By APA Staff
Bobby Lee dances for politics, Boyle wins prize for millionaire story in Mumbai, and Bruce Lee's spirit comes to the stage. All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.
Bobby Lee thinks he can dance like John McCain
Bobby Lee sure loves to bust out his dance moves. First as a "Gwen Stefani (http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuFBKfNvfGU)" backup dancer that spoofed her Asian fetish. Then as one of Jamie Kennedy's sidekicks in the atrocious dance movie parody, Kickin' it Old School. Now most recently, as a John McCain on MadTV's So Think You Can Dance spoof (http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvXa_IUhmUo). It wasn't at all close to Tiny Fey's impeccable impersonation of Sarah Palin, but Lee definitely has McCain's baby cheeks. Too bad MadTV stopped being funny years ago. "That was horrid" indeed. --William Hong
Slumdog Millionaire is Toronto's Choice
Danny Boyle's much anticipated film Slumdog Millionare has hit the Toronto International Film Festival and taken home the People's Choice Award. After directing films such as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and most recently, Sunshine, Boyle has channeled his creativity into a Mumbai story about an 18-year-old orphan (Dev Patel) who goes on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" to gain the attention of a girl (Freida Pinto). Based on a book by Vikas Swaroop called Q and A, Slumdog Millionaire follows the boy after he finds himself with 20 million rupees to spare. Boyle tells the story with some help from respected actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, and the film is already garnering some early Oscar buzz. The film will open in limited release the end of November, and it is scheduled for a wider release in December. --Ada Tseng
Ghost of Bruce Lee Makes Stage Appearance
Bruce Lee's name is iconic enough, but in the world premiere East West Players production, Be Like Water, his philosophy about true strength and power are what remain legend. The new play, directed by Chris Tashima and written by Dan Kwong, is set five years after Bruce Lee's death, in Chicago of 1978. Gung-fu tomboy Tracy Fong is a 14-year-old Bruce Lee fanatic, who uses her martial arts to combat school bullies while trying to live up to her mother's expectations of being a "normal" girl. Tracy is met by the ghost of Bruce Lee (Cesar Cipriano) who guides her on the path of Jeet Kune Do to overcome her challenges. The four teenage actors in this production are taught by martial arts choreographers, husband and wife, Ron Balicki and Diana Lee Inosanto (director of The Sensei). And what would a seventies era production be without disco dancing? Be Like Water is choreographed by Blythe Matsui (most recently the co-choreographer for EWP's Pippin). Performances run Sept 18 – Oct. 12 at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo. For more information, click here (http: //www.eastwestplayers.org/on_the_stage/water.htm). --LiAnn Ishizuka
The Pool Screens in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theatre
Sundance Special Jury Prize winner in 2007, The Pool, continues its North American tour for one week: starting September 19th at the Nuart Theatre in LA and September 20th at Edwards Westpark in Irvine. A featured film at this year's Palm Springs Film Festival and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, The Pool is a Hindi-language film about an illiterate bell-boy Venkatesh (Venkatesh Chavan) working in the wealthy hotel in Panjim, Goa. Curiosity gets the better of him when Venkatesh discovers a pool in a luxuriant garden belonging to a wealthy owner (Nana Patekar). Enchanted by the mystery of the pool and the pool's inhabitants, Venkatesh soon becomes entangled in the lives of this mysterious family, which eventually changes his own destiny. Screenings will also include a Q&A with director Chris Smith (American Movie). For more information, click here (http: //www.thepoolfilm.com). --LiAnn Ishizuka
An Amazing and Truthful Queen
The "visionmentary," a coin termed by Icelandic director Olaf de Fleur to indicate his blend between documentary and narrative film, The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela, follows Raquela, a Filipino ladyboy who dreams about escaping Cebu City for Paris. The film delves into her life as a prostitute and her transition into Internet porn before moving to France, where she hopes for a fairy tale life -- with her own Prince Charming and everything! Along the way, she meets fellow ladyboy Valery, photographer Johnny K, and evil Internet pimp Michael. Real-life ladyboy Raquela plays the lead role, as the director films a combination of true events and staged scenes. Shot with a whimsical combination of actors, amateurs, friends, and grandmothers, de Fleur creates an intimate portrait of a charismatic personality. Winner of the 2008 Berlin Film Festival’s Teddy Award, the film opens in NY and LA on September 26th. --Ada Tseng
9th Annual DC APA Film Festival: Sept. 25 - Oct. 4.
No, Asia Pacific Arts (APA) isn't hosting a film festival. But the District of Columbia Asian Pacific American Film Festival is from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, showcasing the latest Asian/Asian-American flicks in the Washington DC area. The films will be screened at Landmark's E Street Cinema, Navy Memorial Theater, Goethe-Institut, and Freer Gallery of Art. The festival kicks off with Richie Mehta's drama Amal and caps off with Derek Shimoda's quirky documentary The Killing of a Chinese Cookie. Cookie is easily the funniest documentary I've seen this year (it didn't get stale) and undoubtedly inspired countless bad puns in its reviews (it wasn't half baked). The festival's schedule can be found on their blog (http: //www.apafilm.org/blog/index.html), and tickets can be purchased here (http: //apafilm.org/2008/tickets.php). --William Hong
Published: Friday, September 19, 2008
