Tokyo Trash Baby

A Brand New Life (Yeo-haeng-ja)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:54:00 +0000

There has been some excellent films to come out of Korea over the last few years and 'A Brand new Life" (Yeo-haeng-ja) is one them. Based on the early life of Korean - French filmmaker Ounie Lecomte, this film outlines the sense of outrage, rejection and hopelessness 7 year old Jinhee feels when given up for adoption by her father and step-mother. Left at a Catholic run orphanage outside of Seoul, we witness Jinhee's attempts to A Brand New Life to a life in limbo as she waits to be selected by new parents for a new life overseas. Sae-Ron Kim as Jinhee is startlingly real in this role and is surely destined for a very bright future indeed.

Viewing highlight: Watch the camera angles on the statue of the Madonna gauge Jinhee's circumstances.

Not One Less /

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Not One Less is the engaging and delightful tale of a 13 year old emergency teacher's efforts to ensure that her class contains "not one less" student upon the return of their usual teacher from his annual holiday. Set in present day China, the film effectively portrays the economic divide between the country's rural and urban areas and also the lack of funding available to schools outside city boundaries.

A feature of the film was the use of non-professional actors. This lent a sense of authenticity and depth to the characters, something that is often missing from professional performances. A good demonstration of how maintining hope in the face of extreme difficulty can make a difference, I strongly recommend this imaginative and refreshing film.

To Live / Huozhe (1994)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:45:00 +0000

If, like me you are a fan of Chinese Cultural Revolution family sagas or biography, this film will be for you. Having read both Falling leaves (Yen Mah, Adeline) and A Leaf in the Bitter Wind (Ye, Ting-xing), I was interested to see how the experiences of the Xu family (despite being totally fictional) compared. The film begins with Xu, Fugui (You, Ge)losing both his wife and the family mansion thanks to an uncontrollable gambling addiction and the unexpected repercussions that ensue.
The rest of the film focuses on the ingenuity employed and luck (both good and bad) experinced by Fugui and his wife Jiazhen (Li, Gong) as they try to raise their two children in the unstable confines of a new communist China.

At times poignant and joyful, this film provides another view of the Cultural Revolution and the way in which it impacted on the average family. Outstanding acting by both child actors adds to the realism of this film, although the true stars are the puppets.

See this website for more information.
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/panasia/to_live.htm

Nobody Knows / Dare Mo Shiranai (2003)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:29:00 +0000

Made in 2003 and directed by Hirokazu Kore eda, this 141 minute drama is filled with the daily moments of discovery, pleasure and dispair that make up the lives of Akira, Kyoko, Shigeru and 5 year old Yuki as they attempt to survive following their mother's abandonment.

Starring J-Pop icon YOU as Keiko Fukushima and the remarkable acting talents of Yuya Yagira as 12 year old Akira, Nobody Knows is a quietly meandering river of dashed hopes for the four children left stranded by the one adult who should have given a damn.

Like a lot of Japanese movies, this film has that indefinable quality about it that manages to both subdue and highlight the misery and hoplessness our four main characters endure. It's this quality which draws me time and time again to non-western films and what makes this film a very heart-rending experience.

Brilliant casting and lots of floor level cinematography make this a film I strongly reccommend (but have a box of tissues handy!)

23 Things Final Task

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Firstly, I must apologise if I haven't quite followed the instructions for this last question as I no longer have access to the Swinburne Wiki and thus haven't been able to find out what the last question actually is, so this is a guess. Hope you don't penalise me for this (my contract finished last year):).

Well, what a journey that was! Through the wonders of podcasting, blogs, RSS feeds, Facebook, social bookmarking and Second Life, I've seen a lot and learnt much. No surprise I'm exhausted! The things that have stuck with me and which I've taken with me to my new workplace (and home) are Del.icio.us, Blogger (there are actually people who read this!) Facebook (great communication tool!) Bloglines and Youtube. I've just requested access to a blog RMIT has created for their "GoogleSmart" training program and will enjoy contributing to this.

I guess at the end of the day, it's horses for courses and what I use won't necessarily be what others use. Sometimes there has to be a need before a new online web2.0 / library 2.0 service can be useful. Also some tools don't always have a good academic use either. Services such as FaceBook and MySpace were never intended to be educational tools, they were designed as ways to enable social contact between people and they do this very well. Blogs and Second Life are may be a bit different.

Whatever happens, I'll be going through this journey again from April when RMIT institutes it's own 23 Things project so I'll be well armed to get some RPL won't I?
23 Things is well worth it as it exposed me to a wide variety of web / library 2.0 services and allowed me to choose the most appropriate ones for my needs, which really is the point of the whole thing.

Thanks to those staff involved in 23 Things development and roll out and I hope those who had to go through 30+ blogs every week don't have square eyes! I hope your supervisors provide you with paracetamol and head massages to make it easier on you.

So long and thanks for all the fish (and thanks Douglas Adams!). Over, but definitely not out. Miss you Swinburne! TTB

All About Lily Chou Chou / Riri Shushu no Subete (2001)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:36:00 +0000

Well all I can say is that Lily Chou-Chou has a lot to answer for! Hayato Ichihara plays Yuichi, an underacheiving, unnoticed and lonely 14 year old fanatical about J-Pop idoru Lily Chou-Chou. When Yuichi finds himself in the company of Shunsuke Hoshino apon entering Junior High School, his world is significantly changed and initially, all seems fun and exciting. However, Hoshino quickly reveals himself to be a bullying thug who takes extraodinary pleasure in the ritual victimisation and humiliation of anyone who opposes him. Yuichi, not being a strong character, is soon on the receiving end of Hoshino's sometimes quite violent abuse. Lacking the courage to oppose him, Yuichi soon becomes one of his gang of five supporters and proceeds to assist him in a reign of terror over their school and town.

Yuichi's escape however, is the online discussion group he moderates which, not surprisingly, is dedicated to the topic of Lily Chou-Chou. There he operates under the name of "Philia", a album title of Lily's and enjoys many intelligent and enlightening debates with "Blue Cat", a total stranger.

Eventually things become too much for Yuichi as the crimes he commits as part of Hoshino's gang, become more and more extreme. One day after leading an unpopular classmate to her rape and head-shaving at the hands of his voracious gang-leader, he finally decides that enough is enough and proceeds to avoid Hoshino at all costs. Unexpectedly, Yuichi meets Hoshino at the long-awaited Lily Chou-Chou concert. Hoshino expresses his anger at being ignored by demanding Yuichi's concert ticket and bullies him into buying him a coke. While Yuichi is waiting in a queue, Hoshino gets away from Yuichi and when he has Yuichi's full attention, proceeds to destroy the confiscated concert ticket. While Yuichi watches in despair, he is jostled by the crowd and consequently spills Hoshino's coke. He also takes a look at the green apple Hoshino thrust in his hands as he began to wend his way towards the concert hall door. Hoshino had planned to use Yuichi to meet a stranger for him and Yuichi is stunned to discover the email address written on the apple contains the name "Blue Cat".

The feelings of devastation this engenders in Yuichi (when he realises who "Blue Cat" is) compel him to meet Hoshino at the end of the concert to extract (with a deftness so expert it even defies that of Hoshino) the ultimate revenge. The end of the film sees Yuichi take the first tentative steps towards making a new life for himself based on authenticity and courage.

A study of bullying, social isolation and the miseries of adolescence generally, this film uses a number of familiar (to me) conventions to make it's point. The online discsuuion group is reminiscent of an episode of "Ghost in the Shell" and the deaths of teenagers towards the end of the film bring to mind the novels of Yukio Mishima and the film "Boy's Choir". An amalgam of a number of Japanese films, books and manga, "All About Lily Chou-Chou" either isn't that original or it reveals the fact that maybe I've been watching too much TV! Another mood masterpiece by Shunji Iwai.

Springtime in a Small Town / Xiao Cheng Zhi Chun (2002)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:29:00 +0000

Zhuangzhuang Tian's quiet but powerful film tells the story of a reunion between old friends in postwar China (1946) while portraying the part that chance plays in the formation and destruction of relationships.

Zhang (Xin Bai Qing), a doctor based in the city, pays a visit to his old friend Liyan (Wu Jun) who lives in the crumbled remains of his childhood home, the days of his good health behind him. Zhang is overjoyed to discover that his good friend is now married, but is startled to discover that Liyan's wife is his former flame, Yuwen (Jingfan Hu). Unsure how or even if, he should inform Liyan of his former relationship, Zhang initially decides not to discuss it. Yuwen however, sees the opportunity to finally be with the man she loves and visits Zhang over the course of several nights. The two re-visit their former passion and remember how Yuwen's parents did not approve of Zhang, thus finalising his decision to study medicine. They entertain the possibility of running away together however in the end, they realise there is no acceptable way of resuming their relationship. Sadly, but with some relief, Zhang bids farewll to Liyan, Yuwen and Liyan's "Little sister" Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi). Liyan and Yuwen's empty and unfulfilled marriage then continues on as was before.

This film is a remake of an original which was first screened at the time the film was set and serves also to explore the misery of post-war poverty and destruction. The bombed-out home shared by Liyan and Yuwen not only offers a melancholoy metaphor for a battle-ravaged China, it also visually represents the state of their marriage, Liyan's poor health and the lack of hope either of them have for the future. Zhang's visit provides proof that life can offer excitement and variety and gives them both a momentary reprieve from the monotony and gloom of their life together. Zhang also offers them a break from the "On the Beach" style isolation they endure being the only surviving residents of their town.

An interesting and at times, agonising study in the cruelty of life's ironies, "Springtime in a Small Town" also reminds the viewer, that some people (and events) should remain in the past.

Drive (2002)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:21:00 +0000

Drive is the story of a Japanese salaryman (Tsutsumi Shinichi) who is unexpectedly hijacked while out driving to work one day. Beginning as a fairly uninteresting dirge, this film soon winds up the tempo and ends as an exploration of the effects of fate and karma. The main characters in this film are all outside the boundaries of acceptable society, and all of them have their stories told and lives resolved by the end of the film. As for our salaryman Kenichi, despite some pretty frightening encounters, he lives to fight another day and is even rewarded for bringing peace to his troubled ancestors.

Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, also known as Sabu, this is a real gem of a film although at times it can be a little heavy going. Great for those who like to analyse and interpret, but may be a bit of a shock for those expecting a light-weight gangster action-comedy. Tsutsumi Shinichi is perfect in the role of oppressed and dominated Kenichi and Ren Osugi at home in his portrayal of the old-hand gangster who's seen everything and has formed his own unique view of life.
A different and surprisingly meaningful viewing experience.

Podcasting Part 2 (Task 21)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:53:00 +0000

I've had another go at podcasting and this time I'm pleased to report success! I've subscribed to 2 podcasts using my Bloglines subscription and these have both worked wonderfully. I am currently enjoying Joseph Tame's tales on his "Year in Japan" podcast (and very professionally done too Joseph) and Dig TV's podcast. Dig TV is screened on ABC2 and I have watched it a couple of times, but usually I forget its on so this podcast will allow me to enjoy their reports at a more convenient time. Yay for podcasting! Haven't had another go using iTunes but I'll try to give it a go this weekend. Subscribing via Bloglines is soooooooo much quicker which I really like.

Second Life (Task 22)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:09:00 +0000

There has been much written and said about the value of Second Life as an educational tool in recent months. I first learned about Second Life earlier this year when I watched a documentary featuring the program and interviews with its creator. The reporter demonstrated the creation of an Avatar and how it is moved around the Second Life world. While it didn't look easy at first, with practice the reporter was able to successfully navigate her way around. She was also able to update her avatar's look by paying for more sophisticated hair, skin, teeth etc.

I've been doing some general reading about the use of Second Life by librarians and in particular, the way in which librarians are using Second Life to meet and discuss industry issues virtually. Now, San Jose State University's, School of Library and Information Science is planning to deliver their off-campus courses via their own site on Second Life. The video they put together about the program is below.

I have to say, I'd love to hear more about the progress of this program and am planning to check for updates. I believe the program is currently underway.

The ABC has some information about Second Life on their website which features their own island. Some of this information isn't necessarily all good, however. See this link for further information http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/22/1930123.htm

It seems Second Life is becoming popular with more and more people and not surprisingly, behaviour there is much as it is here. The idea that safety is guaranteed is starting to lose popularity as incidents like the one above become more frequent.

I'm not sure what to think about Second Life so far. I've heard both good and bad and I just don't have enough information to make a decision. I can say however, that as a Piscean, I already have an active "2nd Life' going on in my head, so to a certain extent, Second Life is redundant for me! ;) However, the one difference between Second Life and my head is that the conversations are with other people and not just with myself and this offers a degree of unpredictability that the mental world just can't offer. Thinking about it further, I can see that Second Life offers another forum for human interaction and perhaps caters better for those who are physically located far apart. Perhaps the real strength of Second Life is its adaptability, that is, it can be used for real life and for play.

Find and listen to a Podcast or two (Task 21)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:50:00 +0000

I got into podcasting a few months ago with a few attempts to listen to some J-Pop broadcasts, but gave up due to the inordinately long time it took for my ipod to be updated. I ended up finding that it was quicker to order J-Pop CD's via the net or take a walk to my local Sanity store, so for me, podcasting isn't what I would call convenient. Perhaps if I had more money I could update my hard drive capacity so that the ipod would update much faster, but a lotto win isn't likely at this stage. However, those with appropriate bandwidth etc, must find this very useful as radio programs, lectures, music etc can be listened to anywhere, anytime. It's technology that empowers the listener and makes information more widely available and would be great for information that is periodically updated. I might give podcasting another go, but I'll have to find the time (and my patience) first!

Fear and Trembling

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:49:00 +0000

Not strictly in the category of Asian cinema, this French/Japanese farce tells the story of Amelie, a Japanese-born Belgian national who spends a year working for a prestigious Japanese company. Set in 1990 (with no mention of the recession), we see Amelie achieve her dream of returning to Japan after spending her earlier childhood in the Kansai region. Originally employed as a translator, Amelie is first given the task of supplying her colleagues with morning/afternoon coffee which is then followed up by an endless round of photocopying and re-photocopying her supervisor's golf club rules. Amelie is soon bored by these meaningless activities and proceeds to make her first mistake. It soon becomes apparent that young, naive and inexperienced Amelie, has little knowledge of the world of office politics and soon becomes victim to both her ignorance and some very spiteful colleagues. Despite some harsh treatment and a seemingly never-ending slide down the corporate ladder, Amelie is determined to complete her contract in order to "save face". Sadly, she is stripped of all dignity by her experience and has precious little "face" to save by her contract's completion. By the end, Amelie is driven to display some outrageous behaviour which she admits would even be enough to get her dismissed from a Belgian company. Funny and tragic, this brilliant film is very much like not being able to tear ones eyes away from a car crash. A compelling and humorous depiction of the systematic destruction and removal of the well-meaning but very clumsy Gaijin, Amelie.

Fear and Trembling Official Home Page

Amelie Nothomb

April Story/ Shigatsu Monogatari (1998)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:46:00 +0000

This is the film that kicked off my love affair with asian cinema and I'm really pleased to have finally located it's title after spending most of this year trying to remember what it was! April Story tells of the changes and challenges faced by first year university student, Uzuki Nireno. More like a 3D postcard than a film, this highly visual and peaceful film, sensitively draws a picture of Uzuki's move to Tokyo from the far away island of Hokkaido and the development of her relationships with good friend Saeko, her neighbours and "that boy who works in the bookshop". We soon learn the reason behind Uzuki's choice of university and we watch her life-skills and confidence grow. A short film with a pretty ending that hints at the beginning of romance, director Shunji Iwai (Love Letter, Hana and Alice and All About Lily Chou-Chou) provides a defining example of the contemporary Japanese social drama/romance.

Put a Photo of Your Pet on the Wiki (Task 19)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:07:00 +0000

Of all the things I've been required to do for the "23 Things" program, this has been the most difficult and the least enjoyable. The Wiki is not intuitive when it comes to adding photos and I still can't work out how to delete items mistakenly added to it. The written instructions (yes, I'm one of those people who reads instructions) were just woeful and I hope they are improved. The Wiki concept is a brilliant one and its interactivity is its strength. Sadly, its just not that user-friendly. Perhaps I should get a pet instead!

Library 2.0 (Task 18)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:48:00 +0000

I guess the one conclusion I've drawn from my reading about Library 2.0 is that there is some pretty serious debate going on out there as to what is is, how it can be used, should it be used and what happens if your users don't have access to high-speed broadband? Technorati (this was the first time I had looked at this) featured some videos on the subject, with the "Librarians Manifesto" being very interesting, if not a little long.

Rob Darrow on his "California Dreamin" blog also discussed Library 2.0, although in more succinct terms.

Essentially, Library 2.0 is about meeting the people - the people that use your library and delivering them useful library services in another way. Library 2.0 can't replace staff, so there's no need to be afraid of it "taking over". It's simply about making library services more widely accessible and inclusive.

Del.icio.us (Task 17)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:45:00 +0000

A colleague/relative of mine recently referred me to the YouTube video above which provides instruction on the use of Del.icio.us. I found it to be a very clear explanation of the value and use of Del.icio.us and have begun using it for my own bookmarks. I tend to use a number of workstations and Del.icio.us allows me to access my bookmarks wherever I am. I had problems installing the updates and ended up dropping and dragging the Del.icio.us commands to my Bookmarks toolbar, which unfortunately, defeats the purpose really, but I'll just have to try and install Del.icio.us on the other PC's that I use.

Twilight Samurai (2002)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:59:00 +0000

Found a trailer on YouTube today for Twilight Samurai, the melancholy tale of a peaceful, widower father who through circumstance, finds himself having to betray all his principles in order to save both his own life and that of his starving children. Poverty-stricken Sembei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada) works as a local government bureaucrat and takes in piece-work to support his young daughters and ill mother. Upon learning of the vicious beatings old friend Tomoe (Rie Miyazawa) is receiving from her husband, Sembei does his best to protect her, even taking her in to his own home despite earning the disapproval of his peers. Tomoe eventually divorces her husband and marries Sembei, but his happiness is short lived when he is instructed to take the life of a local criminal. The film's action is seen through the eyes of Sembei's children and we learn that he eventually dies in battle some four years later. Directed by Yoji Yamada, Twilight Samurai is a gentle telling of a pacifist man born out of his time and improves with repeated viewings. Definitely viewing for a wet Sunday afternoon.

igoogle -Task 16

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:01:00 +0000

I'm not really sure what I think of iGoogle. This morning I successfully created my own page, added the Facebook and Google Docs gadgets and also Google Map Search and Google Book Search. Visually, it was quite pretty once I added the theme (Teahouse), but I'm afraid it felt a little bit superfluous to me. High on cuteness factor and low on usefulness, iGoogle fits neatly into the category of "nice to have but not necessary". What would make me happy though, is if I could personalise my Google Search page and I've pretty much done this by removing all gadgets.

Tokyo Trash Baby

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:37:00 +0000

The film after which this blog was named, Tokyo Trash Baby follows the transformation of Miyuki (Mami Nakamura), a lonely and directionless, 20-something waitress. Miyuki lives in a tiny Tokyo apartment decorated with the rubbish of her musician neighbour Yoshinori (Kazuma Suzuki) and fantasizes about becoming his girlfriend. One evening, after sorting through yet another bag of Yoshinori's rubbish, she discovers he already has a girlfriend and in fit of jealousy, decides something must be done. After keeping an eye on his apartment to identify her target, Miyuki makes herself known to Yoshinori's girlfriend and manipulates her into leaving him. She then hones in on Yoshinori, however, the path of true love goes awry when Miyuki learns that he has been aware of her rubbish collecting and secret adoration for some time. This is the catalyst for Miyuki to re-assess and literally clean up her life. At times a sparse and slow-moving film, TTB is a graphic representation of how those who live without meaning and purpose can lose perspective and how even the most defeated can be spurred into re-gaining control...

MyWorldCat

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:31:00 +0000

This isn't part of the 23Things program, but I was given the heads up about OCLC's MyWorldCat this morning. It's a mixture of LibraryThing (without the book covers) and EndNote. It allows the user to create a profile and add books, DVD's etc to their account with the ability to display them in a chosen citation style. I've chosen APA, but there are others including Harvard and Chicago. It also allows for some online socializing by providing a place to link your MySpace address (too bad for FaceBook users). The layout is a little difficult on the eye, but it seems to have a bit more of a purpose than LibraryThing.

Koji Yakusho

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:32:00 +0000

Today's post is about one of Japan's favourite actors, Koji Yakusho. Appearing in the dramatic Eureka (screened here as a mini-series), the truly delightful Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, the morose License to Live and in an English-speaking role in Memoirs of Geisha, Koji Yakusho plays the quietly anguished man to perfection. With nearly 50 movies to his credit, Yakusho has appeared in many Japanese films that are now considered classics. His most recent offering is Silk, released this year and hopefully coming to a cinema (or at least SBS) near you. Watch out for it, Yakusho is a pleasure to watch.

Google Book Search

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:06:00 +0000

I've just spent the last 20mins or so looking at this and I have to say, I'm not so sure. I'm not a fan of e-books anyway as I find they strain my eyes somewhat. I found books by Donald Ritchie, Lesley Downer, Liza Dalby, Mineko Iwasaki and Banana Yoshimoto, but most were not available in full text. I liked the subject headings and the way I could pick out a chapter to read, but maybe I might stick with hardcopy.

Japanese Films for 2007 (including task 14)

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:30:00 +0000

Thought I might list all the Japanese movies I've watched this year and it comes to a reasonable tally. I would of course, liked to have seen more, but while I haven't feasted, I haven't starved either. The variation in genres and plots has been pleasing and where some films have disappointed, others have been richly rewarding. I've published my list in a Google Docs spreadsheet and the address is in my list of links. I like the way Google Docs allows for automatic updating, so you'll always see the latest entries. The lack of full functionality as compared to the MicroSoft equivalent was a let-down though. I've put viewing dates in word format (e.g. 3rd Jan) as Google Docs uses American/Japanese date styles which may confuse the Australian reader. Enjoy the list!

ACMI Japanese Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:57:00 +0000

Discovered last night that the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) cinemas at Federation Square are holding a Japanese Film Festival from Monday 29th to Wednesday 31st October. This is the 11th Japanese Film Festival to be held in Melbourne and judging by the fact that all films were booked out by this morning, appears to enjoys great popularity. Look out for it next year!

More From the Magic Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (keec) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:52:00 +0000

Have recently caught up with Google Maps and have decided to show you where the home of the Fuji TV Studios are located. These studios were featured in "The Magic Kitchen" which I reviewed several weeks ago. The map below, shows you where in the world these studios are.

View Larger Map

A fun story, there was a scene at the beginning of the film that featured the studios in the background. If you want to visit them, they are located on the reclaimed island of Odaiba.