Movie Reviews

Movie “TÁR” August 15, 2023

Finally I watched this movie. It has been on my list. As you know I live in the music world too, and unfortunately I have seen “Lydia Tár” occasionally in our circuit. Super talented people often have all kinds of problems which could be hidden until the bubbles reach the boiling point. Then the problem […]

A Movie “The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach” (1968 film) May 15, 2023

To the surprise of some of his associates, a renowned period keyboard player, musicologist, and conductor, Gustav Leonhardt, accepted the role as Johann Sebastian Bach (played in a wig) in this movie. And Anna Magdalena Bach is played by Christiane Lang. “The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach” consists of many excerpts from Johann Sebastian Bach’s […]

Movie “Tampopo” Again 映画「タンポポ」再び・・ July 11, 2022

I don’t remember how many times I have watched this movie. I have memorized most of scenes and texts! I think I have written the review before, but I am writing again. Because it is just a GREAT MOVIE! How clever, how witty, how creative, how fun, how professional… Juzo Itami, a director, is truly […]

Movie “As Good As It Gets” June 30, 2022

I watched this movie before, but the second time did not bore me at all. Actually I enjoyed it so much. It is a “good movie”.  Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is an obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction. But unlike what he writes, he is quite rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor Simon […]

A Movie “Downton Abbey: New Era” (映画:ダウントンアビー) May 30, 2022

I have been resisting watching “Downton Abbey” because of its popularity. But I must admit I became a fan myself after watching “Downton Abbey: New Era”. Last week, I had a free afternoon and could not find any movie I would like to see, so I hesitantly chose this movie. The story has absolute ingredients, […]

A Movie “Drive My Car” January 31, 2022

Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story, Drive My Car depicts people who are devastated by loss, allowing time to ripen those wounds, and rebuilding their understanding of love and life’s reason. It is fascinating to hear from non-Japanese speaking audience who perfectly understands the atmosphere and nuances in this movie. That is the power of “Drive […]

A Movie “ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” July 28, 2021

It is my movie theater debut after reopening (with a lot of cautions). It is so wonderful to come back to my favorite movie theater, Laemmle. There were only 4 of us in the theater… The theater staff was very careful, but friendly. “Roadrunner” is still haunting me. What is “Being Happy”? That is all […]

Movie “A Room with a View” June 25, 2021

It is a wonderful comedy with an intellectual approach to love. The story is based on the novel by E.M. Forster. and I have heard the book is more edgy than the movie! Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter), a young and beautiful Englishwoman, is touring Italy with her older cousin, Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). Charlotte is her […]

Movie “An Inspector Calls” June 19, 2021

Wow! It is an amazing movie. I am deeply moved and touched. Set in 1912, in an industrial northern town in England, the tragic story, the suicide of a young lady, haunts the wealthy and socially ambitious Birling family. A mysterious Inspector Goole (David Thewlis) visits Birling family’s dinner during the celebration of their daughter’s engagement. This […]

A Movie: The Remains of the Day June 9, 2021

A Movie: “The Remains of the Day” is a Booker-winning novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.This movie is Kazuo Ishiguro’s sincere portrait of Stevens, the perfect butler, who hides his true feelings. His love was never spoken or expressed. Sir Kazuo Ishiguro is a Nobel Prize winning, British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. He was born in Nagasaki,  Japan, […]