Many of my favorite films have a 2006 tag in them, so this list might seem a little bias, even though I really tried hard to not be. You might noticed how hard I tried not to be bias. LOL — check the Best Actress category~

Best Picture
- Children of Men
- Memories of Matsuko
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- The Lives of Others

Almost made it: Babel

Best Director
- Alfonso Cuaron – Children of Men
- Tetsuya Nakashima – Memories of Matsuko
- Guillermo del Toro – Pan’s Labyrinth
- Clint Eastwood – Letters from Iwo Jima
- Tarsem Singh – The Fall

Almost made it: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu – Babel, Gyorgy Palfi – Taxidermia, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – The Lives of Others

Animated Feature
- Paprika
- Happy Feet
- Tekkonkinkreet

Best Actor
- Clive Owen – Children of Men
- Ulrich Muhe – The Lives of Others
- Ken Watanabe – Memories of Tomorrow
- Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson
- Ben Whishaw – Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Almost made it: Yonug-hoon Lee – No Regret, Robert Downey Jr. – Fur

Best Actress
- Miki Nakatani – Memories of Matsuko
- Ivana Baquero – Pan’s Labyrinth
- Sigourney Weaver – Snow Cake
- Julie Christie – Away from Her
- Helen Mirren – The Queen

Almost made it: Yu Aoi – Hula Girls, Kate Winslet – Little Children

Supporting Actor
- Eita – Memories of Matsuko
- Michael Caine – Children of Men
- Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond
- Ken Watanabe – Letters from Iwo Jima
- Jackie Earle Haley – Little Children

Supporting Actress
- Shareeka Epps – Half Nelson
- Judi Dench – Notes on a Scandal
- Rinko Kikuchi – Babel
- Adriana Barraza – Babel
- Yu Aoi – Rainbow Song

Almost made it: Maribel Verdu – Pan’s Labyrinth, Hannah Herzsprung – Four Minutes, Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada

Plus, this is the best way to choose what Yu film you wanna watch~ xD

check post tags for movie info. some missing because they’re not on this blog.
by the way, Ikechan looks sooooo weird. I wonder if the movie is any good.

Buahahaha. Sorry, I’m still laughing.

Anyway… it reminded me about an Inside the Gold post, in which K was having trouble writing a review for Made of Honor.

Mostly, I was just getting angry about it for reasons I couldn’t understand… then it hit me. There was nothing original about the film. There was so little effort or originality that went into it, that I started to get upset that the film was even made.

That was followed by a request of Chick Flicks – of course, I added a bunch. Good and Bad, and the Guilty Pleasures, because that’s what was asked… which brings me back to now. I just got to see (500) Days of Summer, which you could say it’s one of those “hipster” films, but in reality it’s a romantic comedy. The movie is good, I liked it a lot… in fact, I can’t wait to get it on DVD xD It’s a not-a-love-story, and it’s sort of a chick flick, I think – and it’s good. So I don’t think it’s a doomed genre, there’s just a lot of crap around the genre for you to take seriously the really good ones.

In reality, Action films should suffer from the same. There’s a lot of crap action films out there that outnumber the really good action films. You can just say “oh, it’s another mindless action film.” but it still has a better tone to it than saying “it’s a chick flick.” – that simply sounds negative, without having the intention to.

I made a list of films by themes, and one of them was the “chick-centric” theme – it contained some really good films with female protagonists as mothers, daughters, granddaughters, friends, neighbors, girls, young women and women… etc, etc. – and from the 3 different themes I put together, “chick-centric” was the only one with no votes at all. So we do have a trigger that makes us think the word “chick” immediately means bad PMS mood swings, put your panties up in a bunch, and make your ovaries ache for that brooding-but-charming or geeky-but-charming hunk.

With female-centric films such as Linda, Linda, Linda – or Rachel Getting Married, One Million Yen Girl, The Guitar, Il y a Longtemps que Je t’Aime, Whale Rider, Hana & Alice… Hula Girls, Swing Girls, Kamikaze Girls~~~ or Romantic Dramas and Romantic Comedies like Shunji Iwai’s Love Letter. Perhaps American Chick Flicks should think of moving away from the frivolous girl meets boy, boy meets girl and they fall in love forever and always stories that they love to tell over and over again, and actually focus on another aspect of their protagonists lives.

A group of friends trying to make it to the school rock festival, a young woman trying to get one million Yen, a woman who just found out she’s about to die, a mother that comes out of jail, a girl trying to follow tradition in the opposite direction. Two friends who are growing up and perhaps growing apart, a group of girls trying to save their town, another group of girls who find something special in their lives, and two girls who find friendship in each other… etc, etc etc.

I was reading this post on Japanese Films and Women in Cinema- now, female in cinema is a big BIG subject. I’m not in the position to point out feminists or non-feminists films across the decades or countries. However, I have to admit that looking back at the films I’ve seen the past year, it feels like many (if not most of them) have a female protagonist. In general, I don’t know the reason – if there are more films about women, or if I’m watching them because I’m looking for them. What I do know is that I watched many Japanese films with female leads because I had been on the hunt for Juri Ueno and Yu Aoi projects – so that’s got to be at least 10 films led by a female, right?

So here it is… some~

Japanese Chick-centric Films or with Female Leads~

• Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)
• Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Hula Girls
• Swing Girls
• Hana to Alice (Hana & Alice)
• Gaichu (Harmful Insect)
• Kame wa Igai to Hayaku Oyogu (Turtles Swim Faster than Expected)
• Kiraware Matsuko no Issho (Memories of Matsuko)
• Quiet Room ni Youkoso (Welcome to the Quiet Room)
• Linda Linda Linda
• Kamikaze Girls
• Shinku (The Deep Red)
• Love Letter
• Sakuran
• Sasameyuki (The Makioka Sisters)
• Rinne (Reincarnation)
• Tenshi no Tamago (Angel’s Egg)
• Wool 100%
• Hyakuman-en to Nigamushi Onna (One Million Yen Girl)
• GuGu Datte Neko de Aru (Gu Gu the Cat)
• Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
• Nishi no Majo ga Shinda (The Witch of the West is Dead)
• Blood the Last Vampire
• Pikunikku (Picnic)

Of course, there’s many animated films asides from the ones I’ve mentioned above like Paprika, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, The Milennium Actress or Perfect Blue. And yes, there are films in my list that are not quite remarkable… and we can also point out that there aren’t many female leads of over 30 or 40 (in some way, Matsuko which chronicles her life, The Makioka Sisters, GuGu, and The Witch of the West – who knew Shirley McLaine’s daughter spoke Japanese?), but then again… that’s a problem that seems to be common in Hollywood too. Does it happen much in Europe? Countries like France or Germany? Are there many films with female leads, or are they as hard to find??

In the end,  it was good to see Meryl Streep (Doubt),  Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Julie Christie (Away from Her), Laura Linney (The Savages), and to some degree Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) getting recognition these past two years.

– EDIT June 21 –

I thought this was a great post on the subject. =D

Today a year ago, I was introduced to Yu Aoi’s work on Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou Chou, and the Shunji Iwai-related Rainbow Song. Little did I know that the characters that interested me the most in the films were played by the same actress. Nine days later, I watched Hula Girls, and a month later I was completely hooked with Yu Aoi, and yet another Shunji Iwai film… Hana & Alice.

I’ve come a long way since those days… especially my not-a-Japanese skills of reading and trying to understand. Over 20 films seen, 2 dramas… various photobooks later. I was introduced to Yu Aoi’s work in 2008, the year that her career seemed to take another bust~~~ After sweeping awards for her role as Kimiko on the Japanese Academy Award winner Hula Girls (which was also sent off to Oscar that season), Yu released Tokyo! – the Michel Gondry, Leo Carax, and Bong Joon-Ho short film collection, as well as One Million Yen Girl. She also had two starring-dramas that year with Camouflage on WOWOW, and Osen on NTV. Moreover, Yu was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Asian Film Awards for her work in Don’t Laugh at my Romance, and was named Rookie of the Year in the field of films by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

She’s also got three (possibly) films slated to release this year… well, actually. One’s already out, one is about to be released and the other is in post. The first one is Honokaa Boy shot in Hawaii, in which Yu takes another small role… then there’s Ikechan & Me, about to be released in June where Yu does the voice for Ikechan, and Younger Brother (Otouto) set to be released by the end of the year or perhaps next year.

It is perhaps a little bit sad that we don’t get so see Yu in more leading roles, but it’s amazing what a perk it is to be a supporting character in films

So this post is for the first year of fandom!

In order to support Yu and her work, try to buy her films, go to the theaters if possibles, or in the end make up for it buying a photobook or a calendar.

If you’re just entering into her work, and are much more interested in Yu’s work as an actress and not as an idol, check out her following Top10 films:

All About Lily Chou-Chou [US]
Hana & Alice [US] | Hana & Alice [JP]
Letters from Nirai Kanai [JP]
Honey & Clover [US]
Hula Girls [US] | Hula Girls [JP]
Tekkon Kinkreet [US DVD] | Tekkon Kinkreet [Blu-ray] | Tekkon [Single-disc JP] | Tekkon [Special JP]
Rainbow Song [JP]
Welcome to the Quiet Room [JP]
Don’t Laugh at my Romance [JP]
One Million Yen Girl [JP]

In the meantime…

I’ll leave you with this cute CM for Shueisha, with the little kiddo with the bunny ears!!! Wahhhhhh, bunnies!!! I want those bunny ears hahaha. Oh yeah, also… Yu dances. I love it when she dances~~~ xD

Hana & Alice – Arabesque
Hula Girls
Hana & Alice – Not exactly dancing… but Relaxation method!!! LOL

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan has named Yu (in the fields of Media and Fine Arts) their Rookie of the Year Award (Movies).

On why they are giving this award to her, they talk about her debut on the Shunji Iwai film All About Lily Chou Chou, and her steady career throughout the years mentioning Hula Girls. They also mention her work on One Million Yen Girl the past year, as well as her natural talent. Finally, they close their paragraph saying that Yu’s future is expected with much anticipation.

Or something like that…

Also named there in the field of Public Art, Shiina Ringo!!!! Like… Rookie?? Again~~

Sorry, no photos~~

*update March 30th* – Added a photo from Yu’s site.

*update May 20th* – Added a link to video. Check it out after the break…

Yu appears at 03:40 into the video, and just for a few…
Shiina Ringo shows up at 04.30 into it…
thank you aoinohoho~~~

Best 2008 Music Finds

• Tété – Le Sacre Des Lemmings
• Ximena Sariñana – Mediocre (2008)
• Miyavi
  • Miyavita ~Dokusou~
  • Miyavizm
  • MYV POPS
• The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing (2008)
• All About Lily Chou Chou Soundtrack – Kokyu
• Heloise & the Savoir Faire – Trash, Rats, and Microphones (2008)
• Julieta Venegas – MTV Unplugged (2008)
• Salyu
  • landmark
  • Terminal
• Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Soundtrack (2008)
• Bibi Chow – WOW
• Shiina Ringo
  • Shouso Strip
  • Singer’s Luck ~part one~
  • Me and Electric Discharge (2008)
• Memories of Matsuko Soundtrack
• Osen Soundtrack (2008)
• Erykah Badu
  • Mama’s Gun
  • Worldwide Underground
• Marit Larsen – The Chase (2008)

Best 2008 Viewed Films

• There Will Be Blood (2008)
  
• Eastern Promises (2008)
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008)
• Paprika
• The Brave One
• Gone Baby Gone (2008)
• Juno (2008)
• Atonement (2008)
• Death at a Funeral
• Mitt Liv som Hund (My Live as a Dog)
• Persepolis (2008)
• 4 Luni, 3 Saptamini si 2 Zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) (2008)
• Into the Wild (2008)
• Sicko
• Lars and the Real Girl (2008)
• The Kite Runner (2008)
• No Country for Old Men (2008)
• Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) (2008)
• L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
• Dan in Real Life
• Enchanted
• Charlie Barlett
• Some Like it Hot
• Good Will Hunting
• It’s a Free World (2008)
• The Savages (2008)
• Fucking Åmål (Show me Love)
• Les Chansons d’Amour (Love Songs) (2008)
• Son of Rambow (2008)
• The Danish Poet
• Bella
• Iron Man (2008)
• An American Crime (2008)
• Vier Minuten (Four Minutes)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
• RIRI SHUSHU no Subete (All About Lily Chou Chou)
• Niji no Megami (Rainbow Song)
• XXY (2008)
• Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta (Castle in the Sky)
• Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)
• HURA GARU (Hula Girls)
• Chungking Express
• Se Jie (Lust, Caution) (2008)
• Swing Girls
• Hana to ARISU (Hana & Alice)
• Fa Yeung Nin Wa (In the Mood for Love)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Kiraware Matsuko no Issho (Memories of Matsuko)
• KUWAIETTO RU-MU ni Youkoso (Welcome to the Quiet Room) (2008)
• Wong Gok Hak Yau (One Nite in Mongkok)
• Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
• Turn the River (2008)
• WALL-E (2008)
• Presto (2008)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• Tekkon Kinkreet
• Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)
• Ashita no Kioku (Memories of Tomorrow)
• Chi Bi (Red Cliff) (2008)
• Hito no SEKKUSU o Warauna (Don’t Laugh at my Romance) (2008)
  
• A Clockwork Orange
• Love Letter
• Young @ Heart (2008)
• Ba Wang Bie Ji (Farewellmy Concubine)
• Meduzot (Jellyfish) (2008)
• Sakuran
• The Shining
• Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One in) (2008)
• A Wednesday (2008)
• Bin-jip (3-Iron) [Empty Houses]
• Autism: The Musical
• Milk (2008)

added at the last minute until Dec. 31

• Freeheld (Oscar Best Short Docu 2007-2008)
• The Visitor (2008)
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
  

Best 2008 on TV Viewing

• Camouflage (Yu Aoi x 4 Lies) (2008)
• Osen (Yu, Yu and more Yu) (2008)
• Atsu-Hime (Aoi Miyazaki and Eita luvin’!) (2008)
• Last Friends (Juri and Eita luvin’) (2008)
• House Season 5 (2008) (huddy luv!!)
  
• Dexter Season 1, 2, 3
• Pushing Daisies Season 1, 2
• The L Word (ok… only because of shane and molly luvin’)

Best 2008 Talent Discovery

• Yu Aoi xD
• Juri Ueno xD
• Eita
• Aoi Miyazaki
• Salyu
• Bibi Chow
• LeeHom Wang
• Shiina Ringo
• Miyavi

This was probably the third film I saw of Yu, I was most impressed with the fact that Asians could move their booties like that… call it my Latin American gene that told me that the Asian gene makes you unfit to dancing. xD

Here’s the 12-part video on YouTube. Or just wait for it on cable…

A little about the film:
(from Wikipedia)
It’s a 2006 Japanese-award-winning film based on true events of a small coal mining town facing the shut down of the mine, and looking at the loss of +2000 jobs. While all the grownups seemed to be fuzzing about the future of their coal-legacy, a young group of girls see a gleam of hope in the opening of The Hawaiian Center, and hula dancing.

Genre: Drama, Comedy and dancing!
Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi, Eri Tokunaga, Shoko Ikezu & Shizuyo Yamazaki
Duration: 2hrs

Spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned.

The film begins with a brown-tinted shot of 1965 mountain town Iwaki, in northern Japan, and a girl reading a Hawaiian-Center-Looking-for-Dancers ad on a dusty wooden message board. Her name is Sanae (Eri Tokunaga) who quickly informs her very-best-friend, Kimiko (Yu Aoi), of this opportunity.

Times are changing and the heads of families are losing their jobs for the increase of other energy suppliers, the town is about to disappear and people are mad. Except, there are some trying to open a Hawaii Center to try and save the town… with the help of their own people. The mountains and tone of the film is depressing, and it made me feel like Hirayama-sensei when she realized she was trapped in Iwaki, but…

Hula Girls is a crowd-pleaser… the only thing people who don’t watch Asian films will complain will be subtitles, they will request for a dubbed audio. Other than that, most will love Hula Girls. There’s the underdog story of a little town trying to survive, there’s the story of a teacher trying to find a place where to belong, there’s the story of a girl with a dream of a better future. There’s family, there’s friends… there’s laughs, there’s some melodrama, and there’s the booty shaking. LOL

If you know your Asian films (Japanese films) well, you will find little to anything new. If you’re looking for ground-breaking, just look away. The only way you will enjoy this film is by wanting to have a good time. I came to see the film not knowing anything at all, so I was very pleased, and I had no doubt in recommending this film to family and friends wanting to amuse themselves, because fact is that everyone I know that has seen it (meaning, I made them watch), was left with a silly grin on their faces~~ something that makes it hard for me to choose a favorite scene…

I asked my mother what’s the thing she remembered the most about the film (other than the dancing), she said the scene in which Hirayama-sensei is introduced drunk… go figure that one! The fact is, choosing the dancing sequence as a favorite scene is the easy way out, and seeing the film over four times already doesn’t make it easier to choose. I don’t speak Japanese either, so it makes the subtleties in dialog hard to get… subtleties given by the dialect spoken. This is why perhaps the subbed-film will be lost in translation, not to mention a dubbed version – yes, I got to see the Spanish from Spain dubbed trailer of the film, UGH – with all of that, it’s hard to choose a truly favorite scene.

But let’s talk Yu Aoi. This is probably the film that has earned her the most awards to date – of course! The film is a crowd pleaser, and you can’t help but to root for Kimiko. Even my mom rooted for Kimiko… and she never roots for anyone. LOL’ – There’s loads to see of Yu Aoi on this one~~ Shy Yu, Bouncing with the Ballet Shoes Yu, Smile like a Pro Yu, Pissed at the Teacher Yu, My Legs are Cramped Yu, I Drank the Sake Shot Yu, and all the Yu’s you can probably imaging including Shake that Booty Yu. Sounds like a Mattel Yu Barbie ad campaign… x’D So if you want Yu, watch this one.

Story:	★★★¾☆
Characters:	★★★¾☆
Direction:	★★★½☆
Acting:	★★★★¼
Visuals:	★★★½☆
Overall:	★★★¾☆
Yu Aoi Participation:	★★★★★
Yu Aoi Performance:	★★★★☆