Change of Location!

My blog is being reconstructed on WordPress. I've been dissatisfied with some of the problems that I've encountered using Blogger, namely the spacing issues. I'm pretty nit picky with aesthetics. So, come check out the new location at http://jkfilmjapan.wordpress.com/! Semantically substitive and aesthetically pleasing posts will come in mass amounts!

The Song That Saved the World -- Thoughts on Fish Story (フィッシュストーリー)

What if I told you that a song would save the world...

In short: Fish Story will take you on a wild, improbable ride that will leave you smiling once the credits begin. It is a film that rewards multiple viewings as it will leave you thinking and desiring to watch it again almost immediately. Great acting and an incredibly well put together set of events leads to a movie that definitely should be seen. My favorite film of 2009 so far.

If you haven't seen Fish Story yet, you may want to stop reading this review after this paragraph. There aren't spoilers in my review, but it is one of those movies that is best viewed with no preconceived ideas about the plot. Watch the film and enjoy the twists and turns that the story takes. It is a ride that most will undoubtedly enjoy.

Fish Story is about a punk band named Gekirin that recorded a single called "Fish Story" in 1975, a year before the Sex Pistols popularized punk music. Despite knowing that their music won't sell, Gekirin and their supportive producer decide to record this song knowing that one day it will impact the life of at least one person. The film jumps around different time periods ranging from 1975 to 2012, where a meteor is on a collision course for Earth. Going through the movie, the viewer is shown different stories without knowing what is going on or how they factor in to the main narrative.

Each part of the film is captivating, despite the fact that we don't really know what is going on in the film as a whole. Every new story reveals a piece to the puzzle and when they all come together at the end you'll feel like jumping up, running outside, and telling everyone that they NEED to watch Fish Story. Then you'll want to watch it again. This movie has one of the most satisfying endings that I have ever experienced.

I love the cast in this film. Acting was solid, but no award-winning performances. I particularly enjoyed Omori Nao, who played the producer that discovered Gekirin as well as a music shop owner whose store is open despite the pending destruction of Earth. I also thought Kora Kengo, playing Gekirin's singer, and Moriyama Mirai, playing a guy trained since birth to be a "champion of justice" (his action sequences were really cool) stood out. Based on a novel by Isaka Kotaro and adapted by Hayashi Tamio, Fish Story has a great script. Also, the cinematography is good (though certainly not groundbreaking) as well as the directing. Music is great, especially the song "Fish Story" which was written specially for the film.

I can't really name many faults with this film other than it was a little bit draggy in some spots. Also, some may not enjoy the girl's (Tabe Mikako) overenthusiastic acting but I found that it fit her character. The film was just under two hours, but I felt that length was not a problem.

Fish Story jumps around to different genre's (thriller, martial arts action, comedy, music documentary, etc) which I think keeps the movie incredibly engaging, constantly changing up the pace. During my second viewing, I couldn't help but think that I would enjoy watching a film that just took any one of the multiple stories presented and made it feature-length. All of them are that interesting. Having each individual story in the span of a single film, though, is what helps make Fish Story a magical experience. From beginning to end, you will be engaged and entertained. I advise everyone to see Fish Story.

10/10

Incredible Scenes in Japanese Films -- Part 1

WARNING: Major spoilers for the most part, so beware.


花とアリス (Hana and Alice) (2004) -- Dir: Iwai Shunji


This scene moved me deeply.  By including this scene at the very end of his film, Iwai gives the viewer reason to feel emotionally touched by this simple act of ballet.  The music is beautifully composed by Iwai himself.  If you haven't seen the film, this scene will not mean as much to you as it does to one who has seen it.  Aoi Yu is truly one of Japanese cinema's great actresses.


僕は妹に恋をする (Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru -- AKA: I Love My Little Sister) (2007) -- Dir: Ando Hiroshi



About the only good part of this film is the final 20 minutes.  In this scene, the actors decide to act, especially Matsumoto Jun.  While a bit wary of this film, which deals with sibling incest, this scene made up for most of my doubts.  Filmed in a single take, the scene is a culmination of the characters' emotions; they realize that they cannot be together and this is their final moment of intimacy.  By playing this simple game, they remember their childhood while finally admitting to themselves that this is the end of their fantasy; they have to return to the real world.

家族ゲーム (Family Game) (1983) -- Dir: Morita Yoshimitsu

The famous food-fight scene.  This scene is completely ridiculous and masterful.  Filmed in a single take, the scene depicts the family and the tutor of one of the boys eating dinner to celebrate the boy's acceptance into a top high school.  The dinner gets out of hand, however, when the tutor decides to wreak havoc upon the entire family, slowly destroying their dinner and beating them up.  It is a puzzling scene in the context of the entire film, which seeks to show the discord in normal family life.


Picnic (1996) -- Dir: Iwai Shunji



Picnic is a film about escaped mental asylum patients who want to see the world.  They receive a bible and misinterpret a part, believing that the world will soon end.  This scene gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.  Tsumuji (Asano Tadanobu) fires his pistol at the sun, thinking that he can hit it and destroy the world.  Coco (CHARA) decides to end her own life after he fails.  A scene of black feathers against setting sun follows, along with an upset Tsumuji firing his empty pistol in futility.  Beautiful, haunting scene.


This is basically a test post, as these are not scenes that I have specifically cut.  They were the only ones on my list that I could actually find in some form already existing on YouTube.  Most of it is bad quality and most of the scenes are pretty long, so bear with me.  Quality will improve!

Highly Anticipated: ソラニン (Solanin)

Solanin


Mistaken thoughts from beyond the sky
A life spent saying goodbye?
The little piece of the future I saw
Was waving goodbye

The small room I once lived in
Is now occupied by someone else
The horrible things I said to you
The days that were wasted

Perhaps if I'd taken that chance, if I could go back to that day
But I'll never be that person again

Even if that frail happiness
had somehow lingered on
A bad seed would surely have sprouted
So I guess this is goodbye

The cold cans of coffee from freezing winters
That long rainbow coloured scarf
I stroll through the back alley
It all comes back to me

Even if that frail happiness
had somehow lingered on
A bad seed would surely have sprouted
So I guess this is goodbye

I guess

Goodbye, that's enough
You can cope anywhere
Goodbye, I'll manage somehow too
Goodbye, that's what I'll do






Above are the lyrics and PV from Asian Kung-Fu Generation's adaptation of the song "solanin" from the manga solanin.  This song was made for the film of the same name, which was just released in Japan on April 3rd, starring Miyazaki Aoi, Kora Kengo, Arata, and some other famous names.  I immensely enjoyed the manga and cannot wait to watch the film.  The story follows a young couple that both have no direction in their lives; Meiko has just quit her job and is unemployed and Taneda works part time while playing in a band with his friends.  Meiko pushed Taneda to follow his dream and go big with his band, which convinces him to write their first real song, solanin, and start promoting the band.  Just when everyone is beginning to embrace their uncertain future, tragedy strikes, which changes the lives of everyone.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation is the perfect band to represent the manga, and from the looks of the trailer, the cast seems to be very well chosen.  As long as director Miki Takahiro can retain the magic that the manga had, the film should be well worth the watch.  I personally cannot wait.

Thoughts on Air Doll (空気人形)

Hauntingly beautiful

In short: A deep, thought-provoking, beautifully filmed, and well acted piece of Japanese cinema. Bae Doona is magnificent as an inflatable doll that develops a soul and falls in love. Hirokazu Koreeda wows once again with his deliberate film making, effectively commenting on social problems dealing with urban life. Despite the fact that it is a bit slow and a bit long, Air Doll is definitely one of the better films that I've seen recently.

I was finally able to watch this film (on DVD) and was impressed, more so than I thought I would be. To me, Air Doll includes aspects that make it attractive to both film festivals and commercial audiences. With the quirky and interesting premise of a sex doll that comes to life, Air Doll (which is lightly based on a manga) establishes itself as a film which seeks to appeal to modern audiences, specifically Japanese. This doll, "named" Nozomi (played by Korean actress Bae Doona), sneaks out of her owners house every day to go to work at a local video store. There, she falls in love with her coworker, Junichi (played by Arata), and learns about life--both the good and the bad.

What separates Air Doll from some of Koreeda's previous work is his choice of Mark Lee as cinematographer. He films the city of Tokyo beautifully, with long, gorgeous tracking shots. This is a departure from Koreeda's usual style, of which films like Nobody Knows and Still Walking are good examples (both being pretty un-commercial). I enjoyed the cameo's by some well-established actors, including Odagiri Joe as the doll maker, Susumu Terajima as a police officer, and Kimiko Yo as an aging woman obsessed with looking young, although they were definitely not noteworthy performances. I also enjoyed the music, which moved along with the pace of the film and effectively added emotional weight to select scenes.

Where I thought the film faltered was in length. It was too long, which is not a completely horrible fault in many cases, but towards the end I felt as if Koreeda had already established his point and needed to wrap it up. Length is a characteristic problem in many contemporary Japanese films. I feel as if this works for some (Love Exposure !?), but not for most. Another fault that I'd like to mention was the odd, Jdrama-like breaks in the scene where Nozomi is being repeatedly drained of air, then blown back up by Junichi in bed. The same shot was shown three times from different angles, which I found unnecessary and out of place. But that's just me being picky.

Air Doll attempts to illustrate to the viewer the loneliness that exists in an urban environment such as Tokyo. Koreeda does this perfectly with the inclusion of small side stories; a nerdy otaku, a lonely old man, an aging woman obsessed with beauty, a bulimic woman suffering from depression, and other lonely people. These characters only briefly appear on the screen, giving the impression of the fleeting encounters with strangers in a big city urban environment. Bae Doona's character of the doll, Nozomi, is the highlight of the movie. She plays the character perfectly, often condensing many emotions into one and displaying all of the quirkiness of a doll that has recently discovered life. It is interesting and perfect that Koreeda cast a Korean in the roll of the doll, as it further alienates the character from the rest of the cast as well as the audience. It is also interesting to note the fact that Bae Doona was very naked during the film (being a sex doll and all), a feat that not many Japanese actresses would even dare to do. She has been nominated for--and won many--awards for best actress.

Recommended.

8/10

JDramas of '09

I'm going to start compiling "list" posts with short (or long) blurbs about stuff that I have enjoyed in the past. Since I began paying attention to Japanese media, I've encountered many stellar artists, TV shows, films, and others. I hope to give a taste of what I've personally enjoyed up to this point in time.

I'll start with some enjoyable JDramas of 2009. I didn't watch a whole lot of them last year, as I found most uninteresting. To me, 2009 was not a good year for Japanese TV. Here are three that I enjoyed.

Akai Ito (赤い糸)

Before starting this drama, I was a bit skeptical. I wondered if I could still enjoy content that dealt with junior high/high school drama. I have to say that I was immediately drawn by Akai Ito's cinematography. This drama is beautifully filmed, which was surprising as I was constantly reminding myself that this is a drama, not a film (there is a film with the same cast and production crew!). The music is beautiful and the main theme is fitting and gives a feeling of nostalgia. Actually, the whole drama gave me the feeling of nostalgia throughout. Acting is sub-par at best, which was disappointing. Both of the main actors played their parts well, but most of the time they were flat. I guess their flatness could be attributed to the characters personalities themselves, but to me it was very noticeable that they are amateur actors.

The story of Akai Ito is very depressing, dealing with suicide, drug addiction, death, and general teen drama. The romance is sweet, but frustrating. These kids seem to have so many problems to deal with; you're supposed to cry for them, but sometimes I was at the point where I thought to myself how ridiculous everything was...their lives suck! Side point: I've heard that the book is even more depressing, dealing with many more mature problems. But besides an ambiguous ending, I thought the drama was well done and had a certain draw to it. If you don't want to watch the drama, but are interested, check out the movie. It is basically the drama condensed into movie size.

Shiroi Haru (白い春)

In contrast to Akai Ito, Shiroi Haru had great overall acting, but poor directing. Abe Hiroshi is an outstanding drama actor, my favorite performance in a drama of 2009. The supporting cast was good as well, complementing Abe Hiroshi perfectly. Yoshitaka Yuriko is one of my favorite young actresses (I have to admit, I was first drawn to Shiroi Haru because of her) and she was so charismatic in her role. The story was heartwarming, and so was Ohashi Nozomi (better known as the girl who sings the Ponyo song!), who played a young girl mysteriously drawn to Abe Hiroshi's character. At times a bit too weepy when it didn't need to be, the story line remained strong throughout the drama.

Something that irked me about the drama was its sub-par cinematography (which is to be expected in a drama, but there are exceptions). Too many awkwardly angled views of Abe Hiroshi's face, and some strangely lit shots. I don't remember the music as being spectacular, but it complemented the drama quite well. This drama deserves to be watched.

Love Shuffle (ラブシャッフル)

Okay, I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. After finishing the first episode (my trial run) I wasn't too impressed, but I am glad that I continued because Love Shuffle took me on an incredibly entertaining ride. With an ensemble cast of well-known entertainers, Love Shuffle was well-acted, well-executed, and super fun to watch. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between all of the cast members, specifically that between Tamaki Hiroshi and Karina. It also didn't hurt that Yoshitaka Yuriko was a part of the cast (playing a very different character)! The story line was pretty much all over the place, but I actually enjoyed it. Every episode was fresh and new, exploring the relationships (or lack of) between the various characters.

Sometimes over-the-top, sometimes mellow, and sometimes sad, this drama impressed me. Love Shuffle was not only a fun time, it gave perspective on how chance encounters can shape lives. Imagine, one malfunctioning elevator ride can bring four complete strangers (who live on the same floor!) together and ultimately form tight bonds. Definitely recommended.

Honorable mention:

Konkatsu! ( 婚カツ！) -- I don't fully recommend this drama because it started out brilliantly but died out about halfway through. The first few episodes of Konkatsu! were unique, funny, and interesting. After these, the drama changed course and became mediocre and boring. I almost didn't finish it. I loved the filming, the random cuts, the unique transitions, and the quirkiness that the drama began with but didn't end with. Even though Ueto Aya is charming, she couldn't save Konkatsu! from its failures. It tried romance, but didn't really follow through. Overall, it was still a uniquely edited and filmed drama but it disappointed me.

告白(Kokuhaku/Confession) Trailer

This is one of the most interesting trailers I've seen in a while. Gives me such a Battle Royale vibe, with the insane school kids and intense classical music. Can't wait to see this as it seems like such a dark role for Takako Matsu.