Vancouver International Film Festival - Film #1: Where Are You

So I went to my first film from this year's line-up and saw Where Are You

Basic synopsis: Ryo is a poor boy living in a single room shack in Japan. His mother is sick and on her death bed while his father has abandoned the two of them awhile ago. After getting fired from his part-time job at a local convenience store and facing hospital bills and funeral costs for his mother, Ryo resorts to stealing as a means to survive in Japan.

This was a depressing film, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout the entire movie, there is no hope at all for the main character; everything about him and his situation is tragic. The director, Kobayashi Masahiro, has a great directing style - from the simplest scenes of Ryo scarfing down a bowl of instant noodles to Ryo sitting on a bench with his head down at the hospital - the director is able to show his audience exactly who Ryo is and dark world he faces at a very young age. The script, with its minimal lines, is very fitting for the film and may even strengthen the overall mood and tone of the storyline; the audience always knows what's going on. The script really helps to articulate just how lonely Ryo's life. While Where Are You? doesn't necessarily pull at the heart strings (I wasn't balling my eyes out and I'm a huge crybaby when it comes to sad dramas), it left me feeling very sad and depressed that such situations do occur for some children.

Overall, a good movie. Probably wouldn't see it again though... it's just too heavy for the heart and mind.

Zombieland #1 in Its Opening Weekend

Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone, finally opened in theatres this past weekend and went on to take the box office for its opening weekend.

With a relatively small production budget of $23.6 million, Zombieland already made back its money by taking in $24, 733, 155 in the North American market. With Halloween just around the corner and movie-goer buzz surrounding this movie, it should have no problem making a nice tidy profit for its producers.

Interesting thing to note: Not since the ScaryMovie trilogy has a horror-comedy film opened at #1.

And Zombieland isn't even a spoof movie - it's just straight up fun.

So if you haven't seen it yet, or are unsure if you want to watch it.... just do yourself a favour and watch it.

Awesome Cover

For as long as I can remember, I've always been a huge fan of KPop.
When I was younger, my obsession for Kpop was so severe that when my mom rented me music shows from the Korean video store, I would convince my sister to mimic kpop's biggest stars with me. We used to dance and sing along to some of Korea's biggest musical acts - Roo'Ra, DJ Doc, Deux, Park Jin Young (before he became a super producer and wore plastic pants as part of his costume)... the list goes on...
Throughout my teenage years, the internet nursed this obsession as I found fellow Kpop fans from around the world. Not only was I getting the latest music from South Korea, but I was also interacting with people who knew why it was so dope to hear 1TYM's preview tracks even before the CD was released. I was a frequent forum visitor and would spend nights on end browsing through forums and sharing media files. I read people's fanfics and commented on them as I daydreamed about being Fly To The Sky's Brian Joo's girlfriend (hey, we're only two years apart and him being a Korean-American diminishes any communication/cultural barriers)

I was a Kpop geek... a die-hard fan... even my email address/instant messaging ID had the initials of my favourite Korean star (What up Yoo Seung Jun)

But as I've gotten older, I find that it more difficult to keep up to date with my beloved Kpop.

I don't belong to any forums. I don't rent music shows from the video store. I stopped buying CDs. I even stopped daydreaming about Korean stars...

Which ultimately sucks.

Because Kpop is unlike any other music.

Which is why I guess I try to still stay in touch with my favourite source of popular culture. My interest in Kpop helped to stir an interest in media and its influence on our society and encouraged me to study it to a greater extent in school. Even though it's harder for me now (primarily cause I'm an adult and I have a real life to tend to), I can't turn my back on the one thing that have consistently made me happy in my life.

That being said...

I found this awesome cover of G-Dragon's 'Heartbreaker' by this white guy.

This is the original MV.
(FYI: G-Dragon, real name Kwon Ji Yong (hey! we share a last name!) is the leader of Korean boy band, Big Bang. He's been wth YG Entertainment since he got into Yang Hyun Suk's car back in 2001 - A-Yo!)





Yeah, people think he looks like a Korean version of Lady Gaga. But the song's really catchy


This is the awesome cover




He freaking rocks. I love how the hallyu movement reaches beyond Korea and Koreans. It excites me that globalization allows others to enjoy the same music that I absolutely love.