Tag: Indie Film

Horror, Movies, ReviewsLeave a comment

‘Ouija Japan’ Summons Greatness but is Cursed with Being Decent

Bray Lawrence

Something that has always fascinated me in horror movies is that through the sheer bombastic embrace of all things repulsive in society, it can often be the best mirror image society has of itself. Whether it be through nightmare dream logic, campy visual stylization, or an over abundance of gore, when you strip the horror genre to its core there is a meaning behind the madness.

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Horror, Interview, StreamingLeave a comment

The Haunting History of Vampires and Blackness is Captured in ‘Black as Night’

Bray Lawrence

In the film Black as Night, screenwriter Sherman Payne pens a haunting and alluring tale of vampires and their victims through a lens not much often looked through. Crafting a story that centers Shawna, a 15-year-old African American woman, as she battles vampires in a modern day New Orleans against a backdrop of not only the history of Hurricane Katrina but also the generational and systemic trauma of being Black in America. 

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Movies, Reviews

‘When I’m A Moth’ is Beautiful but Doesn’t Say Anything

Bray Lawrence

Waking from a dream never felt so unfinished as it did when I reached the end credits of When I’m A Moth, an independent film directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, written by Cotler. It’s a film that on paper has all the markings of being an arthouse darling — a small cast, eerie poetic dream visuals, pontifications on choice and fate with a going nowhere protagonist and yet, as I rose from my seat afterwards, it felt as if I was remembering a half dream. Unable to finish the thought of what it wanted to be but fascinated by the parts I could remember.

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Movies, Reviews

‘Language Lessons’ Is A Lesson To Behold

Bray Lawrence

Two people from across different continents use webcams to build a beautiful friendship rooted in understanding each other, both linguistically and emotionally in Language Lessons. Natalie Morales directs, co-writes, and stars alongside Mark Duplass in a film that is both incredibly simple in production execution and completely captivating through its narrative and strong performances.

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Movies, Reviews

‘Americanish’ Shines a Heartwarming Light on its Community

Bray Lawrence

Iman Zahawry provides a refreshing and heartwarming romantic comedy centered in a community that is so often ignored in media. What might feel like a run of the mill indie film straight from the early 2010s, the films sets itself apart and elevates itself with its likable characters and message of trying to find one’s independence and what it means to be Americanish.

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Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

‘Nebulous Dark’ Can’t Time Travel Enough to Be a Strong Movie

Bray Lawrence

A nightmare-fueled time-traveling plot unravels in Shahin Sean Solimon’s new film, Nebulous Dark, a sci-fi movie about the world’s last human man as he wakes from deep sleep to find the Earth has been conquered by aliens. This sounds pretty straight forward for a plot, but this is only how I could fully understand the film after watching it and reading the synopsis again. If you were to watch Nebulous Dark after only seeing the trailer, as I did, you would find an almost surreal, nihilist nightmare of a film that I can’t tell if it’s poorly edited and poorly written, or if it’s actively trying to attack the viewer on a subconscious level. What I was left with was an art piece that genuinely intrigues me and is unintentionally funny, by a film that takes itself incredibly seriously.

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Martial Arts, Movies, Streaming

‘The Paper Tigers’ to Stream on Netflix

Keith Chow

The Paper Tigers, the indie martial arts film starring Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins that went from Kickstarter to Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes will culminate its improbable journey on the biggest streaming platform in the world when it debuts on Netflix this Saturday, August 7.

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Interview, Martial Arts, Movies

NOC Exclusive Interview: ‘The Paper Tigers’ Stars, Alain Uy and Mykel Shannon Jenkins

Patrick Strange

Heyyy! It’s Kuya P back again with another NOC EXCLUSIVE! I recently sat down for a conversation with the stars of The Paper Tigers: Alain Uy & Mykel Shannon Jenkins! The Paper Tigers hits Theaters and On Demand May 7th!

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Interview, Movies1 Comment

NOC Interview: The Amazing Aya Cash and William Jackson Harper from ‘We Broke Up’

Mike Manalo

Ever been in one of those relationships where you’ve felt like you’ve always been on the same page with your partner, only for everything to change suddenly, and you realize you’re really not? That’s essentially what happens in the new … Continue reading NOC Interview: The Amazing Aya Cash and William Jackson Harper from ‘We Broke Up’

Movies, Podcasts

Southern Fried Asian: ‘First Vote’

Southern Fried Asian

With less than three weeks to go for the 2020 Presidential Election, Keith sits down with filmmaker and subjects from the new documentary, First Vote: director Yi Chen, podcaster Kaiser Kuo, and professor Dr. Jennifer Ho on this special election edition of Southern Fried Asian.

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Movies, Podcasts

Southern Fried Asian: Eva Noblezada & Diane Paragas of ‘Yellow Rose’

Southern Fried Asian

On October 9, Sony Pictures’ Yellow Rose makes its theatrical debut on hundreds of screens across North America. To celebrate, the film’s star, Eva Noblezada, and writer/director, Diane Paragas, join Keith on a brand new Southern Fried Asian.

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Movies, Streaming1 Comment

‘I Will Make You Mine’ Completes the ‘Surrogate Valentine’ Trilogy

The Nerds of Color

After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of SXSW, several movies set to debut at the annual Texas festival had to shift their premieres. Friend of the NOC Lynn Chen’s directorial debut, I Will Make You Mine, was one of those movies. Fortunately, the movie has finally been released on blu-ray/DVD and is available to stream on nearly every digital platform!

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Interview, Literature, Movies1 Comment

Stephan James Talks ‘Beale Street’ and Black Love

Valerie Complex

Barry Jenkins’ new film If Beale Street Could Talk is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by James Baldwin. When writing the book, I’m sure Baldwin never thought his works would be translated on screen. A conversation can also be had on whether or not James Baldwin ever thought his work would be as poignant today as it was 44 years ago. The justice system is still screwed, Black folks are still in poverty in America, but hopefully the public’s view of ‘Black love’ will change upon viewing this film.

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Literature, Movies, Reviews

‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ is an Impressive Achievement

Valerie Complex

New York City isn’t the diverse utopia many think it is. If there is any system that shows just how broken things are, it is the city’s police force where “protect and serve” is on a circumstantial based on the color of your skin. This is among the many themes in James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk, which is in good hands with director Barry Jenkins.

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Crowdfunding, Movies1 Comment

Kickstart This: ‘I Will Make You Mine’

Keith Chow

The world of cinema is replete with great trilogies. From George Lucas’ original Star Wars to Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic Godfather and modern classics like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy. Well, my friend Lynn Chen is adding to that list with her directorial debut, I Will Make You Mine, the third chapter in the saga of Surrogate Valentine. But she needs your help!

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Conventions, Movies

Groovy Times at the 2018 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Edward Hong

May is now upon us and for those of us in Los Angeles, that means the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is here!

Starting tomorrow, from May 3rd to May 12th, a whole community of Asian American artists and creatives in the entertainment industry will gather together and showcase their work throughout multiple venues from the Director’s Guild of America to the Aratani Theatre. Now in its 34th year, this festival sports a rather groovy intro. Check it out in the video below:

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Movies4 Comments

Our Picks For The 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Edward Hong

 

The Annual Gather-up of Los Angeles Asians in Entertainment is upon us.

I mean, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Starting tomorrow, from April 27 to May 4, the LAAPFF will showcase a week of films from the opening of Better Luck Tomorrow for its 15th anniversary, the centerpiece Gook starring Justin Chon, the closing film Columbus with John Cho as the romantic lead, and a whole slew of shorts and features in between.

To be exact, there are 45 features and 139 shorts to choose from. Here are the few select ones that have caught my attention as Josephine Chang and I will cover the festival:

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Horror, Movies

Dwayne Perkins and Lynn Chen are Dying to Kill

The Nerds of Color

The new horror film Dying to Kill, starring stand-up comedian Dwayne Perkins, will make its debut this Tuesday, December 13 on Hulu. On this week’s Hard NOC Life, Dwayne — who also co-wrote the film — is joined by his co-star Lynn Chen, as well as the film’s writer/producer Koji Steven Sakai, and writer/director Raymond C. Lai to talk about the process that went into making the film.

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Crowdfunding, Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies

‘Snakehead’ Filmmakers on the Search for Sister Sze

Hard NOC Media

The filmmakers behind the upcoming independent movie Snakehead — director Evan Jackson Leong (Linsanity) and producer/actor Brian Yang (Hawaii Five-0) — join the show to talk about media representation, building community through crowdfunding, and the evolution of independent Asian American film.

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