Memories Of Matsuko

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Country: Japan
Date: 2006
Runtime: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Format: .avi and with .sub English subtitles

I've been going through my film and animated film posts and I noticed a pattern which is: most of them are either:

a) depressive as fvck
b) melancholic as fvck

I guess I like those the best. But! There's still hope! I might like some movies that present the other spectrum of emotions. Emotions like physical abuse, drug abuse, torture and, uhh, happiness? I heard of that somewhere, people even make movies about it. About happiness. Why don't I check a movie out that's happy? I looked around and this is what I ended up liking. But the problem is that despite the really colorful tones and delightful merry characters this is depressing as fvck. So we're back to square one. Eh, who gives a fuck anyway.

Memories of Matsuko is a story about a guy who has an aunt called Matsuko. He doesn't know very much about her but she died and he has to clean her apartment and crap like that. Through this cleaning he gets to know her aunt and how she lived through her life. He slowly but gradually pieces together her painful life into one big mosaic. So the story is actually focused around Matsuko but from the perspective of memories and interpretations by other characters. This is what generally makes the movie work and it works well for the most part. Since they are memories the scenes and events are highly stylized which gives a lot of room for social commentary and general Japanese weirdness. You know, the usual things they do.


The problem with all this is when the movie does something bad it gets really awkward and ruins the immersion of the story. Some of the singing musical bits were tedious for me to watch. But that's maybe because I don't like singing in movies. Because this doesn't happen that much often it kinda magnifies the effect when it does happen so it makes it that much worse. Aside from that there's really not that much to complain about. The acting is fairly good but it's still in that kinda strange Japanese way of acting. I'm not sure I can pinpoint what's so strange about it. It's just different.


Overall this is a very nice long film. It's not perfect and it might not click with you due to the over the top stylizing and you might miss some jokes/things if you're not that familiar with the culture. But those points should not ruin the whole film. Not in the least. In it's core the story is very universal.

Have fun: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

Art Taylor - Taylor's Wailers

You might have heard of Art Taylor or maybe you have not. If you had then you probably heard him on a bunch of Coltrane records or perhaps somewhere else. He did a lot of drumming in his days with a lot of important people on a lot of great records. After all those features and groups you kinda get the will to do something on your own. So you invite a bunch of friends to a studio and you jam. But there's no stress because it's a friendly and known environment where you and your friends just sit back and have fun with some tunes.

That's basically what this album is. It's a meeting of good friends who all play their instruments masterfully. It was his debut album in 1956 but he didn't release a lot of albums under his own name so to have the opportunity to hear where he's in charge is great.

If you're into some nice jazz jamming be sure to get this hidden (or is it?) gem. Oh and Coltrane only plays on track two in case you're getting this just because it says Coltrane on the cover.

New one.

HELLBENDERS - Applooza

Watch it.

If you haven't already. It's great.

Check the website as well.

Roadside Poppies - Cycling and Crying

While twee pop isn't a genre of music that I know much about I still like to check out some of its artists every now and then. I can name a few bands and from what I heard this genre seems fun enough but I like it in short bursts. That's why I mainly have EPs of twee pop and perhaps this might be the time that I share probably my favorite twee pop EP. In case you haven't heard of it here are the basics of twee pop: it's mellow pop filled with happy melodies, cutesy vocals and silly lyrics (about love mostly).

Roadside Poppies released this back in 2007 and a few other demos and so. I don't think they have any official albums. The EP itself has a short and sweet set of just four songs. The first is probably the best one and it reeks of "It's summertime!" feelings, the whole EP is kinda like that actually. But all four are relatively catchy and fun to listen. The third track is probably my second best.

So yeah, if you're in the mood for some mellow tunes I suggest you check this out.

Get.

Bukka White - The Complete Bukka White

So tired man; every time I try to write a post I just give up. But when it's tough then it's time for some blues. Delta blues to be exact. I like the other kind(s) as well but this one seems more sincere and more painful. Bukka White was one of those old school blues players. He was born in 1909 and he saw all the bad and painful parts of the 20th century. There's something magical about these early blues recordings. They take you back to more slower and more tougher times. Despite being sad songs they are uplifting in its core. That's what blues was about back then and Bukka did it great. Just sit back, hear some of his stories and marvel in his guitar skills.

Download.