Zíza

It's a very long movie, really long. But somehow there weren't too many moments where I was really bored, where I had to look around to see what was flying where. Granted, there were a few weaker moments that the movie could have done without, but thankfully they weren't dragged out in any way. It's not a film where the plot was mysterious, the viewer had no idea whodunit until the last moment. It's as transparent as a window after spring cleaning. Only it doesn't really matter, because it's set in a very interesting environment where everyone wears ridiculous costumes, where even their gestures are exaggerated, as if they've just jumped out of a play. This makes more out of a story that is otherwise pretty basic, and grossly inadequate for such a long running time. The music wasn't bad, but in the end only the last song stuck in my mind. It's not a bad film, it even leaves you smiling at the end, you learn to say "objection" in Japanese. A weak script, good acting, great setting. Absolutely don't want to do much thinking, but still value your IQ enough to watch Czech TV series Ordinace v růžové zahradě? Try this movie. P.S.: Was it my imagination, or was Detective Itonokogiri really an homage to Aoshima? Same coat and some of the poses...

It definitely has a message, and it's up to the individual how they take it. But it's so bland, unoriginal, it's clear from the start how it's going to end. I wouldn't mind that, but if only it weren't dull, uninteresting. Everything is like it’s made from a template – the story, the music, the animation, the dubbing, the designs of the characters, their behavior, the jokes ... It's as if the creators said to themselves: "Okay and now let's get everyone drunk on dinner rolls. This was popular here, this is what the audience was happy with here, this is what worked here, this is my favorite joke, we have to put that in there too... and now we're going to take it all and make a great stew! And everybody will love it!!!" NOPE. I liked stuff like Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, even the stupid Nemo or the even stupider Kung Fu Panda much better – at least they had some spark. A weak 2 stars.

You’re watching it, especially in the theater, and it's fine. Honestly I was expecting it to be more or a fairy tale, so some scenes felt too violent, maybe cruel, within the context of the film; I thought a film like this could easily have done without such harsh scenes. I was not impressed by the music – in fact, I couldn't remember a single theme almost as soon as the film was over. On the other hand, the portrayal of the relationship between Patema and Eiji was very good, a joy to watch. The idea of reverse gravity is nothing new, fortunately the filmmakers play with it nicely in the film, the moment when the reverse gravity turns even the camera is particularly well done. Immediately after the film is over, you get the feeling that you've seen a quality film with a slightly predictable ending, but still a lovely 4 stars. But then, when you think about it for a while, or talk about it with someone else, you suddenly start to notice certain flaws, plot holes, and you don't have the nice feeling you had when the movie ended. That's why I gave it 3 stars in the end. Still, I definitely recommend it for viewing if you're in the mood for a nice story about the power of friendship, without big twists, lovable characters, or a single sociopath.

I haven't read Yoshikawa Eiji's book, but with the number of pages it has, I wonder what they left out? Whatever it is, I couldn't tell that anything was missing. The plot flowed nicely and was interesting, the acting was great to the point of forcing you to just sit on your butt and watch. What I enjoyed most were the moments, the images where the audience had to figure out themselves and everything wasn’t laid out in detail the way it usually is (see for example Musashi's clenched fist when he meets Otsu again, that's when KimuTaku really and permanently convinced me that he can act; on the other hand, he did recently convince me that he can't sing... so at least he’s got something). Speaking of Otsu – Maki Yōko definitely deserves more attention for her performance; she was a joy to watch (and not just because she has a pretty face). Plus, it's much more romantic than I expected, so I was pleasantly surprised. Of course there was none of the melodrama ala Korean historical soap operas. It's a beautiful story with no pretense, with killing and an effort to understand what it means to be human. Moreover, it's all set in a very appealing environment. I liked the fight choreography very much, with only a few exceptions it felt very real and at times almost overwhelming. Especially in the second part, where Musashi and Kojiro fought side by side. You’re almost sorry that it ends with their legendary "paddle" duel. I think this is one of those films that can be shown to someone who has no idea about Japan. I definitely recommend watching it, and feel free to let me know how you liked it if you don't post it here, I'd be quite interested in your thoughts. :-) A better 4 stars.

Well, I can give it 4 stars with my eyes squinted. It was funny, mischievous, and although it had a patch of big cliché that didn't quite fit, in the end it got past it with the grace of a drunkard. Plus, I liked the heroine in a terrible way – she reminded me of a classmate in a lot of her decisions and some of her moves. So that made it feel real to me. I like this type of story a lot, and I was pleased with the overall handling of it. Like every lovecome from Korea, this one has its cute moments. For me, it's a series that entertains on days when you're tired and/or stressed out. It's just that the ending was like very liquid porridge from the school cafeteria, where you can't decide how it tastes or, even if you're hungry, if it's worth a second helping.

When I watched the first episodes, I thought it was pretty harsh – it didn’t hold back on deaths. Fortunately, Nezumi wasn’t one of them and remained a thief forever. I've read up on how he really was and he really seems like a nice and reasonable guy. Unfortunately, he came to a rather inglorious end. The series was enjoyable, again something a little different if you don't watch historical series, but not in a bad way. Definitely worth a shot, anyway I'm pretty sure there are better things to be found among historical works in Japan. Of course, I was always completely thrown by the ending. It didn't seem to fit too well, until it did, and I had to rewatch it several times every time.

It's nothing special, but if you need to soothe the soul and hear to some nice songs, this would do the trick. All the couples were interesting; they had their tribulations, but also their comic moments. Plus it had the perfect eye candy – not that I was particularly fond of the guy, but he really won me over with how well he knew his love interest. He's exactly the kind of guy who simply could never exist in real life. But I still enjoyed him and rooted for him. Overall, it captures relationships between people very nicely (probably why it makes such a good impression). What’s more, the impression of being in love isn’t ruined by kisses a la scared fish. Extra points. It won't leave you with the feeling that you've seen a gem of Korean TV, but it will definitely put a smile on your lips. Not bad at all; I'll be sure to watch the previous seasons sometime – when I'm feeling cold and need to warm up.

I have to admit that I almost didn't recognize Inagaki Gorô here – that's the biggest surprise of the film. The story of little Oshin is very well known in Japan; after all, it comes from one of the longest and most watched asadoras that was broadcast in that country during the morning hours. We find ourselves in a dark time, just after the war with Russia. The big cities were slowly becoming like the West in their appearance, facilities, and population, but the countryside was still living in the spirit of feudalism. The seven-year-old heroine Oshin, played perfectly by Hamada Kokone, is sent to work for a foreign family so she won't be a burden at home, and at the same time so she can have a better life. Which doesn't quite work out. Fortunately, on her journey to discover that women are great warriors and work their asses off not for themselves but for others (husband, children, ...), she also meets the interesting character of a deserter who brightens up her life for a while. Unfortunately, this episode can't end well, as it would be out of place in this film. It's certainly an interesting look at Japanese society at the beginning of the last century. It's dirty, with dialects, injustice, and also with glimpses of "old" Japan, such as in the form of Tanimura Naka (the grandmother who takes Oshin under her wing midway through the film); it still reeks of samurai principles and wisdom. So it will surely be no coincidence when the deserter reads to Oshin from Natsume Soseki's I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa neko de aru). A somewhat complex film, with a simple plot, but it reeks of Japaneseness to the point where it may be very hard for Western viewers who know little or nothing about Japan to digest and, more importantly, to find "something more" in it. Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to do some studying and then watch the film, it will certainly take on a new dimension. Without knowledge, it's just a film about a girl having a hard time.

So I've finished my first Thai series. I chose a remake of a Korean series from 2004. You can kind of tell from it that the Thais haven't really found their own footing yet and they are copying what they can, even though they did add something to it that wasn't in the original series. While it's not as fancy as the Korean production, it's less melodramatic and cute, endearing by comparison. It was a bit hard to get used to the language at first, but after twenty episodes it was fine. Plus, since I know the story, I didn't really enjoy the beginning. But the rest made up for it. It was really so good that I was sorry I had to say goodbye to them so soon. Overall, the series runs at such a moderate pace: it has comic scenes, funny but also sad – but it doesn't go to extremes like Korean series and that's a big plus. This is a really nice respite and definitely worth a try. Not only the main characters but also the supporting cast are independent people with their own personalities and motives, so even if you hate the chick who selfishly wants Mike all to herself, she turns out to be a person, so you can understand why she behaved the way she did. So I really liked the show from that point of view as well. I also liked Mike's family – especially his grandmother, she reminded me a lot of mine in some of her gestures. And so when I was watching it I found myself in a very comfortable, almost familiar environment. Not to mention the music, which perhaps borrowed from everywhere (I heard themes from The Matrix and Pride and Prejudice). Plus I really liked the Thai wedding. I'll probably revisit the series in the future. Of course, it's not just beautiful and awesome, and there were scenes that I didn't enjoy, but that's just the way it is, and it still didn't take away from the beauty of the series. A nice 4 stars. *** Okay, after a second viewing, I'm upping it to 5 stars, but just barely. I just loved it, I was grinning at it like I haven't in a long time, I was admiring how great Mike's acting was, how good they looked, and at last I had a main character I didn't want to strangle. Even though it has its flaws and the story gets too drawn out for my tastes towards the end (the last 4 episodes), I still had fun. I really did. I walked away from it feeling like I was glad I gave it the time of day, now for the second time. Aom and Mike have officially become my favorite fictional couple. No one else has yet to come close!

So I thought I'd give the live action BL a try to see what's so great about it. And well, nothing is. Either I'm just not into watching the travails of gay people (nothing against them of course, I have a few friends among them), or I just picked the worst movie I could find. A supposedly deep and thoughtful film, but it only pretends through clichés to have a message, to show the suffering of a torn soul. Nope. It wasn't even acted convincingly. It's a bad movie that tries to convince itself that it's something more, that it's art and that it shows the human soul. Except that it simply doesn't. Not by far. It's boring and pretentious. Oh well, at least I got to write an essay during it...