Nobody Knows – R

Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Released in 2004
Based on a true story
Overall Rating: A

Main Casts:
Actors & Actresses / Characters

Yuuya Yagira / Akira
Ayu Kitaura / Kyoko
Hiei Kimura / Shigeru
Momoko Shimizu / Yuki
Hanae Kan / Saki
You (stage name for Ehara Yukiko) / Keiko

Based on a true event in Japan in 1988 known as the “Affair of the four abandoned children of Sugamo,” (Wikipedia) the movie begins with a mother (Keiko) and her son (Akira) introducing themselves to their landlord as they are moving in. They give each other a knowing look when two heavy suitcases were being delivered. After the movers have left, the two begins unpacking opening the large suitcases first. Inside are not computers, DVD players, or a ton of brick, but instead each suitcases was housing a child. They are the youngest children in the family: Shigeru and Yuki (the youngest). Akira later picks up a girl at a station about the same age as he is who is too big to fit into a suitcase. The foursome are siblings with the same mother but different fathers. The reason behind hiding the existence of the other three children was never explicitly stated in the movie, but it was probably because the children did not have any official paperwork (Social Security #, birth certificate, etc) as their mother did not allow anyone to attend school. It might also because the movie is based on a highly televised event that everyone in Japan is aware of the story’s background. Nonetheless, the story begins with this quirky setting and a unique happiness that surrounds this family. However, within a few weeks after moving in, Keiko finds a new boyfriend and is smitten with him. One day, she tells her children that she’ll be away for awhile and leave Akira in charge with 50,000 yen (about $500), but promises to be back by new year. Nine months pass and Christmas rolls around. She did not return. So what will become of the children that nobody knows about?

Liar Game II

Popular Japanese drama, Liar Game, is coming back this November with a SECOND SEASON! A movie is also in the works for February of 2010. Source: Tokyograph.

Erika Toda (playing Nao Kanzaki) and Shota Matsuda (playing Shinichi Akiyama) are expected to reprise their roles. We last left off the show with Nao and Shinichi successfully completing the Liar Game without causing anyone to be hugely indebted or incredible rich. In the new season, the characters are going to enter another game. Not much details are being leaked, but I hope it’ll be as climatic as season one.

Update

Hi everyone. So I just want to give a quick update on what I’m doing and what’s happening next for Thoughts on the Asian Stage. I started my senior year of college 2 weeks ago. Schedule is tight as I have class and work but I thankfully have the weekends off. When I find time, I will devote it to this blog for sure. The most important thing for me right now is of course school and my job (I am doing a Graphic Design intern at a small company!) I will most likely be posting news related to Asian cinema more so than reviews for awhile since its quicker, but reviews will still be coming. It’s make make the “Thoughts” of this blog after all.

What I’ve seen (that might be reviewed for you readers):

• Ponyo – Such a peaceful yet still captivating movie. It’s somewhat on the short side being only 1hr 42/43min long. I think it’s the shortest Miyazaki film so far.
• Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of My Son – A Kdrama about a mother who lost her son while out shopping. I know it sounds like it’s the mother’s fault, but it was her evil husband that committed the crime! Why? He just want a reason to divorce her. The scoundrel. The whole drama’s about her search for her son and the people she meet. It’s pretty heart-warming.

What I want to see:

• The Last Scandal of my Life – I hear it’s really good. I’ve been avoiding it because the lead actress committed suicide a few months after the drama wrapped. I feel if I see it, I’ll really start to miss her.
• My Fair Lady – Yoon Eun Hye comeback project! I can’t wait to see her in action again after her severely long hiatus after Coffee Prince.

Some new regulations:

I am going to regulate the comments a bit more carefully from now on because it’s a big part of this blog. I want my readers to interact with each other and talk about the drama/movie, but what I will no longer permit is:

• Comments such as “I love Min Ho.” “Hello, Yoon Eun Hye. I really admire you. Thank you for your hard-work.” One, I am not Yoon Eun Hye so saying that on my blog is just weird. Two, this is not the place for you to broadcast your love for your celebrity. You can make your own blog if that’s the case and say whatever you want.
• Please comment in English from now on. I’ve already deleted a lot of comment because a lot of people have disregard my post politely asking everyone to post in English. If I can’t understand what you’re writing, then it can’t stay. What if you’re saying something nasty and I’m not in on it? Huh? I know English, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Post in any of the 3 languages.

Thanks again for your support, and I will see you soon.

The Lackluster Invasion

Hello, how’s everyone’s summer going? I recently got a job as a graphic design intern so that’s been keeping me busy. Lately, all I’ve been updating is my design blog here, but I do still wander over here to see the comments and such. Speaking of which, I would really appreciate it if comments are in English. I know a lot of you are from other countries, but I can’t understand your comment if it’s not in English. Thank you. Okay, now to the point of this post.

This year (and part of last year) was suppose to be a very big event in terms of Asian actors and actresses in American cinema. However, most of the movies were not produce well or have any sort of enticing plot. Is it the director’s fault not being able to fully utilize these actors well? What is it? You be the judge.

1. Speed Racer (opened May of 2008): One of the first movie to start off the “Asian Invasion” as I was calling it. Starring Korean singer and actor Rain, it was directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski who directed the famous Matrix movies. Having a big budget and backed by major  corporations like Target, McDonald’s, and more, the film did poorly at the box office and became one of the biggest bombs for Warner Brothers. Rain had a few lines in the entire movie and from what I understand didn’t appear much either.

   

2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (opened May of 2009): One of the lucky few that went on to be quite the blockbuster. Daniel Henney is a Korean-American actor who played Agent Zero in the movie with superb shooting skills. Despite being able to speak perfect English, he didn’t say much and died by the mid-point in the movie.

   

3. Blood: The Last Vampire (opened July of 2009): I was looking forward to this movie the most because it starred my favorite actress Jun Ji-hyun who adopted the American name Gianna Jun for the American audience. She played the main character Saya who hunts high-level vampires. The movie was released on limited screens across the US, but not where I live unfortunately. It did poorly and was harshly criticized for bad special effects and bad acting from the supporting actors.

What’s to come…

1. The Warrior’s Way (formerly titled The Laundry Warrior) – opening August of 2009: Starring one of the most renowned Korean actors Jang Dong-gun, the movie stars Jang as a warrior living in the the “American badland.” Not sure where that is except maybe the West, Jang stars alongside the likes of Kate Bosworth. The film is being produced by Barrie Osborne who produced the Lord of the Rings movie. Again, I have high hopes for this movie. The title sounds like a comedy, which is always a win in my book.

   

2. Ninja Assassin - opening November of 2009: Rain tries again at international stardom with this movie. Movie poster for the movie is out and it seems pretty well made and executed. Hopefully that translate to the overall film as well. I’m not much of an action-movie fan let alone one with flying body parts and blood so I can’t really say I’m excited to see this. I wish Rain lots of success with this movie though.

Departures – R

Yes, that was quite an absense. I’ve been busy with my artistic life lately: entering in design contest, working on my online portfolio, etc, but hey no one wants to hear about that. ^^ I recently caught a limited release movie call Departures which won the Academy Awards this year for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie’s website link is here. Try to catch it if you can!

Directed by Yojiro Takita
Releasted in 2009
Overall Rating: A+

Main Cast: Actors / Characters

Masahiro Motoki as Daigo Kobayashi
Ryoko Hirosue as Mika Kobayashi
Tsutomu Yamazaki as Shouei Sasaki (President of NK Agency)
Kimiko YO as Yuriko Uemura (employee at NK Agency)

Daigo is an aspiring celloist since he was young. He finally got his dream job playing for a major orchestra in Tokyo. Unfortunately, they play to an empty house most of the time which eventually leads to the ievitable — the orchestra disbands. Without any income, Daigo solds his expensive cello (or returns it…I wasn’t too clear on that) and worriedly suggests to his wife Mika they should return to his hometown where his deceased mother left him a house.  Luckily, she smiles and says, “Yes!” While looking through the newspaer, Daigo spots an ad for a “Depatures” company call NK Agency. Thinking it must be a travel agency, he was quite alarmed to learn that it’s a company that specialize in dressing the corpse before they are either buried or cremated. Desperate for money, he takes the job but tries his best to keep his profession a secret. Life is like the brilliant rainbow and death is the fading end of that rainbow. Sometimes it ends abructly, but other times it concludes peacefully over a river. Watch and see how Daigo deals with the death of strangers to the deaths of those close to him.

Fashion 70s – R

It took quite awhile to do this review. This is the longest Korean drama I have ever watched. Despite being draggy, it managed to keep my attention.

Broadcast in 2005
28 total episodes
Overall Rating: B+

Main Cast: Actors / Characters

Lee Yo Weon as Han Duh Mi (born Ko Joon Hee)
Kim Min Jung as Ko Joon Hee (born Kang Hee)
Joo Jin Mo as Kim Dong Young
Chun Jung Myung as Jang Bin

Jun In Taek as Joon Hee’s father
Song Ok Sook as Lee Yang Ja (Kang Hee’s mother)
Lee Hye Young as Jang Bong Sil (Bin’s mother)

Fashion 70s is one of the first drama to focus on the fashion design industry as the main back-drop for the story. Unfortunately, it has too many back-drops in combination with the main one. The show starts off with the Korean war and two families that will be affected because of this war. Two daughters, Joon Hee and Kang Hee, were separated from their family and ultimately adopted by the opposite family due to various reasons. Themes of identity, family, and love are all a part of this show. In the end, fashion only played a small part in this so-call fashion drama. Even though it’s not a big deal, I feel if you are going to focus on something you should do it with justice. The multitudes of back-drops really makes the story in cohesive.

Real Life Drama

Hello, hello! I am finally done with school (actually I’ve been done for 2 weeks now and have been getting some much needed sleep). Recently, I’ve been watching a 2005 Korean drama called Fashion 70’s so I might have a review for it soon. For today, I want to report a very fascinating news story that seems right out of a Korean drama series.

Born on the same day in 1953 at the same hospital (Pioneer Memorial Hospital) in Oregon, two girls’ fate will forever be changed. After returning for their baths, Kay Rene Reed Qualls and DeeAnn Angell Shafer were accidentally switched by the nurses and returned to the wrong mothers!

Marjorie Angell, true mother of Kay Qualls, insisted in 1953 that her baby had been switched but sadly no one believes her. Growing up, this rumor plays out in the background of the family with no real evidence. Finally, after 56 years and one DNA test, the truth is finally revealed. Kay Qualls should be Kay Shafer and DeeAnn Shafer should be DeeAnn Qualls.  SOURCE: Yahoo News

I see this scenario so many times in drama series and even movie, but seeing it in real life makes me wonder if other outlandish things in movies are actually based on true stories. I can’t imagine what I would feel if I suddenly find out the family I’ve know for years aren’t really my family. Then again, is family only defined by blood? I wish those two women lots of happiness and the continue support of their families.

Treeless Mountain

Hey all. I’m breaking away from my schoolwork to report to you about this new movie. Once I saw the trailer, I just had to post it up here for everyone to know about it.

The movie is called Treeless Mountain directed by So Yong Kim. The name of the movie alone intrigues me. The basic storyline from what I gather is two young Korean girls (Jin and Bin) are left in the care of their aunt by their mother while she looks for the girls’ father. The mother tells her daughters that once they fill up a plastic piggy bank that she gave them, she will return by then. Other minutes details of the movie are yet unknown, but I’m hoping it’ll be one of those calm yet powerful movie like Il Mare.

A quote from the trailer pretty much peaks my interest even more in that it says the movie portrays the “…quiet resilience of children.” I thought about my own childhood and how I could force myself to wake up freakishly early in the morning to catch the cartoon shows and now I can barely get up by noon. When did this resilience get lost? Maybe this movie will tell me.

A Man Who Was Superman – R

I saw this movie just yesterday at 10 and stayed up late to midnight just to finish it. What an awesome movie. That’s why I’m writing a review now to spread the love.

Release in 2008
Directed by Jeong Yoon-chul 
Overall Rating: A+

Main Cast: Actors / Characters

Jun Ji-hyun as Song Soo-jung
Hwang Jeong-min as Lee Hyun-suk 

I’d like to start this review off with a quote from “Superman” in the movie.

“Strenghts don’t open big, iron doors but a small key. We all have a key inside of us…to open the door to a new future.”

Song Soo-jung is a long-time TV show producer who has grown bored of the mechanics of her job. Doing the same thing years after years has removed all sparks from her. Furthermore, she hasn’t been paid in awhile. The reason wasn’t explicited stated, so I am assuming it’s because the studio hasn’t got a hit yet. Soo-jung decides to take the company’s camera as payment and go to Africa for a shoot. She lazily steps out of the office without a wave to her co-workers. As she waits for the train to come, she falls asleep and wakes up to find her camera (i.e. company’s camera) is stolen. She tries to run after the crook but can’t match his speed. Suddenly, a color bullet comes rushing by. It’s a man in a colorful Hawaiian printed shirt. He flies by everyone and quickly catches up to the thief. Scared, the thief runs off leaving his chaser exhausted on the ground and the camera too. When Soo-jung finds him, she checks for her camera first, then pour water on her savior to wakes him up. He quickly comes to and identifies himself as Superman. Apparantly, he’s well-known throughout the neighborhood to help out everyone and everything he sees. He explains he has lost his superpower because a piece of kryptonite is lodged in his brain. Soo-jung is puzzled but interested, this could be her next documentary and a big hit at that. Is this man really Superman? If not, what’s his reasons for helping out everyone at the expense of himself? Yet still, should there really be a reason to help out others?

I’m Back and Have Some Thoughts to Share

Ah, how I’ve missed my little new post page here on WordPress. Hope my litte disappearnce act didn’t scare anyone. Even though I wasn’t able to post anything the last few days (weeks?) I actually still came by to approve on comments and things like that. I was happy to see my stats didn’t drop down too low at all, thank you all for visiting! Right now, I am on my precious Spring Break which will end this coming Sunday. After which I might be gone again to work on my design portfolio. So, let’s relish in this moment of freedom, shall we?

Before my hectic schedule came about, I was watching a new Korean drama called Boys Before Flower which is the Korean adaptation to the story of Hana Yori Dango. The basic storyline (for anyone isn’t familiar with it) is a poor but strong-will girl attends a school for the rich. The kids there bathe in fortune and blatantly show it off. Among them all are four boys who belong to the most prestigious family in all of [country name here]. They basically control the school because their wealth is what’s financing this school. Poor girl gets involve with rich boys and voila – a story of love, status, and society view on wealth ensue.

Boys Before Flower basically follow this storyline and has a similiar set up to the Japanese Hana Yori Dango. The only difference is, of course, the actors and their spin on the characters. I basically watched 3 episodes of this highly-anticipated show and was gravely disappointed. All the actors and actresses were fine except for one – the main actress. Koo Hye Sun plays Geum Jan Di who is the main protagonist of the story (poor and strong-will girl). Unfortunately, her take on the character is a bit too childish. She “overacts” everything and her reactions to events in the story is always either too over the top or just inappropriate. Her tendency to scream to show how mad she is also puts me off (my ears can only handle so much screaming in one episode). To put it bluntly, she is the reason why I can’t get into this show. 

As you can tell, I’m not really a big fan of this show which is a shame because I was looking forward to it. However, my not liking it sure didn’t effect much since it is still the most popular show in Korea right now. So, I’m not going to review this show since I didn’t finish. If I were to grade it from what I saw, it probably will be a C.