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Reviews
Ima, ai ni yukimasu (2004)
Wonderful Romantic Fantasy with Brilliant Plot.
This film, like most other Japanese human dramas I've ever watched, is somewhat slow paced but I like its poetic representation. What I liked the most was its brilliant plot that told audiences the greatness of love through surprising turn-over. This film is really deeply touching and heartwarming. Although the story of this film is unrealistic fantasy, I'd like to recommend this film to everyone and even to those who love the realistic human dramas.
One thing that bothered me a little was the casting of Shido Nakamura as Takumi, the male lead. In fact, what bothered me was not his performance but his aggressive images that I happened to built from my previously watched films where his role was a scary karate fighter (in Fearless) or a tough general (in Red Cliff) or a cold blooded lieutenant (in Letters from Iojima). It was a little shock for me that Shido Nakamura was playing Takumi who tended to be so gentle, shy and even wimpy. Despite Shido Nakamura's good performance, I couldn't stop his aggressive Yakuza-like images being overlapped on Takumi and it eventually made the beginning part of the film the Beauty and the Beast-like-fairy tale for me. However, I think all the actors in the film including Shido Nakamura, performed fairly well and it went well with the story. If you had not yet watched Shido Nakamura's acting performance other than in this film, you would surely be surprised by his drastic change in his other films from a shy office clerk to a cold blooded fighter who throws deadly karate chops. ;-)
Hura gâru (2006)
A Nice Family Drama
Comparing to other Japanese dramas that I've ever watched, this film was quite unique. Unlike most other Japanese dramas whose atmospheres are quite refined and reserved, where the characters display their emotions and feelings in moderate and poetic manners that we often regard as a typical Japanese culture, the characters in "Hula girls" are pretty much straight forward in expressing their emotions and rather rough in manners. It reminded me of the atmosphere of old Sicilian village where Toto of "Cinema Paradiso" had spent his boyhood, where people are rough and tough in manners and sometimes even vulgar but still warm-hearted and have good humanity.
"Hula girls" is a heart-warming human drama. It will warm your heart in a little different manners from other typical Japanese human dramas. It makes audiences sometimes laugh and sometimes shed tears. It will make a wonderful family movie. Especially, I loved the last hula dancing scene where all the emotions, the joy, the sadness, the struggle and the overcoming are melted down and sublimated into a beautiful performance. It was really beautiful and touching.
Kataude mashin gâru (2008)
The Poor Special Effect Could Create An Awesome Comedy
This film is seemingly a revenge story and an extremely violent action film. However, if you are expecting the beauty of finely presented, somewhat realistic violence such as Tarantino's Kill Bill, you may become disappointed. The special effect for the violent scenes of this film is rough and clumsy so that you can easily tell that it's a B rated film. Nevertheless, I'm still quite positive on this film. Due to its clumsy and cheesy special effect, the extreme violence of this film never becomes serious or gross but rather turns into a creative and hilarious comic-like entertainment such as the violent scenes of itchy & scratchy on Simpsons. I even thought the director might have intended this cheesy special effect on purpose. The seemingly unbalanced and awkward combination of extreme violence and a cute Japanese girl in tidy sailor-style-school-uniform also creates a good humor.
If you are a cult film lover, this film would definitely be an awesome entertainment.
Nirai kanai kara no tegami (2005)
Beautiful cinematography and touching story
This film was very touching for me.
I think this film is somewhat similar to Elvira Madigan (1967), in the sense that it has simple plot and slow pace-so it could be a little boring for some audiences-but expressed the deep emotion of characters very well through beautiful cinematography. If you liked Elvira Madigan's tragic and powerful love story that was expressed by the impressionist-paintings-like cinematography, I think, you would also like the beautiful art-photos-like scenes of this film.
Not only the cinematography but the surprising reversal in the latter part of the film and the lead actress, Aoi Yu's outstanding performance that expressed the sensibility and the deep emotion of a lonely Okinawan girl who was desperately missing her mother who had left for Tokyo also make up well for the weak point of this film-the simple plot and the slow pace and even let audiences shed tears. Aoi Yu's wonderful performance is taking a really big part of this film's beauty, so when this film was introduced to Korea, the original Japanese title was translated into "Aoi Yu's letter"
This film is a tear-jerking sad story. However, unlike Elvira Madigan whose aftertaste was strongly tragic, its ending is rather heartwarming. The audiences would-if they are fans of this film-discover themselves making happy smile and shedding tears at the same time at the end of this film.
Elvira Madigan (1967)
An impressive love story with the beautiful cinematography and music
I happened to watch this film, about 20 years ago, on 14-inch-screen TV. I don't remember the details of the film now. However, the touching feeling that I had from the film still remain in my mind. Especially, the cinematography was so beautiful.
The 14-inch-screen-TV might not be a proper device for fully enjoying the cinemas, especially for this type of art films. However, even on 14-inch-screen, this film impressed me with its beautiful scenes. Now, I don't recall most of its scenes. My memory of actual scenes was pretty much faded by time but in my mind, the aftertaste of this film still remain the same as when I watched the beautiful impressionist paintings. I think the director expressed very well the inner feelings of the leads through cinematography. For me, this film was such beautiful and powerful.
The classical piano piece that was flowing though out the film was also very good. I'd like to watch this film again on a huge screen and to have the touching feeling from this tragic but pure and powerful love story again.
Dare mo shiranai (2004)
Very Touching Film
Nobody Knows was a very touching film. I found the plot of this film is quite similar to the Japanese Animation film, The Grave Of Fireflies (1988), which I happened to watch several moths after I had watched Nobody Knows. Definitely the motives of these two films are different. While the director of Nobody Knows was inspired by the true story of abandoned children in Tokyo in 1988, The Grave Of Fireflies is based on the autobiographical novel of an author who experienced the World War II as a young boy in Japan. Nevertheless, the way these two films move audiences' hearts is almost the same in the sense that the leads in both films are all innocent children who are exposed to a tough situation without any proper protection. If you have already watched either one of these two films, I'd like to recommend the other. Because your heart would be moved the same as when you watched the other. Despite the similarity between these two films, none would diminish the level of touching impression of the other. It is just the same manner that the audience who already knows much about King Lear would still receive the fresh, strong and touching impression from the Kurosawa's Ran. Of course, in case of Nobody knows and The Grave Of Fireflies, none is the adaptation of the other. (*)