Baka New Mexican's Journey With Analysis Paralysis

Back From the Dead...

Well, it's been several weeks since my last post on my blog.

It's been a long time.

Too long.

Since my last post, I've been doing a lot of thinking about, you know, stuff.  

One particular topic (out of many) was the very future of this blog.  For a while there, I seriously considered deleting this blog and just start completely over, either with a new TypePad blog or going back to Blogger.  

For now, I'll make the effort to resurrect my current blog from its sorry state.  

Over the past several weeks, I've missed out on quite a few current events topics that I wanted to write about as well as a whole assortment of topics that I have been meaning to write about but just never seem to get around to doing so.  

Blogging is more than some kind of artistic outlet.  Quite simply, it's a way of life.  A way of life that requires a large investment of time and a lot of commitment.  

If you are prepared to spend a lot time and make a commitment to care and feed your blog, then don't bother starting a blog.  You'll just be wasting your time.  

Also, I'm not going to worry about competing with other blogs.  That's silly.  Granted, it's all too easy to suffer from blog envy, for the lack of a better term.  There's quite a few really good blogs out there that I used to read with great frequency.  Unfortunately, I just don't have the the time to assemble a highly elaborate blog.  That said, I'm going to explore the new "TypePad" and liven up my blog.  

For now, though, it's  best that I write about things that I'm interested about and develop my own voice.  If what I happen to write about in my blog interests other people, then that's great.  If not, then that's great, too.  

Mixing Drinks with 小雪...

As I was supposed to be working on an online quiz for my graduate school class (another reason for not writing in my blog recently), I discovered this advertisement for Suntory Whisky and Suntory Club Soda on YouTube.  The commercial features 小雪 in a brilliant advertisement for Japanese television.  In the advertisement, 小雪 makes a mixed drink known as a Highball.  Into a tall glass, she elegantly mixes one-third Suntory Whisky and two-thirds Suntory Club Soda together with a long metal swizzle stick that she places into an ice bucket.  

It's wonderful to watch.  

Even better is when 小雪 takes a drink of the Highball, looks right into the camera, and says, "Kaku."  

I wish I could drink a Highball or two or three or four or more with 小雪.  

Amazing.  

Don't forget the lemon slice!!!

What makes the CM even better is 小雪 herself.  What I mean is that she's not wearing any tacky make up or jewelry or clothes that would make you want to call the Fashion Police.  Instead, 小雪's hair is its usual color (black) and she's wearing a very nice long sleeved white shirt that is partially rolled up on her arms.  Nice.  It's not that difficult to make 小雪 look beautiful for goodness sakes!!!  As for the ring on her left ring finger, it's anyone's guess.  

Speaking of 小雪, the early online reviews of Blood: The Last Vampire that I've read aren't that positive.  One review I read over at the Twitch website basically savaged the film.  Over at IMDB, UK audience members have also savaged the film as well.  It's not 小雪's fault, however.  Basically, audiences here in the US and abroad have been going through a glut of vampire-inspired films, novels, and TV shows ever since Kate Beckinsale played a vampire who wore that sexy black leather outfit in the Underworld films a couple of years ago.  Plus, the more I read about the plot of Blood: The Last Vampire, the more cliched the whole plot sounds.   Been there, done that.  Well, let's see, I've read that there's an old sword master that teaches Jeon Ji Hyun's character about sword fighting that gets killed by Onigen (小雪).  I've also read about a secret society whose members wear black trench coats, black fedoras, and black sunglasses.  I've also read (and seen quite a few photos online) about how Jeon Ji Hyun's character, Sayaka, slices and dices vampire zombies by the truckload throughout the film.  As if that wasn't enough, Onigen falls prey to the villain cliche about having a very long-winded monologue during the inevitable final showdown between her and Sayaka.  Like I wrote earlier, been there, done that.  Even though I haven't seen the film, the film's Hong Kong Chinese producers probably should have hired Mamoru Oshii, the creator of the original 50 minute animated feature, to work on the script.  Oh well.  

At least, 小雪 has Kamui Gaiden to look forward to.  As I wrote in an earlier post, Kamui Gaiden looks awesome. I saw the minute teaser trailer for it on Japanese TV while I was on my trip.  I want to see more of this.  I know, I know.  A great trailer doesn't make a great film, but I am insatiably curious.  Plus, 小雪 did have a supporting part in Takuya Kimura's latest TV dorama, Mr. Brain, which has been getting some good TV viewer ratings.

As for Jeon Ji Hyun, well, I'd have to say that her career is still in trouble as she continues to search for a film that is as good as the original My Sassy Girl.  Near as i can tell, Blood: The Last Vampire isn't it.  I'm sure that Blood: The Last Vampire will be a success internationally, attracting the fans of the original anime as well as hordes of idol worshipping Jeon Ji Hyun fans as well as the mildly curious.  Oh well, Jeon Ji Hyun can still find work in commercials for tight fitting jeans, make up, and cellphones, I'm sure, which isn't too bad.  However, it is interesting to note that Jeon Ji Hyun is now the same age, 27, that Ko So Young was when Jeon Ji Hyun replaced Ko So Young on those Giordano Jeans commercials on South Korean TV.  Such a cruel world it is!!!  Ah, the irony!!!

        

On my trip to Fukuoka, I drank my share of Suntory products, mostly Suntory Green Tea.  When it came to beer, I drank mostly Yebisu.  My friend had Yebisu Beer served at her wedding, I liked it quite a bit, and I stuck with that even though Yebisu Beer was the most expensive brand out of Suntory, Sapporo, Asahi, and the like at the local conbini next to my hotels in Oita and Fukuoka.  

I also had a few bottles of Kirin Green Tea while walking about Oita and Fukuoka.  

While in Japan, I noticed that Yuko Takeuchi was also doing commercials for Suntory Beer.  I liked that advertisement quite a bit, I'll try to post it to my blog.  Speaking of which, I've been watching  A LOT of things with Yuko Takeuchi lately (Pride, Son-In-Law/My Husband).  While on the bus ride from Oita to Fukuoka, I watched Yuko Takeuchi and Abe Hiroshi in the medical thriller The Glorious Team Batista.  Even though it didn't have English subtitles, I enjoyed the hell out of watching that film.  Yuko Takeuchi and Abe Hiroshi make quite an investigative team.  Dare I say that it almost rivals Takuya Kimura and Takako Matsu in Hero?  I'm going to have to buy the DVD for it.  Oh hell, before too long, the sequel to The Glorious Team Batista, The Famous General Rouge, will be out on DVD as well, so I'll have to get that too.  

Lastly, I noticed on my vacation that Nanako Matsushima (aka The World's Hottest Wife Mother Woman) was back to doing advertisements for Kirin Beer once again.  I meant to take a photograph of one of these posters.   Somehow, my camera's battery was always dead when I came across one of these posters.  What that means, I don't know.  

It's Been A Long Time...

Well, I'm back.

It's been an awfully long time since I've written a post for my blog.

First, I got really busy with work.  In mid-June, I started teaching a new class here at Fort Huachuca.  I wasn't too thrilled with this.  My enthusiasm for work is at an all-time low.  It's been this way ever since I found out that I was selected for a new job (for twice the pay!!!).  

Second, I got a new job offer to work in Washington, D.C.  For a while there, I was busy filling out paperwork to send to my new employer in Northern Virginia.  Unfortunately, there's been a lot of foot dragging by the U.S. Government since this is a contract position.  My start date for work keeps getting pushed to the right.  As far as I'm concerned, it's time to push on from Sierra Vista, Arizona.  I live a very horrible life here, and it's time for pastures new.  Living either in Rockville/Bethesda, Maryland, or in Fairfax County, Virginia, is much more to my liking.  

I can't wait.  

Third, I spent ten days in Japan in order to attend a friend's wedding.  I spent the first half of my trip in Oita, the location of my friend's wedding.  After that, I spent the better part of five days walking and walking around Fukuoka.  I really enjoyed visiting Kyushu.  I couldn't believe just how green it is!!!  I didn't see all that I wanted see nor did I do all that I wanted to do, yet that's how it goes.  I enjoyed Oita quite a bit.  It was a lot of fun meeting the friends and family of my friend.  I even got to meet some people that I met on my very first trip to Japan back in the autumn of 2004.  As for Fukuoka, well, I am totally smitten with that city.  I want to go back.  I want to go back ASAP.  It rained just about every day I was there.  Apart from everything getting absolutely soaked in my backpack (despite using an umbrella that I bought from the local Family Mart), I loved it.       

Fourth, I thought about my blog quite a bit during that large gap in time.  I've thought about deleting it. I've thought about letting my account with Typepad expire altogether.  I've even thought about going back to Blogger and Google.  What I thought about most, however, was how my blog just isn't what I want it to be.  Not even close.  The main problem for this is me.  It's a combination of high expectations; rambling, epic-length posts; and just not enough hours in the day to do all that I want.  After all, this was supposed to be a brief post.  Anyhow, I'll just have to keep plugging away.  Eventually, I'll find my own style.

Trash From Guantanamo...

Yes, I really do need to get up off my ass and update my blog on a regular basis...

Anyway, so there I was, getting ready to read the rugby scores on the BBC's website when I noticed this article about how the Obama Administration is now "pressing" Australia to take in the 17 Uighurs (Turkic Muslims from China's northwest province of Xinjiang) that have been in US custody since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001.  According to many articles, news reports, reports on National Public Radio, the Uighurs would want us to believe that they aren't card-carrying members of Al Qaeda. Instead, the Uighurs would like us to believe that they are simple freedom fighters struggling for either greater autonomy or complete independence from Beijing. 

Yeah, right.

If I was the Government of Australia, I'd tell the Obama Administration "NIMBY" (Not In My Backyard).  A simple "Bloody fuck off, mate" would do the trick as well.  After all, quite a few state governments here in the good old US of A have basically told the Obama Administration just that.  I wouldn't anyone that's been held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to be my next door neighbor.  Nor would you, dear reader.  Based upon what I've read about the prisoners at Guantanamo, there's some really violent and radical Islamists being held there.  

President Obama painted himself into a corner when he made it a part of his election platform, or manifesto, to close down the confinement facility at Guantanamo Bay.  Now that he apparently intends to honor his election promise, his administration is scrambling for options as to what to do.  

Our blase, blase friends, and most vocal critics of Guantanamo, the European Union don't seem to be all that eager to accept former prisoners.  However, the Euro-weenies never do seem to shut up about things like human rights for the incarcerated leaders of Al Qaeda.  Before we start throwing around terms like human rights, people really do need to understand that Al Qaeda is NOT a signatory of the Geneva Convention NOR is Al Qaeda an internationally recognized government.  Furthermore, where was the concern about human rights when it came to the beheadings of people like Nick Berg or Shosei Koda or any of the others who had their heads cut off in the name of an Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist/insurgent group.  It is interesting to note that when the Obama Administration asked several European countries, such as France and Germany, to take in former detainees from Guantanamo, they balked.  Then they back pedaled and said that they would accept former detainees on a case-by-case basis.  Chicken shits.  

Where was the anger and the outrage in the Middle East about those beheadings?  If memory serves me correct, quite a few people in Islamic countries throughout the world applauded the murders of Nick Berg, Shosei Koda, and the rest.  No one in the Middle East gave a fuck about their "human rights".  

Since I was in South Korea for quite a few of the beheadings that took place in Iraq, I remember quite a few South Koreans supported the beheadings of Americans  and other nationalities.  Ironically enough, it wasn't until the beheading of South Korean national Kim Sun Il, who was working for a South Korean company that held a contract with the US military, that South Koreans changed their attitude.  Prior to the beheading of Kim Sun Il, the South Korean media, especially the TV stations, had no qualms in showing the grisly details of the deaths of Nick Berg, Shosei Koda, and all of the other foreigners. Once it had been confirmed that Kim Sun Il had been beheaded, then the South Korean government blocked all access to the grainy video footage of Kim Sun Il's death on TV, in print, and on the internet.  I can even remember when the Seoul Police Department actually surrounded the mosque in Itaewon (in order to prevent any vigilantism, of course).  

Anyway, getting back to the Uighurs....  

Here's my opinion about this mess that the Obama Administration has gotten us into: It's time to start standing up to China.  One way to start standing up to China is to give them the Uighurs.  That's right, hand them over to the Chinese Government.  Make a big stink about it.  Think about it.  We could have a huge ceremony right outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC in which all of the remaining Uighurs that are in US custody get handed over to the Chinese.  We could even invite all of the media outlets to cover the handing over ceremony.  Basically, what I would hope to accomplish by handing over the Uighurs to the Chinese is to embarrass the Chinese in front of all of those horrible, miserable Islamic Governments that the Chinese have been going out of their way to support for the past several years.  I'm thinking of countries like Sudan, Iran, Dubai, and any other Islamic and/or Middle Eastern country that China has been busy signing all kinds of shady business deals, such as arms exports (just about everyone), developing nuclear weapons in return for oil (Iran), providing military aid to countries engaged in religious genocide in return for oil (Sudan), and signing huge, fat cat deals for oil and other natural resources (Iraq and Afghanistan).  Oh, and another thing, the Chinese aren't doing a damn thing when it comes to North Korea's nuclear weapons program either.  Still another thing, the last I read, the Chinese are Public Enemy #1 when it comes to spying and espionage on the United States. It's true.

So there.

Thus, if the Chinese turn around and torture and execute these Uighur detainees, then that's not my problem.  Go blame the Chinese.  While you're at it, go blame the Chinese for what's going on in Tibet as well.  (Not that you'll get very far.)  

It's time to turn the tables on the Chinese.  

It's time to stop them from throwing their weight around as if they're the 800 pound gorilla in international affairs.  

When has the Chinese done anything for us, the United States (besides underwrite our national debt and provide money for tax refunds)?

I can't think of a damn thing.  

The Chinese were basically convenient "allies" on the Global War on Terror (GWOT).  They're only along for the ride as long as it suits them.  They aren't the Australians, the British, the Canadians, the New Zealanders, and those hard-working South African contractors that I used to see all of the time when I was in Iraq.  The Chinese definition of terrorist doesn't exactly match our definition, I think.  ;o)  

Nope, the Chinese are not like our Commonwealth friends and allies when it comes to fighting terrorism.  Do the Chinese have troops in Afghanistan?  No, they most definitely do not.  Why should they when they can get the United States to do most of the fighting against the Taleban, while the Chinese sign all of these lucrative contracts with the Afghan Government?  

Furthermore, unlike many of the top members of the Obama Administration, Hilary Clinton and Robert Gates, for example, I don't get warm and fuzzy sensations when it comes to dealing with the Chinese. 

The Chinese are competitors.  Many people on Pennsylvania Avenue, at the Congress, and at the Pentagon don't seem to be aware of that.  They just don't get it.  

As for the remaining prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, I'd keep them there for quite a long time. The only way those detainees would be leaving Guantanamo is when they're placed in a coffin.  

Yes, many detainees are that dangerous.  

Still More on Blood: The Last Vampire...

OK, here it goes. One last post about the new Blood: The Last Vampire film.

Yeah, right.  Sure.

I mean it.

Anyway.

I did some searching over at the Internet Movie Database today (when I should be doing a multitude of other more important things).  Here is what I found, Roy Lee, that piece of shit (in my honest opinion) produced the US re-make of Kwak Jae Young's My Sassy Girl.  I haven't seen the re-make, and I don't have the plans to ever see it.  It's that simple.  

Given a choice between Jeon Ji Hyun or Elisha Cuthbert, I know whom I'd pick.  

It's no contest really...  

Yupki yeoja.

Jeon Ji Hyun.  

Hands down.  

Will Blood: The Last Vampire be a success?  I don't know.  We'll just have to wait until the film is released here in the US to really know.  I'm sure Jeon Ji Hyun's management, the all-powerful (in South Korea at any rate) Sidus, certainly hopes so.  After all, when you get right down to it, Jeon Ji Hyun's career has been treading water ever since the release of the original My Sassy Girl eight years ago!!!

Interesting note: Apparently, Jeon Ji Hyun got into a fracas with Sidus over her management bugging her cellphone, so they always knew her whereabouts.  WTF?!?!?  Like Japanese entertainers, South Korean entertainers are still kept under the lock and key of their talent agency.  

I just might get around to seeing the Japanese TV re-make of My Sassy Girl, starring the now disgraced Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Rena Tanaka, which is known as Ryokiteki na Kanojo.  Come to think of it, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi can speak conversational Korean.  He should have just spouted off all kinds of Korean words when he got arrested for public intoxication and indecent exposure a couple of weeks ago.  He could have probably gotten off without being charged by the TMPD for being a Korean ajosshi. Then again, Tokyo has quite a few ojiisans that are very similar to ajosshis.  In fact, they are the same with their public intoxication and rude behavior to passers-by.  Anyway, my friend Lisya was very impressed with Ryokiteki na Kanojo, so I don't know.  I will say that Tsuyoshi Kusanagi is a much better actor than Cha Tae Hyun any single day of the week, however.  

Now onto the other half of Blood: The Last Vampire...    

Koyuki has two major films coming out this year.  The other film is Kamui Gaiden.  Check out the film's website.  It has come a long, long way in the past couple of weeks.  The website even boasts a one minute teaser trailer that is just a little bit longer than the trailer I linked to over the weekend. It's still all-too-brief.  Koyuki receives second-billing in this, so you can tell just how far her career has come.  The cast for this is first rate: the ever-so-popular with the girls Kenichi Matsuyama, Hideaki Ito, and the always great-to-watch, Koichi Sato.  The support behind the camera is also first rate.  Yoichi Sai, a noted Korean-Japanese filmmaker, is directing this.  (I still have yet to see his film Blood and Bones (Chi to Hone), featuring Takeshi Kitano as the head of a Korean family living in Osaka during the 1920s to the present day.  To say that the film was controversial would be something of an understatement, I think.)  Kankuro Kudo, the absolutely brilliant writer of Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Go, Ping Pong, and Metal Macbeth, wrote the script.  Kankuro Kudo is also Korean-Japanese.  Also, the Okinawa locations look absolutely superb. 

So take that...

Now, it's on to other topics....

More Blood: The Last Vampire...

Last week, I wrote a somewhat rambling post about the new Blood: The Last Vampire film that features Koyuki and Jeon Ji Hyun.  For this post, I'm going to backtrack to that post for just a little bit.  

For the purposes of this film, Blood: The Last Vampire, at any rate, Jeon Ji Hyun changed her name to Gianna Jun.  Why did she do that?  I don't know.  I'm guessing it has something to do with the international nature of this film since it's a Hong Kong-French co-production.  As I sort of alluded in my previous post about her, when I lived in Seoul there was a mini-controversy among her fans when it emerged that Jeon Ji Hyun was something akin to her stage name.  A juicy girl friend (Yes, you read that right.) at the time told me that Jeon Ji Hyun's real family names were Wong and Mok, which are Chinese names.  However, to be fair, "Wong" is the Chinese pronunciation of the kanji character for "king".  The Korean pronunciation is "Hwang".  The Japanese pronunciation of the same kanji character is "Oh", just so you know.  Regardless of which pronunciation you use, there were some in South Korea who were just more than a little upset that Jeon Ji Hyun may not be a true 100% South Korean, or hanguk min.  It doesn't matter.  Jeon Ji Hyun's popularity managed to outlast than minor controversy.  I'm still not changing my opinion about her film Windstruck (2004), however.  It's not even close to being in the same league as her first monster hit, My Sassy Girl (2001), a film I liked quite a bit.  

Speaking of My Sassy Girl, if my memory serves me correct, here is the TV commercial that got Jeon Ji Hyun the leading role in My Sassy Girl.  The story that I remember reading was that the director of My Sassy Girl, Kwak Jae Young, was looking for a new fresh face to cast in the female leading role.  One day, Kwak Jae Young saw on TV a commercial for a Samsung printer (Yes, the very same Samsung everyone loves to hate.) that featured a girl dancing with a "sassy", carefree attitude.  After seeing the commercial Kwak Jae Young immediately cast Jeon Ji Hyun in the film.  I'm not too sure about the accuracy of the story, but it was something like that.  

When you see the commercial, it's easy to see why Jeon Ji Hyun got cast in My Sassy Girl.  

Who says sex doesn't sell?  I almost forget that this is supposed to be a commercial for a printer.  

 

The Samsung printer commercial is tame compared to some of the other commercials I've seen Jeon Ji Hyun appear in.  When I lived in Seoul, she made a series of advertisements for Giordano Jeans that were deemed to be to explicit for South Korean TV.  Some fans thought those commercials were a little too much on the slutty side.  I'm going to have to agree with those fans.  Some were pretty bad, even for me.  You'd never see, say, Takako Matsu do any of the things that Jeon Ji Hyun did in some of those commercials.  Then again, the personas of Jeon Ji Hyun and Takako Matsu are, for the most part, light years apart.  

A couple of weeks ago, I found an article over at Asianbite about the recent press junket that featured both Koyuki and Jeon Ji Hyun promoting Blood: The Last Vampire in Tokyo.  All I can say is Y-I-K-E-S!!! Jeon Ji Hyun is quite the stunner nowadays.  I mean, she's a helluva lot better looking now than a few years ago.  It's amazing really.  Jeon Ji Hyun can come over and knock on my door at any time of day or night.  I'll make sure I'll have plenty of cabbage kimchi and soju available here in my apartment.  On a personal level, it was this photograph that made the biggest impression.  In the photograph, Jeon Ji Hyun looks exactly like someone I used to know very well in Seoul.  In fact, she looks like someone I should have married.  It's one of the biggest regrets I have in life, but that's another story.  

On to lighter subjects...

On a professional level, Jeon Ji Hyun needs Blood: The Last Vampire to be a hit.  Based on my analysis, she just hasn't found the right project to succeed My Sassy Girl.  That's just me. 

As for as Koyuki is concerned, the future looks quite bright since she changed her management.  In addition to Blood: The Last Vampire, Koyuki's other big film this year is a leading role in Yoichi Sai's adaptation of Kankuro Kudo's script for Kamui Gaiden, which also features Kenichi Matsuyama in the title role and Koichi Sato.  Based upon what I've read, the film was made on location in Okinawa.  Did you know that both Yoichi Sai and Kankuro Kudo are both Korean-Japanese?  Interesting, isn't it?  Kamui Gaiden is scheduled to be released in Japan this September.  Like Goemon, this looks pretty cool, too.

 

The Kamui Gaiden website now has a slightly longer teaser trailer than the one above. Hopefully, a two-minute trailer will be available before too long.

New Kiriya Kazuaki Film...

Boy, do I need to get off my lazy ass or what? 

Instead of updating my blog, I spent the last couple of very hot days in Phoenix on a very disappointing trip.  

One of the few highlights of my trip to Phoenix was coming across the trailer for Kiriya Kazuaki's newest film, Goemon.  Somehow I found the trailer while I was watching some old South Korean music videos on YouTube while drinking beer in my hotel room (This will be a post sometime this week.).   

I first became aware of Goemon when it first went into production over a year ago.  I visited the rather bare website (at the time), but then I totally forgot about it.  I got distracted by other things, I'm sure.

Anyway, the Japanese trailer for Goemon looks KICK ASS.  It's a wonder to behold.  This doesn't look like a film that was probably made for a few million dollars, much like Kiriya Kazuaki's previous film Casshern.  Indeed, I dare say that Kiriya Kazuaki makes a mockery of the trash that has been coming out of Hollywood for the past several years.  

That Kiriya Kazuaki should make a mockery of Hollywood isn't too much of a surprise.  I thought that Casshern, despite all of its flaws, had more imagination, more creativity, more ambition, and more passion than those piece of shit Star Wars prequel films from George Lucas.  Yes, Mr. Lucas, you should hold your head down in shame for those three celluloid atrocities.  

Don't get me wrong, Casshern is/was a difficult film.  I found watching the film to be quite a challenge.  Yes, there were some clumsy scenes that just didn't work, such as length and pacing.  Yes, there were some hammy performances from some of the minor actors.  Yes, the ending was probably the most mind boggling that I can remember seeing for quite some time, apart from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Yes, Casshern probably attempted to do too many things.  Yet, taken as a whole, Casshern was daring cinema, I thought.  Here was someone, Kiriya Kazuaki, in Japanese cinema who was willing to take risks and let his imagination be his guide in telling a quite ambitious story.  

I first found out about Casshern one day at work while looking at the Yes Asia website for new DVD releases instead of working on security clearances for my small part of the bureaucratic monster that is the 8th United States Army in South Korea.  After work, I went over to the film's website and watched the trailers.  Even the redoubtable South Korean website Film 2.0 (a website I used to visit quite a bit) had the South Korean trailer for Casshern.  I also found out that Kiriya Kazuaki, a former fashion photographer, had also made several videos for his then current wife, Japanese-American J-pop titan Hikaru Utada.  I looked up these videos on YouTube (having just discovered YouTube) and my jaw hit the floor of my Seoul apartment.  They were amazing.  Suitably impressed, I ordered the deluxe three-disc Special Edition of Casshern from Yes Asia the very next day.  

UPDATE: Here is a link to an interview that Kiriya Kazuaki gave to UK sci-fi website The Zone.  In the interview, Kiriya Kazuaki makes a couple of clarifications about Casshern that might be useful to those that are/were confused by the film.  

Now, four years after Casshern, here comes Goemon.  Kiriya Kazuaki is just as ambitious as ever in his version of the often-filmed legendary ninja thief who would steal from the rich and give to the poor (a la Robin Hood) during the late-16th century.  The cast of Goemon is top notch, featuring a Who's Who of the Japanese entertainment scene.  Yosuke Eguchi, one of Japan's best ever actors (I'm a big fan of his work), plays the role of Goemon.  Eguchi has one of the best CV's in terms of J-doramas (he's right up there with Takuya Kimura in my book), but his CV in terms of film has been disappointing (as it is with most actors and actresses in Japan unfortunately) despite major roles in Shunji Iwai's outstanding Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) (someday I'm going to write about this) and the highly controversial Kiyoki no Sakura (2001) (aka Madness in Bloom).  Also included in the cast is  former teenage starlet Ryoko Hirosue, who has seen her career rebound in a huge way since she dropped out of college at Waseda University, got pregnant, and got divorced a couple of years ago.  Thus, I'd say that Ryoko Hirosue's career has rebounded much in a similar fashion as Yuko Takeuchi's career has rebounded, but that's just me.  (Once upon a time, Japanese actresses had their careers finished following pregnancy and divorce, so it looks like things are slowly starting to change.  Slowly.)  Also included in the cast are veteran character actor Susumu Terajima, Jun Kaname (who like Terajima also appeared in Casshern), Masato Ibu, and veteran film and occasional J-dorama actor Takao Osawa.  Heck, even South Korean K-1 fighter Choi Hong Man has a bit part in the film.  (Who says South Koreans aren't liked in Japan?  Whatever.)  

The visual look of Goemon is just simply amazing.  Like Casshern and the music videos he directed for his ex-wife, Kiriya Kazuaki makes extensive work of computer generated imagery (CGI) and the green screen to make these elaborate sets, epic battle scenes, and grand vistas in order to compensate for the relatively low budget (in Hollywood terms).  One of the major flaws of Casshern, in the opinion of many, was the script.  In an interview I once read, Kiriya Kazuaki admitted that he was unable to distinguish the forest from the trees since he tried to attempt so much.  So, let's hope that Kiriya Kazuaki was able to fashion a great script for Goemon.

Whether the film succeeds or not (and I'm hoping that Goemon is as stunning as its trailer), it's great to see a Japanese director show some flash and ambition.  Then again, that was one of the main criticisms about Casshern was that there was too much style and not enough substance.    

Here's hoping that Goemon that equal doses of both style and substance.

Here's the link to Goemon website.  As befits a Kiriya Kazuaki film, the website is gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately, it's in 99.8% Japanese, so get out your kanji dictionary.  Plus, I haven't had any luck in copying and pasting any of the characters into a written language translator.  Oh well...

Here's the trailer to Goemon.  Enjoy. 

Blood: The Last Vampire...

Well, here is a slight deviation from my long list of potential posts from my never-ending blog queue...

Over the past few months, it has been interesting to follow, every now and then, the news about the live action film version of Blood: The Last Vampire.  I still haven't seen the original 50+ minute anime from the highly celebrated Production I.G. studio that was co-written by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Avalon).  Someday I'll get around to seeing it, especially since I like Mamoru Oshii's films.  It does look and sound interesting.  The DVD of the original featurette, which is what it is, has been available for several years now from Manga Video.  In fact, I had the opportunity to buy a used DVD of Blood: The Last Vampire this past Saturday here in Sorry Sierra Vista, AZ.  It was available for only $9.99, but I passed on it, buying Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the US version of Park Chan Wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance instead.  Nor have I seen any episodes of the TV series that was made in the wake of the original Blood: The Last Vampire.  

(Come to think of it, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the first South Korean film I've bought for quite some time, going back to before I left Seoul in July 2006.  Just so you know, Park Chan Wook's Sympathy for Mister Vengeance (2002) was one of the first DVDs I bought in South Korea.  I bought it right after I bought Park Chan Wook's highly controversial Joint Security Area (JSA) (2000). I bought those DVDs from the same DVD store in the Yongsan Train Station area in which I bought Love Letter and April Story.  So there.  Take that.  While I was watching the previews, or trailers, on Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (aka Lady Vengeance) from Tartan Video, I was counting how many of the DVDs I own for the films they were advertising.  Quite a few, I must say.  I actually own the South Korean versions of these DVDs, not the cheap versions that are available here in the US.  I'll put a list of them onto my blog once I get off my lazy ass.  Hopefully, this will be soon.)

Getting back to Blood: The Last Vampire...  I didn't have the highest hopes for this film when it was first announced.  I figured that it would be the typical Hollywood re-make of a famous anime (i.e.,

 C-R-A-P!!!).  Then again, there are some glimmers of hope for this film.  First off, this film is a Hong Kong-French production.  The Hong Kong producers of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (a film I really didn't like, believe it or not) and the Jet Li-Tony Leung vehicle Hero (a film that I liked quite a bit) are bankrolling this film with Pathe International of France.  Near as I can tell, that piece of shit named Roy Lee, the man responsible for ALL of those remakes of Asian films in Hollywood (starting with the re-make of Ringu), isn't a part of this.  So, that's a really, really, REALLY good thing.  The trailer for the live action version appears to be a very decent stab (pun intended) at reproducing the moody atmosphere of the original anime.  The live action version was apparently filmed in China and Argentina (!?!?!).  I guess Argentina is trying to be the next New Zealand or something.  (It's not that I hate Argentina.  I don't.  I've always found Argentina to be an interesting place to visit, especially Buenos Aires and Bariloche.  Someday.)  The director for Blood: The Last Vampire is Chris Nahon, the French director of the Jet Li film Kiss of the Dragon, which I'm sure I've seen, I just don't remember too much about it.

To me, the most interesting part of Blood: The Last Vampire is its casting.  The film's cast features two of the hottest women on the planet: Koyuki and Jeon Ji Hyun.  If you think about it (as I'm wont to do since I really do HATE my job), both Koyuki and Jeon Ji Hyun need a film like this for their careers. For Koyuki, this will be her first international film since she appeared in Tom Cruise's The Last Samurai (2003), a film I really enjoyed despite it being a near total travesty of Japanese history.  Since The Last Samurai, Koyuki has been quite busy.  She co-starred with three members of SMAP in three different TV doramas in three different years (to varying degrees of success).  She also appeared in the very popular Always: Sunset on Third Street Parts 1 and 2 films, which I still haven't seen, getting quite a few good reviews for her performances.  Plus, she's been appearing in TV commercials (CMs) for Panasonic and Toyota ever since 2003.  (I'm still kicking myself for not taking a photograph of the 5-story photo of Koyuki posing with a Panasonic Viera flat screen TV in a white, virginal, barely there dress outside of Osaka's Shinsaibashi Station back in 2004.)   As if that wasn't enough, Koyuki was embroiled in a long, drawn out effort to leave her old talent management company, Flamme, for the all-powerful Avex Entertainment (the people who manage that horribly ugly space alien known as Ayumi Hamasaki as well as Koyuki's sister, singer Yayoi).  For a long time, word was that Koyuki didn't want to do work outside of Japan, despite getting a lot of offers.  Apparently, the word was wrong. Supposedly, Koyuki has a small, supporting role in John Woo's The Battle of Red Cliff and its sequel, so she is slowly starting to raise her profile.  I haven't seen either film just yet.  Koyuki's next role will be in the film version of Kamui Gaiden, which is being directed by noted Korean-Japanese filmmaker Yoichi Sai.  The very short teaser trailer that I've seen for this is quite good.  I can't wait to see the full length trailer for it.  

As for Jeon Ji Hyun (aka Wong Ji Hyun, aka Mok Ji Hyun, and now aka Gianna Jun), it has indeed been a long time.  The first time I had ever heard of Jeon Ji Hyun, as she's known in South Korea, was in the film My Sassy Girl (or Yupki Yeoja as I called it) (2001).  After JSA, My Sassy Girl was one of the very first South Korean films that I bought.  It was one of those films, like JSA, that came with a lot of hype.  Fortunately, the film was a case in which the hype was correct.  My Sassy Girl was a very entertaining film that had a lot of funny moments.  You could tell that the real star of the film was Jeon Ji Hyun, not her co-star, the sniveling wimp Cha Tae Hyun.  She just dominated everyone in the film much in the same manner that Takako Matsu's character, Riko Uesugi, dominated everyone in Love Generation (1998).In fact, I'd say that Jeon Ji Hyun's The Girl and Takako Matsu's Riko Uesugi are very similar characters. The only other film I've seen featuring Jeon Ji Hyun in it was 2004's Windstruck.  I saw that film in its first weekend when it was released back in October 2004.  I took two KATUSA friends to the Cine Cube theater in the Daehangno part of Seoul to see it.  At the time, Cine Cube was experimenting with showing South Korean films with English subtitles.  My two KATUSA friends and I were quite disappointed with Windstruck.  It was basically a re-tread of My Sassy Girl by the director of My Sassy Girl, I thought.  To this viewer, Windstruck played out like a two hour Giordano Jeans commercial.  It was glossy and nice to look at with some good songs on the soundtrack ("Tears" by X-Japan, good choice), but that was it.  For those who don't know, at the time (2002-2006), it was almost near impossible to avoid seeing Jeon Ji Hyun in Seoul.  She was everywhere.  She was on TV, on billboards, on the sides of subway cars, and in magazines.  She did advertisements for Olympus cameras ("My digital story..." as Ji Hyun would end each commercial), the Naver internet portal (wearing that stupid hat with wings, I guess she was supposed to be the Roman god Mercury), Giordano Jeans (the executives of Giordano replaced Ko So Young with Jeon Ji Hyun and saw their sales skyrocket in South Korea [Ouch!]), a gas station chain (in which Jeon Ji Hyun would wear a really tight fitting shirt and low cut shorts with a baseball cap that all matched), and several other products.  Jeon Ji Hyun was even on a billboard near my apartment when I lived in Hannamdong, wearing her gas station attendant outfit.  According to some KATUSA friends, Jeon Ji Hyun only did things for the money (How Korean can you get, eh?) and vowed never to do another TV drama ever again.  Then again, who could blame her? The first KATUSA I ever worked with (at the 94th MP BN) even told me that he went to the same university as Jeon Ji Hyun: Dongguk University in central Seoul, a famous Buddhist university.  I guess there was some debate among the students as to whether she actually attended classes or not, despite being a film major.  But, hey, when you're getting paid A LOT of money to do commercials and other endorsements like Jeon Ji Hyun was at the time, I'd have a hard time wanting to go to class too.  I know I'd want to go hang out in the fancy areas of Seoul like Yeoido, Gangnam, Apgujeong, and Myeong-dong until the wee hours of the morning if I could.  Were any of those rumors true or were those rumors just sour grapes and plain old jealousy?  I'm guessing it was the latter.  The real problem for Jeon Ji Hyun, as I saw it, was that she was over-exposed.  At the same time, her films that came out after My Sassy Girl just weren't as popular with audiences or critics inside South Korea.  (If you really thought Windstruck was as good as My Sassy Girl, I have a term for you.  It's called idol worship.) So, here comes Blood: The Last Vampire.  With all of that in mind, it appears that Jeon Ji Hyun's management, Sidus (if you have any South Korean DVDs, you probably know who they are), are trying to get her an international career.  Not a bad idea, I'd say, since she just doesn't seem to be getting any of the plum roles that the South Korean film industry has to offer for female leads.  I read somewhere on the internet that Sidus lobbied really hard to get Jeon Ji Hyun the lead role in Blood: The Last Vampire, so this could be a make or break film for her budding international career.  The word on the internet was that Jeon Ji Hyun was seen in San Jose's Japan Town, practicing her English.   

Anyway, it should be interesting to see Koyuki and Jeon Ji Hyun fight each other at the climax of Blood: The Last Vampire.  Where else are you going to see two hot chicks fighting each other to the death?  Not too many movies, I think.  Here's the US trailer for Blood: The Last Vampire.  That's pretty good English from Koyuki, if that really is Koyuki's voice toward the end.  

 

 

Here's a brief behind-the-scenes interview with Jeon Ji Hyun (speaking English!!!).

More on the Nanking Massacre...

Last week I wrote in my blog two posts about the two recent films dealing with the Nanking Massacre (aka The Rape of Nanking), John Rabe, a German (-French-Chinese) production, and The City of Life and Death, a Chinese production. 

Both of those films follow the release of Li Ying's controversial (and highly thought provoking) documentary about Yasukuni Shrine, titled simply Yasukuni (2008).

I haven't seen any of the three films.  The primary reason being that these films, according to my knowledge, aren't available in the United States.  That said, I'd say that the film I'd find most interesting to see would be Yasukuni followed by The City of Life and Death with John Rabe, coming in a distant third. 

A couple of weeks ago, The Asia Times published an very interesting article about the legacy of the Tokyo Tribunals which occurred at the end of World War II.  The Tokyo Tribunals are still a highly charged and highly emotional subject depending upon where you are in the world.  The questions about the tribunals still remain and stubbornly refuse to go away.  Was justice served by the Tokyo Tribunals? Or were the Tokyo Tribunals a show trial with only one pre-determined verdict (i.e., Guilty)?  Were the Tokyo Tribunals civilization's judgement against Imperial Japan?  Or were the trials simply a case of victor's justice?  The article about the Tokyo Tribunals written for The Asia Times is a basic write-up about a seminar that occurred in Washington, D.C. on March 23rd of this year.  The article has some really good quotes by some of the people involved in the seminar.  You can read the article for yourself at this link. 

After I read that article, I went over to Wikipedia (Yes, I know that it's a flawed resource.) to check out what the entry for the Tokyo Tribunals (aka Tokyo Trials) contained.  The article itself, just like the official verdict, is quite lengthy, but there is a lot of good information to be read.  Of course, the article in Wikipedia isn't the be-all and end-all.  It's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of a long, complex subject.  Basically, just think of the article on Wikipedia as being the internet version of Cliff's Notes (Remember those?).  

Most interesting is the case of Radhabinod Pal, the jurist from British India (aka The Raj) who wrote a lengthy dissenting opinion in regards to those defendants accused of "waging aggressive wars and committing crimes against peace and humanity" ex post facto (Latin for "after the fact").  Judge Pal is a very interesting individual.  Based upon what I have read about Judge Pal, I do think that he did have a point and highlighted the hypocrisy of the "Allied Powers".  In other words, he wasn't following the script.  As a result, Judge Pal's dissenting opinion wasn't available in the US or UK for many years (if Wikipedia is correct).  For his dissenting opinion, Judge Pal has his own memorial on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine.  

However, I feel that there were some really bad decisions made by General MacArthur based on what I've read about the Tokyo Tribunals, such as not putting Emperor Hirohito himself on trial (I really do need to get around to reading Herbert Bix's Pulitzer Prize winning book Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan.) or having the Japanese themselves prosecute those accused of war crimes (That would have been most interesting.).  After all, the U.S. Government let the Iraqi Government run the trial of Saddam Hussein.  I know I was in Iraq for most of Saddam Hussein's trial as well as his very controversial execution by the Iraqi Government.  To allow the Iraqi Government run the trial of Saddam Hussein was a very shrewd move, I thought. 

Anyway, this is a very complicated subject that will require quite a bit of research on my part in order to fully decide whether justice was served at the Tokyo Tribunals.  From what little reading I've done on the subject, I'd say that there were some very serious flaws with the whole process.  

However, let me write this (I'm stealing my own thunder from a future post I've been thinking about for quite some time.):  The people responsible for destroying Imperial Japan should have been put on trial, regardless of military rank or social position.  Yes, prior to the war there were problems, disagreements, and misunderstandings particularly between Imperial Japan and those "Western Powers" sought to contain Imperial Japan's growth.  (It's probably an oversimplification, but that's how it goes.) Emperor Hirohito, General Tojo, and the rest should have heeded Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's famous words about how history shows how far a nation can go before it over stretches itself (or words to that effect).  After Prussia defeated France and created Imperial Germany in 1871, Bismarck called it a day.  After Imperial Japan received mandates for (ironically enough) Imperial Germany's Pacific colonies, Imperial Japan should have called it a day and further developed what it had already had (the Kuriles, southern Sakhalin Island, the Korean peninsula, Taiwan, Saipan, and the rest).  If memory serves me correct, Bismarck once told a Japanese delegation to Berlin as to what Meiji Japan should do. That is, further develop Japan's economy and military capability while staying out of European wars. However, that is another series of posts entirely.  

Incidentally, Michael Zielenziger (Yes, there he is again.), in his book Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation (Yes, it's that book again.  It really is a treasure trove of information in my opinion.), goes into some detail about how many (not all) Japanese find it easy to simply wash their hands clean of taking responsibility for their actions, whether it's the Nanking Massacre or throwing up beer on the subway or stealing drying women's panties from an outdoor clothesline or any other kind of "deviant" behavior.  It's just so easy to blame one's superiors at work or to shift the  blame onto other people who didn't follow instructions properly or to commit suicide as a way to take the blame for an illegal or immoral act.  

Shikata ga nai (It couldn't be helped.) indeed!!!

Like so much else in regards to anything even vaguely associated with Japan (the people, the language, the history, the culture, its colonial empire in the 20th century, its role in the buildup to World War II, and so on), there's a lot of ambiguity involved that spans a spectrum of extremes.  For me, it's that ambiguity that's just so interesting and mind boggling at the same time.  Will there ever be something that's clear cut, or akkenai (short and simple)?  I doubt it.  

 

Shunji Iwai's Latest...

It's me.  I'm back at work, chipping away at my never ending blog queue.

A few weeks ago, when I felt like total crap and wasn't even bothering to update my blog, I came across this article over at the Twitch website.  

Basically, the article is about the latest film from Shunji Iwai, a man who in my opinion is the best thing to happen to Japanese cinema for quite some time.  I could go on and on about Shunji Iwai, but I'll save that for a later post.  Suffice to say, I'm crazy about his films.  I first found out about Shunji Iwai when I lived in Seoul.  Since I would actually buy DVDs from a legitimate DVD/CD store and not the pirated shit that became oh-so commonplace in Itaewon and the Yongsan Train Station/Electronics Market area, I would see a couple of his films for sale.  The two films of his I saw the most were Love Letter (1995) and April Story (1998).  I did some research on the internet and discovered that Love Letter and April Story were among the first Japanese films to be distributed in South Korea with the lifting of the Japanese cultural boycott in time for the 2002 World Cup.  Yes, you read that right.  The South Korean Government actually had a boycott on Japanese books, films, music, and magazines.  The ban was instituted by that block-headed prick named Rhee Syng Man back in the 1950s and kept in place until it was lifted by President Kim Dae Jung in 2002.  

Anyway, on a whim, I went down the the CD/DVD shop I used to frequent in the Yongsan Train Station area (The building is six stories tall and has a 12 screen movie theatre; many sellers of cameras, computers, etc.; and a department store.  The building is quite large.  I saw quite a few movies there, but I digress.) on a cold Saturday and bought Love Letter.  I took the DVD home, popped it into my region free DVD player that night, and was blown away.  The very next week, I went back to the same store and bought the DVD for April Story, featuring the World's Most Beautiful Woman (Takako Matsu) and my most favorite film by Shunji Iwai, and the soundtrack CD for Love Letter as well.  From there, I had to order All About Lily Chou-Chou and Swallowtail Butterfly through a seller on the internet as those two films hadn't been released in South Korea at the time.  Plus, on a trip to Tokyo, I bought two more Shunji Iwai films at the HMV in Ikebukuro (West Gate Park): Picnic and Fried Dragon Fish.  Then, through Amazon Japan, I bought both the April Story soundtrack and the DVD of music videos that Shunji Iwai made for Takako Matsu during the filming of April Story.  So, yes, I'm quite the fan. All About Lily Chou-Chou and Swallowtail Butterfly did get released into South Korean movie theatres back in 2005.  I didn't go see them (Japanese with Korean subtitles), but the KATUSA (Korean Augmentee to the United States Army) I worked with at the time did.  He was a fan of Shunji Iwai's work as well, and he told me that both films were very popular with South Korean filmgoers. 

Iwai-sama's most recent film that I'm aware of was 2004's Hana and Alice, which was released in South Korea in 2005.  Iwai-sama and Aoi Yu even came to Seoul for the film's release and did some interviews on South Korean TV to promote the film.  I remember watching the music video for Hana and Alice that was made for the South Korean market, "Want You Hear" by Loveholic, quite a few times.  Well, it was a catchy song back when I used to listen to quite a bit of South Korean music.  A lot of people I worked with in the U.S. Army thought that was weird, but oh well.  They were missing out on some actually good music.        

Iwai-sama's newest film, a 50 minute animated science fiction film known as Baton, is the most surprising of collaborations.  The film is a collaboration between Iwai and action director Ryuhei Kitamura.  To me, Ryuhei Kitamura's films are a mixed bag.  The first Kitamura film I saw (and bought) was a piece of trash called Versus.  I bought the DVD at the Yongsan PX after reading that the folks over at Ain't It Cool.com, Moriarty and Harry Knowles, gave the film positive reviews.  Versus was low budget (more like shoestring budget), had a horrible plot that made no sense, had horrible acting, and some pretty bad (as in awful) fight sequences.  The only redeeming value I saw in Versus was that one could tell that Kitamura had talent as a director.  All he needed was a half-way decent script and a larger budget.  The second Kitamura film I saw was his big budget (for a Japanese film) science fiction film Alive (2002).  That film was far superior to Versus, but it still wasn't perfect.  I thought the plot had some problems, but, on the whole, I was entertained.  Moreover, the film did feature Koyuki in a major supporting role, so I was definitely wide awake for her parts.  After all, for most of the film, Koyuki wears a long black trench coat and skin tight black clothing, so what's not to like?  Depending on my mood and the day of the week, Koyuki would probably rate as my pick for the second hottest woman on the planet, right behind Nanako Matsushima.  

Anyway, I'm getting way, way, way off track.  Back to Baton.  This does look quite interesting.  Based on what I saw in the preview, the film reminds me of the work done by the famous French illustrator Moebius, one of the original artists involved in the famous magazine Metal Hurlant (aka Heavy Metal Magazine).  Baton also reminds me of an animated science fiction film from France that dates from the 1970s by Rene La Loux and Moebius.  I can't remember the film's title, but I do remember watching it on the USA Network on the TV program Night Flight (Wow.  Now there's a flashback for you.).  The film, whose title just might be La Maitres du Temps [Thanks Hipposal over at Twitch for the info.], was an interesting watch.  Baton features the voices of Hayato Ichihara, who was featured as the main character in All About Lily Chou-Chou, and popular J-hottie Aya Ueto, who played the title role in Kitamura's Azumi.  (Yeah, she's good looking and all, but Asami Mizukawa is better looking and more talented, but that's just me.)

Baton was apparently commissioned by the City of Yokohama, who is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama.  For those who don't know, Yokohama was one of the original port cities that was opened to foreign trade after the visit of the infamous/notorious Commodore William Perry and his U.S. Naval Squadron (aka the kurofune, the Black Ships) back in the 1850s.  Kobe was another treaty port.  Anyone else care to name the rest?  

For more about the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama, here is the official site in English.  The celebrations will be ongoing from April to September of this year.  

In fact, according to the Y+150 website, Baton will be shown in three chapters. The first chapter will be shown from 28 April to 30 May.  So, if you want to see this in a theatre, you'd better get over to Yokohama before September.  I've never been to Yokohama.  I've wanted to go there.  It looks like a really nice city (see random fact about Yokohama #2 below).

Here is what the website has to say about the plot of Baton. 

"Set in the not-so-distant future, an era of space travel and trans-planetary migration, the story starts on the planet Abel.  A science fiction fantasy, Baton makes its world debut in three chapters, emphasizing the bonds between the past, the present, and the future. The first animated feature scripted and produced by Shunji Iwai, Baton is directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of Azumi fame."

Here is the website for Baton.  It's a pretty cool website with a lot of information about the film in Japanese.  

Random facts about Yokohama.

1. Shunji Iwai graduated from the film school at Yokohama State University, so that more than likely explains his involvement in making the film.
2. Nanako Matsushima (aka The World's Hottest Woman) is from Yokohama.    

In additon to Baton, Shunji Iwai was supposed to have a hand in the omnibus film I Love New York, due out some time this year.  We'll see if that happens.  I don't know if this is true or not, but I did read somewhere, probably over at the Internet Movie Database, that Hollywood bought the rights to re-make Love Letter.  I nearly threw up when I read that.  Hollywood just can't leave things alone, can they?  Then again, sometimes justice does occur.  I noticed that my local Hastings store has a copy of the long-awaited American re-make of the South Korean film My Sassy Girl on DVD.  I say its justice because I don't remember the American re-make being released in the theatres at all.  Hopefully, the American version died a quick death, went straight to video, and went right into the $9.99 budget bin for crappy DVDs.  It's all karma, I'd say.   

Let me finish this very long post (will I ever write a short post?) with the following bold claim:  If it wasn't for the original Ring (aka Ringu)film (the one with Nanako Matsushima and Hiroyuki Sanada) and all of the J-horror films that followed its wake, then Shunji Iwai's Love Letter would be perhaps the most influential Japanese film of the last 20 years or so.  Easily.