Storms of Different Kinds

The expected titans dominated the box office (STAR WARS, MADAGASCAR, LONGEST YARD), but our man Jet Li's UNLEASHED did not fare too badly, dropping 49% in its third weekend and demonstrating a little resilience.

The flick has accumulated $22.1 million in its US run. Box Office Guru notes that UNLEASHED is the most successful yet for fledgling label Rogue Pictures, an off-shoot of Focus Features, which itself is under the Universal Studios banner.

* Travel Update *

Fighting some kind of illness, I managed to drive 600 miles today, but still have another 600 to go tomorrow, so it's early to bed for me.

I pulled into a nice little town called Santa Rosa, New Mexico, which lies between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Amarillo, Texas. Within half an hour a hail storm beat down upon the town. The motel clerk said that one of the West-bound guests had their windshield smashed by hail on the way in, so I've been counting my blessings and checking the storm warily from my window.

Not much to do about it except worry.

Update #2: All clear. The photo on the right was taken 15 minutes after the photo on the left.

My Little Detour

Somewhere between Ludlow and Needles I faced a crossroads and a split-second decision that could change my life.

Exactly 56 miles westward, I had passed by a rest area and gas station with the clearly noted sign: "Next services 56 miles." I'd glanced at the pertinent dial on the dashboard and quickly reckoned that, with a little less than half a tank remaining, I should easily make it into Needles, the small town where I planned to rest for the night.

My morning departure from San Francisco was delayed by a violent reaction to coffee. Still unsettled, inward guts speaking, I pressed onward from the City, nearly sideswiping two cars on the Bay Bridge and causing one woman to audibly gasp, so surprised was she at my audacious (and admittedly reckless) driving. Happily, I settled down, and the next 500 miles peeled off without auspice.

And now I saw a sign for "gas," the last opportunity before Needles to ensure that my engine would have sufficient fuel to keep me from being stranded in the high desert of California as the coyotes closed in. I hadn't seen a sign indicating the distance to Needles in miles. How far was it? Could I make it? Would my stomach clench as the miles passed in the approaching gloom, wondering wondering wondering if the gas would evaporate entirely?

I jerked the wheel to the right, raced down the exit, circled through the underpass, crunched through gravel, and arrived at the family-owned gas station, which required that I pay the cashier inside before pumping away.

As I opened the door to the well-lit establishment, I wondered at the hand-made, computer-printed sign on the door, something to the effect that "We maintain a business in the middle of nowhere. If you do not like the prices, please do not take it out on our employees."

Fair enough.

I paid for $20.00 worth of gasoline, wondered how high the prices could possibly be, and then at the pump discovered that the cheapest grade of gas would cost me $3.59 per gallon. When even the highway robbers at the last small town only charged me $2.67 per gallon.

At least I don't live in Europe.

I paid, and drive off, and looked for the entrance to Interstate 40, East, toward Needles and bed and saw that the entrance was blocked with a large "detour" sign.

Ah.

It looked official, but as I headed off in the direction the sign pointed, away from the Interstate, I wondered. This was the set-up for a thousand horror movies. Perhaps intelligent zombies waited off the narrow two-lane road, or carniverous aliens, or in-bred hicks with funny accents.

Still I drove.

Darkness was settling upon the land, and soon it would be pitch black. I could see no man nor beast between me and the horizon, but who knew what horrors the night could bring forth? No building, no man-made thing could be seen, save for the endless telephone towers, casting their evil shadows.

I felt at one with nature, ready to accept my fate at full speed.

Finally, after five miles that felt like fifty, I came to another road and saw another sign, again very official looking, pointing out the detour in the opposite direction. No turning back. I sped forward, wondering if this road had been paved over the trails left by the so-called pioneers, the intreprid men, women and children from the East who trampled on the rights of the native-born Americans and complained when they fought back.

Were my tires burning rubber treads on a trail marked by tears?

Finally finally, after twelve more miles careening down a road as the dusk disappeared, an official looking "End Detour" sign appeared, pointing to The Road Chosen By Many.

I rejoined the Interstate Civilization at 75 miles per hour. As it turned out, Needles was just 26 miles away; I didn't need to stop for gas after all. Because of my delay, I just missed getting the last room available at two different motels. I looked forward to a sleepless night lying twisted in the back seat of my little car at a well-lit rest area, as curious children looked upon my pathetic state.

And I missed my little detour, and longed to rejoin the unbeaten path.

(Note: Comments about Asian movies will return by mid-week. In the meantime, I offer only my ramblings about life on the road.)

The Great Unwashed

My last night in San Francisco (this time -- I definitely want to return, something this Los Angeles native never thought he'd say) and I was abandoned by my work colleagues, and fell asleep in my hotel room in the early evening.

Not knowing a soul in town, and therefore not knowing what cool bars and clubs and cinemas to check out -- and, admittedly, not being able to make heads or tails out of the maps I could find (as in, Which way is North? How far is that place?), I chickened out and walked to the Sony Metreon a block from my hotel.

It sounded a cool place on their web site, and maybe it is during the day, but at 10:00 on a Saturday evening it looking like a shopping mall that was winding down (echoes of George Romero and zombies flitted through my mind). Out of the 10 movies showing in the Loew's Theater complex, I'd already seen five, so I bought one for THE LONGEST YARD, walked back across the street, and found a bar.

Deciding not to pick up any women -- yes, I was beating them off with a stick -- I had a couple of draft beers (Sierra Nevada and Laginitas) and chicken fingers. I felt very American. Then I strolled back across the street and went upstairs to the theater complex...

...which felt very much NOT a part of San Francisco. Really, it could be located in any part of the country -- or perhaps the world -- which is part of the reason why multiplexes are so soul-deadening. If you go with friends, as most people do, then you're distracted, but when you just sit there in an ordinary, not too comfortable seat and look at the ordinary screen and eat overpriced food and drink overpriced iced down drinks -- except the bottled water, which isn't chilled -- and anticipate watching a perfectly ordinary piece of entertainment, well, good night, what's a soul to do but die a little?

The movie was an acceptable way to pass the time, I suppose, and it beat sitting in my hotel room watching the little television with crappy reception, but, man, I gotta make better advance plans next time.

One part of this downtown San Francisco business trip that has been enjoyable is the people watching. Los Angeles gets a bad rap for being completely motorized but, c'mon, do you know how many cars there are in New York City? In San Francisco parking is $20.00 per day if you find it cheap. Why? Cuz there's too many stinking cars in the city. But it's fun to watch so many people walking -- not in the parks, as in LA, though I'm sure they do that here too -- but in the downtown streets. And, since I'm fine tuned as a faux Asian (or at least a genuine fan of the movies, which also makes me a lover of -- at least some of -- the people), I loved watching so many Asians on the street.

Maybe it's just the change that's interesting. Where I live in Los Angeles, it's entirely a Latino neighborhood, so maybe it's just the change of pace. Yet it makes me wonder how much cinematic inspiration springs from a desire to see something different from what's around you, culturally speaking, and how much is a desire to speak directly to your culture and your city.

Enough rambling for one night. Happy movie watching.

Where Am I?

The nasty beast that is fiscal responsibility has reared its ugly head, and I find I must devote nearly the entire month of June to work that will actually pay me money.

My latest contract called for me to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco on Thursday, work a bit in the afternoon, work again today and tomorrow, and then start driving to Dallas, Texas on Sunday. That's 1700 miles and I don't know how many kilometers.

The hotel where I'm staying advertises high-speed Internet in the rooms, but I think you need to be closer to God than I am to ensure a strong enough wireless signal to access the Internet. So here I am in the "business center," after imbibing three beers and taking in part of a Giants ball game, trying to tap out an entry for the benefit of my devoted readers (thank you Bob and Sue!).

This weekend Alice Wu's SAVING FACE opens in selected theaters in New York and Los Angeles, so I encourage you to check it out, while KUNG FU HUSTLE continues limited engagements throughout the US. Even though I wasn't totally thrilled with it, hey, it's in the original language! Support Asian film!

Depending on Internet access, I'll try to post "on the road" somewhere in the Southwest US, and then by the end of next week I should be esconced in my new temporary headquarters in Dallas and raring to go with Asian news and -- ta da! -- reviews of fabulous DVDs.

US readers may be enjoying their Memorial Day weekend already, but if you live elsewhere, why not take the day off next Monday?

Just a half-drunken thought as the clock ticks and my credit card is debited for every minute I spend stumbling around down here in the dark...

Los Angeles: Festival City

The Los Angeles Film Festival announced its full line-up, including 12 films of interest to followers of Asian cinema (2046, 36 CHAMBERS OF SHAOLIN, R-POINT, etc.) plus NIGHT WATCH at the outdoor Ford Ampitheater, plus The RZA playing DJ to a night of cartoons, also at the Ford, plus plus plus...a whole lot more.

The fest will run June 16-26, almost exactly the same dates as the New York Asian Film Festival. Some films overlap, but Subway Cinema has assembled an awesome line-up.

Sounds like a little teleportation is going to be needed...

'Last Bang' to Get US Shot

Controversial Korean picture THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG has been picked up for US distribution by Kino International.

According to ScreenDaily.com, Kino plans an October 2005 release.

The latest from director Im Sang-soo (A GOOD LAWYER'S WIFE), the film is a "loose retelling of the assassination of authoritarian present Park Chung-hee in 1979," according to KoreanFilm.org, a site which has more information, including a review by Darcy Paquet.

'Unleashed' Swamped

In the battle for box office bucks left over from STAR WARS, our man Jet Li did not fare too well.

UNLEASHED, his best Hollywood-style movie ever, dropped 64.8% in its second weekend of release, for a cumulative total of $17.5 million.

Audiences in the US preferred to see Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez battle it out in MONSTER-IN-LAW, or watch Will Ferrell battle soccer balls in KICKING AND SCREAMING.

KUNG FU HUSTLE did fine in its seventh week in release, adding $252,000 for a total of $16.2 million.

What a difference in budget and perception. UNLEASHED will likely be viewed as a disappointment, because of it's bigger budget -- including the salaries of supporting stars Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins. Though HUSTLE did not break through to a truly wide audience, because it's a "foreign" title and sub-titled, it will likely be viewed as a success.

Opening this Friday in limited release: Alice Wu's SAVING FACE, starring Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, and Richard Chang, from Sony Pictures Classics.

Cannes: Awards

The 58th Edition of the Cannes Film Festival drew to a close with the presentation of their awards Saturday night.

The show was broadcast live in the US on the Independent Film Channel, hosted by film critic Roger Ebert and Columbia University Professor Annette Insdorf (who translated the ceremony from French into English).

Palme d'Or:
JEAN-PIERRE and LUC DARDENNE (L'ENFANT, aka THE CHILD)

Presented awkwardly by Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank. This drama from Belgian filmmaking brothers (ROSETTA, previous winner of the Palme d'Or) was very well reviewed.

Grand Prize:
JIM JARMUSCH (BROKEN FLOWERS)

Also one of the best reviewed movies in the Competition. Jarmusch gave special thanks to Bill Murray, and spoke warmly of all the directors at the festival who are expressing a personal vision: "We are one tribe."

Best Actress:
HANNA LASLO (FREE ZONE)

A comedienne who won for her performance in this Israeli film that received mixed-to-positive reviews. Nathalie Portman also stars.

Best Actor:
TOMMY LEE JONES (THREE BURIALS)

Roger Ebert called it "a surprise."

Best Director:
MICHAEL HANEKE (CACHE, aka HIDDEN)

A very well-reviewed film that has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for US distribution.

Best Screenplay:
GUILLERMO ARRIAGA (THREE BURIALS)

Zhang Ziyi presented this award, looking gorgeous, and speaking in English from notes on a card, for a screenplay directed by Tommy Lee Jones.

Jury Prize:
WANG XIAOSHUAI (SHANGHAI DREAMS)

The Chinese director (BEIJING BICYCLE, DREAMERS) said now he knew why his parents gave birth to him 39 years ago -- on a day which also happened to be his birthday. The film drew mixed reviews.

Camera d'Or:
FORSAKEN LAND (Sri Lanka)
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (United States)

The latter film was a success at Sundance and will open in the US this summer.

Sith Alts

I took yesterday off in honor of the Sith.

Los Angeles readers looking for an alternative may want to check out a midnight screening of BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL tonight (Friday) at the Nuart Theatre.

"High-pitched comedy, absurd gore, and even a few musical numbers all collide in this violent tribute to the national pastime. Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi (writer of Versus)."

Cannes is finishing up this weekend, and the extensive coverage in the trades (Hollywood Reporter, ScreenDaily, Variety) is worth checking out before it all goes away behind a subscriber wall. Check my previous post for a list of pertinent links.

Cannes: Getting to the Source

Have you heard? There's this little film festival in a French resort town...

So much news is issuing forth from Cannes that it's been difficult, though fun, to try and keep up. As the festival heads toward its award bash on Saturday night, here are a few places to catch up -- or obsessively follow.

GreenCine Daily
David Hudson does a superb job of collecting links from all over the film world, including the latest coverage from Cannes.

Twitch
Todd Brown and his team have dug deep to find trailers, stills, and web sites for just about every movie of interst, with special attention paid to Asian and genre films.

The Trades

The Hollywood Reporter
Full coverage of the news, the scene, features, and reviews, normally restricted to subscribers, are available to everybody, at least until the end of the festival, so don't dally to read.

Screen Daily
News headlines are limited, I believe, to subscribers, but the new reviews are available for all to read each day.

Variety
As with The Hollywood Reporter, everything is available to everybody for a limited time. I find that more of the reviews are more detailed than in the other trades.

The Films and The Scene

Chicago Sun Times
Roger Ebert is filing daily reports on the films.

Film Threat
Jeremy Matthews writes about the movies.

Hollywood Elsewhere
Jeffrey Wells rants and raves about the movies and the parties.

Indie Wire
Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks provide photos and cover the films, the parties, and the biz.

Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan provides an overview of the films with occasional interviews, while Mary McNamara blogs extensively about the scene. As a Cannes first-timer, her diary makes you feel like you're there.

Movie City News
J. Sperling Reich writes about the movies.

Nerve.com
Mike D'Angelo writes cuttingly about the films and comments with a wry eye on being a 'second-tier' critic at Cannes.

New York Times
Film critics A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis -- who, thanks to their employer, enjoy first-tier status -- write about the human side of critical reaction. It almost endears them to you.

Any more? Please e-mail to webmaster @ abtdvd.com. Thanks.

Seattle: Take a Deep Breath

Seattle kicks off its mammoth endurance race/cinema splurge-a-thon (AKA, one of the longest and biggest film festivals in the world) tomorrow.

Complete details are available on the festival website.

Two years ago I had the pleasure of attending the first week of the festival, and it was an unalloyed delight to sink so deeply into cinematic gluttony. What I love is that, in sharp contrast to Cannes, it's a people's festival, which means the only qualification to attend is a willingness to spend all your time and money watching movies. Three of the festival venues are located in the Capitol Hill district, with views of downtown and the Pacific Ocean peeking out between clouds and buildings, and two coffee shops on every corner. Talk about caffeine heaven...

Among the highlights from the first week's schedule:

2046
Wong Kar Wai. Say his name out loud three times and you're transported to another time and another place.

3-IRON
Kim Ki-Duk. See it quick. It only lasted in Los Angeles a scant 14 days.

THE OVERTURE (pictured)
Thai. Music. And so forth.

MAREBITO
Takashi Shimizu makes a movie not called THE GRUDGE. Don't fear: it's still horror.

TWO GREAT SHEEP
Mainland China. Allegory. Go. It'll probably be good for your soul.

GREEN HAT
Mainland China. "This remarkably candid tragicomedy focuses on the twin themes of sexual rivalry and male sexual impotence." I have no idea what that means for your possible enjoyment of this title.

KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL
Mainland China. Gorgeous scenery. Positive advance word. No distributor. Go.

KINGS OF THE SKY
USA. "Acclaimed filmmaker Deborah Stratman follows a world-famous troupe of Mongolian tightrope walkers and circus performers in Chinese Turkestan. With a wry, observant eye, Stratman records their life on the road and their jaw-dropping performances, in a film filled with subtle observations about the ever-changing contemporary Chinese society in the post-9/11 world."

MCDULL, PRINCE DE LA BUN
Hong Kong. Wacked-out animation with social commentary.

THREE...EXTREMES
I missed it when it played LA. Don't repeat my mistake.

THE WORLD
Still no distributor for this well-reviewed Chinese drama.

And that's just the first week. The festival runs until June 12. My first wish would be to be in Cannes, but Seattle runs a close second.

Two Kurosawas and a Grudge

Because I am once again "between positions" and have time on my hands, I've spent most of the past few days dreaming of Cannes.

It's fun to imagine sprinting from screening to screening in the sand and sun until all the movies bleed into one, though the more likely scenario would feature me with some low-level badge waiting endlessly to see one crappy movie after another and slowly starving to death because of a lack of funds.

Cannes is an industry event and I have yet to achieve any kind of stable position in the industry or to convince anyone to sponsor me. So, since it's "DVD Release Day Tuesday," I reluctantly drag my attention back to the more mundane matter of current releases.

And the news is good, because Home Vision makes available two more from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, joining their previous release of the director's CURE.

CHARISMA (1999) is described thusly: "Part eco-thriller, part existentialist fable, CHARISMA exposes a sinister natural world beyond any environmentalist's dreams. . . . A disgraced detective . . . flees Tokyo following a hostage disaster. Seeking solitude in the depths of a remote forest, he is confronted by a gnarled, sinister tree that evokes both wonder and fear in its human visitors. Torn between the forces seeking to protect the tree and those intent upon its destruction, Yakusho begins to lose his grip on reality."

Additional features include an interview with the director, a "making of" documentary, and an essay by Tom Mes of MidnightEye.com.

SEANCE (2000) is based on a novel about a sound effects engineer living with his psychic wife: "When the couple suddenly find themselves ensnared in a young girl's kidnapping, they devise a solution that soon goes terribly awry. A moody, atmospheric shocker from one of the most exciting directors working today." And, speaking of Cannes, SEANCE won the Fipresci (Critics) Prize when it played in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

Additional features include an interview with the director and liner notes.

Rounding out a trio of Japanese-directed releases, Columbia/Tri-Star have gone the double-dip route with an "unrated extended director's cut" of Takashi Shimizu's THE GRUDGE. The flick made a bunch of money for the studio last fall and the theatrical version was released on R1 DVD just three months ago, but, hey, the original GRUDGE had a gazillion parts to it in its original Japanese incarnation, so why not a couple more?

DVD Talk has an advance look. The reviewer (Bill Gibron) is not too impressed with the film to begin with, saying that it 'pales in comparison' to the Japanese original, and doesn't feel the additional footage makes much difference. However, he does go to the trouble of detailing and comparing all the extras, which should be very helpful in deciding if you want to check this out.

(One minor note of off-topic correction: Gibron claims that THE RING 2 "arrived DOA." While that may be true from an artistic standpoint, the film has made more than $154 million worldwide, according to Movie City News.)

'Unleashed' Performs

UNLEASHED finished in third place based on early weekend returns. Averaging $5,270 per screen, it accumulated $10.3 million, trailing comedies MONSTER-IN-LAW and KICKING AND SCREAMING, both of which played on many more screens than Jet Li's latest.

KUNG FU HUSTLE came in at the #16 position, with a per-screen average of $1,220 and a total of $520,000 for the weekend. It's grossed a total of $15.8 million in the US.

Interesting comments by Leonard Klady at Movie City News in regard to KUNG FU HUSTLE's commercial returns:

"The latter film's domestic performance has been hotly debated in industry circles chiefly in respect to the cost and effort to elevate its box office to $16 million and its rapid commercial immolation. Hustle had already grossed $66 million in Asia, so the bold move may pay off for future Asian and niche releases in a more demonstrable fashion."

Cannes: More 'Election'

(UPDATED with link to Variety's positive review below).

More reviews of ELECTION are starting to pop up online.

Reporting for Film Threat, Jeremy Matthews comments:

"From Hong Kong, Johnny To’s ELECTION was also a worthwhile entry in the competition....While it can sometimes be redundant, writer/director To combines the calming sense of tradition and peaceful unity with the violence inherent in the mob lifestyle."

ScreenDaily has a review by Lee Marshall:

"In trying to combine the star-driven HK action genre with a more reflective exposition of Triad power-mongering, To overreaches himself." If you're quick, you can read the full review without a password; after that, it's limited to subscribers.

That's strike two from the trades, since The Hollywood Reporter already weighed in with a negative look from Ray Bennett:

"A repellant movie filled with gratuitous violence, ELECTION is bound to find an appreciative audience among those who like their cinematic criminals noisy, stupid and deadly."

On the other hand, Variety's review by Derek Elley (resident Asian film critic there) is positive.

"The only Triad movie in memory without a bullet or even a gun on display, Johnnie To's ELECTION sees the Hong Kong helmer back in prime crime form following flawed actioner BREAKING NEWS. Stepping up into Cannes competition for the first time, To has developed another lateral spin on a familiar genre, here a power struggle within a Triad society at election time. Though some general viewers may feel let down by the relatively scant action, To aficionados should vote for this one, and promising theatrical opportunities loom in the West."

In an overview by Todd McCarthy, he writes briefly:

"ELECTION features some expert set-pieces and a sustained tone, but its manner of examining the transfer of power within a Triad society is narrowly one-dimensional."

McCarthy was not very enamored of Masahiro Kobayashi's BASHING ("offers the viewer absolutely no insight either into the young woman's psychology or the (to Westerners) impenetrable national mindset that considers her desire to help Iraqis shameful."

On the other hand, McCarthy commented: "The Directors Fortnight...also scored with Im Sang-soo's dark South Korean political comedy THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG."

Cannes: Weinsteins Wade Back In

You just knew it couldn't last.

While details on their departure from Disney and Miramax were being hammered out, we heard little on the Asian acquisition front from Bob and Harvey Weinstein. No more.

In news that is sure to unnerve Asian film fans, ScreenDaily reports that the US rights for NEW POLICE STORY have been sold "to a combination of Miramax, The Weinstein Company and Lions Gate for an undisclosed sum."

To further the discomfort, The Hollywood Reporter reports: "The Weinstein Company and IDG New Media Fund have acquired North American, English, Australia and South African rights to Chen Kaige's period adventure THE PROMISE."

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin.

'Election' - "Rather Good"

The two chief critics for the New York Times, A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, are writing a journal of their experiences in Cannes this year. (Free registration required to access the article at the NY Times site.)

In the context of discussing "The Film Critic's Pyramid of Needs," Dargis comments on Johnny To's ELECTION:

"The film is rather good and includes some exceptionally violent scenes."

In a previous entry, "Colin Firth, Down and Dirty," she wrote about another Asian film:

"I fell for the [Directors] Fortnight's opening film, 'Be With Me.' It's from a Singaporean, Eric Khoo, and interweaves the true story of a deaf-mute woman with tales of thwarted love. I didn't have any idea what was going on for the first half hour, but was in tears by the end, which is fairly rare (big surprise)."

Cool.

Pardon the Interruption

I had several very good reasons prepared as the explanation for the lack of updates, but now they all seem pointless to relate.

Quiet Before the Storm

The festival front is rather calm before the storm of Cannes.

Los Angeles: VC FilmFest finishes with screenings of Sylvia Chang's 20:30:40 at the Aratani and two programs at the Disney/Cal Arts Theatre tonight before the closing night presentation of RED DOORS tomorrow night.

New York: Subway Cinema has announced the first 11 films that will be screened in the New York Asian Film Festival, which will be held June 17-30. Notable titles include the Korean horror flick R-POINT, the insane Japanese SURVIVE STYLE 5+, and the Filipino GAGAMBOY. More analysis will follow when the line-up is completed.

Seattle: Tomorrow the complete film line-up for the Seattle International Film Festival will be announced. Expect more than 200 titles, with a very healthy mix of Asian titles.

Cannes: The festival begins one week from today (Wednesday, May 11). Yesterday Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo joined the Official Competition with his latest, TALE OF CINEMA. Shinji Aoyama's ELI, ELI, LEMA SEBACHTANI? was added to Un Certain Regard.

Japanese Movies Coming Soon

Region 1's release calendar is empty today, so we summarize recent announcements for upcoming discs. All of them happen to be Japanese.

As noted at Twitch and DVD Journal, the Criterion Collection will be releasing two Seijun Suzuki classics on July 26.

GATE OF FLESH will include "new, restored high-definition digital transfer, new video interview with director Seijun Suzuki and art director Takeo Kimura, original theatrical trailer, stills gallery of archival production photos, a new essay by noted Asian cinema critic Chuck Stephens, and new and improved English subtitle translation."

The 1964 film is described thusly: "In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions."

STORY OF A PROSTITUTE features "new, restored high-definition digital transfer, exclusive new video interviews with director Seijun Suzuki, production designer Takeo Kimura, and film critic Tadao Sato, new essay by film critic David Chute, original theatrical trailer, new and improved English subtitle translation, and more!"...but evidently not yet a decision on the cover.

From 1965, this one is described: "Volunteering as a 'comfort woman' on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi (Yumiko Nogawa) is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita (Isao Tamagawa) but falls for the sensitive Mikami (Tamio Kawachi), Narita’s direct subordinate. In this tragic love story, director Seijun Suzuki delivers a rule-bending take on the popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi’s eyes."

As reported by DVD File, Lion's Gate will be re-releasing a Takeshi Miike film on August 23.

AUDITION will include "theatrical trailer, Director Interview, Select scene Director commentary, Director introduction, Director Biography/filmography, Photo gallery, liner notes, Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments segment, Ryu Murakama Interview, Widescreen (1.85:1), New transfer with removable English subtitles, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital surround." It's the uncut version.

Both the uncut and trimmed versions of AUDITION were previously released in June 2002 by the American Cinematheque. Those editions included a director interview, director biography/filmography, photo gallery, and liner notes.

Finally, Arts Magic DVD revised their release schedule. These are listed in the "Upcoming on DVDs" column on the left side of my main page.

Madman Shinji Aoyama now has three titles: EMBALMING in June, WILD LIFE in August, and AN OBSESSION in November. Kiyoshi Kurosawa's THE GUARD FROM THE UNDERGROUND will be out in October, and Rokuro Mochizuki rounds out the schedule with May's ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN, July's THE FIRE WITHIN, and September's MOBSTERS CONFESSIONS.

Swing Low, Sweet 'Hustle'

Below the noise generated by the box office win by THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (a film I entered with zero expectations and found to be delightfully amusing) over the sequel XXX: STATE OF THE UNION, you need to look to the #8 spot to find KUNG FU HUSTLE.

According to Movie City News, the per-theatre change slipped 55% to $1,240 for a total estimated gross for the weekend of $3.6 million and an accumulated total of $12.3 million. Box Office Mojo put the totals in a slightly better light, describing a 43.2% decline, a per-screen average of $1,572, and a cumulative total of $13.17 million.

Meanwhile, Box Office Guru had the decline at 44% for an estimated $3.8 million this weekend. They also estimate that distributor Sony Picture Classics will end up with $22-24 million. That would put it far beyond limited releases such as BRIDE AND PREJUDICE (at about $6 million) and ONG BAK (less than $5 million), but keep in mind Sony's reported $12 million expenditure for prints and advertising.

Looking at things from a worldwide perspective, KUNG FU HUSTLE is the only non-Hollywood product in the top 25 this year (according to Box Office Guru), thanks to its $66.4 million in grosses in Asia.

Debuting on seven screens, Kim Ki-Duk's 3-IRON averaged $2,870 for a total of $20,100, according to Movie City News, while Box Office Mojo gave a per-screen average of $3,100 and a total of $21,700.

* Los Angeles reviewers weigh in on 3-IRON *

The headline for the review in the Los Angeles Times reads: "Director Kim Ki-duk shows the brutality in society but also tells a tender love story and offers a critique of modern life." I missed picking up the print edition, and the Internet edition is still behind a paid-subscriber wall, but that wall is reportedly to come down on Tuesday. My guess is that Carina Chocano wrote the review.

Laughingly, Bob Strauss of the Daily News demonstrates his belief in a popular Asian movie myth * by stating: "Like most Korean films, '3-Iron' wallows in some pretty vicious brutality, both emotional and physical." Strauss does pay Kim a left-handed compliment: "The guy's an artist who probably couldn't compromise his vision even if he knew how to - a sterling example of why it's good to avoid film school if you possibly can."

( * For more on Asian Movie Myths, see Grady Hendrix' excellent debunking at Kaiju Shakedown.)

Andy Klein of Los Angeles CityBeat finds comparisons to Chaplin apt, and concludes: "The whole evolves into something close to a fairy tale, without the pessimism or irony that pervades much of Kim’s other work."

Scott Foundas of the LA Weekly described it as a "loopy romantic drama" that "is as repellent and repellently opportunistic a piece of work as the various shock-horror provocations (The Isle, The Coast Guard) that helped to launch this worrisome career." I'm a bit more concerned about the repetition of "repellent" twice in the same sentence, but that's me.