Archive for the 'HIFF' Category

22
Oct
12

HIFF 2012: Festival Capsule for Oct 21

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF and Reviews
Tags: , ,

This capsule report is a brief look, reaction, and thoughts on some of the films we’ve seen at this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival.

Hang Loose

This strand of firecrackers definitely gave new meaning to the title ‘Hang Loose.’

I don’t blame the guys from Kinetic for having some fun after the pretty serious tone that they took with their films last year. And that’s exactly what you get in Hang Loose; a sort of National Lampoon’s Hawaiian Vacation meets The Hangover. You have the straight laced guy going out with the groom and his rowdy friends for the traditional bachelor party. And wouldn’t you know it . . . hijinks ensue.

Kevin Wu and Dante Basco were perfectly fine in their roles here, with Basco even stealing scenes a few times. Everything else in the film though just seemed to be really exaggerated or played to the extreme; from local stereotypes, to certain roles, to implausible feats (paragliding over Waikiki?) some of it was a bit too much for me. Don’t get me wrong, the movie knew it was having fun and everything in it reflected that; I guess I was just looking for things to be a bit more serious or maybe a bit more realistic. In spite of that, I myself hung loose and just went with it and had a few laughs in the process.

Rating 3/5 stars
————

Holy Motors

If you’re already stumped by looking at this scene from Holy Motors, you’re not the only one.

I don’t even know where to begin with my thoughts on Holy Motors. The movie is confounding to be sure, but entertaining none the less.

I’ll start with what I do know . . . it may take you a while to properly digest what you’ve seen after watching Holy Motors. At its most basic level you have the story of Mr. Oscar played beautifully by Denis Lavant. He goes from assignment to assignment throughout Paris masquerading as different people and doing different things. Sometimes this requires him to kill people, sometimes it only requires him to speak to people. Through it all he is always changing his looks, demeanor, and personality.

Expect to be challenged if you sit down to watch Holy Motors. Some of the maddening questions that were posed to me during the movie: What is he doing? Why is he going around dressed as different people? Who does he work for? Is any of the things he’s doing real? Are there supernatural elements involved? For a feeble minded viewer such as myself none of these questions were really answered–and somehow I don’t think that’s the point. What is real and what is fake definitely come up again and again throughout the film, but beyond that I’m not sure of anything else.

Beyond the confusion I was definitely entertained by what was going on on-screen. Each of Oscar’s assignments was very different from one another and it was interesting to seem him transform himself to fit each one. Mix in the transitioning scenes in the limo in between assignments and you have a picture of a company man who’s been doing his job for a long time, and though he still doesn’t mind doing it, you can tell it’s definitely taking its toll on him.

I’m still not sure what to make of Holy Motors and I might even need a second viewing to be completely sure. What I am sure of though is Denis Lavant‘s great performance and that Holy Motors will challenge any moviegoer.

Rating 4/5 stars
————

Room 237

Kubrick faked the moon landing . . . MIND BLOWN!

You really have to be some kind of movie fan to really dissect and break down a film. I mean, I thought I was a movie buff since I like to talk about, watch, and go over movies. The theorists in Room 237 though, they take movie fandom to a whole new level.

As I sat there watching Room 237 a majority of the time all I could think was “are these people actually making these assumptions/judgements about Kubrick’s The Shining?” From the faking of moon landing footage to the holocaust, to the genocide of American Indians and tons more in between I sat transfixed as theory after theory was conveyed to us–transfixed mainly because I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Kubrick was a pretty smart guy, but I’m not sure if any of the theories suggested hold any weight.

What’s really fun about the doc is that even though it presents these theorists in a somewhat serious light, it still treats everything sort of tongue and cheek with the way footage from Kubrick films are used to illustrate what the speakers are saying and also at times pokes fun at what they are saying by juxtaposing it with satirical imagery. Another fun aspect that adds to the film’s charm is the fact that it’s obviously subjective. There is no bias involved and it goes out of its way to make it seem as if all of these theories are real.

In the end, while it was a fun presentation of the possible undertones of the film, I never really bought into any of them. Some of the leaps that the interviewers make were really quite large and often times were only supported by coincidence rather than hard evidence. Besides, all of those things couldn’t be true at the same time could they? I leave it up to you to decide.

Rating 3.5/5 stars

20
Oct
12

HIFF 2012 Review: Starlet

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF and Reviews
Tags: , ,

What is it about guilt that make us ashamed and repentant? I guess you have to be a good person at heart or at least have some type of feelings otherwise people wouldn’t feel remorseful for their wrong doings. But what lengths would you go to repay a debt or to right a wrong? Would you pay a person back? Or would you find another way to make it up to them? Does concealing the fact that you may have wronged a person make things worse? All these questions and more are tackled in Starlet and there don’t seem to be any easy answers.

At its core, Starlet is about the unlikely relationship between Jane, a young twenty-something trying to make ends meet and Sadie, an elderly eccentric woman coping with losing her independence. Their two paths cross when Jane makes a purchase at Sadie’s yard sale. Hidden inside Jane’s purchase, rolls of cash that Sadie doesn’t know about. Once Jane discovers the money, she struggles with what she should do with it.

The drama and heart of the film comes from the interchange between Jane and Sadie. The guilt that Jane feels for taking the money compels her to repay Sadie; though she doesn’t go as far as giving it back to her. What starts off as remorse slowly turns into curiosity as Jane starts finding ways to spend time with Sadie and help her out. If this sounds at all stalker-ish, that’s because it is. At several points early on Jane seemingly pops out of nowhere to help Sadie out, showing up at the store and even at Sadie’s Saturday bingo game. These early encounters are definitely a little funny, but if it wasn’t a movie, it would probably be a little creepy.

Who knew bingo could be so much fun. All the kids are doing it these days.

Many of the conversations and interactions that Jane and Sadie have together are really awkward, but fun to watch from an audience perspective. Sadie is kurt and brash with her responses and over reacts to some of the things that Jane does such as when Jane lets her dog Starlet drink from the same glass that she just did. It utterly shocks Sadie. The back and forth between the two, though sometimes uncomfortable, ultimately forces the both of them to really think about their developing relationship and their lives moving forward. You know the two have really bonded when Sadie describes to Jane the way to get the perfect bowel movement (a big breakfast, no lunch, and a salad for dinner if you were wondering).

Things come to an emotional head about half way through the film when Jane makes Sadie responsible for something of hers when she has to leave for work one weekend. Over the course of her day Sadie just loses track of things which leads her on a search throughout the neighborhood. Beyond potentially losing this new found friendship, being entrusted with this task is something that bears a heavy weight on Sadie as it is a moratorium on whether or not Sadie is too old to be responsible for anything.

An unlikely odd couple friendship if there ever was one.

Of course this relationship wouldn’t be too complex if Jane didn’t have destructive friends and a pretty unconventional occupation–both of which impede on Sadie’s friendship in different ways. Jane’s friends create drama and stress while her job remains secretive. Both put their stress on the newly formed friendship, but in the end its these obstacles that help strengthen it.

Like I said at it’s core this movie is about this friendship between this older woman and this younger kid and the interplay that goes on there. Dree Hemingway has this really great youthful and energetic interaction with her older co-star Besedka Johnson and their on screen chemistry is pretty great. Their scenes together really make the film. Each made their character feel real and authentic and I was hoping that their relationship would last throughout the film.

In the end Starlet does answer some lofty questions about guilt and remorse; but it’s also a movie about relationships, affection, and love . . . takeaways that I think anyone can appreciate.

Starlet will have a second showing at HIFF on Saturday, October 20 and will be in limited release beginning Friday, November 9.

Star rating-3.5/5 // NR* // 103 minutes
*Though it does not currently carry a rating, there is a graphic sex scene in the film which would definitely push it into “R” rating territory.

20
Oct
12

HIFF 2012 Review: Tai Chi 0

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF and Reviews
Tags: ,

Don’t make him angry . . . you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.

Back when I was in elementary, THE arcade game to be playing was Street Fighter II. Though I couldn’t master the game, it seemed to be popular due to its colorful characters, funky combination of button punching to release special combos, and fantastical sets of special moves. I was reminded a lot of that video game from a bygone time as I sat there being entertained by Tai Chi 0.

What makes the film so fun is the playful way that tai chi is presented. While the the moves are fantastical and over the top, they are more workman like and utilitarian in nature. So while people still go flying around, it is a bit more believable than say what they were doing in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. What adds to the fun are the animated messages that pop up or are overlaid at different points in the film. A fun use of this is employed when tai chi moves are introduced. As the person is going through their move, schematic like diagrams explaining their move are shown. Finally, there are a few animated and comic book like cut sequences that also add to the playful nature of the film.

WHOA, I know kung fu when I want to know tai chi.

Tai Chi tells the story of Yang, an orphaned child with the unique ability to go “super saiyan” whenever his bodily abnormality on his forehead is punched. After long term use with life threatening consequences, Yang is urged to seek refuge at the legendary Chen village, where learning their special brand of tai chi may reverse the ill effects. Though everyone in towns knows tai chi, they do not teach it to outsiders.

You pretty much know where the story is going once our young protagonist gets to the village, so there’s no new ground being covered here. Undeterred, Yang turns the obstacles in front of him into a windfall when outside forces threaten the village. Throw in a love triangle, industrialization creeping into rural areas, years of village tradition, and a reclusive mentor; and the plot of the film provides the hero (and the audience) with enough to keep busy with. Probably the most interesting turn in the film is when a huge steampunky war train shows up at the gateway to the town threatening to bulldoze it over in the name of technological progress. That’s where the film kicks up the action and drama while featuring the best food fight I’ve ever seen of film.

I would be remiss not to mention that this film is the first in a trilogy of films so don’t expect everything to wrap up nicely at the end. In fact, many questions I had were not answered by the film; first and foremost being the non-resolution of Yang’s reasons for journeying to the Chen village. However, the film does end on a “just wait till you see the sequel” moment where it’s hinted at that things will be amped up in the next movie. The end credits sequence even previews some of the events in future by providing imagery of things that I’m sure others in my audience were dying to know.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a fun martial arts action movie, Tai Chi 0 won’t be your best choice, but it definitely will be a fun one and Down Right Fierce.

Sample-ing Problems

At my screening of Tai Chi 0 there were technical issues with the festival print and a DVD version was shown instead. We were told that since it was an evaluation copy of the film that we were watching, the word “Sample” would be plastered across the screen. Refunds and exchanges were offered, and while I don’t know how many people chose this option, a good number of people stayed and our theater was at least 85% full. Hats off to the HIFF staff for making the best out of a bad situation and still offering to show the film in some form rather than outright canceling it–while still offering refunds. Another hat tip as well to all of us that stayed to watch the film. You know people are true cinema fans when they don’t let low quality presentation ruin a night out.

Tai Chi 0 is currently out in limited release and is tentatively slated to open in Hawaii on Friday, October 26.

Rating 3/5 stars // PG-13 // 100 minutes

16
Oct
12

HIFF 2012 Review: Shanghai Calling

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF and Reviews
Tags: , , , , ,

You hear that . . . it’s Shanghai calling.

I’ve never been to Shanghai, but I’m sure if I did ever make it there, I’d be respectful and reverent about the new country and culture I was entering. I don’t know, maybe it’s just my humble upbringings, but mom and dad taught me that when you go to someone else’s house . . . you follow house rules.

I guess not everyone learns this lesson, least of whom Sam, a hot shot New York attorney who reluctantly transfers to Shanghai–just another stepping stone on the corporate ladder for his firm. At it’s core Shanghai Calling is a fish out of water story where Sam learns to adapt, then love, his new found home. The ironic part in all this . . . Sam is Chinese but doesn’t know a lick about his heritage. Hijinks ultimately ensue.

Talk about your Asian-American partnerships.

Sam comes to Shanghai and carries on as if he’s still in the United States when all the signs around him (literally and figuratively) point to the fact that he is in another world. During a business meeting early in the film, his secretary tries to give him advice on doing business in China but he brushes her off; thinking she’s trying to be contradictory rather than helpful. While I thought Daniel Henney was brilliantly douchey in the lead role; I thought that particular aspect of his character was a cliché played up to the extreme and detriment of the film. Time and again I found myself face palming every time he shot down helpful advice from his friends and co-workers in China. How could a guy so smart be so dumb?

Other gripes I had with the film stemmed from the logic of the film and the motivation of characters. At several points I wondered why certain things were going when there seemed to be a rather straightforward answer. Case in point is the main dilemma for Sam in the film, his client is losing business to a competitor who has seemingly violated his client’s exclusive agreement. Sam meets with the competitor and tells them that if they don’t stop that he’ll get an injunction to shut them down. Case closed right? Wrong. For the next 30-40 minutes a roundabout investigation is launched into said competitor when in the end, the injunction finally goes through. There were a few common sense points such as this that left me scratching my head.

When the lights go down in the city . . . ohoh ohohoh ohoh.

That being said, I still had a fun time with Shanghai Calling. In fact, the movie was more of a comedy than I expected it to be. Most of the culture clashing jokes did land as they should have and I was rooting for Sam the entire time. Daniel Henney gives a pretty nice performance at Sam. I believed he was that ignorant foreigner and had a great sense of comedic timing. The rest of the acting corps in the film also turned in decent performances as well. While most of the cast will probably be relatively unknown to US audiences, two faces they will probably recognize are those of Bill Paxton (Twister, Apollo 13) who fits perfectly in the role as the mayor of “Americatown” and Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

For director Daniel Hsia, Shanghai Calling marks a charming outing for his first feature length film when you factor in managing the cast as well as shooting on location in Shanghai; and the movie’s got a great feel. Speaking of which, the city does feature prominently throughout the film and does get to shine as a character of its own. And herein lies another rub of the film. Are we to be entertained by the main character and his struggles? Or is the more important aspect Shanghai (and ultimately China and its culture) and the role it plays in the film? As a Chinese co-production certain story elements were changed in order for the film to receive Chinese funding and distribution, exactly how much remains to be seen. I can’t help but wonder though if some of the out of place moments in the film were due to these changes . . . and perhaps we’ll never know.

Hey I just met you Shanghai, and this sounds crazy, but here’s our manapua, so call us maybe?

Not without its problems, on the whole Shanghai Calling is a fun romantic comedy drama of sorts that will definitely give you a few laughs and is a wonderful showcase of Shanghai and its culture. Will that be enough to call you?

Distribution for Shanghai Calling is currently in the works and could potentially be released sometime in 2013.

Rating 3/5 stars // NR // 100 minutes

11
Oct
12

HIFF 2012: Opening Press Conference

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF

Stuff we picked up from this morning’s press conference.

For this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival the Red Band Project is stepping it up and will be attending as a credentialed member of the press. What does that mean exactly? Basically we’ll have better access to the festival than we have in the past. Whereas before we had to worry about screenings filling up, we now have access to the priority lines that go into the theater first. We also have access to a number of special events (aka parties), some of which are by invitation only. Finally, we receive constant updates and additions to the festival as they occur.

With all of this new found access, we will be redoubling efforts to provide you, dear reader, with more coverage of the festival than ever before. Now I know what you might be thinking . . . is that even possible? Well yes it is. This year look for more reviews of films that play in the festival (films that have multiple festival screenings and those that will be released theatrically in Hawaii at a later date), commentary on panels and Q&A’s, and above all . . . interesting stories and perspective that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

The press conference floor at Rum Fire.

Our festival coverage began today when we attended the press conference that opens the festival. We picked up our credentials and also got to hear from a lot of the individuals that help make the festival possible, new things that are going on, and what we can expect to see this year at HIFF.

Chuck Boller got things started by thanking everyone that came out today and then introduced the panel of speakers: Deputy Director Robert Lambeth talked about the new Creative Labs portion of HIFF, Georja Skinner talked about the genesis of the Creative Labs section and how it will help local storytellers; Peter Shaindlin of Halekulani talked about the importance of supporting HIFF and their sponsorship; Ruth Boland discussed Pacific Islanders in Communications a local organization that supports and develops local programming, and Elizabeth Kawananakoa talked about EuroCinema Hawaii’s festival-within-a-festival programming.

Even Mayor Peter Carlisle was on hand to talk about the award that the city sponsors as well as present a check of $20,000.

The press conference venue at Rum Fire definitely made for some interesting maneuvering as all of us press members jockeyed around trying to take photos and video. You had the whole range of photographers from cell phones, to point and shoots, to SLRs, and of course the “pro” media with tricked out SLRs and the video guys from HNN. The highlight had to have been when this one photographer got in the direct line of sight of one of HNN’s cameramen and he had to verbally call out to her to move.

The view from the very back of the room. Notice how crowded we all are in the very back.

In the center you may spot Terry Hunter and Taizo Braden of HNN and a camera man from KHON along side people shooting with cell phones.

For someone like myself who dissects a lot of stuff involving HIFF and movie/film news in general, the press conference wasn’t all that exciting. However, it was still really informative and interesting to be at and a part of. Our main coverage of the festival will begin tomorrow when we check in on the visiting filmmaker program and take in our first few films of the festival. Hopefully we’ll catch you there!

Press conference speakers (L-R): HIFF Executive Director Chuck Boller, Elizabeth Kawananakoa of EuroCinema Hawaii, Debra Zimmerman speaking at the new Creative Labs, Georja Skinner chief officer of the state’s Creative Industries Division, Peter Shaindlin of Halekulani, Ruth Bolan executive director of Pacific Islanders in Communication, and HIFF Deputy Director Robert Lambeth

11
Oct
12

HIFF 2012: Must See Preview

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF
Tags: , , , , , ,

Well, it’s that time of year again . . . time for the Hawaii International Film Festival. While we haven’t been as active as we’ve been in the past in the days leading up to the festival, this year we will be busier than ever trying to cover it while it is going on. In fact, with the festival kicking off tonight; we’d be remiss if we didn’t throw out our own two cents on some of the stuff we’d like to see as well as make a few notes on other stuff you might want to check out. So here it is, with the festival unspooling just hours away, I give you the Red Band Project’s HIFF 32 Must See Preview!

#1 Silver Linings Playbook

Trailer // HIFF Page // Official Site

Synopsis:
Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet – and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

Why I Want to See It:
Before all the hype, before it won the audience award at TIFF, and before it debuted in Toronto last month; the trailer for David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook was released early this summer. The trailer showcased Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss from The Hunger Games) and Bradley Cooper (that guy from The Hangover movies) in a dramedy of sorts and it looked to be a pretty fun film. I was definitely feeling what the trailer was selling me about the film, but absolutely sold me on it wasn’t that this film was from the dude that gave us The Fighter or the two big leads . . . it was Chris Tucker. Yes, the dude that played Smokey in Friday and made fun of Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour movies, he’s in this movie. After having a great run in the late 90s the dude just dropped off the Hollywood map–until now. I’m not sure how much of a supporting role he has in this film, but it definitely looks like he has a bit more serious role in Silver Linings; which I think could signal his comeback. The fact that this movie tore it up at Toronto and won the audience award only got me more excited to see it and I can’t wait!

#2 The Sessions

Trailer // HIFF Page // Official Site

Synopsis:
Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California–based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, THE SESSIONS tells the story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined – at age 38 – to lose his virginity. With the help of his therapists and the guidance of his priest, he sets out to make his dream a reality.

Why I Want to See It:
There were two films that generated a ton of buzz at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. One of them was Beasts of the Southern Wild (which I wasn’t all that over the moon for). The other was The Sessions. The premise itself is funny enough, but with a pretty stacked cast (John Hawkes as the lead with Helen Hunt, William H. Macey, and Moon Bloodgood) and being picked up after a heavy bidding war; I’m hoping that where there’s smoke there’s fire. More so than with Beasts. The movie has a comedic drama angle to it so I think it’ll definitely be more accessible to a wider audience. Word is that Hawkes could have another potential Oscar nominated role on his hands with the film. With all of this swirling about, it’s definitely a no brainer for me wanting to check out.

#3 Holy Motors

Trailer // HIFF Page // Official Site

Synopsis:
From dawn to dusk, a few hours in the life of Monsieur Oscar, a shadowy character who journeys from one life to the next. He is, in turn, captain of industry, assassin, beggar, monster, family man… He seems to be playing roles, plunging headlong into each part – but where are the cameras? Monsieur Oscar is alone, accompanied only by Céline, the slender blonde woman behind the wheel of the vast engine that transports him through and around Paris. He’s like a conscientious assassin moving from hit to hit. In pursuit of the beautiful gesture, the mysterious driving force, the women and the ghosts of past lives. But where is his true home, his family, his rest?

Why I Want to See It:
I still don’t exactly know what it is about Holy Motors that intrigues me, but there’s enough going on there that I want to see the film to find out what it is. I saw the trailer shortly after the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and at the time I wasn’t too impressed. As the film has played the festival circuit it has garnered somewhat mixed reviews; though more of them have been on the favorable side. What sold me on seeing the film is that it won the critic’s award at this year’s Fantastic Fest (the largest genre film festival in the world) just a week ago. With a lot of fanboy journalists/bloggers behind it how can I go wrong?

#4 Rust & Bone

Trailer // HIFF Page // Official Site

Synopsis:
Ali, a man of formidable size and strength, gets a job as a bouncer in a nightclub. He comes to the aid of Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) during a nightclub brawl. Aloof and beautiful, Stephanie seems unattainable, but in his frank manner Ali leaves her his phone number anyway. Stephanie trains orca whales at Marineland. When a performance ends in tragedy, a call in the night again brings them together. When Ali sees her next, Stephanie is confined to a wheel chair : she has lost her legs and quite a few illusions. Ali’s direct, unpitying physicality becomes Stephanie’s lifeline, but Ali, too, is transformed by Stephanie’s tough resilience. And Stephanie comes alive again. As their stories intersect and diverge, they navigate a world where strength, beauty, youth and blood are commodities— but where trust, truth, loyalty and love cannot be bought and sold, and courage comes in many forms.

Why I Want to See It:
The film original got on my radar after it got some pretty good buzz coming off of its premiere at Cannes. What got my attention though were the two leads, Marion Cotillard of course most us may know her from The Dark Knight Rises, but also Matthias Schoenaerts; who broke onto the scene in last year’s Oscar nominated film Bullhead. Together these two seem to have some strong chemistry and I’m itching to see how it all plays out. The setup for the film seems tailor made for tragedy and I think it’ll definitely showcase their acting talents.

#5 Hang Loose

Trailer // HIFF Page // Official Site

Synopsis:
HANG LOOSE turns on the manic vs. medium cool performances of actors Dante Basco (THE DEBUT, Festival 2000) and Kevin Wu (aka KevJumba), here playing slightly dialed-up versions of themselves. Wu is newly-single Kevin who, having been dumped by his longtime girlfriend the week he graduates from high school, flies out to Hawaii to attend his big sister’s wedding. Upon his arrival into Honolulu, he meets his future brother-in-law Dante (Basco) and his crazy groomsmen Ben (Benjamin Arthur) and Dion (Dion Basco). Clearly out of his element, Kevin lets himself get talked into tagging along for Dante’s bachelor party, a soiree that quickly goes wrong in so many ways

Why I Want to See It:
Hang Loose is directed by Ryan Kawamoto and produced by James Sereno . . . two of the guys behind Kinetic Productions and who’s feature arm (Kinetic Films) made last year’s Paradise Broken (One of the best films that I saw at HIFF last year). After watching Paradise Broken and their anthology series 6B I am sold on anything these guys do and I’m definitely looking forward to their lighter comedic offering in this year’s Hang Loose.

Other Films of Note

This preview wouldn’t be complete without us tossing out a few more recommendations on cool and interesting things that you could possibly check out at this year’s festival. Here are a few things for the high and/or family minded . . .

Potential Oscar Candidates

The word “international” in Hawaii International Film Festival is there for a reason . . . the festival is showcasing some of the best films from around the world. Seven films playing at this year’s festival have been submitted by their respective countries as their entry to potentially become nominated in the Foreign Language Film category . . . aka The Oscars. Though a crowded field to be sure, you might be able to get a jump on your Oscar ballot by checking out these films:

  • A Royal Affair (Denmark)
  • Barbara (Germany)
  • Barfi! (India)
  • Caesar Must Die (Italy)
  • Bwakaw (Phillipines)
  • Beyond the Hills (Romania)
  • Sister (Switzerland)

Studio Ghibli Retrospective

Though I came late to the party on the Hayao Miyazaki bandwagon (the first film that I saw was Princess Mononoke), once I was on board . . . I was on board. The Studio Ghibli Retrospective has been touring the country for the past year and now it makes a stop right here in Hawaii for HIFF. It’s definitely a great opportunity for you to catch up on some of these classics, or if you’re like me, see them for the first time in a theater with other like-minded people. The highlight of the retrospective will definitely be this weekend when HIFF, in conjunction with Our Kaka‘ako, present Spirited Away on Saturday night under the stars at the Kaka‘ako Gateway Park. There’s going to be food trucks, cosplay contest, and should be a lot of fun for the entire family.

Are you going to be checking out HIFF this year? If you are, let us know in the comments and tell us what films you’re interested in seeing.

21
Mar
12

Titles for HIFF’s 2012 Spring Showcase Announced

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF

Yesterday the Hawaii International Film Festival announced their titles for the 2012 Spring Showcase happening next month. The showcase fits perfectly into April as Hollywood usually scales back its releases in anticipation of the summer season in May–which gives us a fine chance to check out some foreign and indie fare. The Spring Showcase doesn’t run as long or carries the same amount of films as the main festival in the fall so you’ll only have a small window to check out the 33 films that will be playing.

Just from glancing at the schedule there are two films that I’m interested in seeing. The first is Liberal Arts written and directed by Josh Radnor (of How I Met Your Mother fame) and also stars Elizabeth Olsen who broke out onto the scene in last year’s Martha Marcy May Marlene. Getting a standing ovation when it played at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film looks at a thirty-something (Radnor) going back to his college and falling for a 19 year old college student (Olsen). I talked about Liberal Arts in my Sundance post and now we’ll get a chance to see it locally.

The second film of the showcase that I’m also interested in checking out is Indie Game: The Movie–a documentary about the makers of independent video games. This film also played at this year’s Sundance, but it wasn’t until I saw this review about the film from the recently wrapped SXSW that got me interested in it. If you’re at all into video games, this film will definitely be worth checking out. Check out the trailer below:

As we get closer to the showcase I’ll post more thoughts on some of the other films that will be playing. Until then I suggest you also check out programming director Anderson Le’s blog post on some of the big films that will be playing in the showcase, most notably Dragon (Wu Xia) a “soon-to-be martial arts classic” starring everyone’s favorite Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen.

The Hawaii International Film Festival 2012 Spring Showcase will be held Friday, April 13 through Thursday, April 19 at the Regal Dole Cannery 18.

Tickets go on sale April 4 (April 2 for members).

03
Nov
11

HIFF 2011: Hodgepodge & Festival Wrap Up

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF
Tags: , , , ,

I know, I know, I’m still writing stuff on HIFF. It’s such a huge film event here in Hawaii that it warrants a lot of coverage by a movie blog based in Hawaii. I promise you though that this will be pretty much the last post on this year’s festival. So please, bear with me as I put down a few more thoughts on the closing days of HIFF 31 in order to try and wrap things up.

Final Entry into the Diary of a HIFF Volunteer

So my last day/s of volunteering didn’t provide as much writing material and hence, this small section is going to close out my experience working as a volunteer at this year’s festival. The one thing I did want to mention again, is that you can end up working with some really cool people as a volunteer.

HIFF volunteers direct festival attendees to the appropriate theater.

On the lone Tuesday night of the festival, I was put into this team of three and we were posted at theater 12. Sadly I can’t remember my teammates names, but it was me, this other guy that I had worked with on Saturday, and this girl. I don’t know how it came up, but it eventually came out that we were all the same age as we were all born in 1980. I mean, I’m sure the odds of something like that happening were way more possible than say me winning the lottery, but at the time I found it pretty striking. With some common ground between us, we started chatting away as we worked.

Of course, the conversation turned towards where we lived and where we were from. Through all of our conversation up until this point I had just assumed that we were all locals. Nothing that anyone had said would have given me reason to think otherwise. However, the other guy in our group told us that he was originally from Houston, Texas. This sparked an amazing conversation on how he came to be in Hawaii and of his travels around the world.

It started off with the usual questions; we asked him what he was doing here in Hawaii, how long he had been here, where he was before he came here. Come to find out that he was watching his friend’s house while he was deployed. Since his friend had a car as well, he even had a car to get around in. How he got here was pretty cool too (figuratively, not literally). Basically his friend called him up towards the end of last year and asked if him if he wanted to live in Hawaii while he was deployed. At the time he was finishing up his stay in Australia and he didn’t really have anything else to do so he took his friend up on his offer.

Naturally the question of “well what were doing in Australia” came up. This pretty much lead into a whirlwind tour of my teammate’s travels around the world. He told us that he was in Australia for volunteer work and it was through the volunteer service that placed him there that he’d traveled all over. He then told us about his experience volunteering in Ethiopia, what life was like there, and about the Internet cafes they had there. The whole time I was listening I was pretty amazed. He was such a low key guy and he had these interesting stories about where he’d been. He even told us that he was a fugitive in Australia. He got fined for trespassing down there and he was supposed to appear in court. The thing was, his court date was a week or two after his flight to Hawaii. He said they’d probably never let him back into the country for skipping town, but he wasn’t heartbroken about it since he had already seen the country and didn’t really need to go back.

Teammates, volunteers, festival friends, call them what you will. You meet these people possibly one night out of the festival and never see them again till the spring or the following year. Working with a good group of people will make the time just fly by while working with not so great people . . . well, let’s just say that’ll probably make for some fun stories. Whatever the case may be, you’re going to meet interesting people when you volunteer at HIFF.

George Clooney at HIFF

The George Clooney cardboard cutout was a big hit on the final night of the festival.

Going into the festival, I (along with everyone else) knew that Descendants director, Alexander Payne, was going to be here for closing night. It was reported by the Star-Advertiser and other media outlets. Hollywood film, shot in Hawaii, about Hawaii, and the director was going to be here to receive an award and talk about the film . . . yeah, even before the festival started you knew closing night was going to be crazy.

What I wasn’t expecting though, was the rumor mill buzzing about how George Clooney might be coming to the festival as well. I heard people talking about this from opening night! No one really knew for sure if he was coming, but it seemed as if everyone had heard from someone that an effort had been made to bring him out here. Now I’m sure Clooney was reached out to and asked to attend, however from the way people were talking about it, it seemed as if everyone thought he would make an appearance and that it was just this secret that was under wraps.

I knew from the beginning that Clooney wasn’t going to be here. There’s no way something like that could be kept a secret, it would have been reported somewhere. And also, this isn’t Telluride or Comic-Con where stuff is kept secret up until the moment it happens. No, if Clooney was coming, everyone would know.

Fast forward to closing night. I didn’t know it as we walked through the lobby, but George Clooney did show up for this year’s HIFF. He was in the lobby in front of the HIFF sponsor backdrop posing for pictures with guests. Ok, well, it wasn’t the real George Clooney, it was a cardboard cutout of him. It was really fun to see everyone wanting to take their pictures with the cutout and I thought it was a really great way to use the buzz surrounding the rumors of his appearance to engage festival attendees.

So just how did the festival get “Clooney” to show up? Festival director Joshua Nye said he had a brainstorm Friday night about the Clooney cutout and rushed out to get it made in time for the closing night film on Sunday.

Thoughts on The Descendants

And what of the closing night film itself? Call me a homer, but I loved The Descendants. I thought Clooney was great in the lead role of Matt King and I especially liked the relationship that he had with his daughters. Overall I thought the entire ensemble cast did good job, even down to Matt Lilliard who, when I saw his name come up in the opening credits I was like, “Ugh, not the guy from Scooby Doo!” However, I thought he had a great understated performance that didn’t make me think about his previous roles.

During the post film Q&A with director Alexander Payne, he talked a lot about how he wanted to get things right about Hawaii and even went so far as to live here for a few months before shooting began to get a good feel for Hawaii. All of Payne’s hard work definitely shows in the film. The way that our local lifestyle is depicted, from family gatherings, right down to the main character of Matt King–everything felt pretty authentic to me. I personally don’t know anyone like Matt King, but there are people like that here. They may not look local, or they may not act local, but they ARE local. And it was things like that that I appreciated from the film.

Anytime you have a film with George Clooney claiming Hawaiian, I’ll take that movie any day of the week. So yeah, like a lot of other locals, I really enjoyed The Descendants and I’m putting it in my Top 10 films of 2011.

Closing Thought’s on this Year’s Festival

Overall I had a really great experience this year, from both working as a volunteer and as a festival goer. If I had to say, I think I enjoyed more of the festival this year than I did last year. From the perspective of the blog, I definitely covered more than I have in the past. Things were really going good in the beginning when I had five or six days of consecutive posts and for a brief time I thought I could keep that pace. Sadly though reality eventually set in and I decided to choose sleep (and other real world responsibilities) over posting.

As for the final count of films that I saw, I believe the count stands at seven:

  • Paradise Broken
  • 6B
  • Martha Marcy May Marlene
  • Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
  • Knots
  • Bullhead
  • The Descendants

Though I didn’t get to see everything that I wanted to, which would have been physically impossible, I do know which films I want to look out for should they make their way to theaters within the next few month or appear on Netflix.

One takeaway from this year’s festival that will stand out for me is what local filmmakers are doing here in Hawaii. I’ve always been hesitant to check out local productions only because for such a long time there hasn’t been anything all that great. From commercials to the stuff on OC16, there is a lot of locally produced stuff that is really lame, kinda cheesy, or just plain tacky–and it was because of all of this that turned me off from local productions. Paradise Broken changed all that. It made me realize that we do have people who are doing great things in Hawaii. Like anything else, some things are going to be better than others and if you search for it, you will find quality work and storytelling going on here.

So I think that’s going to do it for this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival. Definitely some good times. If you enjoyed the festival this year or if you have anything to add, go ahead and hit me up in the comments.

—————————————

Catch up with other closing thoughts from this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival from other local bloggers:

31
Oct
11

HIFF 2011: Michael Giacchino Q&A

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF
Tags: , , ,

It took us almost a week to fully recover from this year’s HIFF. Though the festival’s over, we’re finally able to look back and blog about a few more things that we saw and did at this year’s fest. We thank you for coming back and checking in with us as we close out our coverage of HIFF 31.

While you may not have heard of Michael Giacchino, I can definitely bet that you’ve seen some of the films he’s worked on: Mission Impossible III, The Incredibles, Star Trek, and UP (which he won an Academy Award for). Though he might not be as well known as fellow composer John Williams when it comes to film scores (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, Harry Potter), Giacchino is definitely on his way to becoming a household name.

As part of the Hawaii International Film Festival’s Sound x Vision section, Giacchino was invited to the festival to ‘talk shop’ at two different panels–both discussing music as it relates to cinema. For the panel that is being covered in this post, Giacchino was on hand after a screening of one of the most recent films that he’s worked on, this summer’s Super 8 directed by JJ Abrams.

Though the video quality might not be the best, from the four videos that we shot you can definitely get a feel for the kind of person Giacchino is as well as his personality. He’s definitely very passionate about his work and seemed very down to Earth both during and outside of the Q&A. He even stayed well after the Super 8 Q&A was over to sign autographs and take pictures with each and every fan.

If you’re interested by his work, I hope you take the time to watch each video. Each of the videos is less than seven minutes long and I’ve also provided a rough breakdown of what is discussed in each one.

Part I
How Giacchino got into making movies . . .
How he got into music and transitioned from making movies to making music . . .
On his experience at the performing arts school Juilliard in New York City . . .

Part II
How he developed his orchestral background . . .
On his early days as a composer . . .
On meeting Steven Spielberg for the first time . . .

Part III (continuation of Part II)
On what he took away with from working with JJ Abrams & Brad Bird . . .
On working on Pixar’s UP . . .

Part IV
On composing for Super 8 . . .

18
Oct
11

HIFF 2011: Interview With Traci Toguchi

By Guest Manager Leave a Comment
Categories: HIFF and Interviews
Tags: , , ,

Traci Toguchi with Ralph Macchio (aka Daniel-son) from The Karate Kid Part II.

In this special to The Red Band Project, Guest Manager Valentino Valdez sits down for an interview with local ‘renaissance chick’ (and actress) Traci Toguchi.

When the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) announced they were bringing The Karate Kid Part II back to the big screen for the 25th anniversary (as part of HIFF), I was stoked. It’s such a cult hit, especially here in Hawaii, and I have fond memories of watching it with my family in the back of our shag-carpeted Chevy Malibu station wagon at Kam Drive-In, as well as re-enacting every scene with my sister and nephew. I was compelled to seek out the only person I knew, personally, that was in the movie–-local ‘renaissance chick’, Traci Toguchi—to get some behind the scenes scoops. Her role in the film (she’s credited as ‘Girl Ringing Bell’) was not only a turning point in the movie (Sato sees the light!), but a turning point in her career. I sat down and talked with Traci (and by “sat down and talked”, I mean, emailed her questions and waited for her to reply) about her experiences on The Karate Kid Part II, as well as catch up on her other projects.

Was The Karate Kid Part II your first film? Was it your first “Hollywood” job?

Yes, it was. It’s how I got my SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card. :) (My first acting job was a Japanese commercial for Mitsubishi of Japan when I was 8.)

What was it like working on such a popular movie? Can you describe some personal experiences you had with the stars of the film?

It was a dream come true. My sister and I kept Karate Kid posters of Ralph Macchio on our bedroom walls, so everything – from the audition process (standing and crying, hitting an imaginary bell in a room at the Ilikai Hotel), to the callbacks (on set with many other kids – all needing to climb the tower and cry), to the filming process (did some of my own stunts and had a stunt woman!) , to the premiere in Hollywood (my mom and I got to attend!) – was surreal.

From Day One, Ralph was so kind, thoughtful and professional. We shot that bell tower scene a zillion times (not only in Hawaii in Kahalu’u, but also in Los Angeles in a movie studio parking lot). That required much rehearsal and getting wet, cold, and muddy. After every take, everyone would rush to Ralph, but he’d tell everyone to help me first, and let me to go first to take a hot shower (and clean off for the next take). He made sure I had hot cocoa. I’ll forever be grateful for his kindness.

One of Traci's scenes from The Karate Kid Part II.

When my part was extended, and my mother and I went to LA to continue filming. We were in the Shuri Castle set as the shot was being set up, when the line was created for me, and Pat was enlisted to help me pronounce the line, “If not for you, I not be here” with the appropriate accent. He was funny, professional, focused… I recall seeing him many years later at a Perry and Price morning radio show appearance after I sang. He was shocked to hear me sing for the first time. He made some one liner joke like he did when he played “Al” in Happy Days that made me crack up. He was and still is classic.

Although this was Tamlyn’s first film too, she was incredibly relaxed, professional, fun, and encouraging. It excites me to see how much she continues to brightly lead the way for Asian American actresses, as she is beautiful, kind, professional, and talented. Nobu McCarthy and Danny were also incredibly warm, kind, helpful, professional, and supportive, as were Yuji and Joey and Mark, though I think they needed to stay in their bad boy characters. ;)

Being able to have been directed by Rocky director John Avildsen continues to be one the biggest honors of my life. He took a chance on me, and gave me the opportunity to do more in the film than what was originally scripted (a featured extra part). He was incredibly helpful, warm, and as you can see from his work, brilliant.

The qualities I mentioned in the handful above were recurring and consistent on the set. I was fortunate to have worked as an extra many days to see some aspects of the movie making business at a young age. Even the extras shared a bond, because of the spirit of the cast and crew, but also because of the spirit and nature of Hawaii people.

What other local actors were in the movie besides you and Danny Kamekona?

Interesting question. Quickly Googled. Looked through the IMDB list, but uncertain if any of the others were from Hawaii (perhaps some of the G.I.’s?). 

Unfortunately, many large principal roles for big productions – both film and TV – are typically not cast in Hawaii, which means Hawaii actors don’t have the opportunity to audition for the larger roles. In LA, actors can stay “fit” by auditioning for big productions – depending on the time of the year – every week, if not every day. When large productions like Hawaii Five-0 stay for a bit, they provide Hawaii actors the opportunity to work on their craft. We are immensely grateful when this happens.

Were all your scenes filmed in Hawaii?

No. Additional “bell tower” scenes, as well as the bon dance scene were shot in Burbank (Los Angeles, California). I missed my elementary school “graduation,” but had my own tutor. (Sweet, huh? ;)



You and Tamlyn Tomita were also in Picture Bride. Was that a coincidence or did the Karate Kid connection have something to do with that?

Total coincidence. :) Also around that time, we had come to share another thing in common — winning a pageant. Tamilyn was a Nisei Week Queen before starring in The Karate Kid Part II.

Please tell me about your role in Bait [a short film featured as part of ‘The Short List’ at HIFF].

I played “Rhonda,” the daughter of the characters played by the great Hawaii actors Dann Seki and Blossom Lam-Hoffman. It was such an honor to be amongst this small cast (other actors included Pomai Brown of 50 First Dates and veteran singer Marlene Sai).



The producers Jason Lau, and John Ching (who was also the director of Bait) were awesome to work with, including producer Angela Laprete, who is Production Supervisor for Hawaii Five-0. 

In fact, many that worked on that crew work on Five-0, so it was seamless, and such an enjoyable experience for me. 

After the premiere at HIFF the other night, I was surprised to learn my classmate (same Kaiser High grad!) wrote the screenplay. I had seen his name on the title page, but thought the name could be very common. Grant Ching came up to me (hadn’t seen him since graduation many moons ago), and told me he was happy I was in his film! Small world. :)

Please tell me about your upcoming Hawaii Five-0 guest spot. What was the experience like on the set?

My character is Mrs. Lasko. My husband (played by Kevin Yamada, who’s also from Hawaii, but also resides in New York City) and I are victims of a home invasion. Our scene is with McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Lori (Lauren German). The director was the talented Larry Teng.



Larry was professional, articulate, and helpful. Alex and Lauren were so easy to work with. They were also professional, funny, kind, and as you can see on the show, very talented. 

Like Bait, I knew many of the crew from other local (film, TV, commercial) productions, so it was like being at home.

The entire experience from Day One much like The Karate Kid II (and Bait, come to think of it), was incredible. The people were professional, kind, and bright individuals who work well as a team. 

I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

Any other film or TV projects in the works?

Nothing I can mention now. Regardless, I’m always studying and applying different acting techniques and learning as much as I can (I also teach these techniques to kids, which helps me a lot too).

You’ve also had success on Broadway. Would you do Broadway again if given the opportunity? What roles would you love to tackle?

My dream role would be playing Fantine in Les Miserables (which is not currently running, though is my favorite story/Broadway musical). I used to practice a song she sings – “I Dreamed a Dream” when I had the musical on cassette tape as a kid. :) Singing it still resonates in my gut. Les Miz was part of the Cameron Mackintosh family of iconic musicals with Miss Saigon and the Phantom of the Opera. We got to see and support each other while on the road.Would love the opportunity to perform on Broadway in Manhattan. Being in the national (Broadway) tour was awesome, but since New York is my second home, it would be incredibly awesome.Heard rumors about a Broadway musical of Disney’s Enchanted (or maybe it was in one of my dreams, lol). It’s one of my all-time favorite musical films. Would love to play Giselle (Amy Adams’ character), as I tend to be gullible like her. ;)

Supergator! Tell us how you got involved with this project and any interesting experiences you had on the set. Were you scared of the Supergator? And what happened to that guy you were tending to at the end? The girl never came back with that first aid kit!



Hahaha! Actually, this was a great project for me, as I didn’t have to audition. One of the producers contacted me (or my agent, can’t recall which came first), and said I didn’t have to audition with the credits I already had.

 Flew and got to spend the night in Kauai after the filming, so it was über sweet.



Thankfully, I didn’t need to “interact” with the gator, as others did. I felt bad for those that needed to act like they were being attacked by something that was digitally created post-filming. Was the gator scary in the film? (I’m asking, lol.) It looked scary from what I saw on the online promotional material. :)  A highlight was getting to shoot a rifle between scenes, which was quite an experience.

I never got to see the film (though people including my mom and aunt kept telling me they’ve seen it), so I didn’t know that about the girl not coming back with the first-aid kit!! That’s hysterical.

There seems to be a bit of a cult following for the film though it is not highly thought of in regards to the overall quality of the production. Perhaps it’s due to all those SyFy airings, I’m not certain. :) I recently received an autograph request stating how I made the movie better when I appeared. I’m sure he wrote that to the rest of the cast too though! ;)

Most of the autograph requests I (still) receive come from LOST fans. Besides Five-0, LOST was one of the best TV filming experiences I’ve had. Although it seemed to be a brief exchange with Dr. Shepard (Matthew Fox), the filming process was rare for a TV show in my experience, because this process was like shooting a film where telling the story took precedence. Blocking was consciously considered and rehearsed so it made sense in the story. By the time we filmed, it was second nature. I feel the success of that show (besides the incredible talent and imaginative storylines) were due to the efforts made to tell the story. After having auditioned for 4 seasons without any callbacks, to have been a part of LOST history (not to mention Lostpedia ;) continues to be a blessing, as the program continues to air throughout the world.

BTW, my Hawaii Five-0 episode – 2.6 “Ka Hakaka Maikai” airs October 24, 2011. <fingers crossed>

Reposted with permission from ValenTumblr.

Tamlyn Tomita, Valentino Valdez, and Traci Toguchi at the HIFF screening of The Karate Kid Part II .

Graphic artist, movie geek, and awesome dad are probably the best ways to describe Guest Manager Valentino Valdez. You can find more of Tino’s work over at ValentinoValdez.com and follow his exploits on Twitter @valdezign. 

« Previous Entries

Contact Red Band Project

team@redbandproject.com

Red Band Feed

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.