kumayama's reviews

"The Lunch Date" is a very tricky title. At first we think the woman doesn't seem to go dating, but after we watch the whole film, everything makes sense.

An old woman misses the train, so she has lunch at the restaurant in the station. The story is just that, however, the situation changes again and again.

There are some turning points in the movie. At each points, the expression of the lady and sometimes background music turn to a new context.

Though there is little dialog in the movie, we can understand the story if there's no dialog, or we cannot understand English.

In this 10-minute film, we sometimes are irritated, surprised, laugh and touched to our heart. After watching this film, we are ready for any accidents, and can be more tolerant of others.

This movie "Lifted" let us peep inside the mysterious alien's world. Two aliens on the ship have characters in contrast. A little alien is childlike and inexperienced. But his charming appearance and friendly character make us cheer him on his training. Everything he does reminds us of our childhood. I can't stop laughing at the scene that he disgusted at making many mistakes and his poor work make the human child fly to the right and left and up and down in his room. There is one more creature watching the little alien affectionately. That's a big alien. Though he looks like just a strict and skilled teacher at first, we can find he cares for the little alien so much, and he want him to learn and experience. Both aliens are very attractive. Of course the picture is really good, and the sounds makes the situation funnier.

This is a beautiful movie. Some impressive angles are used throughout the film; the shots not taking people's face, focusing on the girl's skirt, taking only silhouette. At the party scene, the camera's eyes move as if it is a member of children playing there. I like the scene that the family prepares for going to the Christmas party; The mother cares for everyone, the father sips a cup of coffee, the boy playing a minicab scattering the salt in the kitchen, the girl wearing her clothes for a special day. Actually, I'm not sure that I could understand the story and the deep meaning of this film well, especially the last scene, a girl standing and staring at another girl and her family with a rock in her hand. I also could not get why this film is titled "Gasman," because I feel it is a story of "girls." It's a story telling to us girls' mind is complicated. They can easily pretend to be friends, they love their fathers, and they are jealous.

This movie is about an unusual three days of a couple who are not going well. The husband, David, is a foreigner, which makes the situation more unusual and interesting. The story starts with depressing atmosphere. The wife, Keiko, seems to be deeply sad. We can guess why they look unhappily as the story goes. They like children, but maybe Keiko miscarried. I think that's why David insist on adopting Jay as their family. The time spent with Jay is very special for them. They are happy though feeling guilty on the other hand. Jay gives them a supportive push forward. The title of this film is "Three Days in Kamakura", but I couldn't follow the time in the movie. I think it's because there are lots of scene taken indoors, and even in outdoor scenes, the sky is always gray as the weather forecast said on radio. Moreover, it should be noted that the location, Kamakura, is a special place where time goes slowly. This film is drawing strange days in Kamakura with mysterious atmosphere.

With an ostentatious sound of siren, this film starts. The siren echoes throughout the big city and many people fall down on the street as if they have been shot. We think that something unusual must have happened in the city, and it should be a mystery story full of suspense. However the story doesn't go as we expected. Throughout this movie, sounds are used effectively. The siren sound makes us worry, the thuds of hitting golf balls on the vehicle make us depressed, and the fanfare makes us laugh. When the riddle has been solved, the serious atmosphere turns funny all at once. Though I feel sorry for people hit by a ball, after watching this film I can be refreshed, and want to watch the beginning of this film one more time.

The tone of the picture is so cute that I was excited to start to watch this film . Papers are drawn lively, showing the passion of the man who has fallen in love. Paper airplanes flying from the window to the window are very beautiful. They are sometimes hit by a gust of wind, sometimes interrupted by a group of birds. A white paper airplane shines on the black and white screen. Also, the appearance of old city is wonderful and has certain atmosphere. The story is very common. A man is taken with a woman at the first meeting, so he is destined to find her and follow her, then his passion reaches her and they reunite. It's a 7-minute short film, however, it tells us the beginning of love and let us imagine the story which should be continued.

Everything in the movie is very simple; the story, characters and music. However we find it funny that the Snowman in a snow dome tries to get out. The taste of picture is cute and friendly, so we can easily watch it. Things floating in the snow dome seem real in animation.

The Snowman living in winter and toys in summer look are in contrast. We sympathized with him because he is lonely. At the same time, we can't stop feeling he is charming because his tries to get out the snow dome just to talk with a cute girl. He moves a lot and fails many times with full expression that also make him lovely.

The situation that toys are moving when we don't look at them is a dream of every child Pixar formed that as this animation to keep not only children but adults wondering, and it's easy to guess that this idea leads to the most popular animation, "Toy Story."

Father and Daughter is a film which simply shows the relationship between a father and a daughter, as the title says. Though the father for appears only a few minutes in the film, we can feel his presence all the way through this movie. It is easy for as to understand that the daughter is always thinking of her father by following her eyes looking for him. At the same time, the film makes us imagine her life vividly. It only shows the scene the daughter pedals a bicycle to come to the shore where she lost her father, however, the appearance of herself, people beside her and the weight of the pedal draw the situations which she is in at that moment. The relation between father and daughter is a special thing, typically. A father is a first boyfriend of a daughter, and a daughter is the last girlfriend of a father. When a girl faces her father, she is always "a daughter." It's different from any other relationship. This film reminds us of these special sweet memories.