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Tokyo Pop (1988)
Before Lost in Translation there was Tokyo Pop
This is a very light movie that highlights some aspects of being a foreigner in Japan. This movie was released the first year that I moved to Japan so is especially relevant to me. It is often more travelogue than drama as I felt that some scenes were shot simply to show absurd aspects of Tokyo life and clashing cultures (the Japanese mother getting ready for her aerobics class as the daughter practices chopstick use; the boy working in a neighbourhood crepe shop; the plastic food factory; suited Salarymen fishing on the Kanda RIver). Still it has a certain simple charm that makes me smile and I feel that it better captures aspects of Tokyo at that time than Lost in Translation does for a more contemporary Tokyo. I just came across it as i was cleaning out my videos to take to a flea market (my favourites have all been replaced by DVDs). This doesn't seem to be available on DVD now so I am watching it as I dub it to make my own DVD. It still makes me smile and will certainly do the same for anyone who has spent time in Japan.
Chun gwong ja sit (1997)
Happy Together (KINO DVD edition)
Fans of Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai will be thrilled by the latest DVD edition of his classic film Happy Together.
The movie is slow-paced, low-key, and often shot in black in white. It is the story of two gay Chinese men in Buenos Aires, who are more often unhappy together than happy together. It is not an easy movie to watch perhaps and will not appeal to everyone, but as an art film and a gay-themed love story it is a contemporary classic.
I had an earlier release of this DVD, but purchased this new edition to see the making-of documentary Buenos Aires: Zero Degrees, which is a special feature on the new release. The documentary itself is a gem as it reveals so many story lines that did not appear in the final film. It is fascinating to see the directions the film might have taken and how such a different film could have come out of the editing room. We can really appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's process, working without a script, and see the difficulties it causes for the actors. Lead actor Tony Leung's comments about working on the film are especially insightful.
Wong Kar-Wai's In the mood for love is the film that brought him the greatest international recognition perhaps, but Happy Together was an important step on the road to that masterpiece. Few new fans will be won by this DVD, but for those who already appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's work this DVD is a must-have.
[Focus] (1996)
Focus - A Disturbing Intriguing Film
The director of this film is a former TV documentary director and you can see he really knows his stuff in this mock documentary.
The main topic seems to be how a documentary director can manipulate the subjects of a documentary to achieve his own ends. The results are at first rather comic but become increasingly disturbing. Television documentary makers in Japan have often been criticized for faking material and this film takes it to an extreme.
Shot on video you always feel like you are behind the camera and present as the events unfold - this can make it very difficult to watch. But like being present at a tragic accident it is difficult to look away.
As a comment on the media I think that this low budget movie is a masterpiece as telling as (or perhaps more so than) Network or Broadcast News.