Flickerman: Mamoru Hosoda

Have you not heard about this great man?

No? Well, bless your furry little heads.

Some of you may not know about this, but this Japanese director and animator was once the man attached to direct Howl's Moving Castle by anime production giant, Studio Ghibli. Later on, however, he dropped out to pursue a personal project, an anime movie inspired by the 1967 book titled Toki o kakeru shoujo. And it wasn't like the book was anything special. Sure it was an immensely popular book with a painfully touching story, but it has already been adapted into two feature films, two TV series and a manga on the way.

So people were probably asking why this odd, bespectacled dude chose to direct an overdone Japanese novel over a classic Diana Wynne Jones that has never been adapted into anything before, ever? Hayao Miyazaki probably thought Hosoda was kidding around. Hell, I'd think he was kidding around! I can totally see it now, Miyazaki sitting on his retirement sofa, looking at Hosoda, chuckling to himself and thinking "Man, this guy is funny!" only to realize minutes later the man wasn't freaking kidding anyone. This guy was dead serious about leaving and it dawned on Miyazaki that he had to bid goodbye to his retirement couch for a while because some douche just backed out on him.

Nevertheless, I say anyone with enough guts to leave a prestigious Ghibli project for the sake of pure idealism (he once said in an interview that he wasn't able to get along with the Ghibli staff on an artistic level), rocks any boat of mine, anytime. Especially when the same man faces Studio Ghibli head on by releasing Toki o kakeru shoujo around the same time as the studio's then-newest release, Tales From Earthsea. Keep in mind that Ghibli is load-ed and could afford several hundred screenings with massive promotions, while Hosoda's film ran quietly on a single screen in Shinjuku with no fanfare. But thanks to the Internet, word got out just how good the film was, and at that year's Japanese Academy Awards, Toki o kakeru shoujo, globally known as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, managed to sideline Ghibli and grab the top honor in animation, cementing Hosoda's presence in the industry. (Of course, Tales From Earthsea being one of Ghibli's biggest disappointment also helps, I guess - talk about adding salt to Miyazaki's wound!)

For several years before, Mamoru Hosoda has already made a name for himself directing several anime episodes and two Digimon movies. Although I'm honestly no fan of Digimon (and will only admit to watching a few of their episodes, and that's just for keeping my little brother company) I am, however, a COLOSSAL fan of One Piece. You know, the one about pirates. It was Hosoda who helmed the sixth One Piece movie in 2005, titled Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, now considered by fans aplenty as the best One Piece movie to date due to its stylish artwork and strong, profound storyline which ran several shades darker than normal.

The greatest!

But it was the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) that really put Hosoda's name on the map. The story was simple, about a high school girl who accidentally acquired the ability to (quite literally) leap back and forth in time. Manufactured mainly for teenage girls, the storyline was easy to follow. The heroine, Makoto Konno was a tomboy and a slacker whose biggest problem was keeping her pudding away from her little sister, and loved nothing more than hanging out with her two male best friends, Kosuke and Chiaki.

Things changed when she escaped a near-fatal train accident one day by leaping a few minutes back in time. Then she started using her newly acquired power for trivial things, such as getting her pudding back, resit exams and avoid mishaps during class. But it became complicated after Chiaki awkwardly confessed his feelings for her and she tried going back and forth in time to avoid him ever since, but why does it hurt more to watch him from afar? And what are the consequences of abusing time, will it hurt her and the people she loves? To me, it's the twist and bittersweet ending that really made it good, because it teaches you that every course of action has aftereffects, and sometimes you just have to grow up and face that inevitable change like a man (or woman).

Time waits for no one, and embarrassing stunts like this will be remembered forever.

Hosoda's latest film is another critical hit, entitled Summer Wars (2009), this time surrounding the theme of family, world salvation and of course, plenty of sci-fi. The world of Summer Wars revolve around a virtual networking platform called OZ, where people all over the world meet up, hang out, interact with one another, get jobs and work there using their own custom-made avatars (basically it's Internet!Earth filled with Internet!Lives on an entirely different level).

The hero of this story is Kenji Koiso, a socially ill-adept, teenage mathematical genius who was tricked by his crush, Natsuki, into coming with her to her larger-than-life family gathering and pose as her 'college-student fiance'. Now which would you rather choose, work in OZ for the rest of the Summer, or spend it with the girl you have the hots for? Of course the kid accepted the role.

At the family estate, Kenji was taken aback by how freaking huge Natsuki's extended family was and stammered out the lies she had prepared for him. He immediately felt out of place, so when he received an email with a mysterious mathematical code - something he is actually good at - he quickly cracked it overnight and without any further thoughts, sent it back to the sender.

The next day, he was in shock to see his face on every news story on television - the world of OZ has been hacked by a rogue virus called Love Machine, deleting thousands of important governmental and military accounts in OZ, and Kenji is the prime suspect! Confused but more ashamed than ever, he was forced to leave Natsuki's family gathering. But as things progressed, it seems that he may be the one who can help glue the family even tighter and save OZ and the world from a possible destruction.

Nosebleed destruction.

Summer Wars differs from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by coming off as a happier movie, especially when you compare the endings. But both films have tragedies and problematic obstacles that strikes a chord in all of us, and both successfully deliver their messages quite clearly, that mistakes can be redeemed once you prove to be responsible to yourselves.

Albeit being fairly 'new' to the Japanese animation scene, Hosoda already has a distinct style to his animation, which can be seen in nearly all of his movies. The 'time world' Makoto repeatedly fell into in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the world of OZ in Summer Wars, and even the transformation change of the digimon creatures in Digimon. Each of them profess a world of clean, uncluttered background, with layers and composites of virtual effects. This distinction is mostly seen in the short film and campaign for Louis Vuitton Superflat Monogram, a 2003 collaboration with digital and contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.

Even as we speak, Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars is still circulating the film festival circuit on a global level. Some may say that he is the next Hayao Miyazaki, but I say no, he's not. Hosoda has a style that is much different from Miyazaki (whom I also consider a GOD) in writing, animating and directing. But he is definitely a character to be reckoned with, an up-and-coming force within the Japanese animation industry, and I have faith in saying that his next project will be just as good as his previous ones, if not, even better.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Right. Before I go on, I'd like to comment on how often English film trailers have been ruined and butchered by irritating American voiceovers. End of comment.

Alright! From the Holy Trinity of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the sacred makers of Shaun of the Dead, comes this action-packed second part of the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy - Hot Fuzz. If you're thinking 'Second part? Wait, you mean it's a sequel? Did I miss something here?' The answer is yes, and no. Yes, because it's the second Edgar Wright film to feature a Cornetto, that delicious ice-cream sold at your nearest convenience store.

A blue Classico flavour to be precise.

No, because story-wise it is completely unrelated to the first bit of the Trilogy, Shaun of the Dead, which is about zombies. The final installment, tentatively titled The World's End, is slated for future release, and besides having an apocalypse story, it also promises to feature the green chocolate-chip Cornetto cone. Edgar Wright's penchant for sweets may be none of your business but when it comes writing English comedy, this man and Simon Pegg reign as kings of Humourland (that's humor with an ou). So for those unfamiliar with with the Wright-Pegg-Frost combo, I suggest you give Shaun of the Dead a go. For starties. It may be different to Hot Fuzz, but its hilarity, level of awesomeness and love of ice-cream go well together like peas in a pod.

Now back to business.

Nicholas Angel is London Met police's very own supercop, excelling 400% over every other policemen in arrest records. He was a master at doing his job and became so good at it, he eventually got promoted - to a sleepy (and dare I say, crime-free) countryside village. "You've been making us look bad," his superior said, and off he went with his potted plant on a train to Sandford, a place where everybody knows everybody and the toughest criminal to book is the local runaway swan. That is, until a series of 'accidents' prompted Angel to find out whether they really are just accidents, or murder cases merely designed to look like one.

SWAN!

So in entity, this is exactly like a Midsomer Murders x Bad Boys crossover. You get sparkling action, gore, a truckload of English jokes and tons of references from mainstream buddy-cop movies. You even get a breathtaking view of the English countryside. With more or less a 90-minute wait before any sort of gun-totting action, the plot building may feel a tad too long for some people but I personally feel it's an acceptable move, especially with Nicholas adjusting his way of working and living from city life to a rural village.

Then there's his friendly relationship with Nick Frost's character, Danny Butterman, where despite his initial annoyance with the naive and less experienced Danny, Nicholas eventually warms up to him after several pints of beer and a movie-watching sleepover. The bonding does seem hilariously homoerotic at times, most prominently when Nicholas ran all the way to the flower shop to buy Danny a potted plant for his birthday. (Which I think is sweet, but that's just me! ♥) But that too, is essential to the plot as that's when Nicholas first encountered the 'hooded slasher' that's apparently been terrorising the village of Sandford.

Curiousity is indeed a driving force in Hot Fuzz. As you watch it, you know those are goddamn murders you're seeing and you feel how frustrating its is when everyone else dismisses them as accidents. Then when Nicholas finally finds a link between them, you think you're one step closer... Only to find that you're completely off the map and the motive of the murders are really quite simple. Very, very simple. Like 'I killed her because she had an annoying laugh' kind of simple. It's absurdly hilarious, but that's Edgar Wright for ya.

That's MISTER Wright to you, assholes.

The action in Hot Fuzz is just like any other cop movie, but what differs is the extended humour embedded into them. During the build-up, Danny Butterman has made a thousand references to action cliches ("Have you ever fired a gun whilst jumping through the air?", "Ever fired a gun in the air and yelled Aaah?") and when it finally happens the scenes are executed remarkably without being overly parodied or cheesy, and altogether it's shockingly funny and very, very cool.

Hot Fuzz is a film that's warranted repeated viewing because it's British comedy at best, and you are guaranteed to smile, giggle, snigger, cackle and even wet your pants laughing over it.

In Bruges (2008)

I've heard great things about In Bruges. But for some reason, I never got around to watching it despite actually owning the film. Great things indeed, the stuff I heard; BAFTA award, Irish Film and Television award, a handful of nominees, including the 2008 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 80% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Colin Farrell even won a freaking Golden Globe for Best Actor due to this film.

This guy. Who also sextaped a Playboy model. Golden Globe.

Now it's probably because I'm so used to seeing Colin Farrell in strong leading action-film roles, I find myself thinking "In Bruges? Gunfights, duels, people being beaten into pulp, nothing that would impress me I bet?" But a nagging feeling prompted me to finally give it a try. By god I tell you, I am so freaking glad I gave it a try, because this film is better than what everyone else is telling you. The first lines of the movie went:

"After I killed him, I dropped the gun in Thames, washed the residue off me hands in the bathroom of a Burger King, and walked home to await instructions. Shortly it came through - 'Get the fuck out of London, you dumb fucks. Get to Bruges.' I didn't even know where Bruges fucking was... It's in Belgium."

Just like that. A sprinkle of charm and plenty of razor-sharp wit, and I was S-O-L-D. I took the introductory bait right away and I knew it's going to get better, and it did. Within the first half hour I was able to memorize most of my favourite scenes and dialogues, because that's where the charm lies. In Bruges is that rare gem that you want to play over and over again, on mute, while you deliver the lines yourself because plenty of them are so easily quotable. Yes, the dialogues are really that good, that funny, which I think is essential to keep the entertainment going as the film deals with heavy topics such as atonement, suicide, after life, death, honor and guilt.

Two hitmen, Ray and Ken, sent to Bruges to lie low after a mission goes wrong and is told to wait for a call from their boss, the potty-mouthed Harry Waters. As they wait for the call, Ken, being the more adult and experienced of the two, embark on a cultural sightseeing tour of Bruges. He drags the more novice Ray along with him, who sulks along the way, commenting repeatedly on how "Bruges is a shithole."

"If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't."

But don't let Ray's words fool you, Bruges is about as beautiful a setting as you could hope for. In the picturesque city they meet a string of characters, each more unique and memorable than the last. From drug-dealing Chloe and her soddy ex-boyfriend, Yuri and his 'alcoves', Jimmy the midget and even the overweight American tourists whom Ray had bluntly insulted ("You's a bunch of fuckin' elephants!") and then chased Ray around angrily, only to quickly become tired ("Come on, leave it fatty!") - these characters, they're all perfectly flawed. And I say this as a good thing because they're all so much funnier that way, and when the story takes a sudden tragic turn you feel yourself sympathizing along with them.

Martin McDonagh did an extremely fantastic job in writing and directing, building up the plot for the explosive end. (And to think that this is just his first feature film. His first film ever won a bloody Oscar and that was just a short half-hour film, though the man is originally a respected playwright with extensive theater background.) Not only that, the man has an instinctive comedic timing that's been chiseled to pure perfection. He went from one dramatic episode to an obscurely funny one within minutes, and you let go and laugh, completely forgetting how sad you were a moment before. With In Bruges, McDonagh proves that even a hard-hitting, violent gangster film can be silly, poignant, deep and moving as well.

To really get a glimpse of the dark humour McDonagh instilled in this film, I'll leave you with one of my favourite scenes and let you decide how it is.

Ken: And at the same time, at the same time as trying to lead a good life, I have to reconcile with the fact that, yes, I have killed people. Not many people. And most of them were not very nice people. Apart from one person.

Ray: Who was that?

Ken: This bloke Danny Aliband’s brother. He was just trying to protect his brother. Like you or I would. He was just a lollipop man. But he came at me with a bottle. What are you gonna do? I shot him down.

Ray: Hmm. In my book, though, someone comes at you with a bottle, I’m sorry, that is a deadly weapon, he’s gotta take the consequences.

Ken: I know that in my heart, but I also know he was trying to protect his brother, you know?

Ray: I know, but a bottle, that can kill ya. That’s a case of “It’s you or him”. If he’d come at you with his bare hands, that’d be different. That wouldn’t have been fair.

Ken: But technically, someone’s bare hands, they can kill you too. They can be deadly weapons too. What if he knew Karate, say?

Ray: You said he was a lollipop man.

Ken: He WAS a lollipopman.

Ray: What a lollipop man doing, knowing fucking Karate?

Ken: I’m just saying…

Ray: How old was he?

Ken: About fifty.

Ray: What’s a fifty year old lollipop man doing, knowing fucking Karate? What was he, a Chinese lollipop man?

Ken: Course not.

Ray: Well then.

Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't just call the movie In Fucking Bruges. I'm head over heels.

Fish Story (2009)

It's 2012 and it's doomsday. You look up and there are two suns in the sky, one menacingly larger than the other and fashioned by a long fiery tail. The asteroid is just hours away from impact and somewhere in Tokyo, three men in a music store listens to a song by an unknown punk band that was severely misunderstood the 70s.

This is the story about a song that might just save the world from its impending doom.

At first glance, Fish Story has a premise that treads the very fine line of 'Wow, how very original' and 'Get out of here'. Try and generalize this film and you'd get sci-fi, action, romance, comedy, drama and music all rolled into one. But this film is first and foremost, a very entertaining comedy.

Based on the novel by Isaka Kotaro and scripted by Hayashi Tamio, the story begins in a deserted Tokyo area where an aging man roams alone in his automated wheelchair. He stops in front of a music store, where he sees a welcoming sign flashing with lights. He realizes that the store is, perhaps, the only store left in Tokyo to resume its business hours as the world rattles to an end. Confused by this odd discovery, the man in the wheelchair stands (!?) and walks inside, finding two young men quietly enjoying music, apparently unperturbed by the world's upcoming end.

The elder one thinks they are insane. The world is coming to an end, and yet here they are listening to music? How juvenile! They should be hiding in the mountains like every other sane person in the city! But these young men are firm believers that a hero will come in and save mankind at the very last minute. Maybe it's Bruce Willis. Maybe it's a group of five, like the Go-Rangers. Or maybe it's a song.

The old man scoffs. An old record is played and unknown music engulfs the room. The story starts to spin its wayward tale.

Fish Story explores a number of characters spanning across four decades, seemingly unconnected. We start at 2012, hours before the end of the world, and end up in 1975 where a band tries breaking into a scene that has yet to learn and appreciate their music. Somewhere in between all that, a mistranslated American novel, a cursed cassette tape, a hijacked ship, a doomsday cult and a person raised to be a 'Champion of Justice' fall neatly into place. It sounds like a mess, but maybe that's what Fish Story really is - a beautiful mess, in which director Nakamura Yoshihiro did a really wonderful job of doing. A film like this could have easily been tiresome but the story is extremely well-told, and characters are engaging and each of them well-acted.

The last ten minutes becomes the most crucial part, as it gives you the understanding on why you've been forced to time-travel back and forth in the past hour. With an outrageous storyline that goes in all directions, the thread that sews every little piece together shows itself at the very end. Everything is revealed in a miraculous domino effect, a whirlwind of cleverly placed plot tricks, and it makes you think to yourself that perhaps yes, you are a believer in fate after all.