Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Koji Kikkawa, Yu Aoi, Munetaka Aoki.
THERMAE ROMAE
Sunday, July 14, 5:15 PM ***SOLD OUT***
New York Premiere!
Co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival
An epic bath extravaganza! Based on a manga series that’s sold 5 million copies and spawned a TV show, this film’s all about an ancient Roman bath designer who time travels to contemporary Japan and finds fresh inspiration in Japan’s modern day public baths. Five million squeaky clean Japanese people can’t be wrong.
Japan. 2012. 108 min. BD, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Hideki Takeuchi. With Hiroshi Abe, Aya Ueto, Masachika Ichimura, Kazuki Kitamura, Kai Shishido.
THE KIRISHIMA THING
(Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo)
Sunday, July 14, 7:30 PM
Co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival
Where the hell is Kirishima? The school’s star athlete and all-around golden boy, he’s decided to drop out of the volleyball team and now no one can find him. This film is a careful examination of all the power struggles, class warfare, social angst and general life drama of an entire high school as seen through the lens of Kirishima’s absence.
Japan, 2012. 103 min. 35mm, in Japanese with live English subtitles. Directed by Daihachi Yoshida. With Ryunosuke Kamiki, Ai Hashimoto, Suzuka Ohgo, Masahiro Higashide, Kurumi Shimizu, Mizuki Yamamoto.
Best Picture, Best Director 36th Japan Academy Prize
@jonnyabomb
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Tags: Asian Cinema, Assassins, Baths, High School, japan, Japan Society, Jon Abrams, manga, Monsters, Subway Cinema, Surrealism, Swords, Toilets, Unicorns, Wiener Guns
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