The Ninth Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

Jimmy Tsai is hilarious in Ping Pong Playa, SDAFF's opening night film (IFC Films)

The San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off its 9th year tonight with the opening night feature Ping Pong Playa by Jessica Yu. The film boasts a hilarious performance by Jimmy Tsai as a young Asian man obsessed with being a basketball player and taking on the name of C-Dub. The film taps into a similar vibe as the Filipino comedy The Flip Side that screened back in 2001. But since opening night films are often sold out, I have two alternate recommendations: Assembly from Mainland China and Public Enemy Returns from South Korea. Although the festival is strongly committed to showcasing Asian American films, I have always been more satisfied by the international titles where the emphasis is less on exploring identity and delivering a message, and more on pushing the envelope in creativity and storytelling.

Teen Critic Says Kung Fu Panda is a Good Time for All

Fun for all in Kung Fu Panda (Dreamworks)

By Vikram Bhoyrul

If I had a quarter for every time a panda has entertained me so much than I would have exactly 25 cents. Kung Fu Panda (opened June 6 throughout San Diego) is unique and incredibly entertaining, making for a great family movie. It has a well-known cast consisting of people like Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and the panda himself, Jack Black. For the younger crowd there is an abundance of slapstick humor accompanied by Jack Black's lovable personality. For the rest of us, the movie actually contains some deeper messages.

In the tradition of most Disney classics, this Dreamworks animation promotes this whole "if you believe than you can achieve" idea and although clichéd, it is tastefully done in Kung Fu Panda. The message that I found to be the most interesting is that there are no accidents. The wise turtle kung fu master constantly repeats this message. He stresses that there is a reason for everything happening the way it does, and with time we are all destined to blossom. Similar to Batman or even Ironman, Kung Fu Panda emphasizes that no matter who you are, you don't need supernatural abilities to make a difference. You need determination and courage and the rest will fall into place.

True to Jack Black, the panda finds the strength to do the impossible through food. This gives the message that we are all fine the way we are and it is with our imperfections that we are in fact perfect. Kung Fu Panda was also nice in that it had some memorable lines and scenes that could be talked about afterwards such as "skidoosh" or "don't tell monkey!"

Overall Kung Fu Panda (rated PG for scenes of martial arts action) was clearly targeted towards the younger audience but with its underlying messages and Jack Black's humor, Kung Fu Panda is a good time for all ages.

Vikram Bhoyrul is a senior at The Bishop's School in La Jolla. For years film has been a passion of his. Besides Star Wars, his favorite movies are Children of Men, Cinderella Man. Life of Brian, and without question The Lion King. He would also like to become a journalist when he grows up. His goal is to become an influential network anchor. In his free time he likes running, singing, watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and cooking. At high school, he is the editor of his own school newspaper, and in college he wishes to major in journalism.

Teen Critic Says, Skip the Movie, Watch the Trailer

The Foot Fist Way (Paramount Vantage)

By Candace Kavanagh

The Foot Fist Way (opened June 6 throughout San Diego) is a film about a Tae Kwan Do teacher played by Danny McBride who goes through life in denial about how much of a loser he is. This movie got my hopes up. I had seen the commercials and laughed at all the charming stupidity. Unfortunately, this movie's charm existed only in the minute of the commercial. The Foot Fist Way uses similar humor as a recent hit, Napoleon Dynamite. Stupidity being the mother of all laughs. Unfortunately, this tactic doesn't hold my attention for an hour and a half. Any charm quickly evaporated as I realized how horrible McBride's character was. At least with most stupid comedies you can fall in love with the protagonist, but in The Foot Fist Way we're stuck hating this man to no end -- unless you count the credits of the movie. I found myself wishing that the movie was shown through the eyes of Henry, one of the smaller characters, but the only one who actually got me cheering for him because of his shyness and having an actual evolution during the film. What I liked most about Henry was that he was the exact opposite of the main character, who was static and a villain towards poor Henry. But instead we're stuck watching this horribly annoying, horribly abusive man. If I wouldn't hang out with this man why in the world would I want to see an hour and a half movie about him.

I give The Foot Fist Way (rated R for strong language and some sexual content) credit for at least being realistic. I have seen many of these types of people in the halls at school and on the streets. It is true that this film seems to be an actual documentary of a section of our community. But I can't give this movie my approval due to it's choice of what to reveal. The actors were great, but their characters were evil and most of the time mean-spirited, making this film an uninspiring experience.

-- Candace Kavanagh just graduated from Mount Miguel High School. She spends her life absorbing celluloid images. She loves every type of film from so-called "chick flicks" such as My Fair Lady and Legally Blonde, to mind bending thrillers like Mulholland Drive and Hard Candy -- with every zombie movie, action flick, musical, and comedy in between.

You Don’t Mess with the Kung Fu Panda Zohan

Master Shifu teaches Po a lesson in Kung Fu Panda (Dreamworks)

This week I am pleased to introduce two new KPBS Teen Critics, Raymond Mai and Vikram Bhoyrul. They both had reviews up this week (of Kung Fu Panda and You Don't Mess with the Zohan,respectively) and I hope you check them out. Raymond is someone I've known since he was in elementary school with my son and he's always had very strong opinions about movies, so I'm thrilled to have him aboard. Vikram, on the other hand, I just met. I was introduced to his father at an Indian film screening and his dad explained how Vikram had started his own paper at Bishop's. Now that's initiative. Anyway, I hope you check out their reviews. But I wanted to throw my two cents in about Kung Fu Panda and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (both opened June 6 throughout San Diego). Also, being a martial arts fan I thought it was worth mentioning that three films that opened on Friday - Kung Fu Panda, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Foot Fist Way - contained martial arts to varying degrees.

First let me start with Kung Fu Panda, an American animated martial arts film about a panda with big dreams. The film seems in part to tap into the fact that all eyes are on China as it prepares to host the summer Olympics. The film starts with a strikingly animated prologue that turns out to be a dream. Po (voiced by Jack Black) is an eager, out of shape panda that wants nothing more than to be like the heroes that he worships (and has a full set of action figures of). This open got my interest up because the animation style recalled the Emmy-winning Cartoon Network show Samurai Jack. Unfortunately, when the dream ends, so does the innovative visual style and we're back to the standard 3-D computer animation that everyone is using. I know it's state of the art and I should appreciate how the hair looks so real... but all right already. Kudos to the technicians and animators. But this style of animation seems to place more emphasis on the technology than the artistry, and I've begun to grow weary of it.

Teen Critics Says Film Puts Foot—and Fist—in Mouth

The Foot Fist Way (Paramount Advantage)

By Raymond Mai

While sitting in my seat for the 85 minutes of The Foot Fist Way (opening June 6 throughout San Diego), I looked for tiny pieces of popcorn in my bag, moved my straw around in my drink, and tied my shoe. I was as uncomfortable watching this movie as a small freshman on a varsity football team. I've read some positive reviews written by regular people, and I quite frankly disagree with them. If you thought The Foot Fist Way was hilarious, you shouldn't have brought drugs with you into the movie.

Fred Simmons (Danny McBride) runs a Tae Kwon Do class ranging from little kids to senior citizens. After being cheated on by his wife, Suzie Simmons (Mary Jane Bostic), his life begins to go down the drain. His 5th degree black belt friend, Mike McAllister visits, and Fred, Mike, and two students go on a road trip to visit Chuck "The Truck" Wallace (Ben Best), who is supposedly the best martial artist of all time. A small dilemma happens at The Truck's party. He is convinced to come visit Fred's class for their belt-qualifying test. As soon as he arrives, he's attracted to Suzie. Fred comes home to find his wife cheating on him yet again. To settle this once and for all, Fred is forced to turn on his martial arts idol in a showdown!

The movie made me uncomfortable for numerous reasons. First off, some parts drag on way too long. If I had a remote, I would've been pointing at the screen and pressing the fast forward button on those particular scenes. Another thing is that the movie was intended to be a comedy, yet some parts really felt like a dramatic movie. It didn't go well because the drama scenes didn't correspond well with the scenes that were attempting to be funny. Another thing that bothered me about this movie is that it relied mostly on the actor's expressions to make you laugh, not what he would say or do. This was bad because it wasn't acted out well at all and it kept doing the same thing to try and make you laugh. I could only recall a couple scenes being funny. Most of the film was just the actors trying too hard to be funny. Fred Simmons' obnoxiousness grew old quick and it was just tiring to see him continue to be this way through the whole film.

What I can compliment this film on is that the storyline was actually decently written. It wasn't too cliched for a martial arts film, and it was believable. I definitely admired the fighting scenes. They were choreographed well and they were especially entertaining. This film starts off putting you in an uncomfortable mood and continues in that mode, but once you get past that, the movie isn't half bad. It's an entertaining movie with occasionally funny scenes but it has the potential to be better. You'll only love The Foot Fist Way (rated R for strong language and some sexual content) if you thought Epic Movie was a good comedy. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this as a must see, even for people who jump from room to room watching free movies, because this movie deserves only 1 1/2 stars out of 5 in my book.

Raymond Mai is a soon to be sophomore at Mount Miguel High School where he's on the football and baseball team. When he is not studying or playing a sport, he loves to have fun, whether it's watching movies or just kicking it behind the TV with his Nintendo Wii. He enjoys the opportunity to voice his opinions about movies.

Get Ready for Some Intense Kung Fu…and Eating!

Jack Black's panda eyes some food during training in Kung Fu Panda reviewed by one of our new Teen Critics (Dreamworks)

By Raymond Mai

I am actually not a big fan of animated movies having animals that speak and perform like humans. So I didn't expect much from Kung Fu Panda (opening June 6 throughout San Diego) but after 88 minutes, I was impressed. I walked out of the movie theater with my friends, Tony and Terry, recapping the many entertaining scenes from the film.

Po (voiced by Jack Black) is an obese panda that dreams of being a kung fu fighter, while his dad Mr. Ping (James Hong) is trying to entice Po with the wonderful world of noodles (the family business). Meanwhile, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is warned of the escape of Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a likable snow leopard that beats on everyone. Master Shifu prepares his Furious 5 Warriors -- Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross) -- to battle Tai Lung. Unexpectedly, Po 'comes out of the sky' (literally, which is hard to believe), and is chosen to fight Tai Lung. Master Shifu makes a commitment and promise to train and believe in Po, and soon Po takes on the challenge to fight for peace in his valley.

What I admire about this flick is that it's a comedy that actually develops its likable characters without having you to nudge the person next to you with questions. I especially love the voiceover cast for this movie. Each person is well suited to their character. Take Jack Black who provides the voice of the curious and funny panda. Or Ian McShane's voice for the dark and wicked snow leopard.

If you have a kid and you take him to this movie, you get the added bonus that he or she may learn a good life lesson. Though the movie is very entertaining, there is nothing unique about the storyline. The storyline is there and simple, but it is a weak one even if it is a martial arts film. This movie is very entertaining and the funny jokes, mostly about being fat, did put a smile on my face. But the jokes are still cheap.

Kung Fu Panda (rated PG for sequences of martial arts action) is not as good as Over The Hedge, an animated film with talking animals that I did like. But this movie is still worth your money and you won't have to take bathroom breaks to kill some time. Overall, this is an enjoyable movie, but with an unsophisticated storyline.

Raymond Mai is a soon to be sophomore at Mount Miguel High School where he's on the football and baseball team. When he is not studying or playing a sport, he loves to have fun, whether it's watching movies or just kicking it behind the TV with his Nintendo Wii. He enjoys the opportunity to voice his opinions about movies.

Redbelt

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) instructs Laura Black (Emily Mortimer) on how to defend herself in Redbelt (Sony Pictures Classics)

Redbelt (opening May 9 at Landmark's La Jolla Village Theaters) was one of the films up for discussion on last month's Film Club of the Air. You can listen to our discussion and hear a clip from the film or read on for my review. The film is the latest from playwright-turned-filmmaker David Mamet. As a playwright, Mamet is known for American Buffalo, Oleanna, Sexual Perversity in Chicago (made into the awful film About Last Night) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross. As a filmmaker, he has given us House of Games, Things Change, Homicide, State and Main, and Spartan among others. Although his first films had felt a bit stiff cinematically, as if he hadn't quite left the confines of the stage, his dialogue has always crackled and he has improved his visual style over the years. Redbelt may not surpass any of his plays but it's certainly one of his strongest film works.

Forbidden Kingdom

Jet Li and Jackie Chan are kung fu masters fighting over the training of wimpy white boy Michael Angarano in Forbidden Kigdom (Lionsgate)

Forbidden Kingdom (opening April 18 throughout San Diego) is being pitched to audiences as the first film to ever pair martial arts masters and Hong Kong superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li. But there's another pairing going on that in some ways may prove more important for the industry, and that's the behind the scenes partnership between China and the U.S. that brought the film to the screen. Variety describes the co-production as a possible "blueprint for a new wave of East-West cooperation." The film boasts an American director but with many of the actors and crew coming from Asia, and most of the scenes shot on location in China. The film also had a Hong Kong press junket and an April 15 release in Beijing before opening today in the U.S. The film serves up a mix of styles and languages as it strives for the widest possible global audience. Plus, by co-producing the film with China, Hollywood gets around that Asian country's import quota (that limits the number of foreign films released in China each year). So in many ways there's more at stake than just finding out who's the best kung fu master Chan or Li.

Teen Critic Enters the Forbidden Kingdom

Jet Li versus Jackie Chan in Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate)

By Carlos Sepulveda

I have always wondered who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li. When I heard they were making a movie together, I thought that maybe my question would finally be answered. The Forbidden Kingdom (opening April 17 throughout San Diego) is a movie that mixes fantasy, action, humor and adventure. The beginning of the movie dragged a bit, until we started to see more of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The story line of the movie wasn't very exciting or original, I even found several similarities between The Forbidden Kingdom and The Lord of the Rings.

Forbidden Kingdom starts off with a boy named Jason who is obsessed with Chinese Martial Arts movies. He stumbles across an ancient Chinese bow staff as he looks for more movies at a pawn shop. After falling from a building, Jason is unexpectedly transported back to ancient China to find the owner of the bow staff. Once in China he meets a drunk Kung Fu master, Lu Yan, who is played by Jackie Chan. Lu Yan and Jason embark on the journey to return the bow staff to the Monkey King who is trapped in stone until he has his staff again. On their way to the Monkey King they meet a girl, Golden Sparrow (played by Crystal Liu Yi Fei) and the Silent Monk (played by Jet Li). The four amigos join forces to beat the evil Jade Warlord who wants to keep the Monkey King from having his bow staff again.

When I was thinking about the film, I found similarities, as I mentioned earlier, to Lord of the Rings. I saw a connection between the two movies. In Lord of the Rings, the ultimate goal is to get the ring to the top of the volcano and have it destroyed. In Forbidden Kingdom, the plot is similar. In this film, they must get the staff to the Monkey King, but first they must defeat an evil Jade Warlord who resembles the evil Saruman from Lord of the Rings. In the scene where the Silent Monk makes his first appearance dressed in white riding on a horse, he looked very much like Gandalf. Those are a few of the things that reminded me of Lord of the Rings. But even though Forbidden Kingdom lacked originality, the movie made up for it with its humor and great fight scenes.

Although the movie left my original question unanswered -- I still don't know who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li -- it was still worth watching. It was very fun to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li fight each other. I like watching Jackie Chan movies because he uses no special effects or flying scenes. But in Forbidden Kingdom that's not the case. Since the movie had Jackie Chan and Jet Li in it, I was expecting the fight scene of the year along with lots of humor. The movie was not exactly what I expected but was still worth watching.

-- Carlos Sepulveda is a senior currently attending Mount Miguel High. Carlos enjoys reading in his spare time and running. He is most interested in history, politics and world issues. Carlos likes to watch foreign films, comedies and dramas.

Planet B-Boy

Breakdancing around the globe in Planet B-Boy (Elephant Eye Films)

Breakdancing has fallen out of the popularity it enjoyed in the years following the 1983 film Flashdance. But for some, the fall from fad-dom may be a relief, clearing out all the wannabes and just leaving the true devotees to practice the art. The current state of breakdancing is explored in the new documentary Planet B-Boy (opening March 28 at Landmark's Ken Cinema), which bears the description: "About One of the Greatest Dance Phenomena the World Has Ever Seen." Well you can see the film and a little pre-show, live entertainment by B-Boys Phobangers and Rock So Fresh at the Ken for the March 28 7:00 pm and 9:45 pm shows.