May
11
2008
Rainbow Song
Posted by luna6 | 2 Comments
Movies: Rainbow Song (虹の女神)
Release Date: October 28, 2006
Country: Japan
Director: Naoto Kumazawa
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno
Runtime: 116 Min
Editor Rating: 7.0
(7 Votes, User Rating: 7.14)
Loading …
Going into a viewing of “Rainbow Song” I had mixed feelings about how the movie would come out. On the one hand there’s the impressive cast of Juri Ueno, Yu Aoi, and Hayato Ichihara. There’s also a fellow named Shunji Iwai listed as the film’s producer. On the other hand the movie is a straight up pure love (jun’ai) flick, a genre that features a few brilliant films but a gazillion maddeningly dumb yawnfests. So with those two diametrically opposed forces appearing together, I did wonder which side would win out. Fortunately, “Rainbow Song” came out just fine.
In “Rainbow Song,” Kishia Tomoya (Hayato Ichihara) learns that Sato Aoi (Juri Ueno) has died in an airplane crash somewhere over California. He leaves work, to visit Sato’s family and provide support in any way he can.
Rewind a few years earlier, Kishia and Sato first meet under strange circumstances. Kishia has a bad tendency of stalking girls after they break up with him. He just so happens to be stalking Sato’s friend at work. When Sato hears about her friend’s stalker she becomes all creeped out by him. Meanwhile, Kishia attempts to befriend Sato in order to get closer to his ex-girlfriend. With persistence, Kishia is able to make friends with Sato and, in the process, has Sato falling head over heals for him. Unfortunately, Kishia is totally oblivious to Sato’s true feelings.
Back to the present time and Kishia is in Sato’s room, reading a letter she wrote years back. It finally starts sinking in with Kishia Sato’s true feelings and perhaps he realizes true feelings he has had for Sato.
Not since “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World” (Kou Shibaski and Masami Nagasawa), has there been two sisters as lovely as Juri Ueno and Yu Aoi in “Rainbow Song”. Speaking of “Crying Out Love”, the setup of “Rainbow Song” has an eerily similar setup. Which would go like: start out in the present, go back in time to introduce when main characters first met, romance blooms, tragedy occurs, younger sister is introduced, jump back in time to the present, younger sister takes prominent role, while older sister is honored in memory. That in a nutshell describes both films to a tee. So what than makes “Rainbow Song” something other than a generic retread of “Crying out Love…”? Well main reason would be J-U-R-I U-E-N-O. Once Juri Ueno appears in the film, the movie makes an amazing transformation from a run-of-the-mill jun’ai flick to something quite special. Something like a rainbow appearing after a summer shower. This would probably be Juri Ueno’s best performance since “Swing Girls.”
And that’s not to say the other performers in “Rainbow Song” were shabby in any way. Hayato Ichihara, as main character Kishia Tomoya, certainly exuded his own set of charms. Something as inane as the way he spoke (emphasizing certain syllables differently than others) made his character come to life. Yui Aoi, in her supporting role as the blind younger sister, was her usual charismatic self. While she sat on the bench and spoke with Kishia, her smile just glistened with this amazingly quiet exuberance that’s all Yu Aoi.
So yeah, the performances were very good. Juri Ueno, in particular, gave the film the charisma boost needed to elevate it from mediocrity. The script itself was strictly standard fare for its genre, nothing special. But, don’t watch “Rainbow Song” hoping for the unexpected, rather watch the movie for the performances and the characters. You’ll likely find yourself immersed in the story because of this.
buy Rainbow Song
Cast:
Hayato Ichihara - Tomoya Kishida
Juri Ueno - Aoi Sato
Yu Aoi - Kana Sato
Wakana Sakai - Kyoko Asakura
Ami Suzuki - Sayumi Kubo
Shoko Aida - Chizuru Morikawa
Fumiyo Kohinata - Yasujiro Sato
Kuranosuke Sasaki - Shinsuke Higuchi
Hiroyuki Onoue - Jiro Hattori
Kei Tanaka - Gakuto Ogata
Tomohiro Kaku
Emi Suzuki
Pierre Taki
Satoshi Yamanaka
If you like this movie you may enjoy: Crying Out Love In the Center of the World, Hana & Alice, Tokyo Serendipity
2006 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movie Reviews |
May
4
2008
Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!
Posted by luna6 | Leave a Comment
Movie: Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!
Release Date : July 7, 2007
Country: Japan
Director : Daihachi Yoshida
Starring : Eriko Sato, Aimi Satsukawa, Hiromi Nagasaku, Masatoshi Nagase
Runtime: 112 min
Rating : 8.0
(8 Votes, User Rating: 8.13)
Loading …
There’s something about the Japanese countryside and black comedies. “The Taste of Tea” and “The Matsugane Potshot Affair” were two such films that spun wicked tales set within such an inconspicuous setting. Now comes “Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!”, a dark comedy set, centered around the dysfunctional Wago family and all of their odd problems (and I do mean odd).
The movie begins with a funeral at the Wago’s countryside home. Both parents were killed, while trying to prevent a cat from becoming roadkill. During the funeral, youngest child, Kiyomi, has an asthma attack when she learns that her older sister Sumika is coming back from Tokyo. Meanwhile, her brother, Shinji, tosses his just-married wife, Mashiko, aside when he notices Kiyomi’s asthma attack. Not more than a few moments later, older sister, Sumika, walks into the Wago home and asks Machiko for $36 (the cab fare).
It seems while Sumika pursued her acting career in Tokyo, she also incurred loads of debt. When Sumika learns that there’s not much inheritance left for them, she begins to pout to Shinji. Meanwhile, Shinki promises to do everything he can to help her. Finally, when Sumika and Kimoyi are left alone, Sumika admonishes Kimoyo for the manga she drew 4 years ago.
So with that you have the basic premise behind “Funuke Show Some Love You Losers!” An unpredictable film, that’s equal parts comedy and drama. Most of the laughs were brought forth by Hiromi Nagasaku’s performance as Machiko, the docile new wife that tries her damndest to fit. On the dramatic side, Erika Sato, gives the best performance of her career, as the domineering older sister. There’s nothing hammy with her performance either, just a lot of nuanced goodness to hide her character’s true nature until the appropriate times.
Visually, the movie was as tasteful as the script and performances. The movie starts off with minimal style, but flashbacks kick in to reveal a more saturated/grainer look. Then there were the moments when Kiyomi drew her amazing manga pictures. A subtle indie rock soundtrack made those scenes come alive even more. If that wasn’t enough, there were also moments when the movie’s “real world” blended into the movie’s “manga world.”
Once the movie settles in, the film seems to draw on the familiar “American Gothic” style for inspiration, but set within its own very unique Japanese world. Making things all the more interesting were the film’s light whimsical tone, but very heavy undertones. Multiple storylines were created, all having compelling elements. Between the two sisters, deep seated hatred existed, There was also the mysterious relationship between Sumika and her brother Shinji. It seems they shared a lot more than most brothers and sisters did. Finally, there’s Shinji and Machiko’s relationship or to be more exact, lack of relationship. The way all these relationships resolved itself was entertaining, but the true beauty of the film lied more so with the manner in which all those dilemmas were revealed. A web of dark secrets revealed in comedic tones, told in an unpredictable manner, and tastefully embellished with visual goodies. Lots of love for Funuke.
If you like this movie you may enjoy: The Taste of Tea, The Matsugane Potshot Affair
Cast:
Eriko Sato - Sumika Wago (older sister)
Aimi Satsukawa - Kiyomi (younger sister)
Masatoshi Nagase - Shinji (brother)
Hiromi Nagasaku - Machiko (Shinji’s wife)
Hiroshi Yamamoto - Hagino
2007 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movies |