Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) at Row House Cinema, August 28 - September 3.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will show the 2000 Japanese movie Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) from Here's how imdb summarizes it:

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

And an excerpt of the Wikipedia summary of controversies:

The film was labeled "crude and tasteless" by members of Japanese parliament and other government officials after the film was screened for them before its general release. The film created a debate over government action on media violence. At one point, director Kinji Fukasaku allegedly gave a press statement directed at the age group of the film's characters, saying "you can sneak in, and I encourage you to do so." Many conservative politicians used the film to blame popular culture for a youth crime wave. Ilya Garger of TIME magazine said that Battle Royale received "free publicity" and received "box-office success usually reserved for cartoons and TV-drama spin-offs." The Japanese reaction to the film in the early 2000s has been compared to the British outrage over A Clockwork Orange in the early 1970s. Critics note the relation of Battle Royale to the increasingly extreme trend in Asian cinema and its similarity to reality television.

For eleven years, the film was never officially released in the United States or Canada, except for screenings at various film festivals. The film was screened to a test audience in the U.S. during the early 2000s, not long after the Columbine High School massacre, resulting in a negative reaction to the film's content.

The movie, released in 2000, didn't make it to Pittsburgh until April 2012. Showtimes and ticket information are available on the Row House Cinema website. The theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) at Harris Theater, from August 28.

The 1992 Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) will play at the Harris Theater from August 28. The movie was released in the United States in April, 23 years after it premiered in Taiwan. A summary, from a July Philadelphia Inquirer review:

There's no better way to dive into [filmmaker Ming-liang] Tsai's world than with his stunning debut, Rebels of the Neon God (1992), which finally is getting its first theatrical release in America.

A breathtaking, disturbing look at urban angst and the emptiness of youth culture, the film introduces us to a character who haunts so many of Tsai's Taipei films: Hsiao-kang (played by the director's longtime collaborator, Lee Kang-sheng), a somber, surly, silent, often petulant youth who doesn't seem to feel at ease anywhere he goes.

When we first see him, Hsiao-kang seems an earnest, if frustrated, college student who works hard into the night. He shares a tidy flat with his taxi-driver father, who makes no attempt to understand - or even like - the youth. His overprotective mother seems never to tire of consulting augers and priests about her son's future.

Appearances can be deceptive. Hsiao-kang doesn't think he fits in at school, and early in the film, he drops out, pocketing a large tuition refund without telling his parents. He spends hours wandering the streets on foot or on his moped and seems incapable or unwilling to connect with others.

Showtimes have not yet been released. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map).

Japanese film series at Maridon Museum this fall.

The Maridon Museum announced the details today of its Japanese film series this fall, a collection originally forecast in its summer newsletter. The films are: 1983's The Makioka Sisters (細雪) on September 25, 1975's Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again (a.k.a., Tora-san's Rise and Fall, 男はつらいよ 寅次郎相合い傘) on October 1, 1964's Kwaidan (怪談) on October 23, and 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) on November 5. Showtimes and summaries to follow in future posts.

The Maridon, an Asian art museum, is located at 322 North McKean St. in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Filipino movie The Love Affair at AMC Loews Waterfront from August 21.

The 2015 Filipino movie The Love Affair will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from Friday, August 21. A press release summarizes the film, which was released in the Philippines on August 12:

[T]he movie tells the story of Vince ([Richard] Gomez) and Tricia ([Dawn] Zulueta), a married couple undergoing problems after she seems to have cheated on her husband.

It becomes more complicated when Vince crosses paths with Adie ([Bea] Alonzo), a lawyer he meets while seeking to have his marriage with Tricia annulled.

Showtime and ticket information is available from the theater's website.

Anime series at Row House Cinema in September.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville recently announced an anime series that will run from September 25 to October 1. The lineup includes: Akira (アキラ), Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊), and When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー), with a fourth film to be determined. Showtimes will be available at the theater's website later.

A few Korean flavors at Hines Ward's new restaurant.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler receiver Hines Ward is opening a new restaurant in Seven Fields, and the menu at Table 86 will feature a few Korean flavors: Mae Oon Shrimp, Korean barbecue wings, a pulled pork sandwich with Korean barbecue sauce, and Korean BBQ ribs. (Mae Oon / 매운 is an adjective that means spicy in Korean). Ward's mother is Korean, and Hines became especially well-known in South Korea after being named Super Bowl MVP in 2006. He told the Tribune-Review yesterday:

There are some nods to his mother's cooking, too.

“Asian-style, Korean barbecue things my mom has taught me over the years,” Ward said. “I love the Korean ribs.”

Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) at Harris Theater, from August 28.

The 1992 Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) will play at the Harris Theater from August 28. The movie was released in the United States in April, 23 years after it premiered in Taiwan. A summary, from a July Philadelphia Inquirer review:

There's no better way to dive into [filmmaker Ming-liang] Tsai's world than with his stunning debut, Rebels of the Neon God (1992), which finally is getting its first theatrical release in America.

A breathtaking, disturbing look at urban angst and the emptiness of youth culture, the film introduces us to a character who haunts so many of Tsai's Taipei films: Hsiao-kang (played by the director's longtime collaborator, Lee Kang-sheng), a somber, surly, silent, often petulant youth who doesn't seem to feel at ease anywhere he goes.

When we first see him, Hsiao-kang seems an earnest, if frustrated, college student who works hard into the night. He shares a tidy flat with his taxi-driver father, who makes no attempt to understand - or even like - the youth. His overprotective mother seems never to tire of consulting augers and priests about her son's future.

Appearances can be deceptive. Hsiao-kang doesn't think he fits in at school, and early in the film, he drops out, pocketing a large tuition refund without telling his parents. He spends hours wandering the streets on foot or on his moped and seems incapable or unwilling to connect with others.

Showtimes have not yet been released. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map).

Documentary The Look of Silence in Pittsburgh, from August 28.

The 2014 documentary The Look of Silence, on the Indonesian killings of 1965 and 1966, will play in McKees Rocks and in Regent Square on August 28. A synopsis, from the film's website:

Through [director Joshua] Oppenheimer's footage of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

Ticket information has not yet been released. The documentary will play at the Regent Square Theater from August 28 to September 3, and at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from the 28th.

Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) movies coming to Hollywood Theater in Dormont, from September 30.

The first of two Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) films will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on September 30, October 1, and October 7. The movie was released in Japan on August 1. The second film, Attack on Titan: End of the World (進撃の巨人 エンド オブ ザ ワールド) is due for a September 19 release, and will play at the Hollywood Theater on October 20, 22, and 27. A brief summary, from Tech Times:

The movies are based on a popular manga and anime series of the same name, where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves against the threat of massive man-eating giants known as Titans. The story revolves around a young group of men and women who enlist in their city's armed forces to drive back the Titans after a never before seen "Colossal Titan" breaches the walls.

Details and ticket information to be announced later. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Love Live! The School Idol Movie at Hollywood Theater in Dormont, September 13.

The Hollywood Theater in Dormont announced today that it will show the Japanese anime movie Love Live! The School Idol Movie on September 13. A plot summary from the distributors:

Although u’s, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls continue to learn and grow in this new and unfamiliar world. What is the last thing that these girls can do as school idols? With the clock ticking, what kind of meaning will the u’s members find in performing the most exciting live performance?

Tickets are on sale now for $15. The screening will be in Japanese with English subtitles. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.