1998 film After Life (ワンダフルライフ) at Maridon Museum in Butler, February 23.

THe 1998 film After Life (ワンダフルライフ) will play at the Maridon Museum in Butler on February 23, the first installment in this spring's Japanese Film Series at the museum.

A mid-20th Century social service structure serves as a way station between life and death. Every Monday, deceased individuals check in and social workers prompt them to select a single memory to carry into the afterlife. They have only a few days to choose their happiest memory, which is then designed, staged, and filmed by the workers. This allows souls to relive this moment for eternity, forgetting the rest of their lives and residing within their happiest memory.

The film will be presented by Dr. William Covey, Director of the Slippery Rock University Film & Media Studies program. The movies in the series are free and open to the public, but registration is required and can be made by calling 724.282.0123. The Maridon Museum is located at 322 North Mckean St. in Butler (map).

Korea's Brush Theater returns to Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival with "Poli POP!" May 17 - 19.

South Korea's Brush Theater will once again appear as part of Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival with "Poli POP!" from May 17 - 19.

Poli and Pola don't want to go to sleep. The siblings start off playing with toys in their bedroom, competing against each other to be the leader of the room, but then their imagination takes them on a surreal dreamlike journey full of surprise and joy. BRUSH Theatre uses incredible technology and special effects to transform the set from an empty room to far away islands, roaring seas, the Egyptian desert, busy cities, dance parties, and more! But the duo don’t know there’s something else lurking in the shadows… a ferocious alien monster! What will they do?

A wonderful follow up to BRUSH's recent Doodle POP, this colorful and playful new theater production uses live musicians who perform the accompanying score and sound effects, stunning interactive animations and painted projection mapping, and an abundance of theatrical imagination.

The duo performed "Doodle POP" here in 2022. The performances are at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on the Point Park University campus downtown (map), and tickets are available online.

More films added to March's Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival lineup.

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, running March 15 through 28 at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville, added two new films to its lineup: 2022's Lonely Castle in the Mirror (かがみの孤城) and 1979's Future Boy Conan (未来少年コナン).

The full roster of 18 feature-length films, with links to tickets, is available on the festival website. The Row House is a single-screen theater located at 4115 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Screening of Untold Herstory (流麻溝十五號) in Lawrenceville with Cafe Philo, March 2.

Cafe Philo will present a screening of the 2022 film Untold Herstory (流麻溝十五號) on March 2.

在228事件的77年後，臺灣解嚴後的第37年，匹茲堡哲學星期五想邀請大家一起來反思、認識當年的沒能開口的故事 —「流麻溝十五號」；其實，我們距離那個年代並沒有那麼遙遠。

The screening and discussions will be in Mandarin, though the movie has English subtitles, and the event runs from 1:30 to 4:00 pm at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville. Registration can be made online.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center 2024 Summer Intensive Program for kids' fitness, culture, and language training, now accepting applications; $30 discount with registration by April 30.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center in Squirrel Hill is now accepting registration for its 2024 Summer Intensive Program, with a $30 discount on weekly tuition for registrations made by April 30. Registration can be made by contacting the school at 412-336-8898 or masters at winwinkungfu.com.

Benefits of Win-Win Kung Fu Summer Intensive Program

 

Major

 

• Learn Kung Fu, free style Chinese kickboxing (sanda) and other forms of Chinese martial arts and Chinese language daily, with strong emphasis on the basics.
• Focus greatly on exercise and conditioning and gain skills needed for other sports and activities as well.
• Improve your concentration and focus with authentic Chinese martial arts training.
• Boot camp for beginners
• Intensive training for intermediate and advanced Wushu as well as a boot camp for beginners.

China Star, bad inspections, and weird poetry.

Signage went up on the door to China Star in Greenfield on Valentine's Day, alerting consumers of a closure by the county health department on the 14th due to a shocking amount of food safety violations. Restaurants have occupied the space for decades, dating back to the Yangtze Restaurant in 1984, Dragon Palace in 1987, Yen's Gourmet in the early 1990s, and finally China Star sometime in the late 00s. New ownership took over in 2021, which seems to correspond to decreasing food safety and increasingly bad reviews.

2024 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training (鬼滅の刃 柱稽古編) in Pittsburgh, from February 22.

The 2024 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training (鬼滅の刃 柱稽古編) will play in Pittsburgh from February 22.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- will feature “A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light” (Episode 11) from the Swordsmith Village Arc, featuring the conclusion of the fierce battle between Tanjiro and Upper Four demon Hantengu, as well as Nezuko's triumph over the sun. Seamlessly followed by Episode 1 of the highly anticipated Hashira Training Arc, featuring the start of training conducted by the Hashira in preparation for the forthcoming final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, an episode never before seen by audiences.

It is scheduled (so far) to play at many local theaters, including the AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC Classic South Hills Village, Waterworks Cinema, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubbed in English.

16 feature films plus host of short films included in 2024 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, March 15 - 28.

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, which launched in 2016 as the area's only festival focused on Japanese cinema, has recently announced its 2024 line-up, which will include 16 full-length films and a selection of short films, and a focus on new releases and horror films. Movies will screen at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville from March 15 through 28, and include:

A Man (ある男, 2023)

A Page of Madness (狂った一頁, 1926)

Baby Assassins 2 Babies (ベイビーわるきゅーれ2, 2023)

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (ドロステのはてで僕ら, 2020) - Opening Night

Blue Giant (Blue Giant, 2023)

High and Low (天国と地獄, 1968)

House (ハウス, 1977)

Ichi the Killer (殺し屋１, 2001)

Kuroneko (藪の中の黒猫, 1968)

Monster (怪物, 2023)

Ninja vs. Shark (妖獣奇譚 ニンジャVSシャーク, 2023) - Closing Night

Noroi: The Curse (ノロイ, 2005)

Ringu (リング, 1998)

The Face of Another (他人の顔, 1966)

The First Slam Dunk (THE FIRST SLAM DUNK, 2022)

Tokyo Story (東京物語, 1953)

More details about each film is available at each link. Not all times and events have been announced yet, but select ticket packages are now available online. The Row House is a single-screen theater located at 4115 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Japanese animated films Rascal Does Not Dream double feature in Pittsburgh, March 24 and 25.

Two 2023 Japanese animated films, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out (青春ブタ野郎はおでかけシスターの夢を見ない) and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (青春ブタ野郎はランドセルガールの夢を見ない) will play in Pittsburgh on March 24 and 25 as a double feature. The films adapt volumes eight and nine, respectively, of the manga series. Wikipedia provides a general overview of the manga series:

High school student Sakuta Azusagawa's life takes a turn for the unexpected when he meets teenage actress Mai Sakurajima, dressed as a bunny girl, wandering through a library and not being noticed by anyone else there. Mai is intrigued that Sakuta is the only one who can see her, as other people are unable to see her, even when she is dressing normally or attempting to stay away from celebrity life. Calling this phenomenon "Adolescence Syndrome", Sakuta decides to solve this mystery, while continuing to get closer to Mai and meeting other girls who suffer from "Adolescence Syndrome" as well.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in the North Hills, and tickets are available online. The March 24 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while the March 25 ones are dubbed in English.

Pittsburgh's first Tous Les Jours set to open February 22.

Pittsburgh's first Tous Les Jours has announced an opening date of February 22, and to mark the occassion it has several giveaways.

Tous Les Jours is a huge Korean bakery chain with locations around the world, and the first Pittsburgh location will be at Eastside Bond Building C in East Liberty, across from the Target (map). Tous Les Jours, says its US website, "has developed into a reputable neighborhood bakery specializing in French-Asian inspired baked goods, hand crafted beverages and bold, flavorful coffee and espresso made with the finest ingredients." It joins Paris Baguette as two international Korean bakery chains coming soon to Pittsburgh to supplement Sumi's Cakery, the lone Korean bakery in the area.