I first came across this film when one of my soccer buddies sent me a link to a trailer online over a year ago now. I contacted Greg, the filmmaker and asked him for a copy of the film, which he promptly sent over. I just saw it again in the lineup for the San Diego Asian film festival which starts today (October 9 - 16), and I gotta tell you - if you get a chance to see this movie on the big screen, I would highly recommend that you do so. It’s so artfully and lovingly made, it’s really difficult to pass up an opportunity to see the stunning cinematography and just the beauty of the movements in this film.

Here’s a synopsis of the film from the official website:
Mystic Ball follows Greg Hamilton, the filmmaker, deep into the ancient and little-known culture of Myanmar and its traditional sport, chinlone. Like the film, chinlone is hard to define. It’s a team sport without an opposing team, part dance, part meditation. There is no competition, no winners and no losers. The game is back-breakingly difficult, yet is played by almost all Burmese, from young children to octogenarians.

TAGS: Reviews, Film Reviews

Who’s the old guy?

Having received confirmed press reports that John McCain has been using Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” as the latest in a number of unauthorized theme songs at his campaign rallies without seeking permission from the band, its management, record label or publisher, Foo Fighters have issued the following statement:  This isn’t the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It’s frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that ‘My Hero’ was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song--and start asking artists’ permission in general!

Ouch. Foo Fighters 1, McCain 0.

TAGS: Current Events

From AP.
TOKYO — Police have apprehended a Western man who went skinny dipping in a moat ringing the Imperial Palace in a busy Tokyo business district, attracting a huge crowd, officials said Tuesday.
The naked middle-aged man jumped into the moat, then threw rocks and splashed water at two policemen who chased him in a rowing boat, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
The police official did not know the man’s name or nationality.
Local TV footage showed the man swimming around the moat as the police chased him with a long stick, attracting a crowd of onlookers. He was in the water for about an hour.
He eventually got out of the water and climbed a stone wall only to fall into the hands of police officers who were waiting for him. The police official said the man was detained for questioning, but could not confirm if he was arrested or charged.
Broadcasters were careful to meet Japan’s obscenity laws once he had climbed out of the water, masking images of his private parts with a blurry dot.
The police official said he had never heard of a skinny dipper causing a stir in the palace moat before.
“If you know what is within the moat, you won’t go skinny dipping there,” he said, referring to Emperor Akihito, who lives in the palace. The moat is separated from the emperor’s residence by high stone walls and woods.
A palace official said the emperor was in the palace, but it was unlikely he saw the nude swimmer. He also spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with palace policy.

TAGS: Current Events