In “Resurrection,” 36-year-old director Bi Gan reveals a very telling thesis that helps explain the storytelling ethos of his previous work: humans cease to be humans without dreams; what it means to be us is to pervade logic from time to time. In 2015, at the age of 26, he released his feature-length debut “KailiContinue reading “Bi Gan and the Pursuit for Auteurship: A Resurrection Review – The 26th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap”
Category Archives: Film
Opening Night “Forge” – The 26th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap
Following an exceptional 25th Birthday Celebration, the San Diego Asian Film Festival returned in 2025 for yet another round of quality filmmaking from Asian voices. The 26th Annual San Diego Film Festival opened in a different location from last year, the La Paloma Theater in Encinitas. It’s a historic venue and something of a changeContinue reading “Opening Night “Forge” – The 26th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap”
‘Blue Sun Palace’ – 14th SDAFF Spring Showcase Recap
We’re far past the immigrant story in modern cinema. It’s a concept that’s been done to death but somehow continues to dazzle audiences. It’s not so much that these stories are bad or invalid, but they’ve become insular, the opposite of what they’re supposed to be. Many immigrant stories have become self-obsessed portraits meant forContinue reading “‘Blue Sun Palace’ – 14th SDAFF Spring Showcase Recap”
Turn Off The Bright Lights 97th Academy Awards Predictions
As award season comes to a close, the staff at Turn Off The Bright Lights decided to cast our personal ballots for who will win the Oscars this year. All previous award shows have had rather surprising results, which makes this particular Oscars a particularly hard one to predict. That being said, this article willContinue reading “Turn Off The Bright Lights 97th Academy Awards Predictions”
The Ten Best Movies of 2024
2024 felt like a year of rebuilding. Where the previous year had a heap of significant events that severely limited the industry, it felt like audiences were finally subjected to the consequences of those incidents. It would be disingenuous to call this another year of missed potential when nothing seemed to gleam among the seaContinue reading “The Ten Best Movies of 2024”
Closing Night: ‘New Wave’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap
All good things must come to an end. After another week of Asian-American and international cinema, the 25th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival ended. Many celebrations were held. Amongst the fanfare, Todd Gloria, the first person of Asian heritage to serve as San Diego’s Mayor, proclaimed the week of the 7-16th as “San DiegoContinue reading “Closing Night: ‘New Wave’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap”
‘Victory’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap
Whether one would like to believe it or not, the paths of cheerleading and filmmaking are intertwined. Although one could make the argument that cheerleading – in the sense of gathering together and screaming in support – has existed since the dawn of civilization, cheerleading as we know it today dates back only to theContinue reading “‘Victory’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap”
‘Phantosmia’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap
In any given society, there will always be people who develop deep regret from committing acts of service for their government regardless of whether or not they’re socially encouraged as something to evoke pride in. We often hear stories about war veterans or anyone who worked a government job that required soliciting violence, struggling withContinue reading “‘Phantosmia’ – 25th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Recap”
What ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ is Really About – Ending Explained
Of all the emerging trends of recent cinematic history, one of the least promising has to be the decline of media interpretabiliy. While directors have always been open about sharing their work, never before has the “meaning” or “purpose” of something become such a heavily scrutinized point. Whereas some experimental auteurs of the past likeContinue reading “What ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ is Really About – Ending Explained”
‘A Normal Family’ Review – 13th SDAFF Spring Showcase Recap
One of the most common motherly hyperbolies we hear in early childhood is about how far they would go to protect us. Usually something along the lines of, “I would hurt anyone who tries to lay a finger on my baby.” While this statement is obviously not meant to be taken literally, it nonetheless instillsContinue reading “‘A Normal Family’ Review – 13th SDAFF Spring Showcase Recap”
Turn off the Bright Lights 