Favorite movies
Tonight is the Academy Awards. It's a very American event, but last year, the Japanese film Okuribito, known here as Departures, won Best Foreign Language Film. Based on what I read, it was quite an upset because the film didn't generate as much buzz and Japanese cinema has never been that popular overseas, minus Akira Kurosawa. I never saw Okuribito, but it does sound interesting.
I won't ask you for your Oscar predictions for Best Foreign Language Film or Best Picture since I've only seen one of the Best Picture nominees. Instead, here's my Oscar-related question: What is your favorite Best Picture Oscar winner? (Here's the list.)
Since I'm all for promoting Japanese cinema, I'm throwing in a second question to see exactly how popular it is among my LJ readers. What is your favorite live-action Japanese film?
My favorite Best Picture winner is The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King. It's actually not my favorite in the trilogy, but The Lord of the Rings movies made me want to learn Elvish and cosplay for a movie premiere. Those films were stunning, and I thought they were a great adaptation of the novels.
My favorite live-action Japanese film is NANA, which also became an obsession. The casting was perfect: Aoi Miyazaki was so adorable and Mika Nakashima struck the right balance between cool and vulnerable. The scenes were arranged in such as way that you felt the emotional rollercoaster that the two protagonists entered. I didn't like the sequel as much because I felt the change in cast threw off wonderful chemistry.
When I think about it, I haven't seen many Japanese movies, but here would be the films that round out my Top 5: Rookies ~Sotsugyo~, Returner, Shimotsuma Monogatari (a.k.a. Kamikaze Girls), and Dororo. Oh, for any of you Gackt and Hyde fans out there, watch Moon Child; you'll enjoy it.
I won't ask you for your Oscar predictions for Best Foreign Language Film or Best Picture since I've only seen one of the Best Picture nominees. Instead, here's my Oscar-related question: What is your favorite Best Picture Oscar winner? (Here's the list.)
Since I'm all for promoting Japanese cinema, I'm throwing in a second question to see exactly how popular it is among my LJ readers. What is your favorite live-action Japanese film?
My favorite Best Picture winner is The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King. It's actually not my favorite in the trilogy, but The Lord of the Rings movies made me want to learn Elvish and cosplay for a movie premiere. Those films were stunning, and I thought they were a great adaptation of the novels.
My favorite live-action Japanese film is NANA, which also became an obsession. The casting was perfect: Aoi Miyazaki was so adorable and Mika Nakashima struck the right balance between cool and vulnerable. The scenes were arranged in such as way that you felt the emotional rollercoaster that the two protagonists entered. I didn't like the sequel as much because I felt the change in cast threw off wonderful chemistry.
When I think about it, I haven't seen many Japanese movies, but here would be the films that round out my Top 5: Rookies ~Sotsugyo~, Returner, Shimotsuma Monogatari (a.k.a. Kamikaze Girls), and Dororo. Oh, for any of you Gackt and Hyde fans out there, watch Moon Child; you'll enjoy it.