By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Upcoming Screenings:
August 3rd, New York City,
Alamo Drafthouse
for a complete list,
please visit
www.kingcohenmovie.com
Larry Cohen is the maverick filmmaker, if not a sociologist in disguise. He treats cinema as a reflection on life and he coats it with a ginger touch so that there’s perhaps one degree of separation than direct outright commentary. If moviegoers have not heard of him yet, they will in the documentary, King Cohen.
His early life story is quickly told, and to understand why he loved the movies meant talking to those close to him, and those who worked hand-in-hand. Filmmakers Martin Scorsese, J.J. Abrams, Joe Dante, John Landis, and Fred Williamson also express their thoughts about this magic man. But for those who were on set, they often mention his clash with the Hollywood system. I can only imagine the arguments should studio executives visit the set. Perhaps, even funnier is in how he went about “securing permission” when filming at public spaces. The best story has to come with how he went about making Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). Today, the production assistants would do a lot of wrangling to ensure safety. Cohen did not have that luxury and the chaos is nicely described. As a viewer, it’s hard not to laugh.
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum
and it goes into greater detail for specific set pieces. I have reviewed this film when it made its rounds at theatres (it can be found 
Sunao Katabuchi’s In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に) is arriving this week, on November 14th, onto home video. Anime enthusiasts will most likely have picked up this title by now, and for those who have not, this title is worth putting into the collection for the poetic journey Suzu (the protagonist) has to face. She has no knowledge of the grander picture. She knows the wartime situation in Japan is dire, and she adjusts by staying completely naive to the whole drama. In what she does have to face, her strength and perseverance shine.