[Review and Recap]Ramen Shop (2018)

Originally named Ramen Teh, Ramen Shop is about a young man named Masato going on a journey to Singapore to learn more about his deceased parents. When he arrives at the food metropolis, he learns that he is uncovering a very painful past surrounding his family that he was never aware of. I saw very little information about the film and very few people even reviewed it. With a bare minimum synopsis and my small admiration for Saitoh Takumi who plays Masato, I decided to give this movie a try about 2 years ago and didn't review it until now. Full spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

[Movie Review] The Blood of Wolves 孤狼の血

A nitty gritty homage to yakuza films. While this genre is no longer as prevalent as it was in the old age of Japanese cinema, The Blood of Wolves captures the essence of the yakuza and police in Showa era Japan. This is my first yakuza film to date. Other content I've watched are usually focused on something else while the yakuza are side characters or pushing conflict in the story. I don't think I've mentioned on this blog (or maybe I did) that I am a big fan of the Yakuza game franchise. This series of games and spinoffs really furthered my interest in yakuza/gangster media and related entertainment. Naturally when I discovered a title like The Blood of Wolves, I knew I had to give it a try. I only heard about this film because there's a sequel planned for it and Saitoh Takumi was announced as one of the cast members. As a result, I decided to do some additional research which led me to this amazing movie. Japan sometimes creates some questionable movies, but then they come out with gems like these.

[Documentary Review] We Are X

We are X. The infamous chant that all X Japan fans chant to show undying appreciation for the band. I had the pleasure of attending the screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in New York City in 2016. It's a shame I couldn't make it to the show Yoshiki was going to be be present, but still it was a good night.

[Movie Review] Persona 3 The Movie: #1 The Spring of Birth, #2 Midsummer Knight's Dream

We all know Persona 3 was a very popular game produced by Atlus. The Persona series overall is very popular and very well done. Jeez, I have to thank a friend for giving me his copy of Persona 3 as a gift. So we got the games and then we got anime adaptations, Persona ~trinity soul~ and Persona 4 the Animation. We even got Devil Survivor 2 the Animation which wasn't very well done in my opinion. So what of these Persona movies?

[Movie Review] The Assassin [Food Review] New Mandarin Court

I must warn you that The Assassin is a very artistic film so it is not recommended for all viewers. I brought my mom with me to watch it and she didn't like it at all. For her, I think she had the preconception that it would be something closer to a commercial film. For me, I think it's definitely a film that requires their audience to think after they watched it. I thought it was curious that director Hou Hsiao-Hsien picked such a strange aspect ratios for the film. Don't expect the film to be in 16:9 widescreen, guys, but don't worry, there's color.

Movie Review: Helios 赤道

During my trip to China, I had the chance to catch a movie. I wanted to catch an animated movie instead, but they didn't have any at the moment. Instead every movie theater was promoting Helios. I was hesitant to try Helios because they included an international cast. I was worried that with an international cast, they would only attract as much viewers as possible, but come out with a half assed production. However seeing that they cast Jacky Cheung and Nick Cheung as main characters, it shouldn't be too bad.

Movie Review: The Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies

My Middle Earth journey is now complete. I'm still a little sad that I have to say goodbye to the series. I think I might have to marathon through Lord of the Rings to feel whole again. Like the previous movies, it adapts the final part of The Hobbit while adding in new material.

Movie Review: Big Hero 6

I went with my cousin to watch Big Hero 6. I heard many positive reviews about it and I don't want to miss it since it's still on screen. Disney hasn't let me down with their films from animation to music. I was looking forward to seeing what they have for Big Hero 6. I was surprised to see that they decided to show the title at the end of the movie.

Hong Kong Film Binge Watch

Over the last few days of Christmas, I wasn't in any mood to do anything except eat and watch. My own doujin has been on hiatus for nearly two months already when I should have released two chapters by now. Instead I decided to binge watch on old Hong Kong cinema. I picked out 80s and 90s films that I haven't checked out before that had really well known actors like Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, and much more old favorites. Honestly not all of them were that great. I didn't finish some of them because I lost interest in the story line. I also picked out my childhood favorite cartoon movie, 七彩老夫子, which roughly translates to "Color Old Master Q". I always laugh when watching this cartoon and have only been able to enjoy the two separate ending recently. During the age of VHS tapes, a lot of us watched the version with the Bruce Lee ending. It was only until on Youtube that I found out there was a second version with a different ending. In the second version of Color Old Master Q, some of the MMA fighting matches were cut and the ending explained the the cops and robbers chase. Either way both of them were happy endings.

December 2014: Asian Inspired Soundtracks

I have a personal love for traditional Asian instrumentals that I think is not used enough in soundtracks. Many soundtracks for Asian cinema are inclined to imitate the western orchestra and only strives to imitate. It doesn't live up to the reputation of award winning classical composers. That is partially the reason why I like it when composers use elements from their own culture. It is because you know yourself the best so why not use it to its fullest extent. Another reason is that it sets you apart from other composers so that not everyone sounds the same. It's also very nice to listen to fusion soundtracks where they mix both Asian cultures with western sounds. I gathered a list of soundtracks I came across over the years. There were some names that didn't make it on to the list because I felt that it wasn't too defined for this particular category.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

This soundtrack uses a lot of flute and bells to give its cultural references. Of course there are some classical elements to it being that the Bakumatsu era had European influences. The prologue track that they play at the beginning of each episode is my favorite song because it embodies that destiny and fate theme that they talk about and the consequences that come along with it.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

I didn't like the first soundtrack as much as I liked the second one. It stays very true to the Chinese instrumentals in terms of composition and throws in more twists to it like some foreign percussion. The flute pieces at times doesn't feel too Chinese, but of a different culture. Overall a very light soundtrack to listen to.

Movie Review: War of the Arrows

Released August 11, 2011. Not Rated. 122 minutes. Directed by Kim Han-min.

I heard some good things about War of the Arrows. There was good praise online and it had won some prestigious awards in South Korea. Unfortunately I did not feel the same way the trailer tried to make me feel. The trailer shows a very intense action drama which I disagreed for the most part. I didn't think it was intense and I was very discouraged by the drama in this film.

Movie Review: 13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no Shikaku)

2010.  Rated R. 2 hrs 21 min. Directed by Takashi Miike

 If wasn't for Hulu's announcement for a free movie, I probably would have glossed over this title. "13 Assassins" as it is known to the international viewers is a remake of a 1963 black and white film. I usually hold bias towards Japanese film because I feel that contemporary Japanese films don't hold up to the greatness of Akira Kurosawa-level. "13 Assassins" is a samurai hack and slash film that martial arts lovers should give a try.

Vampires, Soondubu, and DIY charms

I was tired from the week and the hype from the X Japan concert did zap a lot of my energy. Meeting up with my friend, Lily, on a weekday may zap even more energy away from me, but it turned out to be a day well spent. We ended up going to several places (and discovering a new one) in one day. To sum it all up, we went to see Dracula Untold, ate soondubu, and found a wholesale store. Taking a breather once in a while really relaxes the nerves. I feel less tense now and perhaps will get a better night's sleep. The thing that bothered us all day was the humidity and warm weather altogether. October is suppose to be dry and cooler here.

Movie Review: Rise of the Guardians

Two Christmases have passed and I have finally gotten the time to watch Rise of the Guardians. I don't know when I will be able to watch Frozen. Next year maybe? The last few years of school had cut me off from entertainment in general and it couldn't be helped. Now that I have time, it's time to catch up on things. Rise of the Guardians first caught by interest with its trailer. You have Santa, Sandman, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy as guardians of children around the world. Santa has tattoos and a Russian accent. That's kinda cool you know. The Santas I knew only knew how to say "ho ho ho".

Movie Review: Julie & Julia

 

Rated PG-13. 2 hr 3 min.

Quick summary: Julie is a government worker that starts her blog about cooking all recipes from Julia Child's cookbook as a way to pull through her mundane life.

My reaction: It is an interesting take on Julia Child we know mixed with humor and drama.

Movie Review: Lucy

Rated R.  90 minutes.

Quick summary: A young woman becomes a drug mule unwillingly and ends up becoming highly intelligent from being able to use 100% of her brain due to a twist of events.

My reaction in a nutshell: Holy shit it was intense and a bit scary, but it was worth it. No you will not get nightmares even if you are faint hearted. It just gets you thinking a bit.

Movie Review: Haute Cuisine

After some searching for quite some time, I came across Haute Cuisine in English subs. I was very happy because I had been looking for this movie since the trailer was released. I wanted to see a foreign film involving food of a culture I'm not too familiar with. The results were ... disappointing. It wasn't exactly what I expected and it is partially due to the fact that the version of the movie I watched had incomplete English subs. What happens is that at several times during the movie, there are no subtitles for the spoken French and I am left wondering what the hell is going on. Sometimes they don't bother translating certain things. Still there were some things that was unsatisfying.

Double Movie Review: Onmyouji I and II

I absolutely love supernatural exorcism dramas of all sorts. Being that I love studying occult of many cultures, I like occult used in stories. Sometimes occult is used poorly like blood in an action flick. It holds no purpose. The Onmyouji movies use Onmyoudou and Shinto beliefs. Onmyoudou has its origins from Chinese Daoism and adapted with Shinto influences. Hence similarities in rituals like hand signs and seals are commonly used. The movies are very accurate with the historical period such as costumes and set design. I was particularly impressed with the atmosphere the movie presented overall. The Heian period of Japan was relatively peaceful hence court nobles were often times drinking and composing poetry.