'My way' in Korean movies

Last weekend I watched some films and there was a strange coincidence! In 2 movies I heard Koreans sing Frank Sinatra's 'my way'. As well in 'Shallowtail butterfly' as 'friend' the song appeared.
Ofcourse it's a legendary song that has been used in many films, but I never seen Koreans sing it really... well it was hilarious cause of the accent. I know the lyrics well but if you don't it's difficult to learn them from these movies, the pronouncation is often a bit funny!
Wondering in how many movies this song is used....

Friend / Chingoo (Republic of Korea, 2001)

Friend, directed by Kyung-Taek Kwak and starring Dong-Kun Jang (the promise, brotherhood) as the most known actor, is a movie about friendship between four guys when they are young. By making their own choices when they grow up they don't see eachother too often anymore, but still stay friends in some way.

Two of them end up in gangs and from this point the story becomes more dramatic, you know the ending won't probably be too good.

A great story about growing up and friendship. In Korea friendship between guys is a very strong relationship (loyalty and sacrifice), and this is what the movie nails perfectly!

The action is very well done, not too much but it keeps the movie together in a way. It's a mustsee when you enjoyed Korean movies like 'a bittersweet life', 'A dirty Carnival' and 'Sunflower'. Most of all it's a movie about the passage of time between friends.

Zhang Ziyi at the Metropolian museum

Zhang Ziyi poses in a fantastic dress at the Metropolian Museum (New York) at of Art Costume Institute Gala, "Superheroes: fashion and Fantasy".

She looks stunning as always!

Tempting hearts / Sam dung (China, 1999)

Tempting hearts is directed by Sylvia Chang and stars Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung.

It's a nice and simple lovestory between Sheo-Rou (Gigi Leung) and Ho-Jun (Kaneshiro) for three decades. A story about a love that never can be, and how this love will chase you for the rest of your life.

When the parents of the girl forbid her to see her boyfriend the film came a bit too close to my own life, it really hurts when you yourself had a love which just isn't meant to be. Ot ro be said more tragic but so real: It's the love we've lost that haunts us.

I guess some people would say this movie is a bit boring (I have to say, some scenes could have been left out...they really slowed this movie down) but when you have been in love before yourself it's definitely worth watching. The ending is just very very good, you will remember it forever.

Abandoned / Torzok (Hungary, 2001)

Abandoned, directed by Árpád Sopsits, is a very harsh Hungarian movie about a boy who is takeb to a reformatory school/orphanage in communist Hungary in the sixties. Interesting is the fact that it is based on the childhood of the director.

It's a very cold and dark coming of age movie. The cruelty of the staff makes you feel bad yourself. The orphanage is more like a prison, and the only way to escape seems to be the universe, the stars.



This movie is abou tthe beauty of childhood, the beauty of innocence. On the same time it;s about the hatred of the director, the despair of a teacher and the ending of most hope. It seems to be a reflection on good and evil. It's a bit the same like a dictatorship, it works the same way. It is usually invisable to people who are not closely connected/affected by it.

The quality of the movie is great, the music fits extraordinary well. But it's not happy at all.....

Hana and Alice / Hana to Arisu (Japan, 2004)

I believe it now! I believe that there are movies that will get a smile on your face, and will stay there for more than two hours. Even when life is a mess and awful things ruin your existence, you will just feel good after seeing this movie!

Hans and Alice, directed by, shunji Iwai (which makes it his third film I watched of him this weekend after: 'Swallowtail buterfly' and 'all about Lily Chou Chou. I guess he can be added to one of my favourite filmmakers), is a film that deals about groing up and the friendship and drama between two girls. When one of them falls in love the friendship seems to be over.

The story is really great. Hana, which is secretly in love with a guy sees a guy hit is hit. What an opportunity it is!! She tells him he has got amnesia and that he forgot they were lovers. And yes, he believes it but the story becomes even more wonderful. This story has to be a bit more believable so Alice agrees to act like his ex-girlfriend which makes this boy even more insecure and confused. Why did he ever broke up with Alice?



Together with beautiful sidelines dealing about storytelling and ballet the story is just perfect. the music seems to be written for every scene, it just does match perfectly and together with the stunning acting it makes it a memorable film! It will put a smile on even your face!

And the final phrase: Oh no, a mosquito.......

Journey from the fall (Vietnam, 2006)

Journey from the fall is directed by Ham Tran, in my eyes an unknown director but that is not so weird due to the fact that I have never seen a Vietnamese movie before.

It's about people who try to survive after the fall of Saigon, people who wanna get away from communism that takes over and reforms the country and its people. The story circles around a family who are ripped apart during this time. The dad is send to a re-educational camp, while the grandmother, mother and son want to take their chance to go as refugees to America.

It can be guessed, it's a very emotional drama. But, it is a very good one too! You'll see the madness of thes re-educational camps were 'prisoners' try to escape everyday and are being shot like deers. Where people accidentaly step on land mines, which are never cleared. The fear of people who get stuffed into a boat to get to the States, I guess these scenes can be very emotional for people who actually survived this way. The heat, small room and the fear of pirates (for those who immediately think of pirates from comics or Pirates of the Carribean, please grow up) and the worries about your family can't leave no mark on human soul.

And this is exactly what we see in the third part of the movie. To try to start a new life in a new country, which isn't as easy as it sounds. People try to forget their past, but it's never good to forget your past cause it eventually will lead to individual crisis. Who am I?



It really is a strong drama about the effects and insanity of a civil war which doesn't only rip the land apart, but as well the people in it.

All about Lili Chou Chou / Riri shushu no subete (Japan, 2001)

I was told to watch this movie by my friend far away, she said it's a movie almost no one understands but that I would like it. And like everything she ever said: She was complete right!

It's film that is not easy to be understood but it is a very good one, though it will hurt every inch of your soul.

I am talking about All about Lily Chou Chou by director Shunji Iwai. It's difficult though to explain what this movie is about. I guess you could say it's a movie about growing up. Growing up in an absurd Japanse popculture and growing up as virtual indentities. One of the best coming of age movies ever made, I dare to say. How dofficult your life can be in your teens, when no one can understand you but yourself or an idol who seems to write her songs for you.

This movie lacks almost everything most people are looking for: like a good storyline, clear characters and the development of this. It is no ta bad thing it all...it points the finger at the problems in such a society like Japan where the pressure to be succesful is too high. Childs get bullied in the most heavy ways and the lack of open communication makes it worse. It's about getting hurt over and over again, about boys who get bullied and turn themselves in the meanest bullies there are. About trying to find your way out of this hellhole on the internet where you describe your own world, the ether you live in. About escapism through music.

This movie consists entirely of pain and loneliness, it will feel like a knife through your heart. The music is almost too great and with the scenery and the entire cinematography is brilliant.

Not too many will like it I am afraid but in my eyes it's a modern day masterpiece that gets you in every way possible.

Tears for you / Nada so so (Japan, 2006)

When you visit my site I guess you will notice that most films I watch are not the most happy ones. So when you think this time the movie has to be funny or happy, I have to disappoint you again. But what I can offer, is a film about love as strong is at can be. And to be honest.... when loves seems to be too perfect.... how can it end happy anyway. Destiny has a cruel way of pushing the most beautiful moments out of his way!

The film 'Tears for you' (Nada so so) by director Nobuhiro Doi is a film which stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Masami Nagasawa, is about two half-siblings who are lft by there dad in at a very young age. The boy takes care of his sister in any way he can. she is able to go to a good school so he works to earn money. His dream is to have his own restaurant in the future but it isn't going that smoothly, he is deceived by some con-artist and his sister wants to live on her own because she loves him too much. Then he gets ill....

This film is all about love, not the common boy-girl relationship but a more difficult relationship between two half-siblings. A situation that is hard anyway. It's very subtle, and that makes it very beautiful. Not that it is an innovating movie, because it's not... you always know in which way the story will evolve but it's not even necessary. The things the director wants to do, he does perfectly, fantastic scenes about the chemistry between siblings which is totally believable.The sister calling her brother niinii (big brother in Okinawa accent) can be a bit irritating in the end though.

Even though it's very subtle, it is a very emotional film too so make sure you bring some tissues with you.

And to remember, watch the beautiful song during the ending credits cause you will be given a brilliant scene afterwards.

nd for my special friend and soulmate who lives far away:), I hope you will like this one too. I wish you wellness and happiness, it's hard missing you.

Column on film with my participation

On the first of May there is a new edition available of 'Academia', an online magazine and resource for academic librarians. Sarah Buck-Yasin has a column about movies in this magazine and she asked me (among others) to participate in an investigation about the oscars. What are the oscars to you and do they really reflect the finest in film? The reactions of several people (including mine) are published for this month, so why don't you take a look at it!

http://www.ybp.com/acad/film/film0508_1.htm

KT Tunstall live at Paradiso, Amsterdan 29-04-2008

What a perfect evening to go to our capital to see a concert of KT Tunstall. It was just a day before our Queensday and the night of the concrt it is called Queensnight, everybody dresses in orange and parties all night long.
In the fantastic pop temple 'Paradiso' KT Tunstall was the queen in my eyes! What a brilliant concert it was. An amazing performance with one of the most stunning voices I ever heard.
She started with a few famous songs like 'Other side of the world' 'Little favours & 'Hold on', the audience was completely going mad already. One of the most brilliant songs was 'through the dark; which she played on the piano and the country-folk song 'Ashes'. It made me happy that one of the band members played the contrabas, such a beautiful instrument which has it's charm. It's a shame you don't see this instrument too often anymore.

And ofcourse she was performing 'Black horse and the cherry tree', what a stunning moment was that. everyone wnet wild when the first notes were played and she played it with an orange hat, our queen would have been proud. In the end she played my favourite 'Saving my face'. The feeling it gave me is just beyond words.
She had her funny moments too, at about 21.30 in the evening it was the time for random facts like 'cat's urine glows in the dark' and the brilliant 'do you know in England nothing rhymes on orange?'

Well too say in short, a fantastic night which won't be forgotten! After the concert it was time to see the completely filled streets with partying people in Amsterdam.

The restless / Joong-cheon (South Korea, 2006)

I did not have very high espectations of 'The restless' (Joong-cheon), by director Dong-oh Cho, starring Woo-sung Jung and Tae-hee Kim. I just was a bit afraid it would be a second 'The Promise'.

I have to admit it suprised me in a pretty good way. I didn't like all the action scenes, and also some of the special effects weren't very good but still..this movie has something which is really interesting. The dying scenes were really great, a bit like the vampires that returns to dust in blade and angel but this time it's really amazing!

The story is okay, a typical romance story in a kind of fantasy/action way. The acting is okay as well, though I won't say it is good all the time.

What did suprise me in a very good way? Well here is just a simple anwer: The scenery.

The scenes between the actionscenes were stunning, one of the most beautiful I ever saw. In these scenes you feel the magic, you feel the beauty of the world the director wanted to suggest.

The clothing is brilliant, the landscape is very, very beautiful and these are the things that made this film really worth watching.

Fans of flying martial arts movies can't miss this one, but also people who wanna watch just beautiful scenery with stunning detail should give it a try!

Field of wild flowers - Remember?

Do you remember the fields that are filled with wild flowers? Do you remember the scene in 'house of flying daggers' in such a field?
It's one of the best scenes in the entire movie, it's a complete change of colour when they enter there. Zhang ziyi looks stunning in the clothes she wears (Takeshi Kaneshiro makes ajoke about her clothes cause she wears men's clothing: "I will ask every woman to wear men's clothes", and he is completely right).
Do you remember he rides his horse to pick wild flowers for her? Accompanied by such great and emotional music (I guess it's called 'lovers').

Remember my poem I wrote once about such a scene? Someday I'll take you there, hold your hand and show you the beauty of nature. Feel the wind gently touching your hair and hear the soft sound of a bird far away.

Do you remember there are so much more things to do, so much more memories to make, remember you have have to make them with me.

For you

Even if you are going through the most darkest moments of your life, I pray for your happiness. That you will be well soon and can lit the world again with your smile.
Whatever the future will bring 'In my heart there always be a place for you for all my life'. For you, I will try to stay happy, even though darkest nightmares are filling my head.

There you'll be - Faith Hill

Nobody knows (Dare Mo Shiranai) (Japan, 2004)

'Nobody knows' (Dare mo Shiranai) is a Japanese film by Hirokazu Koreeda. It's about a single mother who moves into a small appartment. At first it seems she has only one child, but two more childs are hidden in suitcases, while another child has to picked up at the train station.

This mom leaves her children to chase her own happiness and her twelve year old son has to be responsible for her children. As you can guess, money is short and the children have to find a way living without gas, water and electricity.

It's based on a true story but this film is less miserable. The children seem okay, while in real they were poorly developed (they couldn't go to school).

This film is really great. It contains all things necessary. Though it's painfull to watch there are sweet warm and funny moments. Above all it is heartbreaking to watch, luckily it doesn't rely entirely on the tragic part of the story. Though in the end it will probably make you feel very depressed.

It lacks any action, but if you wanna try some great film which you have never seen before you just have to go to get this film!