投稿

The World's Fastest Indian

-
イメージ
 Although the title may initially evoke the image of a Native American athlete capable of breaking world records, it in fact refers to a motorcycle. This 2005 New Zealand–United States co‑production, directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Anthony Hopkins, is a road‑movie dramatization of the life of Burt Munro, who set the land‑speed record for motorcycles under 1000cc. While the narrative is based on historical events, the film incorporates substantial dramatization and therefore cannot be classified as strictly nonfiction. At 63 years of age, Munro lives alone in rural New Zealand, continually modifying his 1920 Indian Scout. His long‑standing ambition is to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. After experiencing an episode of angina and receiving an unfavorable prognosis, he interprets the situation as a final opportunity and resolves to travel to the United States. Upon arriving in Los Angeles with his crated motorcycle, he encounters significant difficulties navigat...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

Ocean liners in films

-
イメージ
  On a certain summer day, I watched the film Brooklyn on the subscription channel and found myself deeply impressed by it. As television screens have grown larger, opportunities to view films at home have increased, and internet‑based streaming services have likewise become more convenient. These developments are undoubtedly welcome for film enthusiasts. Yet, just as some readers prefer physical books to digital formats, there remain viewers who value the experience of watching films in a cinema. In the region where I live, the local movie theater that once operated has since closed, and the casual pleasure of stepping out in Geta to see a film has disappeared—an absence I find particularly regrettable. "Stepping out in Geta" means walking distance or around the corner in Japanese.  Brooklyn was produced in 2015 as an Irish–British–Canadian co‑production and released in Japanese theaters in 2016. Set in the 1950s, it depicts the youth and emotional turmoil of a young wo...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

The Andromeda Strain

-
イメージ
  🎬 Reviewer's Take on “The Andromeda Strain” (1971) Robert Wise’s The Andromeda Strain is a cerebral, elegantly executed science fiction thriller that still resonates, more than 50 years after its release. Directed by the genre-hopping maestro behind Citizen Kane (as editor), West Side Story , and The Sound of Music , Wise brings his clinical eye and artistic restraint to a story that unfolds with scientific precision and apocalyptic dread. 📖 Literary Origins and Crichton's Vision Based on Michael Crichton's debut novel, originally published as The Andromeda Strain , the film is a model of speculative fiction grounded in biomedical realism. Crichton—a polymath who studied anthropology and later medicine—crafted the novel in his late twenties with such academic depth that Harvard later awarded him an honorary M.D. for its rigor. It’s a rare specimen: a novel cloaked in the format of a peer-reviewed medical paper, bristling with citations yet pulsing with suspense. ...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

The Citadel

-
イメージ
 **Film Review: "The Citadel" (1938)** In 1938, MGM brought to the silver screen *The Citadel*, a black-and-white adaptation of A.J. Cronin’s acclaimed novel published just a year prior. Directed by the distinguished King Vidor and filmed in the United Kingdom, the movie garnered significant critical acclaim, winning Best Picture from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle. Despite four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, it ultimately left the ceremony without a win — a near-miss that speaks more to the competition of the year than to the film’s inherent quality. **Synopsis**   The story follows Andrew Manson, a young, idealistic doctor portrayed with heartfelt sincerity by Robert Donat. Upon graduating from medical school, Manson is assigned to a struggling mining town in Wales. With earnest dedication, he engages with the miners and townsfolk, confronting the harsh realities of public health and labor conditions.   Th...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

"Men In White"

-
イメージ
 Do you know the movie *Men In Black* (1997)? It is a thrilling comedy sci-fi film in which actor Tommy Lee Jones, who became widely known for playing strange aliens in a canned coffee commercial, teams up with Will Smith to face off against evil extraterrestrials. The term "Men In Black" does not refer to men dressed in black suits as the phrase might literally suggest, but instead refers to officers who are assigned to protective or security duties and wear black suits as uniforms. For example, in *Roman Holiday*, there is a scene where black-suited officers, dispatched from the home country to search for the missing princess, get off a plane in a large group, causing the princess's military attaché to lament, "I told you to come quietly." During a shipboard dance party at Castel Sant'Angelo, the captain finds the princess, but a big brawl ensues. In *The Matrix*, all the agents, including Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving, are also dressed in black suit...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

Is Totoro a “Rabbit” or an “Owl”?

-
イメージ
  Is Totoro a “Rabbit” or an “Owl”? Among the New Year’s cards I received January 2023(Zodiac sign was a rabbit) , there was one with Totoro printed right in the center. Perhaps because I’d been staring at pictures of rabbits for a long time, I started wondering if Totoro might have some “rabbit-like” qualities. There’s a popular theory about Totoro’s true identity. In an interview, director Hayao Miyazaki revealed that during the production of My Neighbor Totoro, the staff nicknamed the large Totoro “Miminzuku” (a type of owl), the medium-sized one “Zuku,” and the smallest one “Min.” This led to the widespread idea that Totoro is based on a “miminzuku,” or owl. However, Totoro has no wings, can’t fly on its own (though it rides a spinning top), has teeth instead of a beak, and features whiskers, hands, and a round tail. This leaves some people scratching their heads, wondering, “How is this an owl?” On the other hand, the parts that look like Totoro’s ears might actually be t...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin"

-
イメージ
  Captain Corelli's Mandolin I’d like to introduce a film that isn’t very well-known: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin . Directed by John Madden, who also helmed Shakespeare in Love , and starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz, this movie was released in 2001. It’s a shame that the film didn’t receive high acclaim, especially since its source material is a novel by Louis de Bernières, published in the UK in 1993. The book became an instant bestseller, with one in twenty people said to have read it. In the final scene of the movie Notting Hill , Hugh Grant’s bookstore owner is seen reading this novel on a park bench while Julia Roberts, playing a pregnant character, rests her head on his lap. Over seven years, it sold more than two million copies and was published in 26 countries. Coinciding with the film’s release, a Japanese translation was published in 2001. The Story The narrative is based on a real event during World War II on the Greek island of Kefalonia, where 117 Italian sold...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む