Here and There

by Andrea Rademan

YOKO ONO unveiled the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland, on what would have been John Lennon’s 67th birthday. The Tower is a tall beam of light that emanates from a wishing well bearing the words “Imagine Peace” in 24 languages and will be lit each year from Oct. 9 to Dec. 8, “so it has the feeling of the shortness of life, but the light is eternal,” said Lennon’s widow. When she turned 70, Ono decided she needed a place to keep the thousands of wishes she collects through “wish trees” she sets up at gallery shows around the world. Engineers from Iceland and Japan worked from her design. Ono said she chose Iceland “because it is a very eco-friendly country” that relies on geothermal energy. The 495,000 wishes will be buried in “capsules” around the tower, each topped with a tree. “Eventually it will be like a forest,” she said. Wishes can be submitted through the Imagine Peace Web site: www.a-i-u.net.

November 1 – 11 AFI FEST 2007 at the ArcLight in Hollywood. The Asian films showcased this year are exceptional, thanks to Artistic Director, Rose Kuo, a programming consultant and filmmaker who specializes in Asian cinema. A fixture at the Telluride Film Festival for many years, Kuo has also worked for the San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Mill Valley Festivals. “Rose has a gift for spotting emerging talent, as well as a deep knowledge and appreciation of world cinema,” says AFI Fest Director Christian Gaines. Check out:

Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers (FUNUKEDOMO, KANASHIMI NO AI WO MISERO) CAST: Erikio Sato, Aimi Satsukawa, Hiromi Nagasaku DIR: Daihachi Yoshida PROD: Shuji Kakimoto.
Sakuran Cast: Anna Tsuchiya, Kippei Shina, Hiroki Narimiya, Yoshino Kimura DIR: Mika Ninagawa PROD: Masao Teshima, Mitsuru Uda, Yoshinori Fujita. Story of Kihoya, the highest ranked courtesan in the pleasure quarter of Edo-Era who, swayed by passion, chooses love: a young woman set on living life her own way.
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Cast: Henry O, Faye Yu, Vida Ghahremani, Pasha Lychnikoff. DIR: Wayne Wang PROD: Yukie Kito, Patrick Lindenmaier, Rich Cowan. EXEC PROD: Yasushi Katami, Taizo Su, Jooick Lee. USA
Princess of Nebraska Cast: Ling Li, Pamelyn Chee, Brian Danforth, Patrice Binaisa. DIR: Wayne Wang PROD: Yukie Kito, Donald Young. EXEC PROD: Yasushi Kotani, Taizo Son, Stephen Gong. USA

And the rest: Blind Mountain (MANG SHAN) China; FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Taiwan/France). Director: Hao Hsiao-hsien. An overwhelmed mother (Juliette Binoche), enlists the help of a babysitter who shares an imaginary world with her little boy; Hollywood Chinese (Documentary) Featuring: Turhan Bey, Joan Chen, Tsai Chin DIR: Arthur Dong PROD: Arthur Dong. USA; Mad Detective Cast: Lau Ching-wan, Andy On, Lee Kwon Lun, Lam Ka Tung DIR: Johnnie To PROD: Ka-Fai Wai Hong Kong/China; MUNYURANGABO DIR: Lee Isaac Chung Rwanda/USA The debut film of Korean-American Lee Isaac Chung, made in collaboration with Rwandan youths at a refugee camp where Chung worked and lived, is crafted with dramatic precision and deep humanity.; Night Train Cast: Liu Dan, Qi Dao, Li Jun, DIR: Yinan Diao Wu Hongyan is a female bailiff who deals with women awaiting execution - usually for crimes of passion. When she is finally attracted to someone, she discovers that his wife is actually one of her prisoners…; Please Vote For Me DIR: Weijun Chen PROD: Don Edkins. China; Prince of the Himalayas Cast: Purba Royal, Zomskvid, Dobrgyal, Sonamdolgar, Trashi, Lobzangchopel DIR: Sherwood Hu EXEC PROD: Xu Pengle, Dong Suming, Deng Hong, Caizhi PROD Sherwood Hu, Yin Jianhua. China; SECRET SUNSHINE (Korea) Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award at Cannes for portraying a woman who moves to her husband’s hometown after he dies tragically only to encounter another tragedy.; Solos Cast: Loo Zihan, Goh Guat Kian, Lim Yu-Beng DIR: Loo Zihan, Kan Lume PROD: Gerald Herman, Florence Ang EXEC PROD Ricardo Uncilla. Singapore; Terrorizer (KONGBU FENZI) (1986) The late Ed Yang was a pioneer who advanced the art of cinema with his remarkable work.; PIERRE RISSIENT: MAN OF CINEMA Featuring: Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, Abbas Kiarostami, Bertrand Tavernier, ou Hsiao-Hsien, Claude Chabrol DIR/PROD: Todd McCarthy USA; and, the short, Old eastside DIR: Khavn Philippines.

Among the other don’t-miss movies is THE SAVAGES Director: Tamara Jenkins. The always wonderful Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play a sister and brother who are suddenly faced with having to care for their aging father. The unexpected by-product of their ordeal is a new leaf on their own lives. For more info on all the 148 works from 37 different countries, including Special Presentations, International Feature and International Shorts, Documentary Competitions, Documentary Showcase, World Cinema, African, American and Latin Showcases, Dark Horizons, Milestones, Video Art on the Roof, three galas and two tributes, and to order festival passes or tickets, go to www.AFI.com/AFIFEST, or call 866-AFI-FEST.

Speaking of Asian films, poet LAUREL ANN BOGEN says, “One of my favorite films, and the inspiration for my poem ‘The Quick Step’ is the original Japanese film ‘Shall We Dance’. On November 10 hear her read at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., or sign up for her January Creative Writing Poetry workshop (UCLA Extension Writers’ Program; 310 825-9416). On her way to winning the Curtis Zahn Poetry Prize, two awards from the Academy of American Poets, and L.A. Weekly’s “Best Female Poet/Performer,” the former literary curator at LACMA who’s been published in over 100 literary magazines and anthologies, churned out ten books of poetry and short fiction

The Quick Step
In the Celestial Ballroom,
even the gnarled and ungainly,
the ones with fetid breath folded in newspapers
or hands like gutted fish,
will twirl their heels nimbly.
This time their arms won’t flap,
and they won’t collide with potted palms
or themselves. No man or woman
will hug the wall alone.
Yes, they will clap
Slow Slow Quick Quick Slow.
Their feet glide gracefully
where desired and they will be desired
by partners bowing in tuxedo and gown
while the bandleader sways again
to the Dance of the Wallflowers
in a room incandescent with stars.
__Laurel Ann Bogen

Until November 10, catch the work of innovative artist Kenichi Yokono at Mark Moore Gallery (2525 Michigan Avenue, A-1, Santa Monica; 310 453 3031). Yokono’s complex wood blocks, fueled by horror movies, Manga and monsters, evoke sinister elements of traditional Japanese culture that have been overwhelmed by the plastic cartoon characters of contemporary Japanese pop-culture. By working directly from enlarged initial sketches, Yokono’s work retains an energy and freshness that transform his works into attractive and appealing objects despite their grim overtones and welcomes an opportunity to indulge the morbid side of human nature. Kenichi Yokono graduated from Kanazawa College of Art, Japan, in 1997 and has since won the Tom Eccles Prize and the Eriko Ousaka Prize. He has exhibited widely in Japan but this is his inaugural solo show in the United States.
Asian actress Kari Lee Cartwright(l.), Alan Brooks, Jennifer Lamar, Kelly Ann Ford and David Goryl in “Out of Your Mind,” presented by GuerriLA Theatre. Photo credit: Blink Photo.
November 16, 17, December 7, 8. GuerriLA Theatre’s “Out Of Your Mind!” Written by Steven Kane (The Closer. Curb Your Enthusiasm, et al) and Directed by Jane Lanier (The Wild Party, nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards), takes place at a private residence and begins with a complimentary pre-show reception, where you socialize with the cast and other audience members. Two stories comprise the darkly comic insanity of the evening with most roles double-cast. As with all of GuerriLA Theatre productions, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a worthy cause. Info: 818-972-2467.

JAPAN FOCUS NEWSLETTER publishes quality academic articles about Japan, China, and Korea. It is a peer-reviewed e-journal and archive on the Asia Pacific. Its fully indexed site contains more than nine hundred articles. In addition to exclusives, it provides translations from Japanese and other languages as well as reprints of important articles. Sample articles: The Australia-Japan FTA Negotiations: What Do they Really Mean? By Ono Kazuoki, a free-lance  journalist specializing in problems of agriculture and food and active in the Asia-wide networking movement against globalization (originally published in Nikkan Berita); China’s Emergence as a Science and Technology Power and the Politics of Chinese-Japanese Cooperation by Kobayashi Tetsu. This article assesses the  possibility of technical cooperation between China and Japan, particularly in cutting edge biology. (Originally published in the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shinbun. Subscribe to receive a weekly announcement and link to articles by going to http://japanfocus.org  or email at info@japanfocus.org .

Who doesn’t love a bargain? The 2008 ENTERTAINMENT® BOOK is packed with them by way of coupons, some with repeat savings, and additional instant coupons that pop up monthly online. Aside from Los Angeles/Long Beach/S Bay ($30) and San Fernando Valley ($25), books are available for San Gabriel ($25); Inland Empire ($25); Orange County ($40); and Santa Barbara/Ventura ($25). Many local groups sell them as fundraisers and they are available online at www.entertainment.com . Aside from deals on fine and casual dining, fast food and takeout, save on home and garden, retail, grocery, automotive, dry cleaning, movie tickets, golf, museums, live and sporting events. Travelers will find deals on car rentals, hotels, airlines and cruises. Tip: tear out the offers of interest, pack in a coupon organizer and stash in your glove compartment.

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