NYAFF Survey: The City Preps For Pop

(L-R) The pop star/actor Rain and would-be machine Lim Su-jeong in I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (Photo: NYAFF)

"Proud sponsor" is one of those overused cliches of the arts and culture world, but like all cliches, it usually works because it's true. SO: The Reeler is a proud sponsor of this year's New York Asian Film Festival -- like "really proud," like if I had a respectable kitchen I'd cater lunch for Grady Hendrix and the gang every day for two weeks to pitch in one less thing they'd have to sweat. Or if I had a theater, I'd give it to them for nothing, or more appropriately, "nuthin,' " that absolute evocation of sincerity, respect and gratitude.

Alas, I'm just a boring old sponsor, and as such my interest piques and peaks with each day leading up to the '07 fest's launch this Friday, June 22. I'm not alone, evidently:

--Dave Kehr surveyed the festival line-up in yesterday's Times -- or at least what he could get his hands on. For starters, Exiled is "one of the best Asian films in years," Dasepo Naughty Girls and Memories of Matsuko feature "characters so saccharine that they make the French Amélie ... look like a Kubrick film" and Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg But That's OK is an offbeat, stylish stunner. Agreed on all points, particularly Cyborg's dramatic depictions of how technology that makes us a little happy makes us a lot insane. It's easily 20 minutes too long, but Park's flab is hotter than 90 percent of other filmmakers' muscle, so, you know, fuck it.

--The Post's Vinnie Musetto caught up with Hendrix on Sunday for a fest preview; Cyborg anchors the piece, with Hendrix recommendations like Nightmare Detective and Matsuko following close behind. Musetto also coaxes the sad truth about NYAFF's purging of Bollywood titles: "We're not touching it again after last year [when five were screened]. The movies were really good, but nobody came to see them."

--Over at The IFC Blog, Alison Willmore writes up reviews of Matsuko and the "haunted hair" J-horror spectacle Exte. Willmore traditionally covers the fest as diligently as anybody (though this year it's at IFC Center, so her work is now synergistic and good); keep up with her in the weeks ahead to get a smart glimpse of what's going on.

--He didn't get a lot of room, but Logan Hill contributes a few macro-level notes as well at New York Magazine.

Look back here for coverage of the festival starting Wednesday, when Steve Erickson catches up with Exiled director Johnnie To.

Posted at June 18, 2007 10:38 AM