Category: Sharing

  • First Ouch Reviews for Redline and Raiou

    Okay, the Raiou review isn’t so ouch because it’s in Japanese, and it didn’t seem to talk much about the film – other than the synopsis – but they gave it 2/5 which… you know, it’s bad. It doesn’t really surprise me after Ryuichi Hiroki’s April Bride. We’re not talking about Shinobu Terajima — fully, in-your-face actress — with Ryuichi Hiroki. We’re talking about Eita and Nana Eikura — the idols.

    But still, as an idol film, I think it’s gonna floor me. I’ve seen the clips, it’s got Yu-chan riding a horse in slow-motion. Screaming. Talking with an accent. Shooting an arrow. It’s got Yu-chan’s first proper on-screen kiss — it’s not an “in your head” kiss scene, it’s not a stolen kiss — it’s a proper romance.

    Then Mark Schilling from the Japan Times – who also kicked FLOWERS in the shins – kicks Redline too. I’m gonna pick the phrases that sum up his review the best:

    “Redline” is all about visceral thrills that peak in the first slam-bang, headlong race scene. The film then spends the next 90 minutes trying to top this opener — about 90 minutes too long for me.

    …

    But the first 10 minutes are terrific.

    There you go. He gave it a 2.5/5

    But he says the animation is good, which… I mean – have you seen the World Record short from The Animatrix? Same guy directing. I can’t wait to just feast my eyes. Maybe, if the story and action is as sucky as he says (not enough drama, again?) Maybe I’ll just watch it one more time. I mean, he did love Tekkonkinkreet.

  • Yu Aoi on Asahi TV’s Tetsuko’s Room

    Or at least that’s what I translated Tetsuko no Heya. xD

    The interview is good, we learn a bit — including two questions that some fans wanted to know, or at least that’s what your questions were about. What was her favorite role (or at least that’s what I understood when she replied), and a bit about her family… which also gave us some new photos – including this one!

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  • Jónsi @ The Wiltern by Wes Johnson

    A short time-lapse video of Jonsi’s performance xD

    You know, up until now – Jonsi’s Go remains one of my fave albums of 2010. Shortly followed by Yuguo’s Those Words I Want to Say to You, but that’s an EP.

  • Ga-In – Irreversible

    G asked me about Ga-In — sorry, only in Spanish — and wondered if she was my favorite Brown Eyed Girl member. And yes, yes she is indeed. Though I didn’t love or adored her EP debut, it was very interesting to me in terms of style. It sounded very Argentina. To sum it all up, the music video is also very passionate Tango.

    First of all, Ga-In seems to be enjoying all the body groping. I suspect it started with Abracadabra. LOL Plus she goes all “Music-Vid Turned Short Film” on us with a running time of over 10min. that includes tragic love, tears, face-scratching, dramatic walking away while the girl gropes your leg (very Latin passion, btw), suicide attempts, and some pop version of Tango dancing (Tanging?) in the desert.

    I’m gonna actually show the video to my mom and dad — who also enjoy Kpop, btw. My mom likes to point out that Korean girl groups have better legs than Japanese girl groups. LOL She’s picky with the Asian chicken legs xD or how my friend calls them – the drumsticks. LOL

    Anyway, I’d like to know what they think about this parrilla argentina.

  • Asia Pacific Screen Nominations 2010

    Never have followed the Asian Pacific nominations… mainly because it’s hard to, you know~~~ watch films from that part of the world for me. However, distribution is getting better – dvds are being launched so much faster, and many of them come with subtitles in English (when needed), and there’s a lot more people willing to fansub when needed.

    And YAY! Aftershocks has landed 6 nominations – including Best Film, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay PLUS! Best Actor and Best Actress. Now, I’m trying not to be biased, I don’t think actor Chen Daoming was THAT good in Aftershocks, but actress Xu Fan completely deserves it.

    The other big nominee of the night is South Korea’s Poetry (Shi) – crap! I’m really that good at film recommendations for distributors, someone hire me ASAP! – which received 4 nominations for Best Film, Best Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Actress. While Taiwan’s Monga – see, I’m good – was nominated for 3 awards for Best Film, Best Directing and Best Cinematography.

    The APSA(wards) will be handed out December 2nd on a live webcast at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards site.

    All nominations below the break~

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  • Uptown & Down by Mario Testino

    You know I love Testino. You also know that I prefer his natural light photos, than his high-fashion work… but! There are times when it’s just too good, you know? Plus, it’s got some Carmen Kass!

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  • Jonsi’s Live Stream from Los Angeles

    Did you see it?

    It was amazing – LOL, the closest thing to it since I doubt he will ever perform here. I think it’s becoming a fixture… watching Sigur Ros, Bjork, Jonsi on live streams. xD

    Anyway, in case you missed it – they will be re-running the nearly-hour show pretty much all of today. Just go to the NPR website, and check if the live stream is ready for re-viewing.

  • Elva Hsiao – Let Love Fly (Ice Version)

    According to this Aiya They Didn’t post, Elva Hsiao’s latest single Rang Ai Fei Qi Lai (Let Love Fly) music video was deemed PG-12 in Taiwan, and banned in Singapore — understandable being a Muslim state and all — due to it’s gay “themes”.

    The video comes in two versions, the Ice Version and the Rainbow Version – but no! The Rainbow Version is not the one deemed… er, inappropriate. It’s the Ice Version. Because it’s got the “gays” people holding hands! Eek! No, seriously guys… ironically, the gayest suggestive Rainbow version with tons of guys semi-nakedness frolicking in a pool filled with peen- er, I mean foam and some straight couple kissing just got passed Muslim censors.

    If I were a censor, I would have gone with the hand-holding and avoid the gay pool with foam. But to each his own – that’s just me and my mind is in the gutter.

    As for the song, and the actual Ice Version. I… don’t really like the song, but it’s so damn catchy – actually listened to it more than 5 times already. Plus, I guess it’s got a good message of love for everyone! And the video is kinda classy for a gay/lesbian pop music video.

    I already pimped this to AfterEllen and AfterElton – I hope they pick up xD

  • Why Raiou Needs to Reach #1~

    Raiou, based on the novel by Mari Ueza about tragic lovers, is set to open next week on Friday the 22nd. It stars idol-in-the-rise Masaki Okada opposite established-idol-transitioning-to-actress Yu Aoi. What does Raiou mean to their careers?

    A rising-star and an established-idol starring in a period drama romance? If it succeeds, it means the rising-star will keep on rising, and the established-idol still has “it”. A period drama romance lays solely on its protagonists’ shoulders, and their chemistry. If it fails, it’s because of them. That’s a lot of scary thoughts right there~

    Why does Yu Aoi need Raiou to succeed? She is indeed an idol still. She sponsors products, and she makes a living selling products. She’s young — to westerners, anyway — she’s cute, youthful… the whole shebang. However, the life-span of a Japanese female idol is short, some of them have retired at 20! So Yu, having turned 25 already, isn’t… well, a young idol any longer. She’s been away of major mainstream entertainment, she’s had relationships, she’s been on tabloids as people discuss who she really is dating. Everything takes its toll. She’s now a woman. An actress who is still an idol. Will people support her passed her prime-early-twenty years like they did when the hit Hula Girls came out?

    Raiou holds Yu’s idol-hood future. Will it be a hit right away? Shoot to number one the first week to then drop the next? Will it slowly climb to number one in two or three weeks and stay there a week or two? Will it climb slowly up to stay there for several weeks? Will it never reach number one?? Whatever happens, it will change Yu’s bankability.

  • Black Swan Limited Edition Posters

    These are gorgeousity~~~ xD

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