10/23/2023 0 Comments Aragami movie![]() The Dragon Painter (1919, William Worthington) featuring then-matinee idol Sessue Hayakawa, was screened with live traditional acted narration by master benshi artist Midori Sawato, to recreate the experience of seeing a silent film in Japan. The July weekend Silent Film fest offered two real gems this year. (I also caught this as a double feature with Kill Bill, Vol. A quietly affecting look at the conflicting obligations of a struggling single father to just happens to be pretty good with a sword. The best film of 2004! Japans entry for last years Foreign Language Oscar got its U.S. I also enjoyed screenings of Last Life in the Universe (2003, Pen-ek Ratanaruang) and Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003, Tsai Ming-liang) during this fest (although seeing both of these within a few days of each other mainly whetted my appetite for WKWs Days of Being Wild). There are plenty of thriller aspects but the real focus of the story is the psychological toll the case takes on its police protagonists. Based on a real case that was never solved, two disparate detectives join forces to search for a serial killer. This South Korean policier was my favorite film from this years SFIFF. SF International Film Festival ( April 19) The movie got a second San Francisco festival spot during the 4 Stars 8th Annual Asian Film Festival, double-featured with a Shaw classic featuring local favorite Jimmy Wang Yu, The One-Armed Swordsman. Yes, its highly flawed and quite ridiculous, but still hard to resist. Not only does Wongs character survive the movie (a rarity for the actress), she also gets the guy: a San Francisco cop, played by Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, who helps her solve the case.īased solely on the films description as a zombie kung fu baseball musical, this was one of my wish list top choices for 2004. Here Wong gets to play Nancy Drew, travelling South of the Border in disguise as a sultry dancer to discover her fathers killer. I was, happily, able to see the film again later in the year, during its lengthy theatrical run in the Bay Area.Īnother special treat from SFIAAFF was part of a special Anna May Wong retrospective, the1937 film Daughter of Shanghai. ![]() I also got to meet and hang out with fellow Mobian Simon Booth at the post-screening party, held at the lovely San Francisco Asian Art Museum. This years SFIAAFF managed to wrest a print of Hero from the sweaty grip of Miramax executives, and even at the steep opening night price tag, it was well worth waiting (I bought the DVD over a year ago) to see Zhang Yimous gorgeous foray into martial arts on the big screen. SF International Asian American Film Festival ( March 4) Audience members who stayed for both films got to vote for their favorite 2LDK won by a single vote but the real winners were the films viewers. Even better, Aragami director Ryuhei Kitamura was there to introduce the films (his co-conspirator Yukihiko Tsutsumi was also scheduled to attend but had to cancel due to back problems) and do a Q&A session. The 2004 SF Indie Fest really came through this year, with films such as 9 Souls and Gozu, but the highlight for me was seeing both parts of the ∽uel Project - Aragami and 2LDK - as a double feature. ![]() SF Independent Film Festival ( February 8) The movie's final scene is a bit silly, but otherwise this is an entertaining offering.2003, Ryuhei Kitamura ( Aragami) and Yukihiko Tsutsumi ( 2LDK) Other aspects of the film such as makeup are also first rate. The lighting is also interesting, particularly when the room is blacked out and the battle is illuminated only by the flash created by clashing swords. The weapons selection scene is quite amusing and the battle itself is tightly paced and imaginatively choreographed. He slowly builds the tension through the interplay between the two characters until they're ready for the extended duel in the latter part of the film. Kitamura does a good job of balancing creepiness and humor to keep this part of the film interesting. It is not an ordinary conversation, however, since the participants are Aragami (Masay Kato), a seemingly invincible goblin with a human appearance, and the samurai (Takao Osawa) that he intends to fight to the death. The first hour of this movie consists primarily of a deliberately paced dinner conversation, which may surprise viewers expecting another splatterfest from Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura.
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