Archives For animation

It was really difficult to come up with a post for Day 4 of this Blogathon for Wildgrounds, but I’m cheating anyway~ and you’ll see why. But first, let’s take a look at the highlights of Day 3!

First, let’s go back to Day 2~ I forgot to mention the gallery for Japanese Film Noir, which contains some very beautiful film stills. Then there was this Laputa’s 100 Best World and Japanese Animation Directors by Nishikata Film Review, who have also posted Takashi Yanase’s Top 15 Animated Films today.

And for this edition of my Japanese film blogathon, I want to ask the visitors and readers of this post…

Who’s Your Favorite Actress/Actor? Why?

Enough about me, guys~ You already know I like Yu Aoi, Ayumi Ito, Ryo Kase, Rinko Kikuchi, Tadanobu Asano… Shinobu Terajima, etc~ etc. You know I like idols, and stuff like that~

I just want to know who you watch Japanese films for… and if you don’t like any of the “new” actors, who’s your favorite actor/actress of the old times.

Discuss below! You can talk amongst yourselves too~

Okay, the Raiou review isn’t so ouch because it’s in Japanese, and it didn’t seem to talk much about the film – other than the synopsis – but they gave it 2/5 which… you know, it’s bad. It doesn’t really surprise me after Ryuichi Hiroki’s April Bride. We’re not talking about Shinobu Terajima — fully, in-your-face actress — with Ryuichi Hiroki. We’re talking about Eita and Nana Eikura — the idols.

But still, as an idol film, I think it’s gonna floor me. I’ve seen the clips, it’s got Yu-chan riding a horse in slow-motion. Screaming. Talking with an accent. Shooting an arrow. It’s got Yu-chan’s first proper on-screen kiss — it’s not an “in your head” kiss scene, it’s not a stolen kiss — it’s a proper romance.

Then Mark Schilling from the Japan Times – who also kicked FLOWERS in the shins – kicks Redline too. I’m gonna pick the phrases that sum up his review the best:

“Redline” is all about visceral thrills that peak in the first slam-bang, headlong race scene. The film then spends the next 90 minutes trying to top this opener — about 90 minutes too long for me.

But the first 10 minutes are terrific.

There you go. He gave it a 2.5/5

But he says the animation is good, which… I mean – have you seen the World Record short from The Animatrix? Same guy directing. I can’t wait to just feast my eyes. Maybe, if the story and action is as sucky as he says (not enough drama, again?) Maybe I’ll just watch it one more time. I mean, he did love Tekkonkinkreet.

You know I’m a numerology buff – bizarre, because I really hate math… or should I say, math was my worse course at school especially in my last two years of high school. But somehow, I like numerology. I think it’s because I don’t need to understand it, I just need to ponder.

We’re not talking about what it really means. We just wonder what it could be…

In theory, the number 10 does not exist – because it turns into a 1. However, also in theory… you could separate it like 1 and 0, thus having two numbers. xD Sure, you can get 10 by summing different numbers like 4 and 6, 3 and 7, or two 5s… right? But all those numbers sum up to 10, and then become 1 once again. Does that mean that the 10 is a whole number? It’s complete? It brings the harmony?

Harmony! xD

The 1 and 0 are opposites – but it’s not like opposites attract. Suck it! We’re talking about opposites, as in Yin and Yang – which in the end are two different halves of one whole.

And talking about Julz and your fanfic thesis – my final had also kinda to do with fandom. LOL

Harmony final!! xD Such an old video pimp ~~~

And you know, YAM Trivia!!!!!

The YAM Website’s opening on 15.12.10, which summing up (1+5+1+2+1) turns to 10, which turns to 1 – a whole! LOL While December 15th 2010 also marks my grandpa’s 5th anniversary of passing. Yup, it all has a meaning, people~~~

I wish I had known sooner, but I just found out today.

REDLINE will be opening in San Francisco this Friday 8th at 7.15pm at VIZ Cinema – at the same time as in Japan! And will continue showing the film throughout the week. I already added them to the Yu Aoi Events calendar.

Friday 8th – 7.15pm
Saturday 9th, Sunday 10th – 12.30pm , 2.45pm , 5pm , 7.15pm
Monday 11th – Thursday 14th – 5pm , 7.15pm

Admission is $10

If you catch the show, let me know. Would love to hear your thoughts.

A little about moi

October 1, 2010 — 8 Comments

Other than not having anything to post, I thought I could write a little about me (maybe add an “about page”) – who knows… I mean, other than having the seldom post with an anecdote related to the post, what do most people who visit know about me other than the fact that I like to post about Yu Aoi, I post weekly on Glee, what I watch or what I listen to.

What about me?

My favorite genre is tear-jerking dramas… of the art house foreign kind. The more I cry, the more I feel satisfied with a film. For two hours of my life – or how many films or shows I get to watch in a day – I like high-tension dramas that will get my heart beating faster, and feel so much pain for the characters. I often like to put myself in the position of the main character, and pretend I can be them — making me cry even more. So as I grow older, the movies I tend to watch have less to do with the younger crowd. LOL Sometimes I think I could be an actress. LOL

Anyway, in real life? I’m the complete opposite. I like my life tension-free. I hate drama, and I live a simple life enjoying art and eating. I avoid high-tension situations, I avoid big crowds, and avoid meeting too many people at once. I prefer a dinner for two on a weekend at home with a good film to watch, than partying in a room full of people I see less than twice a year.

So while I love super dramatic dramas xD my life is more like an artsy fartsy film in which nothing happens. xD

In my life, a lot of people speak Spanish… then someone mixes in Cantonese. We also speak English… and sometimes… only sometimes, we end up a bit snobbish with some French. See, very artsy fartsy.

Symphony of Lights, Hong Kong

My home life was very much like some quirky Asian film – queue Hong Kong film – maybe a reason why I have a soft spot for them despite some of their lacking points. My grandfather was a character, out of World War II, telling me how in China he was relatives with someone of Royal blood. LOL I never really believed THAT but it’s one of those things that’s funny to remember.

I have a weak heart for films that deal with Alzheimer disease – I literally spent half of Away from Her crying every time she didn’t remember a thing. And I cried my heart out watching Ken Watanabe on Memories of Tomorrow struggling with living with the disease as he begun forgetting his own wife. Another reason why The Notebook affected me as it did… LOL

I also have a soft spot for Family dramas… less prominent in America or Europe, but oh so popular in Asia. I wonder why? LOL Asian and Latin Americans are similar that way. Despite all the arguments I may have with my family — not only parents, but extended family as well… uncles, aunts, cousins~~~ we poke fun at each other in good spirits. We actually do love each other.

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In light entertainment? I literally haven’t enjoyed a silly comedy since I saw Zoolander at the cinemas, though The Sweetest Thing is a good one. My humor tends to be either silly — as in Asian gag-related — or really bizarre… which I only use with members of my family, because we all get each other. That’s political humor, religious humor, race humor… and so on. We sometimes poke fun of dead people on the news LOL

I love musicals – sometimes I think I’m a gay man trapped in a little girl’s body? LOL – I love hipster films, I like romantic comedies… but I tend to avoid Jennifer Aniston. I like animation (can you imagine how much I enjoyed Happy Feet? LOL), and I think female comedians are funnier than male ones. Romantic comedy Dan in Real Life with gorgeous Juliette Binoche… and a surprisingly good Steve Carell (and zing! Emily Blunt) was great… except for the annoying experience to see Dane Cook on screen. I despise Cook. It’s something I can’t explain. xD