Category: Films

  • When did this blog turn into…

    an Asian-centric place?

    I seem to complain a lot about the West lately. I dunno if you’ve noticed. I’ve noticed, and my parents have noticed. The four featured articles are Asian topics (kind of, since YAM005 has Yu LOL), I listen to a lot of music from Asia, watch a lot of films from Asia (though I’m also watching Mad Men Season 1 at the moment – actually on Ep08) – Everything seems Asia.

    What the heck.

    Have I opened my eyes to something I had never known before? Oh how I wish I had been so Asian when my grandfather was alive, maybe he would’ve been proud. I’m sure he’d be thrilled I’m all over Chinese music (I still got six albums to listen to xD), and maybe I’d be speaking Chinese by now instead of just fraking around.

    So when did this happen? Why did this happen?

    Is it because American music sucks? Is it because American celebrities suck? Is it because British music sounds the same? Is it because everyone on this side of the world looks and sounds the same? Or am I just tired of hearing how evil China is because that’s what they keep telling me on the papers and online news. Perhaps all the negative propaganda makes me like Asia even more.

    Or is it the Anti-American “ideas” of everything American sucks? Because that’s what people think, right? But I don’t think so, I don’t have a problem with the American people… maybe their music industry, and their movie industry… and their media… or how the media portrays anything. No, scratch all of that. I have a problem with people in general. People suck, and I’ve become very anti-social. I don’t like western media, because that’s what I get to read since it’s all I can understand. I would probably hate other reporters and writers in Asian language if I could properly read what they write. But as it stands, I hate the media I get to hear and read about. The so-called defenders of the truth and objective point of views. I have given up on objectivity on television, but they keep shoving it in my face.

    So yeah, it seems this blog (and YAM for that matter) is turning more and more towards an Asia focus because I’m getting more and more fed up with the West. For anyone else out there who find themselves only focus on Asian (or only Japanese, only Korean, only Chinese) Entertainment, why did it happen? How? When?


  • Iñárritu @ Tokyo Film Fest~

    Tokyo Film Festival 2009The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF, not to be confused with Toronto LOL) has just announced that Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel) will be presiding the 22nd edition of the festival to be held from  October 17 to October 25th this year.

    Also… like I’ve mentioned before, the Tokyo Film Fest, alongside the Shanghai Film Fest are quickly turning into the most important in the region.

    Anyway, as all things West media… when you search for the news, you get the articles talking about how dolphin documentary The Cove wasn’t allowed to open the festival. With titles such as “Will Tokyo Film Fest man up and show The Cove?” or “Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Tokyo Film Festival.”

    That is why I was so disappointed that our film, after winning awards in the last 13 film festivals it had entered, was rejected by the Tokyo Film Festival, whose theme this year is green. Not that it is that much of a shocker, but the main goal for making the film was to shut down the cove in Taijii, Japan, where 2,300 dolphins are killed every year.

    Remember that time when Hayden Panettiere got in trouble in Japan for eh… I dunno, swimming with the dolphins?

    But you know, dolphins are cute this is why it deserves a documentary (and it will probably win an Oscar for it if the cuteness continues). Penguins are cute too, I admit it (and they also won an Oscar, LOL). But cows aren’t. This is why cows don’t get a documentary, and we all get to eat meat regardless of how they are slaughtered.

    I’m usually not a big fan of this one-side documentaries, because I’m pretty sure they won’t show how Taiji sees this as a way to sustain its town. And it will be all about saving the dolphins… and the people saving them. – I’m looking at you Panettiere. xD – I wonder if they give an alternative to sustain the town’s economy, as well as ranting about how people kill dolphins. You know, it’s fine to show the problem, but it’s not much use without a solution. So we stop hunting them, then what? How would they survive? Please, they’d better not suggest “Dolphin Watching” or I’ll shoot myself. As far as I’m concerned, we shouldn’t be allowed on “x-animal watching” ever and allow the disturbance in their habitat.

    Anyway, this has turned into a rant instead of reporting. LOL

    I love eating. I love meat, I can’t live without it. A meal without meat feels not done.

    One of the reasons I can’t be a Buddhist – I tried a Buddhist meal once in Hong Kong. So good, but gone so fast. Had to eat again 2hrs. later. Perhaps, I can suggest watching Departures? Things sometimes need to die for you to survive.

    Here’s The Cove website.

    Here’s a bit more on the Film Festival timeline~~~

    Also, when I was 17-ish… I used to sort of look up to PETA, now I just think they’re pretty annoying. Perhaps they should try to change the way they preach. It seems like they just lost something along the way. Like their sanity.

    Crap! Now I’m really in the mood for some Sirloin. T-T


  • When you ask me to fangirl…

    I’ll fangirl, but I doubt Isabelle Huppert would appreciate that fangirling. In fact, when I fangirl – I don’t gush. I do the opposite. I will not bother you. It’s a very fine line for me from ignoring someone because I don’t really care, to try to ignore someone because I know they don’t want to be disturbed.

    Blame my mom for it. LOL

    Anyway, I got to see Isabelle Huppert pretty up close.

    The whole “people don’t shove your camera onto her face” thing didn’t work out here. Everyone was flashing her(with their cameras, not the other type of flashing… though that’d be hilarious),
    but I was at bay.

    So here is a photo-chronic LOL

    (more…)


  • Winslet on a Miniseries Version of Mildred Pierce

    Joan Crawford - Mildred PierceIt’s been announced that Kate Winslet will be in a new adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel Mildred Pierce. This time around a miniseries… possibly involving HBO, directed by the Far from Heaven (Julianne Moore) director Todd Haynes. HBO does pretty good miniseries…

    but I dunno how to feel~~~

    Before, the novel was adapted into the movie that earned Fab Joan Crawford her Oscar for Best Actress in 1945.

    I loved the movie. It came with my Joan Crawford movie collection, and it made me want to slap Veda so so SO bad~~~ I’m fascinated by the way Crawford led her life… she took it all, man. Until the end.

    They don’t make them like that any longer. Stars love to bitch now. They want their privacy, but do nothing. They love the attention, but they bitch. That’s how they make them now…

    As you may also know… I’m also fascinated by Greta Garbo. Fell in love with the both of them. Garbo gave it all up for her privacy. That’s how you do it… stars now can’t.

    Also, my dad loved the movie too. xD
    Had so much fun watching it, and wanting to slap Veda around too.


  • It’s YAM Time #5!

    LOL
    Cheap Mambo #5 mention xD

    Anyway~~ Here it is!!!
    After much liver disease~~~
    YAM005

    with Yu on the cover!
    Happy early Bday, Yu~
    Omedetou!!

    YAM005

    In it, you’ll read more about Harry Potter 6 (against much of anyone’s Harmonian hearts, lol), Transformers 2, Moon (yeah, that last line kills me), and Public Enemies~ Snap! There’s also DBSK concert review, SNSD (which I always get a typo), Bibi, Seo Taiji, Clazziquai, Popular and more~~~

    Head over here to download~~~


  • Oh, eBooks!

    I think finally someone over at Cnet has caught up with what I’ve been saying
    tsk tsk…

    the only thing missing is that distributors are probably greedy bastards~
    just saying…

    I would also buy more digital content (eBooks, etc) if it were tagged at $2USD

    Anyway… here are some of my suggestions~

    MP3Sale.ru – price-tagged by song duration.
    MovieBerry.com – with DVD, DivX HQ, DivX and iPod versions.

    any book site suggestion?


  • A post on Film Festivals

    I normally don’t post much about Film Festivals, mainly because I don’t get to see many of the films during festivals. However, I thought that I should talk about the Toronto International Film Festival, which seems like a big industry thing. I decided to do this mainly because over at theauteurs.com they’ve recently updated their menu bar options with a “festival” section, and the TIFF section (at least for this year’s edition) seems pretty complete with almost 150 film links.

    Cannes presence in the site isn’t bad either. Or the San Francisco International Film Festival…

    Here goes~

    Starting with the Venice Film Festival on September 2nd until September 12th.

    TIFF starting on September 10th until September 19th.

    and the San Sebastian International Film Festival (Spanish) on September 17th until September 26th.

    That’s some pretty heavy Film Festival posting month. Add to that the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) that starts on October 1st until October 16th – but the line-up will be announced on September 12th.

    The Lima Film Festival closes tomorrow (Saturday 15th).


  • More Shorts of the Day~

    Too much to post today, not enough time to single post everything
    so another round of shorts here…

    First, Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) has joined Twilight.
    WHAT??? Geez… I have nothing left to say about this.

    Independent Spirit Awards are ready for a call of entries for the 25th edition:
    EARLY DEADLINE:
    Monday, September 14, 2009
    FINAL DEADLINE:
    Tuesday, October 6, 2009

    as you may know, Spirit Awards nominations mark the beginning of Award Season~

    NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
    AWARDS CEREMONY: Friday, March 5, 2010

    hmm… March? Later than I expected, but oh well~

    The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has added more titles for this year’s event, including screenings for Alejandro Amenabar’s Agora (with Rachel Weisz), and Natalie Portman’s Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.

    Those are added to the list of Precious, Kore-eda’s Air Doll and Bong Joon-Ho’s Mother, which I mentioned back in this post

    and finally… I received an email of Sony Pictures announcing Michael Jackson’s “This is It” – the last rehearsals and behind-the-scenes footage on HD and digital sound to be released on October 30th.

    won’t post the “press release” because it’s so long, and to be honest – pretty boring to read.


  • Sexy Schoolgirls~

    Oh, you love them. I know you do. LOL

    It didn’t start with Britney, but I’m gonna pick on her just because I don’t want to search and post common photos of Denise Richards back in her Wild Things days. LOL

    Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

    There’s an article, by a dude that talks about this… again. Is it misogynistic? Regular fantasy? Wrong, right? Where do you draw the line? (more…)


  • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Trailer

    I told you one was coming!
    I didn’t know what to expect from Doctor Parnassus to be honest,
    but Gilliam seems to deliver another horrorific tale here
    can’t wait to see it.

    [iframe width=”560″ height=”349″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Khizyk3Y5lo?rel=0″]