JFF 2010

For this whole week, I spent most of my nights at the national museum's gallery theater, volunteering for the Japanese film festival. And I got to catch films for freeee. (I don't always do this sort of things by the way, James Hill was my first) So I caught 9 films in total, from last friday.

Good for nothing(ろくでなし) was my first film, and I'm guessing that it's the first ever full-length-ed black and white film I've caught. It was... pretty interesting. It wasn't exactly traditional not was it very contemporary. I liked the dialogues, how it didn't bring out emotions too evidently, like you had to think a little into it before you got it. I thought it ended a little abruptly but I thought the last scene was very good in all in tragedy and etc etc etc. On Monday I caught A Stranger of Mine(運命じゃない人) which I enjoyed very very much! It was really, really funny and I think the director was brilliant! I liked the first scenario the best. :D Tuesday was Water Flower(水の花). I... couldn't get it. Apparently it used a lot of imagery and etc. I liked some scenes like when the little girl was dancing in the rain. But overall I think the movie was too draggy for me. "Very inanimate camera work with occasional panning, the stillness of the film is deliberate in an attempt to express without words Minako's mentality as a resenting teenager. The camera proximity was pretty alienating too. This really depends on subjectivity of each audience member." - J-son Folio on facebook (hahaha) SO YEAH, IT WAS WAY TOO DEEP FOR ME. But I really liked it when I found out 'water flower' actually refers to the reflection of the girl's lipstick in the puddle of water(got this from fb also haha I am so sad).

Bare Essence of Life(ウルトラミラクルラブストーリー) was a film I was really looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint!!! Matsuyama Kenichi acted really well, considering that his role wasn't an easy one. He brought upon the idea of naivety and vibrance in Yojin very well, in my opinion. From what I read on fb page, everyone has a different take on the film. My take is that Yojin // plants in some way. How spraying pesticide on himself is the easy way out of the irregularities he face in life, and to reach his goal of winning over Machiko. And the last bit with his brain, I'm guessing brain = fruit??? The like in most plants, their fruits end up given back to nature=brain being eaten by bear? Okay I may just be over-assuming but yeah, that's my take. I was quite taken aback by Yuriko's Aroma(ユリ子のアロマ) in the first few scene because it really has quite a... perverse theme? But it was really well directed imo and I think emotions was brought across very well. And the director was there for a Q&A after the show, which was interesting. I got an impression that he is quite a... perverse person himself hahahahaha but he is pretty cool. (y) Caught Lalapipo(ララピポ) right after YA and I was quite disappointed. Knowing it was a sold out film with 2 screenings, I had quite high expectations for it. But overall the movie felt quite disjointed and jut played around a lot on the themes of sex and humour of disfunctionalities in the Japanese society without much depth. It's a hahaha laugh at movie, walk out of theater and forget about it kind of film. The only interesting thing I got out of it was that the title Lalapipo was the english phrase "A lot of people" misheard by a Japanese person.

I caught all of the following three in one afternoon, which I sort of regret(although I didn't have much of a choice) because 3 movies a times is just too much for my brain to process!!!!! But well, I liked them all very much. :D Fish Story(フィッシュストーリ) had a great sound track!!! And every scenario was very well linked! And I thought the theme of 'saving the world' was very inspiring haha although it sounds kind of lame on it own but in the context of the movie it is (y)!!! Live Tape(ライブテープ) was a very simple film but I think it's pretty much the favourite film I caught this week! Maybe it's because it's "my kind of thing" haha with the ~indie music~ and all hahahahahahaha but I really, really enjoyed the songs and the lyrics and the fact that it was filmed in a suburban part of tokyo and the passerbys with their awkward stares and how down-to-earth everything was. I am now such a fan of Maeno Kenta, and after what Gavin said after the film, I really wanna catch Maeno Kenta and the David Bowies(hahahaha) live in Japan!!!! V sad that I couldn't get the DVD because it sold out before the show ended?!!? I loved the songs!!!! Esp Tofu and Weather forecast!!!!!!!! K moving on now. I'm thinking that Air Doll(空気人形) was the most anticipated film of the whole festival, and it really didn't disappoint! It was really beautifully made. And it felt really original although it's a slightly recycled theme(Pinocchio, A.I. - Inanimate object gains a human heart). It made me feel so much!!! Although I was quite confused by how the guy died at the end with just a small wound... and why he didn't say anything?!?!?!(quite annoyed by that) But overall, great film. Totally recommended to everyone!!!!!!!

Yay long, wordy post.

Anyway the images are ripped off from the JFF site, but I don't think anything will happen because as the band from Fish story said, 売れないから大丈夫.

And when I can't feel with my sun hands

James Hill!

So on Tuesday I volunteered with the Ukulele Movement to usher for the James Hill concert. It was pretty worth it because we got a free badge! and dinner! and watch the entire concert for freeeeeeee! Anyway I'll skip the boring parts and go straight to the concert. IT WAS AWESOME. James Hill is so skilled at his art! His fingers are so graceful and the notes/sounds coming from the little Ukulele are MINDBLOWING. I loved his rendition of Billie Jean(watch online HERE), 'Song for Cherry'(his own composition) and he played TECHNO on the Ukulele. I know it sounds pretty impossible but he did it(without any pedal or whatever, just a pair of chopsticks and some hockey tape). We also had audience participation(always gets my vote)!! And he signed my badge hehehehe :>

Today he had a workshop! I learnt quite a bit and am very motivated to practice and improve on my Ukulele skills now! PLUS, I GOT HIM TO SIGN MY UKULELE hehe (above)(Yes, my ukulele is screen-printed to look like a watermelon)(I think I look v cool and ~mysterious~ in the picture hahahaha)

Okay that's all.

Apeshit

I really love this show

Eh

Petite bourgeoisie

School has officially started! And I've finally settled all my modules. (I had to reshuffle a little because of the TS module which I can't take because I actually didn't fulfill its prerequisite) So now I'm taking exp modules for sociology, history and european studies, along with a philosophy GEM module and a level 2 Japanse studies module(Why? I don't know). So far we've only had lectures and they were... okay. EU seems interesting but the lectures for SC and HY were really boring. But I guess that's what awaits me for the rest of my 3/4 years in NUS - Many, many hours of boredom.

I also realised I've recently developed a really short attention span. And I tend to zone out once in a while. During SC lecture just now I zoned out for a few moments when the lecturer said something funny(i think) and when he referred to that a while later, I WAS VERY CONFUSED. And I cannot read my readings properly at all. The past 8 months have rotted my brain. D:

(Marie Antoinette picture above is there because... it was on the first slide for the EU lecture and I was really mesmerized by how pretty it was.) (Anyway do listen to Nick Chim's songs in the previous entry because I think they're all very beautiful!!!) (Like Hollywood's Marie Antoinette!)

Nick Chim

Matooer

So my USS photos didn't turn out. Most likely due to some sticky shutter/battery problem.

Oh and I have my 5 modules for this semesters all set. Initially, I intended to take the exposure modules for sociology, history and japanese studies. But I ended up not getting the japanese studies module, and last night I found out that the eu1101e isn't exactly a history module. So I am taking 2 exposure modules, one in sociology and another in european studies/history(still not sure about what it is). Other than that I am taking heavenly mathematics(I am very excited about this) and reason&persuasion(quite nervous) for my general education modules + singapore film for my SS module.

Yay I am a freshman.

HAPPY SUBURBS DAY!

Hi friends! Today is pretty awesome because Arcade Fire is releasing their third studio album! How much I love this band is beyond words. But anywho, here's some AF spam.

(Laika is my favourite song by them, I think.(It's really hard to choose))

I remember posting a picture on my blog from this video when i first fell in love with them. This was the first song I heard from them too.

YOU CAN JUST SEE THEIR AWESOMENESS.

This video makes me cry. Every. Single. Time.

I also made 2 or more blogskins(it used to be really cool to make them when I was 14) based on this song.

Sigh I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I've spent so many hours of my teenage life listening to them and prancing around the house to them and sleeping on the bus to them and studying to them and yelling out their lyrics while alone at home and crying/sobbing/bawling to their songs. At every single concert I've been to I secretly think about how awesome it'll be if they were the ones up on stage instead(true story). I want to see them live really badly. Really. Badly.

Okay that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have a post soon with pictures from Saturday(Universal studios day).