YNOT at the Movies

A few films at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival are from acclaimed Asian directors who are quite familiar by film-goers around the world.

Note: Film stills and film titles are linked to the festival Web site which lists the showtime and venue for each corresponding film.

• Ang Lee: Ride with the Devil: Director's Cut (USA 2009 | 160 min.)

  Ang Lee's Civil War film "Ride with the Devil" was originally released in 1999. Over a decade later, a new director's cut with great details will be re-released on DVD. This is a rare chance to see this director's cut on a big screen, with its writer James Schamus appearing in person at Castro Theater.

  

  
  
  

• Hirokazu Koreeda: Air Doll (空気人形 | Japan 2009 | in Japanese | 116 min.)

  Director Hirokazu Kore-eda is a master of story telling and he has created a few great films such as "After Life" (ワンダフルライフ | Japan 1998), "Nobody Knows" (誰も知らない | Japan 2004), and "Still Walking" (歩いても 歩いても | Japan 2008). I am intrigured by his newest creation based on a manga: "Air Doll" and I want to know how an air doll can fall in love.

  

  
  
  

• Johnnie To: Vengeance (復仇 | Hong Kong/China/France 2009 | in English/Cantonese/French | 108 min.)

  Johnnie To is one of the most amazing filmmakers whose surreal productivity would make him a superman in cinema. I am sure his signature glorious slow-motioned blood shedding action sequences will fill the big screen in this "Vengeance" about, well, vengeance.

  

  
  
  

• Fatih Akın: Soul Kitchen (Germany 2009 | in German | 99 min.)

  Turkish-German director Fatih Akın is known for his terrific dramatic features such as "The Edge of Heaven" (Auf der anderen Seite | Germany 2007). His new film "Soul Kitchen" is a surprise to those who are familiar with his work—it is an over the top light hearted goofball comedy about a Turkish immigrant brothers who try to run a restaurant.

  

The festival trailer: