Tokyo! Directed
by
Bong Joon-Ho, Leos Carax and Michel Gondry
France, Japan, South Korea, Germany / 2008 / 110minutes Japanese with English subtitles
SPECIAL SCREENING
East Coast Premiere
Screening
Times and Venues:
Upstate Films II
10/02/2008, 8PM
$10
Tinker Street Cinema
10/03/2008, 12PM
$8
SYNOPSIS:
From the weird and wonderful mind of master filmmakers Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), Leos Carax ("Pola X") and Bong Joon-Ho ("The Host") comes a wildly beautiful triptych of stories that pay homage to the diversity, social structure and politics of modern-day Tokyo. In Gondry's adorably honest "Interior Design," a troubled couple goes on a surreal apartment hunt that will change their lives forever. Carax's side-splittingly funny "Merde" tells the story of a mysterious man who emerges from the sewer to wreak havoc on the streets above through a series of irrational and provocative actions that garner him more media attention than one person ever deserves. Meanwhile Bong's "Shaking Tokyo" rounds off the trio with the touchingly poignant story of a shut-in who is forced to face love (and the outside world) when a beautiful pizza girl passes out in his apartment following an earthquake. Each director approaches his film with a unique artistic sensibility that makes "Tokyo!" a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience you won't want to miss. (Mike Lerman)
BIO:
Independent film icon and Academy Award winner Michael Gondry began his career as a graphic artist and musician in Paris. Beginning his directing career in music videos, Gondry directed several videos for Bjork and later received acclaim as a director of commercials. He's directed feature lengths such as "Human Nature" and "Be Kind, Rewind," and won an Academy Award for Co-writing "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which he also directed.
Leos Carax, also a French director, made his start by directing and writing the award winning "Boy Meets Girl,"(1986) which played at Cannes and was a critical success. His follow-up "Mauvais Sang" (Bad Blood) was also well received. Since then he has made several more films including "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf," (1991) and "Pola X" (1999).
Korean Writer/Director Bong Joon-Ho first full-length picture, "Flandersui Gae," (2000) made a big impression on the Korean film industry and his second, "Salinui Chueok," (2003) won 11 international film festival awards. His most recent project "Gwoemul," (The Host) (2006) played internationally to sold out theaters.
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