Pyrolyse Bred

Language: Japanese | Subtitles: English | Format: AVI
1.27 GB | Duration: 2:26:13 | 688 x 384 | 23.976 fps
Audio: MP3 128 Kbs | Genre: Fiction/Drama

Japan is a culture traditionally built on respect, concern for the other person, courtesy, honesty, and discipline. Recently, however, Japanese schools have become increasingly dangerous places with an increase in violent crimes, breakdown of order in classrooms (gakkyuu houkai), bullying and intimidation of weak or delicate students (ijime), and a high suicide rate. The dark side of Japanese culture is brought to life in Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou Chou, a disturbing look at the life of a junior high school student who seeks sanctuary from the bullying of his classmates through the music of a pop-icon, singer Lily Chou Chou. Shot on high-definition video, the film opens in a rice field where a sad-eyed young boy stands in the middle of a wide expanse of green. With his headphones on, he clings to his Discman while we hear a soft sensuous voice singing in the background and read the text of Internet messages clicking on the bottom of the screen.

The posters are brought together by their love of Lily who, to her fans, is a voice that comes from “the Ether”, carrying the status of an otherworldly goddess. The boy’s screen name is Philia but his real name is Yuichi Hasumi (Hayato Ichihara). He is a slender boy of fourteen whose devotion to Lily is an article of faith in his world of loneliness and nihilism. The communications, based on actual web messages, are revealing of the poster’s frame of mind. “Imagine being dead”, someone writes, “won’t that be great?” Someone else writes that once he got to Junior High School his world went gray. Another comments, “For me, only the Ether is proof I’m alive. But lately my Ether is running out.” Yuichi lives with his mother, a hairdresser, her boyfriend and his son. Left on his own most of the time to deal with his peers, his life is a struggle for survival. He is robbed, forced to perform a sexual act in front of local toughs and humiliated by his teacher and mother when he is caught stealing a Lily CD.

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All About Lily Chou Chou is disjointed and overlong and suffers from some stylistic excesses but it is a courageous film and a deeply moving one, a work that has the courage to confront some aspects of modern-day Japan that you will not read about in the tourist guides. Iwai’s breathtaking images together with the poetic music of Debussy capture the adolescent experience in a way that is heartbreakingly real and, although the film’s shifting time line may makes the story hard to follow for some, the message comes through with unmistakable clarity. Lily is a film of mood where black is the color and none is the number, but the darkness is redeemed by its appreciation that the solace of art is available to all, even those suffering the most desperate pain. (by Howard Schumann on IMDB)

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All 7 parts in my movie folder

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Language: English | Subtitles: French | Format: AVI | 25 fps
Duration: 1:40:31 | 704 x 512 | Audio: MP3 128 Kbs
800 MB | Genre: Documentary

Documentaries rarely get this good. A must see for anyone interested in contemporary history and Western imperialism. And a lesson in critical thinking. Personnaly I’d also recommend watching ‘The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara’ (available on Avaxhome). Both documentaries share a common thread in showing Lyndon Johnson’s overwhelming responsibility in the Vietnam war.

In the same vein as ‘In the Year of the Pig’ there’s also Philip Jones Griffiths’ masterpiece ‘Vietnam Inc.’, re-edited in 2001 by Phaidon with a new foreword by Noam Chomsky. The book also explores at length America’s ignorance of Vietnamese history and culture, as well as showing the true horror of the war hidden behind official US propaganda.

This rip of the DVD has French subtitles hardcoded in it. If you just want the movie free of subtitles, then visit this post.

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All 5 parts in my movie folder

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Language: French| Subtitles: English (srt) | Format: AVI
Duration: 1:30:34 | 624 x 384| 25 fps | Audio: MP3 160 Kbps
1.36 GB | Genre: Drama

One of my favourite movies of the 1990’s. And one of the very few movies that I went to see twice went it was released in the theaters in 1995. It’s got a clever storyline, great actors and a fine soundtrack. Everyone experienced one’s  teenage years differently, but I think the story here captures emotions like no other movie that I have seen so far in my life. DVD Times online have a very good description of the movie that you can read here. I just disagree with their opinion that the “not for under 16s” certificate is unwarranted. When you know how this movie ends I think you’d hesitate in letting teenagers watch this without guidance. The DVD has a few extras, like interviews with the main actors, so it’s definitely worth buying … if you can find copies for sale.

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L’Eau Froide was Olivier Assayas’ response to a request from producer Chantal Poupaud, who was preparing a series of ten films by ten directors called Tous les Garçons et Filles de Leur Age. A number of important directors were assigned to make a film about their youth at the age of 16 – consequently Jean-Claude Brisseau was lined up to cover the late 50’s, André Téchiné to do the early 60’s, Claire Denis the mid 60’s etc. Assayas’s film is set in the early 70’s, a crucial time for a youth growing up in the immediate years following the Paris student rebellion of May 1968. The film certainly succeeded in ruffling a few feathers, earning an unwarranted “not for under 16s” certificate (equivalent to a UK ‘18’ or US ‘R’) for its depiction of children with behavioural problems (read the rest at DVD Times).

CAST

Virginie Ledoyen
Cyprien Fouquet
László Szabó
Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Dominique Faysse
Smaïl Mekki
Jackie Berroyer
Jean-Christophe Bouvet
Ilona Györi

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PART 6 / PART 6 / PART 6
PART 7 / PART 7 / PART 7
PART 8 / PART 8 / PART 8

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SOUNDTRACK
FLAC | 9 tracks | 190 MB

1. Alice Cooper – School’s Out
2. Bob Dylan – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Up Around The Bend
4. Donovan – Cosmic Wheels
5. Janis Joplin – Me And Bobby McGee
6. Leonard Cohen – Avalanche
7. Nico – Janitor Of Lunacy
8. Roxy Music – Virginia Plain
9. Uria Heep – Easy Livin’

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Language: Japanese | Subtitles: English (srt) | Format: AVI | Duration: 1:55:34 | 576 x 320 | 23.976 fps | Audio: MP3 128 Kbps | 697 MB | Genre: Art / Drama

Since 1998 I’ve been a huge fan of UA, a Japanese singer with one of the most incredible voice I’ve ever heard.  This  movie starring her as well as Asano Tadanobu obviously rests on her fame, but there’s more to it and it’s definitely worth watching even if you couldn’t care less who the actors are, but just want a slow-paced movie taking you around Japan in a dream-like state of mind. If you like Hirokazu Koreeda or Naomi Kawase’s movies then you’ll probably enjoy this one too. I’ve enclosed here below two rather accurate descriptions of the movie so you know what to expect. Please beware that the Megaupload links may not be available before tomorrow, there seems to be some delay between uploading and the files being ready for download.

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Born in 1960, Hidenori Sugimori started shooting films while studying at Waseda University. His first film Grey (8mm,1981) was selected for the PIA Film Festival. After graduation, he worked for NHK broadcasting center as a director. Leaving NHK on his 30th birthday, he started his career as a freelance director and has directed over a hundred TV commercial films. Woman of Water is his first feature film.

Woman of Water was inspired by the true story of UA who plays Ryo in the film. UA is a famous singer in Japan, who seems to call upon rain every time she performs at an important concert. Based on this fact, the film revolves around the ‘woman of water,’ Ryo, and Yusaku, who finds comfort in fire. The director creates a modern myth about love and the meaning of living along with others through the two characters who are set against each other in nature through water, fire, wind (the bath house steam) and land (the Mt. Fuji painting in the bath house). The various sights that exist within the confines of the bathhouse represent equality and a new beginning. The slow pacing of the film and its dream-like symbolic atmosphere adds to its mythical quality. (DiVX Planet)

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À travers le thème de l’eau, Hidenori Sugimori offre un hymne à une Nature belle et généreuse au temps où certains chamanes étaient en communion étroite avec elle. Les images sont claires, léchées ; il transpire à travers elles la révérence du réalisateur envers les éléments naturels.

L’histoire se déroule principalement dans les bains publics que tient la jeune femme Ryo. Le générique présente des estampes japonaises d’hommes et de femmes dans les scènes de vie quotidienne sur un fond sonore de clapotis d’eau et de brouhaha humain. Les bains sont pour les japonais une éthique de vie. Selon eux, c’est le lieu par excellence où l’on apprend la vie en société, le corps humain et ses différences. L’eau est bien sûr le symbole de la vie et l’allégorie du temps qui passe … (Sophie Labeille sur Critikat.com)

CAST

Ua (Kaori Shima)
Tadanobu Asano
Hikaru
Yutaka Enatsu
Ryûichi Ôura
Mayumi Ogawa

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PART 1 / PART 1 / PART 1
PART 2 / PART 2 / PART 2
PART 3 / PART 3 / PART 3
PART 4 / PART 4 / PART 4

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SOUNDTRACK
FLAC | 19 tracks | 245 MB

PART 1
PART 2

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