The Suffering of Ninko

Buddhist monk Ninko is irresistible to the ladies. he wishes he wasn't. boobs, woodcuts, boobs, animation, waterfalls, bewbs. Ninko must learn to accept his karma. funny and lovely to look at, short running time. I enjoyed it, still unpacking it.

Searchers

drama by the team who did The Far Runner, story based on the John Ford Western. set in Nunavut, Inuktitut with subtitles. i was more there for the cultural details, which was good since the pace was slow and watching people in giant fur snowsuits grappling is kind of silly. good for adorable puffy sled dogs and fierce wife, better to not think about the general role of women as chattel.

Finding Kukan

doc about Kukan, the first "best documentary feature" (1941), which is considered a lost film, and Li Ling Ai, credited as "technical advisor". the filmmaker makes a case for Li Ling Ai as the true producer. it's a nifty detective story and uses shadow play under some of the narrative, to great effect. Kukan itself was about the second Sino Japanese war and was remarkable for its color footage of the bombing of Nanking, shot at ground level. this doc was chock full of interesting stuff about the lives of Chinese-Americans in the 30s, plus great footage of the director presenting her research to a weeping audience in modern-day Chongqing.

notable comment from Q&A: Kukan wasn't that old and its history has mostly been lost. five of the people interviewed in the film are dead as of this viewing. the director urged us to record our parents and grandparents while we can.

The Little Hours

adaptation of a bit from the Decameron, set in a nunnery. raunchy, funny but low joke density. it was shot on location in Tuscany, which is stunning (and surprisingly Northwest-like). Aubrey Plaza and the writer/director did a q&a afterward. (sistawendy, it will be released in Seattle at the end of June.)

Vampire Cleanup Department

sheer pleasure. Hong Kong comedy adventure about a young man who joins a special branch of the sanitation department. it's sentimental and charming, and the hopping vampires are at turns silly and scary. recommended.

Becoming Who I Was

Korean-made documentary about a child Rinpoche in Northern India. he's believed to be the incarnation of a Tibetan lama. Of course those monks can't come find him, and he can't go to them. the real story is about his beautiful relationship with the man who discovered him. peronal, raw, and full of stunning landscapes punctuated with their red monk robes. i take back bitchy things ive said about drone cameras. They were used well and appropriately here. the kid's bio mom was a knitter. the village is incongrously full of people wearing really nice hand knits. North American premiere, good Q&A with the director.

Science Fiction Vol 1: The Osiris Child

Throwback Australian SF that was pretty fucking good. Like, original Mad Max good. Creative world-building, well executed, with solid acting. the evil corporation is running their terraforming projects with prison labor...and doing experiments. Divorced dad's awesome little girl is visiting the colony planet. Mayhem ensues. Yes, it is mostly a string of tropes, including the washed-up pilot, the good guy prisoner, and an armored bus, but that's fine. It ended at a good stopping spot, and I would be very happy to see volume 2.

Heal the Living
accidental bonus film! beautifully made French film about a heart transplant. not my usual, but another pass holder recommended it, and he was right. solid performances, beautiful. I cried.

The Wedding Plan
A nice Orthodox girl sets the date for her wedding, in spite of not knowing who the groom is. bittersweet and funny, fascinating insight into a culture I don't know well.

Tea Pets
good-looking Chinese animated film about the usual finding your place in the world and friendship. Pixar's success is about character building. if I don’t have the feels, it doesn't matter how good the animation is. no feels here.

The Farthest

Fucking awesome doc about Voyager, with director and a JPL engineer from the project for Q&A. There's a showing left. Seattlites should go.