Friday, December 30, 2005

Today, the 29th of December, 2005 will go down in my personal history as the day where I, an infinitesimal and paltry existence on this planet, meets Miyazaki Hayao, world renowned animator and master of the Ghibli Universe. No, I didn't see him at a premiere for a new animation film; nor was it at a press conference or anything of this loud, official nature; I meet him while he was on his way to work ( at Ghibli Studios in Musashino Koganei, not far from where I live ), driving pass my bicycle as I stopped at a junction, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette, the smoke trailing from his vehicle as he drove away. I stood flabbergasted for a long time, anticipating Totoros to trod along too, but they did, in a way I guess, in the spirit of their brilliant inventor.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Tokyo's metropolitan landscape stretches as far as the eye can see from Ebisu's Garden Place, as breathtaking as it is dizzying. Taking the elevator up to the top viewing levels I almost felt like a character playing in Otomo Katsuhiro's Akira as I gazed upon this colossal, hulking entity, the hectic home to 12 million denizens.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Winter holidays are here and I've taken this opportune moment while taking a short breather from school to indulge in a little creative pleasure; taking s**tloads of photographs with my newly acquired, long overdue and hitherto much desire(d) Nikon digital SLR D70s. I'm loving every second of it; the handling and feel of the camera, the expanded creative options I have ( check it : ISOs from 200 to 1500 at the flick of a switch ), and I've barely even started. Now before any film purist lambast me as been unfaithful to the medium, no, I'm not a digital convert; I still love my good old Nikon FE10 and the romantic look of film; but the wise auteur utilizes all tools available to him so as to advance his level of work; not that I'm claiming to be one.

Here's to many more happy and rewarding shooting days. :]


Dusk near home in Tanashi, West Tokyo.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Winter are the days when I have to roast my Nutella Chocolate spread over the kitchen stove before I can apply them on my bread because the cold weather have had them frozen; Winter are the days when I feel I have the rabies because any contact with water is like having dry ice pressed against my skin; Winter are the days when snow, glittering, tiny little flakes of crystals descend from the heavens, the harbinger of wintry days.

Winter is here.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Its a memorable day at this year's Toho Video Festival (TVF), a film festival with works from all the different faculties of my film school. Chosen from a hundred pieces of film submission by a panel of judges, notably Yukisada Isao ( director of Shouting Out Love, ), my short film Robot Dreams ( a renaissance piece built from a culmination of unfinished work including Memento Mori, Do Robots Dream and recently shot video footage. ) managed to enter the grand finals, one of the top 10 films screened today at the festival vying for the grand prize of a Apple G5 FCP editing suite worth about 5K. Regrettably, I eventually lost out to my classmate from Shanghai ( we were the only two year one students in the top ten; the rest were graduation students ), whose impressive CG piece created to the likeness of Chinese watercolour paintings awed the judges, and deservedly won the best film award. Well, better luck next year with my graduation work ! :]

Monday, December 05, 2005

The initial impression upon watching Hou Hsiao Hsien's Millenium Mambo, ( especially the first scene where we have Hsu Chi strolling down this bridge as the camera follows behind her, shot perhaps on a 48 or 60 framer ), was how much it reminded me of the splendid Korean film Take Care of My Cat. 2 things : 1) The dreamy and carefree, immediately memorable music ( I liken it to the pleasurable feeling of intoxication, without any of the nasty side effects )that give both films their characteristic mood, and 2) each fall into that risky category of cinema where there is no clearly established plotline; nothing important seem to be happening most of the time onscreen; there is no apparent premise or conclusion, and in the case of Mambo the potential bore factor skyrockets because the photographer is Lee Pingbin, who loves to lock down his camera and shoot empty compositions where the actors are completely out of frame. 3 other directors who have an affinity for this form of narrative comes to mind : Hu Jinho, Tsai Mingliang, and Robert Altman.



I cannot better explain their style of storytelling by this saying : The journey is the destination. Next stop, Hou Hsiao Hsien's latest film Zhu Hao De Shi Guang ( Three Times ).

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Fright nights twice in a row with viewings of Gibson's Passion of the Christ and then Scott's Hannibal, I think I've been served enough cinematic blood and gore for a long time to come. Meanwhile, Yukisada Isao ( director of Shouting Out Love, ) makes a surprise visit to school, popping into our art direction class today to give us a few words on filmmaking. I just had to disagree with his views on the deficits of recent Korea cinema; evidently, if you have been catching up on the cream of the crop, it has never been stronger.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Despite having watched a total of over 140 films ( and still counting ) on a mixture of dvd and cinema screenings so far this year ( this is excluding film appreciation seatings in school now ), the unthinkable, unprecedented has still happened : I have not yet seen even one of the 31 new films reviewed in this December's issue of Sight and Sound, which by far is still the most insightful and well written film magazine ( except of course the peerless Singaporean FIRST, with reviews so intellectually potent I've uncontrollably vomited blood per read. ) I've ever read, thus making its recommendations so incredibly important.



This alarming event can be ascribed to 1) The exorbitant pricing of cinema tickets in Tokyo, charging rates fitting for seatings perhaps 20 years in the future, 2) The ironically Precambrian rate by which new films hit Tokyo shores, where by the time they actually start screening them the dvd copy of the same film would have long since been colonized by dust mites in Amazon's warehouses, and 3) My sadly tondemonai level of japanese which largely prevents me from renting most foreign films ( read films from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Korea, etc ) that carries no english subtitles. I fear if a remedy is not formulated soon enough, I'll be missing treasure troves of films by near future Godards, Truffauts and Renoirs.

Thursday, November 17, 2005



Suffering, revenge, and finally salvation, the 3 recurring themes in Park Chan Wook's "Revenge" trilogy comes full circle as the series ends with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Oldboy ( as compared to other excellent korean films per se ) and I've yet to see Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the first in the series ( though reliable sources from my personal Korean film guide and classmate Mr Kim has it that it ranks the highest of the three films on the gore-ometer, which may influence viewing decisions a wee bit ), but nontheless Lady Vengeance proved interesting enough ( even with me half struggling with the Japanese subtitles, you lucky bastards back home. ) Some memorable cameos come and go, rounding up main characters from the 2 former films. Gotta catch this one again.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Recently just as I was starting to get jaded with the largely nondescript, unsatisfying Japanese films that I have had access to here in Tokyo, comes a mind blowing piece of work that utterly sweeps me off my feet, myself smiling and swearing unwittingly throughout the film's viewing, marvelling at its sheer brilliance and beauty. Based on a short story of the same name by renowned writer Murakami Haruki, Tony Takitani ( directed by Ichikawa Jun, whose previous film Byoin De Shinu To Iu Koto ironically inflicted me with severe soporificism ) explores the issues of isolation, solitude and loss. This film is in a word, beautiful; the quiet photography, subdued palette of colours that lend to the film's intended feeling of emptiness, the music, poised piano arrangements mirroring the visual's quiescent mood, the treatment and art direction, each scene decorated with the aloofness of an Edward Hopper painting, the screenplay, conversations and exchanges like soothing poetry but with non of the rigidity, more like the words of a child, honest, direct, austere. My highest recommendations.

Sunday, October 30, 2005



Despite playing like an Apple endorsed film at times and my at best lukewarm interest in political satire films, Wim Wenders Land of Plenty nontheless held my attention with a narrative ( Winders writing up a treatment in just 3 days ) that was languid in the beginning but built up momentum as the film progressed, and one is certainly reminded of a similar plot setup in Wender's much older work, the excellent Paris, Texas. While the director's decision to shoot the film in video escapes me for moment it is however interesting to note that the utilized camera, Panasonic's AGDVX100A, held up rather impressive considerably such a big blow up to theatre resolution working with just DV source, and I cannot wait to see what its latest incarnation the HD AG-HVX200 can do for independent filmmakers, not to mention those poor, starving film students.

Saturday, October 22, 2005



This year's seasonal transition from summer to autumn seemed to have creeped in cladestinely, but the clearest harbinger of the big freeze season are the nights when I could feel myself curling up my toes as the piercing cold air assailed my feet.

Back in school, I've just only realized that Yukisada Isao ( director of Sekai no chushin, and his soon to be released Haru no Yuki ), who also happened to have graduated from my film school was also assistant director for Iwai's Love Letter. Respect for him ups 30%. Time for film watching has declined since school started and the films I want to watch just continue to pile as I read the latest copies of Sight and Sound. Including Wim Wender's recent work, Land of Plenty, above.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Just a week into term 2 and three film production shoots are cramped back to back, I'm thinking about dropping a module lest I die a painful, undeserving death : " film student dies of fatique during shoot, hand still clasping zoom servo. " Meanwhile, time for watching films become harder to come by but I was glad I finally got around to see Majo no Takyubin ( Kiki's Delivery Service ), fantastic, as per Ghibli animation.

On a sadder note, I wish the school would inform us earlier when "erai" characters such as the cinematographer for the film Shall We Dance ? visits the school for a talk, I would've prepped my copy of the dvd, screaming hysterically for a signature like a rabid F4 fan. Just wait till Iwai Shunji shows up.

Sunday, October 02, 2005



Having bought us memorable tracks like "Yesterday & Today", "Fukai Mori", "Rakuen" amongst others, Japanese rock group Do As Infinity has officially disbanded with the release of their greatest hits album "Do The A side", which contains all 20 singles since their debut in 1999 with "Tangerine Dream". Recalling the early days when the trio performed as a street band in Shibuya before they made it big, to the times when their official website was launched and they saw only an average of 7 visitors per day, DAI's has come a long way, and their collective music will be missed.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Watching Brad Silberling's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is like tasting the delicious icing and toppings on an otherwise bland cake; its like savouring the attractive, beautifully illustrated cover of an otherwise boring novel. That much said, the film's astonishing photography and production work is unlike anything we've seen since Sleepy Hollow, granted, they were done by some of the same folks.



If you'd cared to stay just a few minutes longer for the end credits, one will be greeted by a cornucopia of the best talents in the business; ILM, as ever for the CG and animation, cinematography by Emmaneul Lubezki of Sleepy Hollow, Great Expectations; editing by Michael Kahn, who edited most of Spielberg's recent films; production design by Rick Henrichs of Sleepy Hollow; costume design by Colleen Atwood of Gattaca, Silence of the Lambs; music by Thomas Newman of American Beauty, Meet Joe Black, and the list goes on.
Let's just hope next time the cake is as tasty as the icing itself.

Friday, September 23, 2005

For the last time, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords is not at attempt at remaking Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, quote "and a piss poor job at that.", so say the folks who hated Hark's latest film. For the record, Seven Swords is based on the much-read novel "Seven Swordsmen From Mount Tian," by Liang Yu-sheng, one of the fathers of 20th century Hong Kong martial arts fiction.



I know what you want to say. "So, you must be a Tsui Hark fan eh, standing up for his work like that. " I beg to differ. Seven Swords certainly had its merits in the character design and fight choreography departments, ( not to mention Hark's excellent decision in asking Kawai Kenji to score. Let's face it, original scores in Hong Kong films just ain't that great. ) but its Kurosawa that's taking the insult here by that "remake" comment. What amuses me, maybe even irritates me is how the chaps came up with the idea of this Seven Samurai remake connection. Do these folks even know what they are talking about ? I figured there are 2 possibilites : 1) They are simply outta their minds or 2) They've never watched Kurosawa's Samurai, or didn't understood a thing if they did, but since it was such a famous film and it puts credit to their film literacy they decide to mention it, "and hey, both films have the word SEVEN in them !"

Anyone who's actually watched Samurai and enjoyed it understand that the film's concern is not about the fighting, but the in depth study of the different characters that exist within and their actions and consequences, the beautiful and brilliant use of visual patterns which accentuate the narrative, and so on. Nadda on fighting. Last but not least, the film's a CLASSIC. When was the last time anyone compared a piece of comtemporary music to say, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in terms of grandeur ?

Saturday, September 17, 2005



Sweet, sweet eye candy from start till end, Nomura Tetsuya's Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children is the ultimate culmination of the brilliant CG work conjured up by the artists at SquareEnix ( formerly SquareSoft ), dating back to the then revolutionary Squall Leonheart character in 1999. This time round what sets Advent Children apart from 2001's FF Spirits Within is not so much the faithfulness it stays to the game's original material, but more the presence of impossibly, devastatingly neat characters. Top that with sleek Anime style editing, photography and beautifully animated fight sequences, Nomura has created a film tailor made for FF fans, with none of that sanitized Hollywood treatment in sight. This is the definitive, bona fide Final Fantasy.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005



As Typhoon No 14 lashed past central Japan plains glancing past Tokyo the winds here were still strong enough to give me one of those Stormriders hairdos as I struggled to get to school today. On my way home as I got off the train station I was greeted with a quaint and nostalgic sight; in the far distance the setting sun has spilled a wondrous palette of reds and oranges reflecting off the voluminous clouds, framed by the distinctive silhouetted rooftops of Japanese houses and cascading cables that stretched from post to post. A beautiful sight by any other day, but more significant today because I had created an exact image of it a full 6 years ago for my final year animation project.

Truly, this is the Shinjuku Dreams.


Thursday, September 01, 2005



A nice little farewell party for Hide,(seated) who having stayed with us for a memorable 4 months at Borderless Tanashi is now headed for greener pastures in Yokohama. After dinner and a considerable amount of booze we had ourselves a little Hanabi party, a closing event for the summer that is drawing to an end here in Tokyo.

Time to dig out those fudons soon.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005



A half-reluctant 3 days holiday trip to Yamanashi Highlands had me reliving the forgotten horrors of an organized group tour. Sponsored by a certain Rotary Club, whose members have affliations with my former Japanese language school, I had fatally commited my name a month ago, thinking perhaps I could meet up with some of my old friends, most of whom didn't turn up anyway. So after checking into the hotel the "program" started as we were ferried from place to place, touch and go travelling, stopping at one souvenir town after another till I was sure I won't survive till day three.

And what's with the incessant photo taking ?? Sure, I mean if the scenery's justifiably beautiful and all, but the crazied lot were snapping everywhere they went, outside a cliched souvenir shop, front of the roadside, long as they could find a place to stand. This lady, seeing me grieving in pain outside the souvenir shop, came up and asked : " Say, you don't like taking pictures ? "

Silence.

No more group tours for me.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

I dunno which galaxy these guys came from, but on the planet where I live, and I'm no linguistic expert here either, I dare wager desert dwellers in Mongolia sure as hell don't speak Cantonese ( Lei hai bingor ? ). Cracked me up. Still, John Moore's remake of the film Flight of the Phoenix does happen on this planet no ? Confusing.

Anyway, a phonecall from my concerned mother regarding the earthquake ( happens intermittently here, most Tokyoites including myself have learnt to be fairly nonchalant about it, unless the roof actually comes down on our heads. ) had me assuring her that all was fine ( I keep reminding her half-jokingly that if the Big One were to visit, which by the way is overdue for Tokyo, myself, together with half of Tokyo's population would have long since coalesced with the remaining rubble by the time news hit Singapore shores. ) Anyway, passing the phone over to my brother as we caught up a bit I realized to my absolute horror I haven't spoken english for so long it sounded...wierd, foreign even. Like that part in Dances With Wolves, if you know what I mean. Couple that with my half_f**ked Japanese, too, and a nightmarish evening is complete, together with cantonese speaking Mongolian desert dwellers.

Friday, August 12, 2005



An invitation from my good friends Takeshi+Kojima for a summer vacation in Takeshi's hometown Gunma ( a largely rural prefecture north of Tokyo, very Riri ShuShu-ish. ) was an excellent way to kickstart the vacation, although temperatures there soared to a searing 37.1 degrees as we arrived, threatening to set my short crop on fire. This time round armed with a video camera documentation was high on the tasklist, and the highlights certainly had to include a drive up mountain Akagiyama ( home to the manga and film Initial D, although the drive up the winding roads gave me none of that "need for speed gusto" but a splitting headache instead. ), as well as the annual Takasaki summer festival, complete with fireworks and folkdances.


Friday, July 22, 2005



Shimoyama Ten's Shinobi is looking sharp with some impressive action sequences as seen from its trailer, but remembering the Kazuaki debacle that was Casshern, with equally promising visuals and a most attractive trailer, let's not put in too much faith just as yet. Check out the official website here.

Anyway, attention on this post ought to have been dedicated to some writings on the excellent film Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders ( I can't believe I've missed out on this film for so long even though it was shot 20 years ago ) that I just watched on film appreciation class in school yesterday, but I don't have the time for a lengthy post right now. In any case, a viewing of the film will do infinitely more than reading off this blog, so please watch it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005



Two production stills from a short film production "Hanako to Taiichi" that just wrapped last Sunday. The story entails a girl set on suicide that receives some pretty stylized divine intervention. I was covering lighting on set and will also be doing a cut of the film soon. Shooting on location the view and backdrop from the rooftop was simply fantastic, and very...well, Japanese. If you've seen the film Tokyo Sora, you'll know what I mean.


Tuesday, July 05, 2005

The Punisher - Bad. Bad. Bad. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005



Required viewing was in store for Doi Nobuhiro's Ima, Ainiyukimasu, the biggest Japanese film for 2005 so far, picking up 3.8 million viewers. Despite been unabashedly melodramatic and saccharine, cliched even, *ahem*, I liked it. Perhaps an understanding of the original japanese dialogue added to the enjoyment of the film too. Take it as a guilty cinematic pleasure one indulges in every once in a while. *Mr Mckee, BFI S&S folks frowns disapprovingly*
In one of the ending sequences from Iwai Shunji's Hana and Alice, Alice, one half of the film's 2 main protaganists, turns up for a teenage magazine covergirl audition. Having been scouted by a talent agency early in the film but with several botched auditions so far ( including an excruciatingly hilarious Kitkat CM screentest ), she attends unenthusiastically, nonchalant at best. As her turn arrives she is quizzed on by the young hotshot director ( a cameo neatly performed by Osawa Takao, star of Sekainochushinde, aiwosakebu )about what she can do, but is quickly dismissed after replying "ballet".



Unbeknownst to herself, she quips : " Can I dance for real ? " Taken aback by her spontaneity the director nods, and she arabesques away, the audition long forgotten as she lost herself in her own world of ballet. This burst of creative emancipation reminds me fondly of my own interview ( with a panel of 10 judges ) during my scholarship selection, for when quizzed on matters of filmmaking I had started out quivering but was soon taken over by a true sense of affection for the subject, and it can be truly wondrous to care passionately about something. Well, so I think.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Respect I believe, is the appropriate word of the day for Mr Nolan, wtih 3 features to his credit, the latest impressionable Batman Begins, Insomnia, and Memento. Did anyone mention he's 35 ?



That said, perhaps there's still time to rethink my silly filmmaking antics and seriously consider lifelihood as a Char Kueh Tiao hawker.

Anyway, go here for a decent review of Batman Begins : http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/2005_07/batman.php

Sunday, June 12, 2005

On many levels, Yomigaeri ( Resurrection ) takes a striking affinity to past films like Soderbergh's remake of Takovsky's Solaris, as well as Mimi Leder's disaster movie Deep Impact. Looking beyond the overt sci-fi setting where all the 3 films share a similar premise, what strings the 3 films into tandem are their nuanced and skilfully constructed plot devices that very successfully coaxes and yanks at the viewers' own personal latent pool of memory, setting off a very intimate emotional response built on our own experiences, the classic case of "what if I were to live through the same experience" if you may. Think hearing a familiar tune off a radio that sets off nostalgic memories, only in this case you get the entire visual-aura package, enabling one to ease into the character's plight, full assimilation and empathy, the whole works.



In Deep Impact the impending doom of the earth is rendered realistically enough for us to imagine that very last precious moments we can share with our loved ones, just as the protaganists do in the film, and in both Solaris and Yomigaeri the sudden reappearance of our most cherished people scrutinizes our ability to let go in the event of a death and probe one's mind like a sharp needle straight through the cerebrum, though that heady, pleasurable feeling associated with the viewing experience can hardly be defined as pain.

Friday, June 03, 2005



A bbq party by the Arakawa River. Now these folks are really a lot crazier than they look. Photo courtesy of Mayo.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Japan must be the last bloody place in our galaxy to screen Episode III with such an incredulous date as July 9th. That's almost 2 full months later than the official worldwide release date, if that's supposed to mean anything here at all. Empires have been built in less time, fortunes made and squandered.

By the way, would anyone have happened to watched the teaser trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia ? Its looking awesome. Perhaps picking up the novel is in order.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

When I first read about the plot summary of Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven at Cinfex.com many months ago while it was still pretty much in production, the immediate thought that crossed my mind was a biased one; how will the filmmakers portray the legendary military general Saladin ? My impressions were swayed in the direction that he would be misrepresented as a tyrant, merciless in his war against the crusaders, given the many instances in past Hollywood films where Muslims are often depicted as terrorists or religious extremists, ie the bad guys. Certainly I am no expert in the history of the Crusade but in watching this film a little background knowledge in the real history behind the story really does make the film significantly more enriching. ( perhaps this is the reason my classmates found the film largely boring, having never heard of Saladin nor the Crusade. )



For example, the famous scene where Saladin offers the king his physicians is a big nod to a real historical event, although it was offered to Richard the Lionheart ( the guy who announces himself the king of England at the end of the film ) rather than Baldwin ( the leper King ). Saladin was also known in history as a chivalric and merciful leader who generally left the Crusader Kingdom - Jerusalem - alone until the Crusaders repeatedly provoked him, attacking caravans of pilgrims, including one, yes, where his sister was travelling in. When they opened Saladin's treasury after his death they found there was not enough money to pay for his funeral; he had given his money away to those in need.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

A mere five minutes viewing into Night Shyamalan's The Village and I could have swore the dvd was worth buying almost on pure account of DOP Roger Deakin's most handsome photography work. This must be Night's most aesthetically pleasing film to date, plot notwithstanding. Despite setting out watching this film with full knowledge of its eventual plot development credit certainly must be given to Night's attuned ability to craft scenes crammed with suspense and fear, when actually most of the time little was actually happening.



2 things that I found extremely displeasing - 1) *SPOILERS" Noah chancing upon one of those spook suits. "He found one of the suits under the floor board !" How very convenient for plot advancement ! This is as shoddy as anything, see Mr Mckee shaking his head in resignation. 2) Night's cameos. Now we all understand Hitchcock did it too for most of his films, and it was fun to watch him, almost like a cinematic Where's Wally Game, but here Night's appearance is terribly irritating, given how obtrusive and deliberate his cameos are, even if its just a reflection.

Film production discussions aside, I simply don't agree with the story's Luddite point of view. To deny one's own offspring the wonders and beautiful knowledge of science is an infinitely selfish act. Now this ranks just right below on the hate-meter for me for anyone who strives to promote fatalism, but you'll have to watch Night's previous film for that.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Its hard to describe in words just how bizzare Ishii Katsuhito's Cha no Aji ( The Taste of Tea ) is but its delightful combination of queer plot elements and even queerer characters makes for one very arresting viewing experience. I can't quite remember the last time I was so zonked out after watching a film. Kanarazu mitekudasai.


Monday, April 18, 2005

Film school enters the 2nd week as lesson proper starts, trial classes are expected for another week before we decide on the modules we want to take. I would have personally preferred more lesson time on the ARRI 16mm film camera but with so many students in the film module I doubt that can be helped. On a much more exciting note I am without a doubt the most linguistically challenged student on campus, but gratifyingly enough that also means there's no other place to go but up.

Dokorode today on film appreciation class our lecturer shares with us his conversation with a friend who was working as film crew for director Iwai Shunji. *quote* "(Iwai) Madness !!! 3 days on set without sleep ! We start eating our meals without the foggiest idea if its breakfast, lunch or dinner. "

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Hou Hsiao Hsien's Kohi Jikou ( Cafe Lumiere ) is an extremely quiet and halcyon film ( in fact bordering on extremes, especially to those whose tastes are not attuned to the arthouse ) that however speaks volumes in emotional resonance beneath it seemingly mundane scenes and locked camera shots. Tsai Ming Liang's What Time Is It There comes to mind. Lee Ping Bing's photography is remarkably unostentatious and austere, much more akin to his work in Spring Time in a Small Town than In The Mood For Love.



On a more personal level many of the scenes take on a very intimate and immediate feel, the locations been places I am familiar with while I'm here in Japan like Shinjuku train station ( the chime for a leaving train is especially nostalgic ), Yurakucho, and the short trams to Waseda, passing through Sangenjaya where my friend Berni used to live.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

A new start calls for a fresh look, here in Japan as the seasons finally come full circle the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms symbolizes new beginnings, as with the commencement of my film school. Today folks from the various Borderless Tokyo houses got together for a Hanami party in Koganei Park, a cosmopolitan mix from Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany, Korea, Australia, China and Sweden, and despite the dusty gails in the park sweeping in every now and then peppering our food with cherry blossom petals spirits were high as everyone got acquainted quickly, certainly the photo speaks just as much. These crazy blokes !


Monday, April 04, 2005

I'm absolutely getting spoilt by my new Japanese friends. Check out the Takoyaki !



Anyway, here's the hilarious introduction written on me at the Borderless Tokyo website by Yoshi-san, our fantastic manager :

Mar. 23 Welcome! Yonghow! (Tanashi-house)

The star of Singapore Yonghow is moving in Tanashi-house!
He's been to Japan for 1 year. so his Japanese is quite good!
He loves Shunji Iwai's film and is learning this kind of thing in Japan.
Your website is really cool, Yonghow!!
Be friendly with him, everybody!!

Friday, April 01, 2005

The "Jerry Bruckheimer films" indent screened before the commencement of the film National Treasure served as the best caveat of what laid ahead ( read : explosions, car chases, more explosions; basically your usual taosiao capers ). Extraordinarily we registered only one single explosion in the early part of the film, but this Davinci Code + Indiana Jones mishmash of plot still fails to take off as it lumbered on languorously, bogged down by some stiff acting and even stiffer lines. ( another example of great actors' performances suffering at the expense of lousy writing. ) Trevor Rabin's music is woefully misused, incessant perhaps in an attempt to mask the film's other shortcomings. To add to the insult the filmmakers usual undermining of the audiences' intelligence quoto by means of a clown sidekick that tries desperately to insert trite humour makes all but see red. Why can't for even once the supporting partner of the protaganist be given a little more intellectual credence ?

Sunday, March 27, 2005

On my way home yesterday evening after a short bicycle recky around the new neighbourhood 2 uniformed high school girls, also on bikes pedalled past me, engaged in mundane school talk. As I trailed behind them the setting sun right in front of us spilled a dazzling golden halo around the 2 girls, the light catching every strand of their billowing hair, illuminating it like stokes of white flame. Had that moment been caught on film it would have made a very fitting, Iwai-ish number.



Anyway, the folks at Tanashi treated me to a sumptous Nabe welcome dinner, Kimchi style. L to R here we have Masako, Maiko, Youngjae and Ryoko. After dinner we embarked on the arduous task of clearing up the fridge ( we have 2 here ), for one of the setbacks of communal fridge usage is that you often find food stashed since the last century, forgotten realms hidden in the dark corners, severed and half decomposed fingers, etc. Thank goodness there were none today other than a mini mushroom farmbed in a tub of yogurt, dating back to Byzantine period.

Below : A shot of my room. Moody eh ?


Thursday, March 17, 2005



House moving is slated for the 23rd, a rainy day has been forecasted. I hope the powers that be cut me a break because I've never fancied sleeping on a waterbed. Anyway, a glimpse of my home at Borderless Tokyo for the next 2 years, Kokusaikouryuukyoukai, or International Exchange Society. ( above : a view from my room, Below : Banner at main entrance ) Think a Japanese version of the Spanish Apartment, but with alot less sex. I think. Well they did say they're going to party every month...


Wednesday, March 16, 2005

I knew the first day when I moved into Domire-Meguro as an avid fan of Iwai Shunji's films that I have found some very special, kindred souls. ( see comparison picture below ). Any self respecting Iwai Shunji fan will no doubt remember the hallmark library window/curtain scene in Love Letter, and Takeshi+Kojima did so much as to install that exact mise en scene in our very own kitchen. What a bunch of Romantics !! :]



As I prepare to move on to my new home come next week at Borderless Tokyo, I shall however remember my memorable and unforgettable days in Domire-Meguro, so lucid they were it seemed just like yesterday.

Monday, March 07, 2005

Believe me when I say that its a once in a lifetime fortitude to have been able to catch the Mucha Exhibition on at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, quite simply because 1) 100 pieces from the exhibition have never been allowed abroad till now, 2) its Mucha, champion of the Art Nouveau movement and 3)I'm his absolute, complete acolyte, right up there with Waterhouse. His advant garde illustration style was light years ahead during his era and even in recent times as countless artists feverishly copied, imitated, duplicated none ever reproduced anything as stunning as did Mucha himself. Even if anyone came close, Mucha would have beaten them a full hundred years ahead. At the end of my visit that day as I was hurried out by the curators my eyes were painfully strained having pored over every single piece of his amazing works.


Sunday, February 20, 2005

My first home vacation since I left for Japan 10 months ago to pursue my film studies has just ended with 20 days and 11 films. That meant one film watched every other day but cramped in between catching up with good friends and equally good food I wished I could have squeezed in time for a couple more. Hitherto Mike Nichols superbly crafted Closer wraps up the trip and as much as I would say the highlight of the film was seeing Natalie Portman dressed ( hardly I mean ) in a sexy thong much appeal is also attributed to the exceptional screenplay by Patrick Marber ( who also wrote the original play that this film was based on ) Indeed the 10 month hiatus has left my already subpar english language even more diminished so I was neither intellectually nor linguistically capable of appreciating the nuances in the delivered lines as much as I wished I could, so owning the dvd would be a plus. ( nonono, its not about Natalie Portman and her thong, mostly no. )



With that, till next year and see you guys back in Tokyo.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Movie/comic comparisons aside, Francis Lawrence's directorial debut Constantine is a tastily shot film topped with superlative visual and creature effects, crisp, moody photography and a host of radical, interesting characters. In this fashion-savvy universe Gabriel the Archangel dresses like a spokesmodel for Versace while Lucifer does Armani endorsements in bleached white designer suits. Such a stark contrast in the portrayal of the ultimate evil is a clear departure from past films where Satan is often depicted as a savage demon king bent on inflicting human suffering whereas here he's a well dorned CEO with an eterprise to manage, however hellish it is. In this sense inhabiting such a world where the supernatural forces heed attention to "the balance" of good and evil seems almost desirable. Evil never once looked so good.

Monday, January 24, 2005

Takeshi+Kojima

Bound for a year long travel trip to Montreal come next week, Kojima+Takeshi had only moved out a couple of days ago, but the absence of my 2 extremely likeable japanese friends are immediately palpable; gone are the familiar Bossanova tracks playing off Takeshi's amps in the evenings; ( remembering vividly his incredulous disbelief when I first admitted I had never come across the term Bossanova music ), Kojima's plants lined outside the house, including a durian seedling I swore would never grow due to Japan's cold weather but did, now all gone, a barren slab of concrete floor; amongst other memorable incidents we shared.



Both accomplished photographers themselves, Takeshi+kojima also travelled widely and shared a true sense of spirit that embodied the love for new experiences rather than material pursuits; indeed, they had very little posessions beyond what was necessary for a decent and comfortable living. They were also great cooks; most of my culinary procurement since I came to Japan ( of which I had zilch before ) I had stole from them in between their dinner preparations. It takes little to surmise I'll be missing their company significantly, and see you guys next year, Takeshi+Kojima. ( and hello to my new roommate, Hirobe-san. :] )

Sunday, January 16, 2005



Denizens of Domiru Meguro : ( L to R ) Takeshi, Shige, Bernie, Kojima. Yappari minna mechamecha yopparakunatta.
I can't recall exactly as to why I missed Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream when it hit theatres back in 2000, but I'm more than glad that I finally watched it after putting it off everytime I hit the rental stores, having remembered lucidly my friends' caveats that it's extremely detrimental to one's healthy mental state. Nontheless, watching Requiem is an excellent exercise in filmmaking, ( the film had 2000 plus cuts, as compared to a regular movie's 600/700 ), and the sophorific visuals are so compelling its like been hypnotised.

Friday, January 07, 2005



A flower shop in Daikayama, close to Shibuya about 10 minutes cycle from home. Fans of Luc Besson's Leon have got to be smitten with this shop, watashi hajimete mita toki mo bikkuri. :]

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

It will no doubt take several more repeat viewings to even barely grasp and appreciate the full masterly range of Krzysztof Kieslowski trilogy Trois Couleurs ( Three Colours : Blue, White and Red ), but Rouge ( Red ) immediately springs up as my favourite of the three. Maybe because it was the easiest to comprehend and relate to, but simply put Red is so richly imbued in a mix of fantastic visual and narrative symbolism, utilizing austere but stunning photography to enhance the intensity of every scene the experience of viewing leaves one breathless; I can only imagine the impact it would have had viewed in a theatre. Sadly the depth and meaning of the trilogy is way beyond what my inept writing can express, but you've been so informed.



( Note however, this trilogy's narrative treatment is everything an archetypal Hollywood outing is not, so some may find it completely senseless and boring. )

Tuesday, January 04, 2005



Although I would had very much preferred a sloshed out, frenetic PVD treatment to celebrate the new year things turned out fairly different as we ended up in Meiji Jingu ( a famous Shrine in Harajuku where the Emperor chills out ) for a more traditional proceeding. Packed to the brim on New Year's Eve every year everyone thronged to toss coins before the altar wishing for happiness and long life.