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| Monday, December 11, 2006 |
| Tokyo Godfathers |
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Directors: Satoshi Kon & Shôgo Furuya
Story and Screenplay: Satoshi Kon
Starring: Toru Emori (Gin); Aya Okamoto (Miyuki); Yoshiaki Umegaki (Hana)
PG-13; 92 min
This is an animated flick. I was unaware of that until last night when Jeff came over and said, "I brought Tokyo Godfathers. It's an animated movie."
So, we watched it. I'm really not a big fan of animated films. Usually I steer clear of Anime (I'm not knocking it; it's just not my bag o' tea). But this film, set in the cold streets of Tokyo during the Christmas season, charmed me out of my animated film apprehensiveness.
To my surprise, the 3 main characters are fun, likable, and dynamic. I was under the impression going in that I was sitting down to view a dark film. But, no! There's not a single scene worth of animated death OR sex. I know, I know, "How can a movie be entertaining without death or sex?" you ask.
Settle down, you animal. Why does everything have to be about flesh and carnage?
Here's something interesting that I found on IMDB:
The film is full of "12-25" (Christmas) references, including: The number on the key; the cab fare; the address in the newspaper ad; the cab license plate.
To be honest with you, I wasn't able to pick up on all of the Christmas references... because I don't read Japanese. If I did, however, have a working literacy of Japanese language and script, I'm sure that I would have appreciated these subtle (or maybe not so subtle) references to the number 25. If you know how to read/speak/write Japanese, you should let me know if this technique is effective within the context of the movie.
I'm interested to see what everyone has to say about this one. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy over here, although I'm not sure that I learned a whole lot (aside from having to come to terms with the fact that I know very little about Japanese culture, society, or economy).
In a feeble (yet mocking) attempt to sound like I know what I'm talking about:
"If you're looking for a wholesome holiday treat for the entire family (errr, family members ages 13+), this film is a must-see." |
posted by K @ 12/11/2006 09:52:00 AM  |
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| 7 Comments: |
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this was a charming little movie for sure. i was pretty tired while watching it and didn't enjoy quite as much as i thought i would, but i can't come up with any real complaints.
i like how fate keeps popping up in the movie, in the form of very unlikely coincidences. i also liked the story of the red devil, but i had a hard time connecting that to ms hanna or whatever.
was there any CGI in this? some of the city shots looked like they had to be.
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well shit, my dvd shop doesn't have this either...it's a good independent shop just trying to get off the ground...blockbuster may be beckoning for a one off...
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don't get too sappy now, kathleen. remember that old man died, and the alcoholic fake-biker got the shit beat out of him by what i assume to be Japanese Frat boys.
i'll comment more later but i have to go watch house.
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alright here's what i have to say. i, too, am in the camp of people who don't love anime. other than cowboy bebop i have no desire to watch any ever again. i mean i don't really know anything about it, so maybe there's a whole culture/history of the art that i'm missing, but why is that a loaf of bread looks the exact fucking same in every single cartoon to come out of japan? that just busts my clams.
but taking this movie on its own, i thought it was alright. i liked the little girl with her leg warmers. but i had no idea how old she was supposed to be.
my favorite part was when i could understand the spanish without subtitles BOOYAH HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH. oh, but seriously folks. one of my favorite bits was when they were in the graveyard, i found that scene 'visually stunning' which are words im not that comfortable using.
overall, i think it was a tender little story. cute without being overly saccharine. is that a word?
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isn't saccharine that stuff that gives you cancer?
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ps - i was glad there was no tentacle rape in this picture.
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| About Us |
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Founded in Athens, GA in late 2006, we are a group of movie lovers who participate in a weekly, online discussion regarding the merits, qualities, themes, histories, implications, connotations, denotations, and general appeal (or lack thereof) of a variety of selected films.
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this was a charming little movie for sure. i was pretty tired while watching it and didn't enjoy quite as much as i thought i would, but i can't come up with any real complaints.
i like how fate keeps popping up in the movie, in the form of very unlikely coincidences. i also liked the story of the red devil, but i had a hard time connecting that to ms hanna or whatever.
was there any CGI in this? some of the city shots looked like they had to be.