The Little Prince

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a pilot and writer who never felt content on the ground. But one forced landing proved to be quite fortunate. Attempting to set a flying record between paris and Saigon, he crashed in the Libyan desert, where he almost died of thirst.
Years later, the experience formed the basis for his 1943 children's book, The Little Prince. The allegorical tale, concerning a downed airman who meets a royal juvenile from Asteroid B-612, was aimed at adults as well as their offspring.
As he recounts his interplanetary voyage, the prince depicts most of the grown-ups he encounters as avaricious, self-obsorbed, and unimaginative. By contract, the prince himself - an eternal child - is full of goodwill, spontaneity, and simple wisdom.

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

January 8, 2005

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry, Story by Charlie Kaufman

Erase Memories

The title is quoted from the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope (1688-1744). This poem was used in Charlie Kaufman’s earlier project Being John Malkovich(1999). This film shows how we can change our memories often for what we would have liked to happen or what we view did happen through our own minds. We are not camcorders and thus those memories can not stay "possible".
Franz Kafka’s short story “The Metamorphosis” is about a traveling salesman who wakes one morning to find himself changed into a giant beetle. Unable to communicate with his family, though he can understand them perfectly, the story charts the degradation of his humanity as he loses contact with the world around him. The Kafka principle: we accept as real something impossible (a man is turned into a beetle or we can erase parts of our memory at will). But then everything else has to be absolutely natural and commonplace. Once an impossible fact is accepted as a premise, its consequences have to be followed to the end in a scrupulously logical and realistic way.
This idea of selectively erasing memories was first seen in "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", a short story by Philip K. Dick.
Total Recall is the adaptation of that short story which is in dreamlike state quirky, nightmarish and disturbing quality.
Stephen Dixon's The Play and Other Stories, surreal short story "The Letter." Dixon is one of Charlie Kaufman's favorite writers.
Despite the fact that Kaufman's script and Michel Gondry's visual concepts were closely followed, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet were allowed many chances to improvise.
Puzzle-type of films: Being John Malkovich(1999), Adaptation(2002), Donnie Darko(2001), Memento(2000), Cube(1997), Vanilla Sky(2001), Open Your Eyes(1997), Naked Lunch(1991), Eraserhead(1977)…

1. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) - Tsunamis in Hollywood films

January 07, 2005

1. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Director: Roland Emmerich

Tsunamis in Hollywood films

Indonesia reported more than 4,000 new deaths from South East Asia’s earthquake and tsunamis on Friday, January 07, 2005, pushing the overall toll to about 145,000.
‘The Day After Tomorrow’ is built on the idea global warming could explode into global disaster at any moment. It results in an overnight quick freeze of the northern hemisphere. As New York City is hit by serial tsunamis which overnight turn millions of people to multi-cultural ice cubes. This time, landmarks like the Hollywood sign and Statue of Liberty go bye-bye after Mother Nature gets her knickers in a twist, as massive floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and more usher the planet into a new Ice Age.
John Carpenter’s ‘Escape from L.A.(1996)’, God’s wrath upon that cursed land and is proven correct as a giant earthquake and tsunamis destroy the city. Even after being all but annihilated, Carpenter’s L.A. is still L.A., full of hip nightclubs, drive-by shootings, sex in the streets, battles to the death involving basketball and surfers ride tsunamis down Wilshire Boulevard.
‘Deep Impact(1998)’, impacts by comets or asteroids can also generate giant tsunamis -- large enough to swamp the Manhattan skyline -- are possible and have almost certainly happened in the distant past. Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico calculated that if an asteroid three miles across hit the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the tsunamis would swamp the upper East Coast as far inland as the Appalachian Mountains and drown the coasts of France and Portugal.
‘Die Another Day(2002)’, James Bond didn't pick up machine guns, punch guys in the face, pilot a helicopter, surf tsunamis, et cetera. But to be quite honest, though Bond has lost some of his classiness, the films are still fun to watch.

Filmmaker Young Man Kang Biography

Filmmaker Young Man Kang Biography

Young Man Kang studied fine arts at Hong-ik University in Seoul, Korea. In 1994, Kang moved to New York City where he studied film at The New School. In 1996, Kang moved to Los Angeles and continued his film career working as a director for a television commercial production company. In addition to his fifty-plus commercial credits, Young's 1999 claymation short entitled 'Image of Korea' was distributed by Big Film Shorts and released on DVD by Quickband/Warner Brothers.

In September 2000, 'Cupid's Mistake' marked his feature film directorial debut at the Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theater in Los Angeles followed by a second screening at the Pioneer Theater in New York City in August 2001. 'Cupid's Mistake' set the record in the Guinness World Records for least expensive feature film at $980.00.

Mr. Kang's short film, 'Toilet Lesson' was the Official Selection at Tromadance 2001. Both of Young's next films, his second feature film 'First Testament: CIA Vengeance' and the documentary, 'Haitian Slave Children' premiered in Los Angeles 2001.

'First Testament: CIA Vengeance' won the Special B-Movie Achievement Award and 3 Nominations at The 2002 B-Movie Film Festival in New York and released on DVD in 2004.

'Haitian Slave Children' received 'Best Effort Documentary' at the 2001 Jamerican International Film Festival and took the Silver Remi Award in the WorldFest Houston 2002.

Mr. Kang's third feature is the sexy romantic comedy 'Soap Girl'(2002). This third effort won the Audience Award at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. 'Soap Girl' also received notice as the Official Selection at the Riverside International Film Festival 2003 and The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. 'Soap Girl' opened in Hollywood at the Fairfax Laemmle Theater and Gardena in December 2002.

On tour, 'Soap Girl' heads for the Lone Star State in January appearing at the Border Theater in Mission, Texas, January 18. The sexy comedy then sails all the way out to Hawaii to appear at the Wallace Theater in Honolulu, February 14, 2003.

'Soap Girl' was rated one of the '10 BEST UNSEEN FILMS OF 2002' and received Five Stars in 'Film Threat.' More than any other film to date, 'Soap Girl' has created internet controversy and debate.


Young's fourth feature was the supernatural mystery 'Death Valley Diary'(2004).

Young Man Kang is currently immersed in production for 'The Last Eve', an action film based on the story of Adam & Eve.