The Asian Film Festival of Dallas wrapped up last week with actor/action choreographer Tak Sakaguchi (Versus) in attendance to screen his directing debut, Be a Man! Samurai School. Unfortunately, I missed that night, but two films that screened earlier in the fest stood out for their unique visions.

Indonesian movies are hard to come by in the US, so I confess my total ignorance about the country and its cinema. Is Kala (AKA Dead Time) representative in any way? I don't know, but I very much liked its mix of dramatic mystery and supernatural lore. Director Joko Anwar has a great eye for composition -- he's really good with looming shadows -- and harbors no fear of traveling down well-trodden paths before adding his own odd twists. The film doesn't completely hang together in the narrative sense, and the ending is probably too apocalyptic for its own good, but any movie that features a narcoleptic journalist, a world-weary cop, and a serial-killing spirit deserves attention.

When I describe Muay Thai Chaiya as "insane," it is with all due respect for a movie that begins as a straightforward tale of three ambitious boxing buddies before nearly drowning in soapy melodramatics. What rescues it from terminal dampness is writer / director Kongkiat Khomsiri's complete embrace of a go-for-broke, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink aesthetic that's reminiscent of trashily enjoyable, "C"-level, late 80s Hong Kong action pictures. Toss in sincere regret, romantic betrayal, and more self-sacrifice than you can shake a stick at, and Muay Thai Chaiya edges into "very watchable, never boring" territory.

Unfortunately, neither film is available right now on Region 1 DVD. Muay Thai Chaiya will be playing at Fantastic Fest next month. Both Kala and Muay Thai Chaiya also have official sites.

I watched Finishing the Game with an enthusiastic audience as the Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) got underway last week. As Scott Weinberg pointed out in his Sundance review, the film's humor is scattershot and inconsistent, but overall "delivers a solid parcel of good, goofy chuckles." In the post-screening Q&A, director Justin Lin noted the challenges he's faced in meetings with Hollywood executives as "the only Asian guy in the room." He feels that Asian Americans are underrepresented -- on screen and in the stories told -- not so much due to racial discrimination but because studio execs are not convinced that a market exists that will support them. Lin and two of his superb actors, Roger Fan and Sung Kang, kept the Q&A lively and stayed late to sign posters in the lobby.

My Friday screenings began with The Heavenly Kings, a quasi-mockumentary about the Hong Kong pop music scene. Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson wrote a positive review when it played at the San Francisco Film Festival and the AFFD audience obviously enjoyed it. Personally, I thought the editing was choppy and the tone inconsistent. Still, Daniel Wu has come a long way from the late 90's, when he first started landing roles in Hong Kong after moving there from San Francisco. He was considered a pretty boy who didn't speak Cantonese very well, and some of his work was barely tolerable. He's blossomed into a fine actor and definitely shows promise and ambition in his directorial debut.

The Victim (from Thailand) looked gorgeous but its unimaginative use of horror movie conventions (loud! bang!!) and "twists" that were telegraphed far in advance quickly became tiresome. Happily, Dorm (also from Thailand) was much better. It's immediately captivating, relating the tale of a boy sent away to a private school where things go bump in the night. While the thrills and chills are not entirely original -- the premise is reminiscent of The Devil's Backbone -- the filmmakers do a great job of making you feel for the lost little kid. And there are just enough original touches to keep you off balance. Dorm was a pleasant surprise. Even better if you missed its festival showings: it's available on Region 1 DVD from Tartan Home Video. The Asian Film Festival of Dallas continues through Thursday, August 30.