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.
Ryu's Blog 