Archives For Films

Lily Chou Chou – Kokyu Re-Issue

March 30, 2009 — 10 Comments

So this totally slipped my mind! I got the re-issue of Breathe!!! The Lily Chou Chou album from the Lily film by Shunji Iwai. The first time you see the film is so SO difficult~~ it’s such a hard theme, and characters you just want to slap around. I was a kid not long ago, and I felt so disconnected from THAT reality… yet, the film. You go back to it, and absorb it. The visuals, the music… it’s heartbreak.

Salyu, her voice~~ I fell in love with the soundtrack. The album is an experience all on its own… perhaps more than Salyu’s other albums. It’s the film, it’s because the album is strongly connected to that reality that it works so well… perhaps, a bit poetic. It’s THAT magical. At least to me, and to all the people that had bought the first issue of the album~~~ and maybe the reason WHY it was re-released.

I just want to know, from the people that bought the first run of copies… is it the same as the re-issue? Or has something changed? Hence, the re-issue credits in the album (including a re-design credit) ~ your thoughts?

Lily Chou Chou - Salyu - Kokyu

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Remembering Harmony

March 28, 2009 — 3 Comments

I was looking for some photographs on my backups, and ran into this piece – which I had uploaded to DeviantArt before it was taken down by them. SUCKY. – Anyway, this wallpaper/fanart… though some weird color (which I named ‘acid’ and was feature on my blog back in the day…) is one of my favorite Harmony fanart.

So I thought I’d share this… loved Harmony back in PoA. Best Harmony. By the way, have you guys seen the HP6 trailer? I promised I won’t go to the theater or dish my money to JK, but that trailer I saw gave me a fuzzy feeling *sighs* reminded me of Harmony coincidentally~~~

Enjoy,

Harry Potter - H+Hr - Harmony - Their Looks

In Books, English, Films, Graphics , , , , , , , ,
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Wah! OMG! Where the Wild Things Are Trailer!

I was nutz over the poster I saw a while ago, coz it was oh so pretty. And now! Ooh la~~~~ Trailer!!!

[iframe width=”560″ height=”349″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/01-PqqifyjA?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″]

Posted on March 25, 2009 In English, Films, Fun, Sharing, Trailers
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Paco and the Magical Book, Tetsuya Nakashima + Dramatic Comedy Meets Disney on LSD

March 21, 2009 — 1 Comment

Tetsuya Nakashima’s latest film, PAKO to Maho no Ehon is one horrorific Japanese film – and you should see it for it. Nakashima has become quickly in one of my favorite Japanese directors (alongside Shunji Iwai, who is, by the way, a total different approach to filmmaking) and Memories of Matsuko is my favorite Japanese film to date.

Nakashima is quickly turning into my Japanese sort of Tim-Burtonesque filmmaker stylist, in the way he uses rich visual enhancements to his storytelling – thanks to his background in CMs, and just found out and remembered watching this – He combines amazing color treatment, art direction, cinematography and mashes it all up with anything he can… be it a bit of violence, grandeur musical numbers, and animation.

PAKO to Maho no Ehon - Paco and the Magical Picture Book

In the end, it isn’t much of a surprise when you begin watching Paco and the Magical Book and find yourself in a very Disney-nesque world (the film starts with a Lion-King-esque chant, literally) – after all, this is supposed to be aimed at a younger audience. However, don’t ever fool yourself thinking that this will dumb down anything that Tetsuya wants to show… which includes a punk-goth-tatooed-blond nurse (Anna Tsuchiya), a psychologically-insane-ex-child-star-bum (Satoshi Tsumabuki), a raging-drag-queen whom a lot of people are referring to as ‘gay’ (Jun Kunimura), and a blood-sucking-neck-biting-vampiresque nurse (Eiko Koike). And don’t forget the grumpy old man who doesn’t back down when hitting the kid (Koji Yakusho)… well, I actually laughed at that bit. Does that make me an asshole??

Yes, the film is nuts, but it’s worth watching. For international audience, it might not be recommended to watch with their kids, unless they are willing to read subtitles… because films like this should be enjoy in its original language. I still think is not as brilliant as Matsuko, but I will have to see it once more with proper subtitles to form a strong opinion. And man! Those CGI animated sequences… and the whole thing, like I said~~ dramatic comedy meets Disney on LSD. I think that’s the perfect description for Nakashima’s style.

I’ll leave you with some links,

In DVD/BR, English, Films, Fun, Japanese, Screencaps, Sharing, Torrents & Digital Streams , ,
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Yu Aoi Film Discussion – Nijuuyon no Hitomi – 24 Eyes

March 20, 2009 — 4 Comments

Schoolteacher Hisako Oishi struggles to imbue her students with a positive view of the world and their place in it, despite the fact that she knows full well that most of them will die in the war.

Genre: Drama
Starring: Hitomi Kuroki, Kaoru Yachigusa
Appearances by: Akira Emoto, Yu Aoi, Shun Oguri
Duration: +2hr

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In Celebrity, English, Films, Fun, Japanese, Posters/Artwork, Reviews, Screencaps, Sharing ,
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Ooh La! Natalie Portman + Brad Pitt!

March 18, 2009 — 2 Comments

Thanks to Lainey, and NataliePortman.com~~ Variety is reporting Natalie and Brad are teaming up for a new film!

The film has a long ass name, ready? Are you sure?  It will be the adapted film from the book called, “Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry.” – Yes, that’s a whole title. We’ll referred to it as “Artifacts” for the moment~~~

Pitt’s Plan B will produce with Portman’s Handsomecharlie Films banner. Portman brought the book to Pitt, whose company is Par-based.

The book takes the form of a Sotheby’s-like estate auction catalog, with 325 entries and photographs depicting items that reveal the private moments and the rise and fall of a four-year relationship between the fictitious couple Hal Morris (a 40ish photographer) and Lenore Doolan (a New York Times food columnist in her late 20s).

The project will be developed as a romantic comedy to star Pitt and Portman.

At this time, Brad Pitt has a LOT, and I do mean a LOT of work~~ He’s got Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds coming out soon, followed by Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, and Moneyball by Soderbergh. While… well… Portman has only Brothers, which we’ve been waiting for a while now – with Jakey!! xD and Maguire.

I am also waiting to see New York, I Love You~ despite some of the other people involved in it. Ha! And she’s algo got Love & Other Impossible Pursuits, but I’m guessing it will be quite a while until the day I get to see that one…

Thoughts?

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Be Still my Heart: Coco Avant Chanel

The trailer for Coco Avant Chanel, about the life of Coco Chanel starring Audrey Tautou has hit the net a few days ago. Me wants to see~~~ I need a little French push at the moment with so much Asian in my life.

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

Looks good, non? I’m surprised Lainey is not over all of this by now. LOL’ I thought she;d be, btu oh well~~

Posted on March 12, 2009 In Celebrity, English, Films, French, Sharing, Trailers
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Rookie of the Year Award for Yu!!

March 7, 2009 — 3 Comments

Yu Aoi - 2009 - Rookie of the Year Award CeremonyRookie? LOL’ I don’t think she’s a ‘rookie’ perse but okay… I’ll take it!

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…

Continue Reading…

In Celebrity, Clips, English, Films, Japanese, Photographs, Screencaps, Sharing , , ,
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Natalie Portman for A Powerful Noise

In light of all those “natalie portman oscar 2009” searches~~ which have been A LOT since yesterday – what’s up with that, by the way? -A Powerful Noise is a documentary following 3 women in Mali, Vietnam, and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they overcome their battles against ignorance, poverty, ethnic strife and oppression.

[iframe width=”560″ height=”349″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/dv2UIrklRoE?rel=0″]

Well, Lainey did a short post on it;

Sigh.

I love her.

She’s involved, interesting, and interested. She’s smart. She’s sassy. She’s funny. She’s SO beautiful. And there’s a grace about Natalie Portman that is intoxicating.

She also does a brief mention to which I totally agree~~

Please!

Ryan Gosling >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Robert Pattinson.

‘Nuff said.

Posted on March 6, 2009 In Celebrity, English, Films, Sharing, Trailers ,
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Experiment Awards 2009

February 28, 2009 — 11 Comments

Just for experiment purpose ONLY. Picking nominees during award season is a tough job, considering the people in charge have to sit through hundreds of films in a certain period of time to just pick them… then they probably have to see them once again to refresh their memories and pick a winner.

Even like that, there’s still people upset about not nominated and nominated films… right? You know who you are~~ Stop complaining and do something.

Amy's Experiment Awards 2009

That’s why I wanted to do some experimenting… have our own awards. Well, no~ we don’t have the money to have famous people… or to have a proper ceremony, or to make our own awards to hand out physically. Actually, we have nothing but our will to watch films, comment and try to get others to watch those films, but that will be enough~~ I think.

These would be the rules for films:

  1. All films, regardless of language, are eligible
  2. Only movies listed on IMDb on the year of the award, or released between February January to December in any city of any country around the world are eligible.
  3. Films with a very limited release, and/or problems with distribution will likely have points for them and might be eligible for the next two years.
  4. Since all the nominated films could be foreign, there will be no “Best Foreign Film” award.
  5. Sorry. No documentaries or shorts at the moment.

Rules for the voters:

  1. To be able to nominate the films you watch throughout February to December, you must AT LEAST watch one movie a week. That means at least 48 movies that year. Of course you can watch all 48 films in December instead, but that’d be rushing it, no?
  2. Each voter must do their nomination (5 nominees per category) list by the first week of January (January 7th, duh).
  3. Official nominations will be announced three days later on January 10th.
  4. Voters will be able to choose their winners from January 11th to January 28th, allowing them to re-watch their nominations and/or watch the nominated films they couldn’t watch before.
  5. Winners will be announced by the end of the month on January 31st.

Hmm… I think I covered most of all. If I have forgotten to deal with something, let me know on a comment or an e-mail. Also, if you’re interested in becoming a voter, make sure you do the same… e-mail, comment… anything. The more, the better the experiment will run, right?

In English, Films, Graphics, Sharing , , , , ,
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