It took a while, but

Happy 1000th fan!

If you aren’t following the list yet, you might discover a gem or two!
It took a while, but
Happy 1000th fan!
If you aren’t following the list yet, you might discover a gem or two!
My only Letterboxd anticipated message came in the other day, but I took a little bit longer to post because the better side of my OCD got to me.
But here it is!
I went on a Stephen Chow binge, and got to watch a bunch of Hrishikesh Mukherjee films for MUBI. Not to be the Debbie Downer of the terrible 2020, but I hope 2021 picks up. This is the first time in my movie-watching history that I only have one single 4-star rating in my Year Films Ranked list. Two titles if you consider Marona’s Fantastic Tale.
This 2021, I have decided to shut off social media and restart blogging once again. It doesn’t matter if it’s into a blackhole of information. I’ve started with this Spanish translation of a review for Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, since the film is in rotation at the Indian entertainment channel ZeeMundo. We also have a proper Spanish title for Haider (!).
I’m probably two weeks ahead, compared to my Ballot posting last year, which means my Independent Spirit Awards ballot is still halfway done, but my Academy voting ballot is pretty complete.
I might end up watching The Two Popes, but all I’m really waiting for to open in theaters is Bombshell (which opens this Thursday), Little Women and 1917. Harriet is never going to open down here, but I really got a soft spot for this type of movies.
I’m really REALLY surprised Girl in the Hallway didn’t make the cut. You can watch the short on Vimeo.
I haven’t had much time or chance to watch Yuki Tanada’s movies, and I’m still trying to catch up with recent Yu Aoi movies… BUT! Issei Takahashi has really sneaked into my Jdrama catching up. Incredible rise to fame.
No, it’s not a joke either, despite all the people doing double-takes when we all saw her name and her now-husband’s name, comedian Yamasato Ryota (山里亮太), trending worldwide on Twitter.
After apparently two-months of dating, Yu Aoi and Ryota Yamasato submitted their marriage registration on June 3rd. They were apparently introduce by Yu-chan’s Hula Girls co-star Shizuyo Yamazaki (山崎静代), who is also Yamasato’s comedic partner in their comedy duo [1].
Congratulations! Took us all by surprise!
(more…)Verve Magazine has a wonderful cover this month featuring Tabu — shot by Bikramjit Bose [Website][Instagram], because the promotions for Andhadhun [Trailer][1][2] are on full steam. I hope someone gets to scan it, ‘coz lol where to get a single issue.
Rajeev Masand also just posted a +40min. interview with Tabu, and has her overview her 10 favorite roles in her +80-film filmography. Her long-time favorite roles make it, of course. It makes for a great Beginner’s Guide to Tabu, except I’m not a big fan of Biwi No. 2 lol — Don’t judge me, I laughed so much more to Saajan Chale Sasural xD, and I was quite lukewarm with Cheeni Kum.
I’m a Ni Ni stan now, have I mentioned it before? No? I really REALLY enjoyed watching Mo Zhang’s Suddenly Seventeen (28岁未成年). The ending is a bit straight rom-com, but Ni Ni— Woah. She was amazing.
Cfensi has always loved Ni Ni, so she’s also gushing about this new photoshoot for The New York Times Travel Magazine by photographer Yin Chao (尹超), centered on Nanjing Girls and also featuring actresses Hai Qing, Yang Zishan and Mei Ting, as well as model Bonnie Chen.
The favorite shot, tho, the watermelon one~ xD
You can also follow Yin Chao’s activities on his studio’s Weibo— SUPERSTUDIO.
Also, I haven’t even gone through 5 episodes of Lost in 1949 (脱身), but I’m looking forward to Rise of the Phoenixes (天盛长歌) :)
I’m about to finish watching Stories By Rabindranath Tagore, which has some episodes directed by Anurag Basu— an anthology of some of Tagore’s short stories. One of my favorite episodes has been Mrinal ki Chitthi (ep19), which stars Amrita Bagchi. I’m usually really good with faces that I see in other movies, but I honestly just vaguely remember her face in Phobia and Meri Pyaari Bindu. I must be getting old.
There’s a series of photos by Shivaji Storm Sen. This is my favorite, tho~
GINZA has just published a piece titled REDI no Shozo (レディの肖像, Portrait of a Lady) by Tomoko Kurose; and two black & white shots by Yasuhide Kuge. It’s a rare interview because it’s actually readable in Google Translate, lol. She talks about taking photos (she’s bad at it), what feelings she gets shooting movies and working on stage, how she perceives herself, a bit on her childhood, her work on voice-acting for animation… some talk on Penguin Highway and her speech for the Japanese Academy Award win where she talked about movies and being bullied.