To continue my reviews of movies watched in January, here is part 2. More music, action, chick-flicks and whatnot. Hope you enjoy the reviews.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006) – A chick-flik based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger. Okay, so “chick-flik” may sound sexist but that’s what it is. Over-achieving, recent college-grad woman who has no interest in the fashion industry finds a job as the personal assistant to a powerful editor-in-chief of a bestselling fashion magazine (played by Meryl Streep and allegedly based on Anna Wintour, the head editor of Vogue). Even Mikako didn’t particularly care for this film for the simple fact that she could predict the ending. The plot is simple – woman who’s main desire to work for a literary magazine like the “New Yorker” takes the personal assistant job of fashion editor because everyone has been telling her if she sticks out at the job for a year, she’s almost guaranteed to work at any magazine she desires. But of course, the longer she works for the editor, her attitude becomes more like those she once made fun of. Her family ties dwindle, her love-life gets shot, yadda, yadda, yadda. As this was aired on television, I saved myself a few pennies by not renting this on DVD (which I had no plans of doing). I also have no plans or desire to read the book of the same name. I can’t see myself renting or reading “Confessions of a Shopaholic” either. But hey, if they air it on television – I may watch it.
ZONE : CLIPS 02 FOREVER SIDE (2003) – This is also a music DVD of an idol band that actually play their own instruments and is pretty rockin’. Of course it was their ballads that really sold though. I actually went and saw their last concert at NHK Hall before splitting up. Too bad too, because I really like their music (and it helps that all four members are really cute as well). The band is from a town in Hokkaido. This DVD is the second collection of their promotional videos for their hit singles. Songs include “Ai no Kakera”, “Akashi”, “Shiroi Hana”, “Koi Koi…”, “H・A・N・A・B・I ~Kimi ga Ita Natsu~”, “Boku no Tegami”, and a bonus track of their most popular tune “Secret Base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~” from their Astro Girl Tour at Zepp Tokyo in 2003. Also included throughout, are the offshoots from the makings of the various videos. As an added bonus, the tv spots for the various singles are compiled on this DVD as well.
SHINJUKU INCIDENT (2009) – Jackie Chan as you’ve never seen him before. There are no serious stunts, no comedy whatsoever, and the action that you do see is of the violent kind. A serious drama that features another aspect of Japan that the government doesn’t like to advertise – illegal migrant laborers. Jackie plays a man from China who illegally enters Japan. He’s nearly caught by the Japanese police but loses all of his forged documents so now he has no papers. His only option is to work as laborer who’s paid under the table. He first sets out to Japan to look for his childhood sweetheart who left first and was not heard from since. The Chinese community takes him in and he finds himself dealing with the Japanese Yakuza and a Chinese gang. As he helps save the life of a yakuza boss from a rival gang member, he becomes more involved in the seedier side of life in Japan. He also rises through the ranks of the Chinese gang by getting them to work together for better wages and a better life. Fans of Jackie and his brand of humor may be in for a shock if they rent this thinking it’s a typical Jackie Chan movie.
BLOOD : THE LAST VAMPIRE (2009) – “Twilight” it ain’t! Yet another movie based on a video game. What makes this one different. It stars Korean actress Gianna Jun and Koyuki (of “The Last Samurai” fame). The American actress who’s also in this is a waste of character – just a whiny, sissy expendable. The time is 1970 Tokyo (but the set looks more like 1950s) – how do I know? Because I lived in Tokyo in 1970 and I never saw an American base look the way it was portrayed in the film! The action scenes were pretty cool but this should be heaped away with the mountain of B-movies. Aside from Gianna and Koyuki, the acting is so horribly bad, it really is pathetic. Oh, Gianna is a half-human, half-vampire (thus the “Twilight” comment in the beginning) who’s only quest in life is to avenge the murder of her father by Onigen (who’s played by Koyuki). And Gianna is supposedly half-Japanese as well and wears a Japanese high-school uniform as well. The reason being so she could blend in as a national (even though she was being enrolled in a school on a U.S. base – and I can tell you for a fact that the girls were not required to wear a school uniform). Only in the world of video games would this place even exist. Another movie to enjoy while drinking beer with your buds.
TWILIGHT (2008) – My sister has been recommending this series written by Stephenie Meyer and though I have yet to read it (still debating if I want to or not), I decided to check out the movie adaptation. My sister informed me that the books are a hundred times better and that the flick itself in her own words was, “it’s sucky!” No pun intended. Well, as I said, since I have not read the books, I was able to watch the movie with a fresh perspective. I already knew that this was another vampire themed story and how the human girl Bella (played by Kristen Stewart) falls in love with bad boy Edward (who happens to be a vampire). I think another positive point from my sister’s point of view is that in was filmed in the small town of Forks in Washington state. She has even gone on the “Twilight Tour” that the movie series has spawned. My opinion? Well, it was a new twist on a old storyline and I found it rather refreshing and entertaining. There seems to be two kinds of vampires as well. Edward and his kin only feed on animals whereas “Hunters”, once they get a whiff of human blood, stalks their pray until the satisfy their hunger. There also seems to be some werewolves involved but I believe they make their presence known a lot more in the next film, “The Twilight Saga : New Moon” but I haven’t gotten around to watching that yet. Will I take the advice of my sister and read the novels? Eventually I suppose but I keep finding other things to read that who know when that will happen.
MW (pronounced Moo) (2009) – Fans of Astro Boy (the comic, not the movie) may be in for a surprise for the simple fact that the original story was also written by Astro Boy’s creator, the Godfather of Japanese Manga – Osamu Tezuka. The story is very adult in nature and pretty dark as well. Sixteen years ago, the Japanese government covered up a major accident on a small island. Unknown to the islanders, the government was storing some toxic gas called “MW” there and one of the containers leaked killing nearly the entire population of the island. The government swooped in and finished off the rest of the people as well and made it into a deserted island. What the government didn’t know was that there were two survivors of the island. Two young boys. Now as adults, one has become a preacher and the other has become a crusader against the government bureaucrats who let the accident happened. The movie stars Hiroshi Tamaki (as the vengeful survivor Michio Yuki) and Takayuki Yamada (as the preacher Yutaro Garai who tries to stop his vengeful friend). What the movie doesn’t explain and makes more sense when you read the original is that not only were Garai and Yuki friends and survivors of the disaster, but they were lovers as well. The movie tones down (or rather eliminates) the homo-erotic aspect of the story and concentrates more on the people being killed. I’ve read the original comic but found the movie version more to my liking. Very good film, I give it a thumbs up.
DETROIT METAL CITY (2008) – I reviewed this a while ago when it was first released on DVD. But then it was aired on television and I just had to watch it again. I love this film! Although a friend of mine who has read the original comic series said the movie version was less than crap! I tend to disagree. This is one funny movie that anybody can enjoy. Soichi Negishi (played by Ken’ichi Matsuyama) has moved to Tokyo to pursue his dream of being a musician playing perky, pop music. However, he finds himself as lead singer Johannes Krauser III of a death metal band called “Detroit Metal City”. Although he hates the music he’s now playing, his dream is still to be a pop singer. By the way, this movie is also based on a popular manga series of the same title. I couldn’t help but laugh when Negishi says his dream and theme of this flick is “No Music, No Dream” – a rip-off of the phrase of the company I work for, which is “No Music, No Life”. The store where I work also makes an appearance as well. Americans will be delighted to know that one of their popular and former record store chain is still doing business in Japan. And Gene Simmons of KISS makes a cameo appearance as well. “Go To DMC! Go To DMC!” Go find it and rent it now!
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009) – I can’t believe I waited this long to watch this flick. The only Harry Potter movie I did not see at the theater. Don’t ask me why. This is the adaption of the sixth book in the series and is probably the darkest Harry Potter flick by far. Lord Voldemort’s minions are starting to attack the muggle world, Hogwart’s School of Wizardry is on the verge of being closed and Harry and his pals must face the Deatheaters and other evils that abound. Harry also has a showdown with his school nemesis Draco Malfoy. Hermione can no longer hide her feelings for Ron, yet Ron remains clueless. As to the title of the film, Harry finds an old text book for his “Potions” class in which was written “Property of the Half-Blood Prince”. This book helps Harry to become the top of his class in “Potions” much to the annoyance of Hermione who says Harry should get rid of the book or at least find out who this Half-Blood Prince is, but I won’t give that away in this short review. You either already know if you read the books, or you will have to find out by watching the movie. All the Harry Potter flicks get a thumbs up from me. Now, it’s just the wait for the last movie (which is being made in two parts – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”) which is probably driving all Harry Potter fans crazy.
母べえ[Kaa Bei] (2008) – The English title for this movie is [Our Mother] and is based on the memoirs of Teruyo Nogami and stars Sayuri Yoshinaga. Director Yoji Yamada has a new movie out called “Otouto” and was also the director for the “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo” series and lately has been featured on a variety of programs. So when “Our Mother” was being aired on network television, I decided to watch it. It’s a beautiful but sad story of the Nogami family told by the youngest daughter Teruyo. The movie starts in 1937 Japan. In the Nogami family, they have a habit of adding “bee” to end of their name, thus “Kaa-chan (which means Mother) is Kaa-bei, Otou-chan is Tou-bei, Teruyo is Terubei, her sister Hatsuko is Hatsu-beiTeruyo’s father is arrested as a dissident who opposes the military-prone government. Kaa-bei who believes in her husband raises the two girls while waiting for her husband to return. The authorities tell Tou-bei, that if he changes the words in some of his writings that he would be free to go home, but he refuses. Watching this will make you angry at the military government. It shows the human side of the story where not all Japanese were gung-ho about war and expansion. There were opponents and dissidents – and most of them were either killed or imprisoned. Lately I’ve been finding a lot of good Japanese movies to watch and this is one of them. Thumbs up! Still lots of movies to watch. Mikako and I are looking forward to the new Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz flick "Knight and Day" - who knows when it will be released in Japan though. We want to see "Paranormal Activity" at the theater as well. Also in April, the Japanese film "My Darling is a Foreigner" looks pretty promising. I've read parts of the original manga that was based on the life of it's author and found it to be pretty funny and hey, I am part of an international couple as well. I still have a stack of DVDs that need watching too. I still haven't gotten around to watching "Red Cliff" parts 1 and 2, and few Japanese films such as the interestingly titled "Chocolate Gummi Pine", "Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai" which translates to "I Want to be a Clam" and "Oppai Volley", oppai being the Japanese word for boobs (breasts if you want me to be politically correct). Time to watch more movies!!
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