Arts Culture & Entertainment
November 16, 2015
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11
Japanese films featured at Portland’s Northwest Film Center
The Northwest Film Center is again
featuring its Japanese Currents film
series, which showcases a collection of
Japanese cinema from December 4 to 13.
Teaming up with the Japan-America Soci-
ety of Oregon, the Japan Foundation of Los
Angeles, Sapporo USA, the Consular
Office of Japan in Portland, the Portland-
Sapporo Sister City Association, and Lane
Powell PC, the film center is screening
recent Nipponese films, which range from
anime to jidaigeki and documentary to
comedy. Featured works include:
Round Trip Heart
December 4, 7:00pm
In Round Trip Heart, a film by director
Yuki Tanada, an unassuming, hardwork-
ing attendant on a luxury tourist train
crosses paths with a snaky film producer
who tries to steal items from her
concession cart. The simple act propels the
two on a wayward journey of personal
exploration and reflection. (2015, 97 mins.)
Sapporo Shorts
December 5, 2:00pm
The 2015 Sapporo Shorts program
celebrates Portland’s sister-city relation-
ship with Sapporo, Japan. The short films
were selected from this year’s Sapporo
International Short Film Festival. New
shorts include A Warm Spell, The Apology,
Joseito, Sociopath, Savage Night, and
others. (107 mins.)
Neko Samurai 2:
A Tropical Adventure
December 5, 4:30pm
Director Takeshi Watanabe’s Neko
Samurai 2: A Tropical Adventure features
the beloved cat/samurai duo from Samurai
Cat in an adventure that finds heroes
Tamanojo and Madarame marooned on
the remote island of Shikokou after
Madarame ventures out in search of work.
(2015, 85 mins.)
I Alone
December 5, 7:00pm
I Alone, a comedy by director Sho
Tsukikawa, pits a mild-mannered corpo-
rate lackey and a teenage wannabe gang-
ster in a fierce battle against the yakuza
Sun-Ju Ahn wins playoff in LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan
Continued from page 9
“I haven’t thought much about that yet,”
Ahn said. “I’m just going to enjoy this win
and this moment.”
Ahn jumped from 29th to 22nd in the
world ranking. She also won the Japanese
tour’s Century 21 Ladies in July, and had
seven career Korea LPGA victories.
The 37-year-old Stanford won the last of
her five LPGA Tour titles in 2012. She
dropped to 1-4 in playoffs, including a loss
in the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open.
She played the first two Asian Swing
events in Malaysia and South Korea, then
skipped the stops in Taiwan and China.
“When I left Korea I was pretty upset
because I played bad in Malaysia and
Korea,” Stanford said. “I went home, put
my head down, and wanted to get better.
I’m happy with this week.”
South Korea’s Jenny Shin, the second-
round leader, had a 70 to finish a stroke
back.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn closed
with a 64 — the best round of the week —
to finish fifth at 14 under. She began the
day tied for 29th.
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis and No. 4
Lexi Thompson topped the group at 12
under. Lewis shot a 68, and Thompson had
a 69. Thompson won in October in South
Korea for her second victory of the year.
Michelle Wie tied for 59th at 2 under
after a 71. She was one of 21 women to play
in all five events on the Asian Swing.
underworld and the corrupt mayor of their
city. A decidedly cute kidnapped baby is at
the center of the action, which revolves
around the mismatched pair’s attempts to
keep the child free from harm while trying
to thwart the mayor’s nefarious redevelop-
ment plans. (2015, 109 mins.)
Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory
December 6, 4:30pm
Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory, an
odd and eccentric film by director Lisa
Takeba, centers on lonely 20-something
Haruko, who talks incessantly to her
television, but is more than a bit surprised
when one day it sprouts a face, a body, and
emotions. Interesting events occur when
Haruko’s new TV-man “boyfriend”
becomes famous and adored by women
across Japan. (2015, 76 mins.)
Ecotherapy Getaway Holiday
December 6, 7:00pm
Shuichi Okita’s Ecotherapy Getaway
Holiday follows the story of seven women
of varying ages and backgrounds who take
a chartered trip to a remote waterfall.
When the group’s tour guide goes missing,
the women’s patience — with each other,
their situations at home, and the environ-
ment — is tested. (2014, 88 mins.)
Sanchu Uprising: Voices at Dawn
December 10, 7:00pm
Juichiro Yamasaki’s inventive take on
the jidaigeki (historical drama) focuses on
a group of rural farmers treated poorly by
tax authorities in the 18th-century
JAPANESE CURRENTS. Director Lisa Takeba’s
odd and eccentric Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory
screens December 6 as part of the Northwest Film
Center’s Japanese Currents film series. (Photo cour-
tesy of the Northwest Film Center)
Okayama town of Sanchu. On the verge of
starvation, the farmers protest both the
rising tax rate and the lack of access to the
crops they grow — until samurai are
dispatched to keep them under control.
(2015, 117 mins.)
Ow
December 11, 8:00pm
Yohei Suzuki’s Ow tells the story of a
journalist who investigates the reason
why people have become transfixed by a
mysterious, black, moon-like orb. (2014, 89
mins.)
When Marnie was There
December 12, 2:00pm
In Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s When
Marnie was There, a shy and withdrawn
schoolgirl is sent to a seaside resort by her
foster parents to live with her aunt and
uncle. Upon arrival, she happens upon a
seemingly abandoned house and meets a
young girl, Marnie, who says she lives
there. The two become friends, but is
Marnie a real girl or just a figment of the
schoolgirl’s imagination? (2014, 103 mins.)
Wonderful World End
December 12, 4:30pm
Daigo Matsui’s Wonderful World End is
a freewheeling peek into the world of teen
fascination with fame and identity. The
film incorporates live videofeed-style
footage, text message overlays, and more
than its fair share of onscreen emoji. (2015,
84 mins.)
Nuclear Nation II
December 13, 4:30pm
Atsushi Funahashi’s Nuclear Nation II
provides a sober look at the lingering reali-
ties of thousands of people displaced from
their homes and the radioactivity still
spreading throughout Fukushima prefec-
ture and beyond following the 2011 Fuku-
shima nuclear disaster. (2015, 114 mins.)
All films are screened at the Northwest
Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, lo-
cated at 1219 S.W. Park Avenue. To learn
more, call (503) 221-1156 or visit <www.
nwfilm.org>.
How to identify
a possible
gas leak.
If you smell
ROTTEN EGGS
it could be a gas leak.
And the best thing to do is leave your home and call
NW Natural. We’ll be out to make sure everything is safe.
Unsure of what to do? Just take a look at our tips to the right.
Smell. Go. Let Us Know.
800-882-3377
If you smell a rotten egg
or sulfur odor, you hear a
blowing or hissing sound,
or you see blowing dirt, it
could be a gas leak.
What to do.
Leave your home and the
area immediately. Don’t use
any electrical device such
as a light switch, telephone,
appliance or garage door
opener. And don’t try to fi nd
the leak yourself.
Who to call.
Go outside and use your
cell phone, or a neighbor’s
phone, and call NW Natural
at 800-882-3377.