Japanese Movies/Discussion/Recommendations

Tu_triky wrote:HAHAH...8 pages, 7 of them are filled with pictures of women in bikinis

Giddyup! :victory: :hehe:

bmwracer wrote:
Giddyup! :victory: :hehe:

:hehe:

bmwracer wrote:Okay.... But what's with the cowboy hats and boots? :headscratch:

cowboy hats? boots? where?

Like a lot of other people, I've recommended "Hula Girls"before... but I just watched it again (this time with a group of people who'd never seen it before. And their reaction made me want to put the title back up for those who missed the comments about this movie.

It's just fabulous. It's the (true?) story of a group of coal miners daughters who, in the mid 1960s became Hula dancers, and the main attraction at a Hawaiian themed Hot Springs Resort.

For those who have seen it. A bit of trivia.

I kept looking at Kimiko's (Yuu Aoi) mother in this movie, thinking I knew her. But she's listed as Fuji Sumiko. And I'd never heard of her.

But a little poking around led me to discover that she used to go by the name, Fuji Junko. And man, do I remember Fuji Junko.

"Hula Girls" takes place in 1965 and '66.

[image]

Sumiko Fuji in "Hula Girls".

[image]

as Junko Fuji in the 1966 NHK Taiga, "Yoshitsune"

Don't time just suck?

Geezer wrote:In 1966 Junko Fuji starred in the NHK Taiga drama, Yoshitsune

There was a previous version in '66?

Bet it didn't suck.

BMW

From what I"ve read about it... it didn't suck at all.

Geezer wrote:BMW

From what I"ve read about it... it didn't suck at all.

No surprise... It was well before the J-pop/Johhny's infestation.

usagi_on_the_moon wrote:I recently saw Virgin Snow~ Hatsu-yuki no koi. I must say that Miyazaki Aoi is one of the best actresses I've seen in recent years. Superb cinematography, largely thanks to the Kyoto locations. The only complaint I have is the plot. I had high expectations for this, and somehow, something felt like it was missing. It may be the fact that I haven't seen a lot of Korean dramas; this definitely had more of a Korean flair to it, as the director was Koean.

However, Tada Kimi wo Aishiteru remains Miyazaki's best work. Definitely a defining role.

just finished watching this movie.. it was ok.. a sweet /story.. i think more suitable for the younger aged group.. because i find how the story goes is a bit illogical, considering these two ppl love each other (or this older me, thinks too much about love.. hehehe).. cant explain more, or it'll be a spoiler.. hehehe..

but give it a go.. its not a dissapointment.. cute cast.. nice place.. n i love shun shioya.. heheh

"Tokyo Tower" dominates Japan Academy Awards

Fri, February 15, 2008 (1:27pm EST)

The 31st Japan Academy Awards were held in Tokyo on Friday. "Tokyo Tower," which was nominated in every category it was eligible for, came away with a total of 5 awards, including Best Picture.

The winners were:
Best Picture: Tokyo Tower
Best Animated Picture: Tekkon Kinkreet
Best Director: Joji Matsuoka (Tokyo Tower)
Best Screenplay: Suzuki Matsuo (Tokyo Tower)
Best Actor: Hidetaka Yoshioka (Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi)
Best Actress: Kirin Kiki (Tokyo Tower)
Best Supporting Actor: Kaoru Kobayashi (Tokyo Tower)
Best Supporting Actress: Masako Motai (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Music: Michiru Oshima (Bizan)
Best Cinematography: Takahiro Tsutai (Bizan)
Best Lighting Direction: Yoshitake Hikita (Bizan)
Best Art Direction: Kyoko Heya (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Sound Recording: Hitoshi Tsurumaki (Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi)
Best Film Editing: Junichi Kikuchi (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Foreign Language Film: Letters From Iwo Jima
Newcomer Awards were given to Eiji Wentz, Kento Hayashi, Haruma Miura, Yui Aragaki, Yayako Uchida, Kaho, and Kie Kitano.

The Popularity Awards went to "Kisaragi" and Yui Aragaki.

Just watch "Kimi ni shika kikoenai " (Only You Can Hear Me) some days ago and I personally felt it could one of the most underrated Japanese movie in 2007. I think pple who like Tada Kimi wo Aishiteru or Koizora would probably want to watch this movie.

Featuring Narumi Riko (Ruri no shima, Juken no Kamisama) and Koide Keisuke (Ushi ni Negai wo: Love & Farm, Oishii puropozu) , the movie tells a story of a isolated girl Ryo who does not fit into anywhere at school or at home. Ryo continue to live her life in silence as a lonely and introverted student until she picked up a toy cellphone that allow her to communicate to a guy called Shinya through telepathy . As Ryo opened her heart to Shinya, she soon discovered that they stay in different timeline (To be exact, Ryo stay in a world that is one hour ahead of Shinya's world. ). There are more surprises and twists as the story unfolds. The movie reminds me of the movie "Titanic" with some of the themes and will probably appeal to female audiences looking for tearjacking love story.

official site: http://www.kimikoe.jp/index.html
PV on the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqNc9galFHE

Geezer wrote:Like a lot of other people, I've recommended "Hula Girls"before... but I just watched it again (this time with a group of people who'd never seen it before. And their reaction made me want to put the title back up for those who missed the comments about this movie.

It's just fabulous. It's the (true?) story of a group of coal miners daughters who, in the mid 1960s became Hula dancers, and the main attraction at a Hawaiian themed Hot Springs Resort.

For those who have seen it. A bit of trivia.

I kept looking at Kimiko's (Yuu Aoi) mother in this movie, thinking I knew her. But she's listed as Fuji Sumiko. And I'd never heard of her.

But a little poking around led me to discover that she used to go by the name, Fuji Junko. And man, do I remember Fuji Junko.

"Hula Girls" takes place in 1965 and '66.

[image]

Sumiko Fuji in "Hula Girls".

[image]

as Junko Fuji in the 1966 NHK Taiga, "Yoshitsune"

Don't time just suck?

It is based on a true story...that Hawaiian resort development still exists today.

I just got a ton of new movies from shin2... Where am I going to find time to watch 'em? :sweat: :puppydog:

bmwracer wrote:I just got a ton of new movies from shin2... Where am I going to find time to watch 'em? :sweat: :puppydog:

Well, are sleeping, eating, working, and going to the bathroom really so important? :twisted:

shin2 wrote:Well, are sleeping, eating, working, and going to the bathroom really so important? :twisted:

Well the first three aren't.... :beaten: :hehe:

Thanks to Tu_Triky, I was able to watch two films that came out in 2007.

Tokyo Tower--This film won five Japan Academy awards, including Best Picture. I was disappointed in it. Imo it was a decent film, but not a Best Picture kind of movie. I can understand why it won the award; a number of the films awarded Best Picture, especially in recent years, have a sentimental edge to them, and Tokyo Tower certainly has that quality. But it falls short of being a film worthy of that accolade. One problem is that the main character is really not an interesting person at all. The most significant character--the protagonist's mother--is unfortunately not well developed; she's rather one-dimensional, which is a shame since in the TV series version, she is quite the character--a genuinely appealing, multi-faceted person. I dunno; perhaps I was expecting too much because it won Best Picture. Like I said--a decent film, but that's about it.

Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai--this is filmmaker Masayuki Suo's first movie in over ten years. Unlike his three previous films (two of which won the Best Picture award)--intelligent, hilarious comedies full of unique, well drawn characters--this movie is a somber, meticulously detailed look at the Japanese justice system. A young man is accused of groping a junior high school student on a crowded train. Over the course of almost a year he goes through hell (aka the legal system) trying to prove his innocence. This movie is a primer on how the system in Japan works--that basically a person charged with a crime has to be guilty with no consideration that he just might be innocent. I found it to be a very compelling drama--much different than Suo's previous works, but a good film nonetheless.

shin2 wrote:Thanks to Tu_Triky, I was able to watch two films that came out in 2007.

Tokyo Tower--This film won five Japan Academy awards, including Best Picture. I was disappointed in it. Imo it was a decent film, but not a Best Picture kind of movie. I can understand why it won the award; a number of the films awarded Best Picture, especially in recent years, have a sentimental edge to them, and Tokyo Tower certainly has that quality. But it falls short of being a film worthy of that accolade. One problem is that the main character is really not an interesting person at all. The most significant character--the protagonist's mother--is unfortunately not well developed; she's rather one-dimensional, which is a shame since in the TV series version, she is quite the character--a genuinely appealing, multi-faceted person. I dunno; perhaps I was expecting too much because it won Best Picture. Like I said--a decent film, but that's about it.

Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai--this is filmmaker Masayuki Suo's first movie in over ten years. Unlike his three previous films (two of which won the Best Picture award)--intelligent, hilarious comedies full of unique, well drawn characters--this movie is a somber, meticulously detailed look at the Japanese justice system. A young man is accused of groping a junior high school student on a crowded train. Over the course of almost a year he goes through hell (aka the legal system) trying to prove his innocence. This movie is a primer on how the system in Japan works--that basically a person charged with a crime has to be guilty with no consideration that he just might be innocent. I found it to be a very compelling drama--much different than Suo's previous works, but a good film nonetheless.

Cool...sounds like they were films worth watching. Glad they kept you watching.

Tu_triky wrote:"Tokyo Tower" dominates Japan Academy Awards

Fri, February 15, 2008 (1:27pm EST)

The 31st Japan Academy Awards were held in Tokyo on Friday. "Tokyo Tower," which was nominated in every category it was eligible for, came away with a total of 5 awards, including Best Picture.

The winners were:
Best Picture: Tokyo Tower
Best Animated Picture: Tekkon Kinkreet
Best Director: Joji Matsuoka (Tokyo Tower)
Best Screenplay: Suzuki Matsuo (Tokyo Tower)
Best Actor: Hidetaka Yoshioka (Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi)
Best Actress: Kirin Kiki (Tokyo Tower)
Best Supporting Actor: Kaoru Kobayashi (Tokyo Tower)
Best Supporting Actress: Masako Motai (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Music: Michiru Oshima (Bizan)
Best Cinematography: Takahiro Tsutai (Bizan)
Best Lighting Direction: Yoshitake Hikita (Bizan)
Best Art Direction: Kyoko Heya (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Sound Recording: Hitoshi Tsurumaki (Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi)
Best Film Editing: Junichi Kikuchi (Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai)
Best Foreign Language Film: Letters From Iwo Jima
Newcomer Awards were given to Eiji Wentz, Kento Hayashi, Haruma Miura, Yui Aragaki, Yayako Uchida, Kaho, and Kie Kitano.

The Popularity Awards went to "Kisaragi" and Yui Aragaki.

Letters From Iwo Jima?

That seems so long ago... Though it probably isn't.

Eiji Wentz? Newcomer? :headscratch:

bmwracer wrote:
Letters From Iwo Jima?

That seems so long ago... Though it probably isn't.

Perhaps it was released later in Japan...dunno, I'm just speculating.

Tu_triky wrote:Perhaps it was released later in Japan...dunno, I'm just speculating.

It probably was release in Japan early 2007... That's why it seemed so long ago. :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
It probably was release in Japan early 2007... That's why it seemed so long ago. :sweat:

Yeah.