Kotoko, SPEC: The Movie, Totecheeta Chikicheeta, Atsuhime Number 1, Trailers

I started off this week with some nice news when Goregirl nominated me for an award (which I’ll respond to tomorrow) and I worked on a few reviews for some J-horror films and posted two trailers for films I’m eager to watch plus there was news of the Terracotta Film Festival. As far as what’s happening next week I had such fun writing my Sion Sono Season posts that I want to start a new season soon so I’ll break out my DVD’s in preparation. Anyway, I read a book about the making of Alien named Alien Vault which was fascinating and featured a replica of this Japanese ad which was amusing and not a patch on the US poster which has the egg and legendary tag-line: In space no one can hear you scream.

How does the Japanese box-office chart look?

• 01.  Doraemon – Animal Adventure
• 02. We Were There: Part 1
• 03. Sherlock Holmes
• 04. Puss In Boots
• 05. Pretty Cure All Stars

Well the top ten are choked full of adaptations of books/manga/anime which is a familiar state of affairs. Doreamon holds on to the top spot with over thirty-five million dollars grossed so far. I knew he was popular but wow. We Were Here, Liar Game: Reborn and Precure are still doing good business too and Arakawa Under the Bridge is still in the top twenty. Interestingly Drive has entered at number fourteen. I hope it hangs in there and performs well since it was one of the best films of last year.

All of the films released today look entertaining but Kotoko and SPEC look the most exciting and if I had to lay down my money for cinematic goodness it would go to those two. Here are the trailers!

Kotoko

Release Date: 07^th April 2012 (Japan)

Running Time: 91 mins.

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

Writer: Shinya Tsukamoto

Starring: Cocco, Shinya Tsukamoto

Kotoko is from Shinya Tsukamoto the director of Tetsuo, Vital and Nightmare Detective. It has recieved excellent reviews and will get a UK release via Third Window Films later this year.

A single mother (Cocco) begins to see doubles and becomes paranoid which makes taking care of her baby a nightmare. Her only relief from the double vision is singing and cutting herself but she soon suffers a nervous breakdown and her baby is taken away. One day, while riding a bus, she sings to herself and this catches the attention of a man (Shinya Tsukamoto) who falls in love with her. The man is a novelist and he begins stalking her until they engage in a volatile relationship which seems to ease her visions and paranoia. Then her baby returns and her condition worsens.

 

SPEC: The Movie

Release Date: 07^th April 2012 (Japan)

Running Time: N/A

Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Writer: Yuie Nishiogi

Starring: Erika Toda, Ryo Kase, Chiaki Kuriyama, Denden, Saki Fukuda

The director of 20^th Century Boys and dark comedy/thriller 2LDK brings us the cinematic sequel to a long-running drama series that started out on TBS.

Detective Saya Toma (Erika Toda) has an IQ of 201 and works together with veteran detective Takeru Sebumi (Ryo Kase) in the Unsolved Crimes Unit taking on and cracking mysterious cases that others have given up on.

 

The Lies of Locke Lamora Part V

The final week of the awesome Lies of Locke Lamora Readalong sees the group answering Lynn’s questions. I don’t really do book clubs or anything similar so this has been a really new experience. The book has been great and so have the discussions. I’ve come across a lot of good bloggers and enjoyed reading their answers which you can check out at Little Red Reviewers blog. Here are my answers.

1.       The Thorn of Camorr is renowned – he can beat anyone in a fight and he steals from the rich to give to the poor.  Except of course that clearly most of the myths surrounding him are based on fantasy and not fact.  Now that the book is finished how do you feel the man himself compares to his legend.  Did you feel that he changed as the story progressed and, if so, how did this make you feel about him by the time the conclusion was reached?

Locke is nothing like the myth of The Thorn of Camorr. He does not have many of the skills associated with the myth, doesn’t know what to do with the stuff he steals and is complacent when we first meet him. He is then pushed to his limits by the Grey King and is reduced to nothing so he has to dig deep to get past his complacency and find a new level of strength and direction. He knows his weaknesses and plays to his strengths which are deception and thinking on the fly which he uses brilliantly in the final battle. He also acquires a new level of bravery and ruthlessness considering the final series of confrontations and fights could have gone disastrously wrong. Interestingly the Grey King is what Locke might have become if he alone had survived and lost everything he loved.

2.       Scott Lynch certainly likes to give his leading ladies some entertaining and strong roles to play.  We have the Berangia sisters – and I definitely wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of them or their blades plus Dona Vorchenza who is the Spider and played a very cool character – even play acting to catch the Thorn.  How did you feel about the treatment the sisters and Dona received at the hands of Jean and Locke – were you surprised, did it seem out of character at all or justified?

The women in this world do not take a back seat to men and are believably strong. They have established themselves in their professions through hard work and natural skills and by playing on the weaknesses of others.

The Dona has used intelligence and deception to maintain her position. Like Locke she has a degree of complacency and underestimates how desperate or devious her foe might be so when she is overcome by brute force it was absurd but believable and I must admit to finding it amusing (すみません!). I was expecting a conversation so the right hook caught me off-guard but then how else was Locke going to escape Dona Vorchenza since she had outwitted him?

As for Berangia sisters they were the natural equals of Jean and they went out fighting which is how they lived. I had little sympathy for them since they knew exactly what they were getting into and were confident that they could take him. I kind of liked them and so I felt that their fight was a bit of a let down since I wanted something more spectacular than a dust up in a warehouse.

Anyway, I prefer my girls tough.