I think… it feels like I watched a lot of films.
Mainly because I don’t think I listened to too much music…
or watched much TV xD
… or read. LOL
Archives For Japanese
Well, I was expecting Masaki Okada with that hairstyle… but wasn’t expecting to see Yu so normal… How she manages to look good in rags still surprises me. I mean, she does look adorable in this snap. Her face is going to be flawless on screen…
And… I’m to lazy to try to figure out what this article is talking about.
All I wanna do is see Yu horseback riding =D
27 Asian Music Albums OWNED. [One, Mirotic… thanks Julz~]
That’s like 50 regular Western music albums in price… just so you know.
Over 240 Asian Music Albums HEARD…
it’s been 2 busy years of Asian Entertainment…
and I can’t seem to stop~
musicians and idols~ I can’t hate any of them…
and they’re making me broke xD
HMV JP takes top marks on shipping.
It only took 2 days! TWO days for my order to arrive~~~
It took Salyu 3 years to release her 3rd studio album, but it’s not like we were deprived of new music. In fact, Maiden Voyage contains many of the singles that Salyu had release these past years [6, if I count correctly]. You could say this could be a compilation of sorts, but it surprisingly works nicely as an album.
The album art gives you the visuals of flying… almost in a dream-like fashion — I mean, Salyu IS floating on a mattress and/or pillows, right? These visuals work really well with the overall themes and overall energy of the songs (yes, I actually grabbed the song book and followed the bouncing ball).
It also looks like Salyu is experimenting with her own music by finally stepping onto the writers chair, and even working on the music herself. Of course, she’s not doing it alone but with the help of Takeshi Kobayashi who has been there since the days of Lily Chou Chou. The collaborations between Kobayashi and Salyu are what we have come to get used to as far as Salyu’s sound is.
Interestingly enough, Salyu’s song (written and composed as least with the help of Tatsuya Kokufu) L.A.F.S (which stands for Love at First Sight) reminded me a little bit of what Salyu used to sound as Lily. Somewhat off-beat melodies, with really simple lyrics, but really moody.
Overall, the album really flows well and feels like a whole, except maybe for the oddball BIRTHDAY, which threw me off… in a really good way. The song, written by Salyu and composed again by Kokufu, sounded like Shiina Ringo and Bjork had a lovechild, if that were EVER possible.
I’ve taken to Salyu’s music because it’s soothing, as well as quite slow and easier to follow with a songbook. Salyu is really quite good to practice your reading and pronunciation. However on BIRTHDAY, she slurs her words and sounds completely different. I’m looking forward to more of that sound in the future. Hopefully.
As for the concert DVD. Well, it’s totally worth the price you pay for this limited edition with DVD
Screencap galore after the break~
Well, this is it people. I can’t hold it back any longer… specially with the latest announcement. I have to get this “If Only” edition done. In any case, other fans can still send me their 5 picks when they feel like it.
So here we go~
1. Thrist
I don’t get the title.
But this is coming from Aiya They Didn’t.
GT: Do you see many Chinese films in US cinemas?
Rosen: There are not many Chinese films in the US, and the few Chinese films that are available in the US were directed by famous directors, such as Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, and so on. There are several types of Chinese films that have played here.
Martial arts films are one type, such as Hero (Yingxiong) by Zhang Yimou and The Promise (Wuji) by Chen Kaige. The other type would be art films, such as those by Jia Zhangke, but these only get a limited release.
However, most Chinese films will never be shown in theaters here, because I think there simply isn’t enough of an audience for them. This is also true for most foreign language films. They are more likely to appear on DVD than to be shown in theaters.
Up to now, the most successful Chinese film has been Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wohu Canglong), the second most successful was Hero, and then Fearless (Huo Yuanjia).
The most successful Chinese films at the box office in the West have all been martial arts films, where language is less important than the action on the screen.
These are some of my comments,
Instead of Rosen suggesting China focus on big historical blockbuster to compete with Hollywood films, he should have only suggested “you should dub your films in English” – I mean, even great films produced and directed by American fave Clint Eastwood suffered from the “why no dub version” threads online.
Just look at the percentage of Chinese films on the Top Grossing Foreign films. I think they’re doing pretty great as far a top grossing in the US compared to other foreign films.
What I would like to see is more Chinese films (and over all Asian films) being distributed more in cinemas… in my country. LOL The last Chinese film released here was Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower. AGES ago. So if China wants to have more distribution of their films, they could use their own embassies and consulates around the world to actually screen films locally, instead of the Beijing Screening for international distributors.
I bet most distributors watch them, like them but see no market for them unless they have action sequences. So in the end those distribution screenings are for nothing. China should take distribution of their films in their own hands, I’m sure a lot of people would go to the movies instead of watching online (at least many of you) if the films you want to watch are available locally.
Like I’ve said, I’m not trying to be biased, since I do watch films made in America. But if you take a look at what a Blockbuster is in America, which they are discussing in the interview, films like Transformers 2 and Twilight made big bucks. China’s productions just wonder how they can get that many people to watch their films… and not only martial art films, but other types of films too.
The fact is many foreign films don’t get wide releases because they aren’t mass-appealing (worldwide), most markets just are filled with a lot of crappy American films, and I’m not talking about District 9 or Up… but with things like Transformers 2 and All About Steve or any Jennifer Aniston rom-com. While crappy foreign films (because everyone has their crappy films) can’t even make it outside their country.
The other question is… why does Hollywood remake My Sassy Girl, when My Sassy Girl is a fine film. Why can’t they just release it with subtitles. What does China need to get a film like Internal Affairs in theaters in America, instead of getting The Departed winning Best Film at the Oscar?
Why is there a Best Foreign Film category?
I just got a sudden adrenaline rush.
Not only Shunji Iwai and Yu Aoi together…
ON A VAMPIRE FLICK… in an English-language project.
SHOT IN VANCOUVER?
I’ll let Kevin from Nippon Cinema explain as I SPAZZ some more.
After spending the past few years screenwriting and producing, filmmaker Shunji Iwai (All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice) is returning to the director’s chair for a yet-untitled English-language vampire drama to begin shooting in Vancouver this May. Currently, the only plot info available is that the story will involve a seemingly average young man who secretly craves blood and seeks out suicidal women on the internet. However, the women need to fall in love with him before he’s able to get the full pleasure of sucking the life out of them (yep, sounds like internet dating all right). Actresses Amanda Plummer and Yu Aoi are signed on as cast members.
FYI, Amanda Plummer played opposite Sarah Polley on Isabel Coixet’s My Life Without Me.
I am conflicted, Vancouver is Lainey’s territory… should we pimp Yu to Lainey and let her fall in love with her, so she posts about Yu papz while in town? LOL, though Yu in Vancouver is like… another Japanese girl. I probably would have had a heart attack if I had still been living in Vancouver.
Okay, this means I really REALLY need to finish my If Only.
Please, sweet baby geezus let this film be my dream project. LOL
This is Acerk’s last (and best) pick for Yu Aoi wishful thinking films. And I really did my best to stretch these picks as much as I could just to see if other fans would contribute their own.
There’s still time people!
1. Tokyo Trash Baby
I haven’t read the Nodame manga series, but I sure am waiting for the last two movies, because I loved the live action adaptation. Also, Juri Ueno is the perfect Nodame!
Anyway, I’ll let Kawaii Joyuu do the explaining~
Actress Aoi Yu (24) or at least her voice is going to appear in the second “Nodame Cantabile” movie that is opening soon. They announced today that she is going to dub the young Hungarian woman Jadwi. Jadwi’s actual name is Jadwiga, meaning “mysterious sleeping beauty” and is a popular character in the original manga. She becomes a close friend of Nodame (Ueno Juri) and therefore one of the key characters in the second movie. Both of them meet at the music school they attend in Paris. Jadwi can play the theremin, the first ever electronic music instrument in the world. Her unique character and unique instrument eventually helps Nodame enjoying music again, after she got separated from her beloved piano.
Jadwi has a very fluffy personality. Aoi actually would be the perfect actress for the role, even Ueno already noticed that. “She has a fairy-like, very mysterious aura surrounding her, almost like Aoi Yuu,” she said. There were plans to transform Aoi into a foreign girl with the help of make-up, but who knows how that would look like in the end. Now they have a French actress playing that role and Aoi dubbing her in Japanese. “There would be no better person for this,” Ueno commented after hearing that Aoi got confirmed for the voice cast.
I have often talked about Yu’s voice acting, and her different voices. She’s got her regular voice lower and sort of as-a-matter-of-fact, and then there’s also her sponsoring voice which is high and chirpy. But she’s also done a lot of cute voice, and you also know I prefer Yu when she’s not cute… even though I can’t deny that she’s cute, and that makes you smile nonetheless. This is why Juri’s remarks on Yu’s fairy-like qualities is fascinating.
Anyway, for those Yu Aoi fans that have not seen Nodame Cantabile – it’s just a blast. I mean, the first couple of episodes are something to get used to for the wacky and over-the-top qualities [mind you, I had just gotten into J-entertainment back then], but once you get into it, it’s so SO funny. Part of the funny behind the casting of Yu as the dubbing for a Hungarian character is hilariously and bluntly pointed out on the first Nodame Europe Special.
Now there’s more reason to watch Nodame Cantabile Movie 2! xD
I’m just gonna re-post what I wrote on Facebook xD
WOAHHHH, Stella Artois and The Auteurs are letting us watch 6 films for free. What’s better? They are 6 GREAT FILMS. Doesn’t get much better than that.
– Polanski’s Repulsion this has been changed for
– Walkabout
– Russian Ark
– Lars Von Trier’s Europa
– Hirokazu Koreeda’s Daremo Shiranai (Nobody Knows)
– Tropical Malady
– Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Three Times this has been changed for
– Faust
Just head over there, login and watch.
And remember… if you snooze, you lose.
I’d better watch Tropical Malady before it’s gone like Three Times. xD
