Tag: bae doona

  • Are Chick Flicks a Doomed Genre?

    I blame my cousin for this, because she watched Love Happens. Yes, she actually paid to watch Love Happens, which currently has a 16% freshness rate over at Rotten Tomatoes, and OMG I just checked a 0% from Top Critics hahahaha.

    Buahahaha. Sorry, I’m still laughing.

    Anyway… it reminded me about an Inside the Gold post, in which K was having trouble writing a review for Made of Honor.

    Mostly, I was just getting angry about it for reasons I couldn’t understand… then it hit me. There was nothing original about the film. There was so little effort or originality that went into it, that I started to get upset that the film was even made.

    That was followed by a request of Chick Flicks – of course, I added a bunch. Good and Bad, and the Guilty Pleasures, because that’s what was asked… which brings me back to now. I just got to see (500) Days of Summer, which you could say it’s one of those “hipster” films, but in reality it’s a romantic comedy. The movie is good, I liked it a lot… in fact, I can’t wait to get it on DVD xD It’s a not-a-love-story, and it’s sort of a chick flick, I think – and it’s good. So I don’t think it’s a doomed genre, there’s just a lot of crap around the genre for you to take seriously the really good ones.

    In reality, Action films should suffer from the same. There’s a lot of crap action films out there that outnumber the really good action films. You can just say “oh, it’s another mindless action film.” but it still has a better tone to it than saying “it’s a chick flick.” – that simply sounds negative, without having the intention to.

    I made a list of films by themes, and one of them was the “chick-centric” theme – it contained some really good films with female protagonists as mothers, daughters, granddaughters, friends, neighbors, girls, young women and women… etc, etc. – and from the 3 different themes I put together, “chick-centric” was the only one with no votes at all. So we do have a trigger that makes us think the word “chick” immediately means bad PMS mood swings, put your panties up in a bunch, and make your ovaries ache for that brooding-but-charming or geeky-but-charming hunk.

    With female-centric films such as Linda, Linda, Linda – or Rachel Getting Married, One Million Yen Girl, The Guitar, Il y a Longtemps que Je t’Aime, Whale Rider, Hana & Alice… Hula Girls, Swing Girls, Kamikaze Girls~~~ or Romantic Dramas and Romantic Comedies like Shunji Iwai’s Love Letter. Perhaps American Chick Flicks should think of moving away from the frivolous girl meets boy, boy meets girl and they fall in love forever and always stories that they love to tell over and over again, and actually focus on another aspect of their protagonists lives.

    A group of friends trying to make it to the school rock festival, a young woman trying to get one million Yen, a woman who just found out she’s about to die, a mother that comes out of jail, a girl trying to follow tradition in the opposite direction. Two friends who are growing up and perhaps growing apart, a group of girls trying to save their town, another group of girls who find something special in their lives, and two girls who find friendship in each other… etc, etc etc.


  • An Education Trailer!

    Hello there, Carey Mulligan!
    And Emma Thompson, and Olivia Williams…
    and Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina – LOL

    Looks a bit on the sappy side, but even like that seems worth a look. I loved About a Boy and High Fidelity xD – In the meantime, if you intend to watch this… please also check out Precious (aka. Push) – it will be at the Gala at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Also there…

    Kore-eda’s Air Doll with Doona Bae!!!! *squee*
    and Bong Joon-ho’s Mother
    xD


  • Japanese Cinema Blogathon 2009 – Day1

    and a half~~~

    I just read over NipponCinema that the Japanese Cinema Blogathon has started. (yesterday, really…)

    What is the Japanese Cinema Blogathon?

    Japanese Cinema Blogathon 2009

    Someone over at Wildgrounds.com thought it’d be a cool idea to unite forces in order to promote Japanese Cinema. Write, share ideas… anything goes as long as it’s about Japanese Cinema. Check their list of on-going activities

    I’ll start off with something simple

    What I Like about Japanese Cinema

    My history with Japanese Cinema isn’t as broad as other people’s. I don’t watch too many older classics, because they are harder to get~~ I mean, it’s just easier to get contemporary stuff. ;P but there are some really great films that I’ve been able to watch this past year.

    1. They can be about nothing at all, yet hold so much meaning or be so entertaining.
    I saw Kore-eda’s Aruitemo, Aruitemo (Still Walking) a couple of days ago. I think that’s perhaps my favorite Japanese film from last year *laughs* – besides from the fact that I really like Hiroshi Abe *laughs*. That film felt so right to me, from the moment we saw Ryo’s sister and mother discussing and trying to cook in the kitchen, to the very last scene of Ryo’s family walking. There was no big reveal of someone having another kid, or someone getting kidnapped or killed, someone having an affair – none of that. One of the things that just stands out was Ryo and his mom finally remembering the name of the Sumo wrestler… and always being late. Heartbreaking.

    A similar thing I can tell you of Linda Linda Linda, which I saw and liked, but LOVED after repeated viewings. Nobuhiro Yamashita’s story of a group of girls trying to make it on time to play on the school festival. Nothing at all! But add to that Doona Bae as non-Japanese lead singer, and rock!!

    2. They can be bizarrely good.
    From high-on-drug-styled film Survive Style 5+, bike-riding rococo lolita adventures on Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls), Moulin Rouge!-meets-Amelie-meets-Sin City-esque dramedy musical Kiraware Matsuko no Issho (Memories of Matsuko) – or even high-school-hardcore-Survivor Battle Royale. They are not your typical film, they can only be Japanese. LOL

    3. They don’t treat animation as if it’s only for kids.
    Yes, Japanese Cinema is not only Anime – to the dismay of some of my friends – but they do a pretty darn good job animating films like Paprika, Tekkonkinkreet, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies. Since the day I discovered Hotaru no Haka 6 years ago, it’s become my favorite animated film to date. LOL


  • Four is an Unlucky Number – YAM004

    LOL’

    Does that say enough to you? Really, read the editor’s note. Lots of things on this new issue… new problems, new films, new music…

    Reviews of films from the blockbuster season… Star Trek, Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Up~~~ Brothers Bloom. Short film reviews, concert reviews… of Kiss in Lima. Music reviews of The Sounds, Green Day, Shiina Ringo… a bunch of K-pop courtesy of Julz~~~ off you go to Japan!!! WOOOOO – there’s Life on Mars, House M.D. and my more “professional” review of Yu Aoi’s Portugirl.

    Yam004

    Head over here.


  • Yu Aoi + Bae Doona

    … on a NYLON Korea photoshoot.

    Awwww~~~

    Yu + Bae Doona + a Linda Linda Linda mention = awesome~~~ xD If you haven’t seen Linda Linda Linda, you must. Gets better in time~~ And just the idea that Yu was supposed to be involved, but had to back out. Oh the Linda Linda singing along possibilities of singing Yu. xD

    BTW, my dad also LUVed Linda Linda, and Bae Doona’s character was his fave++ Another reason why my dad’s cool~

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzKvSH7f2Fo


  • we are PARANMAUM Lyrics!

    So… I saw the Linda Linda Linda movie the other day, and I got the songs stucked in my head. LOL’ The film released 2 soudntracks of sorts… One the official soundtrack, and one 6-track album performed by the actresses of the film as PARAN MAUM (Meaning Blue Hearts in Korean, referring to the * Blue Hearts covers).

    * The original soundtrack contains 3 of the 6 tracks in “we are PARANMAUM” with bits with less lyrics.

    1. RINDA RINDA (Linda Linda) *
    2. Boku no Migite (My Right Hand) *
    3. Owaranai Uta (Never-ending Song) *
    4. Aoi Kokoro (Underneath Heart)
    5. BIZU Saiku (Beading)
    6. SON no BARUDO (Son’s Ballad)

    (more…)


  • 2007 Films I wanna see!

    So I was talking to my friend about the movies we wanted to see this year, and here is a list so I don’t forget about it:

    • Spider-Man 3 (May 2007)
    • The Simpsons Movie (July 27, 2007)
    • 300 (March 9, 2007)
    • The Host (March 9, 2007)
    • Across the Universe (2007)
    • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13, 2007)
    • Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (2007)
    • The Other Boleyn Girl (Hopefully 2007)
    • Goya’s Ghost (2007?)
    • My Blueberry Nights (2007?)
    • The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
    • I’m a Cyborg, but it’s OK (2007???)

    So there you go~ I’m keeping those in mind ;)