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Thirst
June 5, 2009: News Bites
Park Chan-wook's Thirst hits US theaters, Anupam Kher lands a Woody Allen gig, and Up spins Pixar some box office gold. All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.
Thirst comes to the US
One of my favorite directors, Park Chan-wook, has broken out into US theatres with his latest horror film Thirst, which is scheduled to be released in select theatres on June 31st. Though the film will start in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, there is already talk about spreading into theatres beyond these cities. Thirst is the story of a priest who, due to viral infection, turns into a vampire. I anticipate a great deal of success for this film, as one of Park's early films, Oldboy, has gradually snowballed into a favorite film of Asian Cult Film communities and beyond. Thirst already broke through with a major success in the recent Cannes Film Festival, taking home the Jury Prize. The film also came in first in the Korean box office on its debut weekend. While perhaps too bloody and, well, disturbing, for the squeamish, Park Chan-wook is one of the few directors who seems to bridge popular film and art house, bringing both decadent enjoyment and profound intellectual stimulation. Of course, given the great success Park has had in the past, the vultures in Hollywood have begun circling the film -- the foul word of "remake" on their lips. Another attempt to capitalize on the creativity of another and the ignorance of the American audience? With Thirst's run coming at the end of the month, there is still hope; the American mainstream has at times woken up to decent foreign films. --Frederick Steihl
Up is hitting box office with a whopping $62.8 Million
This weekend, Up grabbed the spotlight as the animated tale of a cute 78-year-old took in approximately $68.2 million during the open weekend. This may be even bigger than Wall-E or Cars, two major Pixar films. Chuck Viane, the Disney distribution president said, "We sold a great story. We showed a great comedy." The film stars Jordan Nagai in his first voice-acting role. He plays Russell, a young Asian American wilderness explorer. --Joyce Huang
Woody Allen casts Anupam Kher in next film
Legendary actor, Anupam Kher, has been added to the cast of Woody Allen's upcoming film. Since his role in Saaransh, in which he played a 65 year old man when he was only 29 years old, Anupam Kher has experienced a 25-year career, full of experimental and mainstream films all around the globe. Now at age 54, Anupam Kher prepares for what will be his biggest Hollywood role, acting alongside Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, and Nicole Kidman as he plays Freida Pinto's father. Other than the start date and location of shooting (August, in London), facts about the movie have remained relatively unknown. In a recent interview, Kher responded to the lack of information concerning the film with, "I don't know and I don't care. After all, it's Woody Allen." If that's enough for Anupam Kher, that's enough for me. --Megan Chun
Ethnic Studies Pioneer Ronald Takaki 1939-2009
Renowned academic scholar, historian, ethnographer and author, Ronald Takaki has passed away after suffering from multiple sclerosis for almost twenty years. Professor Takaki was one of the first to offer courses in the 1960s when students demanded that universities needed to start teaching American history that included more than the typical "white" history. His wrote more than twenty books and devoted his life towards working for equality for Asian Americans and others. In the 1980s, Professor Takaki had established the first doctoral program in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. However, after suffering from multiple sclerosis for almost twenty years, Takaki committed suicide on May 26th. --Kristie Hang
First annual Kollaboration Hip Hop and Laugh Off
On Friday, June 12, the Ford Ampitheatre in Hollywood will host the first annual Hip Hop and Laugh Off presented by Kollaboration. The event includes a hip hop and dance competition judged by Aaron Yoo (21), Brian Tee (Crash), and Adrian Hong, director of The Pegasus Project. Most of the artists come from in the Los Angeles area. They include Dumbfoundead, 3Strykes Krew, and The Asylum. The hip hop and dance artists will compete for cash prizes. Sharing the stage will be Gerry Bedknob, a comedian who appeared in The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and Kevin Shea from The Kim's of Comedy and The Jimmy Kimmel Live. Tickets are currently available online here www.FordTheatres.org and are open to all ages. Go to their main website www.Kollaboration.org for more details on the event and performers. --Megan Chun
Charice Taking over the Charts
Aside from winning over fans such as Oprah and Celine Dion, international singing sensation Charice has added conquering the Billboard Hot 100 Charts to her list. The Filipina singer's "Note to God," composed and written by Diane Warren, produced by David Foster, placed 44th on Hot 100 singles chart this week. The Billboard Hot 100 is the list of most popular singles in the United States issued weekly by Billboard magazine, the world's premier music publication. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales gains. Charice first performed her single on The Oprah Winfrey Show last May. Mere hours after people heard and saw her sing "Note to God," the single became one of iTunes and Amazon.com's bestsellers. Her first international album will be released late this year. --Kristie Hang
Date Posted: 6/5/2009