Film Threat Film Review
THE LAST EVE
2005, Un-rated, 88min, Young Man Kang Films (8/24/2005)
Reviewing films is the journalistic equivalent of diamond mining: you have to dig through layers upon layers of muck before you find a gem. And after some excessive digging over the course of the year, I can boldly state that I¡¯ve found a diamond unlike any other.
The film is ¡°The Last Eve¡± and this can be described as the world¡¯s
first avant-garde theological martial arts love story. Taking the story
of Western civilization¡¯s first eviction recipients and spinning it
across a bizarre variety of unlikely landscapes, the immensely gifted
filmmaker Young Man Kang has brought forth a production which is so
astonishing and original than it is impossible to compare it to anything
that has ever been made.
¡°The Last Eve¡± is actually a trilogy of short tales which gives imaginative
new interpretations to the Adam and Eve story. The first story is ¡°Eve¡¯s
Secret,¡± which takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape. An ill-timed
comet has turned the Earth into a barren landscape, leaving Adam and
Eve to start the human tale all over again. There is a third person
in an enigmatic hooded priest, whose presence is not entirely clear.
Satan, naturally, wants to make mischief and stop Adam and Eve from
procreating, so he sends seven martial artist demons to kill them. But
the demons all want to possess Eve and they fight among themselves in
fatal competition. The surviving demons, a chain-swinging Lucifer and
a blind swordsman called Behemoth, due battle with Adam. Yet the prize
of Eve comes with a surprise that Adam neither expects nor desires.
Yet another surprise visitor shows Adam that the post-apocalyptic world
may be a lot happier than he anticipated.
The second story is ¡°Cain & Abel,¡± and the action is switched to
contemporary Korea. Cain is now Eve¡¯s sister and Abel is Adam¡¯s brother.
Adam works as a gravedigger; he used to be the star of the underground
martial arts fight circuit, but he landed a fatal injury which numbed
him to the activity. He is training Abel to become a professional fighter.
Adam wants to marry Eve, but Cain (who orchestrates the underground
fights) wants to lure Adam back into the ring. This happens when Abel
is killed during one of those clandestine matches. Adam gets revenge
and the girl, but loses something in the process.
The third story is ¡°Snake¡¯s Temptation,¡± which takes place in Los Angeles.
Adam, Eve and Snake were raised by a priest in an orphanage. Adam and
Eve kept their virginity and are now engaged to be wed. Snake, being
the bad boy that he is, has his own harem of hotties who seem to lie
around his pool all day sipping wine and dropping Biblical double-entendres
(Delilah, Jezebel and Salome are among the naughty girls). Snake does
his best to tempt Eve, while Adam views Eve¡¯s betrayal with a visit
to Lilith (yeah, she¡¯s not in the Bible, but some folks insist she belongs
there).
¡°The Last Eve¡± is such a weird movie that one is tempted to classify
it along the lines of classic weirdness such as ¡°El Topo¡± and ¡°Begotten.¡±
Both of those films had religious elements to them, but they seem pale
and conventional when compared here (¡°The Last Eve¡± also lacks the pretension
and plodding which those earlier flicks carried). The religious aspect
of ¡°The Last Eve¡± is clearly idiosyncratic ? there is a strong Buddhist
visual element present, and New Testament quotes are sliced in via intertitles.
And at least one significant New Testament figure makes an astonishing
guest appearance (I will not give it away ? you just won¡¯t believe it
when it happens). Throughout the film, the liberties taken with the
Adam and Eve story (especially in relation to the secret of the first
story) will raise eyebrows and drop jaws among some viewers. Yet the
film is not blasphemous in the least. There is a deep sense of piety,
albeit within a mix of wild action and pulse-raising seductiveness.
¡°The Last Eve¡± is so rich is visual imagery and so beautifully framed
for its martial arts sequences that it becomes a truly hypnotic experience.
Don¡¯t expect CGI-thick flights of fancy, as seen in the wuxia epics
that play in American cineplexes. This is gritty, old-school martial
arts with kicks to the chin, swords slicing across the throat, and human
dynamos in full fury. The Adam of ¡°Eve¡¯s Secret¡± is Hapkido champion
Bruce Khan and he is simply an amazing physical presence. Wandering
the barren wasteland dressed as a monk and carrying a tattered paper
umbrella, he appears to be the essence of introspective passivity. But
when the demons come calling, he is a high-kicking human gyroscope who
spins into a violent rage who leaves blood and broken bones in his path.
In ¡°Cain and Abel,¡± the final duel between Adam (Bruce Khan again) and
the Muay Thai fighter who killed Abel (Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom)
is a masterwork of muscular athleticism and subtle camerwork. The camera
never engages in trick photography or hyperactive editing to make the
fight more interesting: it is cinema verite view as two brilliant martial
artists go into a stunning duel to the death.
The casting also helps bring this marvelous work to full fury. Special
kudos are in order for Freddy Milligan as Snake (he embodies the slick
charm which the original Eden reptile must have possessed), the three
gorgeous Eves (Melanie Jean, Seung Min Kim and Kelly Hamilton in the
respective versions ? it is easy to see why Adam would go bonkers for
her), Tomiko Lee as a rather strange fortune teller consulted by the
L.A. Eve, Reuben Langdon as Behemoth (the seemingly sickly swordsman
proves you should never judge a person by his appearance), and Chris
Torres as the chain-swinging Leviathan. Torres in particular stands
out as a force of personality and nature ? he is a professional stuntman
who is best known for filling in on behalf of less-than-nimble stars,
but he is such a vibrant physical presence that he should be starring
in his own films rather than substituting for others.
¡°The Last Eve¡± is the latest endeavor from Korean-born, Los Angeles-based
Young Man Kang. For the past several years, he has been creating a series
of fascinating films which span genres from romantic comedy (the $980
feature ¡°Cupid¡¯s Mistake¡±) to action/adventure (¡°First Testament: CIA
Vengeance¡±) to girl power empowerment drama (¡°Soap Girl¡±) to documentary
(¡°Haitian Slave Children¡±). With ¡°The Last Eve,¡± has reached a career
peak with a complex, challenging and utterly original work of art. From
its intelligence, daring and intensity, ¡°The Last Eve¡± proves Young
Man Kang is one of the great filmmakers of today¡¯s cinema. He is a genius,
and this film is a cult classic in the making.
THE LAST EVE(2005)
The Last Eve is an ambitious and challenging independent production that attempts to bring together three interpretations of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, diverse martial arts action, and Korean and American culture, all while set to an apocalyptic story that unfolds in reverse order. It's occasionally bewildering and uneven, with its small budget and good intentions struggling to smooth over a range of rough spots. But there is something quite appealing about this martial arts movie that dares to artistically step beyond convention.
Although there is a singular thread that runs through the whole film, it's divided into three chapters that could very easily stand apart as distinct short films. Hapkido champion Bruce Khan stars in the first two chapters, but this and each chapter's relevance to Adam and Eve is about all that connects them.
To break it down as easily as possible, the earth has been struck by a massive comet that has wiped out all of humanity save for three people. One is a hooded priest, whose presence I must admit remains a mystery to me. Then there is Adam (Bruce Khan), the last man and a warrior monk who defends Eve (Melanie Jean), the last woman, from a small group of demons sent to earth in human form by Satan to stop humanity from being reborn. The outcome of the fight is clear, but the fate of humanity is left to interpretation for we're either presented with a demonic trick played on mankind or a reference to The Crying Game.
Of special interest in this first chapter is some fun martial arts choreography courtesy of Reuben Langdon and a number of fellow stunt actors who fill out the roles of the demons. This includes Zero Gravity member Kerry Wong, Chris Torres, and Stephanie Cheeva. Visually, these scenes are less of a supernatural sort and more of a crude Mad Max variety. The editing in this segment borders on experimental, but unfortunately things like two or three scene fades crudely overlaid looks a little too much like public access channel video effects and does nothing to enhance the film. There's also no dialogue, only some narration. When paired with the film's most unusual and arguably disturbing imagery, this makes it difficult to settle in to the film.
The middle act, which reinterprets the Biblical murder of Abel after Adam and Eve are exiled from Eden, is the film's high point visually and action-wise. The story makes an abrupt shift to an earlier time in modern-day South Korea where Adam (again Bruce Khan) is now a gravedigger and underground cage fighter, while Eve (Seung Min Kim) is the woman he hopes to marry. Trouble arises when the figurative serpent, in the form of Eve's brother Cain (Eung Jun Lee), loses Eve in a wager with a gangster and gets Adam's brother Abel (Chul Jeong) killed in the ring. To win her back, Adam must defeat the gangster's Muay Thai champion.
The production values and visuals of this Korean segment are substantially better than the American ones. It should come as no surprise though for the guys in charge of the camera and stunt work are Cheol Hun Ham and Eung Jun Lee, both veterans of Korean action cinema with Jungdok (2002) and Volcano High (2001) respectively to their credits. It serves no purpose to the story, but Eung Jun Lee is featured in a fantastic fight with his stunt team where he uses a blunt training sword to beat a group of gangsters to a pulp. Imagine any group fighting scene in Korean films like My Wife is a Gangster or Arahan, but without wires or excessive editing. The featured cage match between Bruce Khan and the Muay Thai fighter is just as well executed with Khan showing off some terrific legwork. His performance, and he's a solid actor too I might add, really makes me wish that the art of Hapkido was featured more often in action films.
The final chapter brings us to America, shortly before the comet strikes. From here on, Young Man Kang leaves the martial arts action behind and focuses on the temptation of Eve. Adam (Jourdon Lee Khoo) and Eve (Kelly Hamilton) appear to be grown residents of a Catholic orphanage and soon to be married. Enter the serpent again, this time as Snake (Freddie Milligan), another grown resident who has embraced worldly vice. Jealously leads him to tempt Eve into having a little premarital sex. She in turn does the same to Adam and both are cast out of Eden, shortly before the world comes crashing to a halt.
Kudos to Young Man Kang for attempting such a unique film. Certainly, the martial arts movie genre can benefit from more creative and challenging productions that push boundaries, although this is obviously more than just a genre movie. It's amazing to see so many diverse elements come together in a single, independent production. Most impressive is how Young blends Korean and American culture without resorting to any of the pitfalls that generally plague Hollywood productions that attempt the same. The Last Eve is definitely a major advancement from the director's last action-oriented film 1st Testament CIA Vengeance (2001), an ultra-low budget and convoluted thriller with mammoth pacing and bad acting issues.
The Last Eve has a few issues of its own, chief among them is a lack of visual continuity. The three chapters look like they were all shot with different crews and different equipment, while under different circumstances. In fact, this is somewhat the truth and its just hard to hide on a limited budget. I could also complain about the loose story structure and overall lack of clarity with regard to the film's message, if there is any beyond restating the tragedy of humanity's Biblical fall from grace. But the film falls far enough into relative artistic expression territory that viewers should ultimately form their own conclusions. However, I'll go ahead and put forth my own and state that The Last Eve is an intriguing, if overly ambitious art film, given its means. It's like a rough draft of some daring work of potential genius in progress. But it also challenges convention, makes you think, and delivers some great martial arts action, which makes the film worth investigating and Young Man Kang worth keeping an eye on.
- Mark Pollard
SOAP GIRL
Director Kang has been all over the indie/low-budget map. Girl may grant him larger success, or at least a touch of controversy. Seems some people are all up in arms with his portrayal of Asian women as comely lovecats, though from what we've seen, it looks like a winning combo of beauty and brains.
Film Threat
filmthreat.com
SOAP GIRL
2002, Un-rated, 86min, Leapfrog Productions (5/15/2002)
Young Man Kang is the immensely talented Korean-American
filmmaker with a remarkable gift for cross-jumping genres. His first
dramatic feature "Cupid's Mistake" (2000), made for a teeny
$980, offered a Cassavetes-style glide across the sharp edges of a love
quadrangle, while his second feature "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance"
(2001) invaded classic B-Movie territory with an adrenaline rush of
non-stop action. His latest feature is "Soap Girl" and this
time around Kang moves into the world of the so-called grrl power with
a delightfully entertaining drama about life in a Hollywood massage
parlor and the surprising young ladies employed therein.
"Soap Girl" focuses on Maya (Kerry Liu), who arrives one night
at the door of a massage parlor seeking employment. Maya looks every
inch the tragic case: disheveled clothing, no visible means of support,
and a halting command of English. The parlor's owner is Mamasan (Tomiko
Lee) who foregoes the job interview process and hires Maya on the spot,
providing food and shelter and a fashionably slutty new wardrobe. The
other girls at the parlor are initially wary of Maya, who is visibly
uncomfortable with a few aspects of her work...especially the prerequisite
"happy ending" that most of the customers expect (this is
not the place where one seeks out a therapeutic Swedish massage). With
uncommon speed, Maya acquires the skills to make herself one of the
most sought-after girls in the establishment, and a chance meeting with
a thirtysomething poet who never lost his virginity (Luciano Saber)
brings Maya the opportunity to come to terms with a dark secret which
long obscured her chances to find happiness.
Okay, so "Soap Girl" is not the most intellectually challenging
film around. If you want an intellectual challenge, then go watch an
old Stanley Kubrick film. But if you want pure, undiluted, 100% guaranteed
entertainment, "Soap Girl" is the film to enjoy. This film
is a wonderful work of fun, with a marvelous ensemble cast who have
more energy, sex-appeal and charm than any group to strut and vamp across
the camera in recent memory. "Soap Girl" has the most beautiful
group of big-screen massage therapists (nudge nudge) to grace the screen,
with special mention deserving of Gina Hiraizumi as the flippant self-described
bitch with the inevitable heart of gold, Kate Holliday as the slick
chick who can't decide whether to stay blonde or brunette, Hiromi Nishiyama
as a voice of calm and reason, and Mari Tanaka as the vulnerable pack
member. And as the dignified matron, Tomiko Lee provides a vision of
dignified grace and mature beauty as the good-hearted Mamasan.
"Soap Girl" is ultimately a soap opera, but this is some soap
opera! What can you say about a film where the massage parlor employees
decide to shut down an extortion racket by giving a group rubdown to
a mobster which climaxes when the ladies suddenly whip out frying pans
for a series of fatal head-whacks? Or when an effeminate man, after
initially admitting during his massage that he's been attracted to other
men for the course of his sexual existence, abruptly announces his desire
to see how the other 90% are getting it off after Maya gives him a few
tugs on his tight shoulders? There is the prerequisite corrupt cop on
the take (thank you, LAPD), the oversized doofus customer who bangs
his forehead on a low-hanging chandelier, the married man bemoaning
the disastrous state of his wedding ring imprisonment, and even a dastardly
literary agent who pesters the virginal poet about a technical manual
he is writing as a for-hire job. But the poet and Maya enjoy the ultimate
high-kitsch moment when, after he is newly deflowered and she is newly
liberated, they soak together in a bathroom decorated with so many candles
that it is a minor miracle the smoke detector doesn't go berserk.
And speaking of the somewhat overage virgin whom Maya inspires in so
many way, Luciano Saber takes what might have been a thoroughly thankless
role and turns into a wonderfully comic and warm-hearted character.
Although it would seem he is physically ill-suited for the role (his
buff physique looks at odds with his uber-geek character), Saber deftly
makes this unlikely figure come to life. With nervous gestures and guffawing
mannerisms that may recall the bashful buzzard from the Bugs Bunny cartoons,
the character is comical without being idiotic. Coupled with the gifted
Kerry Liu as Maya, the actors bring a genuine sweetness and humanity
to the proceedings.
For all the camp fun, "Soap Girl" is noteworthy for some of
the most strikingly beautiful cinematography around. Polish-Israeli
cinematographer Henryk Tzvi Cymerman captures stunning imagery throughout
the film, from the garish decor of the massage parlor halls to the Fauvist
hues of a Pacific sunset. Cymerman's camera takes what was obviously
a low-budget effort and makes it (and its stars) look like a million
bucks.
There has been some minor controversy (mostly from cranky people tacking
up messages in online forums) about the depiction of Asian-American
women in "Soap Girl." The main problem is the film's alleged
continuation of the stereotype of the Asian female as a docile sexual
plaything. Whoever made these comments clearly never saw "Soap
Girl." Yes, the film takes place in a somewhat dubious setting
and, yes, babes here are made-up to look a bit on the slutty side. But
the girls also come with equipped with 21st century brain-power, will-power
and (yes) grrl-power. Rather than perpetuate stereotypes, "Soap
Girl" and its take-charge/take-no-crap attitude that it happily
demolishes stereotypes. If anything, the audience will find itself shouting
"You go, Soap Girl!" - by Phil Hall -
Honolulu
Advertiser
'Soap Girl' a candid, honest drama
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
"Soap Girl," an indie film about massage-parlor
workers in Korea Town, Los Angeles, is a well-intentioned cross-cultural
view of life behind the rubs and suds.
Its makers, from Hawai'i, contend that life in the massage parlors parallel
the pulse in hostess bars here, where young women provide a particular
service to eager and willing men.
"Soap Girl" proceeds to imply that women get into this kind of work for a variety of reasons, with a multitude of expectations and, yes, different outcomes.
Maya (Kerry Liu), the principal character, walks into a massage parlor with emotional baggage. We're not sure at the outset why, but it becomes evident: She has no means of support, she has undergone a bad relationship, she has lost a child. She is alone, she needs a family to tide her over.
A massage parlor is hardly the logical place a lost soul would wind up at, but "Soap Girl" maintains that its slice-of-life depiction, where desperation can result in dignity, is the stuff of dreams.
Mama-san (Tomiko Lee) suspects Maya is a decent girl, behind the tragic facade, so Maya finds her place in the gallery of workers. It turns out that she is a quick study, becomes popular, but succumbs to something that's an in-house no-no: She falls in love with a thirtysomething writer (Luciano Saber), a virgin who cannot understand why there is a cloud in her skies.
With candor and honesty, director Young Man Kang has assembled a stylish ensemble that predictably includes stereotypes: the somewhat flippant and bitchy pro who has a soft heart, a voice of reason and sensibility, a hip chick whose big question is whether to remain blond or brunette, a victim of physical abuse. And yes, a geeky nice guy who also is a knight without the shining armor.
There is a dark side to the operation, too, with an extortionist (Dennis James Lee, one of the film's producers and the real-life son of Tomiko Lee, a one-time Korean hostess bar worker and club owner) who expects more than money in lording over the operations.
Essentially a melodrama, "Soap Girl" has moments of sweetness, instances of titillation, attempts at redemption, and, yes, ripples of liberation. The film dwells on the stereotypical view of Asian women working to please men, but also depicts these women as challengers who won't let a hothead get his way, brandishing pots and pans to halt the extortionist.
It's also a love story ? soap opera, even ? wherein the leading lady ultimately finds her way to happiness, however contrived. She to him: "You have a girlfriend?" He to her: "No." It's not exactly a dynamic story with crisp lines, but it does get beneath the skin and into the heartbeat of a cultural milieu.
There is nudity, mostly focusing on bare butts, and lots of suds. Acceptance of the film may depend on the generation ? younger and hip audiences will find some enlightenment; older viewers may find offense in the subject matter.
For nostalgia fans, the main theme song, "You Are
Beginning to Grow on Me," provides a nice surprise. It was composed
by Teddy Randazzo, who has Island ties; he's penned a lion's share of
golden oldies in his time, including "Goin' Out of My Head,"
"Hurt So Bad," and "The Way of a Clown."
Massage girl and geeky
client find unlikely romance
By John Berger
A mysterious woman takes a job in a Hollywood massage
parlor -- is she seeking refuge, revenge or some combination of both?
But, to be honest, by the end of "Soap Girl," it doesn't really
matter due to the fine performances of Luciano Saber and Kerry Liu.
Liu plays Maya, the neophyte parlor worker, and Saber is Harry, a preternaturally
geeky writer who meets Maya as a customer after his friend and agent
discovers that the 30-something Harry is still a virgin. Naturally --
for this film anyway -- they hit it off, and a romance blossoms even
though Maya is dealing with the sexual demands of other customers and
Harry is struggling to finish writing a technical manual when he would
much rather be writing poetry about Maya.
The love story is so engaging that viewers are likely to suspend their knowledge of life and love in the real-life "floating world" and hope that the unlikely couple will beat the odds against them. While some of the secondary story lines add depth, others seemed to have been placed primarily to showcase the supporting cast, which include Gina Hiraizumi as the gorgeous and "exotic" Asia and Tomiko Lee, who does a perfect turn as the parlor's mama-san.
But it's Saber and Liu that make "Soap Girl" more appealing as a love story than a message or slice-of-life movie.
[INTERVIEWS > Young Man Kang] 12/01/02
"Soap Girl" opens Dec 6, 2002
in Los Angeles.
Interview with Young Man Kang,
prolific indie filmmaker on his latest pic "Soap
Girl"
This fiercely prolific indie filmmaker Young Man Kang has his roots
in studying fine arts at Hong-ik University in Seoul, Korea. In 1994,
Kang moved to New York City where he studied film at The New School.
In 1996, Kang moved to Los Angeles and continued his film career working
as a director for a television commercial production company. Between
2000 and 2002, Kang made four feature films and a documentary. His feature
debut, "Cupid's Mistakes," was allegedly made with an invisible
budget of US$980 and had a small theatrical in Los Angeles. His second
feature, "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance" is an action thriller.
"Hatian Slave Children," his documentary, won Best Effort
Documentary at 2001 Jamerican International Film Festival and Silver
Remi Award at 2002 WorldFest Houston. His third feature is "Death
Valley Diary." His fourth and most current feature, "Soap
Girl" won an audience award at the 2002 Big Bear Lake International
Film Festival. "Soap Girl" will be opening theatrically in
Los Angeles starting Friday, December 6, 2002 at Laemmle's Fairfax Cinemas.
iR: When did you decide to be a filmmaker? How
did you get started? What or who inspires or has inspired you as a filmmaker?
Who are filmmakers you like or you look up to?
My art background is what brought me into filmmaking. I had been drawing
a lot of pictures and comic books since I was five years old. I studied
hard in high school and finally got into the best art school, Hong-ik
University in Korea in 1986. I studied visual design, conceptual design,
story boarding, creative idea development, animation, TV commercials
and film at that school. The moment that inspired me about moviemaking
happened in my third year at the University. I'd watched a lot of films
from America, Europe and all over the world. Federico Fellini, Andrea
Tarkovsky, Werner Herzog, Stanley Kubrick, John Casavettes, Akira Kurosawa,
Alejandro Jodorowsky, etc., especially my favorites Werner Herzog, Akira
Kurosawa and John Casavettes. These artists have such a profound impact
on their audience. I thought I could create a different world through
filmmaking where anything is possible and where I can [share] entire
worlds of experience with my audience.
iR: You are incredibly prolific. Since 2000, you have made four features
and one documentary. Can you talk a little about each project, and what
each means to you as a filmmaker?
As a Korean making movies in the U. S., I try to make films that combine
both nations' perspectives into a new style based on bi-cultural and
interracial subjects. My first feature "Cupid's Mistake" is
a story about interracial dating between a Korean girl and a Japanese
guy, as well as a German girl and American guy in Los Angeles, a quadrangle
cross-cultural romantic comedy.
My second feature, "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance" was the
first independent co-production between a Korean and an African-American
[production company] in Los Angeles. "1st Testament" is about
a North Korean female spy versus and an African-American CIA agent.
My third feature "Death Valley Diary" was about a confrontation
and adventure with nature, a terrifying journey with a racially mixed
cast and crew living out their worst fears in Death Valley.
"Haitian Slave Children" the documentary that I shot 100%
in Haiti was a challenge in my approach toward a heavily humanist subject
about Haitian slave children, for which I got a Best Documentary Award
at the 2001 Jamerican International Film Festival and a Silver Award
at the 2002 Worldfest in Houston.
My fourth feature, "Soap Girl" is a tale of love between an
Asian massage girl and a virgin American poet. I think it's controversial.
iR: I was told that you made your first feature
"Cupid's Mistakes" for US$980. Is that true? How did you manage
to make it on such a limited budget? How did you get it distributed?
"Cupid's Mistake" broke the world's record for the lowest
budget feature film of all time. The budget was $980. As you may have
guessed, all of the actors in "Cupid's Mistake" are my friends.
I came up with the idea that one character should pursue the other.
Three days of crazy filming. No permits, guerrilla shooting, no script,
[and] 100% improvised. Handheld shooting with long continuous shots
made "Cupid" both cost effective and easy to edit.
In the winter of 1999 we showed "Cupid" at the "Light
and Screen Film Festival" held in New York City's celebrated Siberia
Bar. We were amazed at the audience's overwhelmingly positive response.
Phaedra Cinema, best known for its foreign films "The Terrorist,"
and "La Separation" had scheduled theatrical releases "Cupid"
in Los Angeles and New York.
iR: What inspired you to make "Soap Girl,"
your fourth and most recent feature? Why does the subject matter appeal
to you? What was your vision for the film? Is it just pure entertainment
or do you have a message with it? What are you trying to convey to the
audience?
The story was pitched to me by the producers Tomiko Lee, Dennis Lee
and writer Tony Young, [which was] asically a farce about hijacks at
a massage parlor involving geeky male virgins, gangsters and immigrants.
So the story evolved away from the "Pretty Woman/Cinderella"
story and into one that plays on the audience's expectations of Asian
stereotypes. Maya turns out not to be an immigrant, though everyone
in the beginning believes that she is. None of the massage girls are
naive, innocent lambs with hearts of gold; [they] are simply trying
to survive.
The main theme of the story [is] Maya's evolution from an abused girlfriend
to an empowered, more mature woman, in control of her love life and
her destiny. The lesson of how people can grow and change is keenly
brought to life by actress Kerry Liu.
If there is a lesson here I believe it is that an Asian girl can actually
be a protagonist in her own life and that she can have adventures that
inspire other people to become survivors as well.
iR: Soap Girl" is essentially a love story.
What kind of a love story are you trying to tell? What does the idea
of "love" mean to you as a filmmaker?
Love and intimacy can heal the scars that accumulate in people's lives.
Maya is scarred by her former boyfriend. Why does she end up working
at a massage parlor? Revenge? Jealousy? A desire to become another person?
That question is left to the viewer. Why does she fall in love with
Harry? Perhaps for many reasons, [and] perhaps [for] none at all. Love
knows no logic or rationale.
iR: Can you talk about the process of making "Soap
Girl"? Can you also talk about self-distributing the film, and
why you have chosen to self-distribute it?
Our total shooting time was twelve days. I shot with a Sony DSR 500,
[later] blowing the images up to 35mm. Gilbert Yablon, the technician
at Filmout Express, did wonderful job. So far our total budget including
self-marketing is about $500,000.
Most distribution companies are afraid to release independent films
theatrically because they believe that [the] lack of product identification
will make them lose money at the box office. But they have to release
independents theatrically in order to create interest for the rental.
In this strange environment we decided to create interest in our own
movie by taking the bold step of promoting our movie theatrically by
ourselves.
iR: "Mist" is your next project. What
is it about?
"Mist" is about a Far Eastern female Vixen, a supernatural
being from Korean legend battling serial killers to find the modern
incarnation of her lover and become human against backdrop of a corrupted
modern day city. It's a co-production between the U.S. and South Korea.
iR: What is your dream project? If you can make
any movie in the world, what would it be?
While I like a film to be composed of stunning sounds and pictures,
I am still basically a humanist. I like to see characters put to test.
In the genre of war films a wide variety of interesting people can be
hurled together in a way that tests their spirit. Now the film becomes
not just a story but an experience to be lived on a variety of levels.
At this time in film history, we have a huge archive of films relating
to the Vietnam War. But the Korean War, almost a massive section of
Asian American history, has not been told. I feel that the script "Memory
of War" that I have created will tell the story of the Korean War
as it happened and is experienced by the survivors to this day.
Cult Movies
by Coco Kiyonaga
Soap Girl
Unrated, 86 min. Directed by Young Man Kang
This is the true to life story of many Asian woman who
arrive in America hoping to find a new life. Soap Girl is a love story
that takes place in a massage parlor.
It begins with a young girl that has no where to go and ends up finding
refuge in a massage parlor working for Mamasan played by Tomiko Lee.
Mamasan is a motherly woman but only as far as it pays the rent. She
is a beautiful but aging woman dependent on her gangster friend for
protection and support.
When he decides that he must have the young new girl all hell breaks
loose and its a whole new Asian invasion that breaks out of the silkened
cocoon and emerges triumphant if only in round one. There are plenty
of rollercoaster rides in this wonderful picture.
Pathos, comedy, drama, and yes a bit of horror of life on the wrong
side of the track.
Soap Girl Film Review
By Nicole A. De Jesus, TuningIn.com
A talented Cast, a touching love-story, and a creative team is what
makes a
great film. A breakthrough to what Asian stereotypes have been perceived
as,
Soap Girl is realistic and not afraid to show it. This film will not
only
touch you, but will give you an insight to the meaning of humanity which
many
people have been blocked of this opportunity, due to ignorance.
Because of the diversity in cultures, stunning performance, and an
extreme
personal choice in dialogue, this film gives itself a presence where
it will
make its audience leave its own world and into theirs, (the movie) Soap
Girl
is a mix of tears, fun, and friendship. This is definitely not one to
miss.
THE
DOG PILE
Soap Girl
by Sue Catalano
Posted November 5, 2002
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars
The premise of this story is nothing new. Girl has a troubled past and turns to prostitution for financial reasons and security. What makes this film special is the casting of Kerry Liu in the lead role of Maya. Liu absolutely carries Soap Girl. She is sweet, believable, and giving to her character. Liu makes Maya a hook for the viewer. It's the playing out of this trite script through Maya's eyes that makes it all worthwhile.
What director Young Man Kang and writer Tony T. L. Young have produced in Soap Girl is a story already told. Maya has a tough past and becomes suicidal with despair. At the last moment, she pulls herself together and decides to look for work and a future. Maya stops at the first "help wanted" sign she finds. Unfortunately it is hanging at a seedy Hollywood massage parlor run by Mamasan (played winningly by Tomiko Lee). This particular massage parlor is the trite part. Of course, Mamasan is beholden to the mob for her financial follies, and of course, there is a ton of young, smart, pretty girls who also could not find work anywhere else in the entire state of California except for this dive.
Maya is different from the other girls and Kerry Liu makes that clear with her performance rather than the writer accomplishing this through the script. Liu is different. Maya is sullen, drab, washed over with some unknown, but very well hinted at grief. Liu sets Maya's gloom and innocence into play right from the start. Maya is inexperienced and just wants to work and forget about her past. Maya has no intention of this dirty work becoming her life, does she? It's a spot where she's stopped at, not where she's finally stopping. The other girls, well, they are all stereotypical. There is the sarcastic Asia, the sweet Sammy, and the hardened Jenna. There's even a silly "angel whore" with wings no less. There is a lot of bitching and many heart to heart talks among the girls, which do work well. There is a good mix of competition and solidarity presented in the subplot.
Enter Harry. This time the token virgin is male. Harry is suffering from writer's block. He writes technical books and his agent Eric is upset that his client's deadline is looming and Harry appears unlikely to deliver. Eric treats Harry to a "massage" to loosen him up. Director Young Man Kang cast Luciano Saber has Harry. Saber is good looking, nice, sweet, and unassuming. But he is also a very bad actor. He overplays the thirty-five year-old male virgin to the point of comedic, which cannot be where Kang was headed. Saber's performance was so blatantly overdone, shame on Kang for allowing it. Does a naive and good man have to be portrayed as stupid and brain-deficient?
Maya's luck appears to continue as she lands dorky, shy Harry as her client. She takes this dear sweet writer and decides to gently welcome him into manhood. Harry nods his head shyly to the left like a silly little four year-old boy throughout the entire film, even after he gets laid. Saber has Harry nod and grin and hide his penis like a fool and not like someone sweet the viewer could cheer on to be "saved" by Maya. The poor directing of Harry allows for the loss of an intentional hook in the plot. Liu offsets some of this by pulling off that Maya "gets" Harry and sincerely wishes to be kind to him.
Once Maya becomes one of the girls, Liu allows for a wonderful transformation. Maya adds makeup for her massage therapist workday. Through this Liu gives the viewer a different Maya altogether. Maya becomes quite beautiful. She's unstressed, relaxed, and settled with her present lot in life. Kerry Liu does beautifully with this switch for the character.
A great technique used especially well in Soap Girl is the replaying of sequences from the opening dramatic scene, where hints of Maya's troubled past are presented throughout the film. These scenes were well placed and keep the viewer interested in what happened to Maya to drive her to this sordid place in her life. Her past is revealed at the end of the film, although very abruptly considering for all the hype.
Some of the technical strengths in Soap Girl were the editing, the music overlays, and the lighting. All were true to the spirit of the film. When the scene was pornographic, porn music was played, which was somewhat manipulative but allowable. The dramatic opening scene had a great score. There were some technical problems. The subtitles, thankfully used sparingly in this film, were too small. The length of the opening scene was not supported by the story, but this is only realized at the very end of the film. Many shots appeared to focus on the feet of the characters, and it is not apparent why. Switching shots from room to room, revealing each girl's hard day at work was done seamlessly. In one scene, a client bangs his head on an overhead light. How about a retake for this poor man?
There are two unnecessary scenes. In one, Maya pulls a knife on a customer. Even Liu seems uncomfortable and less giving to this awkward and unbelievable scene. It doesn't fit. It should have been cut. The other is when Maya and Harry go on a date and Harry offers Maya money afterwards. It's been done over and over, the good girl misunderstood. It should have not been written. Maya has become his muse and tries to develop a relationship with Harry. It would be nice to see that play out for once without being tainted by a man's stupidity.
Harry does go on to write the great American novel about the massage parlor and his emergence as a man. He interviews all the girls. This scene is done extremely well and is free flowing and relaxed. The girls are all very forthcoming as actors in this scene.
By the way, the sex does cure Harry's writer's block but not his annoying head bobbing. In the end Maya does leave Harry, but we never know if it's because of the bad memories or simply because Harry doesn't evolve.
Note: "Soap Girl" premieres December 3 at 7:30 p.m. and opens
December 6 at the Fairfax Laemmle Theater on Beverly and Fairfax and
runs through December 12.
MOVIST.COM
Young Man Kang, Silver Remi Award Winner, 2002 Worldfest Houston
"Haitian Slave Children"
August 5, 2002
LA Weekly
Haitian Slave Children
Oct 5-11. 2001
Directed by Ron Becks/ Young Man Kang, Haitian Slave Children: Forgotten
Angels explores the crisis faced by an estimated 300,000 children living
on the streets of Haiti, many of them traded as slaves, all of them
facing constant peril and little chance of getting out. Most of the
children have few or even no clothes, and some don't even know their
own names.
Through the documentary, shot on video by cinematographer Young Man
Kang, is somewhat crudely made, the directness of its message is unmistakable.
Only a scant 25 minutes long, it still packs a wallop as it tours the
minimal resources available to those children. Watching Michael Brewer,
the American registered nurse who founded a program to get kids off
the streets, begin to sob as he catalogs the injuries sustained by a
group of street kids, or the mixture of emotions he conveys in helping
one child while unable to assist countless more, will get to even the
most hardhearted on a visceral level.
This screening is both a premiere and a benefit for the Family Circle
Home, Brewer's
organization struggling to assist some of the children.
(Raleigh Studios, Chaplin Theatre, 650 N. Bronson Ave,: Wed., Oct. 10,
7:30p.m.
714-847-0627, www.haitianstreetkids.com)
-Mark Olsen-
THE KOREA TIMES
June 15, 2002
Korean American independent filmmaker Young Man Kang has done it again
in another yet controversial film titled "Soap Girl". The
story is set in the notorious red-light district of Korea town in the
city of Los Angeles.
The central theme of the feature film centers around a young girl named
Maya who joins a group of seasoned massage medians who a unaware of
her plans of revenge. Intertwined in the plot is a sentimental love
story between our heroine Maya and a Thirty year old virgin poet named
Harry.
This is the fourth film for Young Man Kang who graduated from the prestige's
Hong-ik University in Korea and studied film in New York City. His previous
films include 'Cupid's Mistake', 'Death Valley Diary" and "1st
Testament".
Also Korean American, Actress / Producer Tomiko Lee plays the tough,
wise Mamasan.
'Soap Girl' will be released to video in the summer of 2002.
***** COALITION OF ASIAN PACIFICS
IN ENTERTAINMENT (CAPE) *****
Friday, 4 January 2002
===============================================================
ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT GNUS AND GNOTES
===============================================================
http://www.capeusa.orgWelcome to another year of "Asian Entertainment
Gnus And Gnotes,"
*****************************************************************
YOUNG MAN DELIVERS "SOAP GIRL"
Filmmaker Young Man Kang's third feature, "Soap Girl"
(http://www.youngmankang.com/soapgirl.htm) is an independent,
character-driven drama led by a female Asian American ensemble. Written
by Tony T.L. Young, "Soap Girl" tells the story of a young
Korean
immigrant in a seedy Hollywood Massage Parlor who falls in love with
a a
virgin poet. It stars award-winning actor Luciano Saber, Kerry Liu,
Tomiko Lee, Gina Hiraizumi, Kate Holliday, Mari Tanaka, Hiromi Nishiyama
and Dennis James Lee.
*****************************************************************
The Korea Central Daily
April 17th, 2002
*****************************************************************
The Korean Community Section, Los Angeles
"Soap Girl": The Making of a Controversial Film
Korean independent filmmaker Young Man Kang has been very active in the hollywood industry for many years, an industry traditionally closed to outsiders. At 36, Young is already a veteran director of a pair of low budget films and has just completed his third, most powerful film based on Los Angeles stories.
The subject of shampoo & massage parlors has long been a taboo subject among many Asian Americans, who find the subject matter reprehensible. According to director Kang, "I cautiously approached the subject matter in a sensitive manner, hoping not to offend anyone, but with the intent of revealing the true nature of a profession, or rather a 'subculture' most people have never seen."
"Soap Girl" is the story of an Asian girl who, betrayed by her lover and applies for work at a massage parlor, which she blames for breaking up her relationship. There she bonds with the women who work there and falls in love with an unlikely patron. It is a story about passion, revenge and healing.
So far the reactions from the community have ranged from critical to passionate. According to Young's website's message board, a woman has said, "I will boycott this film" to "Don't you think it's too early to make assumptions before even seeing the film" and "Can't wait to see the babes"
From the early stages of development, director Kang focused on developing the major characters which was difficult to do, since owners of massage parlors are not too willing to discuss the subject of illegal prostitution that may or may not be occurring within.
Working from original script, Kang mentioned he had
to eliminate elements and 'gag' lines that would offend a female audience.
The resulting film blended the seedy reality of Los Angeles's underground
with part gangster drama and part romance between two unlikely people
in a most unlikely place.
*****************************************************************
Film Threat
filmthreat.com
1st Testament:CIA Vengeance
2001, Un-rated, 90min, FilmGod Productons & Dearfilm
by Phil Hall
Oct, 15, 2001
Korean-born filmmaker Young Man Kang, who is best known
for spending exactly $980 to create the charming romantic feature "Cupid's
Mistake," has returned with a somewhat larger budget and a more ambitious
project: a nifty little spy thriller entitled "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance."
The film begins with one of the most unusual montage sequences devised,
following three highly unlikely characters with different goals. First,
a knockout blonde in a too-tight red dress discovers her car is out
of gas and calls on a friend--a knockout blonde in a too-tight blue
dress--to give her a ride. Elsewhere, a dapper African-American gent
who is handed an envelope by a mysterious person quickly reads its contents,
and then burns the paperwork. Meanwhile, a bald man is vigorously shampooing
what's left of his hair in a hot shower while singing out loud. Incredibly,
these diverse characters wind up together within the course of a few
minutes...but explaining the circumstances of their reunion and the
results of their sharing the same space would give away the fun of this
movie.
Indeed, "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance" is fueled with an infectious
sense of fun that recalls the glory days of low-rent/high-entertainment
B-Movies and the page-turning excitement of classic pulp paperback novels.
The plot is quite a hoot, with a veteran CIA agent who gets tired of
gunning down bad guys and receives a new assignment to train a glamourous
South Korean operative to assassinate the leader of North Korea. Of
course, the South Korean spy is not who she seems to be and the CIA
agent discovers himself on the wrong end of a spook-factory betrayal.
Much of the success with "1st Testament: CIA Vengeance" is derived from the wonderful cast, leading off with Ron Becks as the CIA agent in the center of the action. Becks, who also wrote the screenplay, creates a genuine action character who is mercifully free of the endless wisecracking and stunt-excessive shenanigans generally associated with spy thrillers. Offering a surplus of world-weariness with a fragrant trace of cynicism, Becks' character is a mature gentleman who has seen too much, regrets too much, and rues the loss of humanity which his job has robbed him. He is a professional, to be sure, yet his spy work has left him near-empty, with only a residue of self-respect keeping him free from emotional sterility. It is a fascinating character and a wonderful performance, a major kudo to Becks' talent as a writer and actor.
However, it is very difficult to keep focused on Becks in a film which is literally overflowing with beautiful women. I cannot recall any film which has brought together so many knockout gorgeous ladies together...it seems as if each new scene brings yet another hot babe in front of the camera. With the extraordinary beauty of Soo J. Kim as the South Korean operative, Iva Hasperger and Lynne Langdon as the aforementioned blondes with the out-of-gas car, Kimmarie Johnson as a disillusioned nightclub singer, Jasmine Jong Ok Kang as the grieving (yet gorgeous) widow of an assassinated operative, and Gina Hiaizumi as a stripper on the CIA payroll (and that's just for starters!), this film will send die-hard girl-watchers into a cold shower to calm down. It is a shame that casting agents don't receive Oscars...whoever cast this film would be guaranteed the golden statuette.
"1st Testament: CIA Vengeance" is a pure energy film
kick which offers plenty of diversion, amusement and style. The film
is also the first part of a planned trilogy, and parts two and three
cannot come soon enough.
Box Office Magazine
1st Testament: CIA Vengeance
Ron Becks, Luciano Saber, Soo J. Kim, Kimmarie Johnson, Renatta Mitchell. Directed by Young Man Kang. Written by Ron Becks. Produced by Young Man Kang. Released by Elliptic Entertainment. 2003. 78 minutes. Not rated.
Actor Ron Becks acted as star and writer of this fascinating B-grade hybrid certain to enthrall exploitation film fans everywhere. A spy thriller/actioner about a CIA agent who wants out, but instead gets reassigned to train a deadly South Korean female assassin with the aim of killing North Korea's Kim Jong-Il. Ripped from the headlines? Not exactly, but for people who recall the glory days of such Cold War exploitation films back in the '80s, this is a fun throwback. It's also a throwback to the days when black cinema and Asian cinema flirted closely with each other -- long before Jet Li and DMX were making movies together. Produced and directed by South Korean filmmaker Young Man Kang, "1st Testament" is supposed to be the first of a trilogy -- and while its credentials are definitely on the B-level, it has enough natural verve and tongue-in-cheek humor to suggest that more outings are not out of the question.
Extras include a commentary track, trailers and stills.-By Wade Major
Collector Rating: STRICTLY FOR FANS
Posted by: Wade Major on August 16, 2003 10:49 PM
BROOKLYN SPECTATOR
CUPID'S MISTAKE
(Phaedra /Dearfilm: Not yet rated by the MPAA)J
September, 5, 2001
Here's a sweet little independent movie from Korean-American
filmmaker Young Man Kang who wrote, produced, and directed this, his
first feature. 'CUPID'S MISTAKE' is a "la ronde' type of love venture
that has each individual rebuffed by the other, who is in turn equally
rebuffed when the shoe is on the other foot.
Susan(Susan Petry) is an actress who is in love with filmmaker Gil (Everado
Gil), but he doesn't respond with similar feelings. Rather, he is entranced
by Toya (Toya Cho), a Korean-American model who doesn't respond to his
overtures of love. She in turn loves Ken (Ken Yasuda), a Japanese-American
body builder and personal trainer, but is nixed by him when he is made
aware of her love. He finds Susan, who completes the cycle, only to
be rejected by her when he expresses his feelings.
It's Gil who comes to his senses concerning Susan, but now it may be
too late.
Against the backdrop of Santa Monica, love and relationship turn out
to be fickle and fleeting, and matches aren't always in the making.
Pain, frustration, and heartbreak are readily seen in these encounters.
Running an hour and ten minutes, "CUPID'S MISTAKE" has ordinary
dialogue between ordinary people in ordinary situations - nothing of
the glossy Hollywood variety.
The film well demonstrates finding, keeping, and losing love is all
part of the love game.
Shot on digital video and a $980 budget, with improvisation by the principles
in this love quadrangle, "CUPID'S MISTAKE" appears more real
in its situations than a lot of the romantic dribble that has come out
of Hollywood with enormous budgets.
Filmthreat
filmthreat.com
YOUNG MAN KANG: CORRECTING CUPID'S MISTAKE
June, 25, 2000
For every film playing in a theater today, there are
literally hundreds (if not thousands) which never get the chance to
find their way into the projector of a commercial venue. The vast majority
go unseen for a very good reason: they are so awful that don't deserve
to be seen. But there are a precious few which, for a variety of reasons,
are suffering under the injustice of not getting the attention they
are truly deserving. One of the most delightful unseen gems in today's
indie cinema is "Cupid's Mistake," a wonderful Los Angeles-based love
quadrangle which explores the agonies and ecstasies of romance. Filmed
on a teeny $980 budget (yes, $980!!!), this cross-cultural comedy of
missed passion and unexpected surprises provides a unique casting opportunity
for Asian-American actors, most notably the beautiful Toya Cho as a
model who can decide between two suitors and the muscular Ken Yasuda
as the bodybuilder who is more focused on building his biceps instead
of warming his heart. At a time when the Asian-American presence in
films is basically limited to martial arts chopping and token supporting
role sidekicking, it is a wonder to experience this unique non-stereotypical
big-screen presentation of this community. "Cupid's Mistake" is the
creation of Young Man Kang, a 34-year-old filmmaker whose training and
experiences straddle two worlds. Born in Korea, he studied fine arts
at Hong-ik University in Seoul and taught fine arts at a prestigious
prep school there which bears the Beckettian moniker of Godot Art. He
moved to New York in 1994 to study filmmaking at the New School and
created several short subjects including an animated film. Moving again
in 1996, he came to Los Angeles and began work directing commercials,
with duties as a storyboard artist and camera operator thrown in for
good measure. "Cupid's Mistake," on which he wore three hats as director-writer-producer,
was shot in classic Cassavetes-style guerrilla cinema: a shoestring
budget (no money for filming permits), the bare bones of a story outline
but no written script, and a remarkable free reign for improvisation
among his actors. Unlike many indie films in waiting, "Cupid's Mistake"
has a distributor: Phaedra Cinema, which is best known for its foreign
films "The Terrorist" and "La Separation." However, the production was
shot on digital video and has yet to be transferred to film stock--a
technological situation which has hindered a wide release (although
plans for a few exhibition and an Internet pay-per-view screening are
in the works). To date, the film has had exactly one public screening,
at the weekly Light+Screen Film Festival held in New York City's celebrated
Siberia Bar--to overwhelmingly positive audience reaction.
by Phil Hall
Easy Reader
South Bay Newspaper Weekly
Cupid's Mistake
Sep 25, 2000
This little (70 minute) ¡°jewel¡± is much like a cinematic
poem celebrating the ups and downs (hey, let¡¯s face it - usually overwhelmingly
downs) of UNREQUITED LOVE. Writer/Director Young Man Kang gives us a
fresh, hip retelling of the basic equation of ¡°unrequited-ness¡±. namely
A loves B, but B loves C, but C loves D, and¡¦ well - you¡¯ll have to
see for yourself where the chain ends in the hands of Kang and his talented,
attractive, offbeat young cast. Filmed along the Santa Monica/Venice
Beach magical strand of the West Los Angeles Pacific coastline, there¡¯s
an electric, ¡°happening¡±, almost upbeat feeling to the story, which
is told in sweetly framed and segued subchapters -- all despite the
fact that no one seems to be actually getting the object of his or her
affection, -- not to mention, lust. The end result is a film that will
make you mist-up knowingly and cathartically if you¡¯ve recently lived
through the experience, and smile wistfully, if you¡¯ve had time to heal,
but still recall those ¡°head-over-heals¡± past days when you were miserable,
but oh-so alive. ¡°CUPID¡¯S MISTAKE¡± opens Sept. 15/16 at Laemmle¡¯s Sunset
5 (8000 Sunset Bl., W. Hollywood). Program information/Times: (323)848-3500
By Joseph Sirota
Cult Movies Magazine
Cupid's Mistake
October 1, 2000
Pity poor Gil. He makes one girl cry because he DOESN't
love her, and another girl cry because he DOES love her. It's a movie
about vapid people who can't communicate, and relationships where no
one relates. It's an "I love her, but she loves him, but he loves her..."
chain-gang of young people searching. Each link passes the unrequited
love bug on to the next without indulging in its joy along the way.
Everybody is seeking something else. When lovely Toya tells Gil, "It's
very unfair of you to tell me that you love me!" we sense the ghosts
of many one-sided love affairs rising all around. It's a beautiful young
cast of relative newcomers, in a film shot around the splendor of Venice
Beach with virtually no script. Renegade filmmaking hasn't been this
experimental since the 1960s. Korean-born director Young Man Kang let
his cast get the feel of the situation, then improvise their scenes,
with a variety of results. And did we mention this is essentially a
light hearted story, not a soap opera?
Reviewed by Frankenstein
imdb.com newsgroup/filmcritic
Cupid's Mistake 2000
We all know the feeling. We love them, but they love
someone else. All right, it might not even be that we love them, but
we at least have a vested interest in finding yourself snuggled next
to them late at night. It happens all the time, and there isn't a damn
thing that anyone can do about it. With all of the times Cupid's arrow
has misfired, let's be glad he doesn't like to do a William Tell on
all of us. In fact, Cupid may strike gold and make us love the one that
loves us everyone once in a while, but in the general he's got all of
the accuracy of a Brittney Spears song... he hits everything but the
mark, get's everyone all riled up over nothing, and makes us turn out
a lot of Hollywood dribble in the hopes of getting further in a relationship
that is going nowhere. Such is the subject of Young Man Kang's (not
a typo, it's really his name) film Cupid's Mistake, in which girl number
one likes guy number one who likes girl number two who like guy number
two who likes girl number one. Yes, we're back in geometry class studying
this love rectangle, hoping that it doesn't turn to dribble like just
about every other Hollywood romance. Filmed on a budget of $980, Cupid's
Mistake works off of improvisation, bizarre videography techniques,
and incredible acting from complete nobodies in the acting world. Yet
it still ends up keeping us from being sick to our stomachs, only has
one time that we see the reflection of the videographer, and is romantic
besides... all of which makes us wonder why the hell we pay for a $10
million Julia Stiles/Freddie Prinze Jr vehicle that does none of the
above and makes us feel like we're going to vomit from its utter lack
of quality besides. Kang deserves credit for conceptualizing an editing
a no budget film on no budget, finding a distributor (Pandera Cinema)
despite having no budget, and also making a film that actually entertains
on said budget of zero. The slick videography techniques Kang uses are
readily available using almost any video editing software, and Kang
edits his movie so smoothly that the 90 minutes of it fly by. Yet I'm
really not praising the emperor with no clothes because he saved the
cost of fabric... really. The quadrangle behind Cupid's Mistake is well
set up, the story solid and the acting as solid as you would expect
from actual professionals (they are all credited actors, just none you
would recognize), and the improvisation lends a real credo to the dialogue
(although there is no "Gillian's Island" monologue, this kicks the shit
out of the Blair Witch Project's conversations). I would go so far as
to venture that Cupid's Mistake would be a pleasant art house romance
without it being the up and coming poster boy of the digital video revolution
that it is. Of course there are flaws. Although the acting is solid
and the conversation real, the actors still come off as slightly fake.
At points it becomes clear that the dialogue is attempting to reach
predestined points, and that the story has needed trimming here or there,
and some of the visuals just don't work as well on video (which tries
to compensate for natural lighting that could have served great purposes
at certain points) as they would on film, but all of these flaws would
have been eliminated (at the efficiency Kang works on) with an extra
grand or two in the coffer. All in all it's a solid indie flick, not
perfect, not bad, and definitely worth a view.
by James Brundage
New York Post
nypost.com
CUPID'S MISTAKE
August 24, 2001
KOREAN-American director-writer-producer Young Man Kang's
comedy, shot on video for just $980 (yes, $980), is no mistake. The
California-set tale of a love quadrangle isn't perfect. For one thing,
it goes on too long. But it looks good, the cast is perky (especially
Toya Cho, as a model who can't decide between two suitors), and Kang
shows lots of talent. It will be interesting to see what he can do with
a real budget. Running time: 70 minutes. Not rated. At the Two Boots
Den of Cin, Avenue A and Third Street.
by V.A. Musetto
New York Times
nytimes.com
Stammering Through Generic Moments of Rejection
August 24, 2001
Cupid's Mistake" begins with a character issuing a voice-over
advisory: "This is a story of relationships, and how caring for someone
doesn't mean that person cares for you. You know what I'm talking about."
So we do, which is probably why most of us will not feel a compelling
need to experience generic moments of painful personal rejection as
played out by a group of young Southern Californians with limited verbal
skills. One character is compelled to finish every statement she makes
with "or something"; another giggles hysterically through most of her
speeches and at one point, describing the beaches of her youth, says,
"I so remember it would be like mud and sand and stuff." With such alluring
patter, it's hard to believe that anyone could be lonely in Los Angeles,
but apparently a few people still are. For example, there is Gil (Everado
Gil), an aspiring filmmaker whose work ? nice if you can get it ? seems
to consist of photographing pretty girls as they frolic on Venice Beach.
Gil is in love with Toya (Toya Cho), a chattering Korean-American model,
but Toya is in love with Ken (Ken Yasuda), a Japanese-American bodybuilder.
Closing the circle in this no-sex "La Ronde" is Susan (Susan Petry),
a German-born model who is in love with the oblivious Gil. In this land
of perfect bodies, all Gil has going for him is some Johnny Depp-ish
facial hair, which may be why he became an artist. He becomes the emotional
center of the piece, though his emotions are limited to self-pity and
anger. He begins stalking Toya, following her in his car and peeping
through her windows. The film finds such behavior adorable. Film, actually,
is a misstatement, because "Cupid's Mistake" was shot on video, and
not video of the highest quality. Mostly, the picture looks and sounds
like a public-access soap opera, with flat lighting, tinny dialogue
and a loopy synthesizer score. Like Gil, the would-be filmmaker, Mr.
Kang has discovered the effects button on his camcorder, and he relies
upon it to provide what style his work has: a pixilated movement here,
a fade to monochrome there. At 70 minutes, "Cupid's Mistake" is short,
but then, so is our time on this planet.
by Dave Kehr
The Village Voice
villagevoice.com
Circle Jerk
August 22, 2001
Made with $980 and about as many brain cells, Cupid's
Mistake is more cute than clever. A tale of titillation and rejection,
Young Man Kang's debut feature follows four unfulfilled twentysomethings
in the City of Angels. Susan, the anguished actress, loves Gil. Gil,
the tormented filmmaker who makes videos of frolicking women on the
beach subtitled with Hallmark sentiments, longs for Toya. Toya is the
model whose heart is lifted by bodybuilder Ken, her personal trainer.
The star of Ken's romantic drama is, you guessed it, Susan the thespian;
the sexy circle is complete. Cupid's Mistake Written and directed by
Young Man Kang Pioneer Opens August 24 The dialogue, which was wholly
improvised, includes the "like"s, "uh"s, and general feeling of contrived
spontaneity native to The Real World. The we're-friends-but-I-love-you
scenes are either drenched with provocative sunlight or packed with
candles; these techniques seem to be borrowed from the tamer selections
of late-night Cinemax.
by Sasha Statman
New York Metro Magazine
newyorkmetro.com
Cupid's Mistake
Guerrilla filmmaker Young Man Kang's improvisational love story, which was shot in Los Angeles and cost $980 to produce. (1 hr. 10 mins.; NR) Opens August 24
Filmmakers Alliance
filmmakersalliance.com
Cupid's Mistake: Young Man Kang's First Feature
spring 2001
FA Member Young Man Kang had directed over 50 commercials
for the Asian television market when, in 1998, he quit his job to pursue
filmmaking in the narrative format. Relying heavily on improvisation,
Kang shot his first feature length film, Cupid's Mistake, on Betacam
and Mini-DV. For a budget of 980 dollars. Cupid's Mistake first premiered
at the New York City festival, Screen and Light, where it received a
positive review from Film Threat. After that, the movie's distributor,
Phaedra Cinema, contacted Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, where the
movie opened last September. Kang says Cupid's Mistake's next stop is
the Pioneer Theater in New York City, where it will play August, 2001.
Though Phaedra is technically the distributor, it appears that Kang
is still footing the bill for ads and shipping costs. In order to keep
costs down, Kang has forgone newspaper ads and promoted his film on
the internet and by word of mouth. He has also kept the movie alive
on video, avoiding the costly blow up to film that starts around $40,000
and can reach as high as $100,000 and beyond. Kang says he works 50/50
box office deals with the theaters and rents his own video projection
equipment that must be brought into the theater. So far, he says he
is breaking even- which, it should be noted, is better than most Hollywood
or independent movies do financially. As for Kang, he's already in post
on his second feature, First Testament: CIA Vengeance, which he describes
as an Asian-style La Femme Nikita.
by Filmmakers Alliance
THE KOREA CENTRAL DAILY
joongangusa.com
Korean-American Filmmaker Young Man Kang's First Feature
'Cupid's Mistake', a $980 budget, opens!
September 15, 2000
THE KOREA TIMES
Young Man Kang's first feature film 'Cupid's Mistake', only a $980
budget!
September 23, 2000
INTERVIEW
ASIA STUDIOS/ASTYLE
asiastudios.com
Young Man Kang Exclusive Interview
Taking indie cinema to an extreme, Young Man Kang films his independent
darling on an extreme shoestring budget of $980. How did he do it? Read
to find out.
Thirty-four year old Korean writer and director Young Man Kang released
his latest "Cupid's Mistake" last month.
Described as "one of the most delightful unseen gems in today's indie
cinema," "Cupid's Mistake" is poignant look at a Los Angeles-based love
quadrangle.
The film explores the agonies and ecstasies of romance.
Filmed on an extreme shoestring $980 budget, this cross-cultural comedy
of missed passion and unexpected surprises provides a unique casting
opportunity for Asian-American actors.
The impressive cast is led by the beautiful Toya Cho who portrays a
model who can't decide between two suitors. Actor Ken Yasuda warms up
the screen as the bodybuilder who is more focused on building his biceps
instead of warming his heart.
At a time when the Asian-American presence in films is basically limited
to martial arts chopping and token supporting role sidekicking, it is
a wonder to experience this unique non-stereotypical big-screen presentation
of this community.
"Cupid's Mistake" is a Phaedra film release, the same label which Wonsuk
Chin (see ASTYLE Exclusive Interview with Wonsuk Chin) has released
his critically acclaimed film "Too Tired To Die" starring ASTYLE Sex
Symbol Takeshi Kaneshiro and Oscar award winning actress Mira Sorvino.
Young Man Kang took a moment to chat with ASTYLE about his work, the
"business" and why Korean films are being shown at the local General
Cinema Theater.
Young Man Kang talks about how the cinematic experience is being transformed
with the advent of the Internet and what does that exactly mean for
a working director.
He also shares the details of "Kumiho" which is one of his exciting
new projects in pre-production. The story is about a 1000 year old fox
with nine tails that is reincarnated as a woman who eats men's livers
and is on a quest to become human. He spins the Korean legend with a
modern day twist by giving life to "Kumiho" in Los Angeles.
Just two of the many questions:
ASTYLE: You did something basically unheard of which is to stick
to a budget - not that you really had a budget. You had an extremely
shoestring budget of $980. What did $980 exactly pay for?
Young Man Kang: (Laughs) I actually paid the four actors each
$100. I also needed not only the actors, but their apartments as well.
The payment included everything (laughs). Between the actors and the
"sets," I only dropped $400. Fortunately, I already had a camera and
editing equipment.
ASTYLE: Cupids Mistake probes the nuances of finding, keeping
and losing love. Which of those three - finding, keeping or losing love
- do you find the most difficult?
Young Man Kang: Everything. I focus on all three things in the
movie. A lot of times many people, even me, are like, 'Oh I like her.'
But in reality, she may be in love with 'him.' It's that 'she doesn't
love me, but somebody else' thing. It's that Cupid is the one responsible
for making the matches and sometimes, there can be mistakes. It's like
real life.
Filmthreat
filmthreat.com
YOUNG MAN KANG: CORRECTING CUPID'S MISTAKE
June, 25, 2000
Film Threat spoke with Young Man Kang about his film
and the cross-cultural currents which permeates his work and outlook.
FILM THREAT: Korea
has a vibrant film industry, but very few Korean films are shown in
the West. In your professional opinion, what is keeping Korean films
out of Western theaters?
YOUNG MAN KANG: I think that the reason is the U.S. distribution
system. Korean films, as with other foreign films, have a better chance
to screen at art house theaters than the studio distribution line. Studio
distribution companies hardly ever distribute foreign films, and when
they do it is only a few films a year. In addition to this, independent
distribution companies dealing with art house theaters don't have much
of a budget to pay the MG (minimum guarantee) to a Korean producer due
to a smaller number of theaters and audiences.
Korean producers are expecting almost the same amount of MG as major
studios would pay. Many independent companies want to distribute upcoming
Korean films, but they can't afford to buy them. There is a large MG
aspect gap between Korean producers and U.S. indie-companies.
Even though U.S. company suggest to Korean producers a higher percent
of gross instead of a MG, they would rather get a MG. They're worried
about being ripped-off from the retrieve of the box office.
Secondly, Korean producers don't have direct connections with U.S. companies,
so they hire middle men who has already connections in the U.S. However,
these middle men (film brokers) have bad reputations in the eyes of
many Korean producers.
FILM THREAT: What
are the major differences between Korea and the US regarding the cinematic
experience--both from the approach to film making and in how audiences
react to films?
YOUNG MAN KANG: These days, Korean films develop very fast. Many
young directors have studied abroad in the U.S. and Europe and then
came back to Korea dedicated in their careers to filmmaking. Korean
audiences used to watch Hollywood films all the time--there were no
space for their own Korean films. Today, it's a different story. Korean
audiences watch more Korean films than Hollywood films. For example,
last year, one of the Korean film ¡®Shiri' beat out the ¡®Titanic' at
the Korean box office.
FILM THREAT: You've
directed commercials. What is your secret of creating successful commercials--telling
a story and selling a product within the confines of a minute or less?
YOUNG MAN KANG: Everybody says a commercial is a commercial--that
it is not art. I took this statement personally, and then tried to add
an artistic vision to it, yet still based the main idea on the focus
of the commercial. Usually, clients want a lot of information in 30
seconds. I have to cut down and confine all of the information into
one word, action, or simplistic idea for 30 seconds.
FILM THREAT:
What is the genesis of "Cupid's Mistake"? And why did you decide to
allow your actors to improvise their dialogue rather than create a specific
script to work from?
YOUNG MAN KANG: I knew all of my actors in this film, and would
call them my friends. I then came up with an idea, that one character
goes after another¡¦A (guy), B (girl), C (guy), D (girl)-- A likes B,
but B likes C, but C like D, D likes A¡¦and in the end, nobody gets anyone.
To me, that's a normal love story. I gave the actors the basic idea.
I told them directions that after they are dating, then one proposes
to the other. The camera follows them through the course of dating one
another. That's why they look natural on film. I asked them to act natural,
just like real dating. Then, in post-production, I cut and edited, and
made the sequences.
FILM THREAT:
Asian-Americans are virtually unseen in Hollywood films, or if they
do appear they are often subjected to blatant and subconscious insults
and stereotypes that other minority groups would never tolerate. "Cupid's
Mistake" is refreshingly free of the Hollywood typecasting, offering
Asian-Americans as characters rather than caricatures. In your opinion,
why can't the Hollywood system take the same approach to Asian-American
characters as indie films like yours?
YOUNG MAN KANG: There are a few Asian filmmakers in Hollywood.
The more Asian filmmakers that come into the business, then the more
Asian actors will be seen because they have Asian subjects to tell.
With "Cupid's Mistake," I created two Asian characters, Toya & Ken,
with the actors in mind--each showing their own natural personas. For
example, I've shot several commercials with Toya and I know that she's
really good for the part of a playful and energetic character. Also,
I've known Ken to be a gentle sportsman, even though he's a muscular
person. In reality, he's very quiet and genuine.
FILM THREAT: "Cupid's
Mistake" marked your debut as a feature film director. What did you
learn about yourself and your abilities during the creation of the film?
And do you feel that you properly told your story?
YOUNG MAN KANG: First, you must start small-- not with a huge
budget. I made the film that I wanted to make, with no outside pressure
from executives and no pressure from stars. Also, I wanted to use actors
who felt genuinely connected with this film. I wish I had a little bit
of a larger budget than I did, then I could do more takes of each scene.
Also, I would have liked to have spent more money in post production,
specifically, editing. Some people joke with me that this film is "Young's
Mistake." Even though I made mistakes in this film, I learned a lot
about filmmaking. Even though there was no script, I wish I had rehearsed
more with the actors. Some dialog did not flow, so it was difficult
to edit. On the second part of your question: from my prior experiences,
people in the world all have had the same experiences with a one-sided
relationship. That's life. I tried to make a film that's not too serious,
but more of a diminutive film with a little bit of humor.
FILM THREAT:
A wider distribution of "Cupid's Mistake" is being hindered by the fact
the film was shot on digital video and relatively few commercial venues
will exhibit films which are on video. Why do you feel that exhibitors
are slow in presenting new features shot on DV...and do you see their
attitude changing any time in the near future?
YOUNG MAN KANG: That's the reality of it. Only a few theaters
have video projectors, thus, it is extremely difficult to find a theater
in which one can show their film. I need to transfer to 35mm print,
but it costs at least $40, 000. It's difficult to make that amount of
money back from art house distribution. That's why my film distribution
company doesn't want to take the risk. Today, DV filmmaking is becoming
more and more popular, and even the larger theaters have begun to set
up digital projection systems. We'll see what's going to happen in the
near future.
FILM THREAT:
You are currently working on three films with very intriguing titles:
"Desire L.A.,"and "Kumiho." Please tell us about these productions
and your involvement in them.
YOUNG MAN KANG: "Desire LA." focuses on love, hate, frustrations,
loneliness in Los Angeles in six-to-seven episodes, all coming together
to create one unique vision. Also, dearfilm.com production is looking
for a synopsis for one of the episodes on its online site. Anybody can
submit their stories to dearfilm.com! "Kumiho--Goddess of the Orient"
is in pre-production & casting. The film's script and casting is also
developing through members' opinions as posted on dearfilm.com. It is
an Asian ghost story inspired by the Korean folk tale "Kumiho"-- a 1,000-year-old
nine-tailed fox eats men's livers to become human and is reincarnated
in LA. (You can find more about that online at www.Kumiho.com)