Category: Moving Media

  • I See You There, Mitsuko!

    I might consider writing my thoughts on the movie, but hey! Look at Kou Shibasaki wanting to break through in those frames. For a moment there I thought she might actually kill someone.

    shibasaki-kou-ronin-47-001

    (more…)


  • BiBi Bounces Back

    BiBi did a rendition of Mavis Fan & 100%’s Who Gives a Damn What Song Is On (管他什麼音樂) [MV] in a mash-up with ABBA’s Thank You for the Music that everyone loved landing her in the #2 position behind GEM.

    Frankly, I wasn’t completely feeling her version of the Mavis Fan song, because- DUH! Mavis Fan sings it best. It’s an attitude, nothing about the voice. But I’m sick and tired of people complaining about BiBi- when I love her arrangement to highlight her voice, they say it’s boring. When she delivers this type of performance, they say she can’t sing. Worse yet! They complain her voice is nasal. WTF, BiBi’s voice is the complete opposite of nasal, people generally confuse it with a male’s voice!

    Get a grip and take a chill pill.


  • Just like a puppy: Rena Nounen

    People were commenting that her eyes sparkle… and they kinda do! And she’s got the cutest dorkiest smile/laugh ever. I dunno if I’m ever going to be able to see her outside her Ama-chan role.

    But how can she be resisted?

    rena-nounen-amachan-towel-001

    Source


  • Yu Aoi for Haru wo Seotte in the Mountains

    New movie alert with Kenichi Matsuyama and Etsushi Toyokawa. Sakura Ando also supposedly appears in the film.

    This is what ‘being obsessed’ with someone for a few years means, right? Noticing and nitpicking the little details normal people don’t pick up. I’m always eager to hear of new Yu Aoi movies and projects, even if I’m not as enthusiastic as before. I do get a kick whenever I see her act and she does her best smile making my day.

    During my second watch, eager to watch that smile again, I noticed something…
    (more…)


  • Yu is a Pirate for the Japanese Academy

    … and Machiko Ono is looking super fly!

    I ran into a set of photos on Weibo of Yu-chan with her eye-patch, and voila! According to Google Translate she had conjunctivitis, though I’ve never seen someone get it on one eye… so maybe it’s a stye.

    yu-aoi-machiko-ono-2013-2014-japanese-academy-awards

    On a Machiko Ono note… when I ‘met’ her via Mother and subsequently saw her on Carnation, I… just didn’t see the appeal. She got that “oh, must be a really good actress” comment from me (not a bad comment to get, I might add), but after seeing her on The Great Divorce, I’ve sorta started seeing her in another light. Like- she really does look extra good in this white dress.

    Also~ Is Yu wearing extensions? I doubt her hair grew this long in such short period of time.


  • Sign Me Up for the Upcoming Shiina Ringo Concert Release

    I was catching up with all my ‘to watch’ queue on YouTube which at some point had been inundated with Shiina Ringo thumbnails. After her split from Tokyo Jihen and the celebration of her debut 15 years ago, she’s releasing this gorgeous (and pricey) concert.

    I was just marveling myself with the palest of pale queens and thought to myself that if I ever get to see her show live, I would probably cry. When Bjork was here for the first and only time, I remember tearing up a bit- the others I would tear up/cry for would be Shiina Ringo, Faye Wong… and BiBi, for sure.

    It’s been ages since I last bought anything on HMV Japan.


  • You Little Bollywood Monster You

    The mindmeister movie journey has sprung several arms and legs, probably a few dozen fangs and a few couple of eyes. Since the beginning of the year [1], I’ve watched some 56 Indian films.

    New additions? Farah Khan has her own hub, and Mira Nair has shown up there, as did M.F. Husain. Lootera sprung Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, and Ranveer sprung Anushka Sharma and Parineeti Chopra. Luck by Chance sprung Farhan Akhtar and Madhur Bhandarkar finally got his hub. Major new film additions to Kamal Hassan, Sridevi (GOSH, Sadma/Moondram Pirai), and Shabana Azmi.

    indian-film-journey-march-2014

    Click on the image for the large version.


  • Promos for Gulaab Gang

    Gulaab Gang is set to open next week (and I’m jealous of you), so they’re heavy on their online promotion. I don’t know how heavy the promotion in India (posters, billboards, tv ads, etc) actually is, but I supposed the production is hoping for a decent opening overseas in the limited regions (I suppose).

    Besides the Koffee with Karan epi [1] — from which I ended up reading a bit more on Juhi — Madhuri Dixit has turned up in this YouTuber’s channel- known as Superwoman — in an episode titled What Bollywood Has Taught Me. It’s funny business if you know all the references, of course.

    They’ve also been posting Behind the Scenes clips [1], as well as the mandatory Jukebox [1]. And of course, I just spoiled myself with the Juhi clip. It’s sorta been my way of watching Indian films, just go blind and be surprised. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t like Mr. India because I was all spoiled with the best bits featuring Sridevi.

    Anyway, the clip made me wonder about the perception of anti-heroes and ‘bad guys’ on India films, and how that may have affected Juhi’s decision to play a negative role. I’ve also watched Kareena Kapoor’s Heroine which made me shrug at how sucky it is to be a heroine (anywhere in the world). In terms of acting, it feels like the filmmakers had a bit more confidence in Juhi’s abilities and charisma to play a bad guy. In the end, she seemed to have had fun.

    I hope the film is good business.


  • Vidya and Tabu for Urumi

    Normally… normally I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to watch Vidya Balan and Tabu (together!) on a film, which is the case with Urumi (English complete title~ Urumi: The Warriors Who Wanted to Kill Vasco da Gama), but I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s gonna be more than two hours of cringe-worthy cartoon ‘demon-white’ colonialist with random musical numbers. I could maybe take it for two hours sans musical numbers and loads of pumping action fight sequences.

    You can try it out even without subs.

    Plus, it’s a Malayaman film, so I bet they’ve got their voices dubbed. As an alternative, I found their item songs. Though I’m unsure if Vidya has a more extensive role in the film, Tabu’s credit on IMDb lists it as a special appearance.

    The original track song is called Aaranne Aaranne [clip], but the Telugu dub upload is much better for obvious quality reasons.

    Vidya’s number after the break~

    (more…)


  • Koffee with Juhi and Madhuri

    I gotta admit that I haven’t watched many of Juhi’s films yet. She’s certainly popped up quite a number of times in supporting roles here and there, but in terms of fandoms, Madhuri’s filmography has taken the lead. Having said that, I was taken by how candid and honest Juhi was with her answers.

    While Madhuri is strictly diplomatic with her answers, revealing enough but not too much; Juhi’s relationship with her rise to fame and her mistakes through the course of her career seemed… refreshing. I’ve barely seen her, but it feels like I got a small window to get to know her. That’s an interesting quality in movie stars nowadays.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bWZtqQ4eQ4

    But seriously- THE moment of the day is Ranveer Singh’s tribute to the both of them. How could anyone be sexy, sweet, cute, funny, dorky and such a good actor.

    — EDIT Nov 7, 2914 —

    For some reason, StarTV has made the clips private, but you can still watch the episodes on their website.