Coming Up: Take Out

My friend Charles Jang's movie, Take Out, is finally coming to theaters. It was a highlight of SFIAAFF 2004 and is well overdue. Shot on location on digital video, Take Out is a fast-moving, electric experience, and though it's all about one day on a repetitious job -- Chinese food delivery -- it never lags. There's danger around every corner for delivery man Ming Ding (Jang), a recent immigrant from China, whose refuge is the camaraderie of his struggling coworkers. The performances are excellent and the direction by newcomers Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou carries on New York's tradition of "street style" filmmaking.