ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Facets, Chicago 11/29/23

Latest from the BBC, a report on Burma post-crackdowns. Here is a bit: " The government is also trying to play down the scale of the protests and the ensuing crackdown, saying they were the result of a few "destructive elements" fomented with the help of outside broadcasters such as the BBC Burmese Service and Voice of America. But I did not meet anyone in Rangoon who actually believed this. The people I spoke to said unanimously that the protest marches were part of a popular movement borne out of grinding poverty, and that most of those who took part were not active members of pro-democracy or opposition groups - they were just monks and ordinary civilians." Read the rest here . - Sujewa

Saw the Justin Lin mockumentary Finishing the Game tonight through IFC In Theaters, had a great time. The movie feels pretty much like a documentary that may have been made in the 70's (complete with fake sponsor credits). I do not think a lot of reviewers & critics get this movie (see many of the lukewarm at best critical responses at the recent GreenCine Daily round up of Game reviews), but I certainly had a great time watching the process of finding a replacement for Bruce Lee play out in all its 70's production design/Asian-American issues/70's identity & other politics filled glory. I am looking forward to checking Game out again at some point soon. There was a little bit of sadness and also a heart warming quality mixed in with the low key humor and 70's re-creation in Game. Sweet. And now, the link to the Cinematical review of Finishing the Game (i think they liked it as much as i did). Here is a little bit: "The high points of the film are sidespli

Notes from the candle light vigil for Burma I got to the International Buddhist Center (which is primarily a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple) in Wheaton, MD around 6:30 PM tonight, with about 50 candles in hand. I was not sure about how many people may show up to the event. By 7 PM there were about 60 - 75 people at the temple; Sri Lankans/Sri Lankan-Americans, Burmese/Burmese-Americans, & other Americans - mostly Sri Lankans in the crowd - ready for the candle light vigil. The head monk at the temple, Bhante Uparatana, introduced the event. Brief speeches about the situation in Burma and in praise of activism that celebrates & supports the Burmese pro-democracy movement were given by a lay (non-monastic) staff member from the IBC and also by Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). The 7 or so Buddhist monks present chanted, candles were lit, it was a beautiful & moving sight & experience. In closing the event I said

Check this page out for theatrical opening dates for About A Son, AJ Schnack's wildly creative documentary about Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. Don't wait for the DVD, see this movie in a movie theater, where you can get lost in the images & sounds & think about things in the dark. Even though the movie is about a world famous rock star, it is definitely a real indie movie, and probably should receive lots of awards for the very creative way it deals with its subject. Check it out ! I'll see it again when it opens in DC later this month. - Sujewa

Candle Light Vigil for the people of Burma (Myanmar) in support of their peaceful struggle for democracy Sunday October 7, 2007 :: 7 PM At International Buddhist Center 2600 Elmont Street (see map & directions below) Wheaton, MD 20902 phone: 301-946-9437 website: http://www.thebuddhistcenter.us/ media contact: Bhante K. Uparatana, 240-460-6385, kuparatana@gmail.com An opportunity to show your solidarity with & appreciation for the work of the Buddhist monks & other pro-democracy activists & ordinary people hungry for freedom in Burma. Additional Information In Burma (Myanmar) a non-violent pro-democracy movement is working to end the misrule of the country for the past 15 years by military dictators. In the last few weeks, various protests, Buddhist monk led marches and other actions gained international attention due to the size of the number of people involved. The Burmese military junta violently cracked down on the peaceful protesters, beating many, also shooting an

Go to this page and click on Burma's Saffron Revolution link to see the video of the Wed 10/3 US Senate hearing on the recent pro-democracy protests in Burma (Myanmar). Good stuff. The Senators were very motivated & interested, looks like there will be some very targeted & useful financial/banking restrictions crashing down on the junta, plus many other useful things to come - quite possibly. Check out the hearing here . - Sujewa

Read all about the doc Wasted Orient here . - Sujewa

One of the elements of the founding mythology of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka always bothered me; that was that when Prince Vijaya (the founder of the Sinhala people/race & Sri Lankan civilization according to the ancient chronicle Mahavansa) came to Sri Lanka he encountered various groups of people already living there, people with trappings of civilization, but then the story of Prince Vijaya moves on, just focusing on what his dynasty and kings after them did in Sri Lanka, without looking at who these other people - the Yaksas - that Vijaya encountered were. Looks like a new book provides the answer to the question of who those people were. I received the '07 published book The Lost Dynasty: Uncovering Sri Lanka's Secret Past in the mail today, and the book is an intoxicating feast of historical material, amazing new interpretations, and beautiful photographs. Anyone familiar with ancient Indian mythology will have heard of the Ramayana; an epic poem that tells the story o

To many engaged in filmmaking & distribution in America, how much money a movie makes is a very, very important issue, and is in fact deeply connected to their survival, jobs, self-esteem, how much love they get, and many other essential things. However, there does seem to be something incredibly vulgar (and i am not the first person to express this) about the obsession that the mainstream media has about how much a movie makes, $s wise - at the box office. This obsession has also creeped into indie film media. In the "we are mostly just making entertainment products for making cash" areas of the entertainment industry; such as porn, video games, and most Hollywood or mainstream European movies or even Bollywood movies for that matter - all perfectly useful things to many people by the way - there is no issue re: movies making money; movies must make money, a lot of it, end of conversation. Even in the independent film world, making money is important. The indie film scen

Sylvester Stallone was in Burma filming John Rambo recently. A Herald Sun article talks about what Stallone witnessed. Here is a segment from the article: "He returned before the Burmese military's violent crackdown against monks and residents participating in the largest pro-democracy protests in Burma in two decades. Burmese journalists estimate between 40 and 50 people have been killed since last Wednesday, with details emerging of some of their fates. The Burmese army has also waged a war against ethnic groups - raping women and killing innocent victims. Hardest hit have been the Karen - one of several minority groups seeking greater independence and autonomy." Read the rest here . And later in the article: " "This is full scale genocide. I want an 'R' and I want the violence in there because it is reality. It would be a whitewashing not to show what's over there,'' he told Associated Press." Read all about it here . And here'

Check out the blog for the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival here . - Sujewa

From this Daily Mail article. Here is the intro: " Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed. The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand." " Read the rest here . Well, the junta is not down with peaceful protesters, so maybe an invasion by a UN peacekeeping force is necessary. Actually, maybe NATO, as in Bosnia. Or, most likely, it will just fall on the Burmese people themselves, including exiles & the million or so refugees living on Thai border, to liberate themselves from the junta through war. - Sujewa

From this article at Mizzima news . Here is a segment: "I don't know where this battalion will be posted as they have been ordered to move back to base. I don't know if they will be deployed in Rangoon to kill protesting monks and students. But it is a reinforcement. That's why our people have attacked them," Pado Mann Sha told Mizzima. Read the rest here . If true, get used to news like this Burma, as non-violent protesters get beaten down & killed, armed action against the military dictatorship will increase. Either way, in the end, the junta will be out of power because 400,000 people (the size of the Burmese armed forces when i last checked on it) can't keep 50 million angry people (or the total population of Burma) down for long. The change could have come peacefully but looks like the junta has chosen the violent path. it won't be pretty. - Sujewa

i took a break from checking out burma news & other sunday pm work & checked out this lively conversation between ian svenonius and ian mackaye: part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 - sujewa

From UC Campaign for Burma website : " China is paralyzing UN Security Council action on Burma. They are the main economic, military, and political supporters of the military junta. For fifteen years China has refused to press its closest ally to allow its people human rights, and used its veto power to block the UN Security Council from acting. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda. We are calling on people of conscience throughout the world to boycott the 2008 Chinese Olympics, join our efforts.