The folks at DA HUANG PICTURES have set up an online shop, so you can now buy their much-talked-about festival hits and watch it at the comfort of your own living room.
Embed Instagram Post Code Generator
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Shaolin Girl 少林少女
After 3 weeks of Japanese language classes, I decided to put my newly-acquired language skills to test by going to the cinema for the first time since arriving at Tokyo. My original plan was to see IRON MAN, but since it isn't going to come out in Japan until September, I can only pick a Japanese film to watch (all other Hollywood fare were stuff that came out during the end of 2007, the newer stuff showing now are SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES and 10 000 B.C...)
I picked a film which I knew wouldn't really be too much of a challenge to understand despite my lack of Japanese language skills:
SHAOLIN GIRL.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Visiting Tokyo Tower
Yesterday was Showa Memorial Day, so I went to visit Tokyo Tower with some friends.
My camcorder and my digital camera can never co-exist, if I bring only my camera, I am more likely to take some good photos, but when I'm busy shooting with my camcorder, the quality of the photos from my camera tend to suffer.
I was very surprised that only 20% of the photos I took yesterday were presentable. My camera is useless in taking night photos (it's an old Canon PC1226). Almost everything I took were blurry. Should have brought my mini-tripod.
Anyway, here are the photos:
My camcorder and my digital camera can never co-exist, if I bring only my camera, I am more likely to take some good photos, but when I'm busy shooting with my camcorder, the quality of the photos from my camera tend to suffer.
I was very surprised that only 20% of the photos I took yesterday were presentable. My camera is useless in taking night photos (it's an old Canon PC1226). Almost everything I took were blurry. Should have brought my mini-tripod.
Anyway, here are the photos:
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Japanese Films vs The Rest Of The World
I'm totally drained after going through a two-film marathon, both Japanese films (you can see I am trying hard to improve my Japanese language skills ;)), both two-hour long, the first was HERO, the second was STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES (the 2006 movie, not the old 2001 dorama, STRAWBERRY ON SHORTCAKE), one's a commercial courtdoom drama, another an arthouse film on loneliness and adult relationships, former's entertaining, latter's haunting. I'm now drained, yet not drained enough to not rant.
(I'll be peppering this post with photos of the awesome NAKAMA YUKIE, whom I've liked a lot since I first watched the TRICK series, and also in honour of Gokusen 3 being the top-rated dorama in Tokyo now)
Last night (or two nights ago, since it's past midnight), I read an article on Japan Times called FILM FESTIVALS: HOW JAPAN IS VIEWED FROM AFAR by Alexander Jacoby, and I find myself agreeing with the opening paragraphs:
(I'll be peppering this post with photos of the awesome NAKAMA YUKIE, whom I've liked a lot since I first watched the TRICK series, and also in honour of Gokusen 3 being the top-rated dorama in Tokyo now)
Last night (or two nights ago, since it's past midnight), I read an article on Japan Times called FILM FESTIVALS: HOW JAPAN IS VIEWED FROM AFAR by Alexander Jacoby, and I find myself agreeing with the opening paragraphs:
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Buying A New Jacket In Shibuya
My old black leather jacket can't be worn anymore. For some weird reason, whitish-looking powdery stuff have been coming out of it. For the past few weeks, I've been wearing the same black jersey the whole time (the one you see on the black and white photo I used for the Twitter window at the right sidebar) because my other jackets are way too thick to wear during the Spring.
Besides, I needed to take a walk, and I haven't been to Shibuya all these while either.
Shibuya is a colourful place, and I see lots of costumed musicians performing, and promoting something. The ones in the photo below were standing outside a pachinko shop.
Besides, I needed to take a walk, and I haven't been to Shibuya all these while either.
Shibuya is a colourful place, and I see lots of costumed musicians performing, and promoting something. The ones in the photo below were standing outside a pachinko shop.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Daihachi Yoshida's wonderful Funuke, Show Some Love You Losers! 腑抜けども、悲しみの愛を見せろ
Been getting rather difficult for me to write any film reviews lately, but here you go:
Funuke, Show Some Love You Losers! is a film I knew nothing about when I started watching it, and I finished it feeling rather rewarded.
It's a film about a dysfunctional family, it's driven completely by the four primary characters and the relationship and interaction between them. The opening scene sets the tone for things to come, we see a gruesome traffic accident caused by a cat that's sickeningly funny.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
KLue writes about BMW Shorties Finalists. Yeo Yee Haeng is Edmund Yeo
The Father and The Boy in CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY
Seems that KLUE had a short write-up on the BMW Shorties finalists.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
RACE: Four Original Short Plays
I had the pleasure of meeting actress (and self-described theater practitioner) Soefira Jaafar in the middle of last year, and I was asked to help her produce a stage production that her company, RPT (RATHER PECULIAR THEATER) was preparing. Although I was around for some preliminary meetings with her and the writers, I, unfortunately, had to leave RACE due to other commitments (the telemovies CINTA TIGA SEGI and KURUS), and also because I was well aware back then that I was possibly coming to Tokyo to continue my studies, thus making it impossible to stay around for the actual performance in the end.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY is up on BMWShorties.com.my
The film is really a comedy...
As I've mentioned last week, my latest short film, CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY, had been shortlisted for the annual BMW SHORTIES as one of the top 10 finalists . After watching the other nine finalists, I have to say that I'm in the company of many really good films. Therefore, to be nominated is already a victory for me.
You can watch CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY at the official BMW SHORTIES website (mine's the tenth film). After that, you can vote if you enjoyed my film, if not, then you can vote for other, more worthy candidates.
On the other hand, Suanie really has an awards-worthy cameo on CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY.
P.S. Thanks to Esther and Shadowfox (Suanie screenshot is from him too) for, ah, plugging my film.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Cute Akihabara Nurse
Went to Akihabara in the evening. Got myself a laptop computer cooling pad, a USB-operated mini vacuum and table fan from the awesome Yodobashi Camera shopping mall. (didn't know about the place until today)
Before that, right when I stepped out of the train station, I saw many people taking photos with a girl in a nurse outfit, so I did the same:
Before that, right when I stepped out of the train station, I saw many people taking photos with a girl in a nurse outfit, so I did the same:
Simple Japanese Essays I Wrote (... Like A 3-Year-Old Child) About The Twin Towers and Beautiful Women
After more than a week of Japanese Language classes, I find myself enjoying the essay-writing most. Naturally, since I've always liked writing, but a bittersweet affair, since my Japanese language skills is of a toddler's, I was incapable of expressing myself as eloquently and fluently as I do in English or Chinese.
Seeing how I could only write in simple sentences, I can only comfort myself by saying that I write like a Dadaist, foregoing the contemporary academic and cultured values of art by writing entirely without aesthetics and style.
So, here's to share two essays with you all that I wrote in the past few days during classes.
Seeing how I could only write in simple sentences, I can only comfort myself by saying that I write like a Dadaist, foregoing the contemporary academic and cultured values of art by writing entirely without aesthetics and style.
So, here's to share two essays with you all that I wrote in the past few days during classes.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
My Thoughts On The 27th Hong Kong Film Awards
Though I didn't get to catch the live telecast of the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards, I was eagerly following the results on Yahoo! Hong Kong. So here are some brief thoughts on the results. (list from Lovehkfilm.com)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY Chosen For BMW Shorties' Top 10
On the 21st of March last month, right after I returned from the Hong Kong Film Festival, I immediately submitted a rough cut version of CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY, my latest short film, to BMW Shorties. I needed to beat the deadline, so I didn't have the time to really fix the short film as much as I would've liked.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Japanese Language vs My Legendary Ego
Sorry about the lack of updates. Parents were here for a visit in Tokyo.
Anyway, my Japanese classes started on Wednesday, and students were assigned to each class based on their results during the Japanese Placement Test on Monday.
Anyway, my Japanese classes started on Wednesday, and students were assigned to each class based on their results during the Japanese Placement Test on Monday.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Orlando Bloom's Japanese Uno (Hair Gel!) Commercial
I was at a shop yesterday accompanying a new friend from Hong Kong, Jason, to hunt for televisions. As he was doing that, something that was playing in all the snazzy flatscreen televisions in the shop caught my attention.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The Miyazaki Aoi poster in the Subway
Everyday, when I walk through the Edogawabashi Station to catch a train, I see this Miyazaki Aoi poster:
And always, I pause a little, struggling to resist this urge to tear the poster off the wall and run away with it.
I seriously need help. Anyone know where I can get these subway posters? Help anyone? People of Japan Probe?
And always, I pause a little, struggling to resist this urge to tear the poster off the wall and run away with it.
I seriously need help. Anyone know where I can get these subway posters? Help anyone? People of Japan Probe?
Tags: miyazaki aoi
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Tokyo. A city of contrasts. Traditional cherry blossoms vs scifi-like architecture
As I was walking back from Waseda University this afternoon, I noticed that the river was filled up with more cherry blossom petals than yesterday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
If you had of asked me on a given day whether I'd one day end up passionately defending fanfiction, I would have given you a strange l...
-
**Mild spoiler warning for both versions of Cinema Paradiso** Was watching the director's cut version of Cinema Paradiso (called th...
-
Mishima is a writer associated with scale and grand gestures. Apart from his colorful life and the obviously theatrical nature of his publi...