The Santa Monica Incident

Last night, I helped out at GR's last-minute, advance screening of The Shinjuku Incident in Santa Monica. We covered a lot of Hong Kong cinema when GR started, so it was cool that we could help spread the word about this film--possibly Jackie Chan's best since Police Story 3) and also the first exposure to the work of my longtime friend/GR contributor Daniel Wu for a lot of Americans.


I wound up tending a clipboard next to Cate (above) and got to say hi to a lot of friends, including director Reggie Hudlin (in the first picture) and artist Edwin Ushiro (below). Kung Fu Records/Vandals crew/friends of GR Joe and Sandra Escalante were there, too, but I didn't have my camera ready. Thomas Nakanishi. So many others among the 150-200 that showed up...


If you haven't seen the movie yet, you need to. In the face of Pan Asian epics and CG-heavy martial arts movies, "regular" Hong Kong movies don't get much play in the U.S. these days, and this one has top-shelf production value, a solid script, and an impressive cast (not just my friends). Here's a rare chance to see a seriously good movie that deserves support.


Somehow, a reporter from Channel 18 interviewed me for a clip that's supposed to air later this week. Following up on something I said (don't remember exactly how I got there), she asked me why I think director Derek Yee always beats up Daniel Wu in his movies. My response was that he's too good looking and needs to be brought down now and then. Watch the movie and you'll see.