OKLAHOMA CITY – Asian cinema is dominating the world right now, and that’s just fine by cinephiles.
Maybe it’s because the internet is making our world smaller and introducing more audiences to Asian film and culture. Maybe it’s because streaming platforms like Netflix have invested so heavily in Asian productions that have garnered huge numbers and acclaim. Or maybe it’s because of barrier-breakers like “Parasite” that have proven the appeal and respect that Asian cinema can demand in the West.
Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say that Asian film has found its place on the world stage and atop the world market with a widely varied selection of films in theaters, some brand new, some undeniable classics, and some recent offerings re-released to reel in that recent respect.
So whether you’re looking for quiet, sensual romance, moody mystery, off-the-wall animated action, or deep social commentary filtered through radioactive rampaging monsters, there’s bound to be something in theaters to sate you.
‘Shin Godzilla’ – Now Playing
In America, Godzilla has always been a fun, wacky movie monster that’s emblematic of our undying desire to see giant things knock over buildings (see: “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”) But the original Japanese conception of the giant radioactive lizard was actually a chilling and heavy social commentary of Atomic Age anxieties and post-Hiroshima anger.
Before 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One” came along to win over critics, audiences, and even the Academy with its recontextualization of that same nuclear paranoia through a lens of emotional trauma and war-borne guilt, 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” carried those atomic worries firmly into the modern world.
Less an exploration of war anxiety than of post-Fukushima nuclear stress, “Shin Godzilla” skewers the interminable government bureaucracies of the modern world and the infinite complexities of managing a spiraling radioactive disaster as this new Godzilla continues to evolve, grow, and heat up upon each new surfacing.
Though it was a blockbuster in Japan, American audiences didn’t fully grasp or connect to the subtext in its first release, but after the runaway success of “Minus One,” Tohu Pictures is giving it another shot in a brand new 4K release.
‘In the Mood for Love’ 25th anniversary – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – August 22nd through 24th
Regarded as one of the most visually stunning and quietly romantic films ever made, 2000’s “In the Mood for Love” launched the already acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai into the stratosphere of modern moviemaking masters.
This aching and deeply felt romantic drama examines the quiet, damaged bond between two apartment neighbors that discover their spouses are having an affair in 1960s Hong Kong.
Wong imbues their story with style, color, and remarkable cinematography focused on the designs and aesthetics of mid-century Hong Kong, creating a film still revered now as one of the most visually striking and definitive of its generation.
For the 25th anniversary, Wong has personally supervised a new 4K transfer and has added the additional “In the Mood for Love 2001,” a nine-minute “coda” to the film that was previous only ever screened during his 2001 Cannes masterclass.
For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit okcmoa.com.
‘Ne Zha II’ – Opens wide August 21st
If you haven’t heard of “Ne Zha II,” then blame the cultural blinders of America.
The Chinese animated action-adventure sequel is already far and away the biggest, highest grossing film of the year, and it hasn’t even officially opened in the US yet.
Its current gross is already more than $2 billion (something only six other films have ever accomplished,) and with beloved, boundary-pushing indie distributer A24 overseeing the American release, that’s likely to only keep climbing and climbing.
The story is pure fantasy adventure fun, with an all-powerful godlike force in the character of a small child and a battle for the fate of the universe, but in this case, it’s all derived from Chinese mythology and folklore.
Time will tell if American audiences respond to the film as strongly as Chinese moviegoers, or if American kids really even care, even with a full English-language voice cast including the incredible Michelle Yeoh.
But even if the US only ends up being a small part of the global gross, it’ll still be likely impossible for anything to outperform “Ne Zha II.”
At least until the new “Avatar” drops this winter.
‘Memories of Murder’ – Rodeo Cinema – September 19th through 21st
South Korean auteur Bong Joon Ho has risen to the ranks of the most lauded and respected filmmakers working in the world today, propelled mainly by his Oscar-winning, era-defining “Parasite,” and his more left-field genre work like “Snowpiercer” and the recent “Mickey 17.”
But back in 2003, Bong was just a young director on the cutting edge of the South Korean filmmaking renaissance, making international waves with movies like “Memories of Murder.”
A stylish, moody crime thriller and a twisting, existentialist murder mystery, “Memories” is also an exploration of the darkness beneath the surface of ordinary life, the cultural gaps between cities and suburbs, and the ultimate banality and facelessness of evil.
While it would take another decade and a half for the wider world to know Bong’s name, his work was already proving heavily influential on even some of the West’s biggest filmmakers.
There might be no “Zodiac” without “Memories of Murder.”
For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit rodeocinema.org.
Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Brett Fieldcamp is our Arts and Entertainment Editor. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for 15+ years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
