38
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JennyStuckOnThatRooftop
T1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Compelling romance narrative exploring mental health issues in a unique way.
"Why does this world insist on keeping me alive?"This was such an odd movie, and the best advice I could give to potential viewers is to go into it with an open mind and just roll with it. Not everything is as it seems, it's definitely a movie with a lot of subtexts that may speak even more through its visuals than it's dialogue heavy script. While the approach is rather strange at times, the love story is your typical romance and the characters aren't necessarily fleshed out enough to really connect to them. Personally, I thought the depiction of mental health was done in such a creative way that kept me engaged until the end of the story.
The strongest point of this movie were the visuals. A variety of effects and the atmospheric color-grading really elevated the story for me. With the help of those visuals and the beautiful score, this movie had such a captivating atmosphere that helped communicate the themes of the story. Komatsu Nana and Hayashi Kento are two actors I'm always happy to see and they both did a great job portraying, not only two people with phobias, but also conveying their yearning for some kind of connection to someone who understands them.
Parasite in Love is a melancholic and visually-stunning romance, using an artistic approach to tell the story of two lonely people trying to feel normal in a world that deems them atypical.
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Amusing infidelity comedy with pacing issues
“It’s fine that you’re working, but you need to act more like a wife.”"Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?" smartly blurs the lines between fiction and reality when manga artist Sawako decides to write a story based on her husband's suspected infidelity. When Sawako's husband Toshio finds the drafts of her new work, he realizes in shock his wife not only suspects him of cheating on her, but she is also seemingly cheating on him with her new driving instructor.
Given the subject, I didn't expect to be so amused by this story. Seeing Toshio lose his mind and second guess every word Sawako says to him, while we try to figure out who knows what and did exactly what with whom, was the most entertaining part of the movie. Kuroki Haru perfectly portrays Sawako's insecurity and sadness while delivering snarky remarks with an innocent face that would make me regret and confess no matter if I did something wrong or not. Emoto Tasuku is convincing as the fumbling, chaotic artist in a midlife crisis. Seeing him try to figure things out while trying to not give away anything himself made for some hilarious moments. The cast was good in general, and these two played off of each other really well.
The dialogues are clever, the mix of fiction and reality is creative and well done. Sadly, the plot is rather thin, so the movie would have benefitted from a shorter runtime to add more suspense. I also feel the storytelling was too timid at times, and a more daring approach would have made this one far more entertaining. Overall, I did have a good time with it and particularly enjoyed the last 20 minutes that were unexpected and satisfying.
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Thought-provoking environmental drama with slight realism issues
Based on the novel "Japan Sinks" by Sakyo Komatsu, Nihon Chinbotsu: Kibo no Hito is a heartfelt take on disasters caused by environmental issues.The strongest point of this show are its main characters, precisely Amami played by Oguri Shun, Tokiwa played by Matsuyama Kenichi and Shiina played by Watanabe Anne. Amami is a compassionate, emphatic and idealistic character you can't help but root for, and this was probably one of my favorite Oguri Shun performances. He does a fantastic job at making this too good for this world character seem grounded and relatable. My favorite parts were his scenes with Matsuyama Kenichi. This duo just plays off of each other with ease, and it's fun to watch. Watanabe Anne is one of the most likable female leads I've seen in a while, and I loved her drive just as much as her big heart.
The characters and their relationships whether it was friendships, family bonds or even work related made this show a touching experience. While not all characters feel fully developed, I was still able to connect to quite a few of them, which gave this story more of a personal note. Overall though, this drama doesn't so much focus on the circumstances of individual characters but the bigger picture of disaster prevention, political and environmental issues as well as morality questions connected to these topics. More cynical souls might think this show relies a bit too much on pathos, but personally I thought they managed to balance the heavily emotional parts with the otherwise serious tone of the show. There is just something about good people fighting for humanity, and they managed to capture that beautifully.
Although I enjoyed how they portrayed corruption issues and the sheer amount of work behind a situation like this, some parts of the story just seemed unrealistic and certain plot points too convenient. If you studied anything related to geoscience you might struggle with the scientific facts presented to you, since I didn't I blissfully ignored those that sounded like a stretch. Apart from that, I had issues with overacting of certain characters, since it didn't fit the tone of the story at all.
While I did criticize the flaws of this drama, I'm merely doing this to adjust the expectations of the potential viewer. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. After a bit of a slow start, this drama managed to capture my attention and kept moving me with its compelling characters and inspiring message. It may be a bit of an idealistic take on the topic, but it's called "People of Hope" after all, and I certainly enjoyed its optimistic approach.
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A movie that doesn't take any chances.
Set in 1910 during the industrialization in Japan, this movie depicts the conflict between a mining company and a farming village in Ibaraki Prefecture. Based on true events, the movie deals with environmental issues, capitalism and idealism.This felt like watching a documentary. The story overall was interesting, but the execution wasn't that good. It wasn't a bad movie, but it felt pretty generic and slow at times. I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't as long and if they had fleshed out the characters more.
Considering this was released in 2019 because of the music and the cinematography it felt like the movie was way older. I do think that it was fitting the story. We got some pretty landscape shots and I liked the setting. The two lead actors did a good job and I liked how the movie showed the struggles of both sides.
If interested in the topic it's good enough for a one time watch but nothing too memorable.
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Compelling genre mix, albeit not without flaws
This movie starts out as your typical high school bullying story, dealing with themes like isolation, destiny and heroism. Don't let that fool you, though. Throughout the whole movie you can feel something is wrong, and once you've reached the half point the story turns into a pretty dark thriller.I've so much I loved about this, but also a few things that fell flat for me. The first half, although quite predictable, was pretty enjoyable. Mostly because the characters and dialogues were interesting. I thought some of the metaphors they used were quite clever, and the foreshadowing was done well. While watching, you can feel the tension building up.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of this movie a lot. They made some good music choices that enhanced the feeling of uneasiness. The genre mix is definitely one of the strongest points of this movie, and I was ready to give this a higher score. Sadly, the last 30 minutes or so were not that believable to me. Although I enjoyed the magical realism elements, I think they took it a bit too far. It felt like they were trying too hard and it came off rather cheesy than inspiring.
That being said, it was still a great watch. It's certainly not your typical coming-of-age story. It's flawed and I wish they would have made a few different directional choices, but it was an engaging story nonetheless.
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Entertaining road trip musical with somewhat peculiar humor
This was nowhere near as fun as it could have been. Sadly, the humor was my biggest issue with this movie. I just don't get why it's supposed to be funny when a chubby character's only personality traits are being obsessed with food, on top of always acting selfish. How am I supposed to feel for them when they behave like this for the sake of humor? And why are chubby characters often written like that? It's something we've seen in a lot of Hollywood movies as well, and I think this kind of humor is incredibly uninventive.While I enjoyed the overall themes of accepting yourself for who you are, chasing your dreams and overcoming your fears, the characters were pretty flat. The friendships just didn't have that much of an impact on me, since some characters were not interesting enough and lacked depth.
What I did love about this were the musical parts. Well choreographed and combined with catchy music, they were a joy to watch. Ayaka Miyoshi as Shizuka Suzuki was absolutely delightful. Her performance was excellent and carried the movie for me. You could see her passion and energy. I really enjoyed the humor of the musical parts as well, and I wish they would have focused on that a bit more.
Although nothing special, the story was still entertaining. The strongest points being the wonderful musical performances and Ayaka Miyoshi as a fantastic lead.
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"Don’t get laughed at. Make them laugh."
Charming and heartwarming movie about the humble beginnings of Takeshi Kitano. While it isn't necessarily a characterization of Takeshi Kitano or his working process, it does show his formative years. At its core, Asakusa Kid is a touching depiction of the relationship between a student and his mentor which makes for an entertaining watch even if you aren't a Takeshi Kitano fan.What made me thoroughly enjoy this were the wonderful performances by Oizumi Yo, Yagira Yuya and Kadowaki Mugi. Oizumi Yo is convincing as the charismatic mentor, while Yagira Yuya impresses with his nuanced portrayal of Takeshi Kitano's mannerism while giving a heartfelt performance of the artist's early years. On top of that, their chemistry and dialogues are what makes this movie work. Kadowaki Mugi was captivating, and I've yet to see a performance of her that I don't like. She has long become a favorite of mine.
An added bonus were the vibrant sets and lively jazz sounds that made me feel nostalgic for a time I didn't live in. If I had to criticize anything, it would be the fact that it seems a bit rushed. It feels like there was more to explore, and this might have had more impact if we had enough time to get to know the characters better. But it's a movie and not a drama, and I think they did a great job with the time they had. It's a colorful coming-of-age story brought to live by the stellar performances of the cast and the atmospheric set design.
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