Well with MatsuJun involved, at least the handbasket will be fashionable.
Yay movies!
I've been getting a lot of these movies from this page, by the way.
Sweet Sex and Love
This was a lot of porn. The one actually meaningful moment in this film was when the old man in the hospital died. Apart from that it was just sex all the time, with the message of the film being that sex is not enough to achieve mutual understanding. News flash! Then why show so much of it? And I think another problem in the relationship is that the woman was conflicted about her tendency to follow the man's sexual commands (public bathroom scene), or maybe just the tendency to give into her own wilder desires triggered by him against her better judgement (bus scene). This lack of control over her own sexual acts put her in a position of powerlessness that she couldn't abide. But I mean there are some pretty impressive sex scenes, realistic, etc. Better than most porn. So uh if you like sex scenes watch this movie. Otherwise don't bother. I was just surfing around crunchyroll and thought I'd give it a try.
3-Iron
This was a really interesting story. Also, the lack of dialogue between the leads was a cool choice on the part of the director/writer. The relationship seemed somehow more intense without the mundanities of conversation. And because they never talked to explain their motivation, it required the viewer to take a more active role in interpreting the film, something I enjoy.
I know CKR and John Sheppard like golf and stuff, but I think it's really boring. However in this film golf is like a lethal weapon. I mean I knew intellectually that golf balls are aimed projectiles, but I never connected them before to other aimed projectiles, such as, oh, bullets. Badass.
By the end of the film the main character gains almost a super power of hiding in plain sight, having no real existence in the world. The people at the end seem happy enough, but it just seems a rather odd way to live the rest of your life.
A Good Lawyer's Wife
This was a pretty good movie. It wasn't really uplifting, but it was a fairly well-made study of the intersecting problems of marriage and affairs and children and death.
I felt really bad for the husband at the end, because even though he offers in good faith to raise his wife's child by another man as his own and become a family again, she rejects him, and he's literally left with nothing except his guilt and self-blame.
Of course the parts *I* liked best were the parts about the wife's affair with the teenage boy next door. But this film was just generally about how relationships grow and change and end and people grow and change and end, but for the living, life goes on.
Nada Sou Sou
I was excited about this movie because it's from the director of Beautiful Life, etc. But I just really wasn't feeling it. The ending made me teary eyed, yeah, but I was mostly just pissed off at the writer for doing that to the characters. And there was DEFINITE sexual/romantic subtext between the siblings that never got explored at all. Also it was depressing! All that lost potential and the loss of that relationship.
Haru no Yuki
This was a good, quality film. Poor dude from Nada Sou Sou, always dying for love of his woman. But he was good here. So was the girl from Pride and Mukodono--I like her. She has a nice voice. I didn't quite understand the main guy's psychotic way of expressing, or rather not-expressing his love. Maybe if I read the book I'd understand... I mean this whole tragedy is his fault for being perverse, or maybe just not self-aware. But I thought it was kind of funny how the Thai prince and Honda could both immediately see that he was SO IN LOVE with Satoko, when I don't think you could tell that at all from his actions or manner. But once she became engaged to the emperor it became a good tragedy. I've been writing fics in my head all day about how he and Satoko meet again (the film didn't state *explicitly* that he died, afterall). And I don't quite understand why Satoko was so all-fired ready to never see him again anyway. I understand that the abbess wanted to test her commitment to staying in the abbey by making Satoko give up her strongest worldly tie (Matsugae). But then later on the abbess gave her a second chance "Is this all right?" when they told Matsugae outside the abbey walls to go away. And Satoko said yes and started to cry. Now that the engagement to the emperor was broken, what was the obstacle? Her guilt over shaming her family? It just seemed very silly to me, how these two young people messed up their lives like that, when they had everything going for them and it would be so easy for them to be married. ::writes angsty fixit in head:: As a side note, I really enjoyed the English in this film! I was impressed with the way the main dude spoke it (and the Thai princes). Such a drawling, upper class British accent with rounded vowells--perfect for that era. And it's always a treat to hear *any* English spoken correctly in Japanese media. I also noticed the crazy, well it sounded like weirder Nara dialect (Kansai at least) on the part of the nuns. That was nice. I wasn't quite sure where most of the story was set, though.
My Student, My Boss
The yakuza in school genre has a large following, mostly because it's *so funny*. And this Korean film knockoff of My Boss My Hero (or so I gather, because I haven't watched the latter), is a worthy addition to the genre. It was moderately entertaining. And again it showed a violent and bullying depiction of the Korean school system. Ugh. I'm so glad it's not like that here.
Rough
This was a mediocre movie. The "family feud" for our Romeo and Juliet was so *ridiculous*, and originally *presented* as amusing, that I could not believe they were all taking it so seriously. Akira from Hanadan was the "older brother" of the girl from Proposal Daisakusen, etc. He was looking short! short! short! next to the lead guy, but the girl was actually looking the most attractive I've seen her. The beginning of the lead characters' manjuu-crossed love was actually promising. I think the writers should have made her truly lie to him, though. That 告白 was the most affecting part of the film. Then it just got really boring and I didn't care. It needed more drama and less annoying sidetracks. The brother's whole plot was pointless. Even though they completely failed to make me care about the swim races, I have to say the underwater and swimming scenes were filmed really beautifully.
Himitsu no Hanazono
This drama was fun. The lead girl (the sexy teacher from Stand Up!) didn't really show a lot of acting range, but she carried the drama pretty well. The story is about 4 brothers who draw shojo manga under a female psuedonym. The eldest brother actor (the annoying teacher from Engine) has trouble like, moving his face. Maybe it's stuck that way. Very sphinx-like. But he did a good job acting in all other respects. The second brother was quirky and hilarious. The third brother (can you tell that this drama taught me how to say brother ranks in Japanese?) was the pretty boy from Casshern and Good Luck. He's still hot, especially in that one flashback with the cut-off-sleeve T-shirt. (/shallow) He did a good job in this drama, with both comedic and dramatic scenes, and the character was appealing too. The youngest brother was baby!Gackt from Moonchild. Heeee. He was adorable in this, but you could definitely see his inexperience, *especially* in the physical comedy, and in gestures in general. Also this actor had my gaydar ringing like crazy. Which means the character also came across as an uke waiting to be corrupted. I'm of the same mind as whyjennifer in that I REALLY WANTED him to get together with the delivery boy. As for the ending, I'm not really sure what to think. I don't think the series went off track at all as it continued, and the ending leaves things open for a continuation, but it also breaks up the family unit without really creating a new one. Usually these kinds of light-hearted stories end with a firm family unit (often in the form of a newly cemented romantic pairing), so without one, I feel kind of incomplete.
Koi no Mon
When I finished watching this film, all I could say was, "What drugs were the makers of this movie on, and where can I get some?" This is a film about otakus in love. And it's *hilarious*. Its humor is of the surprise and incongruity stripe. I really admire the scriptwriter for making EVERYONE in this movie a freak. There's no one normal, and that's awesome. I was impressed with the transformation of the hated Fukushima-san from Kimi wa Petto into the quirky lead of this film, and Ali from IWGP also made a cameo appearance naked in a sink. I love the *commitment* the people making this film show to going all the way with their random shit. They pull it off. I especially liked the music video interlude.
Letters from Iwo Jima
Yes I finally saw it! This was a good film, but it didn't bowl me over or anything. It just struck me as being *very realistic*. And it seemed historically accurate, though obviously many things like Sam were put in for drama. (And was the digging up of the letters themselves factual?) Of course being realistic, the main message of the film was, "War: let's not do it." Which, you know, 賛成.
As far as acting goes, it was good all around. Watanabe Ken SUTEEEEKIIIIIIII as usual. He plays the tragic military hero so well. Nino was good, but I was much more impressed by him in Ao no Honoo. I didn't really *feel* that he was married in the flashback here. He was good though. Yay Nino.
And the jokes about Nino having sex with Clint Eastwood (like the jokes about Ueda's fairies and Jin's English and Gackt's Magnum) will *never stop being funny*.
***
Speaking of Gackt, the Magnum Man himself is apparently currently appearing in a Taiga drama.
Let me say that one more time: Gackt. In a Taiga drama.
I know.
He plays Uesugi Kenshin, the dude who pwned Oda Nobunaga. *_*
What with TOKIO's show, and Ya-ya-yah's show, and Gackt, I clearly need to start remembering to watch TV on Sundays.
***
BY THE WAY I have been swallowed up by Arashi. Help! The rainbows are eating my soooooul.
In related, now-soul-free news, Ohmiya SK is my JE/Jrock OTP. I'm thinking of having a T-shirt made.
The main reason I like them is because they're so OBVIOUS. With a lot of RPS pairings, especially Japanese pairings where I can't read interviews with ease, I get frustrated because I just don't *know* enough about the relationship (and I don't mean the fanservice). And I mean, not to put on the tin hat all the time, fantasy is good and I can enjoy lots of pairings. But for an OTP, I need to *believe*. And it's not like you can just twist the fictional canon to support your RPS OTP, because there *is* a truth about the real relationship out there that I want to know more about. But with Ohmiya SK it's blindingly clear that they love each other. They made their own pairing name, you guys. When I say "believe," though, I really mean "root for," not like "actually are 100% convinced that they're fucking in real life carve their initials on my tin hat."
And in one of the sure signs of an OTP, I find myself not wanting to read fics (or even like watch the Mago Mago Arashi eps) where one of them is with someone else. (Of *course* this doesn't count all the beautiful beautiful orgy fics.)
PS: Ohno is wonderful and beautiful. No wonder all of Arashi is in love with him. He's my favorite too.
DOUBLE SOULLESS PS:
I want the Takkipi.
I want the Junior-era pedo Takkipi for the hot dirty wrong porn. (Extra points if at any point Yamapi calls Takki "Papa.")
I want the contemporary Takkipi for the Yamapi emotional vulnerability. (See Yamapi's Shounen Club Premium.) They don't even have to have sex. I just want Takki to give him a hug. I also kind of want this differently-acting-with-Takki Yamapi to be exposed in front of NEWS etc.
YES MY NEEDS ARE CLICHED BUT SIMPLE.
I didn't really like Takki the actor, but I *love* Takki the JE boy. He's *such* an exhibitionist, and *such* an S type and *such* a little adorable flirty lech! What a perfect leader he was for the Juniors! (aka boys being sexually exploited by the media.) And a perfect fit for M-type Yamapi who turns to the camera unprompted and says things like "Put the handcuffs on me <3" aksdjs;jfi. And that was from the February Shounen Club of *this year*!
But really, the best thing about all the JE porn is that it doesn't force me to *choose* a pairing. (Pin/Akame wars aside.) They're all so pretty, and all so *friendly* and all so conveniently pre-packaged! How can I choose?
I've been getting a lot of these movies from this page, by the way.
Sweet Sex and Love
This was a lot of porn. The one actually meaningful moment in this film was when the old man in the hospital died. Apart from that it was just sex all the time, with the message of the film being that sex is not enough to achieve mutual understanding. News flash! Then why show so much of it? And I think another problem in the relationship is that the woman was conflicted about her tendency to follow the man's sexual commands (public bathroom scene), or maybe just the tendency to give into her own wilder desires triggered by him against her better judgement (bus scene). This lack of control over her own sexual acts put her in a position of powerlessness that she couldn't abide. But I mean there are some pretty impressive sex scenes, realistic, etc. Better than most porn. So uh if you like sex scenes watch this movie. Otherwise don't bother. I was just surfing around crunchyroll and thought I'd give it a try.
3-Iron
This was a really interesting story. Also, the lack of dialogue between the leads was a cool choice on the part of the director/writer. The relationship seemed somehow more intense without the mundanities of conversation. And because they never talked to explain their motivation, it required the viewer to take a more active role in interpreting the film, something I enjoy.
I know CKR and John Sheppard like golf and stuff, but I think it's really boring. However in this film golf is like a lethal weapon. I mean I knew intellectually that golf balls are aimed projectiles, but I never connected them before to other aimed projectiles, such as, oh, bullets. Badass.
By the end of the film the main character gains almost a super power of hiding in plain sight, having no real existence in the world. The people at the end seem happy enough, but it just seems a rather odd way to live the rest of your life.
A Good Lawyer's Wife
This was a pretty good movie. It wasn't really uplifting, but it was a fairly well-made study of the intersecting problems of marriage and affairs and children and death.
I felt really bad for the husband at the end, because even though he offers in good faith to raise his wife's child by another man as his own and become a family again, she rejects him, and he's literally left with nothing except his guilt and self-blame.
Of course the parts *I* liked best were the parts about the wife's affair with the teenage boy next door. But this film was just generally about how relationships grow and change and end and people grow and change and end, but for the living, life goes on.
Nada Sou Sou
I was excited about this movie because it's from the director of Beautiful Life, etc. But I just really wasn't feeling it. The ending made me teary eyed, yeah, but I was mostly just pissed off at the writer for doing that to the characters. And there was DEFINITE sexual/romantic subtext between the siblings that never got explored at all. Also it was depressing! All that lost potential and the loss of that relationship.
Haru no Yuki
This was a good, quality film. Poor dude from Nada Sou Sou, always dying for love of his woman. But he was good here. So was the girl from Pride and Mukodono--I like her. She has a nice voice. I didn't quite understand the main guy's psychotic way of expressing, or rather not-expressing his love. Maybe if I read the book I'd understand... I mean this whole tragedy is his fault for being perverse, or maybe just not self-aware. But I thought it was kind of funny how the Thai prince and Honda could both immediately see that he was SO IN LOVE with Satoko, when I don't think you could tell that at all from his actions or manner. But once she became engaged to the emperor it became a good tragedy. I've been writing fics in my head all day about how he and Satoko meet again (the film didn't state *explicitly* that he died, afterall). And I don't quite understand why Satoko was so all-fired ready to never see him again anyway. I understand that the abbess wanted to test her commitment to staying in the abbey by making Satoko give up her strongest worldly tie (Matsugae). But then later on the abbess gave her a second chance "Is this all right?" when they told Matsugae outside the abbey walls to go away. And Satoko said yes and started to cry. Now that the engagement to the emperor was broken, what was the obstacle? Her guilt over shaming her family? It just seemed very silly to me, how these two young people messed up their lives like that, when they had everything going for them and it would be so easy for them to be married. ::writes angsty fixit in head:: As a side note, I really enjoyed the English in this film! I was impressed with the way the main dude spoke it (and the Thai princes). Such a drawling, upper class British accent with rounded vowells--perfect for that era. And it's always a treat to hear *any* English spoken correctly in Japanese media. I also noticed the crazy, well it sounded like weirder Nara dialect (Kansai at least) on the part of the nuns. That was nice. I wasn't quite sure where most of the story was set, though.
My Student, My Boss
The yakuza in school genre has a large following, mostly because it's *so funny*. And this Korean film knockoff of My Boss My Hero (or so I gather, because I haven't watched the latter), is a worthy addition to the genre. It was moderately entertaining. And again it showed a violent and bullying depiction of the Korean school system. Ugh. I'm so glad it's not like that here.
Rough
This was a mediocre movie. The "family feud" for our Romeo and Juliet was so *ridiculous*, and originally *presented* as amusing, that I could not believe they were all taking it so seriously. Akira from Hanadan was the "older brother" of the girl from Proposal Daisakusen, etc. He was looking short! short! short! next to the lead guy, but the girl was actually looking the most attractive I've seen her. The beginning of the lead characters' manjuu-crossed love was actually promising. I think the writers should have made her truly lie to him, though. That 告白 was the most affecting part of the film. Then it just got really boring and I didn't care. It needed more drama and less annoying sidetracks. The brother's whole plot was pointless. Even though they completely failed to make me care about the swim races, I have to say the underwater and swimming scenes were filmed really beautifully.
Himitsu no Hanazono
This drama was fun. The lead girl (the sexy teacher from Stand Up!) didn't really show a lot of acting range, but she carried the drama pretty well. The story is about 4 brothers who draw shojo manga under a female psuedonym. The eldest brother actor (the annoying teacher from Engine) has trouble like, moving his face. Maybe it's stuck that way. Very sphinx-like. But he did a good job acting in all other respects. The second brother was quirky and hilarious. The third brother (can you tell that this drama taught me how to say brother ranks in Japanese?) was the pretty boy from Casshern and Good Luck. He's still hot, especially in that one flashback with the cut-off-sleeve T-shirt. (/shallow) He did a good job in this drama, with both comedic and dramatic scenes, and the character was appealing too. The youngest brother was baby!Gackt from Moonchild. Heeee. He was adorable in this, but you could definitely see his inexperience, *especially* in the physical comedy, and in gestures in general. Also this actor had my gaydar ringing like crazy. Which means the character also came across as an uke waiting to be corrupted. I'm of the same mind as whyjennifer in that I REALLY WANTED him to get together with the delivery boy. As for the ending, I'm not really sure what to think. I don't think the series went off track at all as it continued, and the ending leaves things open for a continuation, but it also breaks up the family unit without really creating a new one. Usually these kinds of light-hearted stories end with a firm family unit (often in the form of a newly cemented romantic pairing), so without one, I feel kind of incomplete.
Koi no Mon
When I finished watching this film, all I could say was, "What drugs were the makers of this movie on, and where can I get some?" This is a film about otakus in love. And it's *hilarious*. Its humor is of the surprise and incongruity stripe. I really admire the scriptwriter for making EVERYONE in this movie a freak. There's no one normal, and that's awesome. I was impressed with the transformation of the hated Fukushima-san from Kimi wa Petto into the quirky lead of this film, and Ali from IWGP also made a cameo appearance naked in a sink. I love the *commitment* the people making this film show to going all the way with their random shit. They pull it off. I especially liked the music video interlude.
Letters from Iwo Jima
Yes I finally saw it! This was a good film, but it didn't bowl me over or anything. It just struck me as being *very realistic*. And it seemed historically accurate, though obviously many things like Sam were put in for drama. (And was the digging up of the letters themselves factual?) Of course being realistic, the main message of the film was, "War: let's not do it." Which, you know, 賛成.
As far as acting goes, it was good all around. Watanabe Ken SUTEEEEKIIIIIIII as usual. He plays the tragic military hero so well. Nino was good, but I was much more impressed by him in Ao no Honoo. I didn't really *feel* that he was married in the flashback here. He was good though. Yay Nino.
And the jokes about Nino having sex with Clint Eastwood (like the jokes about Ueda's fairies and Jin's English and Gackt's Magnum) will *never stop being funny*.
***
Speaking of Gackt, the Magnum Man himself is apparently currently appearing in a Taiga drama.
Let me say that one more time: Gackt. In a Taiga drama.
I know.
He plays Uesugi Kenshin, the dude who pwned Oda Nobunaga. *_*
What with TOKIO's show, and Ya-ya-yah's show, and Gackt, I clearly need to start remembering to watch TV on Sundays.
***
BY THE WAY I have been swallowed up by Arashi. Help! The rainbows are eating my soooooul.
In related, now-soul-free news, Ohmiya SK is my JE/Jrock OTP. I'm thinking of having a T-shirt made.
The main reason I like them is because they're so OBVIOUS. With a lot of RPS pairings, especially Japanese pairings where I can't read interviews with ease, I get frustrated because I just don't *know* enough about the relationship (and I don't mean the fanservice). And I mean, not to put on the tin hat all the time, fantasy is good and I can enjoy lots of pairings. But for an OTP, I need to *believe*. And it's not like you can just twist the fictional canon to support your RPS OTP, because there *is* a truth about the real relationship out there that I want to know more about. But with Ohmiya SK it's blindingly clear that they love each other. They made their own pairing name, you guys. When I say "believe," though, I really mean "root for," not like "actually are 100% convinced that they're fucking in real life carve their initials on my tin hat."
And in one of the sure signs of an OTP, I find myself not wanting to read fics (or even like watch the Mago Mago Arashi eps) where one of them is with someone else. (Of *course* this doesn't count all the beautiful beautiful orgy fics.)
PS: Ohno is wonderful and beautiful. No wonder all of Arashi is in love with him. He's my favorite too.
DOUBLE SOULLESS PS:
I want the Takkipi.
I want the Junior-era pedo Takkipi for the hot dirty wrong porn. (Extra points if at any point Yamapi calls Takki "Papa.")
I want the contemporary Takkipi for the Yamapi emotional vulnerability. (See Yamapi's Shounen Club Premium.) They don't even have to have sex. I just want Takki to give him a hug. I also kind of want this differently-acting-with-Takki Yamapi to be exposed in front of NEWS etc.
YES MY NEEDS ARE CLICHED BUT SIMPLE.
I didn't really like Takki the actor, but I *love* Takki the JE boy. He's *such* an exhibitionist, and *such* an S type and *such* a little adorable flirty lech! What a perfect leader he was for the Juniors! (aka boys being sexually exploited by the media.) And a perfect fit for M-type Yamapi who turns to the camera unprompted and says things like "Put the handcuffs on me <3" aksdjs;jfi. And that was from the February Shounen Club of *this year*!
But really, the best thing about all the JE porn is that it doesn't force me to *choose* a pairing. (Pin/Akame wars aside.) They're all so pretty, and all so *friendly* and all so conveniently pre-packaged! How can I choose?