New York Asian Film Festival

The Last Supper

So we’re entering the end zone. This is the last couple days of the New York Asian Film Festival at Lincoln Center. On Friday the festival moves twenty blocks downtown to Japan Society for its last few days. I’ll keep you updated, don’t worry.

The films for today are mostly — THE LAST SUPPER, THE FRIDGE, THE ANIMALS — ones that premiered at the festival already. The two premieres are blockbusters in their native lands, one a romantic comedy from Korea and the other a crime thriller from China. The latter looks particularly interesting but unfortunately it’s sold out already. Bookmark it for your Netflix queue then — looks to be worth doing!

The NYAFF is being presented by Subway Cinema (visit them here), and all of today’s screenings are taking place at the Film Society Of Lincoln Center (find a more complete rundown here).

Here are today’s screenings, with pictures & summaries courtesy of the festival:

THE LAST SUPPER

Lu Chuan, 2012
China/Hong Kong/Taiwan | 115 minutes

As the first Han Emperor dies in 300 BC, his life flashes before his eyes in a splintered kaleidoscope of battle, betrayal, loves sold out, and romances sold short. Lu Chuan (THE CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH, KEKEXILI) is one of China’s rising star directors and THE LAST SUPPER is his best yet, telling the story of the Han Dynasty in the form of an epic fever dream. (1:00pm)

THE FRIDGE

Rico Maria Ilarde, 2012
Philippines | 90 minutes

Never before has a haunted appliance had this many tentacles and craved this much human blood. A successor to the iconic horror short, Pridyider that launched the Filipino horror anthology film SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL (1984), horror director Rico Maria Llarde offers up a gleeful, gory, sexy horror movie about an evil refrigerator that terrorizes a young woman. (3:30pm)

VERY ORDINARY COUPLE

Roh Deok, 2013
Korea | 112 minutes

International Premiere!

A big Korean box-office hit of 2013, marking the debut of Roh Deok, one of Korea’s few female directors, this precision-tooled romantic comedy focuses on a couple who have tried to keep their relationship a secret at the bank where they work, but declare all out war on each other after they break up. (5:45pm)

COLD WAR SOLD OUT

Sunny Luk, 2012
Hong Kong | 102 minutes

New York Premiere!

COLD WAR was a 2012 box office hit in Asia and swept the Hong Kong Film Awards winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best New Performer. This cop thriller stars Aaron Kwok as a senior officer and Tony Leung Ka Fai as a deputy police commissioner whose rivalry leads to a struggle over running an operation to rescue officers who have been taken hostage. (8:15pm)

The Animals

THE ANIMALS

Gino M. Santos, 2012
Philippines | 80 minutes

Set in an ultra-luxe, gated community and marinated in money, this teen party movie is an indictment of the 1% that has the Philippines in a death grip. The film chronicles a day in the life of Jake, Trina, and Alex, who go through the musings that every kid in high school has to deal with. All Jake wants to do is have a good time, Alex just wants to fit in, and Trina simply wants more. A vivid picture of high school life after the final bell rings, as well as the other side of the Philippines class divide, and what its privileged children are up to. (10:25pm)

The Fridge

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Jon Abrams is a New York-based writer, cartoonist, and committed cinemaniac whose complete work and credits can be found at his site, Demon’s Resume. You can contact him on Twitter as @JonZilla___.

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