Thursday, November 16, 2023

Walk Walk

This is a documentary about what walking means to different groups of people in Singapore.

Was quite surprised to see Amanda Heng in the first scene as I didn't think she was into walking. It was only afterwards when I realised how two of her works had a walking theme to it. By the way, I was really impressed by the visual recorder's work! If only I could jot down my notes in a similar way!

Friday, November 10, 2023

A Silent Voice

The story is about a boy who tries to redeem himself many years later for bullying a deaf girl in his class.

The class dynamics is really different from the one in Skip and Loafer! It is a bit more darker and less friendly. Thought putting the crosses on people's faces was an interesting idea to show the lack of social interaction.

Internet Movie Database Link

Monday, November 06, 2023

Skip and Loafer

The story is about how a young teenage girl came from the countryside to Tokyo to study and made many friends in the process.

Liked the many interesting characters and how the director used dreams, flashbacks and ordinary everyday scenarios to explain what they are thinking about! My favorite episode would be the film outing episode where the lead character finally made a deeper connection with the rest of her classmates!

Internet Movie Database Link

Monday, October 30, 2023

Yellow Door: '90s Lo-fi Film Club Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club

This is a documentary on a Korean film club that started and ended in the 1990s.

Liked the interviews with the people who were passionate about films! Would love to see some of the films featured in the documentary such as "Nostalgia" by Tarkovsky and "Looking for Paradise" by Bong Joon Ho! The door reminds me of a similar door in the Doraemon comics where we can go anywhere in the world!

Internet Movie Database Link

Friday, October 20, 2023

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

The story is about life in Houston during the late 1960s when space travel was the fashionable thing to talk about.

Liked the glimpse into the type of games people played, the music people listened to and the television shows people watched back then! Didn't find that it was believable that a small child can land on the moon by himself within the period of a holiday camp though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Saturday, October 07, 2023

The Rat Catcher

The story is about a rat catcher who catches rats in very creative ways.

Thought the shows that the rat catcher put on at the end were less impressive than actually catching a rat in real life! The rats were handicapped by being not able to move around freely!

Internet Movie Database Link

Friday, October 06, 2023

Poison

The story is about a man who had to ask for help as he had a poisonous snake sleeping on his belly.

Quite amazed that the man could stay still for so long! I might have gone for the flick the blanket suggestion!

Internet Movie Database Link

Wednesday, October 04, 2023

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

The story is about how a rich spoilt man decided to do good deeds by building hospitals and orphanages around the world anonymously.

Thought it was too unbelievable for someone to see something blindfolded! The idea that a person's outlook in life could be changed through hard work is quite positive though!

Internet Movie Database Link

Monday, October 02, 2023

The Swan

The story is about the interaction between a young boy and two bullies that happened many years ago.

Liked the tense moments when the protagonist was tied down to the railway track and the extraordinary events that happened after they encountered the swan!

Internet Movie Database Link

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Once Upon a Crime

The film combines a few fairy tales together such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and a hint of Wizard of Oz and Snow White together to form a detective story.

Liked how smart and observant Little Red Riding Hood was to figure out the real killer! All the gowns looked quite pretty too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Monday, September 11, 2023

An Artisan’s Legacy: Tsunekazu Nishioka

This is a documentary on a famous Japanese temple builder. He led a team of builders to rebuild several old temples in Japan.

Was impressed by how knowledgeable Nishioka was and how much dedication he showed towards his work! He sourced for trees from overseas and even made his own customised tools! I could understand the value of spending a lot of time to do a good job after watching this film!

Internet Movie Database Link

Saturday, August 26, 2023

A Girl In My Room

The story is about how a man became friends with a female ghost in his house.

Liked the nice traditional costume worn by the ghost! I would have mistaken her for a normal girl too since she can go out in the day and be physically touched too.

Internet Movie Database Link

Friday, August 18, 2023

Follow the Light

The story is about a group of students in a school at the countryside that is closing down.

Liked the nice birds eye view of the rural scenery! Thought the mosaic drawing would look better if the individual portraits were smaller.

To be honest, I was half imagining a Melancholia type of ending when the students gathered at the window to see the light from outer space. That would tie in to the drawings done by the boy. Was also a bit disappointed that there were not more items at the school closing ceremony. Maybe the girl could have sung her song then?

Internet Movie Database Link

Friday, August 11, 2023

A Muse Never Drowns

The story is about the friendship among a group of Japanese art students. One of them painted a portrait of another girl while that girl did a sculpture of a boat using recycled materials.

Liked the interesting soundtrack when the girl was making the boat! Also liked the scene where the three girls were describing their fears to each other!

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Hey! Our dear Don-chan

The story is about how three men looked after a baby who suddenly appeared at their doorstep.

Thought this was like a Japanese version of Three Men and a Baby except that it is slower paced! Learned a bit more about how actors auditioned for their roles. Was pleasantly surprised by the easter egg after the credits.

Internet Movie Database Link

Tuesday, August 08, 2023

Lonely Glory

The story is about how a family of four siblings coped after their parents passed away.

Liked the interaction among the siblings and how the youngest sister learned more about herself and her siblings as the film progressed! Almost thought that she would take over the shop but the open ending was pretty nice too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Wish Dragon

The story is about a young man's encounter with a dragon that grants its master three wishes.

Liked the front part of the movie that introduced the two good friends! Thought it was quite impossible for the young girl to not recognize her old friend though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Ballerina

The story is about two orphans pursuing their dreams after escaping from the orphanage.

Liked the amazing dance sequences and how Odette trained Felicie! She was like a kungfu master teaching her student!

Internet Movie Database Link

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

The Summit of the Gods

The story is about an avid mountain climber who is obsessed with climbing mountains and a journalist who tries to undercover the reason behind his obsession.

Liked the nice mountain scenery! Quite amazed by how they almost climbed vertically up the mountain through special boots!

Internet Movie Database Link

Thursday, May 04, 2023

Aiko

The story is about a day in the life of a group of young Japanese who worked in a bakery.

Liked the insider view of the bakery and the interesting sound effects that don't quite match what is shown on the screen. The film reminds me a bit of Masculin Feminin by Godard where the young people were referred to as the children of Marx and Coca-Cola.

Internet Movie Database Link