the warrior and the wolf - preview

"The Warrior and The Wolf" is a movie about human nature, based on a short story by Japanese writer Yasushi Inoue. The story takes place in an unspecified dynasty, as the Chinese Empire takes on the rebellions tribes at its borders. Celebrated Chinese Fifth Generation director Tian Zhuangzhuang launches into a series of metaphors leading to other metaphors and flashbacks within flashbacks, hence trying to underlie the fact that humans are bound to fall prey to their own instincts (source).

Watch the trailer with English subtitles:

Honestly, the movie seems quite promising with respect to several aspects (fight scenes, special effects, scenery, camera work), but I don't think it will be a big hit as it might be too much of a blockbuster (international cast and all) while still trying too hard to be sophisticated. I will definetely watch it though, as Joe Odagiri, my favourite Japanese actor, is in it. When it comes to Odagiri that is reason enough... :)

the bawdies

"The Bawdies" are a Toyko four-piece band, consisting of leader Ryo "Roy" Watanabe (bass/vocals), Taku "Taxman" Funayama (guitar/vocals), Yoshihiko "Jim" Kimura (guitar/vocals) and Masahiko "Marcy" Yamaguchi (drums/vocals). Their music is retro-rock'n'roll and incredibly infectious. Not to mention the amazing voice of the lead singer (I can tell you: it's nothing that I had expected). Love it!

Here is their song "I Beg You":

Check out their myspace page, their song "You Gotta Dance" and my favourite "I'm In Love With You". "Oooh! Hey! Ah! Yeah yeah!"

jelly jam

Now...that's what I call fun!

masakatsu sashie's orbs

(reposted from pinktentacle; picture source and more pictures here)

"Masakatsu Sashie's fantastic “orb” paintings depict large, city-like spheres that float gently above the remains of a failed civilization. The giant orbs, which seem to be self-contained worlds unto themselves, are pieced together from the scraps of old Showa-period buildings and bits of consumer culture, such as vending machines, pachinko parlors, fast food signs, and video game components. Part retro and part sci-fi, the orbs appear to hover gracefully between the worlds of a nostalgic past and a dystopian future."

taobot the robot

(reposted from NeochaEDGE; picture source & more pictures here)

These wonderful illustrations belong to Beijing-based Little Kong and are all based on a story about a robot named "Taobot" (model number: M-TAOBOT-05172007). He is a robot made from a mixture of metal and playdough. Taobot has lived for hundreds of years, and been in hundreds of short stories, but is doomed to play the role of a tragic figure in each. Some of these roles include: a fanatical writer who writes until he becomes rusted with time; a hanger for laboratory cloaks in an experimental lab; a nerdy college student who is not able to feel emotions; a secret admirer of Little Red Riding Hood; a janitor who is a wonderful poet and climbs to the roof to watch the moon; a fireman who makes friends with kittens; a mailman who wholeheartedly delivers letters to the prince of outer space, a forgotten nursemaid who becomes a lumberjack, a heartless murderer, etc.

home

"Home" is an original and fresh debut film from French-Swiss director Ursula Meier, written by Antoine Jaccoud and Olivier Lorelle, and starring Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet. It is "a portrait of a family under siege". I do not want to reveal any more of the plot and would advise you not to watch any trailers (there is a more serious version and a less serious version of it), since they couldn't possibly convey the depth and complexity of the movie and might easily give off a wrong impression.

Even though it was draggy at times, some scenes are stuck forever in my mind, like impressive picture stills. The performances were amazing, and the story is highly metaphorical and leaves both a bitter aftertaste and room for hope. I especially liked the character's chemistry, the superb camerawork of Agnès Godard, the fact that the story seems to pop out, out of nowehere: the viewer doesn't know anything about the family's history or their motivations (thus enhancing its impact), and the way the film depicts how low people must fall in order to get back up. poster source

ryo arito's nori art

picture source

Ryo Arito is a New York-based Japanese artist who uses rice and nori seaweed to create ephemeral portraits. His art looks at traditional Japanese culture and notions of honor, history, and tradition. Take a look at his Flickr page.

handsome furs

"Handsome Furs" are an electro-punk indie band from Montreal. The band is comprised of "Wolf Parade's" Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry. The video for the song "I'm Confused" from their second album "Face Control" is a bit awkward but it's supposed to portray a zombie love thriller. Apparently it's not only music with sex appeal but also with a concept behind it (read the info section on myspace).

boys in a band

"Boys in a Band" are a super-cool band from Faroe Islands. I have seen them live as the support act for "The Whitest Boy Alive" and it was for the first time ever, that I liked the support act better than the main act. I felt so sorry that the TWBA crowd was not very responsive to their kind of music, but they didn't seem to care, they just did their thing and they did it wonderfully! Their music is so genuinely positive, energetic and honest! Love it!

the dead weather

Here is a wonderful video directed by Jonathan Glazer for "The Dead Weather's" "Treat Me Like Your Mother". "The Dead Weather" is an American alternative rock group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009, comprised of Alison Mosshart (of "The Kills" and "Discount"), Jack White (of "The White Stripes" and "The Raconteurs"), Dean Fertita (of "Queens of the Stone Age") and Jack Lawrence (of "The Raconteurs" and "The Greenhornes"). Check out this collection of stills related to the video.

Also check out "Hang You From the Heavens" here (one of my favourites by them)

the raveonettes

The Raveonettes are a Danish rock duo consisting of Sune Rose Wagner (on guitar, instruments, vocals) and Sharin Foo (on bass, guitar and vocals).

Here is one of my favourite songs by them "Bang!":

19th Cologne Conference

"Cologne Conference (30.09.-04.10.2009) is Europe's leading festival for independent film production and exceptional television. Besides its traditional consideration of outstanding international television productions, the Cologne Conference will again examine the new language of media and market trends in film industry, on the internet, in advertising, and in mobile communication."

I case you were wondering: the song in the trailer is "Baby, Baby, Baby" by "Make The Girl Dance" (watch the video here).

Link:

snap of the week

Since I am a huge fan of street fashion, I have decided to share each week my favourite snap with you. Sometimes it will be up-to-date posts on street style blogs, other times, they might come from the archives. Most of the times, however, it will be Japanese street fashion, as I believe that it is by far the most refreshing one. This week's snap for boys comes from Scrapture:

This week's snap for girls comes from Ridsnap:

japanese hip-hop

Here is a beat-boxing/hip-hop group 太華「顔面着地」from Japan. The reasons for this post are the beautiful video and Kenken, the bassist.

save the balls

Initiated by 2much for the first time in 2008 the project "save the balls" is meant to provide a violence free and safe shelter for abused ping pong balls. Month after month, millions and millions of those poor balls are cruely abused by hard beatings from the ping pong-racket and some balls have to endure gruesome smash-beats with up to 170 km/h, which deforms the ball up to 25% percent of its original size. 2much is dedicated to stop this unnecessary violence and begs you not to look the other way! Every ball bought from 2much is one more ball in safety (source & picture source).

jim mahfood

Jim Mahfood a.k.a. Food One is an American illustrator/comic book artist/muralist/live art rocker residing in LA. Projects include illustrating Kevin Smith's Clerks comics, his own Grrl Scouts books, several Spider-Man books for Marvel, (and tons of other comics), the ad campaign for Colt 45 in 2007-08, the murals in the Sarah Silverman Program, his ongoing artbook series, Mixtape, the Kick Drum Comix mini-series (both published by Image Comics), and more (source & picture source). Check out his website.

maximum the hormone

I have taken my time preparing this post, since I really wanted to advertise well for my favourite band. I wanted to chose the perfect video and song but it was quite difficult. Since I cannot even pick a favourite video (I LOVE all their songs), I will probably post all of them, one at a time, in the course of one year.

Maximum the Hormone are one of those bands that are absolutely amazing in everything they do (and they have the collest drummer ever - she also sings!). They are incredibly energetic (I have been to one of their concerts and believe me when I say: they basically redefine "energetic"). Their music: vibrant beats, loud noise, growls, pop tunes, hardcore, fast rap and and everything else. Happy hardcore. They have been often considered to be a combination of "System Of A Down" and "Red Hot Chilli Peppers". Enjoy "Koi no mega Lover" (video and lyrics make absolutely no sense):

be a fool

Even though I am not a huge fan of "The Ark", I have to admit that their song "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" is one of my favourite Swedish songs. I adore the lyrics! It's probably a classic among sensitive high-schoolers, people belonging to different subcultures or, like me, dealing with post-adolescent angst. It takes a fool to remain true to oneself. The alternative: Be smart and go with the flow. It should be more convenient. But is this really what you want?

Why do we always try to do the "right" thing without questioning what the right thing actually is? Who decided what is right and wrong? Why should I be dictated by a crowd of cowards, who crashed under the weight of their own dreams, what to dream of? What to strive for, What I should act like? This song tells us not to fear what others might think of us and simply be ourselves: talk loud, dance lousy, laugh ugly, not smoke, smoke, listen to silly pop bands, „take it to the stage“ etc. It does take a lot of courage to be different. But you will love yourself for it (related post).

So you think this post was corny?

"Do, do, do, what you wanna do

Don't think twice, do, what you have to do

Do, do, do, do, let your heart decide what you have to do,

That's all there is to find."

books

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Index is a wonderful collection of animated short movies. Since it is saturday morning ;) I am going to share some of my favourites with you and I will try to do so each saturday!

Today's theme is books and how they can enrich and enchant our worlds. Enjoy:

"Herzog and the Monsters" by Lesley Barnes: Little Herzog almost gets lost in a forest full of monsters, or are they letters? A graphic fairytale in digital cut-out animation full of books and letters, about the wealth of language and the worlds we create with it....(music: Al Paxton's Metronomes)

"The Girl Who Hated Books" by Jo Meuris is a story about a little girl who discoveres the magic of books by accident.

imaginary lives

sakamoto tours europe

Legendary composer, performer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto is touring Europe for the first time in many years. As a founding member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (considered to be the Asian counterpart to Kraftwerk), founded in 1978, Ryuichi Sakamoto, born in Tokyo in 1952, is one of the pioneers of electronic pop music. Sakamoto's best-known solo work is probably the soundtrack to "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", but his 1987 score for Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" won him an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, as well as the New York, Los Angeles and British Film Critics Association awards for best original soundtrack. Since then, he has worked with Bertolucci ("The Sheltering Sky", "Little Buddha"), Oliver Stone ("Wild Palms"), Pedro Almodovar ("High Heels"), and Brian De Palma ("Snake Eyes", "Femme Fatale"). He has collaborated with a huge variety of other musicians including David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Brian Wilson and Youssou N’Dour.

Watch his "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" perfromance here (and the movie verison here: "Forbidden Colors" with David Sylvain, featuring scenes from the same named film, featuring the composer himself and David Bowie):

Watch him perform "Rain" live here (Trivia: he appeared in Madonna's "Rain" music video).

Watch him perform the jazzy "Tong Poo" here.

Here are the tour dates for Germany:

Oct 07 - Wed Hau 1 (Berlin/Germany)
Oct 09 - Fri Tonhalle (Düsseldorf/Germany)
Oct 11 - Sun Central Theatre (Leipzig/Germany)
Oct 15 - Thu Enjoy Jazz Festival (Heidelberg/Germany)

For more dates in Europe check his website.

source1 and poster source, source2

slaves

In one of her posts, ecila recommends the documentary "Sex Slaves". I like how it portrays the fact that indeed a large amount of women (10%) actually get into this business absolutely unsuspecting of what awaits them. Because of a lack of education and future prospects, many girls from poor countries fall in the traps that hide beneath promicing ads for work abroad (especially since there are also many successful stories of hard-working people sending money home from abroad). And it gets worse: some girls are sold by their own aquaintances. Once sold and put to work, they are kept in inhumane conditions, and treated like meat. This documentary shows that it's never a question of choice. Not even after they start working. They simply cannot run away. Many are kept under lock and key, under constant surveillance. The pimps maintain control over them making use of psychological terror, threatening them and their families. The police is most of the times involved in the business. Many girls are made to believe that by working, they can buy their freedom back: they work for free, believeing that this way they can pay back the money they were bought for. And it gets worse: because, by a certain time they will have debts, or because some crash under the influence of terror, they "decide" to stay. Who is to blame? The law, the media, the police, the society. It's brutal, inhumane, unforgivable and it's happening as we speak.

"Sex Slaves" is a gripping documentary expose inside the global sex trade in women from the former Soviet Bloc. The film takes viewers into the shadowy, multi-billion dollar world of sex trafficking. Part cinema verité, part investigation, Sex Slaves puts a human face on this most inhuman of contemporary issues. From the villages of Moldova and Ukraine, to underground brothels and discotheques in Turkey where many women are trafficked and forced into prostitution, we witness first-hand the brutal world of white sex slavery". You can read updates on the lives of the victims portrayed in this documentary here (thank you ecila).

I want to take this opportunity and recommend two movies: "Trade" and Lukas Moodysson's "Lilja 4-ever". While "Trade" manages to portray some of the above mentioned issues in an appropriate way, "Lilja 4-ever" is a true masterpiece, one that makes you forget that you watch a movie, one that makes your heart ache: the feeling of being lost, as well as the impact of intimidation and terror on the psyche is as real as one can be. "Lilja 4-ever" is an absolute must!

"Lilja 4-ever" poster source, "Trade" poster source

japandroids

Japandroids is a two-man garage rock band from Canada, formed in 2006, and comprising Brian King on guitar and David Prowse on drums. The two met at the University of Victoria, where King studied science and Prowse anthropology. What I love about them, is not just the sound, but also the fact that "unlike most arty noise bands, these guys don't take themselves too seriously." Even though there is no bass, they sound amazing and I have a feeling they have a lot ahead of them in terms of success.

Check out their website. Read a review of their first album "Post-Nothing" here.

Watch them perform on KEXP here. For part 2 click here.