Double feature
Last night I went to a press screening of Jet Li's Fearless. I saw it on a Region 3 DVD months ago, and have been dying to see it on the big screen ever since. The movie marks a homecoming of sorts both for director Ronny Yu as well as the star. Yu made his big splash with The Bride with White Hair and The Phantom Lover, and hasn't helmed a movie in Hong Kong or China since. For Jet Li, the movie harkens back to his gweilo-smashing in Once Upon a Time in China. Yes, if you've seen your share of kung-fu movies, you know pretty much exactly what's going to happen. But it's done perfectly and with heart and power. I thought Hero was an amazing movie, but that was more about art than ass-whooping--or about the nature of ass-whooping, perhaps. Fearless is definitely worth your time and money, and Ronny Yu is a cool guy, too. (That's him and me after we interviewed him for GR42.)
The nightcap was Jon Moritsugu's Scumrock. I've been fiending to break out the DVD ever since TV on the Radio wheat pastes have been surfacing around town, promoting the new album and date at the Hollywood Bowl with Massive Attack. Filmed on VHS and edited with two VCRS, this movie is as low-budget as it gets, but the background hiss is matched by underground energy. TVOTR member Kyp Mallone plays a clueless indie filmmaker/neurotic record-collector nerd and Jon's filmmaking partner, bandmate, and wife Amy Davis plays the lead singer of a scumrock (not punk rock) band called the Puerto Ricans. Surrounded by amazing side characters, their paths criss-cross on their respective ways to disaster. The movie also features loads of good friends of GR: past intern Peter Lee, Emily's Sassy Lime member Emily Ryan, and J Church's Lance Hahn. TVOTR is getting a lot of play these days, and hopefully Jon's incredible work will get some run out of it, too.
Trailers usually get played at the beginning of movies, but I just received a link to this documentary teaser this morning. It's about Black Panther Party field marshall Richard Aoki, who we interviewed way back in GR10. The preview shows longtime GR supporter Harvey Dong from Eastwind Books up in Berkeley!
The nightcap was Jon Moritsugu's Scumrock. I've been fiending to break out the DVD ever since TV on the Radio wheat pastes have been surfacing around town, promoting the new album and date at the Hollywood Bowl with Massive Attack. Filmed on VHS and edited with two VCRS, this movie is as low-budget as it gets, but the background hiss is matched by underground energy. TVOTR member Kyp Mallone plays a clueless indie filmmaker/neurotic record-collector nerd and Jon's filmmaking partner, bandmate, and wife Amy Davis plays the lead singer of a scumrock (not punk rock) band called the Puerto Ricans. Surrounded by amazing side characters, their paths criss-cross on their respective ways to disaster. The movie also features loads of good friends of GR: past intern Peter Lee, Emily's Sassy Lime member Emily Ryan, and J Church's Lance Hahn. TVOTR is getting a lot of play these days, and hopefully Jon's incredible work will get some run out of it, too.
Trailers usually get played at the beginning of movies, but I just received a link to this documentary teaser this morning. It's about Black Panther Party field marshall Richard Aoki, who we interviewed way back in GR10. The preview shows longtime GR supporter Harvey Dong from Eastwind Books up in Berkeley!
posted by gr at
11:40 AM
Is Ronnie Yu related to Bill Poon?
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