Three To See!
Here are my three favorite flicks from my time at this year's LA Asian Pacific Film Fest (and below that, more goodies I think you'll enjoy).

Betty's #1 Pick: "Whatever It Takes"
Winner: Grand Jury Prize Outstanding Documentary, Documentary Audience Award

Synopsis: Okay, so imagine a bunch of kids about to start high school.  Only they're not the winsome kids you might see in a film like American Teen, struggling with popularity or getting into Dad's alma mater.  These kids are from the South Bronx.  Statistics say only 25% of them will even graduate.  Most of them are so far behind in basic skills they have trouble just sitting through class.  The only thing they're really good at is picking up the parenting slack back at home 'cause mom and dad just aren't up to the task.  Being the head of the household at 13 is rough, but getting your siblings dressed and fed is a hell of a lot easier than a science test.

So far, it all sounds very grim and "PBS", right?

Now imagine a new principal rolls into town: "Mr. Tom", a successful, street-smart business exec convinced that God wants him to quit his job and apply all his drive and ambition to giving those damn kids a shot at college.  Imagine Michael Chiklis, a little bit "Commish", a little bit "Shield":

That's "Whatever It Takes", the story of Edward Tom, a rookie principal who hopes that tough love and fierce patience can turn the statistics around.  The film's cut and scored like a regular movie with three acts: The flush of new hope, the horrifying setbacks, the nail-biting conclusion.  And they all add up to one great story!

Pluses: A "human rights" documentary actually talking about problems right here in the United States; Does a good job of capturing the messy details of why day-to-day life in America's roughest urban areas can make passing a science test next to impossible; A graduate of the Sundance Documentary Institute; Mr. Tom!
Minuses: The film doesn't really explain that the school Mr. Tom runs is part of a bold new experiment in education.  An impressive fact that came out in the Q&A was that a key fiscal sponsor of this experimental school, the Gates Foundation, requires that no student be pre-screened in any way -- not for academics, not for behavior, nada.  No cherry picking allowed.  Mr. Tom has to embrace whoever the hell shows up, a fact that makes his achievements all the more impressive.
How To See It: "Whatever It Takes" will air on the PBS series "Independent Lens" in 2010, but so far has no theatrical distributor.  And if no one invites him to dance, young director Chris Wong is ready to go all "Obama" on your ass and launch his own grassroots screening campaign.  So look for that announcement in your next Asian-American, African-American, Public School Teacher-American, Upbeat Christian-American newsletter.

From what I saw, "Whatever It Takes" just might take the country's civic centers by storm.  Case in point: when director Chris Wong announced to a packed screening of 1,000 people that Mr. Tom was actually in da house, the audience jumped to their feet and cheered.

First-time filmmaker Christopher Wong and Mr. Tom.
Chris Wong was excited to see: Burma VJ.  "I want to see if it lives up to all the hype."

After the Q&A, crowds swarmed the table selling T-shirts to support the film and Mr. Tom's schools:

Fans fight for "Whatever It Takes" T-shirts designed by San Diego artist Acamonchi.  I got mine!

Plus, Mr. Tom is a doc filmmakers dream: He shows up, Stands up:

Always Be Closing: Mr. Tom preaches the good word to LA teachers.  Our prayers are with you, ladies!


Hot Doc #2: "Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country"
Finalist: Grand Jury Prize, Outstanding Documentary

Synopsis: 20 years after the last civil protest against Burma's military dictator was quashed in a bloodbath, the country's Buddhist monks try again.  Only this time the protest is caught on film by a tiny ring of underground reporters who smuggle their footage out of the country and onto TV screens around the world.  While the film's astonishing footage leaves you breathless, director Anders Ostergaard also made a gripping drama that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Pluses: 2009 Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee; The unforgettable image of a sea of monks who are as mad as hell and not gonna take it any more.
Minuses: The film kind of expects you to be familiar/naturally empathetic with the human rights struggles of Burma.  Me, I had to head to the Wikipedia entry on Burma/Myanmar to get all the facts; Lots of shaky footage makes this a bad film to see if you're prone to seasickness/hung over.
How To See It: "Burma VJ" will air on HBO in 2010.  Until then, find it at the hippest of festivals.


Hot Doc #3: The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

Synopsis: Despite the title, this 1987 classic is no History Channel war documentary.  "The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On" ("Yuki Yukite Shingun") does contemplate the evils of war, but in a way I guarantee you've never seen before.

If there's one thing I like to see on film more than  evil English children in a good Hammer film, it's the rare sight of the Japanese totally unhinged.  "The Emperor's Naked Army" follows one of Japan's least hinged, Okuzaki Kenza, a 62-year-old WWII vet and one-man antiwar protest, on a campaign to bum-rush survivors of his platoon to get the gruesome truth behind three fellow soldiers executed by their own commanders...a week after the war was over.

Thankfully for film, Okuzaki's eccentricity is all on the outside.  He's infamous in Japan for strange attempts to force confessions for grisly acts committed in the name of war...and ironically considers violence an ideal means to this end.  20 years earlier, Okuzaki was jailed for pelting Emperor Hirohito with marbles.  In "Naked Army" he uses everything from friends posing as grieving family members to just jumping on people and slapping them silly.

The curious way director Hara Kazuo films Okuzaki's mad campaign results in something like what you would get if the Cohen Brothers decided to film Gary Busey busting down the doors of guys he'd served with in Nam...i.e., it's unforgettable.

Okuzaki rails against his emperor so often in "Naked Army", the film is banned from Japanese TV to this day.  Director Hara Kazuo films Okuzaki so unapologetically, the film is both wildly praised and vehemently criticized.  Its most admirable/disturbing credit: This is Michael Moore's favorite documentary.

Pluses: Widely considered the most important Japanese documentary ever made; Launched an animated debate that's never ended about just how far a documentary filmmaker should go; Highly entertaining (twisted as that sounds).
Minuses: Alas, we'll never get to see Okuzaki pelting Dick Chaney with marbles.
How To See It: "Naked Army" is available on DVD at Netflix and video stores "in the know".  Or buy it at Facets in Chicago.

"I didn't know about the cannibalism before we took on the film..."
The LA Asian Pacific Film Fest screened "Naked Army" to celebrate their 25th Anniversary.  It closed the fest back in 1988!  Hara himself was on hand this year for a Q&A:

"What I had in mind was for Okuzaki to simply visit these former soldiers to pursue the truth about how the men were executed…Okuzaki had more drastic plans…At one point he told me that he had a plan to kill Koshimizu and he wanted me to film him doing so.  Needless to say, this was a huge dilemma for me as a documentary filmmaker."

Get the gritty truth about every film Hara ever made in his new memoir: Camera Obtrusa: Hara Kazuo’s Action Documentary Method.  He's on a book tour in the U.S. right now, so get your copy signed.  I did!

Directors Chris Wong, Hara Kazuo, and Curtis Choy (lined up according to height by accident).


Other Goodies From the Fest I Recommend

Who Killed Vincent Chin?

VC launched a year of retrospective screenings to celebrate their 40th anniversary coming up in 2010 with a screening of the 1988 documentary classic "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" (for news on future retrospective screenings, planned to be held monthly in LA, check in at www.vconline.org)

When "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" first came out it was so revolutionary it helped Asian-Americans see themselves for the first time as a national force...and inspired a generation of filmmakers to take history into their own hands.

Synopsis: "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" captures the political fallout after two Caucasian auto workers from Detroit admit to killing young engineer Vincent Chin with a baseball bat after a bar fight...yet only get probation and a fine.  It starts out like Errol Morris' "Thin Blue Line", slowly unveiling facts through spooky interviews with eyewitnesses (and the murderers)...but goes on to capture a national groundswell of Asian-American frustration over the sentence that results in a federal Civil Rights case that asks if the crime was motivated by Detroit's newest foe: the Japanese import.

Pluses: Nominated for an Oscar in 1989; Won a Peabody in 1990; In addition to its weighty role in Asian-American history, "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" is a gripping mystery and damn good viewing.
Minuses:  The filmmakers were careful to provide enough versions of the story to let you ponder just what did happened to Vincent Chin.  But in capturing the moment when Asian-American power spread from the neighborhood to the nation, it takes a side sure to thrill activists and annoy libertarians.
How To See It: Because of music rights, you won't find this on Netflix.  But it's at the library!

Renee Tajima-Pena co-directed and co-produced "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" (with Christine Choy), then went on to direct other notable films ("Honk If You Love Buddha", "Calavera Highway"), and today chairs UC Santa Cruz's Master of Arts in Social Documentation.  Renee was on hand for a riveting "Vincent Chin" Q&A...and to support her UCSC masters students:

Renee Tajima-Pena interviewing an eyewitness to Vincent Chin's murder.
Renee was excited to see: Her UCSC students' film premiers!


Giddy UCSC students Tad Nakamura & Eric Tandoc were excited to see: Fans at their screenings!

Sounds of the New Hope & Manilatown Is in the Heart:
Two Films About Artists Taking It to the Streets

Bay Area Rapper Kiwi meets future Filipino street art stars in "Sounds of the New Hope"

Renee's UCSC student Eric Tandoc directed one of my favorite films at the fest: "Sounds of the New Hope".  Stylish and street, this 30-minute short follows Filipino-American rapper "Kiwi", an ex-gangbanger turned community leader, on a trip to record the rap of kids in Philippine ghettos.  To see this energetic film, get hip to Filipino bloggers in Frisco and LA or just follow Eric on Twitter.

Sounds of the New Hope opened for "Manilatown Is in the Heart" (Finalist: Grand Jury Prize, Outstanding Documentary) by acclaimed filmmaker Curtis Choy, a follow-up of sorts to Choy's award-winning "Fall of the I-Hotel".  In this moody, mercurial, marvelous film director Choy follows Al Robles, legendary poet, activist, and all around beat-generation hipster as he grumbles and recites on the streets of a San Francisco that no longer has a real home for the city's Filipino manongs.  You can get Manilatown Is in the Heart on DVD direct from Curtis Choy here.  Feed the artist!

Al Robles and Curtis Choy, photo by Leland Wong.

Both Eric Tandoc and Curtis Choy were on hand for Q&A.  Their friends and fans, young and old, filled the seats of this double feature, making this an inspirational day at the movies...and a fine tribute to Al Robles who, sadly, passed away that very day.

The Real Shaolin
Winner: Special Jury Prize

Synopsis: After the release of the 1982 Kung Fu classic "The Shaolin Temple" (a glossy depiction of the mystery and manliness of hardcore Kung Fu), China's ancient Shaolin Temple became the icon of "true Kung Fu" to millions of people...who'd never stepped foot in China.  USC film school grad Alexander Sebastien Lee gives this myth a quick kick to the groin in "The Real Shaolin", as four wannabe masters (2 from China, 1 from America, 1 from France) get a grueling schooling at Shaolin.

A Variety critic who saw this film at its Toronto premier described it as "talky and technically drab".  Sure, it's no "Naked Army", but I'm guessing this critic had his own issues with the gym.  The film has plenty of action, from kick-ass fights to freakishly flawless gymnastics.  But what's really fun is watching each would-be Kung Fu King slowly sink under the crushing reality of Shaolin...from horrible food to brutal injuries to bad advice from Zen masters.  If you love martial arts you'll love this film.  If you're struggling to stick to a workout routine you'll love this movie.  Even if you -- like me -- just enjoy munching popcorn while watching Cirque du Soleil: Vegas -- you'll enjoy the visuals.

Pluses: The star: a 9-year-old who pulls off poses the chicks at Yoga Works only dream of; Interesting footage of Shaolin's environs, threadbare Henan Province.
Minuses: A narrator who sounds like the vegan at the Whole Foods deli who just has to tell you that grilled chicken will lead to a slow, painful death...and most certainly killed the chicken.
How To See It: "The Real Shaolin" is making the festival rounds in search of a distributor, but will surely end up on Spike TV, if nowhere else.

Tiger Spirit
Finalist: Grand Jury Prize, Outstanding Documentary

Synopsis: Veteran filmmaker Min Sook Lee -- a Korean raised in Toronto -- is pregnant with her first child and determined to find her roots before she brings that kid into the world.  So Lee brings us along on her search for the "tiger spirit" of a mythical Korea she never really knew, narrating with a point of view that's very personal (and very pregger), yet keenly investigative.  After several strange stops, she takes us to the murkiest of places to look for "true" Korea: the tense border between North and South.  Here Lee captures the weird, choreographed reunion of siblings split up 50 years ago by that border as they awkwardly try to revive their family's own "tiger spirit" under the watchful eye of North Korean propaganda officers.

Pluses: Fascinating footage of the best evidence that North and South Korea might someday reunite: a capitalist South Korean factory built on North Korean soil to take advantage of the discount rates of obedient communists (Lee spent two years obtaining the Visa to get that footage!); Director Min Sook Lee's experienced, detached intensity leaves you utterly confused about what to feel, and grateful that she has the good sense to do exactly that.
Minuses: If this is the first time you've ever seen footage of Korea, you'll find yourself frustrated/fascinated about just how much you don't know..and jonesing for more.
How To See It: "Tiger Spirit" aired on TV in Canada, but not in the States.  Until the DVD shows up at the library, get busy with your local Asian film center for news of community screenings.

Min Sook Lee flew in from Toronto for a "Tiger Spirit" Q&A.  Listening to this chick talk made me realize why I like her film.  She's just "grounded", a sensible, sensitive gal who's not about to make up your mind for you.  When I asked her if her trip to Korea made her more or made her less determined to teach her new baby Korean traditions (by the way, it's a girl!), Lee said: "Well, definitely I'm more motivated to teach her Korean culture, but now I feel like I have permission to pick and choose what I do teach her, what I think Korea is really all about."

Inspired activists were excited to see: Min Sook Lee.

For interesting reading about what's on the mind of at least one Asian-American, check out LA Asian Pacific Film Fest sponsor Angry Asian Man.

See y'all at the movies!