Final Cinema Asia Update
In case anyone is curious as to why you've been redirected here and missed the final update at cinemaasia.org, here it is:
This site is like the Easter Bunny or Sasquatch. It's fun to imagine but it's all just a lie. I've already been through all of the stages. So after over 6 years of film "updates" and the like, it's finally time to let the dream die. With this I bid you all farewell. I'll continue to leave uninformative blog posts, some of which still relate to Asian films, but most do not. Perhaps someday I'll get around to making this site into what I always wanted it to be, although I'm not quite sure what exactly that is yet so I wouldn't count on it. I think it's safe to say the Korean wave is over. After almost two solid decades of socially significant and important, groundbreaking films South Korea has unfortunately taken their foot off the pedal. Great films no longer come out on a break-neck consistent basis, and more and more I find myself filing through pop culture BS movies to find an occasional gem. Even those usually aren't up to the par we have become familiar with over the years. In short, South Korean cinema has become Americanized. There's a formula now and it's very well adhered to. Find the latest pop star, stick him/her in a recycled script, rinse and repeat. There are so many movies like this it's exhausting. Now it's not all completely doom and gloom. There are still a handful of directors whose work are always worth seeking out, which I still continue to do. I wont list them all here, but on a whim I'd name Bong Joon-ho and Hong Sang-soo as a couple I can highly recommend that are constantly creating quality films.
I'd like to thank everyone who came to the events (back when we had those) and all of the list members. Believe it or not, this site has almost 100 members and I really appreciate all of those who have taken the time to either catch a movie with us or email me personally. Some of you have great blogs of your own and follow Asian films with much more fervor and detail than myself, and I continue to enjoy your work. Kudos to you all for keeping the scene alive. I know 100 doesn't sound like a large number but for a little website based out of San Antonio, TX of all places, with extremely little marketing or advertising, I think is not bad at all.
I'd like to also extend a special note of gratitude to my friend Daniel Reyes. Although we haven't spoken in years, I fondly remember the countless hours we spent on the UT campus in Austin developing the idea of Cinema Asia at a time when Korean films were exploding left and right and we were in a frenzy to keep up, and more importantly, share with our peers the love and admiration we felt for these films. That's what this whole project has always been about and I'm glad I got to be involved.
Thank you all again for your support.



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