An Unattached Unit (1993)

An Unattached Unit (1993)

April 28th, 7:00PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)


There are many issues when attempting to look into North Korean cinema. On the practical side, they do not believe in providing any kind of credits, or even the year. The government does have something of a registry listing films that they deem important, but even then the basic information provided about a given film is far from certain except in a very few cases.
Setting aside the practicalities, North Korean cinema is a non commercial, highly controlled medium in which the tone can shift from bluntly overt to surprisingly subtle in the span of a moment. This particular film is set in 1951 and tells the story of a group of soldiers who are being replaced in the front line after serving their rotation. But on the way home they find enemy troops are about to make a breakthrough and it is up to them to pull together to save the country.
North Korea, Director Kang Jung Mo, Cast Choe Pong Sik, Pyon Mi Hyang and Choe Tae Hyon, 80 minutes, in Korean with English subtitles.

Princess Iron Fan (1966)

Princess Iron Fan (1966)

April 21st, 7:00PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

In this second installment in the Shaw Brothers live action adaptation of the novel A Journey to the West, the Tang monk is still on his quest to retrieve original Buddhist scriptures from India. The Monkey King, protector to the monk, is faced with the obstacle of an eternally burning mountain. Now only a magical fan can allow the travelers to pass but to get it they must trick or battle the Bull King and his wife.
With the success of the original, this followup is noticeably grander in conception, incorporating even more Opera and adventure sequences.
Hong Kong, Director Ho Meng Hua, Cast Ting Hung, Cheng Pei Pei, Lily Ho Li Li, Ho Fan and Yueh Hua, 93 minutes, in Mandarin with English subtitles

Death Note L: Change the World (2008)

Death Note L: Change the World (2008)

April 14th, 7:00PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

Kenichi Matsuyama reprises his role of Detective L in this third Death Note film, which turns its attentions away from the main storyline of the series and is something of a joint sequel/prequel as it is set between the first and second films.
The basic plot of the Death Note series involves the discovery of a notebook which claims that if a persons name is written in it they will soon die. This sequel sees the character of L living through the consequences of this initial encounter.
Originating as a Manga, Death Note has gone on to include three feature films and an animated series.
Japan, Director Hideo Nakata, Cast Kenichi Matsuyama and Youki Kudoh, 129 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles.

Action Replayy (2010)

Action Replayy (2010)

April 7th, 7:00PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

It’s hard to be a good son when your father is a nerd and constantly under the thumb of his domineering wife. But when things take a turn for the worse it seems as if his parents are on the road for divorce. Luckily the young man (Aditya Roy Kapoor) has an inventor for a Grandfather who has just created the world’s first time machine. Now he is going back to the 1970’s to try and sort out his parent’s future.

Action Replayy attempts to create a nostalgic look back at Bollywood’s past while simultaneously satirizing it. Like most Indian film, a major goal seems to be the construction of spectacle and the film can be readily enjoyed on that level, even by those with no knowledge of earlier Indian cinema. It also boasts a relatively short running time of slightly over two hours compared to the traditional norm of over three.

India, Director Vipul Shah, Cast Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Neha Dhupia and Aditya Roy Kapoor, 129 minutes, in Hindi with English subtitles