Yu Aoi Film Discussion - Gaichu - Harmful Insect

November 14th, 2008 Amy

Sorry for the delay *hides behind a wall in shame*, but here it is~~ FINALLY!

First, here’s something about the film:
(from Eigapedia)
A 2001 film of a girl named Sachiko (Aoi Miyazaki) who befriends a street kid, and the things happening around her due to things she’s done and witnessed in her short past.

Genre: Drama
Starring: Aoi Miyazaki, Seiichi Tanabe, Tetsu Sawaki, Ryo Amamiya, Koji Ishikawa, Yu Aoi
Duration: 1:30hr

Things you might consider spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned.

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Almost that Time of the Year Again…

November 10th, 2008 Amy

With Independent Spirit Award Nominations just around the corner (Dec. 2) - Awards season pretty much begins~

I haven’t seen many (if any) films to fuzz about… yet. Studios say they trust their films, and all are hoping for December releases. This wasn’t the case last year, when Julie Christie (April) and Marion Cotillard (June) released in the US their films and swept awards.

Waltz with Bashir - PosterPretty much everyone is hoping and fuzzing about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I am too - because let’s face it, it looks cool… it has a good cast, and a great director. From what I could read, this will be the movie to watch… it will be IT.

Nothing else can’t be said, on my behalf…

The animation category will undeniably go to WALL-E, which was good. However, wouldn’t it be interesting if there were other animated films? One of them could be the Israeli-German-French animated production of Waltz with Bashir. I have heard interesting things about it… but could it surprise Oscar watchers? Unlikely. But it will be a good change… just like I thought Les Tiplettes de Belleville should have won, or Persepolis last year~~

Waltz with Bashir, just from the trailer, looks visually interesting. Definitely different to other animated films in subject, theme, and possibly even different animation approach. I also think this poster on the right looks way more intriguing than the other colored poster. Nonetheless, from the same trailer you could see some funkyness with the animation, as if they had used Flash on some sequences (like some of those MTV crappy animated shorts)… and some others looked just splendid.

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Yu Aoi Film Discussion - Niji no Megami - Rainbow Song

October 11th, 2008 Amy

This is officially my 2nd Yu Aoi film, which I saw right after All About Lily Chou Chou. Considering this is the first time I get into Japanese entertainment like this, I had no knowledge about anything. This is the reason why (I think, I’m pretty sure about it) I thought both Yu Aoi characters in the films were two completely DIFFERENT actresses… until I went to vote on IMDb and noticed that her name was already visited. Same thing with Hayato Ichihara… two different people, I tell you!!!

I also watched Rainbow Song because I liked the simple poster. LOL! Little did I know that it had something to do with Juri Ueno, Yu Aoi, Hayato Ichihara… and that Shunji Iwai’s name was involved. Well, I actually thought I knew Juri’s name from the opening credits because I was watching Last Friends during those days… le sigh, oh how time flies!

Okay, let’s see… a little about the film according to Amy.
This 2006 film directed by Naoto Kumazawa had Shunji Iwai as producer and ghost-writer. It stars Hayato Ichihara as Tomoya, a young man working as staff in a television studio, who finds out his friend Aoi Sato (Juri Ueno) dies in an airplane crash.

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance… all mashed up together.
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno, Yu Aoi
Duration: Almost 2hrs.

Here’s a link to Crunchy to watch it in 3 parts

Spoilers ahead!

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Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies) - Films that Changed your Life Forever

October 7th, 2008 Amy

It’s time for a new “Films that Changed your Life Forever” post! If you check the link to my “Favorites,” you will notice that the film I’m about to talk to is the ONLY animated film that has made its way to my Top10. I am surprised myself, but here is my story…

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Yu Aoi Film Discussion - RIRI SHUSHU no Subete - All About Lily Chou Chou

October 3rd, 2008 Amy

This is the first film I saw with Yu Aoi, without knowing who Yu Aoi was~~ I didn’t even know who Shunji Iwai was. I only decided to watch this because I liked the poster. Yes, I can be shallow like that because I didn’t even bother to read the synopsis… which I have found to be, most of the times, better than knowing what the film is about.

Here’s a bit about the film:
(from Wikipedia)
This 2001 film directed and written by Shunji Iwai, stars Hayato Ichihara (Yuichi) and Shugo Oshinari (Hoshino), as two childhood friends that go through changes between their time in Junior High, and High School.

Genre: Drama (Some disturbing situations involving young people.)
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Shugo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Yu Aoi
Written and directed by: Shunji Iwai
Duration: +2hr

You can watch the film in 17 parts on YouTube.

Spoilers ahead~ You’ve been warned~

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