Film Log (since coming to Japan)


25. The Princes' Bride - watched March 2009
Borrowed off Sally, watched in Wales, this is the story that catapulted Fred Savage (future hero of The Wonder Years) to national attention. It is also the story of a story book, that sees a young maiden, Buttercup, have to fight to keep 'True Love' in the face of a prince who has mean intentions on her. Oh and 'As you wish', now equals in this film, 'I love you'.

24. The Pursuit of Happiness- watched July 2008
My second father-child relationship movie in nder 24 hours! (see the post below!)
Whereas 'I am Sam' (reviewed below) concluded that all that is needed to be a good parent is love and the support of others, The Pursuit of Happiness concludes it is financial success through fighting in one's own strength. When Chris (actor Will Smith)'s wife walks out on him and he slides into greater financial debt then he was even in previously, he has to take drastic measures to win back his pride and find financial stability for him and his son. So, even thugh at times homeless, he wins an internship at a stockbrokers company (imagine 'The Apprentice' British TV chalenge show) and ends up eventually winning the 6 month no-salary program through his own self-effort. What can be said for tis film is that it is based on a true story. It also reflects on and portrays the reality of Jefferson's American dream that every individual has the right to the 'pursuit of happiness', and how hard work can lead to this. What it doesn't have for it is a wider view that happiness is not only based on money.

23. I am Sam - watched July 2008
Absolutely brilliant! About a mentally disabled man, Sam, who looks after his new baby daughter single-handedly after the mother walks out. When his daughter, Lucy, is age 7 he is called into her school, and questionned about his ability to now care for Lucy who is fast overtaking his own mental age. From here starts a court case wher Sam (actor Sean Penn) employs lawyer (Michelle Pfeiffer) to try t win Lucy back for him from her new foster home. Filled with everyday scenes from Starbucks, amusing episodes with Sam and his disabled friends, (two of the actors are actually disabled actors), and tear-jurking pictures of cute Lucy, this will be a film that will impact your view of parenthood and disablity and stay with you.

22. Un Dimanche a Kigali - watched March 2008
My first DVD-shop rental here in Japan! But on getting the film home and loaded into my computer found that it was all in French, with only Japanese subtitles as an option! Luckily for me understanding what was going on wasn't too difficult, as I soon realised that the film Hotel Rwanda (in English, which I saw in a cinema in Oxford a few years ago) was a complete rip-off of this older film in French (and thus no-one probably realised). The film was still about the genocide in Rwanda, it was set in the same hotel as the other film, it had some f the same characters (such as the hotel owner); the difference was that it saw the event through the eyes of a Canadian journalist, and his Rwandan girlfriend. Unfortunately, just like Rwanda in the 1990s, there was no happy ending. The girlfriend gets raped and murdered by the rebel forces, her sister is tortured and so in the end the Canadian journalist kills her with a pillow (smothering), and the film ends with him at her grave, watching again a video he took of when they were both still alive. Although more genuine being in French (as Rwanda is French-speaking), I preferred Hotel Rwanda and that is the one I would recommend to you.

21. Shaun of the Dead - watched March 2008
Described on the cover as 'A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies.' this is a non-typical very-British-in-humour low-budget very weird film, given to me by my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas. I watched it with a Japanese friend and the beginning was so weird, and the language so bad, that I felt really embarrassed to have put it on. But then, as the story developed, it did kind if suck us in, and by the end we had both really enjoyed it. I watched it a second time, this time listening to the directors voices as a commentary instead of the script, and actually enjoyed that loads too, and picked up on how a film is put together.

20. Hideous Kinky - watched again April 2008
One of my favourite ever films, for its vibrant colours and depiction of life in Morocco. Kate Winslet, a young mother takes her two small daughters on a trip of a lifetime, to escape London life. But her selfish desire for the annihilation of the mind as taught by the Sufis in Algeria, leads her family into danger. The performance of the two young actresses who play the daughters is really outstanding, as they play just as key a role as Winslet. Most of the other actors are Moroccan.

19. Big cats - watched March 2008
Do you know what a lemur is? It's a cross-breed of a tiger and a lion, and the result is enormous. However none of these rare animals live in the wild today - they have all been born and bred in captivity and probably wouldn't be able to survive in the wild. It was horrific to see, in another storyline, a big cat in India swimming unnoticed to a small boat before jumping on board and taking out a part of a man's head. The man is still live today,but with a big chunk of the back of his head missing. This was the DVD of the five National Geographic ones that I had that I enjoyed least actually. There was rather too long sections of a lion or tiger being x-rayed and then the skeleton structure being explained. I also found I had to watch some sections again as I found it hard to concentrate on it. However what I did enjoy was watching the animals wild in the Masai Mara, as I have seen them there myself.

18. Bears - watched March 2008
The reconstruction of a grizzly bear breaking into a Canadian family's home, opening its kitchen cupboards and eating it's mueseli were scary, especially when you saw the family crouching in a different room, making an emergency call to the police. And then there was one individual who designed a 'bear-proof'costume. he then went and stood in bear-country all night waiting for an attack...but none came. The conclusion was that his costume removed the human-looking element to him, and thus there was no reason why the bear would attack.

17. Sharks - watched February 2008
Most people think sharks are most attracted by human blood. But when scientists in America did some experiments on response rates of sharks to different substances, actually blood was low compared to fish, especially tuna! Still, it was scary to watch the reconstruction of a shark circling and taking snaps at the canoe of an Australian kayaker, for hours before it finally left him and he could escape to shore.

16. Hawaiian Monk Seals - watched February 2008
A National Geographic production, this film charts the Hawaiian Monk Seals reduction in numbers, and asks the question, Why? To answer this question, a scientific research group fly into Hawaii; they attach video cameras t the backs of some of the seals, and through the subsequent video footage you see the amazing journeys these animals go on. Whereas the experts had always thought the seals fed in the shallows,where there is an abundant of fish life to feast on, they actually found that the seals completely ignored this area for feeding, instead heading out into the deep water miles from shore. The scientists had thought this area was devoid of fish, but when they themselves did a dive into this area, they found a localised area of rich plankton/plant-life and fish, without any of the predators present that would have been in the shallows. A a result of this discovery, this area of the sea will now also become a protected area under law, in order to preserve the life of the monk seals. An absolutely fascinating DVD which I watched 2 or 3 times.

15. Always - watched February 2008
A Japanese block-buster hit, this film depicts post 2nd World War life in Tokyo. You see Tokyo Tower being built, you see teenage girls sent off from their parents in the countryside to find new work, money and a new life in the city. The story features a number of characters - the young country girl who finds work as a car mechanic; the bar-owner who turns out to be heavily in debt; a young homeless boy; and the eccentric writer who takes the young boy in, as his own. A long fil but very entertaining from start to end.

14. Bridget Jones 2 - watched lots of times, esp in December 2007
Anyone like me watched Bridget Jones 2 in Japanese, about five times? Try it! Apart from the entertainment of Bridget on the ski slopes of Switzerland and the beaches of Thailand, it's a great cure for a quiet room.

13. Stardust - watched October 2007
I watched a mad film at the cinema here in Japan - set in rural England, followed by a magical world through the stone wall in the field in Suffolk, where witches and pirates-in-the-sky dwell. A fantastical film which is not normally my style, and which the first half I didn't like at all with it's magic and evil, but which by the end I was totally entranced by. I think I might have just had my mind opened to a new genre of film. Watched it a second time on the plane gong back to Britain at Christmas.

12.Mountain Gorillas - watched January 2008
Brilliant. Since living so near the border with Rwanda where the mountain gorillas live, I have always had an interest in them. So reading about Dian Fossey's work for some 17 years, living in a hut in the forest, in order to gather anthropological data on the gorilla's behaviour, is fascinating. As well as seeing the old footage, of the gorilla's probably now ling dead, or butchered, the story is largely told by Dian's married photographer. He is still alive, she is not. So the story of how she allured him into becoming her lover is rather one-sided, and seeing his wife speak of Dian is also rather sad, as I am sure her husband was half of the blame. I don't know if I could stomach the film to watch again, esp as Dian is in the end murdered, as is Digit their favourite gorilla, but it's one I want for my archives (= collection of so far one DVD owned by me!) as it's a very special film.

11. The Perfect Man - watched October 2007
Not as awful as it sounds! Two American teenagers try and create the perfect man for one of their single and desperate mums, to prevent her from settling for less.But when that man actually never exists, and the mum finds out, daughter number 1 suddenly has to organise for her mum to meet the man who has really been giving her the 'perfect advice'. A very funny scene where the daughter bursts into a church, thinking the groom is the one who has been giving her the advice (the perfect man), so she disrupts the wedding, before realising that actually the perfect man is only the wedding organiser and not the groom!

10. Emma - watched October 2007
A Jane Austin classic, the heroine, Emma, is actually rather a nasty piece of work. Her daydreaming about who should marry who get her into trouble.

21. The Prince and I - watched October 2007
Loved this film! Borrowed it off a friend. It's a cheesy chick flick, but with an interesting twist. That is, it starts in Denmark, with a flashy Danish prince asking his parents if he can go and study in an American university for a year. They agree and he goes with his personal butler to Wisconsin, becomes a 'normal' student, (apart from his butler cooking him eggs in the morning in his shared college dorm-room!), and falling in love with a Wisconsin girl. She then tracks him down again n his Danish castle, and prepares to become the Queen of Denmark, before the storyline twists again in a new direction... Filmed in Prague, Copenhagen, and Toronto!

8. Welcome to the Dolls House (1995) - watched March 2007
Rubbish film! But I guess the film-makers were trying to say 'something' - namely how awful life can be for teenagers who grow up without receiving love from their parents or understanding from their teachers. About a little girl from one family who has a miserable time in American high school and as a result gets gradually a monster to live with at home. Not a nice film, but it provided me with a break from my grammar test revision at least!

7. My Life Without Me (2002) - watched January 2007
My second time of seeing this film: the first in an arts cinema in Jericho, Oxford, the second in an arts-university library in Kyoto! It really tugs at your heartstrings, showing a lady of 23, mother-of-two, wife, diagnosed with just 2-3 months to live, and how she chooses to live those last few months. Her life isn't luxurious - they live in a trailer/caravan, she works nights cleaning, they had thier first child at 17, the children aren't even that pretty. But it made me see that some elements of love are the same the world over. It made me see what love is (like the husband warming the wifes cold feet by blowing on them), to what it isn't (the wife secretly having an affair with another man, to experience that before she dies). It is a complex-film, not hard to understand, but deep in emotion; not a shallow American chick-flick. In the opening scene, as the lady stands in the pouring rain, her voice says as an overtone to the scene: 'this is your life'. Another time she tells her mum, who questions why she listens to Chinese language tapes in her car instead of being normal and listening to pop music: 'No-one's normal Mom; there's no such thing as a normal person'. It leaves you asking questions on your own life, and feeling a depression and yet a perserverence for the future.

6. Land of our Fathers (2006) - watched December 2006
This is being shown at cinemas now, directed by Clint Eastwood. It features American soldiers during the Second World War, attacking Japan and having victory. But also the American government hatch on to one picture-still, of their national flag being put down in Japanese soil by five young soldiers, and the film takes on the lives of these men. 'Gulf War Syndrome' had not yet been diagnosed during that era, and yet it should have been. The men are not the same. It's a great film, all the more for me seeing it here, in Japan. I wasn't sure who to side with - I naturally felt more 'in line' with the Americans, who look more like me, but on the other hand, I'm not American and so I wondered why I should side with them rather than the Japanese. The other film, (as it comes in a pair), apparently depicts the same events but from the Japanese viewpoint. Maybe this will help me to see differently, when I get to see that one.

5. Great Balls of Fire (1989) - watched November 2006
'Don't you believe in God anymore? Then talk to him!'
'Your talent should be used for the glory of God!'
That's two things that Gerry Lee Lewis was told by his preacher cousin, as he shot to fame in the era of Elvis with his song 'Great Balls of Fire', thus helping to birth rock n' roll from the deep south's Bible belt. He replied to the latter quote with: 'Talent should be used for the glory of the talented.' And that's how he largely lived his life, and he's still alive today. I really enjoyed this film. I watched it after walking out of my last exam. It made me laugh, relax, and finally, a film in English! It's old now, but Winona Ryder plays Lewis' child bride, they visit England where they are booed off stage, and I recommend it for humour and light enterntainment, and education of this artists and musical genre's history! (maybe even watching it outside my university's library might be fun too!)

4. Lotta Pa Brakmakargatan (1992) - - watched October 2006
A German film, about a family in Germany, and in particular the family's three children, centring on the youngest: Lotta, aged 5. A lovely sentimental-for-childhood (and European culture I might add, watching it in Japan) kind of film. Not much happens, there's not a plot as such; you're just encourage to fall in love with blond haired Lotta like she's one of your neighbours or relatives. I could understand most of what was gojng on, despite watching it in German with Japanese subtitles (neither of which were a great help!)

3. Hamlet (2003) - watched October 2006
In Japanese, with an all-Japanese cast, in a Tokyo theatre. I saw about 30 minutes of this, before I had to go. It was great; a very imaginative and entertaining production, esp with regard the stage set and lighting. Quite gripping.

2. Water Boys(1997 ?) (title in katakana, not roman alphabet) - watched October 2006
Japanese boys high school produce a syncronized swimming team. Very funny! A bit like The Full Monty in humour and enjoyment! Japanese language with English subtitles.

1. Angel in the Box(2005 ? ) - watched October 2006
Set in Japan's northern-most island, Hokkaido, in a nation-wide-chain convenience store here called Lawson. It follows the lives of the staff there, through snowy winter and warm summer - chiefly the manager and his rebellious teenage daughter, Yuki, as well as their interactions with their weird and wonderful customers. A good and accurate look at Japanese life, although rather boring becuase it is so 'normal' in many ways. Japanese language.

Book Blog (sept-06 onwards)


14. Children of the Sun , by Morris West

Written by an Australian about the street kids of Naples from about 50 years ago, this book brings a vivid picture backed up by photos and stats of the poverty and crowded slum living conditions - not to mention life cycle of a girl through family, abuse, street kid, prostitution - to life. The work of a Catholic priest is also featured - one that went to his Bishop and asked to live with the street guys and girls, pretending to be one of them, before revealing himself to be a priest four months later, and opening for them the House of the Urchins. This brings mission to life - someone identifying with the people, to provide fr them. But I wonder why he then had to don his priest's back garb again, and transform back? I'd like to visit Naples, which 50 years later, still has more of a third world feel compared with the north of Italy, and still needs exposure and help (according to my Italian flatmate).

13. Families Where Grace is in Place , by Jeff VanVonderen

A colleague lent me this book, encouraging me to release people to be themselves, without demanding expectations. I saw through the authors words and diagrams how two empty people can be drawn to each other for relationship, but that fullness on the outside can't meet their emptiness on the inside. Full people are needed for relationships; full of God's love and confidence. But that people can and should change - and you can help your spouse or kids to do this through prayer, rather than other methods primarily. This is a book where not every word has to be read, but the gist gained, and that can be done fairly quickly, through a couple of times of reading and flicking through. The flip side is that it goes against all other recommended advice such as that in The Five Love Languages, and other marriage courses, which center on potential for change for each other, rather than releasing (already a loaded word) each other to be themselves. You'll have to take your pick as to which you think is right.

12. I Married You , by Walter Trobbisch
This is a book for those contemplating marriage or already married. It is a series of talks given by the (German) author in country in Africa, where myths about a man planting his seed in a woman (i.e. the baby being his, not genetically and therefore in practice half-half), and a man being allowed to be promiscuous as he sees his woman as a garden where he can plant his seed and move on if he likes to another garden, sometimes prevail. The style of writing, and reflection on the talks, helps the read to engage fully, and his real-life examples of the problems that his listeners had in their own relationships provide something for us to relate to, and a base from which he applies his teaching. His 'triangle' diagram, (later re-named a tent), comprises of three things necessary for marriage: leaving, cleaving, and one flesh. It especially struck me that in our culture of dating, a lot of the cleaving happens during dating, which makes it rather difficult to extradite yourself if things go wrong. However this was the side of the triangle which the author said should happen first. Also in the leaving part, the man shall leave his father and mother - so whereas in Britain the guy usually asks the girl's father if he can ask her to marry him, I also saw how important it is for the man to get the OK and approval from his own parents so they can fully release him emotionally. And finally, in the triangle, children produced by the sex part (one flesh) can sit right in the middle of the triangle/tent, protected. An excellent book.

11. True Grit , by Deborah Meroff
The subtitle of the book is, 'Women Taking on the World for God's sake'. Written by an OM (Operation Mobilisation) employee, it details the lives of 9 women who have taken up missionary posts with OM, and also outlines the issues of the area of ministry they have entered - working with the deaf in Israel, working on-board an OM ship, living in the slums of Cairo, child labour in Nepal, etc. It also offers a very easy to read, although occasionally rather cheesy, outline of the women's lives and decision making processes to get them where they ended up. I'd totally recommend the book as one that's easy to read - a chapter a sitting/9 chapters total - and enjoyable and mind-stretching. In fact I have already recommended it and my sister read it while on the beach here, and another colleague borrowed it for a few weeks. Oh yeah!

10. History of Christianity in Korea: From its troubled beginnings to its contemporary success , (click on this title to view article), by Andrew E. Kim
Not quite a book, but a very interesting web-article explaining the history of the church in Korea, from before the North/South divide, and after, and including the influence of the japanese ruling powers in crushing the church for many years. There are so many Korea missionaries spread around the world now that it's pretty important for the rest of us to understand some of where their national church started I think.

9. The Fourth Dimension , by Dr Paul Yonggi Cho (1979)
The author leads the biggest church in the world (and is just retiring as I write). He is well-known in Korea, where his church is. The blurb on the back of this book promises: 'It goes beyond ordinary living and takes you into a creative way of life - the world of answered prayer, dynamic faith and true communion with God.' This does not promise more than it offers, as the book does indeed provide many principles from God's word and from personal experience that have led Yonggi Cho into 'ordering' things in prayer (eg not just a desk, but a mahoghany desk of speific dimensions), of being 'pregnant' with prayers, which involves praying until you know you will receive it, then even when you don't see it, being confident to yourself and others that you will get it, and relating to God through this 'fourth dimension' : linking our spirits to God's Spirit, and thus having dominion and control over the third dimersion - the natural world. He has seen results through this way of praying - a 50,000 strong congregation, money pouring in for various church projects, personal prayers answered for possessions or for healing for others. Will we also participate in that?

8. The Spirit-Controlled Woman , by Beverly LaHaye (1976)
Written in 1976, and very much of that era, this book encourages women to respect thier husbands, pick up thier socks in the mornings, not to say nasty things about others to their husbands, and live with the Spirit of God in them. I can espcially affirm the latter, and the former, and the rest mgiht be a matter for personal interpretation and application! In particular she uses the four old-personality types of 'Martha Melancholic', 'Polly Phlegmatic', 'Clara Choleric' and 'Sarah Snaguine'. Of course reading it I wanted to be Sarah - the life of the party, whose husband is always kept entertained by thier sex drive (yes, even that is covered). But naturally I wasn't. More like Martha. So it had advice on how to cast some of the negative aspects of each persoanlity trait aside in order to be more fully a woman of God, and that was good advice!

7. Greater than Riches, by John White
Ongoing reading, as this is a daily devotional book with a page or so of sheer insight of God and us, gained through reflecting on Bible verses.

6. Happiness is a Choice, by Frank B. Minirth, M.D., & Paul D. Meier, M.D.
Still reading this, and want to read more. about how happy we feel is how happy we choose to be, and that when we are unhappy/depressed, we have actually fallen into the pattern of this and get some benefits from it, such as attention, habouring deep-rooted anger, and so on. Written by American authors who work at Dallas Theological Seminary and the Minirth-Meiser Psychiatric Clinic.

5. Alive and Growing, by Vernal Craig
Likening our Christian lives with nature's growth, and the four seasons. A comforting book full of wisdom that you presume is actually linked to the Bible but is not written in such a way as to be quoting passages. i'm dipping in now and again at bedtime!

4. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
An English classic! Brillaint, loved it.

3. Love is a Decision, by Gary Smalley with John Trent, Ph.D
found on our church bookshelf

2. One on church models, found on Martins' bookshelf.

1. Title forgotten, but about raising adopted children, found on Martin's bookshelf

0. The Bible
Ongoing daily reading, I hope for the rest of my life! Brings me clarity, sense/the right way to see things, as well as get to know God, the creator of the World.