Christmas Party @AEON Shibuya-Hachiko-Guchi school クリスマスパーティ＠イーオン渋谷ハチ公口校

AEON Shibuya-Hachikoguchi school had Christmas & Welcome & Farewell party at an Izakaya called Teshigoto today.　We enjoyed their wonderful food, drink, and chit-chat. We also exchanged the presents, and I got these delicious cookies. Thank you so much for the wonderful gift.
本日、イーオン渋谷ハチ公口校のクリスマスパーティ＆歓送迎会がてしごと直伝家という居酒屋で楽しく開催されました。プレゼント交換ではおいしいクッキーを頂戴いたしました。ステキな贈り物をありがとうございます。

While you were sleeping あなたが寝てる間に

Sandra Bullock（サンドラ・ブロック）charms us as usual playing a lonely, but perky and upbeat woman who gets a chance to enjoy real love and what it truly means to be part of a family in this critical romantic comedy. There is not one hint of sexuality or lust in this as the love blossoms between Jack (Bill Pullman) and Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is honest, pure and all together endearing. An amiable light-hearted script, a reliable cast made of recognizable actors with top-notch chemistry between them, and a feel-good soundtrack make this film one of the best.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=27724

Where is Winky's Horse? はじめて馬に乗った日

"Where is Winky's Horse?" was released on DVD with my translation in Japan today. This film was written by a prestigious screen writer, Tamara Bos, and directed by Mischa Kamp, and got lots of awards all over the world such as "Golden Calf" at Nether lands Film Festival, and "Semi Grand Prix" at Chicago International Children's Film Festival, and "Kids Audience Award" at Munich Film Festival. Done with the perfect collaboration of Warner Bros and BosBros, the sequel to "Winky's Horse", is a must-see. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it.
翻訳いたしました「はじめて馬に乗った日」が、本日DVDリリースされました。人気作家タマラ・ボス脚本、ミーシャ・カンプ監督作品。オランダアカデミー賞観客賞、子ども映画賞、シカゴ国際子ども映画祭準グランプリ、ミュンヘン映画祭子ども審査員賞など数多くの賞を受賞し、ワーナーブラザーズとボスブラザーズが、「ウィンキーの白い馬」に続き強力タッグした秀作ですので、お楽しみいただければ幸甚です。

For For farther information, please visit the websites. 詳細はサイトをご覧ください。 http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=335297

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED 情愛と友情

Charles Ryder（Matthew Goode / マシュー・グード）goes to Oxford to study painting, and befriends a rich lad Sebastian Flyte（Ben Whishaw / ベン・ウィショー）, who takes Charles to his palatial mansion - Brideshead（ブライヅヘッド）. There, Charles meets orthodox religious family of Sebastian - his sister Julia（Hayley Atwell / ヘイリー・アトウェル）and his mother Lady Marchmain（Emma Thompson / エマ・トンプソン）. Events unfold where Charles and Julia start loving each other – but face the passionate jealousy of Sebastian. The story is well-known through not only the novel by Evelyn Waugh（イーヴリン・ウォー）, but also by the very popular miniseries for television years back.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=332708

日蘭交流400周年記念 なかよし佐倉とオランダ

"Winky's Horse", which I translated, is being screened at Dutch screening event on December 6th. This film is definitely a masterpiece which got Golden Calf as the best scenario, Movie Squad Junior Award at Nether lands Film Festival, and Jury Award at Chicago International Children's Film Festival. It is distributed by Warner Bros in the Nether lands. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it. For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.city.sakura.lg.jp/bunka/nitiran/400/eiga.html
翻訳いたしました「ウィンキーの白い馬」が、12月6日、オランダ映画会で上映されます。オランダアカデミー賞最優秀脚本賞、最優秀子ども映画賞、シカゴ国際子ども映画祭審査員賞など数多くの賞を受賞し、本国ではワーナーブラザーズ配給でヒットされました愛らしい作品ですので、お楽しみいただければ幸甚です。詳細はサイトをご覧くださいませ。
http://www.city.sakura.lg.jp/bunka/nitiran/400/eiga.html

The River Of No Return 帰らざる河

This film spotlights one of Marilyn Monroe（マリリン・モンロー）'s best early performances. It shows us once more that she was more than just another sex symbol and that there was real talent behind her beautiful figure. The cinematography is breathtaking except for the obvious rear projection used in the treacherous raft scenes depicting Robert Mitchum（ロバート・ミッチャム） and Monroe（マリリン・モンロー）. The beauty of Alberta, Canada's Jasper National Park is definitely an asset. "The River Of No Return" must be symbolic of something. The metaphor is not easy to reconcile with the story. See what you can do with it.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=4317

White Palace 僕の美しい人だから

We can enjoy such wonderful romance and character study between two people who live on totally opposite sides of the tracks. Two stereotypical people pair up and evolve into very un-stereotypical couple and try to function in a hostile environment. The acting in the movie is so good that it surpasses the dialogues. It contains one of the best endings. What more can a woman ask for ! A truly uplifting movie that conveys joy, happiness, and victory . I am one of the biggest Susan Sarandon（スーザン・サランドン）fans. She shines absolutely beautiful in this movie. And James Spader（ジェームズ・スペイダー）has performed one of his bests roles ever.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=21415

BAGDAD CAFÉ (OUT OF ROSENHEIM) バグダッド・カフェ

"Bagdad Café"is definitely a feel-good film with a great deal to say about human relationships and the impact one person can have on others. The fabulous shot images, the warm colors and the beautiful song that accompanied them will attract the audience. When learning to know the characters better, the film really unfolds to you its whole essence. This is a simple, straightforward story about friendship, pain, love and humanity. Every single character is very real and well acted, and the story evolves very naturally. This film catches you with all its simplicity and beauty and never leaves you.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=17897

戸田奈津子トーク＆サイン会 毎日新聞東京本社にて

戸田奈津子トーク＆サイン会へ本日、行ってまいりました。サインもゲット。ヽ(´▽｀)/なっち～サインのコレクションを一部だけ披露。
感想：なっち～、カッコよすぎ。毎日新聞社の商魂、怖すぎ。

The Green Mile グリーンマイル

Stephen King（スティーヴン・キング）'s "The Green Mile" was adapted wonderfully by Frank Darabont（フランク・ダラボン）, who did such a magnificent job bringing King's "Shawshank Redemption（ショーシャンクの空に）" to the screen. He does the same high quality work with this one. Tom Hanks（トム・ハンクス）performs very well indeed as always. Yet the cast around him is even more spectacular. How Michael Clarke Duncan（マイケル・クラーク・ダンカン） made this giant like character into a vulnerable pussycat was a marvel. Forget about the running time (3 hours) and enjoy it for what it is.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=159812

SEVEN セブン

Unlike many other movies from the same genre, the movie is slow paced and takes it time to develop the characters without falling into some obvious clichés. The two main characters played by Morgan Freeman（モーガン・フリーマン）and Brad Pitt（ブラッド・ピット）are presented as an unlikely police-couple that are different in many ways from each other but in a way that is also what makes them such a great couple. Then, the police-couple realize that a serial killer is murdering his victims in accordance with the seven deadly sins（七つの大罪）: gluttony（暴食）, greed（貪欲）, sloth（怠惰）, lust（色欲）, pride（傲慢）, envy（嫉妬） and wrath（憤怒）.....

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=28593

Nebuta Festival ねぶた祭り

They are holding Nebuta Festival on Sazae-san Street in Sakura-Shinmachi (4 stations from Shibuya) tomorrow (September 12th). For farther information, please click the URL. If you see us there on the very day of the festival, please say hello to us.
http://www.sakurashinmachi.net/asp/news_dtl.asp?nt=7&nk=121&ctg=0
明日、9月12日、桜新町（渋谷から4駅）のサザエさん通りにてねぶた祭りが開催されます。詳細情報はURLをクリックください。当日私たちをお見かけになりましたらお気軽にお声をおかけくださいませ。
http://www.sakurashinmachi.net/asp/news_dtl.asp?nt=7&nk=121&ctg=0

L.A. Confidential Ｌ.Ａ.コンフィデンシャル

L.A. Confidential is one of the most classy, intriguing and sexiest detective films. If you watch it and see that Russell Crowe（ラッセル・クロウ）, Kevin Spacey（ケヴィン・スペイシー）and Guy Pearce（ガイ・ピアース）appeared in the same film back in 97, you won't believe it since they have all gone on to better things. However, we have L.A. Confidential which was Crowe's and Pearce's ticket into Hollywood. What puzzles me is why everybody except Kim Basinger（キム・ベイシンガー）didn't get any acting nominations at the Oscars. James Cromwell（ジェームズ・クロムウェル）is the most chilled out villain you'll ever going to see in a film like this. If you are a fan of crime-drama and detective stories, you won't be disappointed.,

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=84047

Taxi Driver タクシードライバー

Although it's a film of the 70s, it's not an old-fashioned movie because the essence of the story could be perfectly referred to the current society. This movie is about loneliness, about the isolation of a man in a society full of scum. His objective is to finish with the scum of the streets. The story uses a taxi driver as a metaphor of loneliness and it has some kind of irony because a city which is full of people can be the loneliest place for a man. The long nights in the city, the night environment full of whores, junkies, pimps and thieves are the main elements of the world where Travis Bickle（ラヴィス・ビックル）played by Robert De Niro（ロバート・デ・ニーロ）lives. Excellent actors, a good director, an impressive soundtrack and a real story are the main appeals of this film.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=13970

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION ショーシャンクの空に

It is a poignant story about hope. Hope gets me. It tells a lesson about life. It is also a story for freedom.　Freedom from isolation, from rules, from bigotry and hate. Morgan Freeman（モーガン・フリーマン）and Tim Robbins（ティム・ロビンス）are majestic in their performances. Each learns from the other. Their relationship is strong and you feel that from the first moment they make contact with one another. This film encompasses friendships, hardships, hopes, dream, and freedom. And what is so great about the movie is that it moves you. It gives you hope. Even though the circumstances between the characters and the viewers are quite different, you will not feel that far removed from what the characters are going through.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=10909

I'M NOT THERE アイム・ノット・ゼア

Six actors are all playing versions of Bob Dylan（ボブ･ディラン）though their characters have different names. Cate Blanchett（ケイト･ブランシェット）as Jude, Christian Bale（クリスチャン･ベイル）as Jack / Pastor John, Richard Gere（リチャード･ギア）as Billy, Ben Whishaw（ベン･ウィショー）as Arthur, Heath Ledger（ヒース･レジャー）as Robbie, and Marcus Carl Franklin（マーカス･カール･フランクリン）as Woody / Chaplin Boy. Blanchett is getting a lot of buzz for her performance, and she deserves it. She plays an incarnation of Dylan that would be right around the time of "Don't Look Back". Although I think the director, Todd Haynes（トッド･ヘインズ）is mostly successful, I fear that this will be a film that will really interest people who already know about Dylan, and that it will sort of fly over the heads of everyone else. A good movie, and a nice place to start if you want to expand and see something less conventional.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=329618

Meerkat Manor ミーアキャットの世界

"Meerkat Manor" was be released on DVD with my translation in Japan today. The meerkats are just so lovely that I sincerely hope all of you can enjoy the DVD. This series was also broadcasted on TV (ANIMAL PLANET). Dearest Meerkats; You are just too cute.

字幕翻訳いたしました「ミーアキャットの世界」が本日DVD発売されました。とてもラブリーなミーアちゃんたちですので、お楽しみいただければ幸甚です。アニマルプラネットでも放映されていた番組です。

For For farther information, please visit the websites. 詳細はサイトをご覧ください。
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_dvd.php?num_sid=685134

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY メリーに首ったけ

The plot is nothing new: A guy trying to get the love of the one he admired. But in this movie the plot isn't important. The focus is not on the plot but the actual happenings in the movie, and there's a lot. First, the movie is funny, with its many gags that just keep on coming. Second, the people seem real enough to be in the situations they brought themselves into. Third, Cameron Diaz（キャメロン・ディアス） is just so beautiful, and a marvel to look at. I can't help but fall in love with her too along with every guy in the film.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=84698

DISCLOSURE ディスクロージャー

This is a pretty catchy way to portray sexual harassment. "Sexual harassment is not about sex, it's about power." Catherine Alvarez played by Roma Maffia（ロマ・マフィア）says in the film. It's refreshing and astonishing to see the flip side of the coin: a man accusing a woman of sexual harassment and proving it. What a unique twist, almost unheard of in the liberal world of mainstream films. The entire cast is phenomenal. Michael Doulgas（マイケル・ダグラス）and Demi Moore（デミ・ムーア）head this fine piece of work based on Michael Crichton（マイケル・クライトン）'s novel. Film keeps a strong interest for the whole time.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=15053

MR. RICE'S SECRET 天使といた夏

A nice coming-of-age film. Fantasy and grave-digging might appeal to lots of children's sense of adventure. It has secret messages, a code ring, and a mystery..... All of them are great fun. There were a lot of scenes where you could initiate a discussion with your kids. About dying, how to treat other people, the true meaning of friendship, and so on. The lead character Owen is a likable kid, and his friend Mr. Rice, played by David Bowie（デヴィッド・ボウイ） is cool. The ending was not a surprise, but expected--maybe not by a kid, a really good movie for parents and kids to watch together. A must see for when you want to ponder things like the meaning of life.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=319529

Some Kind of Wonderful 恋しくて

I's refreshing to have a movie about teens in love that doesn't rely on sex to gain the audience's interest. It's a classic story, but told from a timeless perspective. Mary Stuart Masterson（メアリー・スチュアート・マスターソン）is, as always, superb in her performance.　While this is one of her early films, it shows her enormous ability and potential. Eric Stoltz（エリック・ストルツ）and Lea Thompson（リー・トンプソン）give excellent performances as well with good acting, and both are able to highlight dialogue with subtle nuances. There are a lot of teen movies, but this is a story that never grows old and is a pleasure to watch again. An excellent film.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=7290

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT プリシラ

Two drag queens, Guy Pearce（ガイ・ピアース）as Felicia, and Hugo Weaving（ヒューゴ・ウィーヴィング）as Mitzi, and a transsexual, Terence Stamp（テレンス・スタンプ）as Bernadette make a trip to Alice Springs in a pink bus called Priscilla. It has some laughter and tears. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to take a look at a realistic gay life in the 80's. It's amazing how narrow minded people can be, but these people also show us the true meaning of life, love, friendship, loyalty, and so on. Using humor and controversial issues, the film maker broke through the barrier of bias, and got to the core of these three fabulous people.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=20463

Cherry Blossom Festival Sakura-Shinmachi さくら祭り＠世田谷区桜新町

There is Sakura Festival on April 12th (Sun) in Sakura Shinmachi (4 stations from Shibuya). We can enjoy Ms. Kiyoko Suizenji's stage as usual.　For farther information, please visit the website. If you see us there on the very day of the festival, please say hello to us.
http://www.sakurashinmachi.net/asp/news_dtl.asp?nt=7&nk=116&ctg=0
4月12日（日）、桜新町（渋谷から4駅）にてさくら祭りが開催されます。恒例の水前寺清子さんのステージもあります。詳細はサイトをご覧ください。当日私たちをお見かけになりましたらお気軽にお声をおかけくださいませ。
http://www.sakurashinmachi.net/asp/news_dtl.asp?nt=7&nk=116&ctg=0

Stardust スターダスト

It is a fairy tale written by an author famed in comic bookdom. Acting is good. It's always hard to say more than that for fantasy films but I believe there were significant superbly acted roles. Michelle Pfeiffer（ミシェル・ファイファー）plays a villain, and she does the job. Nothing special though she was very beautiful and an eye candy. Rupert Everett（ルパート・エヴェレット）is a great villain. Peter O'Toole（ピーター・オトゥール）is marvelous. Ricky Gervais（リッキー・ジャーヴェイス）is perfect. Robert De Niro（ロバート・デ・ニーロ）seemed to be having too much fun for the most part. And Charlie Cox（チャーリー・コックス）as the lead character was a fine surprise. I've always been of mixed opinion with Claire Danes（クレア・デインズ）. She can be great, and then she can seem to miss the mark. In this film, she's the former. And she is literally the star of this film. The writing is fantastical and real though it's hard in today's climate to do anything original. At first, you begin to wonder. A kingdom, a dying King, a boy out to prove his own worth, witches, ghosts, a quest. It's nothing new, but in the end, you'll find this story is what all fairy tales should be but all too often are not.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=327707

A gold medalist, Mr. Kosuke Kitajima's croquette shop 金メダリスト北島選手のコロッケ屋さん

Thank you so much for the lucky and delicious food. I hope that this will lead us to gold medal lives, and that all of you who are looking at Kitajima's cutlets' pictures will also live gold medal lives.
おいしくて縁起のよいモノをありがとうございます。これで私たちもゴールドメダル級の人生を送れますよーに。北島選手のカツの写真をご覧の皆さまにも、ゴールドメダル級の人生が訪れますよーに。

What's Eating Gilbert Grape ギルバート・グレイプ

I fell in love with Johnny Depp（ジョニー・デップ）in "Pirates of the Caribbean（パイレーツ・オブ・カリビアン）", but in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape（ギルバート・グレイプ）", he won my heart. The biggest surprise was Leonardo DiCaprio（レオナルド・ディカプリオ） as Arnie.　He was just so amazing. He was only 19 when the film was released.　He gave an amazing portrayal of a boy who goes in and out of his own world. The casting worked perfectly to create family dynamics and very real. I loved that the kids did everything they could to protect their mother and their disturbed brother from outside influences. They stuck together until the end which actually became the beginning. A very hopeful film.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=6006

Heavenly Creatures 乙女の祈り

"Heavenly Creatures" is not our average film. It uses a special technique which is used by not just filming a story and it's actions, but by actually showing the side of the girls' vivid imaginations. This was done through the elaborate sequences of the girls' fantasies.　Visually, this movie is stunning. The landscape of Christchurch and the surrounding area is beautiful. The voice overs are extracts from the real Pauline's diary, and explain very well what exactly is going on inside of her head. A very good portrayal by all of the actors.　Both Melanie Lynskey（メラニー・リンスキー） and Kate Winslet （ケイト・ウィンスレット）did an exquisite job.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=26406

The Bourne Identity ボーン・アイデンティティー

This is a good action-spy movie. I heard a lot of good critics, but didn't know what to think about it. I'm not too keen on movies like James Bond and others in this genre, but this one is better. Normally you see the SUPER HERO using all kinds of weird gadgets, driving extremely fast sports cars and sleeping with ladies who look more like prostitutes than being normal women. Jason Bourne （ジェイソン・ボーン）however doesn't have all this things, which makes this movie a lot more realistic. The fights are fast and very realistic but still entertaining. The action scenes are believable..... Baby-faced Matt Damon（マット・デイモン）plays Jason Bourne（ジェイソン・ボーン）, which might have helped this film to be successful.

For farther information, please visit the websites.
THE BOURNE IDENTITY　ボーン・アイデンティティー
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=239779
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY　ボーン・スプレマシー
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=320073
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM　ボーン・アルティメイタム
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=328151

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN パイレーツ･オブ･カリビアン

There aren't as many action scenes as I had thought there would be in a pirate movie, but the ones that are in the movie were very fun and enjoyable.　After seeing it, I think it had the right balance of action and drama. Johnny Depp（ジョニー・デップ）'s performance is one of his best ever as Captain Jack Sparrow（ジャック・スパロウ）. He will make you swoon and laugh at the same time with his witty lines. Orlando Bloom（オーランド・ブルーム）plays the son of a pirate, Will Turner（ウィル・ターナー）. This roll highlights the diversity and skill shown by some of the greats. Kira Knightley（キーラ・ナイトレイ）plays kidnapped Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swan（エリザベス・スワン）. She is also another young, up and coming star with a bright future ahead of her. The film may not be the most historically accurate pirate film of all times but all that is forgotten as you enjoy the brilliance of this marvelous movie. The film is pretty long, but that time flies by as you are transported into an amazing world of swashbuckling and sword fights.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=240710

Love Actually ラブ･アクチュアリー

The movie is a series of vignettes about several different people that seemingly have no connection to one another though by the end the connections are finally all present and accounted for. There is a lot of subtle satire and a generous portion of irony. The characters are quite human and often don't do the right thing. I got surprised by the incredibly successful results of the trip to America, though. However I have to admit the script writer was perfectly right. Not everyone ends up getting what they want, but then again that's love, actually.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=318646

Kurosawa Film Studio 黒澤フィルムスタジオ

I was taking a walk in my neighborhood and killing time, then, met with this shooting location. What on earth were they shooting here?
ヒマにまかせて近所を散歩してたら撮影現場に遭遇。こんな所でいったい何の映画のロケ？