Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

bmwracer wrote:Watched Warau Mikaeru... I wasn't impressed at all... Very disappointing film, really.

Way, way too much CG work... :bleh: They couldn't get a real dog??

Even Ueno Juri couldn't save this movie, I'm afraid.

I'd better watch Swing Girls again to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

heeeeeeeee......... Orion just gave me this... i guess i'm not touching it then. i skipped to see the scenes. and yeah i saw a frieky dog at the ending. and there was this frieky fight on top of a thingi with this westerner :headscratch:

monta wrote:heeeeeeeee......... Orion just gave me this... i guess i'm not touching it then. i skipped to see the scenes. and yeah i saw a frieky dog at the ending. and there was this frieky fight on top of a thingi with this westerner :headscratch:

You should check it out anyways, since you went through the trouble of getting it...



[image]

I just finished watching Summer Time Machine Blues and that was a good show. Very odd title, but it was a fun movie... You have to really pay attention to keep everyting in your head straight, or you'll be as confused as the characters are... :hehe:

Juri-chan's role isn't that big, but she's a welcome sight as always. ;)

Geezer wrote:I watched Hula Girl last night... very much the same basic formula as "Swing Girls" and it was great fun.

Not as breezy as Swing Girls, Hula Girl is set in a poor mining town where everything is gray, cold, covered in coal dust.

Life is hard in this town, and the idea that a few school girls, some house wives, and some office workers would learn, and perform the Hula is... well, the stuff of movies.

Yasuko Matsuyuki does a great job as the drunken, washed up dancer who comes to town to teach the ladies.

And man... the final performance was astounding.

I also saw this just the other night and liked it as well. It won the Japan Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Lee Sang Il), Best Screenplay (Lee Sang Il again), and Best Supporting Actress (Yu Aoi). It has a solid cast, including Junko Fuji (actually she goes by the name of Sumiko Fuji now), the iconic actress who was a huge star of Yakuza movies in the 60's; Ittoku Kishibe, a marvelous character actor; and as Geezer mentioned, Yasuko Matsuyuki. The musical score was done by ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. The movie is based on a true story. The Joban Hawaiian Center, which was created to pump up the local economy, still exits and is still thriving, under the name of Spa Resort Hawaiians. Matsuyuki's character, whose real name is Kaleinani Hayakawa, is still living and is somewhat of a legend: she founded the first hula dancing school in Japan, tirelessly promoted hula in Japan, still teaches hula, and choreographed the hula sequences for the movie. Hula in Japan is very popular; there are an estimated 500,000 current participants, and each year a group is sent to participate in the Super Bowl of hula, the Merrie Monarch festival held on the Big Island of Hawaii.

bmwracer wrote:
I just finished watching Summer Time Machine Blues and that was a good show. Very odd title, but it was a fun movie... You have to really pay attention to keep everyting in your head straight, or you'll be as confused as the characters are... :hehe:

Juri-chan's role isn't that big, but she's a welcome sight as always. ;)

I just saw this movie a few nights ago as well. It's a clever film with a healthy dose of otaku-like humor, but I really didn't get into it. To be fair, this kind of movie would not normally interest me in the first place; the reason I decided to watch it was because it was directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro, the director of the Odoru Daisousassen series and movies. I do believe teens and younger adults would get a kick out of it though.
Hey, Beemer,
didn't you think Juri Ueno was basically wasted in this movie? Her character, the way it was written, was essentially window dressing. Hopefully, she will get better roles in future movies that will showcase her acting ability like Swing Girls did.

shin2 wrote:Hey, Beemer,
didn't you think Juri Ueno was basically wasted in this movie? Her character, the way it was written, was essentially window dressing. Hopefully, she will get better roles in future movies that will showcase her acting ability like Swing Girls did.

Buddy, you read my mind: I made the exact same observation in my blog review: http://bmw3racer.blogspot.com/2007/04/summer-time-machine-blues.html :D

bmwracer wrote:
Buddy, you read my mind: I made the exact same observation in my blog review: http://bmw3racer.blogspot.com/2007/04/summer-time-machine-blues.html :D

Went to your blog site and read your review. I guess great minds think alike. :rofl:

Geezer wrote:I watched Hula Girl last night... very much the same basic formula as "Swing Girls" and it was great fun.

Not as breezy as Swing Girls, Hula Girl is set in a poor mining town where everything is gray, cold, covered in coal dust.

Life is hard in this town, and the idea that a few school girls, some house wives, and some office workers would learn, and perform the Hula is... well, the stuff of movies.

Yasuko Matsuyuki does a great job as the drunken, washed up dancer who comes to town to teach the ladies.

And man... the final performance was astounding.

Yu Aoi was absolutely radiant in the final performance...

[image]

shin2 wrote:Went to your blog site and read your review. I guess great minds think alike. :rofl:

They most certainly do. :victory:

monta wrote:you've went to the koshien before? how was it?

when i lived out there i'd go see the tigers quite alot. college baseball didn't really interest me although i realise the importance of koshien stadium to them. the big name back then was a guy called kakefu. :victory:

Geezer wrote:I watched Hula Girl last night... very much the same basic formula as "Swing Girls" and it was great fun.

Not as breezy as Swing Girls, Hula Girl is set in a poor mining town where everything is gray, cold, covered in coal dust.

Life is hard in this town, and the idea that a few school girls, some house wives, and some office workers would learn, and perform the Hula is... well, the stuff of movies.

Yasuko Matsuyuki does a great job as the drunken, washed up dancer who comes to town to teach the ladies.

And man... the final performance was astounding.

Hula Girl press release, with extensive information...
http://tinyurl.com/yohwnj

Finally got around to watching Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi... Not bad at all... A quirky indie film.

It's not like Swing Girls where the fun and exuberance of the film tosses logic out the door... In this drama, you'd expect more cohesiveness and plot development, which it does have, but I still had questions to ask. Maybe they're irrelevant to the main story. :sweat:

I've gotta dig up some reviews on this film and maybe re-watch it again.

And like Summer Time Machine Blues, the movie doesn't really give Ueno Juri much to do other than be a pretty prop. :puppydog:

bmwracer wrote:Finally got around to watching Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi... Not bad at all... A quirky indie film.

the movie doesn't really give Ueno Juri much to do other than be a pretty prop. :puppydog:

ha??? Ueno Juri was in it??? who did she play?

you are talking about the "I'll let you touch my breasts if you take out the rubbish for me" Jose the Tiger & the Fish right???

monta wrote:ha??? Ueno Juri was in it??? who did she play?

She played one of the girlfriends of the main character.

you are talking about the "I'll let you touch my breasts if you take out the rubbish for me" Jose the Tiger & the Fish right???

That's the one.

LOL, is that the only part of the movie you remember? :beaten:

Monta,

If

"I'll let you touch my breasts if you take out the rubbish for me" Jose the Tiger & the Fish right???

, and your comments about the wild sex scene you mentioned over at the "What Drama are you currently watching" thread are the only things you really noticed about Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi, then do yourself a favor.

Put the movie in a safe place, and come back and watch it again in about 10 years. Because that movie has a lot to say, and it says it on a number of different levels.

bmwracer wrote:
That's the one.

LOL, is that the only part of the movie you remember? :beaten:

nah... i also remember the "Chotto... chotto...!!" and the others :hehe: . i actually remember the story pretty well.

wkwkkw... i think i'm gonna watch it again :hehe: :beaten:

Anybody seen the movie Casshern? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405821/

Looks to be interesting.

Anime Dad wrote:Anybody seen the movie Casshern? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405821/

Looks to be interesting.

i've seen this one. It's a sci-fi psychological thriller with lots of special effects! :victory:

Usagi Yojimbo wrote:

i've seen this one. It's a sci-fi psychological thriller with lots of special effects! :victory:

isn't this the one done by Utada Hikaru's ex-husband?

[image]

has anyone seen this movie yet?
im downloading this one.

looks interesting.

Finished Nada Sou Sou.

I recommend this movie. Its good :mrgreen:

Don't know what else to say. I don't want to ruin any bit of the movie.


Tsumbaki Satoshi and Nagasawa Masami are the stars of the movie.




Edit: Finished BackDancers! as well. This one is ok. The dancing is nothing spectacular....though the little kids at the end of the movie dancing was a surprise. They're pretty good