Father Geek here with all the Asia crew plus a few added items... Ol' Copernicus, a long time writer on these pages has been covering the San Francisco International Film Fest for us and he sent in the following look at BROTHER...

I came into the screening of Takeshi Kitano's BROTHER ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence. You see, ol' Copernicus loves a good decapitation, evisceration, disembowelment, or bullet-filling. There's a lot of that here, and a veritable shitload of dedigitation. (Why is it that movie gangsters love separating people from their fingers so much?) The sad truth is, though, that I didn't really enjoy the movie.

Am I getting too old to enjoy the old ultra-violence?

Well, I didn't really care for it...

Dammit, how dare this movie make me question my depravity! It isn't me that is weak, it is this movie!

When I see independent movies that I don't care for at festivals, I normally don't review them. If they are no good they normally don't get distribution anyway, so giving one a bad review would just be a slap in the face. However, I'm making an exception in the case of BROTHER since it already has distribution (Sony Pictures Classics) and it will get a cult following no matter what I say. Plus, it isn't a bad movie, it is just one that could have been so much better, and those are the kind that hurt the worst.

At first I thought BROTHER was going to be really great -- then my buzz wore off. So if you are going to see this movie, pre-intoxicate thyself! That won't help nearly enough though.

The so-called "plot" is that there is a yakuza gangster (played by Kitano) that is forced to leave Japan and start a new life in Los Angeles. He quickly stakes out new turf there, gets into several wars and a lot of people die. That pretty much sums up the plot -- there isn't much to it and what there is is pretty straightforward.

The characters are about as deep and subtle as the plot -- there's the honorable, bad-ass gangster, the wisecracking black sidekick (played by Omar Epps), and scores of Ensign Johnson types that exist only to be filled with bullets.

So much for plot and characterization. You are probably asking yourself, well what is there of merit in this movie, Copernicus? Actually there are some great scenes and hints of brilliance. Kitano is no hack. He's great at setting a mood. He uses unconventional shots to keep us seeing things in a fresh way, and to keep us on edge.

Kitano is also great at drawing a laugh out of a terrible situation. He can have you flip from horrified disbelief to laughter in moments, and that takes talent. Think about it it -- is a pretty amazing trick that (good) filmmakers do -- you are just sitting in a room watching light through celluloid, yet they can make you get all emotional about made up people that you had never heard of one hour before. Making you feel one emotion is one thing, but making you go from horror to laughter instantly is even tougher. After seeing that Kitano can do this so expertly, I was disappointed that I just didn't care at all about most of the characters or situations they found themselves in. Violence can be a cheap and easy tool that many filmmakers use to bring out an emotion in us. It can be done really well, but in this case violence is used as a tool so often and in such extremes that it loses its effect -- we become desensitized to it. Kitano has to keep upping the intensity, and as a result it just seems manipulative and unmotivated. That's too bad, because I have a feeling that he's a lot better director than we see in this movie.

Another high point is Omar Epps. His first scene is at once disturbing and hillarious -- he is getting a broken bottle shoved into his eye. And somehow it is hillarious. It is a really brave introduction to a character, and he has the acting ability and comedic talent to pull it off. He is funny throughout the movie, and I'd bet that he improvised many of his scenes. Unfortunately, he isn't the focus of the movie and he mainly just sits around twitching and killing people.

The bottom line is that this is just another badass-comes-to-town movie, sprinkled with a little Rush Hour, and with the violence turned up. If Kitano had made this movie about ideas, or at least taken a more subtle approach, then it probably would have been something to see. As it is though, it just seems like a waste of talent.

Copernicus

And here's another quick note I just received...

I live in Philadelphia,and tonight I had the chance to go to the international film festival. To keep things short because I am sure you will not recieve this, I saw a fantastic film titled BANGKOK DANGEROUS.

The plot speaks for itself when the movie is about a deaf hitman. The hitman in this movie is perfect. He does not wear a suit John woo style, he is normal and kills w/out emotion. The camera work is dizzying and perfect for the scenes. The story follows the killer through a troublesome week in his life. I am very bad at explaining without ruining but this movie is truly fantastic.

Deaf hitman that's all you need to know. SEE IT WHEN YOU CAN.

Father Geek back with this interesting bit...

Just dropping in to tell you that the Japan cinema website Midnight Eye has a whole host of pictures from the set of the latest film by Audition director Takashi Miike. The new film carries the working title Katakurike No Kofuku (trans: Happiness of the Katakuri Family) and is in fact a musical. Just Click Here Now

They also have an interview with the man himself (including news on the new collaboration between Miike and Ryu Murakami, author of Audition) and reviews of his four latest films Dead or Alive 2, Visitor Q, Family and The Guys From Paradise.

General site address: http://www.midnighteye.com

Hope it's of interest to you.

All the best, Tom

Now to Darius25 and the regular Asia-AICN column...

Asia-AICN

Hey all, I hope you're ready for even more cooler Asian news. This week we've got news on Rajshree Productions' next film, David Dhawan's next film, "Katakuri Ke No Kohuku (Katakuri Family's Happiness)", the upcoming North American distribution of the Korean blockbuster "Shiri", "Natural City", "No Blue No Tears" and results of the Hong Kong Film Awards. Now here's the latest from Asia.

INDIA

- David Dhawan has chosen a yet another No. 1 title for one of his upcoming films. His next release with Salman Khan, Rinke Khanna, and Amisha Patel will be called - ready for this - "Family No. 1"(!). Seriously, I think it's that the director moves on to bigger (and better) films (and titles).

- After the success of "Kya Kehna (Say Something)", producer Ramesh Taurani and director Kundan Shah and actress Preity Zinta will reunite for a yet another project. This new film will also star Rekha, Mahima Choudhary, Arjun Ramphal, and Jimmy Shergill.

- Continuing their tradition from "Hum Aapke Hain Koun (Who Am I of Yours?)" and "Hum Saath Saath Hain (We Stand United), Rajshree productions have announced that their next film will feature no less than 11 songs!! They will be composed by Anu Malik this time rather than their usual composers, Raam-Laxman. Their new film, titled "Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (Prem's Girlfriend)", stars Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan in the leading roles. Expect a huge cast of supporting characters. The film is slated for a November 2002 release.

- Director Ahathian (from last year's "Sirf Tum (Only You)") has just wrapped up work on his latest film, titled "Hum Ho Gaya Aapken (I am Yours)". The film stars Fardeen Khan, Riya Sen, and Apurva Agnihotri in the leading roles. It is scheduled to release on June 29th.

- Last week's new release was "Pyar Tune Kya Kiya (Love, What have you Done?)", which was produced by Ramgopal Verma and directed by newcomer Rajat Mukherjee. As usual with Ramgopal Verma's films, Urmila Matondkar plays the main character. This time she plays a spoilt rich girl, Ria, who falls in love with a photographer named Jai (Fardeen Khan). All goes well until Ria finds out that Jai is actually married and is hopelessly in love with his wife. This causes Ria to snap and she tries to do anything she can to win Jai from his wife with disastrous results for all three. Ok, so yes, this film's yet another psycho/stalker thriller, but that still doesn't mean that its unwatchable. First off, Urmila is HOT, and this film is the closest thing to Porn that you're going to get from Bollywood. I mean the director and the producer is in LOVE with Urmila and it really shows. Urmila (and her voluptuous body) dominated the film from her first scene till the final frame and she is the main reason to watch this. Fardeen Khan actually acted pretty well opposite Urmila while Sonali Kulkarni provided adequate support as Fardeen's wife. Second, the songs are amazing and the visualizations were totally AWESOME!!! The "Kambaqt Ishq" number with its Matrix-style camera angles, rapid fast edits, and risky (almost Sado-masochistic) content was the highlight of the film and is sure to be a crowd pleaser with the young males in the audience. Lastly, the film is very short (I think 95 minutes) so it makes for an easy viewing. All of that combined with a decent script and adequate direction made for an enjoyable time at the movies. In short, if you think Urmila is even mildly interesting, go to your nearest theatre RIGHT NOW!!

To see a pic of Urmila and Fardeen Khan, click here: On Their Site

Here's another shot of Urmila: Just Click Now

CHINA/HK

Here's the latest report from AccSpy:

- The HK Film Awards were held last Sunday. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" nabbed eight awards including Best Picture and Best Director, while "In the Mood for Love" won 5 awards including Best Actor and Best Actress. Here's the list of the winners:

Best Picture (presented by Golden Harvest Studio's President Raymond Chow): Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Best Director (presented by Jiang Wan and Ng Si Yuen): Ang Lee ("CTHD")

Best Screenplay (presented by Alfred Cheung and Mabel Cheung): Fruit Chan ("Durian, Durian")

Best Actor (presented by Leslie Cheung and Sylvia Cheung): Tony Leung Chiu-wai (In the Mood for Love")

Best Actress (presented by Chow Yun-fat and Anita Mui): Maggie Cheung ("In the Mood for Love")

Best Supporting Actor (presented by Tokako Tokiwa and Shu Qi): Francis Ng ("2000AD")

Best Supporting Actress (presented by Sandra Ng, Eric Kot and the cast of "The Iron Ladies"): Cheng Pei Pei ("CTHD")

Best Newcomer (presented by Nicolas Tse and Anita Yuen): Qin Hailu ("Durian, Durian")

Best Cinematography (presented by the President of Cinematographer's Guild Wong Ngar Tai and Cecilia Yip): Peter Pau ("CTHD")

Best Action Design (presented by Cheng Pei Pei and Cheng Li): Yuen Wo-ping ("CTHD")

Best costume (presented by Joey Wong and Daniel Wu): William Cheng("In the Mood for Love")

Best Art Direction (presented by Joey Wong and Daniel Wu): William Cheng("In the Mood for Love")

Best Editing (presented by director Wong Jing and Nat Chan): William Cheng("In the Mood for Love")

Best Sound Effects (presented by director Wong Jing and Nat Chan): Eugene Gearty ("CTHD")

Best Original Score (presented by James Wong and Kenny Bee): Tan Dun ("CTHD")

Best Original Song (presented by James Wong and Kenny Bee): "A Love Before Time"(From "CTHD") - performed by Coco Lee

The Professional Spirit Award (presented by Ang Lee): Yuen Wo-ping

Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by Chan Fong On Sun): Bak Syt Sin (Period Musical Actress)

Here are a bunch of pics from the night:

Best Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai: It Begins Here

Best Supporting Actor Francis Ng (with Tokako Tokiwa and Shu Qi) : Go To Here

Best Newcomer Qin Hailu (with Nicoles Tse and Anita Yuen): Just Start Clicking Click Here

Presenter Anita Mui and Chow Yun-fat: Just Click Here

Michelle Yeoh: Go Here

Actress Candy Lo: CLICK

Gigi Leung: Click Now

Tokako Tokiwa: Just Click

Manfred Wong and Shu Qi: Click Here

JAPAN

Here is Pigmon's latest report:

- "Wasabi", Jean Reno's new film, starts shooting from Thursday in Kyoto. It will be shooting in Japan for 4 weeks. "Wasabi" will be opening in December in France then the rest of the world will be next year.

- The new film from director Eiji Okida, "Shojo (A Girl)", has got an R-15 rating which means viewers have to be over 15. "Shoji" is about a love affair between a middle aged policeman and a junior high school student. It will be opening in October in Japan.

- Takashi Miike's new film, "Katakuri Ke No Kohuku (Katakuri Family's Happiness)", has just finished shooting. This is Miike's 2nd completed film this year and it is a musical adaptation of the 1998 Korean smash hit, "Quiet Family". The film stars Kenji Sawada (who also sang all of the songs) as a lead singer of a famous 60's band, The Tigers. This film is expected to participate in most of the international film festivals during the 2nd half of this year.

KOREA

Here is the new report from NineLife:

Hey y'all --

As promised this week: new Korean films in production featuring the action choreography of Jung Doo-Hong ("Musa", "Shiri", "Beat", "There Is No Sun", "The Foul King", "Legend Of Gingko", "Libera Me"). Please keep in mind that romanization of the Korean language isn't exactly standardized...apologies to all if I inadvertently play a little fast and loose with the spellings. :-)

HEUK SOO SUN

Director: Bae Chang-Ho ("Love Story", "Affections") Stars: Lee Jung-Jae ("There Is No Sun", "MOB 2025")

Lee Jung-Jae stars as a good cop doing battle with drug dealers. Shooting started in March of this year at various locations in Seoul and throughout Korea; the film is currently slated for a late 2001 release.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE LITTLE MATCH SELLER ("Sung-nyang Balli, Sonyeo-e Chellim")

Director: Jang Sun-Woo ("Lies") Stars: Im Eun-Kyeong, Kim Hyun-Sung, Kim Jin-Pyo, Jung Doo-Hong

Controversial bad-boy director Jang Sun-Woo's "Lies" caused a major stir in the K-film industry last year with it's story of a middle-aged man's S&M-tinged love affair with an underage girl. His upcoming feature is a SciFi cyber-action flick about a gaming-addict's adventures after being sucked into the virtual world of a video game. On the surface it sounds like much lighter fare than "Lies", but knowing Jang's reputation for shaking things up, movie-goers are likely to get more than just standard SciFi fare (the grapevine says the film will address issues of alienation, nonconformity, and individual rebellion within established systems). Stars include hot teen model Im Eun-Kyung, young TV personality Kim Hyun-Sung, Korean rapper Kim Jin-Pyo from Novasonic, and Jung Doo-Hong (who is expanding his career this year to include acting). The film started shooting in Pusan in February, and according to reports is somewhere between 30% and 50% in-the-can...wrap is expected in midsummer.

NATURAL CITY

Director: Min Byun-Chun ("Phantom") Stars: Lee Jae-Eun ("Jakarta"), Ryu Ji-Tae ("Libera Me", "Attack at The Gas Station"), Jung Doo-Hong

Special effects work has already begun on SciFi AI-adventure "Natural City". Principal shooting is scheduled to begin in Seoul in May or June of this year, and the flick should hit Seoul theaters in 2002. The storyline revolves around the conflicts between humans and AI's...more to come soon.

AIRFORCE 2030

Director: Kim Yong-Bin ("Firebird", "Terrorist") Stars: TBD

Current info points to locations in Seoul and various locales in Russia, and a start date for shooting of late summer 2001. The story: a love affair between a singer/entertainer and a South Korean politician. More on who will star and additional story info as this one develops...

NO BLUE NO TEARS

Director: Ryu Seung-An ("Die Bad", "Our Contemporaries") Stars: Lee Mi-Su ("Legend of Gingko", "An Affair"), Lee Hae-Yong ("Bait"), Chun Do-Yun ("I Wish I Had A Wife", Harmonium In My Memory")

Young actor/action film director Ryu Seung-An's newest offering features respected actress Chun Do-Yun as the physically abused girlfriend of a boxer; Lee Hae-Yong is a Korean Mafia figure. Shooting is scheduled to start late summer 2001, locations and more info to come...

"SHIRI" NEWS

Columbia TriStar has announced the acquisition of Kang Je-Gyu's hit Korean action flick "Shiri" for distribution in North America and Latin America. The North-South Korea espionage thriller was released in it's home country two years ago and beat "Titanic" to become Korea's highest-grossing film. "Shiri" also topped the box office when it was released in Japan and HK, and has been licensed to over 20 countries to date. Great news for the Korean film industry, which just keeps growing, and growing, and growing...

See you next week!

NineLife

Well this is the end of this week's column. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@home.com. See you all next week.

Darius25