Monday, April 24, 2017

2008 Japanese movie Still Walking (歩いても 歩いても) at Carnegie Library in Oakland, May 7.



The Carnegie Library's main branch will show the 2008 Japanese movie Still Walking (歩いても 歩いても) as May's installment of International Cinema Sunday. A 2009 Roger Ebert review summarizes:
A dozen years ago, the prized possession of this family was Junpei, the eldest son, doted on by his parents and admired by his younger brother and sister. But Junpei drowned while saving a life, and every year the family gathers, as many Japanese families do, to visit his grave and memory.

These occasions are hated by Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), the second son. His father (Yoshio Harada) almost blames him for not being the one who died. On the drive to his home town at the seaside, Ryota tells his new wife Yukari (Yui Natsukawa) they must not even stay the night. This will be her first meeting with the parents; she is a widow with a young son.

The father is a retired physician, slowed with age, still marching joylessly on his daily walk. He stays mostly closed off in his office and greets his son brusquely. The mother has her doubts about this marriage; it is better to marry a divorced woman than a widow, because at least the divorce chose to leave her husband.

Also together for this day are Ryota's older sister and her husband. It is only slowly that we pick up the suppressed currents of feeling in the family; on the surface, the mother stays cheerful, although the old doctor's bitterness is obvious: The wrong son drowned.
The movie plays from 2:00 to 4:30 pm on May 7 in Classroom A, and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map).

Friday, April 21, 2017

Hong Kong movie Love Off The Cuff (春嬌救志明) in Pittsburgh, from April 28.



The 2017 Hong Kong romantic-comedy Love Off The Cuff (春嬌救志明) will be released worldwide on April 27, and will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater from the 28th. A Variety review on the third movie in the series:
[T]he movie packs Pang [Ho-cheung]’s trademark smart-ass humor, plenty of colloquial Cantonese wordplay, and a stream of cameos by dishy starlets — all of which should guarantee a robust box office in Hong Kong, but a meh reaction in China.

Pang, who started out as a whiz kid making off-color indie comedies, shot “Love in a Puff” in 2010 as a snarky rejoinder to a new anti-smoking law in Hong Kong. The protagonists, Sephora-lady Cherie (Miriam Yeung) and ad-man Jimmy (Shawn Yue) were chainsmokers who meet cute huddling over a garbage-can. The film became a sleeper hit, spawning the sequel “Love in the Buff,” which relocated events to Beijing as the couple kept falling in and out of love. By 2017, they have returned home from their expat stint and settled into the convenience of cohabitation. Neither wussy Jimmy nor chronically insecure Cherie feels ready to take things to the next stage.
The movie is in Cantonese with English subtitles. Tickets and showtime information is available via Fandango. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Yayoi Kusama-inspired cookies by Yummyholic coming to Mattress Factory.



Yummyholic cookies crafted after the art by Yayoi Kusama will be available at the Mattress Factory - Museum of Contemporary Art starting this weekend. The yellow cookie replicates the "Pumpkin" installation at Benesse Art Site in Kawagawa prefecture, Japan; the red and white designs reference "Repetitive Vision", the 1996 installation at the Mattress Factory.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Management Science Associates hiring bilingual Chinese-English Marketing Research Analyst.

Management Science Associates, headquartered in one block from Bakery Square in Larimer, is hiring a bilingual Chinese-English Marketing Research Analyst. From the job posting:
Responsibilities
  • Maintain existing models, update existing reports and assist higher-level analysts with market research project activities;
  • Work closely with more experienced analysts to develop an understanding of MSA and the client’s marketing/sales operation;
  • Produce independent analytical work for projects where client responsibility remains with higher-level analysts or managers;
  • Communicate directly with subsidiary employees located in China on common project initiatives;
  • Translate documentation from Chinese to English;
  • Serve as a translator for clients visiting from China.


Required Skills
  • Bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Business, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics or related field;
  • Knowledge of statistics, mathematics and marketing;
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office products and statistical packages, including R and SAS;
  • Fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Applications can be submitted via the MSA site.

Oakland's Sushi Boat replaced by sushi, donut, and taco place.



Though the awning remains at 128 Oakland Ave., Oakland's Sushi Boat was recently replaced by Mount Everest, specializing in raw fish salad, sushi, tacos, and donuts.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Dubbed version of Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン -オーディナル・スケール) at Hollywood Theater, April 23.



If you missed the Pittsburgh premiere of the Japanese animated movie Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン -オーディナル・スケール) on March 9, the Hollywood Theater in Dormont will show a dubbed-in-English version on April 23 The official site provides a plot summary of the movie, which opened in Japan in February:
In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba, called NerveGear. It was the first full-dive system, and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality (AR) to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is "Ordinal Scale" (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.

Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They're about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn't all fun and games…
Tickets for the 2:00 pm show are available online for $15. 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.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

2015 movie The Beauty Inside (뷰티 인사이드) at Maridon Museum, April 20.


The Maridon Museum will show the 2015 movie The Beauty Inside (뷰티 인사이드) on April 20 as the second installment of this spring's Korean Film Series. A Los Angeles Times review summarizes:
Everyday, Woo-Jin wakes up with a new face. New face, new body, new eyesight, new shoe size, completely new outer-facing identity. Though he remains the same inside, the world sees him as an old woman, a middle-aged man, a young lady, a child.

Predictably, this makes relationships, particularly romantic ones, difficult. Although Woo-Jin enjoys waking up as a handsome young man, the relationships last for only one night. That is until he meets the lovely Yi-Soo (Hyo-ju Han) in a furniture store, and he imagines what it might be like to have a love that's more lasting.
The movie starts at 6:00 pm and the museum requires reservations made at 724-282-0123. The Maridon Museum is an Asian art museum at 322 N. McKean St. in downtown Butler (map)

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Menu and flyer for 2017 Korean Food Bazaar (제22회 선교바자회), May 6 in Shadyside.



In late-March the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh announced its 2017 Korean Food Bazaar (제22회 선교바자회). Today there is a flyer and menu.



The highly-anticipated annual Korean food festival is in its 22nd year, and is held at 821 S. Aiken Ave. in Shadyside (map).

K-pop, J-pop, C-pop dance performances at FRESA's Spring Music Countdown, April 14 at Pitt.



Pitt's Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists will host a night of K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop dance performances at its Spring Music Countdown on April 14. It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the William Pitt Union's Assembly Room (map).

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

"Muslim Identities Among Uyghur Populations in China" at Pitt, April 14.



The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Russian & East European Studies and Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Rian Thum of Loyola University and his talk "Muslim Identities Among Uyghur Populations in China". The talk runs from 3:00 to 4:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

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