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arkts31
Reviews
The Gift (2010)
Good computer graphics
This is a short sci-fi film. You can see an imaginary Russian city in the future. It is very beautiful and is full of mysterious mood.
To be honest, I don't understand well what is happening in the movie. Many things happen one after another and there are few conversations. However, I enjoyed this film very much because the computer graphics is so elaborate and sophisticated. The car chase scene is amazing. The camera is set so that you can feel high speed of moving vehicles. In addition to that, zooming in and out is effectively used and that makes this movie more attractive.
You must be surprised at the beautiful computer graphics.
The Lunch Date (1989)
Great movie
A woman bumps into a man. She misses her train and goes to a café. She buys salad, but then she meets a black man and something strange happens.
Generally, we act based on what we have experienced. Therefore, we tend to believe what we see or hear without doubt. However, I learned from this movie that I can't always rely on my recognition and that I must not judge others by their appearance.
I think you can enjoy this movie two times. First time, you just enjoy the story. Second time, you can understand the structure of the film and you are surely surprised, how clever it is. The acting and the camera angles are so perfect that audiences will be completely deceived.
Father and Daughter (2000)
Impressive animation
Father and Daughter is a short animated movie. The main theme is loneliness.
One day, a girl loses her father. He finds a boat and rows away, leaving her. She believes that he will come back someday and repeatedly cycles to the site where she lost her father.
It is not easy for us to understand how she feels or thinks because there are no words in the movie. However that gives us an incentive to think deeply and makes us all the more absorbed in the movie. The sound effects, like blowing wind, singing birds, or bicycle's wheel give us hints to know her feelings. The pale colored animation also makes us feel lonely.
It is wonderful that all factors in the film are effectively used. With only eight minutes, this movie shows us the difficulty of accepting a tragedy and how painful it is to lose important things.
Otousan no tabako (2007)
Pure story
This movie shows the dilemma of a little girl.
Her father, who is in bed because of a disease, asks her to buy cigarettes for him, but her mother tells her not to. The tiny girl is so pure that she is troubled with the conflicting requirement. However she tries to do her best to get cigarettes.
Children always do their best and that makes me feel guilty about my laziness.
The most impressive scene is that the girl reads a textbook aloud surrounded by her parents. It reminds me of my childhood. I think this movie gives you a kind of nostalgic feeling.
Fish Out of Water (2005)
Good title
A man rows to work in order to avoid the crowd in the city. One day a beautiful woman asks if she gets on his boat and he takes her to work. He is willing to accept her favor, but the next day an other man joins and gradually the number of people on the boat is increasing.
The first thing I thought after watching this movie is that men have a weakness for beautiful women.
This movie is not only comedic, but also includes something important. I think many people are troubled because they can't say what they think and some people impose on their kindness. I think I have to reflect on my behavior.
Anyway, this title is very good. You will understand that it is appropriate if you watch this film.
Lifted (2006)
So funny
This is an animation movie made by PIXAR about aliens trying to kidnap a human. The two alien characters are very cute and funny. They reminded me of Monsters,Inc. which is also a film of PIXAR.
I think the usage of music is interesting. Generally, music is used in order to make some kind of atmosphere. For example, music in major key or fast tempo creates exciting, happy or delighted mood. On the other hand, music in minor key or slow tempo makes people feel sad or depressed. However this film used this rule technically. For example, magnificent music is played just before a funny scene. While hearing such music, the audience are a little tense and excited to imagine what will happen next, but all of a sudden the music stops and then something funny occurs. Everyone is surprised and they cannot help laughing. It is very effective and clever.
The plot is so simple and clear that we can easily understand the story and just enjoy it. I could imagine the end of the film, but in spite of that I laughed at the last scene. As always, the sound effects are good and give realism to the film.
Three Days in Kamakura (2012)
This film gives us a chance to think about our family
You can feel sad and happy at the same time if you see this film. A married couple who are troubled by something spend three days with a boy who is half-Japanese and half-Western.
I think the excellent point about this film is the explanations without words. The couple don't talk about themselves, but we can understand easily what is happening around them from some scenes or sound effects. I think the audience generally hate conversations explaining too much because it loses realism or a feeling of absorption. However this film is naturally explaining without disturbing the audience's concentration.
The music is beautiful. It holds a kind of sad but strong atmosphere. When it starts, the story begins to move at the same time and we can get into the story more deeply. The cross-cutting scenes of the wife and husband are good. I mean the wife standing vacantly and the husband behaving delightedly. It makes their distress more outstanding.
This film gives us an opportunity to rethink what is the most important thing for ourselves. We are sometimes faced with troubles, but we can get over them with a little chance. In addition, I remembered my family after watching this. I am not so often conscious about may family in everyday life, but I have to get in touch with them and want to thank them with some words.
Whacked (1998)
Clever techniques
I'm not so sure, but in my opinion this title seems to have double meanings, to be exhausted and to hit something strongly.
The story is about a man tired with his job and life. What I think first is that I don't want to be like this man. I hope that I will not be awfully tired when I begin to work and that I will enjoy my life.
I think this film is well constructed. The audience first see something strange happening in a city. Therefore they get easily interested in this film. The siren of ambulance is the same effect. Our attention is quickly paid to the screen. In other words, the film itself lets us prepare for getting absorbed in it. It is a clever technique because this is a short film of only five minutes. Thanks to that, the audience are able to concentrate on the film as soon as it starts.
There's no music, but all the more the sound is strongly left in our ears and it help us feel as if we could be the man. Although there are no words, we can understand what is happening. I think this is an admirable short film.
Gasman (1997)
Very suggestive
This film is not easy to understand. I have watched this several times. A man and his children go to a party together. It is Christmas season in the movie, but it is full of eerie mood.
The main theme of this film is apparently affection of children to their parents. But there's another story behind the main story. This movie seems to be made intentionally in the child view so that the audience will follow the story and think same as the children. However, I think it is interesting to watch this in the parents view. I think this film is not only about children's feeling but also about complicated mind of the parents who hold some secrets. There are not so much words in the film, but some actions and conversations imply that there is something strange.
Besides, we can learn something about children from this film. Children seem to act on their feelings and impulse, but they may really understand a circumstance by instinct. If so, we have to care about children all the time because the pain a man have in the childhood doesn't disappear when he has grown up. The last scene is very meaningful and suggestive. There are not dynamic actions, but it has strong impact on us.
Paperman (2012)
Nice animation
The story is about a chance encounter and the beginning of love.
This film is a typical type of Disney's movie. The exaggerated gestures and abundant expressions make the audience laugh and feel happy. The animation is moving flowingly. Papers and people are moving as if they were dancing. Almost all the animation is painted by black and white color, so the red color of the woman's lips is outstanding. There are no words, but the facial expressions show the feeling of the characters. The music is rising gradually, so the audience expect something exciting will happen.
A man and a woman meet in a metropolitan and a kind of miracle happens. A magic in a city is a bit strange, but that unbalance is good. The tempo of the story is so rapid that the audience won't get tired. This is a typical love story and very simple, but it gives us courage.
The man is very active and I think I have much to learn from him because I am a little shy and always hesitate to tell my feelings. The man's face is apathetic first, but it is getting more energetic as story proceeds. I think some stimuli are necessary for life.
Knick Knack (1989)
Good sound effects
This movie is a short 3D animation. In only three minutes, I was satisfied and enjoyed this. This story is very simple and the end of it is funny. A buoyant tune is played all through the film. I like this music very much. It makes us relaxed and happy.
The most brilliant thing in this film is sound effects. There are many kinds of sound and they are appropriate to the action of the characters, so I was feeling as if I had been looking at the toys in front of them. My favorite one is the sound of the explosion in a dome. I think it's difficult to create, but It's very nice.
While watching this, I was remembering my childhood. When I was a little kid, I liked to watch animations which is just fun and is essentially meaningless. Not only children but also adults can enjoy this film. This may take you back to your childhood.
Given that Toy Story was made six years after this film, Knick Knack might have an effect on Toy Story more or less. This film may be an important work.
The Crush (2010)
Children are unpredictable
I am not surprised that this movie was nominated in the Oscar. To put it simply, the story is about a child's love. However this movie leaches us a lot of lessons.
After watching this, I thought first that the society admitting that people get guns easily is very dangerous. It is impossible in Japan that children have a gun, so I am very scared that anyone can hold a gun. It's very strange and crazy. Besides, this shows the aspect of ugliness of people. We can find the real personal or feelings of others in an emergency. Essentially, we may be all egoists and we may think ourselves the most important.
The actors are very nice. Their acting was so realistic that I could get absorbed in this movie. Especially, the child's acting was good. He is a lovely boy, but I was scared of him while watching it because of his good acting. This movie is focusing on the child's feeling and gives me a chance to think about children. Children are very pure and cute, but we have to care when we talk to them. We mustn't make them angry because their actions are unpredictable. We have to communicate with them without hurting their feelings.