Korean movie The Front Line (고지전) at Parkway Theater, June 16.

The Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks will show the 2011 Korean film The Front Line (고지전) on June 16 as the second installment of this summer's "Asian Movie Madness". A summary from a 2012 A.V. Club review:

Jang Hun’s pulpy military thriller The Front Line is set during the waning days of the Korean War, as the commanders know they’re about to hammer out a truce, but the grunts in the field are still shooting at each other, under orders to seize as much territory as possible, for added leverage at the bargaining table. Shin Ha-Kyun plays a lieutenant sent to the Aerok Hills to file a report on a ragtag company where discipline is slack, and where an officer has recently turned up dead with a South Korean bullet in his brain, possibly at the hand of a rumored North Korean mole. When Shin arrives, he finds war orphans milling about, a baby-faced CO shooting up morphine, and soldiers wearing North Korean uniforms over their own to keep warm. In short, the lines between ally and enemy have long since been blurred, and these men are now fighting to survive long enough to see the peace they’ve been promised for years.

The movie starts at 7:00 pm and is free, as are all Asian Movie Madness films, which are held on the third Thursday of the month. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 16.

The Carnegie Library in East Liberty will host "Storytime: Japanese and English" on Tuesday, June 16.

Celebrate our city's diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese. For children ages 2-5 and their parents or caregivers.

The event runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am, and the library is located at 130 S. Whitfield Street (map).

Oakland's Sichuan Gourmet to have Sichuan menu, spicier dishes.

The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's student-run newspaper, has an article today on two restaurants opening on Atwood St. One is the new location of Sichuan Gourmet, which has been in Squirrel Hill for several years and will open a new restaurant in what was formerly India Garden. On what will help distinguish Sichuan Gourmet from the several other Chinese places in the area, co-owner Wei Yu tells the paper:

While his original location in Squirrel Hill has both Sichuan and American menus, Yu said his second location in Oakland will only have a Sichuan menu, to set itself apart from other Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood.

“The other restaurants are totally different,” he said. “They are tailored to American [tastes]. If you taste our food and compare to their food, you will find that the taste is not the same.”

The main difference, he said, is that his food will be much spicier.

“People from different parts of China have different tastes,” he said. “In east China, people eat sweeter foods. The sauce is more spicy in Sichuan.”

Jackie Chan movie Police Story: Lockdown (警察故事2013) at Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks, June 5 - 7.

The Jackie Chan movie Police Story: Lockdown (警察故事2013) will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from June 5 through June 7. The movie was released in China in 2013, but will be released internationally on June 5. A plot summary from a Variety review:

Police captain Zhong (Chan) is called to an aggressively hip underground club by daughter Miaomiao (Jing Tian), who walked out on him six months earlier. Finding her dangling from the arm of owner Wu Jiang (Liu Ye, “The Last Supper”), whose diabolical grin and tank of pet piranhas are the epitome of shady, Zhong launches the first of his many self-righteous lectures — on Miaomiao’s goth getup, her tattoos and her dodgy b.f. — but she lashes back, blaming his workaholic ways for her mother’s untimely death. They are interrupted by a suicide-bomb crisis, which turns out to be just a prelude to the real trouble: Wu has lured everyone to his hive in an elaborate kidnapping plan.

According to Facebook, the movie will start at 7:00 pm on June 5, at 6:00 pm on June 6, and at 5:00 pm on June 7. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

Chinese language program for kids at Carnegie Library in Oakland continues in June.

The Carnegie Library Oakland branch will host "Let's learn Chinese" programs for children each Thursday in June.

Experience Chinese language and culture through books, storytelling, songs, games and more!

The programs are led by Kasper Hwa, who earned a Master's of Education from Pitt this spring. They run from 6:30 to 7:00 pm in the Children's section on the first floor. The programs have been running since February, and I apologize for the late notice. Q_Q

North Allegheny hires Sanshiro Abe as new wrestling coach.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes today about North Allegheny's hiring of Sanshiro Abe as its new wrestling coach. The news actually came out in April, and Abe won't "come to town" as he was the coach at Oakland's Central Catholic High School since 2008. He wrestled collegiately at Penn State, but was born in Tokyo and competed for Japan at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Author Robert Yune at Carnegie Library in Oakland, June 17.

Robert Yune, a University of Pittsburgh professor and author of the forthcoming novel Eighty Days of Sunlight, will speak at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on June 17 as part of its Writers LIVE series.

Robert Yune’s debut novel, Eighty Days of Sunlight, comprises “equal parts hilarity and heartbreak in an accomplished debut,” said Kirkus (4/15). The story follows a young Korean-American man who struggles to come to terms with his cultural identity and dysfunctional working-class family. Yune’s stories have been published in the The Kenyon Review, The Los Angeles Review, and Avery, among others. He lives and teaches writing in Pittsburgh.

A book signing follows the program with copies of the author's books available from Mystery Lovers Bookshop.

The event runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Quiet Reading Room on the library's first floor. Tickets are free, but registration is required and can be done online or by calling 412.622.8866.

Umami Pgh pop-up event, June 1.

June 1 menu, via @umamipgh

Umami is an izakaya---Japanese pub---planned to open in Lawrenceville this August. Monday, June 1, will be the first pop-up preview of it in the neighborhood.

Roger Li is teaming up with Grapperia in Lawrenceville for his first event in an ongoing series to give Pittsburgh a taste of whats to come when the doors open for his new restaurant Umami Pgh, an Izakaya in the heart of Lawrenceville.

The event starts at 4:00 pm, and Grapperia is located at 3801 Butler St. (map).

15 Chinese nationals indicted in Pittsburgh in student visa fraud scheme.

The Department of Justice announced today that 15 Chinese nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh "on charges of conspiracy, counterfeiting foreign passports, mail fraud and wire fraud".

According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2015, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy and a scheme to defraud Educational Testing Services (ETS) and the College Board by having imposters take college and graduate school standardized entrance examinations, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). In carrying out the scheme, the conspirators had counterfeit Chinese passports made and sent to the United States, which were used by the imposters to defraud ETS administrators into believing that they were other people, namely the conspirators who would receive the benefit of the imposter’s test score for use at American colleges and universities. The majority of the fraudulent exams taken by the conspirators were taken in western Pennsylvania.

“The perpetrators of this conspiracy were using fraudulent passports for the purpose of impersonating test takers of standardized tests including the SAT, GRE and TOEFL and thereby securing fraudulently obtained admissions to American institutions of higher education and circumventing the F1 Student Visa requirements,” stated U.S. Attorney Hickton. “This case establishes that we will protect the integrity of our passport and visa process, as well as safeguard the national asset of our higher education system from fraudulent access.”

Japanese movie Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる) at Northland Public Library, June 10.

Northland Public Library will show the 2013 Japanese movie Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる) on Wednesday, June 10 as next month's installment of the Foreign Film Series. A summary from the Harris Theater, where the movie made its Pittsburgh debut last year:

Prolific filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Afterlife, Maborosi, Nobody Knows) continues to recall master director Ozu with his tender films of family life in modern Japan. Here, Ryota is a successful Tokyo architect who works long hours to provide for his wife, Midori and six-year-old son, Keita. But when a blood test reveals Keita and another baby were switched at birth, two very different families are forced to make a difficult decision, while Ryota confronts his own issues of responsibility and what it means to be a father. This story of personal redemption is both moving and playful.

The movie will play at Northland from 1:30 pm, and the library is located off of McKnight Road and Rt. 19 in McCandless Township (map). The film is free and open to the public.

Westinghouse hiring bilingual Japanese-English Executive Administrator for Cranberry Township position.

Westinghouse Electric Company is currently hiring a bilingual Japanese-English Executive Administrator for its Cranberry Township headquarters.

In search of a bilingual (Japanese/English) Senior Executive Assistant living in and knowing the Greater Pittsburgh area very well. Candidate must possess an Associate's Degree or equivalent business related curriculum, 10+ years’ experience in an administrative position and 5 years’ experience as an Executive Administrator, Board of Directors administration experience preferred. It is a must to have experience dealing with stakeholders at executive levels (industry, government, and customer) inside and outside of the U.S.

Interested candidates can submit their resume by following the link below and applying to position 19148BR.

The full listing is located here. Westinghouse Electric Company has been owned by Toshiba Group since 2006.

Hong Kong film Floating City (浮城) at Maridon Museum, May 28.

The Maridon Museum will show the 2012 film Floating City (浮城) as the final installment of its Hong Kong Film Series this spring. An excerpt from a PopMatters review, which calls Floating City "an incredibly beautiful movie":

This Cantonese-language film begins in the ‘40s, when the British East India Company had vast control over Hong Kong’s citizens and society. Our main character is born into this dichotomy of two worlds, but fits into neither. Bo Wah Chuen is born to a Chinese mother, but has red hair and blue eyes. His mother abandons him to the priests and he is almost miraculously adopted into a new family by an ethnic Tanka mother who recently suffered a miscarriage (actress Josie Ho in a brilliantly dramatic performance).

As Bo grows to manhood he is denied access to the basic rights of Chinese children (he is forced to blacken his hair with shoe polish to attend school) and is equally ostracized by the British upper crust due to his mixed blood and Tanka upbringing. The Chinese call him by the name “Mixed”, the British refer to him as “Half-Breed”.

The film starts at 6:00 pm. The Maridon, an Asian art museum, is located at 322 N. McKean St. in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Sichuan Gourmet to open Oakland location.

Sichuan Gourmet, a restaurant on Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, will open a location at 328 Atwood St. (map) in Oakland. The spot was most recently home to India Garden, which closed for good last year after numerous health code violations.

Documentary on early Cambodian rock music, Don't Think I've Forgotten, at Hollywood Theater, May 29 - June 4.

The Hollywood Theater in Dormont will show the 2014 documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten from May 29 through June 4. A summary, from the documentary's website:

During the 60’s and early 70’s as the war in Vietnam threatened its borders, a new music scene emerged in Cambodia that took Western rock and roll and stood it on its head – creating a sound like no other.

Cambodian musicians crafted this sound from the various rock music styles sweeping, America, England and France, adding the unique melodies and hypnotic rhythms of their traditional music. The beautiful singing of their renowned female vocalists became the final touch that made this mix so enticing.

. . .

DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN: CAMBODIA’S LOST ROCK AND ROLL tracks the twists and turns of Cambodian music as it morphs into rock and roll, blossoms, and is nearly destroyed along with the rest of the country. This documentary film provides a new perspective on a country usually associated with only war and genocide.

Showtimes and ticket information is available on the theater website; adult tickets are $8, and members' tickets are $5. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.


Trailer.

Kurosawa film High and Low (天国と地獄) at Melwood Screening Room, May 27.

The Melwood Screening Room will show the 1963 Akira Kurosawa movie High and Low (天国と地獄) on May 27 as part of its Essential Cinema series. A 2002 A.V. Club review upon the DVD's release provides a summary:

Adapted from a novel by American pulp writer Ed McBain (whose real name is Evan Hunter), 1963's High And Low stars Toshiro Mifune (naturally) as a properous, principled shoe-company executive. On the verge of taking over the company from a group of less ethical co-workers, Mifune learns that a kidnapper demanding a financially ruinous amount of money has his son. When it's discovered that the kidnapper has mistakenly taken the son of Mifune's loyal chauffeur, Mifune is faced with a dilemma that tests his selflessness.

The show starts at 8:00, and the theater is located at 477 Melwood Ave. in Oakland (map). Part of the Essential Cinema series, tickets are $2.

Korean movie A Better Tomorrow (무적자) at Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks, May 19.

The Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks will show the 2010 Korean movie A Better Tomorrow (무적자) tomorrow, May 19, as the first installment of its Asian Movie Madness series. The Korean Movie Database provides a summary of the film, a remake of the 1986 John Woo movie of the same title:

Hyuk and Chul are two brothers who have been separated since childhood. Hyuk, the older one, has now become a weapon smuggling gang boss, while Chul has become a policeman. Hyuk and Young-chun share 10 years of friendship while leading the gang as two aces, but their tight friendship becomes damaged because of a dirty trick played by Taemin, one of the gangsters, while Hyuk wants to escape from the band of gangs. Chul wants to get rid of the gangs. Young-chun wants to reestablish himself. Their relationship gets tangled with deep wounds and misunderstanding. With Tae-min's plot to take hold of everything, their destiny heads for an unexpected ending.

The movie starts at 7:00 pm and is free. The Asian Movie Madness series will be held on the third Thursday of the month. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

Studio Ghibli film When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー ) at Regent Square Theater, June 12 - 18.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers has announced that the 2014 Japanese movie When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー ) will play at Regent Square Theater from June 12 to 18. The group summarizes what some believe may be the last Studio Ghibli film:

The newest animated film from Studio Ghibli tells the enchanted story of Anna, a teenage girl who feels disconnected from her peers. Her foster mother frets about Anna’s asthma attacks and sends her to spend the summer with her grandparents in Hokkaido, a sleepy town by the sea. Anna keeps to herself – until she makes friends with the mysterious Marnie, who may or may not be real. Beautifully rendered, the lush, hand-crafted paintings give this modern tale the look and feel of classic animation at its best.

Showtimes have not yet been announced. The Regent Square Theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. (map).

Izakaya to open in Lawrenceville in August.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes this afternoon about an izakaya called Umami to open in Lawrenceville above the Round Corner Cantina (map). It is the next project of Robert Li, formerly of Tamari, and anticipates an August open.

The izakaya, or Japanese pub, will feature, "traditional Japanese dishes using modern techniques and local ingredients. Every dish will have umami flavors," he said.

Mr. Li will start construction this month and he's shooting for an August opening. Though it's part of the Round Corner building, it will have its own entrance at 202 38th St.

Umami will have a sushi bar and an infared robata or a charcoal binchotan grill. He'll also serve ramen, housemade tofu, gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and other Japanese street food. His drink menu will include sake, cocktails and Japanese whisky.

He found his inspiration for the izakaya while traveling around Japan.

"Izakayas are my favorite places to go out to eat and have a beverage,“ he said. ”After seeing the true izakayas, I was really interested in doing the concept."

Starkist hiring bilingual Korean/English for "Manager, Corporate Internal Audit" position in Pittsburgh.

Starkist, which has its corporate headquarters on the North Shore and which is owned by South Korea's Dongwon Industries, is hiring for bilingual Korean/English Manager, Corporate Internal Audit position in Pittsburgh. Part of the ad, via Monster:

Tribune-Review on Pittsburgh's Chinatown bus station.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an article today about the Chinatown bus running from Pittsburgh's Strip District to New York City.

[S]everal people quietly wait outside a nondescript, one-story building with their rolling travel bags, bookbags and pillows. Some pass the time by smoking; others stare at their cellphones. Most turn down interview requests, saying they speak little or no English. The front door of the building opens, and they enter a foyer and disappear downstairs into the basement to buy tickets.

Within an hour, they'll board an unmarked white bus that pulls up outside and be on their way to New York's Chinatown.

“People needed an alternative to Greyhound, Megabus and Amtrak. The Chinese coach buses are reasonably priced, clean, and the travel time is much quicker because they don't have all those frequent stops,” said George Chow, who helps market the interstate bus line that's known locally as Great Wall Line Inc.

The Chinatown bus station moved from its Oakland location to 1613 Penn Ave. (map) Strip District on September 1, 2014.

Chinatown buses enjoyed their highest popularity here before Megabus and other alternatives to Greyhound emerged. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did a short profile on some of the lines servicing Pittsburgh in 2006, and their popularity among non-Asians given the lack of affordable intercity public transportation.

Kin Yeung of McCandless said that when he took a Fung Wah bus from New York's Chinatown to Boston, more than half of the passengers were non-Asian.

Nonetheless, "a lot of people in the Chinese community in Pittsburgh are using these bus services because they're so cheap," he said.

The Chinatown bus lines followed a business model similar to the discount lines today:

[Greyhound spokeswoman Anna] Folmnsbee said Greyhound's generally higher bus prices, for the most part, subsidized buildings and staff.

"We put a lot of money into our facilities, to make sure our passengers have a safe, comfortable, warm place to wait and customer service agents who tell you where to go to line up," she said. "Plus our passengers know we offer more schedules, a dozen to New York per day as opposed to maybe a handful."

While Ms. Folmnsbee declined to discuss how Greyhound regards the advent of low-cost Chinatown bus services, the company did sue Fung Wah in 2004 for lacking proper permits.

Latest rendering of Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute.

The recently-launced Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute (四川大学-匹兹堡学院) website has a rendering of the institute and its surroundings.



This post from last month looks at several previous renderings. The renderings released online last month show the institute---bottom left in the picture above---surrounded by transparent blocks to indicated other buildings under construction; buildings depicted above. The joint venture between the two universities is scheduled to open at the Jiang'an campus in Fall 2015 with an initial cohort of 100 students.

Update (May 11): Here is another look at the building from elsewhere on the page: