As the Oscars draw closer, I continue my preview guide for the upcoming ceremony. Yesterday I covered the writing categories and took a look at screenplays. This is the second installment for the 84^th Academy Awards.

Next we move on to the supporting acting categories. I have kind of a bad track record with supporting actress, for some reason me and the Academy just don’t see eye-to-eye there. On the other hand, supporting actor is always pretty easy to get a handle one. This year, the nominees in both categories are pretty outstanding, though there are a couple of miscues. I would’ve loved to see a couple nominations that the Academy missed.

Best Supporting Actress.
The Nomniees:
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

In the past, I’ve found this category a hard one to judge. Usually I have a pick that I feel is far superior to the rest of the pack, but the Academy seems to feel otherwise. This year, though, there’s no doubt that sure on favorite to win is The Help’s Octavia Spencer. Spencer’s performance was gold and deserves gold in turn. Though none of the other nominees are ill deserving of their nominations, no one comes to close to Spencer. While I’m glad to see some diversity in the nominees in Melissa McCarthy, I am disappointed not to see Shailene Woodley on this list. The 20 year olds’ performance in The Descendants was great and possibly the only thing that could’ve given me pause in choosing Octavia Spencer as this year’s winner.

Favorite: Octavia Spencer, The Help
My Pick: Octavia Spencer, The Help
No Way: Jessica Chastain, The Help
Deserved Nomination: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Supporting Actor.
The Nominees:
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The past four years, this category has been the most obvious and easiest to predict. This year, it’s not quite as easy, but I’m still comfortable in making a decision. This year, it’s the seniors that shine. Nick Nolte’s performance in the human drama masked as a manly sports movie Warrior was superb. Indeed, Nolte made the film for me, without him I don’t think I would’ve cared for the movie much. And Max von Sydow’s mute performance in Extremely Loud is the only thing worth seeing that film for (honestly, I hated the movie). But ahead of these two we have Christopher Plummer as Ewan McGregor’s dying gay father in romantic comedy Beginners. Plummer’s performance is by far the stand out on this list. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Academy made a mistake in no nominating Andy Serkis for his mind boggling performance in the Planet of the Apes reboot this summer. I’m not sure the Academy’s rules on this sort of thing, but either way Serkis was fan-flipping-amazing as Caesar the chimpanzee.

Favorite: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
My Pick: Christopher Plummer, Begginers
No Way: Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Deserved Nomination: Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

And that’s the gist for the support categories. It’s pretty evident to me who’s taking home the statuettes in both categories. If there was going to be an upset, though, I could see it happening to Plummer. I fully believe he’s walking out with the Oscar, but I’ve heard some pretty good buzz for von Sydow lately. These are the only categories where My Picks and the Favorites to win match up, so we’ll pick up in the next installment with the main acting categories.

I’m a huge movie fan, as if you couldn’t tell by the majority of my reviews here on nandake..? And in hand with that, I love the Oscars. Some people say awards shows are unnecessary, circle jerks and popularity contests, but I still love this Hollywood tradition. So over this week I’ll be putting up a little preview guide to the upcoming Academy Awards.

We’ll start with the writing categories. Screenplays are hard to judge, in my opinion. I’m not sure how the Academy does, if they get to read the screenplays or they go off what I do and watch the film. The reason I find it hard to judge screenplays is because what you see on the screen is not what is always written in the pages. Having said that, I do my best to read between the frames and see what’s on the page.

Best Original Screenplay.
The Nominees
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo
Margin Call, J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
A Separation, Asghar Farhadi

All of these screenplays are very strong, and I’m thrilled to see Bridesmaids nominated. Comedies are notorious for not getting nominations from the Academy, but when a truly great piece comes along, they’re not shy about it; we saw this with Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. Unlike those comedies though, Wiig and Mumolo are probably the least likely to win this year. The problem this year is that Woody Allen has really stepped his game up. Of course Allen is a genius, a mainstay, and a veteran at creating screenplays (15 nominations and 2 wins), but his last few haven’t been up to snuff. However, this year’s Midnight in Paris shows Allen how he should be remembered, as an auteur. While Allen’s screenplay is great and original, for me something like The Artist just stands out so much. The concept and the execution is just so top notch.

Favorite: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
My Pick: The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
No Way: Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo

Best Adapated Screenplay.
The Nominees
The Descendants, Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Hugo, John Logan
The Ides of March, George Clooney & Grant Heslov & Beau Williams
Moneyball, Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin & Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Like the original category, adapted screenplay is full of great writing. The team of Zaillian, Sorkin, and Chervin had the hardest job here. How do you adapt a book about sabermetrics in an entertaining, enthralling, just plain good piece of film? I’m not sure how they did it, but they did. John Logan’s take on children’s masterpiece The Invention of Hugo Cabret is also a stand out. The original book is almost entirely made up of pictures to tell the story, with pages of prose only printed sporadically throughout the novel. Sadly the throwaway here is the adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. While not bad in any shape, it’s just up against too many really strong screenplays here.

Favorite: Moneyball, Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin & Stan Chervin
My Pick: Hugo, John Logan
No Way: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

So there are the rundowns for writing this year at the Academy Awards. Woody Allen is already on a hot streak, picking up the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice award this year. But Hanazavicius came out on top at this year’s BAFTAs, so the race is still open.

Lately I’ve been captivated by a young, up and coming model. She appears on TV pretty regularly, and I love when I happen to catch a show she’s on. She’s cute and funny and I just enjoy watching her. It’s been a while, but I finally have a new Miss Right Now. Rola da yo~!

Rola began her modeling career in 2008 while still attending high school. She was discovered in Shibuya outside an OIOI store while shopping with her friend. Immediately, Rola was published on the pages Popteen. In April of 2008, she was featured in ViVi and by the spring of next year she was contracted as an exclusive model for the magazine. She has also appeared in various other fashion magazines such as SCORE AM, Sweet, ネイルup!, and ar. Soon after debuting as a fashion model, Rola began appearing on television as a talent on various variety and panel shows, currently serving as a regular on サンデージャポン. In addition to modeling, Rola is currently a spokeswoman for Samantha Thavasa handbags, PEACH JOHN, and Clastyle Nail Salon, as well as formerly representing Subaru, Big Echo karaoke boxes and Denny’s restaurants.

Okay, that’s out of the way. I had to do a lot of translating for that little paragraph. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Rola is freakin’ cute, man. Usually I dislike the over the top, attention grabbing, mugging for the camera style that Rola employs (I’m looking at you, Momocchi). But, for some reason, I love how Rola presents herself. Yes she’s playing a character. Yes she’s being overly cute and saccharin. Yes it’s somewhat cloying. But I really can’t get enough of her. She’s cute and quirky and fun and damn gorgeous. Rola has a very characteristic way of speaking, very colloquial and casual, a stark contrast to the normally reserved and polite speech of most Japanese. Her distinctive manner of talking is usually a big part of the humor and draw of Rola, as well as a point for other talents and comedians to poke at. Along with her speech patterns she also has very characteristic hand gestures and mannerisms that add to her character. For some reason I just love how Rola portrays herself, cute, slightly airheaded, just kind of…lol.

If you couldn’t tell from first glance, Rola is of mixed descent. Her mother is Japanese and Russian and her father is Bengali, resulting in an exotic and unique look (is that racist?). Something about Rola’s skin tone with her piercing hazel eyes and blonde died hair is very striking and really works for me. She has model’s physique, tall (for Japan) and slender, not a lot of curves—in fact quite angular. I usually prefer more meat on my girls, but again Rola pulls it off and I find it very sexy.

So, there you have it. A little short, but it’s kind of hard to write about someone who doesn’t really do much. Rola is adorable, sexy, funny, yes; but I don’t make illusions about her level of talent. She’s on TV because she’s cute and a space cadet. She’s funny, but she’s not a comedienne, she’s funny because of the way she acts, the way she talks, the way she’s over the top. I’m sure she’ll soon try her hand at music, which is probably ill advised, but we can cross the bridge when we come to it.

LIBERA Profile
Official Blog

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star in what may be the first blockbuster of the year. Action, intrigue, Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off…the masses will flock to theatres to watch this. With this meeting of old and new star power, Safe House has built quite the buzz around itself, but just how safe is it?

Ryan Reynolds stars as Matt Weston, a CIA ‘housekeeper’ assigned to Cape Town, South Africa. Weston’s days involve sitting in an empty safe house, doing nothing but answering phones and making his scheduled check-ins with CIA headquarters. But on this day, the monotony is broken as infamous, world wanted criminal and ex-CIA standout Tobin Frost, played very well by Denzel Washington, has voluntarily turned himself in at the Cape Town US consulate. Frost is taken to Weston’s safe house for interrogation by a local CIA team, and sets off a chain of events that forever changes the eager agent’s life. That’s the standard brief plot overview for an action thriller like Safe House. We all know it ‘takes off from there’.

Reynolds and Washington both turn in strong performances that carry the movie through its two hour runtime. Reynolds has recently become one of Hollywood’s go to young men for star power and box office draw. Here he plays Weston with naivety and earnestness. The character is dying for a chance to prove himself and get out of Cape Town and Reynolds infuses him with that determination and chutzpa we require of young, rookie agent types. On the other hand, Denzel Washington is…well, he’s Denzel freaking Washington. As you would expect, Washington commands your attention in every scene he’s in. Whether he’s tearing apart a hit squad out for his head or simply trying to put Reynolds off his game with sweet psychological banter, Washington is the obvious standout in the film. These are the kind of roles that Washington made though. The supporting cast also puts in decent work with Vera Farmiga as the CIA case handler assigned Frost’s surrender and Brendan Gleeson as Weston’s mentor who is also brought in on the case.

The movie is really nothing new or innovative. We have a big bad villain so renowned that anytime someone in the know catches a glimpse if him they’re practically ready for their last rites. We have the wet behind the ears young agent who may have been asking for a chance to prove himself, but now is maybe rethinking it—but he’ll be damned if he lets this opportunity slip away. Throw in easily deciphered double crosses and would-be espionage. The action is thrilling, fast pace, and hard hitting. The car chase early on in the movie is very well shot and executed and maybe the highlight of the entire ride. Fight scenes are choreographed well, but nothing Jason Bourne like. Daniel Espinosa’s directing falters here with overly shaky camera work and slaughterhouse editing, though I enjoyed the action sequences, it was sometimes hard to see exactly what was going on and who was doing what.

With two very strong performances from our leads, nice work from the supporting cast, and the requisite amount of punchy action, Safe House will satisfy the audience that’s interested in it. Those going to the cinema and looking a bit deeper will see an action film carried by its star’s performances—not something you think of very often for action thrillers. They will also see a script that’s been shot before, with no fresh ideas. I lie somewhere in the middle. I liked the movie for what it was: Denzel Washington being a BAMF, car chases, fight scenes—wrapped in a thin, easy to guess plot.

What do you call a series that should be starring a completely different set of characters? A genre that is usually populated by saccharin, overly cute, bubbly yet hilarious teenage girls? I don’t know why slice of life, high school comedies have always been based on groups of girls, but it works. So how exactly does an anime like Daily Lives of High School Boys work out?

While I normally try to base my reviews of television shows on their first episodes, for some reason, Daily Lives of High School Boys calls for a little more. Despite the shounen ai-esque title, this anime isn’t about homoerotic pre-adults at all. The nickname of the show on the internet is NichiBros, because it’s basically fan favorite slice of life comedy Nichijou with a cast of young men. Daily Lives is a plotless, hysterical mélange of everyday life. The show mainly follows the exploits of three young men named Yoshitake, Tadakuni, and Hidenori. These three are much like any high school boy you meet. They hang out and talk about weird shit that only boys really talk about, they get involved in stupid situations that really only boys get involved in, and they’re basically just boys.

The show is funny. I mean, very funny. It makes fun of the fact that boys are, in a word, stupid. As much as I absolutely loved its comparison counterpart Nichijou, there’s just something a little special to me about Daily Lives. It could very well be because I was a high school boy once myself and can relate to some of the incredibly stupid shit these guys talk about and get into. Whatever it is, the show is great. There are jokes after jokes and it just plain makes me laugh. The characters are pretty standard by themselves, and unlike most slice of life shows that star a cast of overly cute girls, these guys don’t really seem to have much in the way of differing personalities. Each guy seems pretty interchangeable with the next, and for what this show wants to do it works.

Daily Lives of High School Boys is absolutely not for everyone. I can see straightaway that not everyone will like this show as nearly as much as I do. But then again, I love a good laugh. Slice of life comedies are my bread and butter and when they’re done well, it’s even better. While I’ve compared this to Nichijou, it’s nowhere near as well written or as polished or as funny, but that isn’t a knock against it. Daily Lives is still hilarious and I still enjoy watching it. If you’re the kind of person that can laugh at young men trying on their sister’s underwear, Daily Lives might just be for you. Watch it and judge for yourself, but I’ll be laughing my ass off in the corner while you decide.

This review based on the first 4 episodes.

Long-standing band and one of the most recognizable rock acts in Japan, L’Arc~en~Ciel has released a new studio album in nearly four years. I used to be a strong follower of L’Arc, but their stuff the past few years has not impressed me as much as they used to. When I heard they were releasing a new album I thought it would be a good start to get back onto the L’Arc train again. Let’s see if Butterfly has what it takes.

Throughout their career L’Arc~en~Ciel does this kind of thing with periods where they do a lot of activity, and then disappear and you don’t hear from them for a year or two. All the members have separate projects for exploring styles that step out of L’Arc~en~Ciel’s mainstream sound. So when they get back together as the band, it’s almost like a reunion of a band that broke up… sort of. And there was definitely a lot of activity from the band last year for their 20^th anniversary, including a slew of concerts and a massive compilation album of pretty much all their singles released to date. Now entering their 21^st year, the rock quartet starts off with their twelfth studio album, Butterfly.

As with previous L’Arc~en~Ciel albums, the tracks’ compositions are spread fairly evenly between the four members. The album’s opener and single track Chase, handled by both frontman Hyde and guitarist Ken, is progressive and features wobbly industrial-esque synth lines, but opens up in the chorus where Hyde is allowed to belt out the lines as he pleases. Hyde’s vocal range is displayed in 2010’s ballad BLESS, while his more eccentric style is highlighted in X X X. Tetsuya, who handles the super cool bass lines, is also responsible for the band’s most pop sounding numbers. Tracks like Bye Bye and SHINE are big, open, and festive sounding, using huge orchestral sweeps and just general happy melodies; while ones like Good Luck My Way and NEXUS 4 chugs along with a positive, driving force.

On the drums, Yukihiro takes shade of season and Drink It Down on the route that’s on the darker side with more akin to their earlier works. The atmosphere is mysterious and there is a bit more distortion on guitars and synths. Ken is responsible for the album’s slower numbers wild flower and Mirai Sekai, where the former is a rock-infused ballad and the latter is a nice lullaby piece which I thought was very fitting for the album’s closer. I’m not sure how I feel about Hyde singing me to sleep, though. The inclusion of Drink It Down, NEXUS 4 and SHINE I thought was unneeded. Listening through the album I thought they rehashed old songs for a second, but then I realized those tracks were released in 2008. Something felt off with those tracks included in an album four years later.

Butterfly doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. It’s not a bad album by any means, but it’s kind of just… there. The closer is a bit special, but otherwise nothing overly impressive. It seems that L’Arc has established their sound that teeters between pop and rock a few albums back; and they’re set on it. The album has all the parts that make it unmistakably L’Arc, but if you’ve heard a L’Arc~en~Ciel album before, you’ve heard Butterfly already.

L’Arc~en~Ciel
Butterfly
2012.02.18

Tracklist
01. Chase
02. X X X
03. Bye Bye
04. Good Luck My Way -Butterfly Ver.-
05. BLESS
06. shade of season
07. Drink It Down
08. wild flower
09. SHINE
10. NEXUS 4
11. 未来世界

http://www.larc-en-ciel.com/en

Rounding out my drama reviews for this season, we finally make our way to perhaps the drama with the most buzz. With a prime cast, a decent concept, and good production, Lucky Seven seems to be the must watch for most general Japanese drama fans. The show should be able to pull in viewers pretty easily, but will it be lucky enough to hold on to them?

Lucky Seven stars Matsumoto Jun as Tokita Shuntaro, a rookie private detective working for the titular agency. Among his coworkers are veteran funnyman Oizumi Yo, ikemen actor Eita, and relative fresh face Naka Riisa. MatsuJun doesn’t start as a member of the team, but rather as a target. Lucky Seven starts mid-job with the other three stalking Jun and a young lady in his company. It isn’t until Jun finds out later that Eita set him up to lose his girlfriend that he becomes an employee at with the other PIs. He’s accepted by the owner and boss of Lucky Seven, played by Matsushima Nanako, almost immediately, but the rest of the gang aren’t too warm to him. The hot headed and determined Shuntaro joins the gang on job locating a local firefighter. Since Jun is the star of the show, he obviously joins the team permanently (or at least for another 10-11 episodes).

The show is set up pretty well. Matsumoto and Eita play off each other with ease and decent comedic timing. They are the rivals for this drama, trading both insults and fists. Both characters seem to be pretty versed in martial arts, though Jun’s style is a little more unorthodox. I have a feeling they will work physical fights into just about every episode to show off these two. I’m not sure if Jun and Eita are doing their own stunts and fight choreography, but if they are, kudos to them. Also, Eita is pretty ripped (nohomo). The tension/chemistry between the two reminds me of Tokyo Dogs a couple years ago, with Oguri Shun and Mizushima Hiro. Naka Riisa is the necessary female presence on the show. She’s pretty, in something of an old fashioned kind of way, and smart and isn’t afraid to give her male coworkers shit. Oizumi Yo gets the role of exasperated leader, having to deal with the bickering between Eita and Jun, the complaints of Naka Riisa, and basically maintaining order amongst the team while on jobs.

If Japanese dramas are anything, they’re structured. Any fan of this kind of show already knows where the plot is heading. Each episode the crew will get another job. Jun and Eita will bicker about how to handle it, whom is suited for which role. Oizumi Yo will tell everyone to do something a certain way and they’ll listen for the most part, until Jun realizes he can accomplish something on his own. A possible problem will arise, but ultimately everything will work out in the team’s favor. Throw in maybe some romance with Naka Riisa, a feel good moment/overlaying moral lesson along with each job, and a finale that challenges everything the team knows—and you’ve got yourself Lucky Seven. I’m not knocking the style; I enjoy these kinds of dramas. Just because there’s a set structure doesn’t mean every production can pull it off well. But, I have a feeling this one will do just fine.

Lucky Seven has the cast and production value to pull off a good action comedy. With comedic actors like MatsuJun, Eita and of course Oizumi Yo, the funny should be there. If the first episode is any indication, the action should be there as well; the fights were very well choreographed (for a tv drama?). This is the kind of drama I can watch mindlessly because it’s just good enough to keep me entertained. The one thing I can really hope for to break the cycle is some interesting cases. Lucky Seven is worth the time to check it out, and after you get a feel for the vibe of the show, maybe you’ll stay on through the season.

In a music industry dominated by armies of bubbly girls and boys with overstyled hair, moumoon dares to make a stand and put out their own brand of pop music. While Idols may rule in Japan, there’s still plenty of room for plain old good music. So hot off the presses in Japan, the duo has just released their third full length album No Light Land.

While last year’s 15 Doors felt a lot more whimsical and playful, this record has a much stronger presence. It’s full of powerful, driving pop numbers. Songs like JET COASTER and Yes/No Continue? come out of the speaker with a lot more force than anything off of moumoon’s previous albums. I have a feeling the composing half of the duo, Masaki Kousuke, has been experimenting with different production techniques. Interestingly enough, experimentation for these two lead the listener into more traditional pop music stylings while another group’s experimentation might result in moumoon’s natural sound. This mucking around might be most prevalent on Bon Appetit which is rife with electropop touches and dance club undertones. Despite moumoon’s bold energy, that light hearted dreamy sound that I’ve come to associate with them is still there. Tracks like TOMODACHI/KOIBITO, Butterfly Effect and advance single Uta wo Utaou are full of twinkling synths, light melodies strummed on acoustic guitars and good-humored piano lines. Lounge worthy I found love. is smooth and velvety with a certain piano bar fog around it; piano, simple drums, accenting bass and sultry horns sweep through the song.

While Masaki Kousuke is definitely a composer/producer to be reckoned with, you cannot discount the talent that vocalist Yuka brings to the table. Her voice is full and strong, but at the same time sweet and with a definitive and unique tone to it. Masaki knows just how to work the music around Yuka’s vocals to buoy the richness in her notes and build even more character into each song. He’s done it well with their signature floaty sound over the years and on this album he does it just as well with more powerful pop songs.

In less than a year, moumoon was able to sign themselves to a deal with Avex. Since then it’s been a long road for them, but only 2 years ago they were barely cracking onto the Oricon chart. Having followed them since their indie days, I can tell you that the duo has been hard at work creating beautiful, well crafted pop music. I look forward to moumoon releases because not once have I listened to one of their songs and wondered why they felt the need to make it. Quite possibly a sleeper favorite of many, moumoon stands to dominate what some might consider a niche market: pop music that isn’t made by young men dancing about or girls in bikinis, pop music that feels more sophisticated and a step above your normal brand of overproduced pop tunes. No Light Land is a strong pop album, full of catchy, head-bobbing tunes. Masaki and Yuka continue to shine in an industry where they are a minority. I only hope they’re not annexed by the next influx of Idol takeovers.

INFORMATION

moumoon
No Light Land
released 2012.02.08

Tracklist
01. Chu Chu
02. Yes / No continue?
03. ジェットコースター
04. Butterfly Effect
05. うたをうたおう
06. I found love.
07. トモダチ／コイビト
08. Bon Appetit
09. We go
10. good night (studio live recording)

Affiliate link:
Purchase moumoon’s No Light Land here!

You might be hearing about a movie called Tiny Furniture pretty soon, or maybe you’ve already been hearing about it. In 2010 it generated pretty steady praise on the festival circuit and went wholly unnoticed for over a year after. It is no doubt a movie you might have missed, but with it already streaming on VOD services and available soon on home media, Tiny Furniture is getting the buzz going again.

Tiny Furniture follows the post-graduation lull of Aura, played by Lena Dunham, who also wrote and directed the film. Aura returns home to her family’s Tribeca loft after graduating from college in rural Ohio. Her mother is an artist, specializing in photography of the titular tiny furniture (I had no idea there was a market for that kind of thing…), and her younger sister is getting ready to graduate from high school. Aura’s return is met with seemingly lukewarm affections and likewise Aura seems to be pretty lackluster about returning to this part of her life. The movie meanders plotlessly, there’s not really a story going on onscreen. We are treated to snatches of Aura’s stagnant life and conversations between Aura and her sister, Aura and her new-old friend Charlotte, Aura and a pair of young men, either of whom could be her next romantic encounter. Tiny Furniture is a slice of life picture, focusing on just what happens to this girl after she graduates from college. And that is to say: nothing happens.

I did enjoy the film, it’s put together quite well for a Dunham’s first feature. It’s written with a caring hand, but in all respects is very…normal. Dunham’s character is excruciatingly realistic. She acts like a young 20-something with nothing to do. She acts like the majority of post-grads with very specific degrees (film theory). She fights with her family, sits around with her friends, and worries about boys. You know this girl, you might be this girl, you might become this girl. But that’s just life. Dunham’s mother, the artist Laurie Simmons, and Dunham’s younger sister play their counterparts in the movie. I’m not sure if these three women are simply playing themselves or artistic versions of themselves, or women who are nothing like their real selves. But whatever they’re playing at, they’re doing a rather good job. Here Dunham’s script is rather praiseworthy. The characters feel real, the dialog seems genuine. The movie is funny without trying to be funny. It is funny simply because it’s life, and things happen in life that will make you laugh. Indeed I found myself chuckling at very everyday occurrences throughout the length of the film.

I don’t think that Tiny Furniture will find an audience in everyone; it’s not that kind of film. But I do think that it’s possible for this movie to surprise people with its quality. It’s the kind of film that you throw on Netflix because you’ve heard about it from other people. The kind of film that you try because you heard it did well at festivals (and it did, it won SXSW’s best narrative feature). This is one of those quirky independent films that you watch and later remark that it was better than you expected. And that’s exactly how I felt when it was all said and done.

How many of us go after our dreams? I can say I’ve tried, with little success, but I have an abundance of dreams to attempt (you’re reading one). In new drama Hungry!, Mukai Osamu fails in his dream (yeah I’ll spoil the first 4 minutes for you), but he’s got another one at the ready. He wants to be the very best…like no one ever was. Wait, that may be the wrong show.

Mukai Osamu (who’s actually taken a lot longer to be a leading man than I would’ve expected), plays Yamate Eisuke, a would be rock star turned chef. Or is it the other way around? In his youth, Eisuke received praise and high accolades for his cooking, but never gave up on his dream of being a rock musician. That is until he turned 30 and realized his career was going nowhere. The series starts about here, with all that in flashback of course. Eisuke’s grudgingly given up on rock music and has decided to open a French restaurant just like the mother that inspired him to cook. The problem with Eisuke isn’t his cooking; he can cook like a boss. The problem is that Eisuke has no idea how to run a restaurant. Throw in relationship complications, his former (untrained) band mates coming to work for him, and perhaps a budding romance with a local farm girl, and Eisuke might just be in over his head.

I really enjoy watching Hungry! It’s one of those simple, fun dramas. Sure, every season the television is full of these, but not all of them are done well and Hungry! is done just well enough. The actors are competent enough that you believe them, but are using that romantic-comedy style of just overacting to that entertaining point. You know the style I’m talking about. Mukai Osamu plays Eisuke with a frustrated arrogance. He gets pissed at everything and doesn’t know why. He has a passion for the food he makes and a strong desire to not fail another of his dreams. I like Osamu, he’s a fairly good actor and rather good looking (nohomo), so it’s a wonder that it’s taken him this long to break out of supporting roles. He has a future ahead of him though, no doubt. Takimoto Miori plays Okusu Chie, the local farm girl whose family supplies Eisuke’s struggling restaurant with produce. She vows not to fall for Eisuke, cus he’s kind of a doucher, but is easily swayed by his culinary skills. Just as I noticed in her last drama, Ikemen Desu ne, Miori is the new Ishihara Satomi. She’s adorable with just about anything she does on screen that you can’t help but like her. Ishihara’s trump of course is that she’s actually a good actress. I’m not saying Miori isn’t, but she hasn’t really proven that yet. The rest of the supporting cast is made of veterans who know how to handle themselves on this kind of show. Though Kuwabata Kaname of vocal duo Chemistry is making his acting debut, and might just prove to be the stand out star here; he’s doing a very a good job.

Like I said, I really enjoy watching Hungry! There’s just something about it that’s light hearted and fun and makes for a good watch. I’ve always liked cooking and food, I’ve always liked rock music, I’ve always liked Hungry!, fun, easy to watch dramas that may just yet surprise you with unforeseen depth and characters (that’s a long shot, I admit). Also the food on this show looks freaking amazing, I can’t watch an episode without becoming famished.