The story is about how the dark secrets of a Japanese family came back to haunt each of their members many years later.
Liked the flowery lines spoken in the narration and was deeply affected by the psychological impact on both mother and daughter as a result of the father's tyranny over them! A good mix of dreams and reality also provided several interesting twists to the film!
Internet Movie Database Link
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Mary and Max
The story is about the friendship of two pen pals: one was a little girl from Melbourne named Mary, the other was a middle aged Jewish man from New York named Max who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome.
Liked the interesting storyline and the narration! Nice soundtrack too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the interesting storyline and the narration! Nice soundtrack too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Waltz with Bashir
This is an animated war documentary about how Israeli forces played a part in the Sabra-Shatila massacre following the assassination of the Lebanon President, Bashir Gameyel, in 1982.
Liked the dream sequences and the soundtrack! Learnt a little bit about the Lebanon war from this film!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the dream sequences and the soundtrack! Learnt a little bit about the Lebanon war from this film!
Internet Movie Database Link
Usavitch Seasons 1-3
Each season of "Usavitch" consists of 13 episodes and they are shown on MTV Asia. The story is about the adventures of two rabbits trapped in a Russian prison.
Liked the fast paced action that fits the exciting MTV style image! The plot is innovative and funny! Learnt from the Q&A that the director liked "Tom and Jerry" when he was young. Think he might have got some of his inspiration from there!
Official Site
Liked the fast paced action that fits the exciting MTV style image! The plot is innovative and funny! Learnt from the Q&A that the director liked "Tom and Jerry" when he was young. Think he might have got some of his inspiration from there!
Official Site
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ornamental Hairpin
This film is part of the "Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu" Eclipse boxset that consisted of "Japanese Girls at the Harbor", "Mr. Thank You", "The Masseurs and a Woman" and "Ornamental Hairpin".
The story is similar to "The Masseurs and a Woman" but with a slight twist. A soldier is injured by a hairpin dropped by a mysterious woman from Tokyo who traveled back to apologize and spent many days at the small inn in the mountains where she made many new friends.
Liked the interesting characters like the professor and the two enthusiastic grandsons! A little doubtful that the recovery of the soldier's foot was due to his daily self-designed physiotherapy routine though. The final scene reminded me of "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs" by Mikio Naruse!
Internet Movie Database Link
The story is similar to "The Masseurs and a Woman" but with a slight twist. A soldier is injured by a hairpin dropped by a mysterious woman from Tokyo who traveled back to apologize and spent many days at the small inn in the mountains where she made many new friends.
Liked the interesting characters like the professor and the two enthusiastic grandsons! A little doubtful that the recovery of the soldier's foot was due to his daily self-designed physiotherapy routine though. The final scene reminded me of "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs" by Mikio Naruse!
Internet Movie Database Link
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Masseurs and a Woman
This film is part of the "Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu" Eclipse boxset that consisted of "Japanese Girls at the Harbor", "Mr. Thank You", "The Masseurs and a Woman" and "Ornamental Hairpin".
The story is about a blind masseur's encounter with a mysterious woman from Tokyo at a small inn in the mountains.
Liked the beautiful mountain scenery and the interesting relationship among the masseur, the woman and another young man! The dialogues were very nicely scripted and revealed what each character was thinking about!
Internet Movie Database Link
The story is about a blind masseur's encounter with a mysterious woman from Tokyo at a small inn in the mountains.
Liked the beautiful mountain scenery and the interesting relationship among the masseur, the woman and another young man! The dialogues were very nicely scripted and revealed what each character was thinking about!
Internet Movie Database Link
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Mr. Thank You
This film is part of the "Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu" Eclipse boxset that consisted of "Japanese Girls at the Harbor", "Mr. Thank You", "The Masseurs and a Woman" and "Ornamental Hairpin".
The story is about a bus driver who travels from the rural village to Tokyo. He is nicknamed Mr. Thank You as he is very polite and says "Thank You" to people or cars who block his way so that he can overtake them.
Liked the nice countryside scenery and the different kinds of people who sat on the bus! Quite amazed that he knew some of the passengers by name and even helped them with small errands like passing messages or buying the latest music records in town! I would give him full marks for his service attitude! He was not so conscientious about safety though as there were a few scenes where he used the rear-view mirror to check on his passengers rather than on incoming traffic.
Internet Movie Database Link
The story is about a bus driver who travels from the rural village to Tokyo. He is nicknamed Mr. Thank You as he is very polite and says "Thank You" to people or cars who block his way so that he can overtake them.
Liked the nice countryside scenery and the different kinds of people who sat on the bus! Quite amazed that he knew some of the passengers by name and even helped them with small errands like passing messages or buying the latest music records in town! I would give him full marks for his service attitude! He was not so conscientious about safety though as there were a few scenes where he used the rear-view mirror to check on his passengers rather than on incoming traffic.
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, October 03, 2009
For all mankind
The documentary is about the experiences of astronauts from the US travelling to the moon on the Apollo series rockets.
Liked how the director pieced together one coherent story with audio commentaries inserted at the right places! I could see what they went through and hear what they felt about it twenty years later all at the same time! My favorite scenes would be the majestic lift-off sequence, the earth rising on the moon and the astronauts happily jumping around on the moon!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked how the director pieced together one coherent story with audio commentaries inserted at the right places! I could see what they went through and hear what they felt about it twenty years later all at the same time! My favorite scenes would be the majestic lift-off sequence, the earth rising on the moon and the astronauts happily jumping around on the moon!
Internet Movie Database Link
Friday, October 02, 2009
Japanese Girls at the Harbor
This film is part of the "Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu" Eclipse boxset that consisted of "Japanese Girls at the Harbor", "Mr. Thank You", "The Masseurs and a Woman" and "Ornamental Hairpin".
The story is about the life of two Yokohama girls who were very good friends in school. Sunako was exiled and returned years later as a fallen woman while Dora married Sunako's ex-boyfriend, Henry. The title of the film came about because Yokohoma is a port city with a big harbor.
Was fiddling with the audio option for the DVD and found that there was a soundtrack option for this silent film but decided that the experience was much better without any soundtrack! Liked the nice scenery and the complex relationship among the three leads: Sunako, Dora and Henry!
Internet Movie Database Link
The story is about the life of two Yokohama girls who were very good friends in school. Sunako was exiled and returned years later as a fallen woman while Dora married Sunako's ex-boyfriend, Henry. The title of the film came about because Yokohoma is a port city with a big harbor.
Was fiddling with the audio option for the DVD and found that there was a soundtrack option for this silent film but decided that the experience was much better without any soundtrack! Liked the nice scenery and the complex relationship among the three leads: Sunako, Dora and Henry!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, September 26, 2009
PSTAR Scrabble Games 2009
The PSTAR Scrabble games is an annual event for organisations in the civil service to take part in a friendly game of Scrabble. It was held at the Civil Service Club on 26th Sep 2009 from 10am to 5pm. A total of 27 teams took part. MINDEF had one team taking part this year.
Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.
Our first pairing was against People's Association (PA) team 1.
Game 1: PA 1
My first game was against a girl named Le Yi. Both of us had one bingo each. I had STOURIE(78) while she had REqUIRED(77). I managed to beat her as she went overtime by 3 minutes and made many simple phoneys like IX* and NEZ*.
Won 417-231. Our team won 3-0.
Next game was against Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) team 1.
Game 2: MHA 1
My second game was against a guy from the police force named Cho. Both of us had one bingo each. I had LEAFIEST(62) while he had SPINNER(83). He was leading by 65 points at one point but I managed to turn the tide around by phoneying successfully with FARK* and REVE* while catching his phoneys such as AXER*, ETE* and CUD*. He also went overtime by 10 minutes and this gave me a bigger spread.
Won 444-220. Our team won 3-0.
Had free lunch catered for us after our second game. The dishes were not too bad but the paper plates were much smaller compared to last year! Didn't really feel full after that.
Our third game was against Ministry of Education (MOE) 1.
Game 3: MOE 1
I was paired against Vincent who was a Masters player but he claimed that he was getting rusty at the game. Both of us had one bingo each. I had RELEASER(75) while he had dITCHES(87). My opponent was trailing by 69 points towards the end with ADIMNT? on his rack. He could have won if he managed to bingo across the triple score lane front hooking to an existing AA on the board [1] but he phoneyed with MATINeD* instead and lost. Lucky for me!
Won 384-347. Our team won 3-0.
Our final game is against Land Transport Authority (LTA) 2.
Game 4: LTA 2
I played against Jimmy. He opened with DOZER(39) and scored heavily later with XI(60). He also had two bingos: IsOLATE(68) and MARKETS(88) against my INVERTS(75). Had many uninspired plays and chickened out of a bingo with a DDGINOS rack[2] as I was not sure of the word. Think everything went downhill after I decided to play off DO instead.
Lost 329-474. Our team lost narrowly with 1-2.
In the end, MINDEF 1 came in 4th placing among the top category teams. Had fun seeing so many familiar faces! Hope we could do even better next year!
Quiz answers (highlight to see clearly)
[1] MeDIANT
[2] SODDING
Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.
Our first pairing was against People's Association (PA) team 1.
Game 1: PA 1
My first game was against a girl named Le Yi. Both of us had one bingo each. I had STOURIE(78) while she had REqUIRED(77). I managed to beat her as she went overtime by 3 minutes and made many simple phoneys like IX* and NEZ*.
Won 417-231. Our team won 3-0.
Next game was against Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) team 1.
Game 2: MHA 1
My second game was against a guy from the police force named Cho. Both of us had one bingo each. I had LEAFIEST(62) while he had SPINNER(83). He was leading by 65 points at one point but I managed to turn the tide around by phoneying successfully with FARK* and REVE* while catching his phoneys such as AXER*, ETE* and CUD*. He also went overtime by 10 minutes and this gave me a bigger spread.
Won 444-220. Our team won 3-0.
Had free lunch catered for us after our second game. The dishes were not too bad but the paper plates were much smaller compared to last year! Didn't really feel full after that.
Our third game was against Ministry of Education (MOE) 1.
Game 3: MOE 1
I was paired against Vincent who was a Masters player but he claimed that he was getting rusty at the game. Both of us had one bingo each. I had RELEASER(75) while he had dITCHES(87). My opponent was trailing by 69 points towards the end with ADIMNT? on his rack. He could have won if he managed to bingo across the triple score lane front hooking to an existing AA on the board [1] but he phoneyed with MATINeD* instead and lost. Lucky for me!
Won 384-347. Our team won 3-0.
Our final game is against Land Transport Authority (LTA) 2.
Game 4: LTA 2
I played against Jimmy. He opened with DOZER(39) and scored heavily later with XI(60). He also had two bingos: IsOLATE(68) and MARKETS(88) against my INVERTS(75). Had many uninspired plays and chickened out of a bingo with a DDGINOS rack[2] as I was not sure of the word. Think everything went downhill after I decided to play off DO instead.
Lost 329-474. Our team lost narrowly with 1-2.
In the end, MINDEF 1 came in 4th placing among the top category teams. Had fun seeing so many familiar faces! Hope we could do even better next year!
Quiz answers (highlight to see clearly)
[1] MeDIANT
[2] SODDING
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tokyo Sonata
The story is about a Japanese family that is gradually falling apart after the father was retrenched.
Liked how the film captured the tension among the family members and the plight of the unemployed! The dream sequence and the scenes where the couple each expressed the desire to start all over again were pretty well done!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked how the film captured the tension among the family members and the plight of the unemployed! The dream sequence and the scenes where the couple each expressed the desire to start all over again were pretty well done!
Internet Movie Database Link
Friday, September 18, 2009
Moebius
The story is about how a topologist helped to solve the mystery of a missing train in the subway station.
A little disappointed as I thought there would be a lot of special effects to explain the subway blueprints and the mathematical principles behind them. Not much action on the missing train itself too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
A little disappointed as I thought there would be a lot of special effects to explain the subway blueprints and the mathematical principles behind them. Not much action on the missing train itself too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I Love Beijing
The film describes the life in Beijing through a taxi driver who drives around the bustling city and meets different kinds of people everyday.
Liked how various characters such as a waitress, a librarian, a rich socialite and a poor countryside girl are weaved into the taxi driver's life to give an in-depth look at the social problems in Beijing!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Liked how various characters such as a waitress, a librarian, a rich socialite and a poor countryside girl are weaved into the taxi driver's life to give an in-depth look at the social problems in Beijing!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Maborosi
The story is about a woman who remarried after her husband mysteriously committed suicide.
Liked the nice scenery near the beach at the woman's second home, the depiction of her new happy family life and the visit back to her old home! The slow pace and the quiet atmosphere gave this film its unique charm!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Liked the nice scenery near the beach at the woman's second home, the depiction of her new happy family life and the visit back to her old home! The slow pace and the quiet atmosphere gave this film its unique charm!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Grandeur 8 Mini 2009
I signed up for the Grandeur 8 mini as I thought it would be interesting to take part in a Scrabble competition that was held in a shopping center. It turned out to be not as relaxing as I imagined as we were distracted by the emcee blaring non-stop away, the curious onlookers, the noisy background music and the hot afternoon sun at CenterStage Marina Square.
Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.
Game 1: vs Donald Seah
My first opponent was an old man who usually played in division C. Guess I shouldn't have underestimated my opponent as it turned out to be a much closer game than I had imagined! I only managed to pull ahead after bingoing with SINGErs(64) using both blanks.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: SINGErs(64) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: EXES(39), PODS(33) Opp High Moves: ZA(45), FANCIER(45)
W 402-324, +78. 1W 0L (Accum spread +78).
Game 2: vs Peter Yu
At one time, I had ADEIPRS on my rack and I could only see the PRAISED anagram. After putting it down, my opponent played FIST to the TWS cell and scored 45 points! Should have played the anagram with the "S" as the 3rd letter instead![1] The board then became very closed later in the game. Saw an empty place to put one tile that back hooked both FEN and KA. Would have tried to put a "G" there to form FENG* and KAG* but my opponent snatched the spot from me to form FENI/KAI. Realised later that the correct spelling of the words that I was thinking of were FUNG and CAG.
New words learnt: FENI
My Bingos: READINGs(83), PRAISED(68) Opp Bingos: NELLIES(70), TINTERS(66)
My Phoneys: GEME* Opp Phoneys: VETOR*
My High Moves: HORN(33), ROOK(30) Opp High Moves: FIST(45), YOW(32)
L 374-415, -41. 1W 1L (Accum spread +37).
Game 3: vs Catherine Tong
Both of us made many mistakes in this game. I won as I got away with an ERY* phoney, scoring 28 points in the process and she challenged UDAL unsuccessfully! It could have been a draw if she had not challenged!
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: NASTIES(73) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: KOE*, GELL*, ECUR*, ERY*(28) Opp Phoneys: SA*, REPEND*
My High Moves: SIX(37) Opp High Moves: CUPS(38), WOP(40), JeATs(57), TRODE(35)
W 373-368, +5. 2W 1L (Accum spread +42).
Game 4: vs Tan Mun Ri
My luck was pretty good and it helped that my opponent was struggling to find a place to play her bingo-prone rack, phoneying several times in the process! Realised later that there was an anagram to her ADEINTU rack which she phoneyed with AUNTIED*.[2]
New words learnt: BAUBLE, TEAZE
My Bingos: GENDERS(77), NAVIGATED(78) Opp Bingos: NUTSIER(75)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: BAUBLED*, ANTEEING*, AUNTIED*, SToURING*
My High Moves: CLEAK(32), JOE(33), XU(52), TEAZE(72), VERT(34) Opp High Moves: POOR(31), CLEAKING(45), QI(43), MAWED(33)
W 567-350, +217. 3W 1L (Accum spread +259).
Game 5: vs Chew Hong En
Was trying to catch up by setting up bingo lanes but they were used by my opponent instead! Tough luck!
New words learnt: ANION
My Bingos: DEsERtER(74) Opp Bingos: LARGEST(87), BUTTERS(79)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: LIR*
My High Moves: ZEP(53) Opp High Moves: DIVA(33), JA(31)
L 371-421, -50. 3W 2L (Accum spread +209).
Game 6: vs Perry Lam
Should have blocked when I was ahead so that my opponent would not have the chance to play his second and third bingos but I didn't! Big mistake!
New words learnt: TZARINA
My Bingos: ViSITOR(75) Opp Bingos: TZARINA(84), OVERtIPS(94), RETAILS(79)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ELE*
My High Moves: OH(37), SUQ(31), AN(35) Opp High Moves: DUB(30)
L 400-491, -91. 3W 3L (Accum spread +118).
Game 7: vs Catherine Tong
My opponent said she wanted revenge as it was our second time playing together. She didn't have a chance though as I had very good tiles. Our spread would have been smaller if she knew the anagram to her EIILRST rack[3].
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: REWINDS(70) Opp Bingos: HEAVENLY(76)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: HEAVERLY*, LISTIER*
My High Moves: SHONE(38), QINTAR(34), MICE(31), CHATTY(51), ZEE(37) Opp High Moves: RELIST(34)
W 431-290, +141. 4W 3L (Accum spread +259).
Game 8: vs Aloysius
Had a 3-0 record against my last opponent but he finally had his revenge! He scored very well with his bingos and with the high scoring tiles!
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: LENDING(81) Opp Bingos: PULSaTE(71), VIOLINS(89)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QUOP(30) Opp High Moves: LAXES(40), JOT(34)
L 345-442, -97. 4W 4L (Accum spread +162).
Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):
[1] DESPAIR
[2] AUDIENT
[3] RILIEST
Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.
Game 1: vs Donald Seah
My first opponent was an old man who usually played in division C. Guess I shouldn't have underestimated my opponent as it turned out to be a much closer game than I had imagined! I only managed to pull ahead after bingoing with SINGErs(64) using both blanks.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: SINGErs(64) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: EXES(39), PODS(33) Opp High Moves: ZA(45), FANCIER(45)
W 402-324, +78. 1W 0L (Accum spread +78).
Game 2: vs Peter Yu
At one time, I had ADEIPRS on my rack and I could only see the PRAISED anagram. After putting it down, my opponent played FIST to the TWS cell and scored 45 points! Should have played the anagram with the "S" as the 3rd letter instead![1] The board then became very closed later in the game. Saw an empty place to put one tile that back hooked both FEN and KA. Would have tried to put a "G" there to form FENG* and KAG* but my opponent snatched the spot from me to form FENI/KAI. Realised later that the correct spelling of the words that I was thinking of were FUNG and CAG.
New words learnt: FENI
My Bingos: READINGs(83), PRAISED(68) Opp Bingos: NELLIES(70), TINTERS(66)
My Phoneys: GEME* Opp Phoneys: VETOR*
My High Moves: HORN(33), ROOK(30) Opp High Moves: FIST(45), YOW(32)
L 374-415, -41. 1W 1L (Accum spread +37).
Game 3: vs Catherine Tong
Both of us made many mistakes in this game. I won as I got away with an ERY* phoney, scoring 28 points in the process and she challenged UDAL unsuccessfully! It could have been a draw if she had not challenged!
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: NASTIES(73) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: KOE*, GELL*, ECUR*, ERY*(28) Opp Phoneys: SA*, REPEND*
My High Moves: SIX(37) Opp High Moves: CUPS(38), WOP(40), JeATs(57), TRODE(35)
W 373-368, +5. 2W 1L (Accum spread +42).
Game 4: vs Tan Mun Ri
My luck was pretty good and it helped that my opponent was struggling to find a place to play her bingo-prone rack, phoneying several times in the process! Realised later that there was an anagram to her ADEINTU rack which she phoneyed with AUNTIED*.[2]
New words learnt: BAUBLE, TEAZE
My Bingos: GENDERS(77), NAVIGATED(78) Opp Bingos: NUTSIER(75)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: BAUBLED*, ANTEEING*, AUNTIED*, SToURING*
My High Moves: CLEAK(32), JOE(33), XU(52), TEAZE(72), VERT(34) Opp High Moves: POOR(31), CLEAKING(45), QI(43), MAWED(33)
W 567-350, +217. 3W 1L (Accum spread +259).
Game 5: vs Chew Hong En
Was trying to catch up by setting up bingo lanes but they were used by my opponent instead! Tough luck!
New words learnt: ANION
My Bingos: DEsERtER(74) Opp Bingos: LARGEST(87), BUTTERS(79)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: LIR*
My High Moves: ZEP(53) Opp High Moves: DIVA(33), JA(31)
L 371-421, -50. 3W 2L (Accum spread +209).
Game 6: vs Perry Lam
Should have blocked when I was ahead so that my opponent would not have the chance to play his second and third bingos but I didn't! Big mistake!
New words learnt: TZARINA
My Bingos: ViSITOR(75) Opp Bingos: TZARINA(84), OVERtIPS(94), RETAILS(79)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ELE*
My High Moves: OH(37), SUQ(31), AN(35) Opp High Moves: DUB(30)
L 400-491, -91. 3W 3L (Accum spread +118).
Game 7: vs Catherine Tong
My opponent said she wanted revenge as it was our second time playing together. She didn't have a chance though as I had very good tiles. Our spread would have been smaller if she knew the anagram to her EIILRST rack[3].
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: REWINDS(70) Opp Bingos: HEAVENLY(76)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: HEAVERLY*, LISTIER*
My High Moves: SHONE(38), QINTAR(34), MICE(31), CHATTY(51), ZEE(37) Opp High Moves: RELIST(34)
W 431-290, +141. 4W 3L (Accum spread +259).
Game 8: vs Aloysius
Had a 3-0 record against my last opponent but he finally had his revenge! He scored very well with his bingos and with the high scoring tiles!
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: LENDING(81) Opp Bingos: PULSaTE(71), VIOLINS(89)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QUOP(30) Opp High Moves: LAXES(40), JOT(34)
L 345-442, -97. 4W 4L (Accum spread +162).
Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):
[1] DESPAIR
[2] AUDIENT
[3] RILIEST
Friday, September 04, 2009
The Face of Another
The main story is about the transformation of a disfigured man after receiving a face mask from his psychiatrist. The subplot is about a girl who was disfigured due to nuclear radiation from the atomic bombings of Japan.
Liked the interesting dialogue between the man and his wife as well as between the man and his psychiatrist! Kyo Machiko who played the wife still looked quite pretty for her age! She looked stunning in "Rashomon" and "Ugetsu" that were made more than ten years before this film!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the interesting dialogue between the man and his wife as well as between the man and his psychiatrist! Kyo Machiko who played the wife still looked quite pretty for her age! She looked stunning in "Rashomon" and "Ugetsu" that were made more than ten years before this film!
Internet Movie Database Link
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Princes and Princesses
There are six short stories in the film: "The Princess of Diamonds", "The Fig Boy", "The Sorceress", "The Old Lady’s Coat", "The Cruel Queen and the Fabulo Trainer" and "Princes and Princesses". Each of them is about either a prince or a princess.
Liked the interesting gadgets in "The Sorceress" and "The Cruel Queen and the Fabulo Trainer"! "The Princess of Diamonds" and "The Fig Boy" was predictable, the scenery in "The Old Lady’s Coat" was beautiful while "Princes and Princesses" was quite funny!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Liked the interesting gadgets in "The Sorceress" and "The Cruel Queen and the Fabulo Trainer"! "The Princess of Diamonds" and "The Fig Boy" was predictable, the scenery in "The Old Lady’s Coat" was beautiful while "Princes and Princesses" was quite funny!
Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Pitfall
The story is about a coal miner's life and how he tried to unravel a mystery when a terrible incident happened in a deserted ghost town.
Liked the scenes within the ghost town! Thought it was pretty interesting how they depicted the interaction between the dead and the living!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the scenes within the ghost town! Thought it was pretty interesting how they depicted the interaction between the dead and the living!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Rampo Noir
The film consisted of four segments adapted from the works of a Japanese mystery writer, Edogawa Rampo. They were mysterious forays into grotesque and erotic fantasy worlds.
Liked the beautiful Iceland scenery and the MTV-style images in "Mars Canal", the scientific analysis in "Mirror Hell", the pretty costumes worn by the actress in "Caterpillar" and the colorful set in "Crawling Bugs"! Felt that the stories were much more grotesque than erotic!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the beautiful Iceland scenery and the MTV-style images in "Mars Canal", the scientific analysis in "Mirror Hell", the pretty costumes worn by the actress in "Caterpillar" and the colorful set in "Crawling Bugs"! Felt that the stories were much more grotesque than erotic!
Internet Movie Database Link
Onibaba
The story is about how an old woman and her daughter-in-law survived in a war-torn 14th century Japan. The dynamics of their relationship changed when the old woman's son's friend returned from the front line.
The harsh environment that the protagonists lived in reminded me of "Woman in the Dunes" with the gigantic sand dunes replaced by tall bladed grass. Liked the portrayal of lust between the daughter-in-law and her husband's friend! Pitied the old woman though as she seemed to be punished for no reason at all!
Internet Movie Database Link
The harsh environment that the protagonists lived in reminded me of "Woman in the Dunes" with the gigantic sand dunes replaced by tall bladed grass. Liked the portrayal of lust between the daughter-in-law and her husband's friend! Pitied the old woman though as she seemed to be punished for no reason at all!
Internet Movie Database Link
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