Dear diary,

As you might already know, it’s Japanese Film Fest @ GSC this weekend.

They’re screening 8 Japanese films at RM5/seat. Planned to watch a few but did not expect the seats to sell like hotcakes. Only managed to get tix for one of the films but was late for half an hour due to the terrible traffic on the way to One-U, as always.

Dog in a Sidecar talks about the odd summertime friendship between a timid girl, Kaoru and her father’s free-spirited lover, Yoko.

A Japanese indie with a lot of implicit values and no absolute ending, exactly the way I like it to be.

Have not figured why is it called “Dog in a Sidecar” while it’s not really about dogs. I’m sure the wind-bell has its motif since it was shown several times but not sure what.

Film that makes you think.

Dear diary,

Lost in Translation. I found this movie on IMDb “If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:” (brilliant function!) when I was reading up on Ramen Girl. Both featured the backdrop of Tokyo cityscape, which I’m bias-ly in love with. That aside, LIT delineated a novel friendship that the two main chars had. The pace was a a bit tardy though. But it ended beautifully with a whisper from bill to scarlet. what is he whispering? I’m very curious.

Just found out that Lost in Translation garnered 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. *applaude*

Hmm, on a side note, found out that similar movies to LIT would be The Graduate, Thank you for Smoking etc – movies that are screened during my uni film class and I would always fall asleep. Doesn’t means they’re bad. They should be appreciated because of their fortitude to challenge the secluded genre; very experimental, very original. i miss film classes.

Dear diary,

I’ve never laid interest in history. But this film has enticed me to read up on what ‘actually’ happened between the Nazis and Jews.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, adapted from a novel.

Unlike the typical war movie, it tells history through the perspective of an eight-year-old. So that’s what makes it all different.

I wish I came across this film while I was doing my media studies back then. It would have been so good if I’d included excerpts of this film to reinforce my presentation on the chapter of Propaganda.

The secret is, I wept at the ending. It’s truly a heart-rending tale. I highly recommend it.

Dear diary,

I wasn’t paying much attention while watching the movie “Kaiji”. I just didn’t need to.

I want to watch it, only because it’s a Japanese film. The genre does not appeal to me, so do the casts.

Thought Kaiji’s acting was a bit exaggerated or maybe that’s his character in the show.

Certain scenes were extremely draggy, somehow this mismanagement of duration turns a supposedly touching scene into a very annoying and fictitious phase.

Despite all the not so favorable comments above, some parts are actually quite clever and it’s not too bad a weekend watch.

Dear diary,

Some time ago, I watched this Oscar-winning Japanese film called Okuribito (Departures).

A gift of last memories. Such a beautiful line!

It’s about this guy that gave up his passion for cello and started working as an undertaker assistant. Quite a deviant theme for a movie.

“He rediscovers the meaning of life by elaborately cleaning, preparing and enlivening the dead corpses for cremation under the close observance of mourning relatives.”

It’s quite bitter to watch a few funerals in one film, one after another, but somehow it’s a very heartwarming story with allusive values in it.

I love how Ben Tsui pointed out the following in his review:

“According to Zen Buddhist beliefs, the samsaric lifespan is an endless cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth. It is no surprise that this film was full of these opposing motifs of passing and arrivals. The film began with the loss of Kobayashi’s cherished city musician job; yet to his relief, found a new career as a mortician in his old village. During one home cooking scene, the husband and wife relieved a destined food source which sprung to life again by returning it back into the running river. The hands of the living and the dead simultaneously intertwined as the encoffinner began massaging his corpses. As Kobayashi reluctantly sold his beloved concert cello, his wife Mika announced her impending pregnancy to him. Reincarnation played a very important role in the story.”

Dear diary,

Tonight I hope I have a dream like Alice’s. I wanna go to wonderland, to try on wacky Hatter’s cocktail hats. Skip the adventure part, and maybe no Jabberwocky please, I would like to attend the mad tea party.

Alice in Wonderland

Hackneyed twist of fairytale. Adore the mise-en-scène though, particularly the costume make-up bit, feels like a corroboree in gonzo wonderland. Kudos Tim Burton!

Dear diary,

Today, I watched a beautiful Japanese animation titled 秒速5センチメートル (5 Centimeters per Second/秒速五厘米)

It’s a short love story, made up of 3 parts.

I personally love the first part the most! I think the simple & earnest love between the 2 young kids forwarded a very touching tale.

Generally, I admire the way they depict Tokyo city & Japan suburban in drawing, every detail very well taken care of. Coupled with the lovely piano background music, it’s an experience itself to watch it…

Very inspiring, especially for a Monday night.

Dear diary,

I watched an award-winning film called “Easy Virtue” over lunch just now.

It’s about a young Englishman that marries a glamorous American… and when he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future – blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window…

Simple story, but conveys a very meaningful point – difference in love.
Certain differences in love can be tolerated, but there are some things (esp those in your roots) that you can’t change or others can’t change; and that’s what leads a relationship to an end.

Nice music too. Quite annoyed with the ancient English accent though. hehe.

Sometimes there’s this weirdness in me that I find overly-commercialized stuff (film especially) unattractive. Or I’m just very selective esp when it requires my time.
Can you believe that I’ve never watched Harry Potter (except for the first sequel) or I can never understand why’s Avatar or Twilight creating such a big hype…
I’ve this rebellious liking in me…the desire for non-mainstream stuff. And I feel, it’s very difficult or nearly impossible to find someone that’s like myself. *lonely*
Nevermind, I’m sure I’ll meet weird people like that one day later.

Dear diary,

The Spy Next Door!!

“Relaxed and funny!”

It made me cry somehow I don’t know why.
Although the lines are quite cliche but it’s just different when Jackie Chan says it.
Hope to see more from Jackie!

Read another review here.

Dear diary,

Thanks to Robb, I’ve got a pair of movie pass to watch any Fox or WB’s movies.

Hence, we watched “The Time Traveller’s Wife”.

A sad but beautiful love story! Somehow I felt like I’m watching P.S. I Love You all over again.

At first I felt that it’s a bit draggy and boring, but that’s because i didn’t know how this Time Traveller thing works and felt a bit disjointed!

Then as the story develops, it’s so good that it makes me wanna cry!

It’s kinda “Details first, emotion later.”

Oh btw I never read the book.