We’re almost about to finish up with June – still haven’t reached 20 films listed on 2009 @ IMDb… and I’m still way short on my quota to be legible on my own awards.
I thought it’d be interesting to see how this works, so I grabbed the IMDb Power Search Tool and looked for all films listed on IMDb following this criteria:
All films must have over 50 votes on the site (you know, just to make the list shorter)
I must have voted it over 6.
So I made my list of the regular categories – All acting categories, best animated feature, best director and best picture – without caring about the language they’re in. Just a reminder~~~ this year’s awards should include all categories except for Documentaries and shorts~~~
Here are the ones of the would’ve beens of films released on 2000 – Oscar 2001 -
Anyway, this is my 4th contribution to the Japanese Cinema Blogathon, if you haven’t been reading… which I hope you have had~~~ because that’s the whole point of this blogathon, right? To promote J-Films…
Which brings me to today’s topic.
First, Your Friends~ Then the World!
How to Make People Watch Japanese Cinema
It’s all about compromise. God knows I’ve tried so hard to get my friends interested in it, because sometimes it can get boring talking to people about it just online… *sighs* I’m sure I come off as pushy, etc~ and many of them won’t budge. I even offer them films to watch for free… they only need to come over, and that’s that.
Last year I had a Foreign Film gathering (they chose the foreign theme, anyway), two of the nine films scheduled that day were Tetsuya Nakashima’s Memories of Matsuko – mainly because I’m crazy about that film, and I had just watched it a few weeks prior – and Shunji Iwai’s Hana & Alice, because Iwai-san and Yu Aoi is lurv. Sadly, no one came on time to watch Matsuko (only one friend arrived… halfway through the film), and I highly doubt they made any connection with Hana & Alice.
Needless to say, I’m setting up another film gathering, though I haven’t made them choose themes yet. I have a few lists I’ve made and they contain a couple of Japanese films. Let’s hope one of them stays this year! *crosses fingers*
Anyway… you don’t want to come off as pushy – and like I said above… it’s all about compromise.
You have a friend who wants to make you watch something of his own?? Maybe he wants to get you into Lost, Heroes… or Battlestar Gallactica? Give in, tell him you will watch a season (or maybe a few episodes, depending on your willingness to compromise) in exchange he should watch a film or two.
This will make your friend feel like you are not pushing him to watch something, instead you’re just exchanging interests… and who knows, you might end up enjoying both those hobbies.
When you blog about it, mix things up a little. We blog about Japanese Cinema, but in the end people who already like Japanese Cinema read your posts.
The point of this blogathon is to promote Japanese Cinema, but we are the ones dealing and discussing. I mentioned this blogathon to a friend, and she had no idea why she should care. *doh!* – combine the idols with your favorite Japanese Directors, and get them at least skimming through your posts. Make a western comparison… got something to write about vampire films? psych ward films? I mean Clive Owen has said that he wants to work with Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee again… that means some teenage Owen fans would be at least be interested in checking out some more work by both directors.
How about a crazy collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tetsuya Nakashima? Or Juliette Binoche and Shunji Iwai?
Make a fuzz about collaborations. No matter how good or bad you may think they are.
I made a fuzz about Tokyo! – I kind of really worship Michel Gondry’s visual style… then there was Ryo Kase, and Yu Aoi. – I’ve also been making a fuzz over New York, I Love You because it’s got Shunji Iwai’s short with Orlando Bloom. Now, I don’t like Orlando Bloom (I’ve only ever liked him as Legolas LOL), but if there are people who enjoy the short… there is a small chance that a teenage Bloom fan might check out Iwai’s past work.
Introduced them with what they like.
My dad likes comedies… and action films, but well~ he also happens to like Asian culture, LOL’ so maybe I’m being a little unfair here. Anyway, I’ve made him watch films like Linda Linda Linda, Matsuko, Swing Girls, Tekkon, Kamikaze Girls… then one day he brought me Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams. *laughs* I was surprised myself, but my dad had a newly-found interest in Japanese films (mostly the epic kind though… xD)
and to just not have FOUR bullet points here…
… just keep pushing~
Keep bugging people. Someone will need to budge, right? LOL
Long-lost-love Syndrome. LOL’ There was a time when I was very romantic in my movie viewing, and I began picking “best kisses,” but I can’t remember the last time I saw a romantic film – and if I’ve done so… I can’t remember a single kiss. I mean, I remember kisses (mostly of shows), but they don’t feel in the same level of the kisses that I picked before…
What I do know is that the possible romantic films, or other genre with love interests have always turned out to be people who love/loved each other and parted and never see each other again. BUM. I spent the first 15 episodes of Atsu-Hime crying my eyes out because Naogoro and Atsu-Hime… sighs, even the thought of it depresses me. It crashes my heart when Eita (as Naogoro) says “Nippon Ichi no Otoko” T_T Atsu-Hime (at that time Okatsu) tells him she wants to marry the best man in Japan, and then everything happens. GOSH! That last scene when they play Go together…
Aha! Thinking about it at the moment… maybe my lack of hot kissing is because of watching too many Asian films and series. LOL’ The only kiss I recall from the films I’ve seen is the one in Memories of Matsuko, yet another Eita project. xD EITA LUVIN’!!! But that kiss was not hot, as much as it was funny and kinda icky. HA! Another kiss that comes to mind was the one in Shinku (Deep Red) with Asami Mizukawa, but that was just a bizarre kiss placed in the film. Then there was the weird biting-the-lip kiss with Juri Ueno and Hayato Ichihara, LOL in Rainbow Song. xD
Then, I’m pretty sure there was a kiss or two in Les Chansons d’Amour, but I can’t remember… I only recall the awesome ending quote. xD
Aimez-moi moins, mais aimez-moi un longtemps.
LOVE.
Then there was Fucking Åmål, but I only remember the cute chocolate milk scene at the end. xD Then there was Enchanted, which I’m sure there was a “magic kiss” and all, but I was more concerned in Patrick Dempsey’s hotness, and Amy Adams’ big cartoon eyes. LOL Then came Dan in Real Life, and Juliette Binoche’s hotness in the film… There’s a lot of hot in Lucia y el Sexo (obviously), but can’t remember a kiss hahaha~~~
So… I’ve gone back at least a year of movies, and those are the ones I can come up with. There are kisses from shows… but still, have to think about those. Fact is, Amy is suffering from LLL Syndrome. xD
It wasn’t long ago that Lima got the chance to watch Paris, Je t’Aime – and though the shorts are not perfect, they are very enjoyable. They also had a really nice cast put together that included Natalie Portman, Juliette Binoche, Elijah Wood, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maggie Gyllenhaal, heck~~ even Ryan Phillippe. LOL… and with an interesting list of directors that included Cuaron, the Coen and Gus Van Sant~~
Apparently, the collection of short films were pretty successful, so as Hollywood does what Hollywood does best~~ Now we’ve got New York, I Love You… and there’s a Teaser because apparently there might be a screening at TIFF. Here it is~~
I was excited about NY, I Love You. I was… but this teaser~~ some of the actors, they’re not on my good list of actors~~ in fact, they are in my list of actors I should skip. LOL’ Though, I’ve probably made exceptions. Anyway, and the music. I like the music… I do. But I thought they could pick tracks less familiar, because at the moment it makes me feel like I put my iPod on shuffle.
Also… 2010, will you be ready for Shanghai, I Love You? Or should that be Shanghai, Wo Ai Ni??? xD
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