Michael Kang Movies

A wedding planner attempts to help her eldest daughter navigate a particularly difficult breakup while fighting keeping her failing business afloat in this romantic comedy starring Illeana Douglas and Kimberly Rose-Wolter. Miriam's (Douglas) three marriages may have ended in failure, but that doesn't stop her from operating a wedding planning business with her two daughters Twinny (Mia Riverton) and Hoku (Janel Parrish). Meanwhile, Miriam's third daughter Lily (Kimberly Rose-Wolter) has just rejected her boyfriend's marriage proposal. Returning home to her family in Hawaii to nurse her wounds, Lily finds that her two half-sisters are running their mother's business into the ground. As eldest sibling Lily focuses her energy on rebuilding the business from the ground up, her ex-boyfriend Kai (Sung Kang) comes back into the picture looking for another chance at love. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fresh off the success of his Humanitas Award-winning third feature The Motel, director Michael Kang weaves this modern noir drama detailing the events that transpire when a New York lawyer (John Cho) inadvertently becomes mixed-up with a gang of violent Korean gangsters. Former Dreamworks investor and South Korean film giant CJ Entertainment finances a film produced by Teddy Zee and featuring a special appearance by Marrying the Mafia star Jung Jun-ho. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Writer-director Michael Kang makes his feature debut with the coming-of-age comedy, The Motel. Newcomer Jeffrey Chyau stars as Ernest Chin, a chubby 13 year-old Chinese-American boy whose mother (Jade Wu) runs a sleazy motel in upstate New York. The clientele of The Motel are predominantly prostitutes and their johns, which spurs Ernest's budding sexual curiosity. When he's not cleaning rooms, eavesdropping on guests, avoiding the local bully, or tormenting his little sister Katie (Alexis Chin), Ernest harbors a crush on Christine (Samantha Futerman), who works at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Ernest has entered a writing contest at school with a story about his unhappy life at The Motel, and won an honorable mention. His scornful mother thinks his writing is a waste of time, and Ernest doesn't want her to see the story for fear that it will anger her. He's a social misfit, so he's intrigued when Sam Kim (Sung Kang of Better Luck Tomorrow), a Korean-American guest who frequently brings home prostitutes, befriends him. Sam takes Ernest under his wing, teaching him to drive and offering him his wisdom regarding women. Of course, Sam turns out to have his own serious issues with the opposite sex, and his advice to Ernest about Christine may not be exactly what the boy needs. Kang won the Asian American International Film Festival screenwriting competition with his script for The Motel in 2001, and the completed film was shown at the festival in 2005. The script was workshopped at the Sundance labs, where filmmaker Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) signed on as a producer. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Banjo player and instructor Pete Wernick shows students how to correctly tune a banjo, recognize various musical keys, and master a few basic rhythms. He jams with such other talented musicians and performers as Nick Forster, Sally Van Meter, Michael Kang, Joan Wernick, and Ben Kaufman. The accompanying booklet describes how different chords should be played and provides the music and lyrics to many popular bluegrass tunes. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi