Premiere: Gary King & New York Lately

This is definitely some cool news.

One of the AA filmmakers I've been following has been Gary King (for other posts see this link) and he was kind enough to send over word that he just completed his feature length film New York Lately and that it will be having its premiere next month at the Tribeca Cinemas on Oct 17th.

Two reasons to check it out when it comes to a film festival near you in 2009:

1. It just looks good.

2. Gary King wrote, directed, produced, and also financed it (through cashing out his 401K), and if there's one thing to get behind, it's an Asian American filmmaker who puts everything they have into making sure their story gets told.

Check out more about the film at the official site, and also view the new trailer.

Here's some more information on the premiere:

New York, New York – September 8, 2008 - On Friday, October 17, Kitchen Table Films will hold a private premiere event of the independent feature film drama NEW YORK LATELY at the Tribeca Cinemas in New York. Written, directed and produced by Gary King, the premiere will feature a full screening of the 92-minute film and host an after party at the same venue. The filmmakers and select cast will be in attendance for post-screening Q&A's.

NEW YORK LATELY follows multiple characters as they weave through their daily lives struggling to find happiness. Using New York as the backdrop, filmmaker Gary King interweaves several unrelated tales into a larger tapestry that not only pulls viewers into these intimate day-to-day lives, but also draws on those interactions to show how we are not all that different from each other.

The film is packed with rising talent, including up-and-coming singer Susan Cagle whose New York underground music career was showcased on the Oprah Winfrey Show and a haunting musical score by Ben Romans of the chart-topping band, THE CLICK FIVE. Along with other powerhouse performances by the ensemble cast, this is a dazzling independent film not to be missed.

In 2006, King quit his corporate job to pursue filmmaking full-time, moving from Northern California to New York where the inspiration for the film was born. NEW YORK LATELY fuses together those universal themes -- love, infidelity, obsession and friendship -- and explores them among city moments that pulse together. "The film moves through its various stories without attempting to make character intersections any more meaningful than the random nature of life itself," says King, "the effect is a sprawling mosaic of New York City and its everyday people, living everyday lives. People can relate to that."

King also served as producer and financed the film by cashing out his entire 401K. "It's definitely an independent film in every sense of the word, from its financing to the way we shot guerrilla style all around the city," says King. "My motto was: no permits, no problem."

ABOUT KITCHEN TABLE FILMS: Based in New York, Kitchen Table Films is an independent film and media production company, founded in the summer of 2003. The company name and logo are inspired by the humble beginnings, late hours and grassroots effort required in creating independent films.

"New York Lately" World Premiere Screening

Got word from filmmaker Gary King that his film New York Lately is going to be getting its World Premiere down at the Sedona Film Festival, Wed February 25 and Sat February 28.

Here's the info:

World Premiere of "New York Lately" at the 2009 Sedona Film Festival, Wed February 25 and Sat February 28

New York, New York -- February 10, 2009 -- The independent film "New York Lately" will have its World Premiere screening at the Sedona Film Festival, on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 9:30pm and on Saturday, February 28, 2009, at 7:30pm at the Harkins Theaters Sedona 6. The 15th annual Sedona International Film Festival, named the "Fest to Impress" by MovieMaker Magazine runs February 24 through March 1, 2009 in Sedona, Arizona. Writer/Director Gary King will be in attendance with select cast for both screenings.

"New York Lately" is a feature film drama following multiple characters as they weave through their daily lives struggling to find happiness. However, happiness to each of them is defined differently. Using New York as the backdrop, King interweaves several unrelated tales into a larger tapestry that not only pulls viewers into these intimate day-to-day lives, but also draws on those interactions to show how we are not all that different from each other.

Here's what critics are saying about "New York Lately"

"…an absolutely wonderful piece of work." — ROGUE CINEMA
"…an original, funny and poignant slice of New York City" — FILM ARCADE
"…breathtaking and emotionally powerful…" — TCWREVIEWS
"…smart, lively and engaging…" — SONIC CINEMA
"I never thought that watching relationships fail could be so heartwarming." — PULPMOVIES
"…smart camera work…perfect pacing, superb acting…" — FILMFANATIX

The film is packed with rising talent featuring powerhouse performances by the ensemble cast and amazing music provided by incredible up and coming musicians. This is a dazzling independent film not to be missed.

King also served as producer and self-financed the film by cashing out his entire 401K. King says, "It's definitely an independent film in every sense of the word." He adds, "the film moves through its various stories without attempting to make character intersections any more meaningful than the random nature of life itself. The effect is a mosaic of New York City and its everyday people, living everyday lives. It's really amazing to see how audiences have responded to it all."

About Gary King

Gary King was raised in the Northern California Bay Area and moved to New York in 2006 to pursue filmmaking. He founded Kitchen Table Films, an independent film and media production company, in the summer of 2003. The company name and logo are inspired by the humble beginnings, late hours and grassroots effort required in creating independent films. King has written, directed and produced award winning short films along with numerous music video and commercial projects. "New York Lately" marks his feature film debut. He is currently developing several feature film projects.

Cool.

Coming Soon: Gary King and New York Lately

Asian American filmmaker Gary King just wrapped up the filming of his new movie New York Lately where it's headed into post production, looking at a release date later this year (winter) - and from the trailers on the film's site, it looks like it's going to be a pretty cool flick and a great feature film debut for King who both wrote and directed the movie (more info as the release date gets closer).


Gary King with his crew behind the scenes

For more info check out the official site at http://www.nylatelymovie.com/, as well as the film's MySpace page, and Gary King's Director's Blog.

Gary King, Dismal Premiere, And Word To The Horror Fans

Click on the pic for a larger image

Filmmaker Gary King is premiering his new flick Dismal at the Horrorfind Weekend - so if you're down there, definitely get on out and support some horror - because from the trailer it's bound to be splatterific.

Here's the press release info (and Gary tells me he's also going to have some updates on his other film New York Lately soon too).

July 31, 2008 - What lies beyond the firelight? Natural wonders or unnatural horror? Is liver best accented with fava beans and a nice chianti? Does the human appetite know no bounds? On a science field trip to the Great Dismal Swamp, a group of college students find the answers to these questions and more.

DISMAL PREMIERE

Time: 5pm
Date: Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Location: Adelphi, Maryland
Convention info: Horrorfind Weekend

The Great Dismal Swamp spans over a hundred thousand acres. Home to countless species, it is a place teeming with life --and death. For the top of the food chain lives in a dingy cabin deep in the heart of the swamp, and he has appetite for human flesh.

Dana is failing Biology. Her affliction towards creepy critters has tested her will power and her grade. In order to pass, she must brave a trek into a remote region of the swamp along with several classmates, the newly coupled Gary and Shelly, all-star stud Jamal and his sexy companion Eve. Lead by their awkward teaching assistant, Curt, they soon find out this simple assignment will be a test of survival. Where they are going it's eat or be eaten.

"DISMAL" is an intense, heart-pounding dish served with a side of gore that every true horror fan must see. Director Gary King takes his first trip into the genre and delivers a stylish 70's vision with a hot cast, plenty of action and enough twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. The cast includes newcomers Lydia Chandler, Will Triplett and Capel Kane and a performance by Bill Oberst, Jr. as the creepy ranger, Dale, that you won't want to miss.

Written for the screen by Bo Buckley and produced by Fearmakers Studios, "DISMAL" is sure to be a hit.

Go to the Dismal Website to view the trailer.

Write-Up: New York Lately

Got sent this in about a review down at Rogue Cinema on Gary King's New York Lately which I wanted to post on up. Here's a snippet:

Back in May of 2005 I reviewed an absolutely brilliant comedy short from director Gary King called Hubris. It was obvious from that film that Gary King not only had a huge amount of talent as a film maker, but that I could expect to see even better things from him in the future. For a long time now, I had known about a film he had been working on called New York Lately. I didn't know all that much about it other than that it was a feature length film, and vastly different from his short comedy Hubris.

Fast forward to today. I got the film in the mail earlier this month, and when I had a chance to sit down in watch it, I was simply in awe at how brilliant it was. This whole thing is like a showcase of what to do right in a film...

Check it out in full here.

Gary King: Dismal

Here's the latest trailer for Dismal, directed by AA filmmaker Gary King, who's also coming out with New York Lately.

Gary King + channelAPA.com

Glad to see the good folks down at channelAPA.com getting some screen time with Asian American filmmaker Gary King of What's Up Lovely, Dismal, and New York Lately (to name a few).

Gary King And What's Up Lovely

New trailer. New Gary King film. New post.

DISMAL At Fangoria

Was meaning to post this up a week or so ago when I got the info, but wanted to mention that AA director/filmmaker Gary King and his new horror/bloodbath flick got some nice pub down at Fangoria:

To helm the carnage, Buckley and co. chose King, an award-winning short-film director. “For me to do this film, there had to be something new to the genre that we haven’t seen yet—and there are several elements in DISMAL which achieve that,” he says. “First and foremost, Bo wrote in some great kills, and that’s what first caught my eye. Second, and just as important, there’s a great villain. Let’s be honest—that’s who we come to see, right? The bad guy is always just a bit cooler than everyone else, and I believe we’ve achieved that here.”

“DISMAL is cool because it’s about cannibals who live among the rest of us, not zombies,” adds Bill Oberst Jr., who plays Ranger Dale. “Not that I have anything against a good zombie gorefest, but the idea of flesh-and-blood humans munching out on flesh and blood themselves is more disturbing by far.”

Sweet sweet cannibals.

Random Reader Comments

Some reader comments that have been made from various posts over the last couple of weeks:

From Robert Van Winkle On Would You Vote For This Mug?:

Not with that hair.

From Sophi Nguyen On The Viet Model Project And Thao Sophi Nguyen:

humm now that you mentioned it i re-read the whole interview , in that paragraph there were couple other question that was asked but isnt listed .Notice that all the answer stated are short closed sentence ? I wouldnt just stop and answer something that has nothing to do with the question , maybe during my interview i provided so much information that they couldnt paraphrase it all into one .

From Uglyblackjohn On The Debate, Palin, And Those Preconditions:

I noticed a lot of Blacks in the back of the lyceum. They were the loud ones cheering at the end of the telecast ( I watched it on NBC so I may have gotten a different image).I noticed that Sarah looked a lot like Rudy G too...Obama has to walk a tight rope between being in control and being "The Angry Black Man" over-reating to the old man.Obama did well enough.

From Alice On Host A Japanese Game Show On MTV:

Hmmm, call me cynical but I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those infamous fake Japanese game shows, where the point is to show how weird, nerdy, bizarre, and perverse those wacky "orientals" are. I will be truly surprised if it's not, so I really wouldn't encourage anyone to put themselves out there (waste their time going into casting) until they know what the show is about. MTV, ha.

From Gary King On Stan Lee And Captain America:

I would totally love to direct a Wonder Woman film starring Gabriel Union!

From Nick On MTV's Top Pop Group Videos: Jazmin:

they're not bad... but not good either... musical talent these days is really lacking...

From Kenny Eng On Kenny Eng On iTunes Soon:

This just in: "Self Centered" on iTunes.

From Pioro On Other Views: More On Stuff White People Like:

I think identity by race/color of your skin is an antiquated late-19th century fad that gained traction throughout the 20th century and was even taken to perverse lows by regimes such as Nazi Germany. I have had the chance to live in the USA, Europe, and the Far East and it is incredible, in particular the US, how many people need to identify themselves by race and not by the individual they are (doctor, mechanic, artist, etc.). Maybe this has to do with hollowing out of American culture into mass-consumerism. What I found quite disturbing though is how blatantly racist Asians can be, particularly against other Asians. (not so much Asian-Americans although often they have overwhelming blind-pride and glorification of their homeland without often acknowledging the harsh realities existing there). Japan is an extreme case where they would rather have robots take care of their elderly than a Filipino. Chinese will often be friendly on the surface but seem to have this unhealthy drive to "we will show you all / something to prove" attitude which is quite scary for the future of the world as long as China is a one-party dictatorship. Maybe you are right that due to me being part of the dominant culture, at least in Europe and in the USA (but is this still so true there?) that I have a different outlook. But I have had the opportunity to travel extensively and live in different parts and what I have learned is to always judge one person at a time. Otherwise you will just wear yourself down with prejudice and negative feelings.

From rainman On Ashwin Madia And Ron Carey:

Paulsen was interviewed on WCCO this morning and did not condemn the comments made at the press conference on his behalf. His campaing staffers were at the press conference, so he must have known exactly what would be said....he's as big a slime ball as Carey and Michel....it's no wonder the GOP is shrinking as we speak. Madia is running an issue oriented positive campaign and that is all you will hear from him. The truth is always the best medicine and Paulsen doesn't want to take his.....bad form by him.

From Pick Up Trucks On Las Plumas High School, Pickup Trucks, And Getting Out Of The Way:

Yes there will always be some sort of racism everywhere in the world, but the best way to avoid it is to ignore the source and eventually it will only prove to be an adolescent viewpoint.

From jhollingsworth On SoCal And Hate Crimes:

well after all, it is america and anyone is free to hate anyone or group they please. however, what is NOT protected by the contitution is a crime commited as a result of that hatred. yet, regardless of it's motivation, it is still a crime whether hate-inspired or not. labelling it a 'hate crime' is redundant.

From Keith On Balls of Fury: Ching Chong racism or just a funny movie?:

Are you smoking crack?

You're A First: Judge Mary Yu

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu to the Washington state Supreme Court. Appointed as a judge in 2000 by then-Gov. Gary Locke, Yu will be the first openly gay justice, and the first Asian American, on the state’s high court. King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu was appointed to the Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday, becoming the first openly gay justice, as well as the first Asian American, to serve on the state’s high court. The 56-year-old, one of 19 applicants for the seat being vacated by Justice James Johnson, was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday. Johnson, considered the court’s most conservative member, announced his retirement last month, citing health issues. He left the bench Wednesday.

I know at the end of the day that it shouldn't matter and that at some point it doesn't need to be stated (and some people would argue that it doesn't or shouldn't be now) but the fact that it has mattered, is why at least to me, it matters now.

Go Go Washington State Supreme Court.

March 15th @ CAAMFest + Grace Lee + "Off the Menu: Asian America"

The new Grace Lee film, an hour long documentary where Lee travels across the U.S. in search of the intersection between food and APIA communities will have its premiere at the Castro on March 15th (2:20pm to be exact) and I hope that all of you who can go, do go.



Because it looks great (and I'm hoping someone will steal a copy for me, or at least send me some shaky HEVC video).



Here's a little more from the release:

==

In the one-­‐hour documentary, Lee travels from Houston, Texas to New York’s Lower East Side, from Oak Creek, Wisconsin to Oahu, Hawaii seeking stories that reflect an evolving Asian Pacific America and the role food plays in peoples’ lives. “We wanted to find unexpected stories that embodied the Asian American experience,” Lee said. “Asian America is already such a vast, complex, and contested idea. Focusing on food was a way to explore the deeper connections of culture, family, and ideas of authenticity and adaptation that link us all.” "KQED is deeply committed to independent films and filmmakers and we are proud to partner with CAAM to highlight the work of such a talented and unique filmmaker like Grace Lee," said Michael Isip, KQED’s chief content officer and co-­‐executive producer of the film. "Off the Menu brings audiences closer to Asian American culture through something we can all appreciate: food. Grace takes us on a cultural journey with thoughtful observations of how Asian traditions around the preparation, sharing and creation of meals can bring people and communities together."

In Houston, Lee meets two entrepreneurial food pioneers: third-­‐generation Japanese American Glen Gondo of Gondo Co., dubbed “the sushi king of Texas” and Gary Chiu, whose family-­‐run factory, Banyan Foods, has been providing tofu throughout Texas since 1978. Over the decades that their businesses have grown, they have re-­‐defined Asian staples like sushi and tofu into uniquely Asian American dishes that cater to the Texan palate, offering items like sushi rolls with deep fried jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and spicy crab and Asian Tex-­‐Mex fusion with tofu tamales.

In New York’s Lower East Side, French-­‐trained chef Jonathan Wu and his business partner Wilson Tang open Fung Tu, a modern Chinese restaurant based on family stories and recipes as well as Wu’s desire to cook food that was personal to his upbringing. Wu applies classic French techniques to ingredients more familiar to Chinese cooking, resulting in menu items that he says have “an authenticity of spirit.”

Just south of Milwaukee, a growing immigrant community at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin participate in langar, a centuries-­‐old practice that shows how the making and sharing of a meal can feed a community spiritually. The temple made headlines in 2012 when a gunman killed six people and wounded many others during a racially motivated shooting spree. Temple members tell the story of how the people who were preparing the meal that morning continue with this tradition, and how langar became an essential part of the healing process for this tight-­‐knit community.

Finally, Off the Menu travels to Hawai’i, the only state in the US where Asian Pacific Islanders make up the majority, to explore how native Hawaiians are working to make their food system sustainable. On an island where most food is imported, Hi’ilei Kawelo is is dedicated to preserving her family’s tradition of fishing for octopus, but it is her commitment to restoring an 800-­‐year-­‐old fishpond that will resurrect a long lost Hawaiian practice. Neglected in the last 100 years, Kawelo’s organization has rebuilt an 88-­‐acre pond designed to grow fish for the community. Across the island, young adults work the land at MA’O Organic Farm, the largest on the island. Cheryse Sana, the farm co-­‐manager, along with other young people working the fields express how they’re following in the footsteps of their ancestors who took care of the land, in hopes that the land would take care of and provide for them. “So many times, people associate food with Asian or Asian American culture. With Off the Menu, I hope we can expand the conversation to explore our stories as well,” Lee said.

CAAM has created a robust companion website, www.caamedia.org/offthemenu, that delves into these Asian American food stories and beyond, including interviews, essays, articles, recipes, cooking tips, and videos.

Director  Lee  and  producer  Eurie  Chung  will  attend  the  premiere and will be available for questions.

==

Guest Post: Taiyo Na And Five Asian American Artists Who've Inspired Him

by Taiyo Na

There have been many, many Asian American artists who have inspired me along my short way, so to keep things succinct and perhaps more interesting, I’ll only talk about a handful of artists who have made an impact on me through some sort of personal encounter in my life.

Peeling the Banana
http://www.myspace.com/peelingnyc

They were the first Asian American performers I had ever seen I my life. Circa 1996, when I was a little 13-year-old high school freshman, I attended an Asian American youth conference held at NYU, and I saw a group of four guys—Gary San Angel, Bertrand Wang, Parag Khandar and Michael Kang—all who are venerable artists, movers and shakers in their own right now, perform a collection of scenes, stories and songs. This blew my mind. I couldn’t really articulate it then, but I know now that seeing them at age 13 forever changed the way I viewed myself in the world. They performed this number that day called “Asian Man in America,” and 13 years later, I still remember it like it was yesterday. Powerful.


Fay Chiang
http://www.nyu-apastudies.org/new/artist_in_residence.php?type=air&air_id=9

Fay is a poet, a remarkable one, and was the director of the Basement Workshop, the first Asian American arts organization on the East Coast, for most of its 15-year history. When she was 18 years old or so, circa 1971, she taught the first Asian American Studies course in New York City at Hunter College while she was a freshman there. She’s mentored hundreds of youth through her work as Program Director of Project Reach, an at-risk youth center in the Lower East Side. Fay’s also been battling breast cancer for the last 6 years or so, successfully. A survivor, a fighter and a mother, she’s inspired many here in this city to live a more meaningful life, and I’m certainly one of them.

Charlie Chin
http://www.greatleap.org/charlie/

Charlie’s like our Woody Guthrie, but saying so would diminish the uniqueness of both individuals. I had met Charlie a number of times through Fay, but the first few interactions were very awkward because I was so nervous and intimidated. Finally we all had lunch one day, and I completely eased up because as much as this man has done, I saw that he was a New Yorker like me with a similar sense of humor and street smarts. Since then, he’s marveled me with stories of hanging out with his old buddy Jimi Hendrix, hearing Malcolm X speak on a soapbox in Harlem and singing with the late, great Chris Iijima as a part of the pioneering Asian American music troupe A Grain of Sand. Charlie has this beautiful, soul-stirring song called “The Ballad of Vincent Chin,” and hearing that number live, let alone sharing the stage with him, has been one of the most memorable moments of my life.

Jessica Hagedorn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Hagedorn

As messed up as I feel like my youth was—abandonment and masculinity issues galore—I was also very blessed to have encountered many of these artists early on. Jessica’s daughter went to my high school, and that’s how I first found out about her work. It was this fascination in the beginning where I kept on asking myself, “Who is this wild woman who’s also my friend’s mother?” Jessica’s life has been one of adventure—danger and beauty, as the title of one of her books goes—and I’ve always found great inspiration in that. She’s refused to ever be boxed in as one thing. She’s been a poet, playwright, performance artist, novelist and leader of the Gangster’s Choir, her rock band that included the mighty Vernon Reid on guitar! As a person, too, though, I’ve always admired how she’s someone who won’t take anybody’s shit yet can also be very kind. When I was 19, I gave her a chapbook of my poems. She sent me a sweet email afterwards and even sent me a copy of her awesome, new book at the time, Dream Jungle. I didn’t think it was a very even trade—my humble, little chapbook for her hardcopy, beautiful, new book—but it’s these acts of kindness that have inspired me to become better and better as an artist and person, so that one day I can return it in some way.

Ron Domingo
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231482/

When I was a host for the now defunct Comcast channel AZN TV, the producers of the TV show I was working for assigned me an acting coach. I was even rougher around the edges than I am now, and the producers gave me the coach to get me more polished. That coach they gave me was Ron Domingo, and he has since been one of the most life-changing people in my life. Ron is a real actor, with years of work on the stage, screen and film, and boy, did he show me what time it is. He got me to see for the first time the great beauty, intensity and discipline behind the craft of acting. Until then, I don’t think I had ever met a more visceral and impassioned guy like him. A devoted father of two now, he really gives every fiber of his being into his work. I once saw him in a play about the Cultural Revolution where he took on two roles at the same time, one of a wealthy schoolboy and one of a meager peasant. He seamlessly took on the unique life and rhythm of both characters, and it was outstanding. I asked him, “Man, how do you do what you do?” He led me to an acting studio he studied at, and coupled with the lessons he’s given me, I really haven’t been the same since.

[Slanty Note: Ron can also be seen in the new Slow Jam King DVD]

---

Born and raised in New York City, Taiyo Na is an MC, singer, songwriter and producer who has performed nationwide at venues such as Lincoln Center, Knitting Factory and many more. Hailed as “undeniably soul-rootsy” with “storytelling through music at its finest,” his critically acclaimed debut album Love Is Growth (Issilah Productions, 2008) features the song “Lovely To Me (Immigrant Mother),” an ImaginAsian Entertainment Original Song Contest Winner. He is also a curator of the monthly Sulu Series at the Bowery Poetry Club and Entertainment Series host for the PBS-syndicated TV show Asian America.

http://www.taiyona.com/