Wreath at the Grave
I can’t help but think of my dad…
I’m sure he would’ve been proud of me…
I’m sure he would also be repeating his last words to me…
I miss him so but more during the holidays for his heartwarming laugh. Like Santa!
Door. Wreath. Reflection of the Season?
The wreath is hung on the door. It’s getting to be Christmas. Except the weather’s been mild — not too many cold days and too many warm days. At least it’s December.
I’m too lazy to hang holiday lights. I haven’t put up my miniature Christmas tree since ’08 or ’09. I still do the wreath on the door. And I will play some Christmas Music.
Secret In Their Eyes
Secret In Their Eyes had some of the worst plot twists in the final minutes of the film which ruined the entire experience. Not that it was already good while watching, but these plot twists of which there were two were absolutely unbelievable. I was shaking with anger at the end because of them.
Don’t watch this film expecting a nice tidy ending. Expect the twist. Then pick up your jaw from the ground because the twists ruined everything.
I’m still angry and mystified several weeks later.
2 of 5 stars.
Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue has been out of print on DVD/BluRay for the longest time, so imagine my surprise to see that The Charles had it playing during their Anime Night programming. It’s the only film of Satoshi Kon’s that I had not seen, and I planned to catch it no matter what.
Being his first film, it is rough around the edges. It has a very 90s anime feel to it, and it didn’t help that the Charles had what seemed to be a bootleg — it looked like the aspect ratio was wrong as the faces were somewhat distorted. I’ve seen other images on the web from this movie. They looked better. Also, the sound was slightly too loud. I’m not sure that the Charles did a good presentation of the film, but I was glad to catch it. At least, they fixed the crack in the screen wall of the theatre such as not to distract from the film.
Perfect Blue is about a Japanese idol who decides to graduate from her group and become an actress. She wants to move past her idol persona and became her own person as an actress. Her fans may not approve. Lots of the film bounces between those two worlds — the idol and the actress. You see her shed that innocent idol image by taking up adult roles and doing sexy gravure shots. Her fans may not approve.
Kon displays his trademark switching between scenes. They focused on Mima’s life as an idol or as an actress. They switched back and forth morphing reality with scenes she plays in a movie or scenes of the movie. She tries to find her real self — the idol or the actress. She gets involved in murders because her fans may not approve of her choice. In the end, it became a mystery to solve for her.
Imagine all the idol watching I’ve done in the last 6 months. Now imagine all of that – about the fans approval – coming around in this movie. Do we, idol fans, like them for who they are or who we think they are? Are we complicit in their act? Are we complicit in the happiness, or unhappiness, of their lives? I am not too sure; I’ve wrestled with it for the last 6 months myself. Idols are idols and they are who they are. I’m just here to support them in their line of business.
4 of 5 stars.
Hidden Beach
Dateline, Hawaii. Not today, but early this year. A sunset to remember. Thank you.
Millennium Actress [RIP Hara Setsuko-san]
The world just found out that Setsuko Hara has died. Ozu’s muse, she was prominently linked with the great director in the ‘Noriko trilogy’: Late Spring, Tokyo Story, and Early Summer — some of the greatest of Ozu’s films. She was that elegant, demure Japanese woman on screen. Later on in life she was a recluse and very private. So it doesn’t come as a shock to find out she died back in September. It is only being reported now. Sad.
Our Brand Is Crisis
Since it has been several weeks that I have reviewed any movies, it may seem like I didn’t watch anything in the theaters. Yeah, I know that I was too busy with “Nogizakatte doko?”, “Nogibingo!”, and any and all Nogizaka related things, but I did catch a few first run movies.
Our Brand Is Crisis I saw last month. Now I just have to put a few thoughts together…
Yeah, I don’t remember this one too much.
It was based on a documentary, Our Brand Is Crisis, which followed American political campaigners in Latin America. So, the fictional story is based on real events.
Sandra Bullock plays Jane Bodine a once hotshot political adviser. She’s been out of the game for years, because she kept losing to a James Caravelle type rival played by a bald Billy Bob Thornton. She’s pulled back into the game by operatives trying to fix a Bolivian presidential campaign. They get her off her rump by giving her a chance to take down Billy Bob. She bites. But at first she doesn’t like to. Then she finally does give in and turns on the heat to get her guy elected by running a negative campaign.
It turned out to be a Sandra Bullock movie. She starts off sad. She then becomes morose. But pulls it together to be happy in the end.
Billy Bob Thornton phones it in, but does provide a nice counterpoint to the Bullock movie.
Anything Anthony Mackie has been in has been fine. He’s the best part of the movie.
Overall, I would not have seen this on my own, but since I was sort of dragged to it, it was a forgettable, but enjoyable 2 hours. I liked the popcorn.
3 of 5 stars.
Under
For today, even though it’s half over, we’ll go with the Under Girls song from Nogizaka46’s latest single. The Under Girls are the lower half of the group that did not break into the main single group. They are just as important as the primary group of girls. Also, this song I like better than the primary song on the single. Under Girls rule as well. Let’s all support them!