Category: Moving Media

  • Yu Aoi Film Discussion – Hana to ARISU – Hana & Alice

    First a little about the film:
    (from Wikipedia)
    Shot in 2004, by Shunji Iwai about two girls [Hana (Suzuki) and Alice (Aoi)], and the stress placed on their friendship as they move into high school.

    Genre: Dramedy (Drama/Comedy) [**NOTE: It’s a Drama with Comedy, so don’t expect huge laughs]
    Starring: Yu Aoi, Anne Suzuki
    Written and Directed by: Shunji Iwai
    Duration: +2hrs

    In case you’re interested, I invite you to catch the film at CrunchyRoll – because this post might contain spoilers xD, unless you want to be spoiled.

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  • Emmy Awards Winners! – Tina Wins BIG!!

    Did you watch? I did, but I almost forgot, ha! So won’t go on about the red carpet stuff… Tina Fey won big! Best Actress, Best Writing in a Comedy… 30 Rock also won Best Actor, and Best Comedy Series~ But as I said before… I suck at Emmys~

    ALSO, House M.D won for Best Directing in a Drama Series for the episode House’s Head, which is by far the BEST I’ve seen on the show. Actually, I was ready to rant if it didn’t win LOL, because that episode literally blew me away~

    I was secretly hoping for Hugh Laurie (House M.D) or Michael C. Hall (Dexter) to win Best Actor in a Drama, as well as Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) for Best Writing… but hence, Tina WON which she deserved~ xD

    Here’s a WIKI list of the winners…

    My favorite parts were almost all at the beginning… Heidi Klum in a tux, I would’ve actually prefered her wearing the tux, instead of the stripping… it actually make me think of Britney performing Satisfaction at the VMAs, xD – Though, I didn’t enjoy the whole multiple host thing, and all the rambling…

    I also enjoyed Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, her “WERRRRRRRRCOME” was hilarious, and note that she’s not pregnant~ HOW DARE WE! xD She’s gaining weight for a role x’D. And to end my faves, Ricky Gervais telling off Steve Carell about the Emmy throphy stealing xD

  • Osen OST Spotting?

    Last night I was surfing channels, and as I normally do when there’s nothing to watch on TV, I ended up on NHK. “Begin Japanology” was on (never seen it before), and they were showing how to make Dashi with some really thick seaweed, and with shavings of dried Bonito… which reminded me of Osen-san and the episode of the Katsuobushi. I will always laugh when remembering Osen-san physically assaulting the owner of the shop with the hard block of Katsuobushi… I’m telling you, priceless!

    Anyway, as the show went on, they showed the people that worked in the top kitchens in Kyoto, is in this sequence when a light tune begins playing. “I KNOW that TUNE!” I say~~ And I am 99% sure it was a track from the Osen OST because it’s one of my favorite pieces on the album…

    本物を見る目 (Honmono wo Mirume)
    Discerning Eye for the Genuine <- this is Amy’s translation
    and I don’t know if it’s correct, HA! But it will do~

    It’s track13 of 22, by Yugo Kanno.

    Does anybody know if it’s the track?

  • TOKYO! in Hawaii~~

    TOKYO! the 3-part-collaborative film by Joon-ho Bong, Leos Carax and Michel Gondry, has been (or will be) making rounds in theaters in Japan – I think. – And I won’t be able to watch this in a long~~~ LONG time, I’m pretty sure… but Hawaiian residents will be able to watch it at the Hawaii International Film Festival. [WTF? Louis Vuitton??] xD

    TOKYO! will be showing on:
    Saturday, Oct. 18th 2008 (obviously!) at 8 p.m. at Regal Dole Cannery.
    Sunday, Oct. 19th 2008 at 4.30 p.m. at Regal Dole Cannery.

    Get tickets, and check! Coz schedules could’ve changed during the time of this post and the day of showing~~

    If you are a Yu Aoi fan, and live in Hawaii… or don’t mind spending the airfare to Hawaii, LOL – Go for it! Yu Aoi is featured in the Joon-ho Bong (The Host) directed/written segment title Shaking Tokyo, about a man who stays in his apartment very much like a hermit, trying to isolate himself from society, until he meets a pizza delivery girl (Yu) and there’s an earthquake… apparently.

    TOKYO! - Shaking Tokyo - Yu Aoi
    Yu Aoi faints on Shaking Tokyo, part of TOKYO!

    Also making the rounds at the festival will be Kung Fu Kun (aka, Kung Fu Kid), which in itself isn’t much of a film I would watch… it is kinda funny at the beginning. However, it’s worth noting that there’s a small cameo with Juri Ueno! [click for some funny screencaps] ~ so if you’re a fan of Juri Ueno, you can get tickets for it for the festival!

  • Enter the Dragon – Films that Changed your Life Forever

    Enter the Dragon - PosterYes! Amy grew up with this film. I was VERY little, and my dad, being a feverish Bruce Lee fan, taped Enter the Dragon (Operación Dragón) from a broadcast at Panamericana Television (aka. Canal 5). I still remember the Spanish dub… “PANAMERICANA TELEVSION… PRESENTA!” said the voice in off, “Operación Dragón, con Bruce Lee.” – Of course, I became a feverish 4-year-old Bruce Lee fan~ My grandpa was also a fan… he even named my little cousin “Xiao Long” (FYI. Little Dragon, Bruce Lee’s Chinese name), and yeah~ I KNEW the lines… I still KNOW the lines in Spanish.

    Kick me. Kick me.
    *Kicks*
    What was that? We need emotional content. Try again.
    *kicks*
    I said, emotional content, not anger. Now, try again, with me.
    *kicks, kicks*
    That’s it!

    xD, You know that scene… with Bruce Lee and the student? Right before they try to recruit Bruce to go to Han’s island??

    Patéame. Patéame.
    *Kicks*
    ¿Qué fue eso? Mayor emoción interna…
    *kicks*
    Mayor emoción interna! No ira, otra vez, tonto…

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  • It’s All About Worldwide Distribution!

    Availability in all regions, cross-platform… ubiquitous movies, music… even books, if possible~ x’D Well, maybe I’m going too far with the books, since there’s a base of language and there’d be THAT barrier, but you get my point, right?

    For instance, I can’t really remember when was the last time I went to watch a film at the movies, because I either:

    • Have already seen it on DVD
    • Have already waited months for it to be released, and have already lost interest
    • Have never been interested in it

    So Amy supports world premieres because she’s impatient. Also, I would fully suport Paypal if they were available in Peru, but no~ They do not support accounts in Peru (That’s why I opened one when I was in Canada). Moreover, I would support other online stores (eg. mp3 stores) but they have region restrictions… some more annoying than others. One of the most annoying is the ‘billing address’ issue… even if I have a Canadian credit card, I would not be able to use their service because I don’t have a physical Canadian address anymore… WHILE I am still able to buy a physical album and ship it here for more or less the same amount of money.

    I was also ready to buy shows through BitTorrent, but they support US Only – they ARE nice and professional enough to point it out below the “buy” button, so they won’t waste your time as you try to sign up for a new account there… to then find out you don’t have the right ISP, or you can’t add your credit card, or SORRY, THIS CONTENT IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN SUCH REGION. Ever happened?

    So I’m all for movies and music available everywhere at the same time. And you?

  • Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Are GOLD!

    I don’t get NBC (not anymore since 2000, I think), so I just watched. Did you watch? Amy Poehler is always Hillary Clinton’s gold, but Tina Fey just nailed Sarah Palin. LOL’ Just watch the clip~

    [iframe src=”https://www.tudou.com/v/QWCuDKaTUn4/v.swf” width=”100%” height=”400″]

    If the video is not loading, you can try opening Tudou directly.

  • Subtitles Vs. Fansubs

    The amount of films that are not in a language I can speak have increased at least 90% this year… thanks to the internet of course, otherwise I will be waiting for them to either arrive at the cinema, hit the small screen on satellite or cable, or just by finding some Region 1 distributor… but none of that!

    Anyway, because of this reason, I have been focusing a lot on subtitles, and I finally have 3 films that I saw with fansubs and now I watched with the subtitles on the dvd. And the results are in… 3-0 in favor of fansubbing.

    It’s not because the subtitles on the dvd are bad… they just lack on something. A little UMPH… a little personality… a little common sense?

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  • Dancer in the Dark – Films that Changed your Life Forever

    Dancer in the Dark by Lars Von Trier remains my favorite film since the day I first saw it at the movies. I was still in high school, and it marked a totaly shift on the way I watch films… you know? Before this film, I was your most ordinary teenager… I was all about Romantic Comedies, Teenage Comedies, and did totally dismiss many other films~~ Until this film.

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  • Osen-san Will Keep on Going…

    OsenBut she made me cry. LOL’ What started as a funny (almost goofy) ride about yummy-looking food from Isshouan, ended up as something that made me cry xD No? Weren’t the last two episodes of Osen so nostalgic?

    Maybe it is because my family owns a restaurant as well… and I’m so not-very-much like Osen-san T-T Sadness, NE?

    But I do! I do appreciate GOOD food! I appreciate good everything… taking the time to do something~ I do with design… I may not be the Osen-san of design, but I worry for it… and am scared of ‘the times’.

    Because now I have to compete with $100 websites, and have to convince and fight for a client that websites are only for them. Okay, I may not call a button “Button-san,” and I certainly can’t drink as much Sake as Osen… and oh yeah, did I mention I can’t cook to save my life? LOL’ But I treat each of my projects like an Isshouan dish~ With time, and dedication.

    In the end, is all about learning… connecting, and passing it on. Please, don’t let good things go by just because other things seem more convenient. Hontou onegai shimasu. *bows*