Monday, January 14, 2019

Greater Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala, February 2 in the North Hills.



The Chinese Association for Science and Technology - Pittsburgh Chapter will present the Greater Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala on February 2 at Marshall Middle School in Wexford.
Dear friends in Greater Pittsburgh, the 2019 Chinese New Year Gala is just around the corner on February 2nd!

Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the biggest festival in China. 2019 is the Year of the Pig, which represents luck, fortune, and prosperity.

Indonesian-Singaporean film Buffalo Boys at Parkway Theater, from January 18.



The 2018 Indonesian-Singaporean film Buffalo Boys will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from January 18. An A.V. Club review provides a summary:
Set in the late 19th century, Buffalo Boys stars Ario Bayu and Yoshi Sudarso as brothers Jamar and Suwo, who return to their Javanese ancestral village after decades of exile to avenge their father’s murder at the hands of sadistic colonial administrator Van Trach (Reinout Bussemaker). They bring with them not only an arsenal of heavy-duty firepower, but also a certain gunslinger swagger[.]
Showtime information is available online. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

"The Art of Noh: Woodblock Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo," through April 26 at Pitt's Hillman Library.



The University of Pittsburgh's University Library System will continue to host an exhibit of woodblock prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo through April 26.
Noh, a theater form that originated in the fourteenth century, was associated historically with the ruling warrior class, who made up about 5% of Japan’s pre-modern population in the late feudal period between 1600 and 1868. Kōgyo’s paintings and prints are more than reproductions of what he saw and sketched in the noh theater. He tried to capture what he saw as the essence of a play, which led him to make additions, subtractions, and various other changes to the actual performance in his prints. He even went so far as to put his ideas of the real-life facial expressions of the characters he depicted on the masks the actors in his prints wore. And he added to his prints scenes and texts from the stories of the play that were not portrayed in the play on stage. In one print he showed the play’s primary character performing under water, even though he obviously did not do so on stage. Kōgyo was not a camera; he was an artist.
The exhibit is located on the ground floor of Hillman Library (map) and is open to the public during the library's hours.

Braddock's Superior Motors to host guest chef Simone Tong of New York’s Little Tong Noodle Shop, February 5.


via @littletongnyc

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has details about the first installment of the 2019 Dinner Series with guest chef Simone Tong of New York’s Little Tong Noodle Shop. Tickets for the February 5 event are available online.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

"Beyond Haiku: Japanese Poetry in Time and Art," January 17 at City of Asylum.


Bashō's Hermitage on Camellia Hill beside the Aqueduct at Sekiguchi (せき口上水端はせを庵椿やま), by Hiroshige.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and City of Asylum will present Pitt's Dr. Elizabeth Oyler and her talk "Beyond Haiku: Japanese Poetry in Time and Art" on January 17.
Join us for a lively discussion with Elizabeth Oyler, presented in partnership with The Japan- America Society of Pennsylvania and as part of our Honor Roll Lecture Series.

Haiku, arguably Japan’s most recognized form of poetry, developed into the poetic form we know and love today through hundreds of years of evolution. Inseparably integrated with Japanese history, Haiku has a notable influence on Japanese poetry, art, and society.

Join the JASP for this free evening. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.
The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at City of Asylum's Alphabet City on the North Side (map). It's free, but RSVP is required and can be completed online.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Dragon Ball Super: Broly (ドラゴンボール超ブロリー) in Pittsburgh, from January 16.



The new Japanese movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly (ドラゴンボール超ブロリー) will play at several Pittsburgh theaters from January 16. The distributor provides a summary:
A planet destroyed, a powerful race reduced to nothing. After the devastation of Planet Vegeta, three Saiyans were scattered among the stars, destined for different fates. While two found a home on Earth, the third was raised with a burning desire for vengeance and developed an unbelievable power. And the time for revenge has come. Destinies collide in a battle that will shake the universe to its very core!

Goku is back to training hard so he can face the most powerful foes the universes have to offer, and Vegeta is keeping up right beside him. But when they suddenly find themselves against an unknown Saiyan, they discover a terrible, destructive force.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly was the top movie in Japan the weekend it was released. It will play locally at Southside Works, the Hollywood Theater, AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC Loews South Hills Village, and the Cinemark Theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Friday, January 11, 2019

2018 Japanese animated film Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) in Pittsburgh, April 21.



The 2018 Japanese animated film Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) will play at Southside Works Cinema on April 21. The distributor summarizes:
Penguin Highway is the first feature film from Studio Colorido (founded by director Ishida and ex-Studio Ghibli character designer Yojiro Arai) and exciting young upcoming director, Hiroyasu Ishida.

Based on the award-winning novel by Tomihiko Morimi (The Tatami Galaxy and The Eccentric Family), Penguin Highway is an energetic animated debut and is sure to impress you with its heart, as well as its colourful and whimsical palette!

The film also was recently awarded the “Axis: The Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation” for Best Animated Feature at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival and has received standing ovations around the world.
Tickets for the 7:00 pm show are now available online. Southside Works Cinema is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Japanese zombie comedy film One Cut of the Dead カメラを止めるな! ) in Pittsburgh, from January 18.



The 2017 Japanese zombie comedy film One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな! ) will play in Pittsburgh from January 18. A 2018 Variety review says:
Viewers get three films for the price of one in “One Cut for the Dead,” a terrific Japanese horror-comedy that proves there’s somewhere the zombie apocalypse movie hasn’t yet gone. Writer-director-editor Shinichiro Ueda’s cleverly conceived and executed debut feature opens with an unbroken 37-minute shot of monster mayhem before hitting the reset button and turning into a funny satire of low-budget genre filmmaking — and eventually becoming a charming family comedy-drama. Packed with witty nods to classic horror movies, “One Cut” is a natural for genre fests and has such a warm and winning heart it could also fit into mainstream festival programs.
The movie runs from the 18th through 24th at the Harris Theater downtown (map). Showtimes are available online, though tickets are only available at the door. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

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