Eiga Sai 2015

Every year at this time I am reminded how quickly time passes. This time last year I was having a really tough time and attending these film festivals was my therapy of sorts – somehow my worries then seem so naive when I think about it now. It is a curious feeling remembering your old self like they're separate from you. It sure is nostalgic.

But I digress, so – once again it is time for Eiga Sai.  I have attended this festival for 4 years now – and have amassed quite a lot of movies on my hard drive – which further validates how hooked I am on Japanese movies . :p My favorite genre are the ones with simple story-lines where nothing much really happens in the story – perfect example is Tamako in Moratorium. It's like watching snippets of someone's life – it is that gut wrenching slowness of life filled with emotion and drama mixed with good cinematography that has me coming back for more. ♪( ^-^)/

On with the lineup, hmn this year looks promising. .....

Wood Job is a coming of age film about Yuki Hirano who failed his college entrance exam and decides to enter the forestry service. Expect comedy and light drama. What I find engaging in stories like this is the celebration towards an unconventional career path (i.e. employee, lawyer, nurse, etc.) basically if you have a talent and heart for something and you do that work the best that you can (concept of Kodawari) then you are living a good life. Maybe because I also view my future in this way, they remind me to keep going and to walk my own path. (trailer)

Parasyte is a sci-film film about alien parasites infecting humans and invading their bodies and minds. One boy is able to fight it off and now the parasite lives on his right hand. Japanese mystery films (and even their drama series) are really good – they come up with bizarre plot lines and next thing you know you're in for an interesting ride. You never know how the story will twist and turn. So this is a definite must-watch. (trailer)

Eiga Sai 2014

Another year gone and it's time for Eiga Sai. I just went to my first screening last Friday. A lot has changed. It used to be just us geeks-the japanoholics-now I see normal people (lol so we're not normal?!). Anyway it was fun to watch movies alone again. It's just you and the movie in front of you. Ahhh but seriously I am going to pick where I sit carefully next time. I suffered through 2 hours of BO. (Ewww mura lang po ang deodorant!)

And so here are the movies I'm planning to see this year:

Tamako in Moratorium reflects what happens after college graduation. As Tamako figures things out slowly -passing four seasons and with no real goals ahead- the movie also shows her relationship with her father and with various characters in the neighborhood. I love the idleness of the scenes. Typical of what I love about Japanese movies.

Schedule: July 08 - 7:30pm / July 12 - 1:30pm // TRAILER

The Kirishima Thing is a typical high school drama. Their world is shaken by the sudden absence of Kirishima - the popular high school volleyball player. I haven't seen it yet but I just know this is going to be a tearjerker. Japanese high school films are typically full of angst.

Schedule: July 06 - 1:30 pm / July 11 - 4:30pm // TRAILER

Momoiro sora o (About the pink sky) tells the story of Izumi who finds a wallet filled with cash. Realizing it belongs to the son of a corrupt politician she decides to make "better use" of it by lending it to a struggling business man. She decides to return the rest of the money though and the owner quickly finds out about the missing money.

What I'm most excited about is that it was shot in black and white.

Schedule: July 08 - 4:30pm // TRAILER

A Story of Yonosuke - well the title says it all. It tells how Yonosuke affected people who knew him. A very short description, I guess saying more will tell the whole story. So let's just watch the movie! :)

Schedule: July 06 - 7:30pm / July 09 - 7:30 // TRAILER

 The rest of the movies and schedules can be downloaded here.

Sofia Coppola film: Virgin Suicides

I stumbled into the Sofia Coppola world because of Kirsten Dunst. I was slightly obsessed with her as a teenager. I watched ALL of her films. But this one stuck to me because it was the kind of film I like - dreamy and melancholic. And the music too adds to the dreamy landscape of the movie. But whether or not there's a definite conclusion was not important, sometimes I think I like these kind of films because I like the frustration I get from not knowing. I'm weird like that, I like to suffer. *lolz*

In college, I remember paying someone 150php to download and burn this movie into a DVD. I watched it over and over again until I got sick of it. Not sure where that DVD is now. I must have lost it from the countless times I moved apartments. I used to have the book too, but someone borrowed it and never returned it. (I hate when this happens.)

Based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, the film narrates the events surrounding the suicides of five sisters in the suburb of Detroit during the 1970s. After the youngest sister makes an initial attempt at suicide, the sisters are put under close scrutiny by their parents, eventually being put into near-confinement, which leads to increasingly depressive and isolated behaviour. - wiki

2013 Eiga Sai

Oh hi! I'm still alive. Haha ( ^-^)/ I passed product training and nesting. I'll be with my new team tomorrow. I've been spending all my extra time studying and practicing but I was told I'm stressing myself too much carrying work into my personal time. So for my two-day off, I ate and slept. Good lord!!! All the pounds I lost during work I easily gain back in 2 days. ;3 Anyway, starting this week I plan on getting back to my old routine - blogging, reading and crafting.

Also I totally forgot about Eiga Sai!!! I'm 1 week late.  （￣◇￣)ゞ I'm planning on catching a few before I go to work this week. Rinco's Restaurant sounds like the type of film I like - slow and inspiring. Kamui Gaiden has Matsuyama Kenichi in it so definitely-watching!! I might check out Dear Doctor as well, though I already downloaded the film many months ago. I just never got around to watching it. XD

Click photos above to view in full size. Also check the screening schedule here!

A Little Princess

This 2013, I am going to conquer my fear of reading classical books. They always seem too complicated for me but I discovered that with most fears all you have to do is just dive right in. I'm starting with children's stories to ease myself into the genre. You can get free ebooks from iBooks store (apple) or on goodreads (android).

I'm also slowly getting used to reading from a tablet. It feels weird. :( I miss the tactile experience of turning a page. But this will do for now. This way I get to read more books and have more time searching for the book editions I want to collect.

I'm reading "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. While I grew up watching the animated version, I'm rediscovering her through written words. Still, it's a shame they don't play the anime anymore. I think kids these days are missing a lot. :(



As the moon kindles the night
As the wind kindles the fire
As the rain fills every ocean
And the Sun the Earth
So your heart will kindle my heart

Little Sarah Crewe was kind and she had a way of staying positive even when life was horrible to her. But I think I was more captivated by the world she lived in—of exotic India, of English tiled roofs, cold gray streets, and old forgotten attics.

Now and Then

Now and Then is a 1995 coming of age film about 4 girls spending a typical summer in their peaceful town. In between saving money for a tree house, understanding boys, and dealing with family problems. They find a cracked tombstone of a boy called "Dear Johnny" while sneaking inside the local cemetery. Believing they disturbed his spirit they vowed to find out what happened to him.

Soon they realize that their small town and everything they had come to know is suddenly not as perfect as they thought. They learn that there are no normal families. That there is more to a person than what we see on the surface. And pain, suffering & violence existed.

"We all used to try so hard to fit in. We wanted to look exactly alike, do all the same things, practically be the same person, but when we weren't looking that all changed. The tree house was supposed to bring us more independence, but what the summer actually brought was independence from each other."

2012 Korean Film Festival

How about that! Another film festival to attend. Sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines. It will be held at 3 major malls: SM Megamall, SM Baguio, and SM Cebu. Check the schedule below. Admissions are free. Just go to the cinema ticket booth.

Movie summaries below this cut ▼

2012 Eiga Sai

*yey* Just got the update. How time flies~ and it's time for another Eiga Sai!

For those not familiar with Eiga Sai, it's an annual film festival organized by Japan Foundation Manila. This year they will be showing 10 films for free at Shang Cineplex Cinema 4 (July 5 to 15), Gaisano South Citimall, Davao City (July 20 to 22), Ayala Center Cinema 4, Cebu City (August 7 to 12) and UP Film Institute, Quezon City (August 15 to 21).

All movies have English subtitles.

You can see a detailed screening schedule on JFM website. Check it check it!

I thought I was going to sit through another set of film I didn't like. I gave up halfway last year (although that's also because I hated the long commute towards the venue).

Coraline

I have just received an email from Mom that she's sending another Balikbayan box and she's including my books! I am soooo thrilled to get it earlier than expected (she was supposed to hand carry them when she comes home this April). I've been dying to read Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book since December. I don't know~ Christmas just feels like the perfect time to read something scary. I'm trying not to read wikipedia or any detailed review about the book cause I don't want the story to get spoiled. *sigh* Me and my book moods (^ω^)ﾉ

Another Gaiman story that I love very much is Coraline. I watched the film but haven't read the book yet. Maybe I should pick a copy from a local bookstore? That should tide me over until my books arrive right!?

Oh and lucky!   I found the "Making of" videos for Coraline. I'm so dense sometimes. Only found out now that this is actually a stop motion film (I thought this was all CG~) and directed by the same one who did Nightmare before Christmas. Σ（￣o￣lll)  orz~

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Originally a fantasy comic book, the story revolves around a cynical heroine and her extraordinary adventures involving tombs, pterodactyls, para-psychology and sheep men. Set in the beautiful era of 1970's Paris.

 

Rurouni Kenshin 2012

updated with new videos and photos 2012.08.26



This is gonna be epic~ Japanese works just has to be done by Japanese film makers and actors. Its more legit that way. I'm spying some awesome moves. gah *flails* (｡ ｀∆´｡)ﾉシ

OMG!! Kenshin is being played by Sato Takeru!!! Yuu Aoi is also in the cast. CANNOT WAIT for August 25!!

© website • alafista

The Secret Garden

Originally a classic novel for children, it's a story of Mary Lennox, who loses her parents and was sent to live with her distant relatives. Due to her parents indifference towards her she was a bit spoiled and quick-tempered.

Mary hears a story about her aunt's secret rose garden that was locked when she had died. Her uncle leaves for long periods of time in mourning of his wife's untimely death. Mary eventually finds the door to the garden along with the key. She spends her days tending to it with the help of her maidservant's brother.

Every night she hears someone crying and decides to follow the voice. She finds that the crying voice belonged to her cousin which had been hidden in his room because of his weak body. Both cousins find joy in learning about each other. Intrigued by Mary's stories of the secret garden, Colin decided to visit the garden as well. He was brought out for the first time in years. Slowly Colin regains strength of his legs and practices diligently hoping to surprise his father.

Colin's father finally goes home after dreaming that his wife was calling him into the garden. He finds the garden in full bloom and his son running happily.

Mary, Colin and her uncle have all lost something but love & hope was not completely lost. Just like the garden, family can be rebuilt and hope can bloom again.

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