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The film for July has been cancelled. There will be no film showing at the Drafthouse this month.
6/24/06:
This month's film at the Drafthouse is Shinya Tsukamoto's(A Snake of June, Tokyo Fist) Vital(2004). Shows tomorrow at at 7:30 and 10:30 pm.
Deepa Mehta's Water(2005), the third entry in her trilogy concerning political and social mores of her native India (the others being Fire from 1996 and Earth in 1998), is now playing at the Bijou. The film centers on a 8 year old girl who, after the death of her husband, is sentenced to the life of a widow and is sent to live in an ashram, deemed useless and unneeded by society. The film is a fascinating and touching look into one of the world's most complex cultures. All three are highly recommended. For showtimes visit MySA.com.
Mountain Patrol: Kekexili(2004), featuring the breathtaking sights of the Tibetan countryside, is thankfully continuing on for a second week at the Bijou. For showtimes check SAMT.
I'd also like to announce that our next film at the Drafthouse will be Shinya Tsukamoto's(A Snake of June, Tokyo Fist) existential odyssey Vital(2004), another Japanese gem that's too strange and unique to describe fully. Don't miss out! Sunday, June 25th at 7:30 and 10:30 pm.
Yoichi Sai's Blood and Bones(2004), featuring an outstanding performance by Takeshi Kitano, is this month's Asian film at the Drafthouse. Nominated for 12 Japanese Academy Awards, including best picture and best director, Blood and Bones tells the brutal and violent life story of Shun-pei Kim (Kitano), a Korean immigrant to Japan after the first World War. Based on a true story, Sai's film is bold and unbiased, sugarcoating nothing and leaving the audience to pass their own judgment on this challenging personality. The film will be showing on Sunday, May 28th at 7:30 and 10:30 pm.
The newest Chinese martial arts/drama The Promise is now playing at the Bijou. For showtimes check SAMT.
A new exhibition The Many Splendors of Taiwan is on display at the Julia Yates Semmes Library on Judson Rd. The exhibit features photographs and several award winning documentaries and continues throughout the month, until May 28th.
Speaking of the 28th, the next Drafthouse film will be on Sunday, May 28 at 7:30 and 10:30 pm, just like last month. The film is still TBA. Asian Cinema Sundays is on the last Sunday of every month, at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes.
In other news, Cinema Asia now has a new MySpace page. Please stop by and become our friend!
4/27/06:Sunday's movie will be free of charge for both showings.
4/19/06:On Sunday, April 30th the Alamo Drafthouse will have two showings of the South Korean gangster/comedy Guns & Talks (2001) at 7:30 and 10:30 pm. There will also be Asian gifts and dvds on sale by Nancy McGalliard as well as special Asian-themed items on the Drafthouse menu.
Asian Cinema Night returns to the Alamo Drafthouse Sunday night, April 30th. Film and showtime to be announced shortly. Please help spread the news!
Memoirs of a Geisha is now playing its second run at Cinemark Dollar Movies 16. For showtimes check SAMT.
A special surprise this week! For those of you who missed it on its first run in San Antonio 8 months ago(!), both Cinemark Dollar Movies 9 and 16 have brought back Hayao Miyazaki's latest film Howl's Moving Castle. For showtimes check SAMT.
Thanks to the SA Current, the Alamo Drafthouse will be showing all of their movies free of charge this Wednesday night. Not exactly an Asian film update, I know, but you can't beat free!
Memoirs of a Geisha continues its run in SA this week in a handful of theaters. Also, on Saturday, February 4, the Institute of Texan Cultures will be hosting its annual Asian Festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Check out their site for all the info.
Memoirs of a Geisha, starring the extremely gorgeous Zhang Ziyi, is now playing in several theaters around SA. This is the final Asian (or at least Asian-themed) film of the year. Happy New Year everybody! Enjoy!
As mentioned last week, the Korean comedy Conduct Zero will have two showings tomorrow night at 7 and 10 pm as a part of the Alamo Drafthouse's Asian Cinema Night. Also, their "Anime at the Alamo" series continues Monday night with Yugo the Negotiator (another anime with Scott McClennen as ADR Director, trend or coincidence?). Check out their website for advance tickets and more info.
The Chinese film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, based on the book and directed by its author, is now playing its second week at the Bijou. I haven't made it out to this one yet, but it looks very charming. For showtimes check SAMT.
More good news! The Alamo Drafthouse is finally having an Asian cinema night! No joke! On Sunday, November 27 they'll have two showings of the nostalgic Korean comedy Conduct Zero (2002). Awesome job guys! Thank you so much! I hope (and pray and beg) all you Asian film buffs in SA come out, catch a fun movie, and show your support. If we're lucky this could become a new SA tradition.
On Thursday November, 17 at 7:00 pm, author Dao Strom will be reading from her acclaimed novel Grass Roof, Tin Roof, which follows the path of a Vietnamese woman who flees to the states during the Vietnam War. Ms. Strom was born in Saigon in 1973 and now lives in Austin, Texas. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the recipient of an NEA Literature Fellowship, a James Michener fellowship, and the Chicago Tribune/Nelson Algren Award. Her most recent book, The Gentle Order of Girls and Boys, will be coming out this spring.
The reading will take place on the first floor of The Holt Center at Trinity University on 106 Oakmont.
I encourage everyone to please try and catch this rare SA event. We don't get opportunities like this one very often!
Alright, so there isn't much on the Asian film scene going on in SA lately. I've decided that, instead of waiting long, lonesome weeks in-between film openings here in SA, I'd try to bring the movies to you utilizing what's already available to everyone courtesy the internet. So I've introduced the "Film of the Week" section of the site and have added several links to bittorrent sites in the "Links" section. For those of you already in the know, this is all old news, but if you happen to have a high speed connection and are new to bittorrents, there is a whole world filled with excellent films, tv shows, and music just waiting to be explored. Every week I will be posting a new suggested download relating to Asian cinema. I'm hoping that this will be a good way to tide us over as we wait and wait and wait for another Asian film to open locally.
After two long months finally an Asian film opens in San Antonio! What took them so long? For those of you with some extra time on your hands try and check out The Beautiful Country now playing at Regal Fiesta 16. I've yet to see this one myself, but right now I'm in Dallas checking out the Dallas Asian Film Festival. If anyone's going to be in the area you should check it out.
My apologies for not updating in a while. Well, it's finally here. Acclaimed director Miyazaki Hayao's newest animated feature Howl's Moving Castle. If you're not familiar with his work, now's a great time to start. If you are, you've probably downloaded this one months ago. Not that that's okay or anything...Anyways, you can catch Howl playing now at Regal Fiesta 16.
Two new movies in San Antonio this weekend, one of them is considered one of the best Asian films in the past few years. I'm speaking of Oldboy, winner of countless awards worldwide and written about endlessly on just about every single art and Asian film website on the net. This is it, probably the best Asian film you will see in SA this year. Don't hesitate to check this one out, it may disappear by friday. Oldboy is playing at Regal Fiesta 16.
Not to take anything away from Travellers and Magicians, the gorgeous film from the kingdom of Bhutan. This is actually the first film to originate from there, and it's a warm-hearted Bhuddist tale of life, love, and the dreams we follow. It's now playing at the Bijou. An excellent companion to Oldboy and a great week for Asian film in SA.
Well Kumbh Mela's life at the Bijou was short-lived, ending after the one week mark. Fortunately, they have replaced the film with an even better one. Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu's superb yet sorrowful film about four abandoned children, Nobody Knows. This one his highly recommended.
After a few weeks San Antonio finally has two new Asian films opening this weekend. Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela, the award-winning documentary about the world's largest religious festival held every twelve years in India, is now playing at Santikos Bijou at Crossroads. 
Also opening, as most of you already know, is Writer/Director/Producer/Star Stephen Chow's martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle. For showtimes of both movies check SAMT.
Indian director Gurinder Chadha's international and multicultural musical/comedy Bride & Prejudice is now playing at Santikos Bijou at Crossroads. For showtimes check SAMT.
The San Antonio Museum of Art will be having an Asian Film Festival on February 17-20, 2005. Films will be accompanied with refreshments from various Asian cultures.
Zhang Yimou's newest martial arts drama House of Flying Daggers will be opening in San Antonio on January 14, 2005 at the following theaters:
Alamo Quarry
Bijoux Theater
Cielo Vista 18
Fiesta 16
Additionally, it will open at AMC Rivercenter 9 and Embassy Oaks 14 one week later on January 21.
For some mysterious unknown reason, the Hindi film Dil Ne Jise Aapna Kaha (2004) opened a couple of days ago at Cinemark Movies 16. This is an extremely unusual acquisition for the theater, which almost exclusively features American films that were released earlier in the year. The film will most likely end its run on Thursday, so try to catch it by then if you plan on seeing it.
