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- Mood:
enthralled
- Mood: amused
Synopsis: Gamagori Futaro has been poor since the day he was born. As a child his recklessly wasteful and abusive father sunk the family into debt and disappeared, leaving Futaro and his sick mother to fend for themselves. With no money to pay for medical treatment for his ailing mother she eventually died. After her death Futaro became obsessed with money and willing to do anything for it.
Good times, non? Pity the poor unsuspecting viewer... I can honestly say that it was one of the most depressing, intense, and disturbing things I've ever seen. Having said that, I'm glad I watched it--if only to verify what I suspected; Ken'ichi Matsuyama is an acting god. The man's versitility is astonishing, especially at such a young age. I can't fathom what resources he tapped from within to produce this kind of performance, but I can only imagine how utterly exhausted he had to be at the end of filming. I was spent just watching
This wasn't your average viewing experience. At times I was extremely uncomfortable, but unable to tear my eyes away from the screen as time and again I witnessed a man's inner turmoil and his (mostly self-inflicted) anguish. I can't remember ever feeling such revulsion and disgust for a character--and such overwhelming sorrow and pity--in equal measure. All the credit is, again, due to the actor, who can instantly transform his (usually beautiful) face from languid charm into an ugly being of pure malovence. Of course, having that disfiguring scar running through his eye certainly helped, too.
I could probably write a 20 page essay on the workings of his psyche (and why I believe that Futaro wasn't actually insane) but I will limit this post with a few (disjointed) thoughts; just some things that have stayed with me after the credits rolled.
1) After he marries Akane and becomes rich, Futaro wears expensive, impeccably tailored suits, gets a haircut, actually wears his wedding ring. He studies the inner workings of the company to impress his father-in-law, he smiles more. By all appearances, he is a successful, happily married man. But "appearances" is the key word here. He systematically rejects all aesthetic, abstract, or sexual pleasures-- anything that would require him to feel. The one exception is eating the boiled wrasse his mother used to make for him as a child. That he would give up everything it means to be human, spurning every opportunity to actually be happy, to purposely become an empty shell, at the expense of the accumulation of money is incredibly disturbing. Especially when he is told several times in his life "the only thing that matters is what's in [his] heart. Tragic.
2) A few times a flicker of remorse would appear on Futaro's face--only to have him repeat his mantra: "I know I'm not wrong." An interesting turn of phrase; why doesn't he say "I know I'm right" instead? Because somewhere in whatever is left of his heart, he knows he's lying to himself. In one of the most heartbreaking scenes, Futaro visits his mother's grave after he finally becomes rich. He tells her he knows that she is angry with him, but he's only sorry because he knows he will never see her again; he's "done bad things" and is certain he's going to hell. The scene is especially wrenching because he tells her this is the last time he will visit; he just can't bear the realization that she would be disappointed in the man he has become.
3) OMG the ending. Of course he had to die; he was like a rabid dog who needed to be put down. The man was walking misery. What I was not prepared for was the way he decided to do it; that he allowed Midori to witness his death (penance, perhaps?); and where he decided to do it (did he believe it was poetic justice?). But what happened next took my breath away. As he looks at the carving of the word "happiness" he made on the wall of the shack all those years ago--he finally gets it. Money has destroyed him. In the time it takes for the looooonnnnnnggggg fuse (purposely made long in order to prolong the torture he thinks he deserves?) to reach the explosives strapped to his body, he reimagines the life he could have had: going to college, having friends, dating and eventually marrying Akane, having a strange but wonderful friendship with Midori, having a child. Neither he nor Akane have their facial scars, and the Mikuni family is not rich; in the last seconds of his life, his dream is to have lived a mundane, normal life.
No words.
- Mood:
indescribable - Music:Collide by Howie Day
L: Change the World: thoughts on the day after
I didn't have much in the way of expectations or demands regarding this movie. L could have sat there for the whole two hours drinking tea, consuming sweets, and reading the phone book in six different languages and I would have been happy. (No, not really. I'm not quite that easily amused.)
My wishlist was short (if not simple):
1) Discovering more about L. Not everything, mind you. L should always remain somewhat of an enigma. Let's see...getting a teensy bit more background story would be nice. And oh, how does he react when he's out of his element? (i.e. when he's not in front of a computer) Hmmm, perhaps showing a touch of human emotion...? But not at the expense of requiring a response that's completely out of character.
2) A plot that isn't a horrible trainwreck of a mess.
3) Some humor, plz thank u.
4. Some real closure for the character. I want to remember him, if not happy, at least content with his decision... and to replace the final image of him from Death Note: The Last Name with something a little more pleasant in my brain. Seriously.
Could the movie have been a lot better? Yes. In the context of the Death Note series, this one was seriously lacking in the "thriller" department. L didn't get to match wits with a formidable opponent the caliber of Light Yagami. His nemesis(es?) was...a virus. And some mad scientists. While we're on the subject, the "mad scientists wanting to change the world by killing people with their crazy bioweapon plan" plot as L's last case would not have been my first choice. The pace of the movie--which I appreciated, for the most part--was quite a bit slower, which, I'm sure was uncomfortable to a lot of people in the Western part of the world not used to anything less than seizure-inducing, MTV-style barrage on the senses that Hollywood is so good at doing... but I digress. Ahem. When all is said and done, this was not Death Note, this was a spinoff...and spinoffs do not have to follow the same conventions as the original. This was about L, and how he chooses to spend his final days. No more, no less. As such, I did not waste time trying to compare it Death Note, as I'm sure some, unfortunately, will.
I think for the most part, I got some of everything I wanted on my list. Especially regarding #3 & 4. There were some funny moments, while not belly-laughable, were quite amusing. In the end, this movie really did my poor fangirl (broken) heart a lot of good.
One more thing: Ken'ichi Matsuyama's portrayal of L was just...exquisite. His quiet grace, control and restraint was just amazing and a pleasure to watch. I look forward to catching some of his other performances in the future. And I sincerely hope, only if Ken'ichi wishes to participate, and if there is a fantastic script...there will be a prequel.
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:Cannonball by Damien Rice
- Mood:
bouncy
- Mood:
listless
The months of March and April have been All Death Note. All. The. Time.
The story so far:
1. Rented the first two movies...twice. Once before vacation, and then right when we got back. The withdrawal symptoms were BAD.
2. Read volumes 1-9 of the manga. Waiting anxiously for 10 and 11 to come in at Barnes and Noble. Ordered them yesterday. Hope they come in soon...say, before I lose it and pick up 12 just to see how it ends. I hope it's soon, because I. am. not. that. strong.
3. Surfed the net for any fanfic I could get my hands on. What the heck does "yaoi" mean? Oh. I see.
4. Began watching the anime this evening. Not too sure about it yet. Still like the movie and the manga better. Will withhold judgment until I see the whole thing.
5. Ran out last night to buy tickets for L: Change the World, subtitled version, which comes out (one night only!) on Wednesday. Giggled like a little girl once I had said tickets in hand...and couldn't help but touch the poster ((((((L))))) on the way out to the parking lot. Plan to buy lollipops to consume during the movie. Yes, it's a thing.
- Mood:
dorky - Music:Home by Jack Johnson
- Mood: contemplative
- Music:Farewell by Rosie Thomas
It's been almost two weeks since hubby and I returned from our 17-day odyssey in Scotland.
There's so much about it that I miss terribly: the gorgeous scenery (especially the Isle of Skye and Glencoe), the lovely, ancient buildings, and, surprisingly, the food (some of it is much better, fresher, than ours).
I know it will be a long time before we plan a trip there again, simply because there are soooo many other places we'd like to see in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, France, to name a few) but I hope we do get an opportunity to go back. I feel a rather inexplicable affinity with Scotland that has unrivaled any other place I have ever visited--excepting Yellowstone/Grand Tetons National Parks in the U.S. I could actually picture us living somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland.
Maybe I have Scots blood, maybe not. I don't think that one has to have a literal familial bond to a place to feel drawn to it, whether it's for the natural splendor, the people, and/or the culture that makes one desire to return time and again.
As we drove through the country, I noticed signs posted that said: 'Haste ye back'. Well, I plan to, someday.
- Mood: contemplative
- Music:just the birds singing
- Mood:
lethargic
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| Your personality type is SLUAI |
| You are moderately social, moody, unstructured, accommodating, and intellectual, and may prefer a city which matches those traits. |
| The largest representation of your personality type can be found in the these U.S. cities: New Orleans, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, Greensboro, Memphis, Providence, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Portland/Salem, St. Louis and these international countries/regions Puerto Rico, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Turkey, Ireland, Ukraine, England, South Africa, Greece, Wales, Brazil, Switzerland, South Korea |
City Reviews at CityCulture.org
- Mood:
blah - Music:The hum of the laptop
I couldn't believe my luck, for once. I don't think they realized what they had, b/c everywhere else--including Amazon--is selling it for $20 or more. This is by far my favorite DH film I've seen yet. I highly recommend it.
- Mood:
giddy - Music:Save Me by Marc Broussard
 | You scored as Rodney McKay.
Who Is Your Stargate Boyfriend? created with QuizFarm.com |
- Mood: amused
- Music:Dog and Butterfly by Heart
After reading so many other ljs I decided to jump on this particular bandwagon.
Check out my interests and send me a note. You'll find I'm a rather laid-back, easy-going kind of person. I don't bite. Much.
- Mood:
creative - Music:the sound of silence
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