Category Archives: Movies

Disney/Pixar’s Up is great!

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Disney/Pixar's Up in Japan

I went to see UP, the latest movie from the folks at Disney/Pixar at one of the first shows last Saturday (the opening day) here in Japan. I have to say that it is one of their best movies yet. It is just beautiful to watch, especially the 3-D version that I saw. I don’t like like read reviews of movies before I go because even if there are no “spoilers,” there are always things in the reviews that spoil it for me. I’ll leave it at that. Just go watch the movie; I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Johnny Depp and the four Japanese Girls

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Johnny Depp was in Japan recently to promote the third rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean. For some reason, when he visits, he goes to the show Gakko he Ikou hosted by the Japanese Regis Philbin—Mino Monta—and Johnny’s V6. I like a couple of Johnny’s groups: SMAP because there are some talented and clever people in the group, and TOKIO because they do some very interesting things to promote traditional Japanese culture and raising awareness of the environment. The V6 group has none of the qualities above.

Anyway, Johnny is wheeled into the studio, and the above video is the result. You be the judge: interesting, weird, over-the-top, or ???

Joe is Japanese dot com

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Kevin Ryan, of LanguageJapan fame, just mentioned a new manga on the way: Joe is Japanese. There is a trailer at that link to get you started. The first part of the trailer is a major crackup, with the protagonist trying to get his family name understood while calling several places. The latter part is not for the younger kids since Joe is telling a story from the other side of the tracks. Japanese skills are not a requirement, as there are subtitles for all the Japanese parts. It could add a motivating factor to those of you working on your bilingual skills. The site includes links to the characters’ MySpace pages; here’s Joe’s. It all looks very promising!

Early Summer Movie Report

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After finishing my doctoral coursework in late May, I took a few weekends off in June to catch up on taxes, family time, and watch some movies…

First up was Batman Begins which I have to say is one of the best of all the Batman movies I have seen. There is no doubt that Michael Keaton did a great job as Batman, but Christian Bale (the new one), is really, really good. In addition, most of the supporting cast is top notch, and they play their parts well. I remember the big surprise I had when I made the move from the U.S. TV series to the comic book. Dark was the word, and this movie is as dark as it should be. We learn how Batman, one of the only (or the only) American comic figures, learned all the skills he has to kick some bad-guy butt. This one is highly recommended for anyone who liked the earlier movies or those who are curious about how Batman came to be. Just leave the story from the original movie at the door…

The next weekend was set aside for the first show of the first day of the pre-preview screening of Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. I have to say that the climax has been worth the 28-year wait! We all know the result, but we get to find out the how. Even if you think the story’s too predictable, the scenery, the CG effects, and most of the acting will help you to forget any predictability. If you have seen any of the others, you need to see this one.

This past weekend meant another trip to the theater to see War of the Worlds. Decent acting and great effects are the highlights. If you have seen any Spielberg movies (and who hasn’t?), then you can know how the scary parts work. If you saw Jurassic Park and know the kitchen scene, then you know how things will be in WotW.

Next up is The Fantastic Four…