It Never Rains, It Pours

Filmbrain spent a good part of the past four days in a somewhat meditative state. The next few weeks are going to be practically non-stop - between the New York Film Festival, the Shochiku tribute, the Alexander Mackendrick retrospective, new prints of Pickpocket and Mouchette, and some fairly rare Nicholas Ray, September and October in New York City is going to find many a cinephile mainlining Red Bull and Snickers bars.

The 2005 New York Korean Film Festival caught Filmbrain completely by surprise this year, and he is kicking himself for missing the Q&A sessions with Baek Yun-shik & Choi Dong-hun (star and director of The Big Swindle) and Lim Chan-sang (director of The President's Barber). Fortunately, there are still opportunities to catch the gems that the festival has to offer. The following are Filmbrain's personal picks: The Big Swindle -- This brilliantly written heist-comedy with its multi-layered flashbacks and shifting perspectives is full of top-notch performances (including Baek Yun-shik from The President's Last Bang) and is far more interesting and entertaining than any recent Hollywood equivalent. Though this is director Choi Dong-hun's debut feature, it feels like it came from the hand of a master of the genre. Screening on Wednesday 7 September @ 6:50 PM, BAM Rose Cinemas. The President's Barber -- A perfect companion piece to The President's Last Bang, The President's Barber tells of an ordinary man who becomes an accidental hero and winds up as barber to President Park Chung-hee. Starring the wonderful Moon So-ri (Oasis, A Good Lawyer's Wife), this political satire is at times reminiscent of Being There, and, like Im Sang-soo's film on President Park, a clever and daring look at a difficult period in South Korea's history. Screening on Tuesday 6 September @ 9:00 PM, Lighthouse Theater. Spider Forest -- A film that is often (unfairly) grouped under the K-Horror umbrella, this deliberately paced, brooding, mature, psychological drama is more akin to David Lynch than it is to the recent batch of Ring-like horror films that have come out of Korea. Creepy and emotional, this is one that Filmbrain is looking forward to seeing on the big screen. Screening on Friday 9 September @ 9:15 PM, BAM Rose Cinemas. Complete schedule and details can be found HERE. Filmbrain hopes to see you there!

Comments

[girish]

Both Party Girl and Hot Blood are fascinating Nick Ray films, especially the former, in which he gets poignant (and unlikely!)performances from both Robert Taylor and Cyd Charisse. It was a big favorite of the Cahiers/French New Wave gang.

[phyrephox]

I'd love to see these, but you are right, with class, the NYFF, and the upcoming Japanese retros, I don't have time for them.

[nkw88]

My Mother, the Mermaid (6:50, Sept 9)
My Brother (6:00, Sept 11)
A Moment to Remember (3:00, Sept 11)

These three films are also good.
Don't miss it.

[S. Tarzan]

They played Spider Forest at the Philly Film Festival, and I was quite impressed. It's like the 2046 of mindfuck thrillers, emotionally charged thanks more to a strong visual sense than to narrative.

[DEF]

Don't forget the new print of Zabriskie Point that's coming up at AMMI where they'll also be showing a technicolor print of Vertigo (complete with ABC Sunday Night movie bumper at the head) and a 70mm 2001.

[Todd]

Thanks for the tip on the Ray films. Although, now that I've moved out of Brooklyn it's harder for me to get over there...

At least I'm within walking distance of the Museum of Moving Image now.... maybe this will make me get off my ass and update my blog this weekend.

[Filmbrain]

Come on Todd -- just hop on the G train and you'll be there in a mere three hours.

[phyrephox]

AMMI has a 70mm projector? News to me.