Tokyo
I get the impression that the most difficult thing about smalltalking with movies is that everyone watches different ones. While everybody who is into anime watches the same series and everybody who is into American film watches the 30 Rock, Heroes and whatnot, there are just sooo many films. When I recently looked onto the to-get-from-Netflix-list of some other people, I didn’t recognize a single title. I could even figure out what they were about except that they were most likely action flicks. Scary.
In that respect, I don’t think anyone I know would ever watch this film, even though it brings together certain aspects of interest: Michel Gondry and the city of Tokyo itself. Now that I have visited New York, I am pretty sure that I am not going to like Tokyo, but seeing films about it is just as interesting about. Of course, „Tokyo“ is not exactly a film about the city obviously, but more like about its people.
Especially the first film is so incredibly packed with clichés that it hurt. It went „Babel“ all over on me again. Why is it that non-Japanese film makers always portray Japanese youth in that specific way? However, when the marvelous transformation of the girl into a chair came into place, Michel Gondry showed his subtle genius in my opinion. Those scenes were so full fo imagination and felt miraculously beautiful. In the end, I even felt somewhat glad for the girl to have finally found her, umm, place to be? It’s so wrong of me to say that, I know.
The second part was simply weird, there is nothing more to say about that. I appreciate Denis Lavant as an actor (as I am a huge fan of the Rabbits in your Headlight music video after all) and it is refreshing to see something so utterly weird that seemingly defies all logic and reason. This is the first thing I’ve ever seen by Leos Carax, and I must admit that I don’t know how I really should feel about it. Too weird, even for me.
The last part, however, was what made this obscure compilation worthwhile for me. It was nothing but an unpretentious story, told in quite a straightforward way with well-composed scenes and actors who lived up to their potential. Okay, actually the girl didn’t do much, but she worked just fine as the cute love interest. This is the segment I would totally want to watch again, and if it’s just to see Teruyuki Kagawa in a more normal role than in John Rabe where he played the evil Japanese prince after all. Speaking of Kagawa, I consider watching Tokyo Sonata ever since I saw it in the catalogue of the Masters of Cinema series.
I think it is a miracle that I got my hands on this film, as it appears to have disappeared into nowhere, or so it seems. Except for the fact that some of the actors and especially the directors are big names, there really is nothing all that noteworthy about this compilation, especially not in comparison to „Paris je t’aime“, (I have yet to see „New York I love you“). But the compilation was not bad.
oomg maybe you should watch more American TV-shows!
There are so many great ones to choose from right now! (Mad Men!!! and 30 Rock is highly recommendable as well. and you know how I feel about certain American reality-shows :tassilo:). Too bad there is like NO German TV-Series even worth mentioning to other people in a conversation, except for maybe Das Perfekte Dinner LMFAO…and rarely anyone I meet actually goes out of their way to seek the great US-shows in ways other than to wait for the terrible synch-jobs on TV that air with a 2 year delay? ugh.
anyways, I’ve heard quite a lot about this Tokyo film. i kinda like how it only has three episodes though? i’ve got the suspicion that the more contributions these compilation-films contain, the more mediocre the films tend to be on average, ahaha.
I am sure that the second part is a little problematic, it’s just as crazy as this vampire section from Paris je t’aime? However, I kind of liked its craziness somehow. Anyways, it’s quite an interesting compilation and I’d be interested in knowing what you think about it if you see it one day!
From my experiences with Six Feet Under (5 seasons in like… 2 months?), I know that I should never, ever get into american TV shows. I would spend way too much time on them! Aaahhhh! Also Das Perfekte Dinner is great, especially since you can just watch it whenever you’d like and the episodes are not all that related or anything.
But really, I know many people who watch US shows all the time. It’s the power of the internet I guess. Have you ever seen Big Bang Theory or Arrested Development? They seem to be the big thing here currently.
the most random people seem to love Six Feet Under – my English teacher in high school went on this rant once about how much she likes the show xD I’ve seen like half of season one and really liked it, but then I had to return the DVDs and since then I’ve been wanting to finish it, haha.
omg, yes, the time issue. multiple-season DVD-boxes are the devil anyways. i only allow myself to go near those when I am on vacation! that’s why i’d be intimidated my series with more than 4 seasons already existing – i know it would be hard for me not to watch all of those one after the other xxD
Yes, I have seen the first 2 seasons of BBT, actually. At times it’s absolutely hilarious, though I’ve not been so happy with the no-real-story-line concept of the show so far into season 3. and the laughing-track is just ridiculously loud. it’s cute for them to integrate it as a retro-thing, of course, but it can get on your nerves. but that show is worth watching for the character of Sheldon alone. And the episodes are really really short!
About Arrested Development – i’ve been bugging a friend of mine to lend me season 1, hahaha, simply because there are so many actors in it that I love (Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett).
omg, and then I really want to watch The Sopranos – the people of Mad Men were responsible for that, and everyone I know basically worships the series.