Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. Looks like all sorts of things are happening at the Hawaiian Film Festival, and we've got a mess of reports for you, starting with this one from Moon Yun:
Moon Yun signing in from Hawaii … I just saw the most awesome documentary ever, titled SHARKWATER, on the beach in Waikiki . The director, Rob Stewart, asked me to come to the showing and I’m so glad he did. The film opened my eyes to the plight of our sharks and what mankind is doing to these misunderstood creatures. Granted I wouldn’t want to be in waters with sharks (unless it was in the South Pacific where sharks are gentle and the Polynesians swim with them). But to see extensive footage of sharks being pulled on to poacher’s boats, their fins cut away and then dumped back into the ocean while alive is abnormally cruel. The filmmaker says that poachers hunt for shark fins because it’s a very lucrative business – some billion dollars worth. Shark fin soup is a delicatessen in China and is consumed on special days like weddings. That’s why it’s so hard to get the fishermen to stop. It’s also why it’s so hard to get the government to enforce rules and set quotas. The underwater footage also done by Stewart is spectacular and beautiful, unless it’s of the butchering of sharks, then it’s horrific and sad. Steward estimates that we’re losing hundreds and thousands of sharks per year unless we put a stop to it. If the sharks become instinct then what adverse effect will it have on our ecosystem? There’s cool footage of Stewart swimming in ocean with a shark and he pets and plays with it. There’s also beautiful shots of the Whale sharks, which can reach 50 feet in length and are thus the largest fish in the ocean. These gentle giants eat only plankton but they too are being targeted by poachers. And there are tons of the awkward looking hammerheads. Stewart fell in love with sharks from when he was a little boy. In the documentary, he debunks the myth of the shark as being mindless, dangerous predators that eat human. A lot of times, the sharks mistake humans – if they happen be on a surfboard – for turtles and will bite to see what it is. In addition to the shark footage, Stewart tried to fit in his adventures with the Sea Shepherd organization and world renowned conservationist Paul Watson with the rest of the film. While still fascinating, those parts – confronting shark-fishing boat off Guatemala – felt like a different movie. I really admire the filmmaker for the sacrifice and dedication he put into this. Stewart spent four years making this documentary. He was an underwater photographer before embarking on this project. This Canadian native was going to do an underwater film about the sharks when he encountered all this human drama – shark poaching, Taiwanese mafia connection, charges of attempted murder from the Costa Rican government. But I’m glad he did. Then we wouldn’t have this incredible documentary about one man’s journey to save a creature he loves – the shark. To see where this film will play next, Check the official site. Moon Yun signing out…
Here's a report from Albert on some of the films he's seen:
HIFF 2006: A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING GOOD MOVIES by Albert Lanier Much like a freight train, the 26th edition of the Hawaii International Film Festival is rolling on as it moves in a few days toward its final stop. The 2006 fest has stood out thus far from last year's big 25th anniversary celebration in a number of areas. For one, there aren't as many celebs this year as in 2005 when Zhang Yimou, Sonny Chiba and Samuel Jackson attended. Not that HIFF is a celebrity rich festival anyway but the star wattage has dimmed some what despite the scheduled presence of CLERKS 2 director Kevin Smith and MEMORIES OF A GEISHA star Ken Watanabe who are both slated to pick up awards-Smith the Maverick award, Watanabe the Achievement in Acting award. Another reason are the number of special film focus programs this year-3 in total. The first deals with Filipino films and is timed to coincide with this year's 100th anniversary celebration of Filipino immigration to Hawaii. Included in this focus are features such as the Sundance hit THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS directed by Aureaus Solito, JUST LIKE BEFORE helmed by Mike Sendejas and Brillante Mendoza's SUMMER HEAT. The second focus deals with Vietnamese features and include films like Vu Thu Ha's LIEU and Ringo Le's SAIGON LOVE STORY. The final focus is a cyclical one for HIFF-a comedy focus held every ten years. The first was in 1986 and the second in 1996. Included in this year's focus are such films as PITTSBURGH directed by Chris Bradley and Kyle Lebrache, CRAZY STONE by Ning Hao and METROSEXUAL by Yongoot Thongkongtoon. But I know what you're thinking:What about the films? Well, the first weekend of HIFF 2006 actually pretty good with Saturday, October 21st yielded two films I consider to be the discoveries of the festival. But I'll get to that. I began Saturday by dropping in on the Sayang Mon Amour short film program and I saw a couple of films-INTERIOR AWAKENINGS from China- directed by Pan Zi Jing and Jonathan Levitt-concerned two vending machines with surveillance camera placed atop them who try strike up a romantic relationship and 3 MEALS from Singapore about three such meals that result in dating disillusionment and maternal scoldings. I also hung out at thus year's LOST SEMINAR for 15 minutes or so. This year yielded actors Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson and Henry Ian Cusick. However, there was no packed theater unlike last year's seminar and the audience turnout didn't even fill half the theater. I opted to move on and see my first feature of the day Director TIan Zhuangzhuang's latest film GO MASTER, a biopic of master game player Wu Qingyuan. Wu Qingyuan became a master in Go, a game played on a hard wooden grid with back and white pieces that focuses more on overall strategy and related patterns that simply moving pieces ala Chess to achieve a desired specific outcome or series of outcomes. GO MASTER is set largely in the 30's and 40's as Wu becomes a whiz at the game, moves to Japan-the center of Go-to grow in his knowledge and experience with the game and to concentrate on being a master player. Wu eventually becomes one of the top players of the game winning ten-game tournaments and rising to the upper echelons of the sport. Wu not only embraces Go but religion as well by joining a sort of Shinto offshoot sect with a leader who touts herself as the living goddess of the sun. Eventually, Wu and his Japanese wife became disillusioned with the sect and Wu dissolves his ties with the sect in 1948. He also decides to give up playing the game of Go competitively during the tail end of World War Two but definitively retiring after the war. GO MASTER is a thoughtful, absorbing drama well directed by Zhuangzhuang and ably acted by its central star Chang Chen who plays Wu. One of the keys to the success of GO MASTER is the script by Ah Cheng and Zou Jingzhi which casts Wu in a decidedly contemplative and philosophical light. The filmmakers also contextualize Wu by not putting up titles denoting various focal points in his life but including quotes from Wu after every title so the audience gets a grounding on the make-up and character of Wu beyond that of the performance of Chang Chen. Zhuangzhuang treats his subject with sensitivity and respect. We see Wu as a man of quiet convictions and passions. In fact, Wu is quoted as saying the only things that he cares about are "truth and Go." It is that organic core, that root, that purity of interest, motivation and commitment whether to a game or a belief that lies at the heart of GO MASTER. I got to see an hour of SHOE FAIRY, a film with an AMELIE like touch, from Taiwan. The film revolves largely around Dodo, a woman who spent a good deal of her childhood in a wheelchair because of foot problems. When her feet are operated and worked allowing her to walk, she blossoms into a young woman obsessed with shoes. I mean REALLY obsessed with shoes. She dozens of pairs and keeps them in an entire closet. An accountant/receptionist/ errand girl at a publishing house, Dodo meets smiley a dentist. They marry. Dodo bring her shoes with her. SHOE FAIRY is a modern day fairy tale. Director Robin Lee directs with a light touch in this her debut film. The day continued to get stronger with the next film, the Filipino drama JUST LIKE BEFORE directed by Mike Sendejas which has its North American premiere at HIFF. In the 1980's, a rock band called " The Dawn" tore up the music charts in the Philippines becoming one of that country's most influential bands. However, in 1988, the Dawn's leader guitarist Teddy Diaz was killed in a mugging. The Dawn continued to play until in 1996 when they disbanded. In 2003, however, the band did reunite. JUST LIKE BEFORE takes these real life events and melds them into a largely fictional story of artistic rebirth, emotional pain and acceptance of the past and the present. Jett is the lead singer of The Dawn who have been largely playing in bars since their glory days in the 1980's. Jett enjoys a pleasant relationship with his wife though his interactions with his pre-teen daughter are strained. The one night, Jett gets up and confronts some burglars outside of his house. One of criminals hits Jett over the head knocking him out cold. Later a hospital, a doctor tell Jett's wife and the members of the band that he has specific memory loss induced by the head trauma. Jett only remembers events in his life up to 1988 when Teddy Diaz. He doesn't remember his wife or daughter and knows nothing about the developments in his career and life up to the present 2006. The rest of JUST LIKE BEFORE deals with Jett's struggle with adjusting with both the past and the present. Jett tries to commit to a former flame only to find out she's married with a kid, he berates the band for playing bars when they should be recording albums and climbing the charts and he even leaves the band to front for Bunitata, a large popular hard rock band. It is the spirit of long dead Teddy Diaz that convinces him to give up aggressive, self-absorbed attitude and focus on the good things-his family and the Dawn. Don't let the plot description fool you, JUST LIKE BEFORE is a surprisingly thoughtful and touching film filled with an effective performance by real life Dawn front man Jett Pangan. Part of the reason for the film's success despite its flimsy and apparent plot device (head trauma triggers amnesia and life readjustment and re-evaluation)director and writer Mike Sandejas realizes he has good dramatic material here and wisely shapes it well, aiming for the exposure of hidden pain and loss and not merely concentrating on the less substantial elements of the story like the rivalry with Bunitata. In the process, he has created a film that is more moving than you would think at first glance. The film is in a sense has echoes to scenes in AUSTIN POWERS when Austin watched videos of the past 20 years or so and find out a lot of 60's stars died young. However, the main character has lived in the years between 1988 and 2006 but had his memories virtually erased leaving Jett only to find a way to cope with a present he at first dislikes and life he considers ending in despair. By aiming for a deeper truth and tapping larger emotions, JUST LIKE BEFORE moves beyond the parameters of simple music -oriented films to emerge a slightly more complex , nuanced and moving drama. JUST LIKE BEFORE is one of the biggest surprises at this year's HIFF. Another surprise and one of the big discoveries at this year's HIFF was MEMORIES OF MATSUKO. As I will review this later, I won got into detail ere other than to say it was one of the most unforgettable experiences I have had at HIFF thus far. I saw a half-hour of the French film BACKSTAGE with Emmanuelle Seigner as a pop idol diva named Lauren who shows up to sing at the suburban house of young fan Lucie played by Isild Le Besco who can't handle the intensity of her encounter with Lauren as a camera crew films the event for promotional purposes. Lucie retreats to her room and refuses to come out. After arguing with her mother, Lucie decides to strike out for Paris to see her idol again face to face. The final film of the night was the late night sex film THE STRANGE SAGA OF HIROSHI THE FREELOADING SEX MACHINE from Japan. The less said about this film the better although Iam interested in finding out whether people actually are into cricket wrestling. Sunday, ,October 22nd began for me with glimpsing at least 30 minutes of the drama GIE from Indonesia about a Chinese-Indonesian activist of the same name who agitates against the "guided democracy" of the authoritarian government in power. Then, I saw DAYS OF GLORY about Arab soldiers fighting for France during World War 2. The film begins in Algeria in 1943 when one of the films main character's Said decides to enlist at the displeasure of his mother. DAYS OF GLORY then winds its way past campaigns in Morocco, Italy and France. Along the way we meets the film other central characters: Yassir who picks over the bodies of dead German soldiers for watches, money and other trinkets, Messaoud who winds falling in love with a French woman and wants nothing more than to see her again and get married and Abdelkader, a corporal in 7th Regiment who rails against the racism and discrimination of French officers and men. The film's climax involves an essentially suicidal mission by the 4 men to secure a village in Alsace from German occupation until French reinforcements can arrive. A largely conventional war film, DAYS OF GLORY is a film that tribute to these forgotten Arab and North African soldiers. Like many of these types of war films, DAYS OF GLORY is essentially a surface film with very little to no subtext or deeper meaning. However, Director Rachid Bouchareb keeps the film moving fairly well and the film's script by Bouchareb and Olivier Lorelle makes its points about honor and courage amongst racism and discrimination simply and effectively. DAYS OF GLORY is simplistic and didactic like many films of its type but still works fairly well as a war film. I saw a few locally produced short films under the HAWAII PANORAMA 2 banner but this quickly turned out to be a mistake- due to the poor quality of the films- that I eventually rectified by departing as soon as humanly possible. After attending a rather relaxing party in Waikiki, I then attended the last film of the night, YO YO COP GIRL from TOEI Studios at 9:45 p.m. The film opens with a young woman who wondering through streets of downtown Tokyo, hand cuffed together and a flashing red timer part of a belt like device around her waist. The timer goes to 0 and she gets blown up. YO YO COP GIRL then focuses on a young woman who is deported from New York City back to Japan after making her way through the city's man streets or a couple of years and eventually assaulting at least 10 NYPD cops. The young woman is recruited into a special undercover squad that penetrates school in order ferret out information about major criminal activity. She is given the name Asamiya Saki and sent to a high school to determine the origin of the Enola Gay website, a site that has a timer affixed in a countdown mode and features two chatroom entities-Romeo and Juliet-making plans that sound downright deadly. Saki also receives a special yo-yo which becomes more of a weapon than a toy. As YOYO COP progresses, it becomes apparent that the site to a number of bombs tied around people's waists that counts down via bright red timers. Saki must find the people behind these bombings and stop them before their larger twisted plan goes into effect. Based on a manga, YO YO COP is enjoyable enough comic-based action film that provides straight forward entertainment. Director Fukusaku Kenta keeps the action flowing very nicely and Aya Matsuura makes for a sufficiently tough police chick. Simply good cheesy fun though I wouldn't cut that cheese very often, if I were you.
And finally, if you'd like to see some video from the fest, check this out:
Aloha, Moon Yun signing in from Hawaii... I just got a cool e-mail from film wunderkind Aaron Yamasato. He's passing along the link to a video journal he did of the Hawaii International Film Festival "Party at Tiki Grill." Check out the video as it has all sorts -- from actors to cinematographers to film critics. And be sure to check out his other links of the festival if you missed it the first time 'round. Food and Drinks! Stars and Cigars! :) YouTube - HIFF Vblog- Filmmakers Meet & Greet Party Be sure to also try and check out Aaron's Opening Night coverage... YouTube - HIFF Vblog- Opening Night 2006 His 2nd day footage... YouTube - HIFF Vblog-Sheraton/Ang Pamana Interviews/Hawaii Panorama 1 And the excitement of the LOST panel session at Dole... YouTube - HIFF Vblog- LOST Panel Moon Yun signing out...
