Category: Entertainment News

Award-winning NYC subway documentary End of the Line digital release

Times Square subway closed in Emmett Adler’s End of the Line. Photo: Gravitas Ventures, used with permission.

Award-winning filmmaker Emmett Adler’s feature documentary End of the Line is a character-driven political drama about the New York City subway crisis and a long overdue reckoning on infrastructure. End of the Line will be released on digital and video on demand platforms in the United States on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (Gravitas Ventures, 2022)

Video on demand platforms include Apple/iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft, and more.

End of the Line – Establishing the vital economic importance and grandeur of New York City’s historic subway system, the film dives into its dire modern-day troubles picking up in the late 2010s when flooding, overcrowding, power failures, and derailments have become commonplace. After a particularly bad spate of disasters in the summer of 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaims a state of emergency and hires a new international wunderkind executive named Andy Byford to save the subways. Byford, an earnest Briton with an impressive resume, enters as a charismatic would-be hero. As the political turmoil behind the subway’s decline comes into sharp focus, scenes in barbershops, bodegas, and bakeries show the frustration and devastation among business owners and residents who are caught in the middle. 

Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic furthers this, and brings to light America’s need to shore up its infrastructure in cities across the country and the inequality struggles that are central to this debate. A heartfelt and scrupulous exploration, this film poses the question: what happens when the lifeline of a city goes flat? This film is dedicated to the heroic New York City transit workers who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Producer: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer
Producers: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer; Co-Producer Mariah Wilson
Official selection: Doc NYC

Feature Documentary/ Not Yet Rated / Running Time: 65 Minutes

Emmett Adler is an Emmy-winning filmmaker who has taught art in Shenzhen, China, was once a chess champion in the state of Illinois and can juggle pins while walking on stilts. He has over a decade of experience as a freelance documentary and commercial film editor. In 2021, he made his directorial debut with the feature documentary End of the Line which premiered to sold out audiences at DOC NYC film festival. 

Gravitas Ventures is a leading all rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America – over one billion homes worldwide.

Photo: Gravitas Ventures, used with permission
Gravitas Ventures

The Local Honeys announces self-titled album

The Local Honeys, Kentucky’s favorite duo, will release their self-titled album with La Honda Records on July 15, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

When a master songsmith like Tom T. Hall calls someone “a great credit to a wonderful Kentucky tradition,” it is time to pull up a chair and pay attention. As it pertains to the nearly-decade-running duo The Local Honeys, he was right on the money. The duo—Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs—have long been an integral part of Kentucky’s musicscape, and on July 15, they will be adding a new entry into the Bluegrass State’s rich musical canon. Their first release on La Honda Records (Colter Wall, Riddy Arman, Vincent Neil Emerson), The Local Honeys features ten winsome vignettes of rural Kentucky, conjuring 90’s alternatives sounds with hillbilly Radiohead lilts, soaring above layers of deep grooves and rich tones masterfully curated by longtime mentor Jesse Wells, a GRAMMY-nominated producer, musician (currently a member of Tyler Childers’ band The Food Stamps), and Assistant Director at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State. (The Local Honeys, 2022)

The Local Honeys shared their first taste of the new album with “Dead Horses,” an emotional look at the tragedy of animal husbandry. With lines like “Suppose we’re all just animals with slightly different hides,” Stokely displays a cut and dried existence on the farm and the world at large while drums and banjo meld together propelling the tune from verse to verse. The accompanying music video finds Stokley and Hobbs surrounded by nostalgic photos of their equine counterparts, contributed by the band’s fanbase, adding weight to the meaning of the song itself. The “Dead Horses” video is available here and fans can pre-order or pre-save The Local Honeys ahead of its July 15 release at this link.

Over the years, The Local Honeys have paid their dues, garnering countless accolades and accomplishments (tours with Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, praise from the New York Times), and have become the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-god Kentucky music. With The Local Honeys, Stokley and Hobbs ended up with the most nuanced, moody, deep-holler sound they have captured to date. “This is the first time we’ve actively gotten to express who we are and where we’re from” says Linda Jean, “The songs on the album speak for us,” adds Montana “they’re about what we know, reflections of us as people. We realized we have the power to add our own narrative into Kentucky music.”

Throughout The Local Honeys, the duo demands to be interpreted as creators and storytellers, not just purveyors of tradition. Similarly, the sounds captured within the project cement their place as innovators and rule-breakers. Rollicking banjo meets overdriven guitar hooks and blue-collar rural grit is met with lush melodies and nimble harmonies; it is a project filled with juxtaposition and it is not by accident. It is reflective of who they are and who they run with. Wells, along with the rest of Childers’ band The Food Stamps – Rod Elkins (percussion) Craig Burletic (bass) and Josh Nolan (guitar) from Clay City, Kentucky, all lent their expertise and signature groove as collaborators during the session creating a fluidity, warmth, and cohesion that can only be created through friendship.

The songs on The Local Honeys speak to a new generation, a new Appalachian, the people who understand the beauty, the struggle, and the complexity of contemporary Appalachian life. In “The Ballad of Frank and Billy Buck,” Hobbs describes the grace, humor, and irony of an aging hillbilly leading up to the final moments of his unjust demise. Or there is “If I Could Quit,” a song that grapples with the horrors of the ongoing opiate epidemic and the guttural pain of watching a friend deteriorate through addiction. Pride and sense of place run deep in songs like “Throw Me in the Thicket (When I Die),” a love letter about Linda’s family orchard in Central Kentucky. Playful colloquialisms and regional idiosyncrasies also permeate throughout the record as illustrated in “Better Than I Deserve,” a song built around an informal greeting Montana’s Papaw used throughout her childhood. The album is rounded out with “The L & N Don’t Stop Here No More,” (the only cover on the record written by Appalachian royalty and kin to Hobbs, Jean Ritchie) a song highlighting the hardships of post-coal communities painting an all too familiar scene of contemporary rural Appalachia. Reflecting upon these songs Linda notes, “Songwriting can freeze people in time like a photograph, preserving little nuances particular to specific cultures and I love that.”

Catch The Local Honeys on tour:
June 10 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
July 10 – Crossville, TN – Byrd’s Creek Music Festival
July 15- Nashville, TN- The Basement (album release show)
July 17- Knoxville, TN- Barley’s Taproom
July 19- Asheville, NC- The Grey Eagle
July 20- Decatur, GA- Eddie’s Attic
July 21- Memphis, TN- Hernando’s Hideaway
July 22- St. Louis, MO- Off Broadway
July 23- Kansas City, MO- Knucklehead’s
July 26- Denver, CO- Lost Lake Lounge
July 28- Red Lodge, MT- One Legged Magpie
July 29- Emigrant, MT- The Old Saloon
July 30- White Sulphur Springs, MT- Red Ants Pants Festival
July 31- Bozeman, MT- Live from the Divide

1657888800

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

The Local Honeys album release

Jaret Ray Reddick’s debut country album Just Woke Up

Jaret Ray Reddick’s Just Woke Up is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Critically-acclaimed Texas musician Jaret Ray Reddick’s debut country album, Just Woke Up (Brando Records/Que-So Records), is now available worldwide. Just Woke Up is a sincere love letter to Texas and pays homage to the greats before him while giving a refreshing, unique spin on the genre, with one example being his single “One Of The Good Ones,” which blends elements of both country and rock. Written by Reddick alongside Zac Maloy, the track is now at Texas Country Radio and is currently climbing the charts. (Jaret Ray Reddick, 2022)

“Making this album is a long time coming for me. And part of all of that was being able to write songs from the heart and not hold back. ‘One Of The Good Ones’ is a song written with a few folks in mind and how much they mean to me. Friends are rampant in life. But, sometimes, we are lucky enough to find those folks that not only make us better people but can also soften the blows that take the wind out of us.” – Jaret Ray Reddick

Jaret Ray Reddick might be a name you recognize, but his voice is one that pretty much everyone will know, whether it is from being the singer of pop-punk pioneers Bowling for Soup with hits like “1985,” “Girl All The Bad Guys,” or “High School Never Ends,” to voicing Chuck E Cheese or singing the theme to Disney’s long-running hit series Phineas and Ferb. 

Born in Grapevine and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, Reddick’s country roots run deep as his pride for the Lone Star State. His parents were Country music fans, and Willie, Waylon, and other classic country artists were on regular rotation at home. Music from fellow Texan The Red Headed Stranger and his outlaw friends would prove vital in his development as a musician and remain a crucial rock throughout his career.

Those familiar with his work as the front man of Grammy-nominated pop-punk band Bowling for Soup will find a familiar voice and sense of humor in the music and lyrics. The album features some special guests, most notably one of Reddick’s favorite musicians and good friend Frank Turner, who lends his vocals on “Drunk as It Takes.” There is also a cameo by Uncle Kracker on the album opener “Way More Country,” Descendents guitarist Stephen Egerton performs on “Natalie,” and Cody Canada of The Departed appears on “You and Beer.”

Other highlights include the home state anthem “Songs About Texas,” the family tribute “Royal Family,” and “One of the Good Ones.” There are also country re-workings of two of Bowling for Soup’s most popular songs, “Ohio (Come Back to Texas)” and “The Bitch Song,” which are likely to please fans old and new alike. 

Just Woke Up track list:

  1. “Way More Country” (feat. Uncle Kracker) (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  2. “One of the Good Ones” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  3. “Songs About Texas” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  4. “Ohio” (Come Back to Texas)” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Ted E Bruner, Zac Maloy
  5. “Royal Family” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy)
  6. “Doggonit!” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  7. “Drunk as It Takes” (feat. Frank Turner) (Jaret Ray Reddick, Rodney Clawson, Zac Maloy
  8. “You and Beer” (feat. Cody Canada) (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  9. “Natalie” (feat. Stephen Egerton) (Charles R Jones
  10. “My Truck Up and Left Me” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy
  11. “Back In 83” (Jaret Ray Reddick, Zac Maloy)
  12. “The Bitch Song” (Jaret Ray Reddick)

New movie release: Isolated

Isolated, starring KateLynn E. Newberry, will be available for digital/DVD release starting June 14, 2022. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has picked up Isolated, starring KateLynn E. Newberry (Widow’s Point, Devil’s Junction: Handy Dandy’s Revenge) and is set for a digital/DVD release date of June 14, 2022. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)

Isolated – The self-contained mystery/action thriller, similar in concept to Red Eye and Devil, tells of a woman who wakes up trapped inside of a room with no memory of who she is or how she got there. As she fights to find a way to escape, she ends up talking to a man in a room next to hers, who claims he, too, is trapped. As she questions whether or not to trust this man, she starts to remember things from her past that lead her to question not only where she might be, but also what she might be.

Directed by Tyler Lee Allen, the film also stars Lanny Joon and David Solomon.

“Newberry commands the screen in this captivating mystery” said Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment. “We look forward to audiences discovering the masterful work Allen has done on Isolated this June.”

Uncork’d Entertainment was founded in July, 2012 by Keith Leopard, a Home Entertainment industry veteran with more than 23 years of experience in purchasing, acquisitions, merchandising, marketing and analysis of major studio and independent supplier to the home entertainment market. The Company focuses on distribution in six areas: Digital Media, Physical Home Entertainment, Aggregation, Theatrical and Television, Foreign Sales, and has secured relationships across all platforms to ensure your film reaches the widest audience possible.

New book release: ‘James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life’

‘James Patterson by James Patterson’ is the author’s new memoir, available now. Photo: amazon

James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author best known for the Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and Ali Cross series along with such acclaimed works of narrative nonfiction as “Walk in My Combat Boots,” “E.R. Nurses,” and his autobiography, “James Patterson by James Patterson.” Bill Clinton (“The President Is Missing”) and Dolly Parton (“Run, Rose, Run”) are among his notable literary collaborators. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. His new book “James Patterson by James Patterson” is the most anticipated memoir of the year and is available everywhere starting today. (amazon, 2022)

“James Patterson by James Patterson” – How did a boy from small-town New York become the world’s most successful writer? How does he do it? He has always wanted to write the kind of novel  that people would read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, “I’m still working on that one.”

Did you know?

  • On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
  • His dad grew up in the Pogey– the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse.
  • He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
  • While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.”
  • He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
  • He has only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
  • Dolly Parton once sang “Happy Birthday” to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James. 

These stories and more are in James Patterson’s new memoir.

New movie release: The Fall of the Queens

The Fall of the Queens will have a digital release starting June 9, 2022. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has picked up Aleph Cine-directed Spanish thriller The Fall of the Queens, which will have a June 7 digital release. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)

The Fall of the Queens – Two teenage sisters, Juana and Mara, live in an isolated beekeeping country house with their aunt. When their cousin Lucio bursts into their lives, the perfect symbiosis that is their relationship is endangered: seduction, jealousy, rivalry, and the need to destroy whatever gets in the way begins to grow. The hive is preparing for the arrival of a new queen bee.

Malena Filmus, Lola Abraldes, Franco Rizzaro, Umbra Colombo, and Giovanni Ciccia star in the Wicker Man-style spooker.

“A sibling of The Wicker Man and Dare Me, THE FALL OF THE QUEENS has one heck of a killer concept and it’s been executed magnificently,” said Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment. “The direction, cast and, most importantly, scares are superb.” 

 

An Act of Worship to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2022

Khadega in Nausheen Dadabhoy’s An Act of Worship. Photo: Capital K Pictures, used with permission.

In other film festival news, ‘An Act of Worship’ will have its WORLD PREMIERE in Documentary Competition at the forthcoming Tribeca Film Festival 2022. The festival will take place in New York City from June 8 through June 19, 2022. (An Act of Worship, 2022)

‘An Act of Worship’ is a polyphonic portrait of the last 30 years of Muslim life in America. Told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States, the film offers a counter-narrative of pivotal moments in U.S. history and explores the impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy on young Muslims who came of age after 9/11. Due to their first-hand knowledge and intimate access to the Muslim community, the filmmaking team is able to take charge of the account, which has previously been shaped by outsiders. ABER’s father was deported when she was 16. Now, she is a community organizer leading a sanctuary city initiative in New York. KHADEGA is an 18-year-old Sudanese immigrant living in Michigan. While she feels compelled to advocate for her community, she struggles to overcome society’s expectations of her and find her own way. AMEENA is a civil rights lawyer in California, but as a mother, she is conflicted between caring for her three young children or sacrificing her time with them to fight for change. Weaving together observational footage of these three women with community home videos, and evocative recollections from individuals impacted by incidents of Islamophobia,’ An Act of Worship’ opens a window into the world of Muslim Americans through collective memory.

NAUSHEEN DADABHOY is a director and cinematographer whose work spans fiction and documentary. She lensed an Oscar nominated film, an Emmy winning documentary, and films that have played at Sundance, TIFF, Locarno and on Al Jazeera, HBO and PBS. Her directorial debut THE GROUND BENEATH THEIR FEET premiered at IDFA.

Running Time: 83 Minutes
Language: English, Arabic Country: USA

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2022
An Act of Worship (Section: Documentary Competition)
WORLD PREMIERE
Directors: Nausheen Dadabhoy
Producer: Sofian Khan, Kristi Jacobson, Heba Elorbany

Public screening schedule:
Thursday, June 9 at 5p.m. at Village East – WORLD PREMIERE
Friday, June 10 at 6p.m. at Cinepolis – 2nd Public Screening
Sunday, June 12 at 8:15p.m. at Tribeca Film Center – 3rd Public Screening

Dances with Films premiere date of animated documentary ‘Eternal Spring’

Film participant and illustrator Daxiong. “Eternal Spring (長春)” will make its West coast premiere on June 15 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters. Photo: Lofty Sky Pictures, used with permission.

Lofty Sky Pictures groundbreaking filmmaker Jason Loftus’ (“Ask No Questions”) latest film, the powerful animated documentary “Eternal Spring (長春)”  will make its West coast premiere at this year’s Dances With Films (June 9 – 19, 2022), on Wednesday, June 15 with a 7p.m. premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters (in the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles). “Eternal Spring (長春)” is a multiple award winner, most recently having won the Hot Docs Audience Award for best film and the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian film, and both the audience and jury awards for International Documentary Feature Film at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. (Loft Sky Pictures, 2022)

This extraordinary harmony of animation and documentary has been awarded and acclaimed across Europe in its Film Festival run thus far for its groundbreaking animation – and of particular note, has been its incredible comic-book-style animation that transports the viewer into the brave and heroic world of a group of Falun Gong practitioners. “Eternal Spring ( 長春)” with its story of survival at all costs & battle for human rights continues to draw powerful comparisons to beloved Oscar nominee “Flee.”

This Canadian film was made for theatrical (it is in 2.39 Cinema 4K and audiences are loving it on the big screen thus far from its international film festival run), most recently to sold out audiences at the New York Human Rights Film Festival on May 23 at Lincoln Center & May 24 at IFC Center (one of 10 official selections and the US premiere), and again on May 31 and June 2 at Krakow Film Festival (Oscar qualifying International Documentary Competition, Polish Premiere). 

“Eternal Spring (長春)” – Confronted with government denunciations and human rights violations against their spiritual practice, a group of Chinese activists executes a bold and perilous plan to hack into state television.

“Eternal Spring (長春)” – In March 2002, a state TV signal in China is hijacked by members of banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice. In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. His views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.

Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.

The Red Clay Strays announce debut album Moment of Truth

The Red Clay Strays’ debut album Moment of Truth is available now. Photo: Macie Bowden, used with permission.

After cutting their teeth in the Gulf Coast scene touring for five years, The Red Clay Strays released their debut album Moment of Truth in April. The album is available now worldwide. This 12-track album blends its unique individualities and influences to create a project that breathes raw honesty. Band members Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), and John Hall (drums) collaborated to create Moment of Truth. Each member, including the band’s videographer, Matthew Coleman, had a hand in writing this project, which strives to bring the public songs with a purpose that embody real-life experiences. (The Red Clay Strays, 2022)

“Moment of Truth strives to bring audiences something real to experience,” the band continues. “The music and lyrics have a purpose to them. These songs have more purpose to them – a mission if you will. They usher in love and deeper thoughts about the situations we humans find ourselves in. ‘Ghosts’ has a clear message about not hanging on to baggage from your past and moving on with life. ‘Forgive’ is about not being able to move on until you let go of that baggage. ‘Sunshine’ is about walking that line and staying within God’s grace and light. The album is loaded with tunes that we hope evoke people’s thoughts and guide them to a better way of thinking.”

Moment of Truth is a collection of songs formed into a tangible album because of the band’s hard work and dedicated fanbase. On February 25, the band started a crowdfunding campaign on their Strays & Friends Facebook group page to see if fans would graciously donate money to go towards the album in exchange for merchandise and the opportunity to receive exclusive content. Over a weekend, that small group of Facebook fans donated a total of $17,000.

On February 27, the Red Clay Strays made their campaign public and raised over $48,000 within the next week, confirming that crowds love the Strays music and believe in their cause to bring their career to the next level. The campaign ended with a total of $57,715 raised – well exceeding their goal of $40,000.

With a sound both modern and reminiscent of a Sun Records vinyl, The Red Clay Strays are forging a new path with their spellbinding genre-bending brand of tunes. Inspired by the vibrant heyday of southern music, the band finds its origins in the styles of classic country, rockabilly, and gospel-fed soul, all the while ushering in a new era of rock-and-roll that is as distinctive as the men who form it.

Born and bred in the red dirt clay of south Alabama, Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), and John Hall (drums), blended their unique individualities and influences to create a band with a rare sincerity that is not often seen in today’s industry. The band is following their album release with a Moment of Truth tour.

Moment of Truth track list:

1. “Stone’s Throw” (Drew Nix and Eric Erdman)
2. “Moment of Truth” (Matthew Coleman)
3. “Do Me Wrong” (Drew Nix)
4. “Wondering Why” (Brandon Coleman, Drew Nix, and Dan Couch)
5. “Forgive” (Matthew Coleman)
6. “Heavy Heart” (Matthew Coleman)
7. “Ghosts” (Drew Nix)
8. “She’s No Good” (Drew Nix and John Hall)
9. “Don’t Care” (Brandon Coleman)
10. “Killers” (Matthew Coleman)
11. “Sunshine” (Matthew Coleman)
12. “Doin’ Time” (Drew Nix)

Television adaptation: ‘Pachinko’ by Min Jin Lee

The television adaptation of ‘Pachinko’ is available to stream on Apple TV +. Photo: Amazon

Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American author and journalist. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean-American topics. She is the author of the novels “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko.” “Pachinko” is an epic historical fiction novel following a Korean family who immigrate to Japan. The character-driven story features an ensemble of characters who encounter discrimination, stereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th century Korean experience of Japan. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction. Apple TV + produced a television adaptation of the novel and it was released starting in March 2022. It consists of eight episodes and was renewed for a second season. (Amazon/Wikipedia, 2022)

“Pachinko” – In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married–she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. Her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters–strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis–survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.