Kitagawa

Yesterday I watched this movie called "Tokyo!"
And it blew me away.

To summarize the concept: Tokyo! is a sort of... short film collaboration between 3 very different directors.

Michel Gondry
Leos Carax
Bong Joon Ho

I'll try my best to keep this review generally spoiler free.

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Leos Carax's short was a bizarre story about a mysterious man living in the sewers of Tokyo city. It seemed to be some kind of message about foreigners in Japan. With many borrowed sound effects and music tracks from the original Godzilla, Leos Carax's short told me that the Japanese view these foreigners the same way as Godzilla. Because what is Godzilla? a monster born from atomic radiation. basically... caused by america right? And besides, I don't think it was coincidence that this "sewer monster" happened to be a white man.

Beautifully thought provoking and emotionally chilling. I rate this short 4/5

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Next up we have Bong Joon Ho's short. A story of a Hikikomori living in Japan. For those of you who don't know, a Hikikomori is someone who generally doesn't leave their homes, and usually live off of their parent's support. Jobless and socially reclusive, this man hasn't left his house in 11 years. On top of that he doesn't seem to use computers, watch TV or listen to the radio. He has no idea what's been going on outside of his house for the past 11 years.

This story was probably my least favorite of the three. But don't take that the wrong way, because this was still a fantastic short. The unusually dead streets of a Japan that have become overrun by hikikomori were particularly interesting images. And Bong Joon Ho is one of my favorite directors, he has a great eye for composition and lighting.
(Joon Ho directed "The Host" and "Memories of a Murder")

 
Sorry if these images are a little spoiler-ish. They do show that he leaves his house at some point... which is kind of the obvious outcome of the story anyways.

I give this short: 3.5/5

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Last but most definately not least: Michel Gondry.
For those unaware, Michel Gondry is the mastermind behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. As well as many other rediculously awesome movies. If I had to summarize his work in one word, I'd choose "Visionary". But that doesn't do him justice, I'd be much more accurate saying something like "Fucking brilliantly trippy ass visionary genious."

I mean, just look at this!  ... weird eh?
In all honesty I'm not too sure what this one was about. Something to do with finding out where you belong?
I was too busy going "whoah dude" to think about the meaning.

Seriously... it's like "whoah dude" right?

4.5/5 - for blowing my mind. (I'm a sucker for trippy visuals)

Overall I'd rate this whole movie: "Fucking Awesome" on the awesomeness scale.

check it out

Trailer:

A jawbreaker is a jawbreaker. No matter what happens to this jawbreaker it will forever be called a jawbreaker. If you eat a jawbreaker, it gets digested and is converted into energy and shit (excuse my unscientific description of the digestion process). If you smash a jawbreaker, it becomes a smashed jawbreaker. But a smashed jawbreaker, is still a smashed jawbreaker. No matter what happens to that jawbreaker in the future, it can proudly say "I was once a jawbreaker!"

What I'm slowly getting at is this: when that jawbreaker slipped back into your throat leaving you terrified and gasping for air. When you tried to call for help but you could not make the slightest sound. When you truly believe you are about to die: a jawbreaker is no longer a jawbreaker. The tasty candy that it once was is converted into an object of fear. I haven't had a jawbreaker in about 8 or 9 years, I am afraid of them. Despite the fact that it is technically the same object that it was back when I liked them, it will never be the same to me. Your experience with a person, place, or thing will change your view on it.

Similarly a friend is a friend. No matter what happens to this friend he or she will have always been a friend. No matter what happens to you two in the future, at one point in time, you were friends. That will never change.

Perhaps the future can change the relationship between you two. Perhaps that friend grows to like you. Perhaps that friend always did like you, and just now you discover it. What happens then? The friend changes into a different person in your eyes. She evolves into either: more than a friend, or maybe a friend who has suddenly become a little awkward to be around.

Sometimes we want jawbreakers to remain as jawbreakers, although I fear them, I cannot help but remember the taste that I enjoyed.

Sometimes we appreciate it when friends become more than friends. Although she was a great friend, she may become an even greater girlfriend.

I don't know how my daily situations will shape me for the future. But I do know that everything I experience will indeed change me in some way.

Do not pass when the time comes for you to act. The easy path only leads to regret. Experience, choose, change. 

Because I don't regret choking on that jawbreaker. 

I read once that dreams are what allow us to live. They motivate us to move forward. Without dreams, is there any meaning in life?
Without dreams, what are we? If we just pass through life without accomplishing anything, we will simply disappear upon death.
I'm writing this now because I had recently come to a point in my life where I no longer understood my dreams. I used to think I had a goal in life. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to be. But for a while now I've felt like I've lost that motivation. Sometimes I think those dreams are too far-fetched or impossible. But what scares me most is that maybe... those dreams are not ambitious enough.

Sometimes I think of just living a quiet life with a small family. Sometimes I feel like changing the world.

Do you think it's important to achieve something that will be remembered after your death? Should I strive to become someone whose name is still mentioned 100 years from now? 200 years from now?
Or should I concentrate on living a small happy life? Or both?

These are all rhetorical questions of course.

And here are some questions that need answering:
If you're reading this, what are your dreams?
If you accomplish all of your dreams...
Will you be known after your death?
Will you be forgotten?
If you think you will be forgotten, are you okay with that?

Probably 99% of all people who have lived on earth are now completely forgotten by everyone who is still alive.
If you think about it, only a few thousand people are still remembered.
People like: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Mozart, Picasso, John Lennon, Stanley Kubrick... etc...

Will your life be worth mentioning in the same sentence as these people?

After answering my own questions here I realized I was not happy with the answers.

And so, I'm going to aim for the greatest and most improbable dream I can think of:

TO BE REMEMBERED.

 

 

There are many things I've experienced in my life that can only be described by the word "beautiful". Things like friendship. Lying on my back beside a friend as we watched the clouds roll by. Laughing together as we trespass on top of a building. Moments that make me look back and say "I was happy then".

But that's just a big load of boring shit. In fact, it would probably be more entertaining to talk in vivid graphic detail about taking a dump.

My name is Kitagawa, you can call me Kitagawa. I am a fan of life, art, and fun.
And NO, I won't actually be blogging about my frequent visits to the shitter (actually I might one day, who knows). I simply intend to make this blog a collection of my various thoughts, rants, and philosophical ramblings.

Why would anyone want to read this? Well, truth be told, I'm not entirely sure. Nobody is forcing you, but for those of you who do:
I thank you.