Persepolis

Persepolis is a French animated film based on the comic with the same title, created by Marjane Satraphi. It is a loosely autobiographical film that talked about how her life experience in different countries, and how she thought about her family and her country.

Marjane Satraphi is a French graphical novelist who was born in Tehran in the year of 1969. The movie focused a lot politically with the government that overthrew the Shah during Iranian Revolution in 1978. Marjane was born in a middle class family. They were scholars who enjoyed their freedom until the Iranian Revolution, when women were required to wear veil by laws, alcohol was forbidden, and Islam was made the official religion.

Marjane was an outspoken person during her college year. She asked many questions regarding why females were not allow to do certain things that men could. Marjane's parents had sent her abroad to Austria to experience a new life. She felt homesick and went back to Iran. Eventually the political crisis in Iran forced her to move to France, where she was allowed to express herself.

Overall, Persepolis is an emotional film because Marjane faced many different problems throughout her life, such as drug, men, and the problem of her homeland. The style of this film is black and white, then it became colorful toward the end, when the film went to "present-tense", to where Marjane was thinking about her childhood when she was in the airport.

Whether this film has a political motivation or not, this film showed how Iranian Revolution had changed people's live forever. People could no longer enjoy their freedom, and they can be arrested by talking about the government, drinking alcohol. This film is banned in Iran, saying that this film has given an incorrect image of the country. Whether you want to watch this film is up to you. For me, this film is definitely worth watching. (8.3/10)

Okuribito (Departures)

Okuribito is a Japanese film that is known for the "Best Foreign Film" in 2009's Academy Award. After hearing the film from a friend, I've decided to take a shot. This is a film about an introverted married man named Daigo Kobayashi (played by Masahiro Motoki) pursuing his life long dream. After Daigo felt he failed as a celloist, he decided to move from Tokyo to Yamagata, where he grew up in. After realizing that Yamagata was a hard place to find a job, he saw the ad from a newspaper and interviewed for a job that he thought he would become a travel agent, but only end up as an encoffiner, a job that takes care of the funeral service. Although it is a relatively high paying job, it is considered as a dirty job in Japan (from the reaction of Mika and Yamashita), as death is considered a taboo in most Asian countries. This film is loosely based on an autobiography from Aoki Shinmon, a real-life encoffiner who wrote a book about his job.

The thing I like about this film was the idea of making a film that talks about people after their lives. As death is considered a taboo and dirty in most Asian countries, the film gave another perspective to audience how people view the death of their love ones. The film also talked about how conservative people are, when Daigo's old friend and wife, Yamashita and Mika, felt the job Daigo has was not a "real" job that normal people should have. Daigo felt happy and satisfaction when he noticed the death's relative gave gratitude of his work. He realized death is a part of life for everyone, and it should treated respectively.

I found Mika's role (played by Ryoko Hirosue) kind of boring in the beginning, because she was opposed to Daigo's job, probably afraid to the fact that Daigo would be discriminted by other people, or that she could not accept a husband that has a "dirty job". She was basically an obedient house wife that tried her best to make her husband happy, as her own happiness comes from Daigo. At first, she could not accept Daigo's job, until Tsuyako died in the bath house. From that point she started to understand Daigo's feeling about the job. Her support has made Daigo open his heart to other her, as he felt that he has something to be proud of. There is a lot of stuff that I did not talk about, you should go watch the film if you are interested. (7.8/10)

Review on Noriko's Dinner Table

After watching Suicide Club, I have decided to watch its spin-off film directed by the same director, Sion Sono. Unlike the "action-filled" Suicide Club, Noriko's Dinner Table was a lot different as the only thing that two films had in common was that Noriko's Dinner Table was looselybased on the mass suicide event in Suicide Club.

The films' main protangist, Noriko was a normal high school girl who was living a normal life in Toyokawa, Japan. She found her life boring and meaningless in the countryside of Japan. She did not have a boyfriend and she had an authoritian father that tried to tell lecture her in a way that she did not like. She seemed to live in a life that forced herself to be a happy normal girl but she was more adventurous than that. Her boredom with her life led her to make internet friends through the computers in school. She eventually ran away from home to Tokyo, hoping to persue a happy life.

I would not like to spoil the rest of the plot as it was unpredictable and I would certainly like you to enjoy the film yourself. Noriko's Dinner Table went more depth than Suicide Club as it talked about the lack of communications between family members, lonely teenagers, and lonely elders that could spend much time with their family. The film was very emotional as both daughters showed different attitude toward their father when they reunioned. The ending was not told explicitly and was left for the audience to speculate.

The film was a good example to show the hidden bomb behind a seemingly-happy family. Tetsuzo was a responsible and protective father on the surface. He loved his family so much that he moved into a peaceful place in Toyokawa. The film showed its sacarsm when Tetsuzo neglected his daughters' feeling and eventually cause them to runaway from home. The peaceful place of Toyokawa was the boring place that caused his daughters to runaway. This problems in the film are realistic to the problems in Japan. Japanese men usually work for long hours and are only able to spent little time toward their family. As a result many Japanese teens are emotionally distant with their father. I would definite this film to those who are interested in psychological films and films that reflect family problems. 7.5/10

Words on Le Scaphandre et le Papillon

I started to watch some indie/foreign films lately, as they are usually more surprising, inspiring, and more educating. The Camelview 5 Harkins theatre just north of Scottsdale Fashion Square (sharing the same parking lot) is my favorite in Arizona (because the movies and quality of audience are better). There is a film that I cannot forget, and it is Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Betterfly). I watched it on January 29, as a treat for the birthday of my friend.

The film is based on a best-selling memoir from a real life story of the aftermath of a disease called "locked-in sydrome" on a middle-class Frenchman named Jean-Dominique Bauby. He had a successful life, being the editor-in-chief of Elle and has three children until he became paralyzed on his way to see an opera with his eldest son. When he woke up after the coma he realized that he was in a hospital and found out that he had lost control of his entire body saved some basic movement on his head and his left eye. He became suicidal at first, but did not have the ability to do so. After the encouragement from his friends and relatives, he realized he could still do two things in his otherwise boring life: Imagining and remembering his past. He was persuaded to write a memoir of his experience on his "locked-in syndrome", using the hard way - being dictated every single alphabet by his assistance using his eye blink. He finished the book couple days before he went into coma and passed away.

What was really touching me about the movie was his spirit to live on and not giving up. Surely he was giving up in the beginning, because he went from an editor-in-chief to a patient that has to be taken care of 24/7. After a while he accepted his disability and was able to face the people he loved, including his children bored by his former lover, his father, and his girlfriend. The title suited this movie well, the diving bell was the physical situation he was in, because he could not communicate with the outside world; and butterfly being the state of mind of his after the initial depressing period he had, and that he can see his seed - children being well taken care of.

One of the saddest parts of the film was the part when Mr. Bauby's father tried to phone his son, and cannot hear his voice because Mr. Bauby was not able to speak. He was crying because he was in his 90's, and he had to withstand the pain of losing his son to the dreaded disease. That part really touched me, as I can feel the sadness that old Mr. Bauby had, and him being "locked-in" because he cannot walk down stair to the outside. It was strongly emotional, but without the melodrama most Hollywood films would have.

I admired the determination of Mr. Bauby's will to finish his book. Just couples day after his book is finished, he fell into a coma and leave this world for good. He might have left away, but he left his imagination and legacy for the living people to live a better life.

Wickenburg

Wickenburg is a small town with a population of around 6,500 100km northwest of Phoenix located at Hassayampa River. It was once of the transportation of traffic in Arizona before the Interstate 10 & 17 freeways were built, as it is where US 91 meets US 83 and US 60.

It is a typical Western mining town in the Sonoran high desert. It has a small downtown with Western-theme shops and Desert Caballeros Western Museum that talks about the history of the town. The museum is a good starting place for Wickenburg as it tells its visitor the origin of the town and their mining history.

Wickenburg has a famous dude ranch that allows visitors to stay over for a weekend. It also has a Vulture Mine that is located half-way between Buckeye and Wickenburg. I have not visited there but it might be interesting to those who likes ghost towns.

Hassayampa River Preserve

May 31 (Saturday) we went to Hassayampa River Preserve & Wickenburg for a day trip. HRP is located in 90km northwest of downtown Phoneix, on the west side near Mile Post 114 in US Highway 60. It is a piece of natural sanctuary that is protected and managed by National Conservancy. It is on the Hassayampa River so green plants were grown and wild lives thrived because of the abundant of plants.

According to the guide found in the preserve, 250 different species of birds can be found inside there. We first found a javelina in the path, but were too slow to capture it with the camera.

Inside the preserve, there are 6 different trails, one man-made lake made by the irrigation of water from the river. The temperature was very cool, considering the surrounding landscape was mainly desert.

The office visitor center was a really small, by informative, nice buildings. It had a section talking about the history of the preserve, a section displaying certain specimen of the lives that exists inside the preserve, and a television with VCR to show videos about the nature.

I am glad that Nature Conservancy bought the land and maintained it into the current state. Human had took so much from the nature, it is now our for us to give something to the nature back.

Last Day of My Job

May 30 (Friday) was my last day in Four Seasons Sushi. I was scheduled to work all day.

David and his friend Terry came over around 2PM. I was surprised that he ordered an Arnold Palmer instead of his usual diet coke. Anyway, it would be the last time to see David as a customer and I will certainly miss him. I hope he still goes to Four Seasons and enjoy the sushi made by Moon.

At the start of the night shift around at 5:45, the couple from San Diego came over and ate, they said that they came because Moon told them that Friday would be my last day in Four Seasons. Their kids were in San Diego so that they were not able to come. I had served them for more than half a year, and Friday night would be the last time serving them. They still remembered the fact that I commented them as a "weird family". I gave the wife a little more portion on her red wine and she drank the whole bottle (750mL) of her Merlot. We talked about movies, including chessy, realistic, crappy, and classic ones. They even invited Ryanne to hang out with her to watch Sex and the City. They hung out and stayed in the restaurant for 3 hours.

At 9:30, Moon held a farewell for Juan and me. Juan was an awesome and intelligent person and I think would do well one day. He ordered two jumbo pizzas from Corelli's next door. We hung out and talked about different topic for about an hour. Then I left Four Seasons last time as an employee. I think I will miss it, but it was my time to go on to start another page of my life. I have to thank Mika and Yuka for came over to join the party. Also thanking BK, Ryanne, Juan, and Kimberly for staying longer to hang out with me. Lastly, I thanked Mr. Moon, for hosting the party.

Hopefully, the next time I enter Four Season's door I would be a different person, having learn more about chemistry and with a different mindset.