With the weather we have been having in Texas, we don’t have to wait for Summer!
Summer yet?
Bayside Shakedown 2
Mariko started watching “Bayside Shakedown 2” on TV Japan and noticed there were English subtitles on it, so invited me to join her. It’s a cop movie about a local precinct (Odaiba) which comes under control of the Metropolitan Police Department to solve a murder. The plot was pretty bad actually, with a lot of things that didn’t make sense. The cops were so stupid and it was frustrating the way they acted. At least there were a few funny parts in it, but the film was way too long and dragged-out. Thinking about detective stories, I think the drama “Shinzanmono” is much better and smarter. I can’t recommend Bayside Shakedown 2 unless you have nothing else to watch.
Karate Girl
I just finished watching “Karate Girl” on Netflix streaming and it was not bad!. The plot was a basic story of revenge, with nothing really special about it. But the karate was really good! Rina Takeda has some amazing moves, and kicks a lot of butt, and of course gets her revenge. That’s not really a spoiler because you quickly figure out that the plot doesn’t have any unexpected twists. Still, it’s an entertaining hour-and-a-half movie. Recommended, but just barely. The trailer is below:
Catching up with Amachan (あまちゃん)
OK, so I am about 50 episodes in on Amachan. I saw that there are soft-subs available so I decided to give it a watch and so far, it’s pretty good! There are a couple of really funny moments so far (Ghostbusters anyone?) and the ama/idol story is holding my interest. And you know what? The story makes a whole lot more sense with subtitles! I think what makes the story good is the variety of characters. Each one has his or her own motivations and wants, some are simple, some are complex, and some are mysterious. It’s fun to see how the plot evolves and characters come into the story. I can’t wait to fire up the tablet and watch another dozen episodes!
On a side note, while we were in California visiting my parents, we went to Mitsuwa Marketplace and they had a special Iwate stand set up where they were selling special regional food items. It was pretty cool. My mom and I took pictures with Amachan. Quite thrilling, isn’t it?
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) – Movie Review
I’ve been meaning to write about the absolutely amazing “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” movie by Wes Anderson for a while now. I watched it late at night in bed, which was probably not the best since I was laughing so much and probably woke Mariko up a few times. But it was so hilarious in parts I just couldn’t help it! I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries, and the film seems like a wonderful and quirky homage to the Cousteau and his crew. The scenery is pretty great, and the acting and comedy are right-on. Billy Murray and Owen Wilson are so good, but I thought the best and funniest acting was by Willem Dafoe. Show-stealer for me! Watch the following trailer to get a feel for the movie:
The soundtrack to this movie was fantastic. Of course the Bowie covers in Portuguese by Seu Jorge were great, but it was also wonderful to hear a classic Devo tune (Mark Mothersbaugh actually did the music for the film). Give the soundtrack a listen below:
My rating: 9/10
