Movies! in the Month of March, 2017

So many good films.

Exprimenter

The Light Between Oceans

Chocolat

Demolition

The Nice Guys

Collateral Beauty

Fire at Sea

La La Land

Bastille Day

Conversation Piece

Trainwreck

Loving

Jackie

A Brighter Summer Day

Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary

A Man Called Ove

Tigers

I, Daniel Blake

Things to Come

Difficult to choose a best but this was probably most memorable in a surprising way.  It was better than what the Japanese trailer tried to show which I think is rare.

April Sushi! Movies! and Music! All Packed in One

Yes, I could go on eating sushi everyday actually…

So that covered the sushi bit.  Now the movies.  Wow.  So many good ones, new and old, deep and funny.

The Lobster

My Mother

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Love is Strange

Magical Girl

Absolutely Anything

The Danish Girl

Babettes Gæstebud

This Must be the Place

The Tree of Wooden Clogs

The Whole Truth

Serial (Bad) Wedding

Sicario

Omar

Drive

Apocalypse Now

As for music, different genres, lots of in-stores.

For the funniness I choose this French film as my film of the month.

Music! and Movies! in the Month of September, 2015

My musical experiences from last month in Tokyo…

The 14th Tokyo Jazz Festival over two days. Saw Bob James, Esperanza Spalding, Adam at, Lee Ritenour, Fourplay with Lee and Larry Carlton at Tokyo International Forum

Idemitsu Music Awards Gala Concert honoring this year’s three recipients at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall

The Manhattan Transfer at Billboard Live Tokyo

“Music Storm 2015”, an industry convention at EX Theater Roppongi

The first Japanese cast of Chess, a London musical from the ’80s with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

And films during the same period.

Phoenix

Learning to Drive

Danny Collins

St. Vincent

Wild

Kingsman: The Secret Service

The Best of Me

Who am I – Kein System ist Sicher

This month’s surprise hits were St. Vincent and Who am I – Kein System is Sicher, the latter being a German film from which I was not expecting anything.  It had a clever storyline and was highly entertaining although the trailer may not fully convey that.

Music! in the Month of March, 2015 ♪

Surprised at the number of music films that were available and that I went to see during March.  That added to actual music events I was at, came to be quite a few.

The Pop Group @ Liquid Room

Kishi Bashi @ Billboard Live Tokyo

Hiroko Kokubu @ the Jam Spot @ Yamano Music Store Ginza

Annie, the film

Bob James @ Blue Note Tokyo

Films Les Miserables and The Producers, seen on different days.

Hiroko Kokubu @ JZ Brat

Fried Pride @ Billboard Live Tokyo

Victor Rock Festival @ Makuhari Messe

Alan from the Irish restaurant The Giant’s Stew House

Gyze @ Tower Records Akihabara

Begin Again, the film

Rudderless, the film

Rio Yanase @ the Norwegian Embassy

Song One, the film

Alexandra Stan @ Ebisu Garden Hall

Springroove 2015 @ Makuhari Messe

Found a totally different kind of Alexandra Stan here.  Silly but quite good.  Enjoy.

Movies! in the Month of January, 2015

Quite a few due partly to the fact that there was and still is a film festival of sorts going on for 49 unreleased-in-theatres-in-Japan films @ Human Trust Cinema Shibuya.  Anyway here we go…

Below the festival schedule.

I had many favorites but this Danish film from the “festival” was great.

It felt a bit too much like a TV series which I understand is what it was originally, somewhat similar to the US TV series Cold Case.  Nevertheless a gripping film.