"I Am Nipponjin," "Ren-ai shashin," and "Hazard"

[drainer@mpinet.net]

That's a good one, not overly serious but it gets the point across. And it's available on R1 DVD as well.



-d


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jonathan M. Hall 
  To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu 
  Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 2:48 PM
  Subject: Re: "I Am Nipponjin," "Ren-ai shashin," and "Hazard"


  I don't think anyone has suggested the work of Steven Okazaki, especially Living on Tokyo Time, a film from 1990, I believe.  Okazaki's newest film, White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will play at Iwanami Hall (Jinbocho, Tokyo) next month.


  Yours,
  Jonathan





  -----

  Jonathan M. Hall

  Japanese Film, Media, and Modern Literature

  Assistant Professor, Comparative Literature / Film & Media Studies




  320 Humanities Instructional Building

  UC Irvine, Irvine CA 92697-2651 USA

  office: 1-949-824-9778

  fax: 1-949-824-1992




  Co-Chair, Queer Caucus, Society for Cinema and Media Studies








  On Jun 26, 2007, at 3:25 AM, Michael McCaskey wrote:


    While looking for other titles you all have very helpfully suggested, I also found "I Am Nipponjin," about a Japanese-American who goes to Japan for the first time. It looks pretty good. Also more likely to please both Japanese and Americans. It doesn't seem to be available in US format so far. The Japanese title is "I Am 日本人," so it wasn't easy to find at first, but it's available at Amazon Japan.


    I also ordered "Ren-ai shashin," which several of you suggested.


    I watched the first half of "Hazard" today. It's just been released on DVD, but I think Sion Sono made it back in 2002, so it's actually an "early Odagiri film." I may be wrong, but I think some Americans (not including me) may be troubled by this film--perhaps in the same way some Japanese are troubled by "Fear and Trembling," but maybe much more so. One scene I'm always going to remember is where Odagiri's two Japanese-speaking companions hold up a crowded NYC convenience store, while Odagiri looks in his English phrase notebook and then says, "We want your money." There's also a scene where they're in a sort of landfill across the water, looking at Manhattan, reciting Walt Whitman. (There are no subtitles--except some in Japanese when English is spoken.) 


    Michael McCaskey
    Georgetown Univ.
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Jim Harper <jimharper666 at yahoo.co.uk>
    Date: Monday, June 25, 2007 7:16 am
    Subject: Re: Thanks To All + Explanation


      I've seen Tokyo Pop, on the one occasion it was shown
      on UK televsion, Channel 4, if I recall correctly. I
      would have been 16, so it would have been maybe 1991.


      It's not as good as Lost In Translation, to be honest,
      but it struck a chord with me. It was shown pretty
      much the same time as BBC2 showed Nobuhiko Obayashi's
      Ijintachi Tono Natsu, the very first Japanese film I
      ever saw. Seeing both that and Tokyo Pop in the same
      short space of time created an interest in Japan and
      Japanese cinema that has lasted ever since. 


      I don't think UK television has shown either of them
      again since, although Tokyo Pop did get a US video
      release at some point. I've been waiting for DVD
      releases of both films for years, and while there was
      a HK release of Ijintachi, I doubt there'll be a DVD
      of Tokyo Pop any time soon. The only people who seem
      to know about it are those who (like me) caught it on
      TV by accident, or Buffy fans (Kaz & Fran Rubel Kuzui
      created both Tokyo Pop and Buffy the Vampire Slayer).


      Jim.


      --- "J.sharp" <j.sharp at hpo.net> wrote:


          By the way, have you seen or heard of an older
      film
        called Tokyo Pop from
        1988, about an American  girl who goes to be a pop
        star in Japan - I think
        there was a lot of discussion on this list when Lost
        in Translation came
        out, about how similar (and how much better) it was.
        I remember seeing it on
        TV in the UK years ago, and would love to see it
        again, but I dont think its
        on video anywhere.


        Best


        Jasper


        www.midnighteye.com


        ________________________________________________
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