so yong kim Tagged Articles at Cinematical
400 Screens, 400 Blows - Treeless Mountain
Filed under: Columns », 400 Screens, 400 Blows »
400 Screens, 400 Blows is a weekly column that takes an in-depth look at the films playing below the radar, beneath the top ten, and on 400 screens or less.
Every few months I find myself sitting down for another "coming of age movie." It's taken awhile, but I think I have these things sorted out now. There are essentially three categories. In the first, a young boy befriends a crusty, cynical man -- sometimes a grandfatherly old fellow. The man coaxes the boy out of his shell, and the boy reminds the old man of what it's like to live. Examples include Cinema Paradiso, About a Boy and the new Is Anybody There? In the next category, the boy befriends another boy (or girl) of roughly the same age. The second boy is knowledgeable, outgoing and/or unique and coaxes the first boy out of his shell. Examples include Son of Rambow or The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Then we get the "sexual awakening" kind of film, in which the boy falls in love with a grown woman, as in Malena or Mister Foe.
Indies on DVD: 'Killer of Sheep,' 'Hearts of Darkness,' 'Helvetica,' 'In Between Days'
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New on DVD », Home Entertainment », Cinematical Indie », War »
My pick of the week is Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep. Our own Jeffrey M. Anderson declared: "There's no question that it belongs in the canon of greatest American movies." As he pointed out, though, the film "has perhaps been more written about and appreciated than actually seen." Now we can all see it. The two-disk special edition DVD from New Yorker Video includes an audio commentary by Burnett and Richard Peña, two versions of Burnett's feature film My Brother's Wedding, four shorts (three rediscovered and one new) and cast reunion video.Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse , directed by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper, stirred up controversy when Hickenlooper said that neither he nor Bahr were consulted on the DVD version of their documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere calls it "one of the best making-of-a-famous-movie docs ever made," but also says that the new DVD from Paramount Home Video "looks like a VHS tape. ... No remastering, tweaking or upgrading ... brilliant!" Sounds like a rental to me. The DVD includes Eleanor Coppola's doc Coda: Thirty Years Later, which will also be screening on cable next month -- see Monika Bartyzel's story for more on that.
Cinematical's James Rocchi saw Gary Hustwit's Helvetica at SXSW and described it as "one of the most intellectually exciting, stimulating, warm-hearted and best-made independent documentaries I've seen in a long time." The DVD includes 95 additional minutes of interviews. Another festival favorite, So Yong Kim's In Between Days (pictured), about a teenage girl dealing with first-time romantic feelings for her "best and only" friend, hits DVD with a stills gallery and a conversation with the director and co-writer/producer Bradley Rust.
In her review Jette Kernion said she was "not a rabid [Werner] Herzog fan, which may actually be the reason why I liked his latest film, Rescue Dawn, as much as I did." The DVD includes commentary by Herzog, deleted scenes, and a "making of" featurette. Luc Besson's Angel-A did not cause much stir when it was released theatrically earlier this year, but I've always been fascinated by the director. The DVD has a "making of" feature.
Festival Fave 'In Between Days' Finally Gets Theatrical Release Date
Filed under: Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Cinematical Indie »
Premiering at Sundance in January 2006, In Between Days won a Special Jury Prize for Independent Vision and subsequently played a flock of festivals, including Berlin, Hong Kong and Toronto. Justin Chang's Variety review in the hothouse sales atmosphere of Sundance was somewhat dismissive of its market potential, but other critics -- including Scott Foundas in LA Weekly and Dennis Lim in The Village Voice -- were more appreciative of the film's artistic merit; it placed #4 on IndieWire's "Best Undistributed Film" list for the year. At last more people will be able to see it. Variety reports that In Between Days will be released in New York on June 27, to be followed by a "limited theatrical release" -- which means keep a sharp eye out for it. Kino International will be handling the release, though their web site has not yet been updated with specific locations for the theatrical playdates. Filmmaker So Yong Kim says that her own life provided the inspiration. Growing up in suburban Los Angeles, she was raised by a single mother who never discussed the issues of love and sex; among her "circle of Korean immigrant teenage friends there was a persistent tension when it came to the topics." In Between Days features newcomer Jiseon Kim as Aimie, a teenage girl who doesn't know how to deal with romantic feelings for her "best and only" friend Tran (Taegu Andy Kang). The minimalist visual style and deliberate pace, so favorably remarked upon by most critics, sounds like a perfect fit for exploring themes of isolation, alienation and frustration. Without having seen it myself, I'm at a disadvantage, but it's been on my "want to see" list for many months. If it doesn't play at a theater near you, don't fret excessively -- the Sundance Channel will be showing it, and no doubt a DVD will be issued -- hopefully without too much delay -- after the theatrical run concludes.
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