a mixed plate of Japanese American news and culture
Monday, Feb. 20 Union Bank Hospitality Room, Japan Center East Mall, S.F. Japantown Admission: FREE (donations welcome) Seating limited More info on Day of Remembrance: www.dayofremembrance.org A one-day film series held in conjunction with the Bay Area Day of Remembrance on Feb. 19, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, which [...]
In the coming weeks, two Emmy-winning reality TV series will premier with a host of colorful personalities vying for fame, fortune and personal accomplishments. Both programs will air on CBS, “Survivor: One World” and “The Amazing Race.” According to CBS, “Survivor: One World” will feature 18 contestants who are split into two tribes of nine [...]
As a cultural icon for Asian American and mainstream audiences alike, Bruce Lee is considered an inspirational figure. The upcoming release of “I Am Bruce Lee,” which Canadian filmmaker Pete McCormack directed, explores Lee’s life through archival footage and interviews with people who were close to him. Lee, whose thinking was both revolutionary and controversial, [...]
The 84th Academy Awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will air on Sunday, Feb. 26. Some 5,783 members will have cast their votes for the outstanding film achievements of 2011, with films from 63 countries. The awards ceremony will take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in [...]
In comedy, there is a wide spectrum of realism. On the one end, you have films that stick to conventional plots with largely realistic people and situations, then throw in the occasional unlikely event or silly character; on the other end, you have films that will do whatever it takes for a laugh, bombarding the [...]
Many have called “Outrage,” the new film by Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, a return to his roots. In some respects, that’s accurate. Like his films from the ‘90s, “Outrage” is a violent gangster flick. But beneath the surface, it has more in common with his 2003 “The Blind Swordsmen: Zatoichi,” about the iconic chambara blind swordsman. [...]
Kerwin Berk, director of “The Virtues of Corned Beef Hash,” is working on his most recent film, “Infinity and Chashu Ramen.” The film, set in San Francisco’s modern day Japantown, follows Tenshi (Hiroshi Kashiwagi), an obnoxious 400-year-old spirit with a foul mouth and propensity for petty theft, and Lucy Yamaguchi (Wendy Hyunh), a sweet but [...]
“Conscience and the Constitution,” the documentary on the only organized draft resistance movement to come out of a U.S. concentration camp during World War II, has been re-issued as a two disc DVD set with two hours of additional footage and interviews. When “Conscience” first came out in 2000, it uncovered the untold story of [...]
The San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) announced on June 22 that the New People Cinema, located in San Francisco Japantown’s New People building, will become a permanent home to the film society. The SFFS has been searching for a permanent home for its yearlong showings as well as its two-week long San Francisco International Film [...]
In Japan, Miwa Akihiro is a household name. The 76-year-old, openly gay, bleached blonde, drag queen, actor/author/singer is a regular face on Japanese television, known for making outrageous, cutting and (sometimes) insightful comments on news and culture. In the U.S., he is known mostly known for his film roles—playing the femme fatale in Kinji Fukusaku’s [...]
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