One of my favorite FFs is the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAFF). There’s definitely something for everyone in this FF. Here are my suggestions:
Dude flick: Baby
Sex, drugs and violence. Think Reservoir Dogs with a teenage gangsta Asian American spin. Prolific actor Tzi Ma (Catfish in Black Bean Sauce) plays the role of the alcoholic father in this story of revenge in East LA. Another very stylish film for the boyz is Undoing, which is very noiresque. This is a great comeback film after almost a decade since Chris Chan Lee’s last film, Yellow. However, I got a little lost in parts but enjoyed that it was a story with AA characters but seemingly without AA (Asian American) themes.
Date movie: The Trouble with Romance
Don’t be fooled by the name, this movie is a romantic comedy with a little something for men and women. Basically, it’s 4 stories deconstructing relationships in different rooms within the same hotel. Trouble got a few extra points in my book since it had David Eigenberg, who plays the role of Steve in Sex and the City — he’s not AA but whatever, I still loved that show. By the name you might think that Shanghai Kiss might be a better bet for a romantic night out. It’s well done and pretty slick by Hollywood standards, but personally, I couldn’t get over the fact that the main romance occurred between a 16-year-old genius girl and a 28-year-old emotionally stunted man. Not hot in my book. No matter how hard the film tries to justify the age difference, it’s just plain “eewww.”
History Buffs: Hollywood Chinese
I haven’t seen this flick yet, but it’s in my “Top 10.” The story behind this film is that in researching the history of Asian Americans in film for this documentary, director Arthur Dong found 2 reels of what has recently been dubbed the earliest Asian American film ever made, Curse of Quan Gwon, which was made in 1916 and directed by female director, Marion Wong — ground breaking! There will also be a special screening of the entire 35 minutes of found footage and will be the first time that it will be screened.
Hollywood Fans: Dark Matter
This film directorial debut from Chinese opera director Chen Shi-Zheng is based on a true story. That should be enough of a clue for you to figure out that it’s not the typical Hollywood happy ending. I’m just suggesting this one for those that are into Hollywood flicks, due to the fact that Meryl Streep is in it. And I would see any movie with Meryl in it.