Greetings from Eugene!
Patti S., Toni and I just watched the second showing of Michael Kang’s West 32nd. Liz is on her way from Portland after getting a late start… We met Michael Kang in person, which was exciting since APA Compass featured a phone interview with him last year. He’s great, and his film–a gangster movie set in NYC’s Koreatown–is a slick, action-packed production. He says he was influenced by 1970s films like Serpico and especially A Bittersweet Life. Ji-Woon Kim’s 2005 feature was kind of a touchstone for Kang’s project, and you can really see its influence on West 32nd’s aesthetic. If you want to see the Bittersweet Life trailer, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URLtMbZLeVk
Toni was particularly excited to see actor Grace Park in action (you didn’t know Toni was a closet Battlestar Galactica fan, did you? One of these days, we’ll do a feminist analysis of West 32nd, but right now it’s bedtime. The opening night reception is being held at Oregon Electric somethingorother… Toni, Liz and Patti were heading out to hang out DisOrient director Jason Mak, Michael Kang, and the other festivalgoers, but I’m staying home.
Keep checking the apacompass.org (news) for more updates and details on the Film Festival!
Kushlani
