Begin Again – Music and New York, from the director of Once.
Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category
Begin Again
Posted in Links, Movies, tagged Begin Again, John Carney, movie, music on August 31, 2014| 1 Comment »
Numbers
Posted in Movies, tagged Death Note, Numbers, Robert Hloz, science fiction on August 13, 2014| 1 Comment »
Interesting short science fiction film by Robert Hloz. Here‘s one review, the reviewer compares it with Death Note.
The Lunchbox
Posted in Movies, tagged life, movie review, The lunchbox on April 28, 2014| 2 Comments »
I enjoy the movie. The message seems to be that it’s never too late to start living life, and an important element is to be able to connect with someone. Sometimes a simple change in environment and some good food are all we need to cheer us up. Taking time to reflect and paying more attention to people around us might also help change our perspectives.
From the protagonist Saajan Fernandes:
Life is strange…I think we forget things if we have no one to tell them to…
……
I don’t know when I became old…Maybe it was that morning...maybe it was many many mornings ago...and maybe if I had forgotten something in the bath room before I would have found out sooner…
……
Life kept on going and lulled me with its motions, I kept rocking back and forth as it threw me left and then it threw me right…and then before I knew it…
From the Dabbawallah:
Harvard people came and did a study on us…we always deliver right they said and you say we deliver wrong?The king of England has also come, he has seen our delivery system, invited us to his wedding…
KANO & Dreams
Posted in Movies, Reflection, tagged dream, KANO, movie, nostalgia on March 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »
KANO portrays a group of people who pursue their dreams to play baseball at Koshien. It’s the kind of movie that supposed to motivate me to roll up my sleeves and do things. Instead I felt slightly sad after watching it.
Maybe it’s just our tendency to feel nostalgic and to beautify the past, it seems easier to have dreams and ambitions in my 20s than it is now. During school days, future possibilities seem unlimited, and I also seem to have more intense feelings towards things.
Possible paths shrink as we get older. Some might shift their ambition towards their career. My guess is that at some point our drive for that will fade as well, when we realize the transient nature of ourselves.
We would probably adapt to this realization, perhaps by learning to derive pleasure and satisfaction from less ambitious goals, like running a marathon, or from seeing our children pursuing their dreams.
In another 20 years, would I look back and feel the same way like I’m feeling today. If that’s the case does it means I should be doing things differently now.
Her
Posted in Movies, Reflection, Relationship, tagged Her, movie, relationship, review on March 23, 2014| 2 Comments »
Even though it might not be realistic, I like its portrayal of the complexity (or simplicity?) of human emotions and relationships. I can imagine myself experiencing similar emotions.
Sometimes I think I’ve felt everything I’m ever gonna feel and from here on out I’m not going to feel anything new – just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.
……
It was exciting to see her grow – both of us grow and change together. But then, that’s the hard part – growing without growing apart, or changing without it scaring the other person.
–Theodore
Life is messy, relationship even more so. It’s not a surprise that more and more people are choosing different ways of life. Japan could well be the pioneer.
In the end, there is only so much we understand. But for most people, This’s probably not an issue.
I don’t know, I’m not in it. But you know what, I can over-think everything and find a million ways to doubt myself. But since Charles left I’ve been thinking about that part of me, and I realized I’m here only briefly. And in my time here, I want to allow myself… joy. So fuck it.
–Amy
風立ちぬ (The Wind Rises)
Posted in Art, Movies, tagged anime, dreams, 風立ちぬ, Hayao Miyazaki, ideal, illusion, The Wind Rises on January 4, 2014| 1 Comment »
風立ちぬ – Another beautiful anime by Hayao Miyazaki. It portrays an ideal that I like. The protagonist Jiro is talented, erudite, and dedicated to making his dreams come true. He has a good personality that attracted the heroine. Like most movies, the anime is a simplified abstraction of life. Some people might call it escapist but I see it as a beautiful illusion (like most dreams/aspirations in life). The music reminds me of 天空の城ラピュタ.
Luck and Success
Posted in Movies, tagged Documentary, Luck and Success, movie review, music, Searching for Sugar Man on November 10, 2013| 1 Comment »
Searching for Sugar Man – an amazing documentary. It shows how luck plays an important role in life. The story is consistent with studies that found that luck plays a part in determining music popularity and labor market outcomes.
おくりびと （Departures）
Posted in Movies on March 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Old movies
Posted in Movies, tagged Casablanca, 饮食男女, Japanese, movie review, passion, Yiyi on November 16, 2008| Leave a Comment »
饮食男女(Eat Drink Man Woman) by Ang Lee (1994) –
Even though I might find a lot of Chinese traditions and relationship norms ridiculous, I still feel nostalgic towards some of them. I’m like a rebellious child who admires the Western philosophy and science and the Japanese beauty and idealism and plays down the Chinese ones. But as I grow older, I begin to appreciate more of the Chinese traditions and to like the old Chinese songs and movies. This reminds me of what 吳念真 (Nien-Jen Wu) said in Yiyi: when he was young, he hated the music his father always plays, but when he felt in love at 15, suddenly everything meant something to him. Thank Angi for recommending this movie to me.
Waterboys (2001) by Yaguchi Shinobu –
Similar to Swing girls, it’s a story about teenagers overcoming obstacles to find passion and satisfaction in their life. In here, passion is not even about finding what you love to do or pursuing your dreams, but just putting efforts into something and doing it well. I like the director’s style and enjoy watching his movies regardless of the unrealistic content. Another Japanese director to add to my watch list, along with Miyazaki Hayao, Shinkai Makoto, and Shunji Iwai.
Casablanca (1942) –
I decided to watch this movie again after watching Sleepless in Seattle (1993). I still like it a lot and enjoy the story, characters, and conversations. An all time classics.
Piano no Mori (The Piano Forest)
Posted in Movies, tagged anime, Piano no Mori, review on October 29, 2008| 1 Comment »
I like this anime. It touches on talent, motivation, and friendship: good vs. great, hard-work vs. effortlessness, discipline vs. enjoyment, admiration vs. envy, friendship vs. competition. It reminds me ofThe Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (one of my favorite novels), although it doesn’t focus on or emphasize the dark side of human nature.
People who know me would know which type of person I find myself closer to. One advice from the director for this type of people: work hard (which is a given), but also learn to appreciate your works and like what you do.
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