Japanese Film - Life Can Be So Wonderful

Watched a Japanese film called "Life Can Be So Wonderful," consisting of five short stories, each dealing with the themes of loneliness and melancholy. It actually feels more like a moving poem, as the dialogue is introspective, contemplative, and poetically written. The camerawork is stylishly poetic and somber, while the music builds upon this atmosphere. Overall, it feels classy.. like going to a jazz club and listening to the blues all night while drinking wine or scotch.

The stories vary, from one being about a "barfly," who lives each day just to drink, dreaming of the one day he can have his own private bath in his own house... to the story of a young woman who has lived her life with her mother, but never really knowing much about her.  Each story deals with a yearning for something more in life, whether it's meaning or freedom or something else. This may sound ironic to the title, but it's really not.  The stories are never too depressing or overwhelming, as they deal with scenarios in day-to-day life. In the end, each story has a small lingering sense of hope, if you choose to see it. The film is very subdued, but I think it succeeds in conveying its message.

This is a niche film, so it won't appeal to everyone. It's meant for a certain mature audience (there's also nudity in it, but it's done tastefully). I would recommend this to those who like the quieter, gentler things in life.  It requires a little focus to get involved, and it did lose my attention in the beginning for a minute. However, I stuck with it, and I found it to be really beautiful. It's not something I'd likely watch again for some time, but it's probably something I'd pull out one cold autumn evening when the time is right.










Moving continues..
Two more days passed by. We spent more time renovating our new house instead of moving our things. More drilling, replacing pipes, screwing screws... *dies*  It's also becoming alarmingly apparent how much smaller our new house is. Room space has essentially been cut in half, and we're forced to pile things on top of each other as we try to get everything organized. We still have about a month before they completely shut us out of our old house, so there's still some time left to fix everything. Not much else is going on besides that. At night, I just try to relax and rest up for the next day....

Japanese Film - Mushi-shi (2006)

Continuing with my movie watching bonanza... I watched the film "Mushi-shi" today.  The film is based after the award-winning anime/manga series of the same name, so the stories that are covered in the film are very similar.to those found there. 

It's hard for me to write about "Mushi-shi," because I don't really know where to start. I went into movie already having watched the anime, so I understood all the terminology fairly easily. I'm not sure how others would react to it. I'm pretty sure that some newcomers who watch the movie would be lost from the start.

The movie covers the story of Ginko, the young man with silver/gray hair.  As a mushi-shi, he acts like a wandering doctor, helping those who are afflicted by the strange creatures known as mushi. As I was watching the film, I couldn't help but make comparisons to the anime. The anime was episodic in nature, so each story was contained within itself. In the movie, the different stories merge together, mostly surrounding the plight of Ginko and his dealings with the mushi Tokiyami (Eternal Darkness). This was the main difference between the anime and film, as the film continues the story that was only shortly covered in the anime.

The anime was very atmospheric and mysterious, with each story having a slight sense of melancholy. The movie was lacking that melancholic atmosphere, as it had a stronger pull as a supernatural detective story set in ancient Japan. There's a slight horror factor too... as some of the scenes would have been really creepy if taken in a suspenseful-horror context.  The pacing is a little slow, so anyone who's not interested in this kind of thing would probably have no business watching it. There are a few intense parts, but overall, the story takes its time in developing.

It was kinda cool to see the things from the series reenacted in real life. The stories were slightly altered though... As an example, the solution for curing the girl with the horns differed, and it left me surprised (not in a bad way). The slight changes are worth seeing for any fan who enjoyed the series.

Overall, I think the film, "Mushi-shi," does a good job covering the premise of the story. It's not over-the-top like other anime-turned-movie types, and stands fairly well as its own film. Even if you don't like anime, this is still a film to consider watching. This also might be a film I'd consider showing to those who are interested in supernatural elements that aren't all about suspense or horror. For people who don't want to watch the anime or read the manga, this is a good alternative into the world of mushi-shi.










Today...
Yes! We were able to move the refrigerator today. It wasn't as heavy as I thought it was... it was just extremely bulky. I was almost scared it wouldn't fit through the doors. My dad also worked on the roofing while I tried to fix the bathroom sinks. With all the renovations we're doing, we might as well have made a new house from scratch. >_<  But yes, we're about 70% done with everything. Sigh, I still feel really homesick for my old house. It still feels like 'home' to me.

I don't know why I've been watching these movies lately. I guess it helps the monotony of the slow process of moving. Hm... 
*adds some pictures to 'Rec' entry...*