It’s Tough Being a Blog Writer: Post Scriptum

Well, this is not really a traditional editorial, but more like an uncalled-for blog update. I’m just touching base with the readers in order to explain (as I shyly mentioned in some of the earlier posts) that I am not particularly active because of work responsibilities and personal life.

In addition, even though I do have a little free time each week, I try to devote it to conquering some new challenges. Writing reviews and articles is essentially non-fiction that communicates an opinion, but in 2024 I decided to get out of my comfort zone and, for the first time, try creative writing (so, short stories, poetry, and even an attempt at a novel). Even though this activity is very time-consuming, and I realise it is a big effort for little gain, it gives immense pleasure and strength, so I intend to focus on this.

That being said, I don’t want to throw my blog content down the drain, Indeed, it can be quite discouraging to see a comment notification that is just old, plain spam, but the visitors’ traffic is satisfactory to me, and the blog has actually been cited on wikipedia two times this past year. I never cared about wikipedia, and I found out about this by accident, but it’s quite heartwarming to see that someone actually decided to include my thoughts on specific movie profile pages.

In addition, East Asia Resource Center in Washington composed a bulky overview of Chinese Cinema in 2022, and they also included one of my reviews. Again, nobody contacted me about this, but as long as people appropriately cite my blog and give proper source, I am fine with the inclusions.

To conclude, I do wish to come back to writing reviews, and I hope I will be able to do so at the end of April. I have two movies sitting on the proverbial shelf that I want to discuss, and then I may focus on finally sitting down and reviewing some of the sequels to popular movies, which I forgot to talk about previously. Thanks for sticking around and I wish you all the best.

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Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) [Film Review]

Always: Sunset on Third Street 2; or, All Folks Here
     Those of us who survived should be as happy as possible.
As promised, I return to the world of Always: Sunset on Third Street with my review of the second part of the live-action trilogy made by director Takashi Yamazaki. Again, as I explained last week, please accept my apologies for the delay. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Release Info

Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki Starring: Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki

Language: Japanese Original Title: ALWAYS 続・三丁目の夕日 Runtime: 146 min

Synopsis
We reunite with the heroes of the first movie two years later. Mr Suzuki’s (Shinichi Tsutsumi) auto repair business thrives, whereas Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka) does his best to raise Junnosuke (Kenta Suga). However, Junnosuke’s biological father (Fumiyo Kohinata) is unwilling to let go, so he pesters Chagawa about giving up the child, pointing out the writer’s poor living conditions. In order to prove that he can provide for Junnosuke, Chagawa decides to take part in the literary contest to win the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. At the same time, Chagawa struggles to meet with Hiromi (Koyuki) and disclose his feelings for her.

The Power of Word
Allow me to say that if you enjoyed the original Always: Sunset on Third Street, then you get the same package with the sequel, in which all the conflicts and touching moments are repeated. This sequel is not a bad film by any means, but it really feels like a washed down version of the first movie.

Nevertheless, Takashi Yamazaki threw some wonderful additions into the mix. For example, we get the traditional opening zoom out from a radio in Suzuki’s house only to reveal that Tokyo is being invaded by the King of the Monsters himself! This is the section of the film over which Godzilla fans relentlessly glow over in the internet, and it is indeed a real treat to watch. It is almost as if back in 2007 Yamazaki made this as a trump card for Toho, trying to say, “Here I am guys. Give me a chance to direct a Godzilla flick!”

Of course, glory of the intro does not constitute an entire movie. I liked Chagawa’s struggle to raise Junnosuke, but we have seen that already. The Suzuki family houses a newcomer in form of a distant cousin, and she feels like a fish out of the water exactly like Mutsuko in the first film. Mutsuko’s romance in the sequel also feels a bit forced. Sill, a breath of fresh air was Mr Suzuki’s nostalgia for the war buddies, a subplot taken straight from Nobuhiko Obayashi flicks.

With regard to performances, evidently, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Shinichi Tsutsumi are the showstealers, but Koyuki, Tomokazu Miura, and Fumiyo Kohinata have a lot more to do this time round.

Recommendations
All things considered, Always: Sunset on Third Street is a decent continuation, but it does on build upon the first movie. Instead, it kind of resets the characters and starts over to achieve the same happy ending outcome. Still, I don’t regret watching it.Overall score: 7/10

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Godzilla at the Oscars [Editorial]

Forgive me, but I wanted to make a quick celebratory post about Godzilla Minus One winning an Academy Award for the Best Visual Effects. Yay! :)
     I know I’m late to the party, but I just wanted to say that this award was deservedly earned by the creative team led by director Takashi Yamazaki. It is really touching and refreshing at the same time to see a creator who had a specific vision for a cinematic icon he cares about, and he was able to fulfil his vision without the studio interference (and on a small budget).
     If you are (like me) hungry for more behind the scenes information about Godzilla Minus One, then please refer to the following videos I found on Youtube. The first one is, obviously, the grand moment of Yamazaki and the team receiving an Oscar. It’s so cute that not only the director, but also others had Godzilla action figures with them. These figures were the real awards for sure!
The second video is an after-ceremony interview with the press. It is interesting because Yamazaki refers to the prospective home video release of the film, and the attitude of Warner Bros towards Godzilla Minus One in view of their upcoming 5th Godzilla MonsterVerse flick.
This video, on the other hand, is a goldmine of information about the making of the film. Please set aside a free hour for yourselves and watch it. Yamazaki provides a lot of interesting details and funny trivia, which I don’t want to spoil.
In addition, I’m throwing in a bonus, which is a joint video of Yamazaki and Gareth Edwards. It’s nice that the two met each other, but I was expecting something more, like a bromance with kissing and hugging! Still, it’s awesome to see a guy who reintroduced Godzilla to American audiences ten years ago and a guy who reinvigorated the franchise in 2024.
Last but least, Yamazaki actually had a chance to interview Christopher Nolan due to the release of Oppenheimer in Japan, and the director had some warm words to say about Godzilla. Unfortunately, Yamazaki's questions were not translated to English.

All things considered, I think this is my final geek-out post about Godzilla Minus One. I have already watched Yamazaki’s Always: Sunset on Third Street parts 2 and 3, but I have yet to review them. Unfortunately, I have very little free time recently not only because of work, but also because of the fact that I seriously try my strengths at creative writing. As a result, this activity consumes the usual time I had for writing reviews. Still, I remember about the blog, and I don’t want to abandon it. Thank you for reading.

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