By Jason Genegabus

Image courtesy HIFF

“Listen to Me” (2008)
China, 84 minutes
Reviewer’s rating: Four stars

Review by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

An elderly doctor’s desire to preserve and perpetuate some of the traditional cultural observances of his native village is captured in eye-catching style by Chinese filmmakers Chan Tan and Ling Chen Kong in “Listen to Me.”

At the age of 80, Li Chang You is not only a renowned medical doctor but also the driving force behind the annual She Huo carnival that traditionally follows the Chinese lunar new year in the village of Dong Shui.

An essential part of the carnival is a parade of Xin Zi floats on which young children act out famous stories from Chinese literature, folk myths and history. Although some of his adult children are not particularly interested in continuing the elaborate and complicated observances, and his oldest son falls seriously ill, we watch with increasing interest as Dr. Li rallies the villagers, resolves various personnel problems, oversees the assembly of the elaborate floats with their young riders aboard, and finally puts the show on the road.

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By Jason Genegabus

Looking for a shot on the radio as an on-air personality?

Hot 93.9 is giving fans the chance to be the next member of their crew. All you have to do is film a short video of yourself, explaining why you’re the right person for the job. More details are here.

“This is pretty much how I got into the radio business,” said longtime Hot 93.9 morning jock Rory Wild. “I just called from my pizza job, and I would do voices for the DJ.

“They invited me down and I got a start.”

Decades later, phone calls have been replaced by text messages and YouTube videos. Wild says his company is going with the flow and trying to utilize the new technologies to keep people interested in the station.

“The big focus is heading towards our Web sites,” he said. “That’s where we think the future is.”

While there’s no guarantee that the contest winner will actually get a job, Wild said there’s a good chance he’ll invite whoever wins to do a stint on the morning show.

Who knows… you might end up on the side of the freeway with nothing but CDs and station stickers taped to your private parts!

By Jason Genegabus

Image courtesy Zeitgeist Films

Trouble the Water (2008)
United States, 90 minutes
Reviewer’s rating: Four stars

Review by Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com

When you watch disaster coverage on television, or read about it in the newspaper or online, it’s often difficult to truly understand the scope of what’s happened.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005, the rest of the country watched as millions were affected by broken levees, rising floodwaters and a government response that can only be described as pathetic at best. But while everyone else returned to relative normality a few days later, the people of Louisiana continued to struggle with the aftereffects.

That’s why it’s important to see “Trouble the Water,” the first-hand account of 9th Ward residents Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, Scott Roberts.

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By Jason Genegabus

According to local radio reports and an updated Ticketmaster page, it looks like Mary J. Blige’s planned stop in Honolulu next week isn’t going to happen. Refunds will be processed at the original point of purchase.

The mainland promoters behind this show haven’t returned my calls for weeks, so I’m not that surprised to learn the Oct. 24 concert is off.

I’m still working on confirmation, so check back for updates.

By Jason Genegabus

Image courtesy Edgewood Pictures

“Wings of Defeat” (2007)
United States/Japan, 89 minutes
Reviewer’s rating: Three and a half stars

Review by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

A Japanese-American woman’s curiosity about her uncle’s wartime service – and survival – as a kamikaze pilot becomes the catalyst to a thought-provoking look at the cultural mind-set of wartime Japan, and the men who became one of the war’s most terrifying weapons, in director Risa Morimoto’s fascinating documentary, “Wings of Defeat.”

Morimoto’s uncle never talked with her about the war, and he had already died by the time she started work on the project, but a trip to Japan turned up four other men who had been assigned to kamikaze units.

Through luck and fortunate circumstances they also had survived the war and were willing to talk about their experiences.

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By Jason Genegabus

By Jason Genegabus

Image courtesy Denny Tedesco

Review by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

“The Wrecking Crew” (2008)
United States, 2008
Reviewer’s rating: Four stars

It is probably impossible to exaggerate the impact that a handful of Los Angeles studio musicians had on American pop music in the 1960s.

At some point in time – no one now is quite sure when – they became known as “the Wrecking Crew,” and this lovingly crafted documentary is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the music of the era.

Director Danny Tedesco focuses the film first and foremost on his father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, and then on three other members of the group. From there he casts a much wider net – with numerous interviews and some classic performance footage – to establish beyond doubt the importance of the Wrecking Crew on American music.

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By Jason Genegabus

Image courtesy Sidetrack Films

“Beautiful Losers” (2008)
United States, 90 minutes
Reviewer’s rating: Three stars

Review by Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com

Skaters. Punks. Goths. Freaks.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s, these labels were the fuel that stoked a creative flame for a group of young artists in New York City.

Hailing from different backgrounds and different parts of the country, the stars of “Beautiful Losers” found common ground within Alleged Gallery. Uninterested in the city’s established arts scene, Aaron Rose opened the space in hopes of facilitating creativity while providing his friends with a cool place to party.

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By Jason Genegabus

Sample questions from Google’s new Mail Goggles feature in Gmail.

Ten years ago, it was the drunk dial.

Five years ago, it was the drunk text.

With the rise of the Internet and increased use of smart phones with e-mail capabilities, it looks like drunk e-mails are now the preferred method of contact for 20-somethings (and some of us who are a bit older, as well) who have had a little too much to drink.

Last week, Gmail engineer Jon Perlow announced a new feature that should help those people during their time of need – even if they don’t realize it until sobriety returns the next morning.

“Sometimes I send messages I shouldn’t send,” writes Perlow on the Official Gmail Blog. “Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together.

“Gmail can’t always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we’re launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.”

It’s genius. I’m just not so sure I want to test it out.

By Jason Genegabus

“The Divine Weapon” trailer from HanCinema, via Revver.

I’m not the only one from the Star-Bulletin attending the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival this year.

Fellow entertainment reporter John Berger went to the opening night screening of “The Divine Weapon,” a Korean action flick that reminds me of Japanese samurai movies after watching the trailer.

You can read John’s take on it after the jump.

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