NYAFF 2020 is Virtual for USA (NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL)

[KUNG FU BOB]

Hello Forum Family,

 

Heads up- there's some exciting stuff playing this year at the New York Asian Film Festival, and it's virtual, so geography is not an issue. Plus, only $8 per ticket, or $80 for an All-Access Pass. Some are "Limited Attendance", "New York Only", "Limited to One Day", but most will be available for the full two weeks for all of the USA. It starts tonight.

 

 A nice selection of genres and subjects from many countries, with a healthy selection of action stuff, and an emphasis on women filmmakers. So... what are you waiting for? Go get some tickets,  forget about the world's troubles for a few hours, and dig into some new films.

 

https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff20/films

 

 

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

This is so worth it. Usually a film pass is way more than $80 and you always get out-of-towners ending up spending more for hotels/food/etc... This time, it's at the comfort of your own home. Man if I wasn't broke, I'd be all up on this. 

[thekfc]

On 8/28/2020 at 2:22 PM, KUNG FU BOB said:

Hello Forum Family,

 

Heads up- there's some exciting stuff playing this year at the New York Asian Film Festival, and it's virtual, so geography is not an issue. Plus, only $8 per ticket, or $80 for an All-Access Pass. Some are "Limited Attendance", "New York Only", "Limited to One Day", but most will be available for the full two weeks for all of the USA. It starts tonight.

 

 A nice selection of genres and subjects from many countries, with a healthy selection of action stuff, and an emphasis on women filmmakers. So... what are you waiting for? Go get some tickets,  forget about the world's troubles for a few hours, and dig into some new films.

 

https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff20/films

 

 

There is a good selection of movies - some I want(ed) to see as I missed the theater run.

The only issue is that it is being screened via Smart Cinema USA aka pocket cinema  - you have to view on a mobile aka smart phone.

I had the original Smart Cinema (NYAFF is on the USA version) for about a year now & have seen quite a few movies on there (once in a while they also have free viewing).

Note, once you  buy & start watching a movie, you have to watch it to the end as there is no "coming back later" to watch it (it will tell you "expired") or re-wind the movie to go back to a scene (that was the way it was when I first got it, not sure if they change that). 

On a side note, I did see stuff like "Sheep Without A Shepherd",  "The Returning Man", Poor Man-Durian-Narcotic-Smuggler", "Metha",  "Return To Burma", "Poor Folk" , "Ice Poison", "City of Rock", "The Assassin", and a few others. 

[Gaijin84]

Always one of my favorite film festivals, glad they are keeping it going online, at least for this year.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 8/29/2020 at 5:20 PM, thekfc said:

There is a good selection of movies - some I want(ed) to see as I missed the theater run.

The only issue is that it is being screened via Smart Cinema USA aka pocket cinema  - you have to view on a mobile aka smart phone.

I had the original Smart Cinema (NYAFF is on the USA version) for about a year now & have seen quite a few movies on there (once in a while they also have free viewing).

Note, once you  buy & start watching a movie, you have to watch it to the end as there is no "coming back later" to watch it (it will tell you "expired") or re-wind the movie to go back to a scene (that was the way it was when I first got it, not sure if they change that). 

On a side note, I did see stuff like "Sheep Without A Shepherd",  "The Returning Man", Poor Man-Durian-Narcotic-Smuggler", "Metha",  "Return To Burma", "Poor Folk" , "Ice Poison", "City of Rock", "The Assassin", and a few others. 

Isn't there a "screen share" option to watch the films on your smart TV? If so, I'm in. If not... I wouldn't even consider for one second watching a film on my phone!

[thekfc]

13 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

Isn't there a "screen share" option to watch the films on your smart TV? If so, I'm in. If not... I wouldn't even consider for one second watching a film on my phone!

Officially no screen share option - that was the last time I checked, not sure on any updates or if that have changed.

As it is an android (& apple) app there have been android apks for it, and...................

 

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

Hahah I figured why it's only available to view on smart phone or tablet.  Because you damn well know folks are gonna bootleg the fuck outta them movies

[thekfc]

4 hours ago, OpiumKungFuCracker said:

Hahah I figured why it's only available to view on smart phone or tablet.  Because you damn well know folks are gonna bootleg the fuck outta them movies

Not quite.

These movies are/will be on other forms of media & people will/can still bootleg them.

Smart Cinema was originally created to tap into the massive Chinese (domestic) travellers, it is said that there is around 2 billion Chinese domestic travellers annually. It was to "service" these travellers and for places who were are "under-served" by the cinemas.

It was then expanded for the oversea market, for the USA - Smart Cinema USA. It is also being/was launch in some countries like Spain, Italy, Taiwan, HK & Macau - Smart Cinema International.  

 

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

18 hours ago, thekfc said:

Not quite.

These movies are/will be on other forms of media & people will/can still bootleg them.

Smart Cinema was originally created to tap into the massive Chinese (domestic) travellers, it is said that there is around 2 billion Chinese domestic travellers annually. It was to "service" these travellers and for places who were are "under-served" by the cinemas.

It was then expanded for the oversea market, for the USA - Smart Cinema USA. It is also being/was launch in some countries like Spain, Italy, Taiwan, HK & Macau - Smart Cinema International.  

 

That's understandable.  Now with covid and travel restrictions they should just have it streamed on the site, laptops/PC and smart TV. 

[thekfc]

13 hours ago, OpiumKungFuCracker said:

That's understandable.  Now with covid and travel restrictions they should just have it streamed on the site, laptops/PC and smart TV. 

Ideally yes BUT from a commercial standpoint - negative.

1. (Chinese) domestic travel is going on - the restriction is on international.

2. Movies theaters were closed in China and if people want(ed) to watch.....................

• On TV or streaming site or on PC/Laptop - if 10 people want to watch, they pay 1 price (1 ticket) and view as a group on the bigger screen.
• On smartphone - if 10 people want to watch then as a group they cannot comfortably view on the small screen so each person will have to individually buy their own if they want to view comfortably.
• Large group viewing - less "ticket" thus less profit. Small screen - more "tickets" thus more profit. 

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

10 hours ago, thekfc said:

Ideally yes BUT from a commercial standpoint - negative.

1. (Chinese) domestic travel is going on - the restriction is on international.

2. Movies theaters were closed in China and if people want(ed) to watch.....................

• On TV or streaming site or on PC/Laptop - if 10 people want to watch, they pay 1 price (1 ticket) and view as a group on the bigger screen.
• On smartphone - if 10 people want to watch then as a group they cannot comfortably view on the small screen so each person will have to individually buy their own if they want to view comfortably.
• Large group viewing - less "ticket" thus less profit. Small screen - more "tickets" thus more profit. 

This makes me sad they gotta pimp to the Chinese market. I know Americans are broke af but man, we love Asian cinema too, lol. 

[thekfc]

5 minutes ago, OpiumKungFuCracker said:

This makes me sad they gotta pimp to the Chinese market. I know Americans are broke af but man, we love Asian cinema too, lol. 

But it is available in America - Smart Cinema USA, So you can get it when you are no longer broke. 

The number of available titles they have are growing.

Not only are they showing recent release but also classics and as well as some western titles.

It is a great platform for those who needs/want it or for those on "the go".

As most people on here are mostly about physical media and martial arts I am not surprised that many do not know about it.

I see that they have 49 Days (2020) on there I want to see that Taiwanese horror movie.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

@thekfc I hear yah. It's just that I hate having to watch it on my phone. Yes I'm aware of the chromcast and all, but in my lifetime I don't think I ever watched a movie on the phone when I'm on the go or traveling. Laptop or a switch maybe. I'm usually staring ,waiting for a flight or striking up a conversation with like minded people.  

[KenHashibe]

I was really happy to hear that NYAFF was going online this year! I had always been wanting to attend, but didn't really have the time/money to fly to New York and spend two weeks there. 

I ended up getting an all-access pass, and so far I've seen 11 films so far (I would've seen more, but because of work, my free time is still pretty limited. I've been trying to catch as many as I can over the weekend):

1. Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (2019; Korea; 8/10) - The easiest movie to recommend in the entire festival. An affecting social commentary on the internalized sexism and unfair societal expectations put on women/mothers/wives. It gets its message across brilliantly while simultaneously being an entertaining drama with terrific performances and a unique premise.
2. The Girl and the Gun (2019; Philippines; 8/10) - A weird mix of an upbeat tone and an extremely disturbing storyline. A lot of unique aspects to this one (including a great soundtrack), and a terrific lead performance.
3. John Denver Trending (2019; Philippines; 8/10) - An effective and realistic anti-bullying film that doesn’t pander or feature any melodrama. The film is well-shot and well-acted, and the message gets across with its impactful story.
4. Forgiven Children (2020; Japan; 7/10) - Some bad editing and overly-melodramatic scenes, but it’s a beautifully-shot and anxiety-inducing film with purposeful cinematography and great performances. It’s an incredibly brutal, unpleasant nightmare of a movie (but that’s kinda the point).
5. They Say Nothing Stays the Same (2019; Japan; 7/10) - The best cinematography of the entire festival, done by the masterful Christopher Doyle. I definitely felt the film’s runtime, and I definitely appreciate it more as an incredible sensory experience than an as a story.
6. Miss Andy (2020; Taiwan; 7/10) - A story about a transgender woman who struggles to be accepted by her family. A very moving and heartwarming film with a fitting ending that wrapped it up perfectly.
7. Baseball Girl (2019; Korea; 7/10) - A somewhat cliched sports movie, but one that has great performances and an interesting angle, focusing on a woman who wants to become a pro player despite all odds against her.
8. Geran (2019; Malaysia; 6/10) - Impressive action with some beautiful cinematography. However, half of the scenes have awful cinematography, and there is almost no character/story, but there are some religious themes to give it a bit of substance. The 2-on-1 fight at the end was really incredible.
9. Secret Zoo (2020; 6/10) - Decent Korean comedy that isn’t nearly ridiculous enough to match its premise. It takes itself strangely seriously in parts, and it could’ve gone much more absurd to make it funnier. But I did find it entertaining with its character and strange storyline.
10. Unleashed (2019; Hong Kong; 5/10) - Generic Hong Kong martial arts movie that feels dated (even though it came out recently), but has some cool fight scenes and is quite entertaining. Ken Lo plays one of the leads, which is great!
11. Beneath the Shadow (2020; Japan; 5/10) - An incredibly slow burn that feels like it doesn't build up to much. 30 minutes probably could've been cut, but the cinematography and performances are fantastic.

[DrNgor]

On 9/7/2020 at 3:18 PM, KenHashibe said:

Unleashed (2019; Hong Kong; 5/10) - Generic Hong Kong martial arts movie that feels dated (even though it came out recently), but has some cool fight scenes and is quite entertaining. Ken Lo plays one of the leads, which is great!

I would pay good cash money for a film in which Ken Lo (even at his current age) is led into rooms on a leash and then told to "Get'em" for 90 minutes.

[KenHashibe]

On 9/11/2020 at 6:35 AM, DrNgor said:

I would pay good cash money for a film in which Ken Lo (even at his current age) is led into rooms on a leash and then told to "Get'em" for 90 minutes.

I couldn't agree more! He's one of the most underutilized martial arts actors of all time.

Unfortunately, Unleashed doesn't have a lot of Ken Lo fights. He mainly plays a boxing coach, and if I remember correctly, he only has one fight towards the end.