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c'mon · dave boyle · Di Quon · ed lin · film · goh nakamura · Lynn Chen · News · Reviews Cinema · Surrogate Valentine · Jun 27, 2011

Surrogate Valentine’s New York Debut

Put it up on the glass: Surrogate Valentine poster framed and hanging in Brooklyn Academy of Music’s cinema.

Surrogate Valentine debuted in New York last Thursday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music‘s BAMCinemaFest of new films. The film’s stars came out and shone along with all the East Coast Asian Pacific American stars.

Director Dave Boyle (left) and star Goh Nakamura (right) introduce the film, explain they’ll be drinking during the screening but will return after for a Q&A.

The film’s over and they’re back, joined by co-executive producer, Michael Lerman.

The women of Surrogate Valentine step up: left to right, Di Quon, Mary Cavett and Lynn Chen. Co-writer Joel Clark has snuck in on the far right.

Di gets goofy.

Goh is the best. He’s like when Beyonce is both the guest star and the musical guest on SNL.

News · Jun 25, 2011

Attention Adrenaline Junkies: Behold Takabisha, the World’s Steepest Rollercoaster

On Thursday, we reported the story about how Japan’s K computer has recently surpassed China’s Tianhe-1A to become the fastest supercomputer in the world. It looks like Japan will soon add another world-record superlative to its science and engineering portfolio: The world’s steepest rollercoaster. On July 16th, the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park in Yamanashi near Mount Fuji will begin offering enthusiasts the chance to ride Takabisha, a rollercoaster six tenths of a mile in length which features a 121 degree freefall. In case you were wondering, that is very steep. So steep, in fact, that riders will experience actual weightlessness as they plunge down and over Takabisha’s tracks at over 60 miles per hour. Prior to the construction of Takabisha, the Mumbo Jumbo in Yorkshire, England held the world’s steepest rollercoaster title, subjecting riders to a 112 degree descent angle. So, if you love rollercoasters and happen to be in the Mount Fuji/Tokyo area the middle of this July, get on over to Fuji-Q. But we do suggest you skip lunch before you get on this monster fighter jet of a ride. (The Mail Online – Steep Japan Rollercoaster)

News · Reviews Cinema · Jun 24, 2011

“Apes Are Getting Smarter” Series

Apes Will Rise? Remember the blogging I did about going to the Rise of the Apes summit? Here’s a few videos that are of interest. The idea is that, a) the 2001 film that was a remake of the film should just be wiped from your memories. b) The upcoming film releasing August 5th will be something more “real”. The Peter Jackson WETA team, the folks who brought you Avatar, went into overdrive and now had to create something that looks believable. Remember these apes won’t be talking, it’s all about gestures. The research done by the WETA team and director, Rupert Wyatt, include some of these videos. They’re releasing them to show that apes are closer to humans in some abilities that we may think. [youtube]ya7IhijXYUQ[/youtube] This chimp is playing Far Cry 2, a first person shooter that has an open world. Yeah, I’m sure the chimp isn’t very good at it, but at least he looks into it. [youtube]cVQRoF0W84o[/youtube] Here’s footage of a gorilla who decided to stand up and walk. His name is Ambam and is at a zoo in Kent, England. [youtube]28Z_D9Grh18[/youtube] Here’s the Planet of the Apes Trailer. The PR person himself said that the word rise and apes is used twice but it still works. I also wouldn’t promote it if I didn’t think it’s interesting. Yes, I did get to attend the summit at their expense, I ate some of their food, and got to sit through interesting lectures, and I can also say this looks like crap, but there’s no need. It looks like fun.

Art · Features · News · Jun 24, 2011

White House Antiquities and Art

The White House rooms are each styled and themed with art, mostly paintings of past Presidents and First Ladies. Here’s a collection of art and antiquities themed photographs I shot during the Asian Pacific Islander Celebration. We did get to wander and I couldn’t help but try and document a bit of the art, the sights, and feel, so you can get an idea of what it’s like inside. Take a look at the entire set at the end of the post.

I can tell you that the cluster of paintings of first ladies are in the downstairs room that houses the women’s restroom. The Jackie O painting is amazing. Her outfit is a bit eerie. The painting of her husband below is also different since he’s in deep contemplation with his arms folded. His portrait shows less of his face than any other.

Many rooms have great chandeliers.

This is the red themed room, there’s also a blue and green, adjacent to this room.

News · Jun 23, 2011

Japan’s Fuzoku Laws, Internet Cafés, and…Child Abuse?

“It’s likely that many net cafes will now move to transparent doors so they can keep an eye on their customers.” The fuzoku Laws are Japan’s set of regulations and statutes designed to regulate “adult entertainments”, such as gambling, prostitution and liquor. Apparently, these laws are often used to control the late-night activities at bars and nightclubs where law enforcement officials decide the music is too loud, the booze is flowing too freely, and the dancing is going on far too late into the night. Fuzoku laws have been criticized for years as being antiquated, arbitrarily enforced, and hard to understand. The latest set of establishments to come under possible fuzoku scrutiny are internet cafés. Police in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities fear that the private rooms and cubicles in internet cafés may be the new venues of choice for child prostitution activities. If this is true, it is truly horrible; but at this point it seems to be more rumor than verified fact. Nevertheless, police are considering clamping down on the operation of private internet café rooms by making them subject to a fuzoku law which requires rooms measuring less than five square meters (in which food and alcohol are served) have permits to operate. What this would mean is that every private room in a particular internet café would require a separate permit to operate, which could get very costly for internet café owners. It might even put some out of business. The bottom line, though, is that Japanese police are totally right in doing whatever they can to stop the scourge of child prostitution. It’s just that the laws they will probably use to do so will make things very difficult for lots of legitimate businesses. (The Tokyo Times – Internet Café Paranoia) For a more complete explanation of fuzoku laws, see this piece on CNNGo.