If I were going to the movies during the 24hrs ou plus that I’ll be visiting this fair city from the wilds of Edmonton, I’d go see the new Kim Ki-duk film 3 Iron. I read Tony Rayns bilious deconstruction of Kim‘s oeuvre in the last Film Comment, and was shocked to find that he felt that western critics had been suckered in by Kim’s last offering Spring Summer Fall Winter … and Spring and that this was evidence of their collective propensity towards romantic views of the orient and, you know, their general lame-ness. I found Spring etc. genuinely moving and genuinely connected to films like Why Has Bodi Dharma Left for the East or even Ozu pics, just as moving as I found The Isle, with its fishhooks in vaginas and middle aged men behaving nihilistically, utterly appalling. So I’m genuinely curious. And while I’m ready to risk the status of Tony Rayns thinking I’m not one of world cinema’s cool kids (if he had any idea at all who I was, that is), I must confess I’m not sure I’m willing to risk finding out that this is a nasty, isn’t-transgressive-misogyny-fun exploitation-style romp. So I’m gonna go for a nice dinner with the friends who are letting me crash with them instead. Let me know how it turns out.

Excentris
June 4-10
5:10 pm