Akira Kurosawa Forums » Topic: Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio

Akira Kurosawa Forums » Topic: Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Akira Kurosawa Forums » Topic: Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio en Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:12:17 +0000 cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1577 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:44:17 +0000 cocoskyavitch 1577@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Thanks for the link, lawless. There were a few passages that gave me pause, and made me wonder about the scholarship of the article. Certainly, there are examples of some incredibly (by Western standards of illustration) explicit porn in Ukiyo-e, and some that would fit the "hentai" model: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dream_of_the_fishermans_wife_hokusai.jpg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dream_of_the_fishermans_wife_hokusai.jpg</a> although, I understand through reading, that the term is not used to describe a certain kind of illustration until more recent times. It seems that "shunga" was the term used: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunga">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunga</a> I think that it would be interesting to trace the development of "shunga/hentai" manga from the woodcut onward. There surely is some connection in content, and even in style, and exploring those relationships seems like an interesting topic for discussion. lawless on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1572 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:14:31 +0000 lawless 1572@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Not with the Floating World itself - most is set in contemporary Japan, and if not that, then set in historical Japan or Europe - not usually in the US. There's some ukiyo-e influence but the art style isn't usually very much like woodcuts. I have seen some S&M yaoi that's pretty hardcore. It used to be that genitalia and public hair were omitted or obscured, supposedly due to Japanese obscenity law. Pubic hair still is usually omitted, but that may be for other reasons (androgyny, anybody) but genitlia is not. I can't view 4chan right now anyway - for some reason add-ons are permanently disabled, which means no Flash. I need to switch from IE to Mozilla but I keep putting it off. I see enough porn/near porn anyway that I don't need any more. Although I must say I prefer drawn porn to photographic porn. More visually interesting. Here's the link to an explanation of the use of the word "hentai": <a href="http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html" rel="nofollow">http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html</a> cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1568 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:21:55 +0000 cocoskyavitch 1568@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Are Yaoi, Hentai and Yuri the modern versions of the Floating World? If so, give me Sharaku! What is the scholarship/buzz about he continuum from woodcut to manga? lawless on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1567 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:13:05 +0000 lawless 1567@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I thought I'd addressed this, but.... Yaoi is definitely aimed at women. I think the mangaka (who are almost all women too) keep Japanese girls and women in mind when they create the manga and the international audience second. I just read a good article on the meaning of the word "hentai", which means something different when used by American otaku than when used by Japanese. But in America, it means sexually oriented, not merely perverse - basically the same as "porn" (what in Japan would be called "ero") and is mostly, if not entirely, heterosexual in nature. "Hentai" in Japan borders on fetishism. "Yaoi" (called BL, or boy's love in Japan) are manga and doujinshi (self-published, sometimes amateur one-shots, often parody - this is where you see pairings of characters in non-yaoi manga such as Naruto and Sasuke (shudder)) revolving around male/male relationships. THey are a subset of shojou (aimed at teenage girls) and josei (aimed at adult women) manga. The sweep of yaoi ranges from 16+ rated manga that concentrate on relationships (but usually make it clear that the characters are sexually active), such as Gravitation (set in the music and publishing industries) or Fake (set in the NYPD, of all things) to manga of varying degress of explicitness that is rated 18+, examples being Yellow, Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love), and Gravitation Remixes and Megamixes,the last of which are so graphic they're almost clinical in nature, not erotic, and are penned by the same mangaka as Gravitation is. The men in yaoi are generally androgynous looking (other than their genitals - that looks typically male, LOL), or at least one male in a couple is. There's also a lot of extraneous flowers and sparkles, particularly around romantic scenes, whehter they're a confession of feelings or a sex scene. In the US, the 18+ stuff (which is most of it) is most easily obtained either via scanlations (scans of material from Japan with amateur translations) or mail/Internet order. They're not likely to be carried in your local bookstore, although I suppose you could order them there. I don't know where Japanese women buy them. I expect they're displayed and sold more openly in bookstores than in the US, but even so doujinshi like the Gravitation Remixes/Megamixes are mostly sold at conventions and over the Internet. There's another genre of manga showing male/male relationships that's even more likely to be one-volume, oneshot that is called bara (variously explained as "rose" or "bear"; take your pick) where the men are more muscular and "masculine" and which appeals more to gay men. There is some crossover, though, with regard to appeal. If you want to sample, try some of the file sharing communities. 4shared, Megaupload, Mediafire, and Sendspace seem to be the most popular. There are also manga that hint at m/m pairings but aren't about m/m relationships, such as Loveless, or which flirt with the idea and with gender stereotypes (cross-dressing usually features prominently) such as Hana Kimi (girl cross-dressing to attend boys' boarding school to be with a boy she admires), Ouran High School Host Club. (girl cross-dressing as a boy to act as a host in a host club to pay off a debt for breaking an expensive vase owned by the club), and Fruits Basket (cross-dressing). "Yaoi" is the term as used in the US. In Japan, it denotes the hardcore stuff and is considered disreputable. They use the term BL or Boy's Love. "Shonen ai" is an outdated term that referred to manga from the 70s and 80s that concentrated on romantic relationships between teenage boys without any overt sexuality. I know of women who read yuri. Either some of it is geared toward lesbians or they find it and like it even if it's aimed at men. I got the impression it was aimed at women, though, but I haven't seen any to speak of (other than the yuri hints in one chapter of Loveless, where fighting partners are linked for life and most pairs seem to have a physical and sexual connection). I will look for and post the article on hentai later. I've also been reading about geisha for a story I'm writing, which has shed some light on Japan's apparent schizoid nature when it comes to sex, love, and marriage. Basically traditionally there's been no room for or consideration of love. Maybe that's why Gravitation, the manga that got me into yaoidom, is so popular; it is all about the power of love to affect even the most jaded and cynical, even if the love is between people who aren't supposed to be in love with each other (i.e., two guys). Jeremy on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1563 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:06:42 +0000 Jeremy 1563@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Lawless, is yaoi, aimed at women or is the market largely male? The bit of yuri I've read/seen seemed geared just for the male, I assumed yaoi was the same. Exploring the interest of some women, isn't nearly as easy as men. Hell, one needs to only peek into the unmarked shops aligning the dark allies of Akihabara. I just never seen women in the book shops of Japan, checking out genres of hentai. Even in the very late hours when the questionable areas open up--it's only males. 4chan section "random" (/b/) tends to be best left unexplored. As, what has been seen, can not be unseen. <img src='http://akirakurosawa.info/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif' alt=':shock:' class='wp-smiley' /> Vili Maunula on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1555 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:03:57 +0000 Vili Maunula 1555@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I actually have all the Satoshi Kon films lined up, waiting to be watched. I've had them for almost a year now, but no progress has been made in this project. The only Kon film I have seen was Perfect Blue, which I thought was really interesting. Having said that, it is now more than ten years since I last saw it, so it will be interesting to watch it again and see whether I still agree with my former self. And stay away from 4chan, there be dragons. Not that I know too much about the place. I'm more of a Reddit addict, myself. lawless on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1551 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:07:51 +0000 lawless 1551@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Millennium Actress is the only Satochi Kon film I've seen. I don't remember the names of his others - I think the one just before is Perfect Blue, but don't quote me on it, and I know he's made at least one afterward but I don't remember the name of it. I'd recommend Millennium Actriess, but keep in mind some scenes are ambiguous, and it's not always clear where the line between recreations of her movies and her actual life begins and ends. It's somewhat sad, melancholy, and romantic, but also fun and lively. The artwork is stunning - I'd say better than Miyazaki with one exception: Miyazaki makes everything look three-dimensional even though it's handdrawn; Kon's work is unambiguously two-dimensional. So Miyazaka has him beat on the realism of his architecture and persepctive. Thanks for the head's up about 4chan but much of what I read/see on LiveJournal and a fanfic archive I frequent and write for isn't work or family safe either. It's an unfortunate side effect of reading yaoi - much of it is PWP (porn without purpose). I swear, I just started out reading mainstream shonen ai/BL (short for boy's love) manga and wind up reading manga with explicit sex scenes each chapter. (I'm thinking of Haru wo Daiteita, or Embracing Love, which is set in the entertainment/acting industry.) Fabien on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1549 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:25:47 +0000 Fabien 1549@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hello Lawless. Indeed, Death Note is one of those recent mangas which illustrate the fact that smart things can be achieved within this art. Moreover, I found this one very interesting and ambiguous about death penalty, not ambiguous in itself, but in the various ways the readers or viewers react to this subject. It reminds me that Japan has not yet gotten over this, and that Kurosawa's œuvre – in my point of view – goes in the opposite direction: individual highly valued, denial of sacrifice value… I have yet to watch any Satochi Kon film, would you recommend Millenium Actress in particular for a start? About 4chan, if you wander there, mind the fact that not all boards are work safe or family safe. Some of the boards might even be an interesting observatory of human behaviors and excesses in this context. And I would bet that Jeremy has a meme doctorate, by the way he talks about it. =) cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1548 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:46:43 +0000 cocoskyavitch 1548@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hi Lawless, 4Chan posts a lot of anime and manga; <a href="http://www.4chan.org/">http://www.4chan.org/</a> I get a lot of students in love with both, and with video gaming, and generally with Japan and Japanese language and culture. lawless on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1547 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:37:02 +0000 lawless 1547@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Cocoskyavitch (or is it just Coco?) - who or what is this 4chan of whom you speak? I find that the best manga has a quality similar to the that which Charles Dickens novels had when serialized. Each chapter or volume, if you're reading them in collected form (tankoubon, if I've spelled that correctly), ends on a cliffhanger of sorts leaving you wanting more. Most of the ones I like have some sort of sociological or psychological twist to them. One, which I haven't finished because the plot is so dense you can't leave gaps between reading but each volume is so mind-boggling you can't read more than one or two a day (I get headaches from reading it), is Death Note, which is a crime/supernatural drama (crime because it revolves around mass murder committed by a megalomaniac vigilante and the investigation thereof, supernatural because the crimes are committed by writing in a notebook dropped in the human world by a shinigami (death god), hence the title "Death Note".) You'll never say all manga is mindless or simple after reading even one volume of Death Note. Also, the art style is much more similar to the realistic style of American comics and graphic novels than is typical of manga. When it comes to anime, I prefer anime originally made for film, like Miyazaki's stuff, or Satoshi Kon's. You should watch his Millennium Actress - it lightly plays with some of the concepts underlying Rashomon but in my opinion, much more effectively. (Then again, I prefer Sliding Doors to Memento, of two relatively recent movies influenced by Rashomon.) Some of the anime made for TV is good, but much of it is poor to dreadful and a poor representation of the manga from which it springs. The only advantage is that often fight scenes are easier to follow in anime form than in manga. For some reason, in manga fight scenes are drawn like stop action frames for a movie but with some of the frames missing, rather than the before and after (and possibly one frame during) typical of American comic book style. cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/3#post-1529 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:52:32 +0000 cocoskyavitch 1529@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Ha! Jeremy, that wasn't an April fool's joke-I only learned of 4chan recently, and the whole rickrolled thing.... ...and it came from Achewood: <a href="http://achewood.com/" rel="nofollow">http://achewood.com/</a> Jeremy on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-1528 Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:56:10 +0000 Jeremy 1528@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ No personal experience? Right, I know it your on 4chan coco, you in fact are likely the sole provider of all those horrible, and disturbing post on /b/. <img src='http://akirakurosawa.info/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif' alt=':razz:' class='wp-smiley' /> cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-1527 Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:55:10 +0000 cocoskyavitch 1527@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hey Lawless, you 4chan? I have no personal experience...last thing in the world I need is one more addiction. So many of our Japanese language students get to the university with a tremendous love of Manga and Anime-(not so much Kurosawa and Ozu or Mizoguchi...) and some hope to be program developers, artists...some hope to work as translators. Many end up going to JCMU spending a semester or year in Japan, or to Kansai Gaidai, and now, our new Tokyo partner Tokyo Gakugei. But very few like "old" Japanese movies, until they "learn" to appreciate them a bit...most find them dusty old relics. Vili Maunula on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-1526 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:22:49 +0000 Vili Maunula 1526@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Thanks for the introductory text, lawless! It's always great to read more about the people frequenting this website. And let us know if we can in any way help with your article. I don't know much about manga (I much prefer European comics), but I'm sure there are people around here who could offer valuable help, if you feel like having it read and commented by peers! lawless on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-1522 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:32:40 +0000 lawless 1522@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hi everyone. Although I lurked for awhile, and joined the discussion with Seven Samurai, I haven't introduced myself formally yet. My name is Cheryl and I'm a lawyer - or at least I was until leaving active practice due to medical conditions. My interest in film, pop culture, manga, anime, and most things Japanese is all my own and probably an shock to my Korean grandparents who are spinning in their graves, considering both the country's history and their personal history with the Japanese. As I mentioned in one of my posts on Seven Samurai, I first saw it, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Sanjuro on a PBS program showing classics of foreign cinema when I was a teenager. Seven Samurai immediately became my favorite film ever - I spent the following day humming the theme and picking it out on the piano - and Kurosawa became my favorite director ever, opinions which haven't changed in the intervening (cough cough) three plus decades. I've been spending some of my time watching Kurosawa movies ordered from Netflix. So far, I've revisited the ones I saw in my youth, plus Stray Dog, Ikiru, Rashomon (which I had seen once before and didn't much like), The Hidden Fortress (which I'd also seen at a local film fesival not long ago), and The Lower Depths. I'm waiting to see some more of his work from the 50s and 60s, even the ones that are considered lesser movies or failures. I also saw Ran during its first run and was impressed (especially by the effective use of color to connote which army was which) but found it very depressing and despairing compared to his earlier movies. I am looking forward to next month's discussion, which if I remember correctly is about Throne of Blood. Some of the ones I've seen had already been discussed when I came across this site, so I've missed out on all but the Seven Samurai discussion. I am also fascinated by pop culture. For me, as Seven Samurai is to film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is to TV, and I've read most of the academic Buffy studies books with interest. My daughter, who's 14, has gotten me into manga, and that, plus my newfound free time, has led down some odd paths, including joining LiveJournal and honing my nonexistent creative writing skills (I haven't done any since high school unless you count the descriptions of services provided I wrote as an attorney) on fan fiction, which I never would have believed I'd read, much less write, in the boys love/shonen ai/yaoi genre (for the uninitiated, that means that the main characters are guys in romantic and/or sexual relationships). Once again, this is both a subset of pop culture and, since most of it is produced and published in Japan and then translated for an American/English-speaking audience, a point of contact with Japanese culture. It may surprise you to know that this subgenre of manga is shojo/josei - that is, written and drawn by women for an overwhelmingly female audience. I am exploring why that is in an article I'm writing for my own amusement but intend to shop around in both an academic and popular magazine version. The relevance of the above is that since the manga on which what I mostly write is based - Gravitation - is set in Japan and the main characters are a (male) romance novelist and an aspiring J-technopop singer, in order to write stories I wind up doing fairly extensive research on Japan and Japanese culture which both informs and is informed by my love for Akira Kurosawa and his films. Vili Maunula on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-748 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:42:31 +0000 Vili Maunula 748@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ <blockquote>I normally just copy the movie to my computer, and break encryption. Makes things easy for me. Since it's sort of illegal I avoid mention programs, unless Vili gives it a go. A bit of internet research should lead you to success anyways.</blockquote> Go ahead. I wouldn't like to see links to direct downloads, but giving names certainly shouldn't be breaking any laws. Am I right, by the way, that the name of the encryption breaking software that allows you to copy a DVD on your hard drive is "DVD Decrypter"? <img src='http://akirakurosawa.info/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':smile:' class='wp-smiley' /> Jeremy on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-741 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:30:39 +0000 Jeremy 741@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I wont have any time for a while to make a how-to, but I can do it at a later period. There are literally hundreds of ways to go about it. Most ways are free, some paid programs make it easier. I like WinDVD9 simply for ease, but it is around $70. I'll just mention quickly: I use WinDVD9, setting the window size to capture size o avoid having to resize the photos to fit this site. Then I run a batch color adjustment though IrfanView, so the pictures look good on a wide variety of monitor adjustments.. I did this for Yojimbo If you dont want to buy anything, then use Windows media player and if you have Windows Vista, then use the snippet tool to grap a screen shot. Then run it though IrfanView. I did this for Rashomon, when I wasnt on my other computer with WinDVD9. Getting around region coding is easy, but it depends on your computer, sometimes a only a program, only a setting, or a modded version of your DVD player's firmware is required. When I do screen shots for another region DVD or PAL format. I normally just copy the movie to my computer, and break encryption. Makes things easy for me. Since it's sort of illegal I avoid mention programs, unless Vili gives it a go. A bit of internet research should lead you to success anyways. Find a place to host the photos, and everything is good. There are lots of free picture hosts out there, and if you need, I can always host anything on my server. Vili Maunula on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-739 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:56:08 +0000 Vili Maunula 739@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ <blockquote>I'm maybe showing my technical innocence here, but how exactly do you take stills from dvd's and post them here?</blockquote> I'd be interested to know this as well. (Maybe someone could post a good solution in a separate thread?) I personally use <a href="http://www.videolan.org/vlc/">VLC Media Player</a>, which as well as being a brilliant all-around media player has this function. But I'd love to be able to capture from DVDs that aren't Region 2, too. Ugetsu on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-737 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:49:25 +0000 Ugetsu 737@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Thanks for the welcome Vili and Jeremy, as soon as I catch up from reading past comments, I'd be very happy to contribute. Its great to see intelligent analysis of movies that is so clear and free from jargon. On a related point - I'm maybe showing my technical innocence here, but how exactly do you take stills from dvd's and post them here? Is there specific software that allows you to do that, or is there some simple way to do it? cocoskyavitch on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-695 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:30:15 +0000 cocoskyavitch 695@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ <blockquote>Of course getting lost and wonder down a river stream late at night, while drunk off sake, my not be the wisest thing-there is nothing else that will make think your a Mifune character. It was really a joyful experience.</blockquote> Sounds amazing! BTW, I couldn't log in under YIPPEE but I am the same person. Sorry for any confusion. Jeremy on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-684 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:38:08 +0000 Jeremy 684@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I really like you comments Ugetsu, about Kurosawa's sense of space, it's not something I overly noticed before, but as I was reading about it, a ton of scenes came into my mind. This among the great things that having a wide variety of backgrounds from the members of this site can offer. A bike ride though Japan would be really cool. The mountain regions still hold some old characteristics, the rare small city that is still laid back. Plus I cant recall ever seeing a Starbucks or McDonalds. I found cities in Gifu prefecture to be among the best, the train ride up there is worth the visit in itself. Takayama was the only place in my last visit, where I felt like I was inside a Kurosawa movie. Of course getting lost and wonder down a river stream late at night, while drunk off sake, my not be the wisest thing-there is nothing else that will make think your a Mifune character. It was really a joyful experience. Vili Maunula on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-683 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:14:03 +0000 Vili Maunula 683@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Welcome to the group, Ugetsu! It's great to have someone in the group with a professional's eye on urban planning and geography. Kurosawa, indeed, had an incredible "sense of place", which even I as someone who has no background in planning can appreciate. I hope that you will have the time to contribute to our discussion and, among everything else that you will have to offer, are ready to give us an expert's view on Kurosawa's sets and buildings. I'm sure that there are many insights that you could offer and that the rest of us would really appreciate reading! And welcome to Yippee as well, again. <img src='http://akirakurosawa.info/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':smile:' class='wp-smiley' /> Funnily enough, although there aren't that many of us active users, the mixture of people here is quite fascinating, providing for interesting insights and discussion, as I think we have already seen a number of times over in the past couple of years. And then there are, of course, those over 200 silent registered users who are out there somewhere, many of them apparently checking the site every week or so, but not ready to jump into the discussion quite yet. yippee on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-682 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:00:57 +0000 yippee 682@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hi Everyone. I posted earlier on the other place, but Jeremy is probably right, that space should probably be Vili's as the creator, administrator and everything guy to this site. So, hi again, all. Happy to know that Kurosawa is still relevant and meaningful to people out there, and that there are those looking forward to celebrating his upcoming 100th! I belong to an OZU group, as well, (<a href="http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/ozu/" rel="nofollow">http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/ozu/</a>) and if you love Ozu, they could use a little energy. I've been on that site a couple years. I am also interested in Mizoguchi, Kobayashi (Japanese post-War cinema in general) and the writings of Yasunari Kawabata. My other interests are in the visual arts, art history, educational travel and culture studies. I am a (lapsed) language learner of Chinese, a painter and I work at a university. Ugetsu on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-679 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:45:52 +0000 Ugetsu 679@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Hello everyone, just a self introduction here - I've been lurking on this for a few weeks, thought it was time I'd join in, although I don't have as much to offer as you guys. I was delighted to find this site - great (as someone above mentioned) to find a site that isn't full of trolls or people trying to show off their knowledge. I'm Philip,yr old 41 in Dublin, Ireland. I've had an interest in Kurosawa and Japanese culture in general lurking in the back of my mind for quite a while, but its not been something I actively pursued. A trip to Japan a few years ago primed a stronger interest to learn more about Japanese culture with the aim of a few better planned trips - currently thinking of a bike trip from north tip to south tip, taking my time as i meander up (or down) as the case may be. I've even been mulling over following the wanderings of the characters in Sansho the Bailiff on a mountain bike! No doubt everything of interest is now covered with a pachinko parlour or a Starbucks, but I'd still like to do it. I started working my way through my local dvd library of '50's Japanese cinema mainly due to being housebound a year ago due to an accident - its the best thing that came out of the accident! I adore Ozu and Mizoguchi of course, but its Kurosawa I keep coming back to. Its coincided with the start of my personal disillusionment with so much modern cinema - too many movies made by people who know everything about the cinema, but nothing about life. I have no educational background in the cinema, I'm just a fan. I'm an urban planner by profession. But I would comment that a background in geography and environmental science stimulates one thing that fascinates me about Kurosawa - more than any other film maker I can think of (maybe Kubrick comes close), he has a 'sense of place'. All his stories have a very precise and distinct geography. He draws out the physical confines of his stories brilliantly. Most famously of course in Seven Samurai where the characters even draw a map to help you out, but in every movie from the meandering offices of Ikiru to the physical geography of the unnamed city in High and Low he creates a three dimensional world for the viewer. Ok, enough rambling, I'll get back to reading some of the threads! Alexander on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-366 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:42:29 +0000 Alexander 366@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Yes my yahoo USA account was full because I just use to not get junk in yahoo Deutschland account. I fix now the problem thanks for help it was my computer and not anything else. You can now use it and I send you yahoo Deutschland email now. Andrew it is nice to meet you. I have use this site for information and will buy some Kurosawa movies when I leave my work soon. Thanks you webmaster Vili. Jeremy on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-365 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:04:25 +0000 Jeremy 365@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Alex, your emails come back rejected, but the problem with the login appears to be with the German keyboard profile would cause it to fail login sometimes, with the English keyboard I logged in to your profile with no problem every time. Do they still only credit one tech per city group? The American studio stopped doing that. I look forward to reading your article Andrew Andrew on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-363 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:56:21 +0000 Andrew 363@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Sorry I didn't reply to your comments sooner, Jeremy, but I was computer-less for a few days. Yes, I have forwarded my article to Vili, and you're certainly welcome to it also. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on it here, if you or others are inclined to read it. And yes, I was referring to Hayao Miyazaki - my first viewing of 'Spirited Away' was truly transporting, and I return to it frequently. I've since dug into more of his films, as well as that of his Ghibli colleague, Isao Takahata; other favorites would include 'Castle in the Sky' and 'Pom Poko' (a delightful, but seemingly neglected, work about a group of mystical renegade raccoon dogs). Welcome, Alexander - how fascinating to hear that you worked on 'Der Untergang.' I thought it was an engrossing, convincing depiction of Hitler's final hours with a terrific lead performance by Bruno Ganz. Alexander on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-362 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:16:37 +0000 Alexander 362@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I did not do Experiment movie, but yes I get to work on the film ein gewöhnlicher Jude but only as second lead member of crew. It is a very good movie for the understanding of the Jewish people of Germany. My favorite is der Untergang I was to do some of the main key light and lots of the outdoor scenes. I learn lots of great importance of lighting with the indoor bunker. The lighting had to look like it came from the small lights in bunker but the cameras could not expose well so it was hard to make very bright light for camera but dull light to feel like bunker. Bruno Ganz is very great actor sometimes I get distracted with the acting and forget to watch the light. Some do say der Untergang is making great Hitler but to me it is wrong. I like it because itt is interesting and very well made and acted. The movie doesnt not hide the bad parts or make great the war or Hitler. Lewis Saul on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-361 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:32:29 +0000 Lewis Saul 361@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ I totally forget that he also made <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0363163/">Der Untergang</a>. Very controversial film, perhaps greatly misunderstood as being somewhat sympathetic. In any case, in the hands of a good director, a film of this nature is much more powerful in the language in which the history actually took place. Bruno Ganz gave me chills. Superb film. Lewis Saul on "Something Like a Short Bullet Point Autobio" http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic/something-like-a-short-bullet-point-autobio/page/2#post-360 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:17:13 +0000 Lewis Saul 360@http://akirakurosawa.info/forums/ Wow, what Hirschbiegel films have you worked on? I loved <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0250258/">The Experiment</a>, which I picked up solely because of Moritz Bleibtreu, who I thought was fantastic in <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0130827/">Run Lola Run</a>... As a Jew, I'd be very interested in seeing <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0488295/">Ein ganz gewöhnlicher Jude</a>, but it doesn't appear to be released in the US as of yet...