All right, moviegoing friends. Ping Pong Playa opens in theaters this Friday, September 5, in San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Glendale, Alhambra, Irvine and New York, then on September 12 in Seattle and Houston.
Starring Jimmy Tsai (who also co-wrote the script), Roger Fan, Smith Cho, Jim Lau and Elizabeth Sung, the movie is a fun, crowd-pleasing indie sports comedy that seves up some solid laughs and good times. It deserves to be seen by any people as possible. And hey, it's fun for the whole family.
Chris "C-Dub" Wang is a trash-talkin' Chinese American wannabe-hustler suburban slacker who never quite lived up to his dreams of NBA stardom. Much to his reluctance, however, he finds his true gift as a ping-pong player and coach, leading an odd squad of students to a local championship.
Interestingly, the movie marks the unlikely narrative feature directorial debut of Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu, who has made a name for herself with several critically acclaimed, artfully crafted documentaries. Quite the opposite of Ping Pong Playa, which won't be winning any Oscars, but she definitely makes it work.
Here's the list of theaters where Ping Pong Playa will be screening this weekend. Check your local theater listings for showtimes and tickets:
NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)
REGAL E-WALK (TIMES SQUARE)
247 W. 42ND STREET (AT 8TH AVENUE)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS ON FANDANGO.COM
http://www.fandango.com/10036_movietheatershowtimes?date=9/5/2008
AMC LOEWS VILLAGE 7
66 THIRD AVENUE (AT 11TH STREET)
NEW YORK, NY 10003
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS ON FANDANGO.COM
http://www.fandango.com/TheaterPage.aspx?wssac=58&tid=AABQF&wssaffid=11480_LoewsTheatresWebsite
LOS ANGELES
ALHAMBRA/PASADENA/SAN GABRIEL VALLEY
EDWARDS ATLANTIC PALACE 10
700 MAIN STREET
ATLANTIC AT MAIN STREET
ALHAMBRA, CA 91801
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS ON FANDANGO.COM
http://www.fandango.com/edwardsatlanticpalace10_aaedc/theaterpage?date=9/5/2008
GLENDALE
MANN GLENDALE EXCHANGE 10
128 MARYLAND AVENUE
GLENDALE, CA 91205
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS ON MOVIEFONE.COM
http://www.moviefone.com/theater/mann-glendale-exchange-10/391/showtimes
HOLLYWOOD
MANN CHINESE 6 THEATERS
HOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND
6801 HOLLYWOOD BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90028
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS ON MOVIETICKETS.COM
http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=806
IRVINE
EDWARDS UNIVERSITY TOWN CENTER 6
4245 CAMPUS DRIVE
IRVINE, CA 92612
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS AT FANDANGO.COM
http://www.fandango.com/TheaterPage.aspx?tid=AABHI
SAN FRANCISCO
AMC LOEWS METREON 16
101 4TH STREET AT MISSION
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94013
BUY ADVANCE TCKETS AT FANDANGO.COM
http://www.fandango.com/amcloewsmetreon16withimax_aanem/theaterpage
BERKELEY
LANDMARK SHATTUCK CINEMAS
2230 SHATTUCK AVENUE
BERKELEY, CA 94704
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS AT LANDMARKTHEATRES.COM
https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Landmark.aspx?TheatreID=200
SAN JOSE
CAMERA 12 DOWNTOWN
201 SOUTH SECOND STREET
SAN JOSE, CA 95113
BUY ADVANCE TICKETS AT CAMERACINEMAS.COM
http://www.cameracinemas.com/cgi-bin/movies.cgi?cmd=np&f=c12
Like most independent Asian American cinema, Ping Pong Playa does not have the kind of marketing budget to compete against big studio fare, and will have to rely quite a bit on grassroots marketing and word-of-mouth. Thus, I'm telling you. Check it out. And bring your friends, family and neighbors for a fun time at the movies. For more information, visit the Ping Pong Playa website here. And watch the trailer here.
