Link of the Day [11.19.15]
The complete discography of Nogizaka46.
Learn it. Know it. Live it.
When I Realized That It Was Unrequited Love
It has been awhile.
So let’s get begin again with Nogizaka46’s 8th single, 気づいたら片想い [Kizuitara Kataomoi]. It’s the one which the center girl (Nishino) jumped from Macau Tower to promote this song. And it’s creeping into my number one spot for Nogi singles. I’m especially fond of the dance moves and that ending. I hope you like it.
Crimson Peak
The cliche I love when reading a ghost story is how at the start the narrator mentions how at first he didn’t believe in the supernatural. As the ghost story unfolds, it becomes apparent that supernatural things are afoot. So that by the end, the narrator readily believes the unbelievable.
Crimson Peak opens with the heroine of the film saying just that. But it is the end of the ghost story. So Crimson Peak unfolds to tell you about the ghosts. But it ends up, she’s known ghosts all her life.
This film is really predictable. You know where it is going once the characters show up. The brother, the sister. Yes, that will happen. The dead mother. The long lost wives. The many places visited. You know they all feed into the story. The only thing is that love does bloom which is hard to believe.
It’s not a bad movie. It was just marketed wrong. It is as the narrator had said a story with ghosts. It is not a horror flick, but a gothic tale with ghosts in it. Victorian but with ghosts in it. Del Toro should never have shown the creepy crawly ghost and left it all to our imagination.
3 of 5 stars.
Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies is a decent offering from Steven Spielberg. It is very much one of his more serious offerings in the vein of Munich. Yet, it wasn’t as serious because the Coen brothers contributing some very subtle witty dialogue. Tom Hanks is an elderly version of himself. He sort of reminded me of Joe from Joe Versus the Volcano, a somewhat down beat character who finds the heroic side in him from being brave.
Here Hanks is James Donovan, a lawyer who stumbles into the ungrateful task of defending a Soviet spy. Donovan gives the spy as good a defense as deserved. He also makes the case that by giving the spy a decent defense he is following the spirit of America. Or even Jesus. America is about dignity and grace. Contrasted to the Soviets, America is upholding human rights. It isn’t about ramming people into jail. It isn’t about torture. It is about taking the high road. If only we remember this. America is better than what the GOP let’s you believe.
Anywho, Bridge of Spies is worth watching as a Spielberg movie. It’s not a classic, but it is rather solid, and it would be a pleasant film to catch on a lazy Sunday as it plays on USA network.
3 of 5 stars.
The Intern
Everyone cries in a Nancy Myers film including the leads in The Intern.
It was better than expected. And I liked how the ending left much to your imagination.
3 of 5 stars.
The Martian
It was just like the book. Focused on the technical aspects. The only thing about it though is that the characters were caricatures. They showed up, did there thing, then left. Not sure if the book itself allows for them to be people.
It was good, but not as great as we expected.
3 of 5 stars.
“Hey, what if there’s a fire? We’d be stuck inside burned alive, like those people on the Titanic.”
I’ll take an Ikuta lead song any day!
But more importantly, where can I get one of those scarves?
“If anyone here is a witch, it’s Beth. Look at how she dresses. Case closed.”
I had this NewsRadio quote queued up as a draft. I can’t let it go to waste. Now what should I write about…
IDOLS!
Those cute, gorgeous, talented girls from Japan. I haven’t written about them here, hunh? No? Then let’s get on with it.
I said that one of these days I would explain my fascination with them. But really there isn’t too much to say. It’s like why I love slice of life anime featuring Japanese school girls playing in a band. I just want to cheer them on with their endeavors. It’s the same for Idols. I want to cheer them on.
They work hard in order to bring us kawaii. I can’t let there effort go to waste. I want all of them to succeed. I want them to achieve their dreams. I want them to make me happy that they are who they are.
I believe that is moe, a feeling of affection towards them. I don’t just like one girl. I support them all.
It’s tough to think about. It just is for me at the moment. I am an idol otaku.
“So, I guess it’s business as usual for you. To you, it must have been like stepping on a bug, except this bug had friends and a personality. And it wasn’t so much a bug as a rat.”
I’ve always been meaning to write about why I embraced Japanese idols so quickly, but never really gotten around to it. I’ll attempt to rectify that with today’s link. The author writes about idols represented in anime, but he could’ve been talking about 3D idols as well.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/editorial/2015-09-23/the-intoxicating-lure-of-idol-anime/.93232
“Lisa’s puppy is licking peanut butter off my hand.”
“Beretta” has become my favorite single from Nogizaka46. It’s not just a great song, but the video is also outstanding. Plus, the rest of the tunes on the singles are pretty awesome as well. My old favorite was “Sonna Baka” which is one of the B-side on this single. They also did the OP for the Naruto anime. In that video they are dressed as ninja. You can’t beat cute ninja. Anyhow, I’m thinking about buying the actual CD from Japan. Crazy…