Wallabies Squad for the Lions, And A Political Dicussion.

Hellow everyone, here are two topics which I can't discuss with friends anymore, so are getting some air time here: Muslims, and the state of the Wallabies squad, together at last?

An Army drummer, Lee Rigby was brutally murdered in London by two assholes claiming to be Muslim Terrorists. There was confusion at the scene, and one of the killers was interviewed, with blood on his hands and a knife in his hands by the press. This is bizarre enough, but the lack of factual reporting following it, and the padding of the utterly uneccesary 'rolling news' has been incredible. Rigby's weeping widow was interviewed only hours after the death. It has been a perfect example of exploitative reporting, bereft of facts and full of emotional impact for what is a horrible crime.

Worst of all though, is the follow up of this attack. These two assholes will be responsible for increased attacks on Muslims by tattooed, shaven headed idiots from the EDL, who should be as ignored as possible. Increased media attention by the two killers will likely influence Muslims, and possibly increase extremism. Also great to see is Theresa May, who used this occasion to try to push forward a new snoopers charter to monitor EVERYONE's emails to prevent this happening again. Any politician trying to rush through an ill-thought out increase in their own powers after a gut-wrenching occasion deserves nothing but scorn. She is a hateful old hag who fits in well in the Cabinet. These two murderous assholes trying to make martyrs of themselves will help no one. It's also getting far too much attention, and the interviews with them will recruit more people to the cause than their actions. Its was terrible work on the part of the press. Fuck everyone involved, except, of course, the guy who got murdered and his grieving family. 

In lighter, but still infuriating news, the initial squad of 25 for the Wallabies to play the Lions has been announced. There have been some injuries already ruling out, for example, Totafu Polota-Nau, while others with minor injuries will be given the chance to prove themselves, most notably George Smith and Hugh McMeniman. What is more terrifying though, is Deans' use of his favourties to pad his squad: I'm looking at the limited-and-can't-pass Rob Horne; the out-of-game-time Berrick Barnes; the useless-lump Sekope Kepu, the not-good-or-big-enough Dave Dennis, and the massive-but-constantly-injured Wyclif Palu. He's also strongly hinted that it'll be Luke Burgess who plays as back up scrum half. Luke Burgess who plays in France and is proven, even when in form, to be inadequate at international level. That's a real shit in the face of Nic White, who's playing in the country and is actually pretty damn good.

The rest of the squad is also worrying. There's no room for the mercurial Quade Cooper (although he'll almost definitely be in the extended squad). Quade Cooper could be a good sub player, to bring some impact from the bench. Meanwhile the excellent form of Matt Toomua, Jesse Mogg, Fotu Aulua and Hugh Pyle, among others, have been ignored for now. Some will say that you don't want to make debuts in a Lions tour, but surely having them around to practice with the others would be a good reward for their form this year and before. What's more frightening is that even squad members who do deserve to be there will be used in bizarre ways. Rod Simmons probably deserves to be a squad lock, but he'll end up starting. James O'Connor is a good player with an x-factor, but he'll be played in a crucial position which isn't his best. Berrick Barnes is a good player, but as someone to close off a game. If he starts, he'll kick the ball out of hand and squander good possession. Israel Folau is an incredible talent, but he'll probably be chucked on the wing like a turd, despite never having played their in his entire life.

Also, Sekope Kepu shouldn't be anywhere near the squad. Dan Palmer is a better scrummager, Paddy Ryan and Scott Sio have better form and more drive.What's annoying is that there is a squad worth of players in Australia who would rip the Lions to shreds, but those players will be played out of position, or not at all. It's a terrible shame. If Luke burgess makes the extended squad I am officially hoping for a Lions win. I'm also looking forward to the State of Origin too.

Hope you're all just dandy.
Pascal.

Kevin Durant - nice guy, shitty tattoos.

I haven't really watched a lot of NBA basketball in the last, oh, decade, but I keep vaguely up on the highlights and some of the stories. Among the leading players, Kevin Durant: a good scorer, and a good player, and almost uniquely, not a turd of a man (See Allen Iverson, Kobe Byrant, Latrell Sprewell). He also seems moderately humble, and is the antisthesis of Lebron James, whose 'decision' ad was rightly mocked and still remembered with incredulity. Durant, meanwhile, seems to get on with it, with close friends in his team in Oklahoma city, a small city with what seems like a good basketball culture. He seems to just get on with it, does charity work, and even gave $1m to help with the recent tornado in OKC. Fair play to the man. I'm aware also that to survive in the professional US sports you either become a Christian or an Alcoholic Playboy: It seems that Kevin has gone for the former: check out these tattoos. The one on his back, which I couldn't find a whole picture of, is the more interesting, although there's something to be said for someone who puts a haunted house on his stomach. [source]

There's also this recent tattoo, spanning his entire back with some religious imagery and a bible quote:

Aside from the cost, effort and lack of imagination of guys who get tattoos (it must be nearing 100% of NBA players have some ink, even on the very dark guys who you can't even see them). What annoys me is that religious tattoos are utterly naff, and even strictly forbidden by the bible itself: "You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves." (Leviticus 19:28). What's my point? His tattoos are terrible, and possibly go against his own beliefs, which is stupid of him, although he seems far less cuntish than, say, Kobe Byrant or Lebron James. 

Hope you're all fuckin'grand.

'300' the movie, a useful cultural barometer.

There's an episode of 'Party Down' (another good show which was never on TV in the UK) where one character tries a trick involving the movie 300. the first character says that he has a mindreading trick, and can guess the number that the other is thinking about. He can guess the number, he says, if he thinks about, and writes down, the number of times he has seen the movie 300. Moving the piece of paper to a third arty, he then informs that anyone  who has seen the movie more than once is gay. It's a good test, if done well, and I thought to do it on a friend. I explained it to the other friend how it worked, and she seemed game.
The game however, screeched to a halt, when she read the piece of paper that he had seen it 18 times.

18!

I went to see it with an old girlfriend of mine, and it was terrible, not merely for being entirely humourless, but for its loose view of history, and probably racism. If it wasn't for the South Park Episode, I wouldn't have paid it any mind. I can't imagine anyone wanting to see it more than a couple of times, and the second time is only justifiable if you were high or something. So, I suppose other than the '300' game, and the south Park episode, this stupid movie is culturally important, for telling you how good your friends movie taste is.

I'm not sure what my point is, other than that my friend is an idiot.

Generic leaving comment,
Pascal.

FemFresh: An ArGument

Hello all!

I mentioned my disdain for this Femfresh over a year ago and largely put it out of mind until recently, when I heard a radio ad. Femfresh is a vaginal hygeine product. Its existence, and the advertising campaign which surrounds it, is, to my mind, the perfect example of everything that is wrong with the Western world today.

The advert a year ago was a very negative ad which was obviously hinting that women couldn't function unless they had cleaned their vaginas, and that a dirty vagina was repellent and unwomanly, as well as a barrier to catching the man of their dreams. Yes. The current advertisement, which can be seen here, is terrible, listing a bunch of infantile names for a vagina such as "va jay jay, kitty, nooni, la la, froo froo!" The picture, of a smiling, recently douched woman, says "yoo hoo for my froo froo." The logo for Femfresh as a, um, whole is 'expert care for down there.' This is the first part of my problem. Froo froo isn't a word that an adult should be using. A human being shouldn't trust a company that sells genital-related products and refers to the genitals as "down there." It presumably aims for a light-hearted, empowering approach, but I can't help but feel that there are better ways to go about it than referring to your a vagina as a 'nooni'. This is a product aimed at adults, and being direct about what they are peddling is important, as is the fact that an adult should be able to refer to their genitals without ridiculous innuendo.

Secondly, I have a huge problem with the prodcut itself, it refers to itself as 'PH balanced' - but what is it PH balanced against? I am almost certain that it isn't good for the vagina, or it wouldn't need to be advertised. When was the last time you saw regular soap, toothpaste or clothing advertised? Very rarely, because we all need them. We don't need vaginal wash, which is why it's advertised.  The fact that it's advertised in such a hideous way only exacerbates my point.

This brings me to my third point. The vagina is a beautiful thing, developed over millions of years of evolution to be alluring and fragrant. Thanks to gravity, it's also largely self-cleaning. It doesn't need extra chemicals on it, as it doesn't smell as long as basic hygene levels are adhered to. Any genuine smell may be a sympton of a medical condition, which FemFresh would almost certainly worsen. However, the product, and the ad campaign, makes it seem that it is necessary to add this prodcut to your vagina to enjoy your life. Why are we worrying the womenfolk with this? Because someone can make money out of it.

In conclusion, advertising men (and it's almost certainly men) have come up with a prodcut which isn't needed, which prays on deep-set vulnerablities and insecurities, while at the same time referring to vaginas using terms a toddler would find stupid. That's not merely unpleasant and sexist (at least it will remain sexist until I see 'Smegma-way' for men), it's disgusting. Stop buying this shit.

8 Weird, Recent Japanese Movies To Watch Tonight

All movies are inherently odd. Even straightforward movies have often ludicrous premises. Even so, every once in a while (or more often, if you are me, and have my friends) you see a movie that defies all logic and is utterly bizarre. Here are eight. The following are Japanese, of course, a nation that seems adept at making alien, exotic, excellent movies. However, they won't include any Takashi Miike movies, because a) I've already talked about them, and b) there're too many to bother with. So, let's talk about movies that I haven't mentioned yet. Chances are, if you've seen the no. 1 on this list, you'll know exactly what it is. Spoilers abound. Also noteworthy, Suicide Club.

8. Paprika [2006]

Yes Paprika is a bizarre, mind boggling movie, but I've already talked about it here, so I won't mention it again. That's my self-imposed rule. Nothing I've talked about before.As a reward, here's the theme tune. Good luck getting this out of your head.

7. Mindgame [2004]

Plot In One Sentence: Tonnes of shit happens in this movie, all with disparate visual style, including a whale, a comic writer, and some fighting.

Good poster, but not great. [source]

Thoughts: The story is bizarre, though not as much as the others later on in this list. What is most impressive is the sheer variety of visual styles used, the amount of effort must have been extraordinary. My overriding memories are being impressed with the manic intensity of the story, and the incredibly imagination of the art. Interesting despite the sensory overload and epileptic fit you get by watching it.
Best Moment: the extended piece in the whale is good.

6. Big Man Japan [2007]

Plot In One Sentence: A mock-documentary following 'Big Man Japan', a regular man occasionally employed by the state to turn into a 100ft tall superhero and fight a variety of bizarre monsters.

Big Man Japan talks to a horny octopus monster. Cool. [source]

Thoughts: Before seeing this, I knew that it was about a modern guy fighting monsters, but had no idea that it was so bizarre. It follows, documentary-style the current 'Big Man Japan' whose job is largely irrelevant because most of the genuinely threatening monsters have been destroyed already. He is therefore left with only weak or bizarre monsters to fight, and his personal popularity is very low. We follow him at a low ebb, on the (very) lowest branches on the tree of celebrity (or 'celebri-tree' if you will): public resentment towards him (as a building damager and major use of electricity) is palpable, his agent is obviously stealing from him, and most of the rituals around his enlargement (including giant purple undies he grows into so he isn't naked) are shown to be useless. His life is unpleasant, and you can't help but feel for him, especially as he has his ass kicked by a giant red monster (which I think was either meant to represent North Korea or China), and people enjoy laughing at him. On this list not only because of the unusual plot, but the pitch-perfect recreation of a documentary following around a fool, and being applied to such a bizarre set of circumstances. My favourite monster: The screaming leg with a face on top of it. The ending is stupid, incidentally, but I think it may be the final thoughts of a dying man, or an allegory for American intervention in Japanese affairs.This takes precedence over a movie by the same guy, Symbol which is nuts, but not as genuinely bizarre as this. 
Best Moment: His drive, on a scooter, up to the facility where he is enlarged, as we see the protests and slogans written against him. A joy.

5. Tokyo Gore Police [2008]

Plot In One Sentence: A privatised police force reign with an iron fist and fight genetic mutants, which only the most elite cops (i.e the chick from Audition) can kill.

Now this is bizarre, a blonde Japanese woman. [source]

Thoughts: I had heard good things about this, but couldn't help but feel that it was stupid, and either unnecessarily exploitative or a failed satire. It suggests a dystopian future, and has far too much unnecessary violence and stupidity (the dismembered body bits are done better in 'Suicide Club' which is itself pretty stupid). The premise to this, however, is the kind of thing written by a 14 year old boy. Not great, but it is held together by some really deranged moments, such as the incidental ads on TV, which we see selling wrist cutting razors, and swords to commit harakiri with, what a harsh future that will be!Other than that, the girl from Audition is far too skinny in this, her voyage in the underground is like a lesson in underweight posing, while some of the mutations have to be given credit for their imagination - such as the penis gun, the vaginagator, and at least some of the girls are pretty (before they are mutilated).  
 Best Moment: I suppose the cheering that the torso on a seat gets in the gimp club. Or, the vaginagator.

4. Cat Soup [2001]

Plot In One Sentence: A hungry, anthropomorphic cat fights fate and various obstacles to help heal his brain damaged sister.

Water elephants are endangered because Chinese people grind up their water tusks for traditional medicine. [source]

Thoughts: This is only short (half an hour or so) and, again, it's based on a cartoon by Nekojiru (thanks Wikipedia). It is remarkably dark, plays with a lot of fairy tales, and ends on a very pessimistic note. It's all tied together by a weird mix of religious imagery, folk stories and fairy tales, and some really innovative, dreamlike music and graphics: This is a really interesting use of half an hour. It's dialogue free, although speech bubbles hint at conversations. I imagine it would be hard to sympathise with the main character for some, but as an anthropomorphic cat, he would be expected to kill most animals he sees. Some stunning, insane animation too, and the lack of any explanation (who is the pig in their boat?) is also good. I liked this.
Bet Moment: The circus, or the water elephant, both of which lead to unnecessary deaths.

3. Uzimaki (Spiral) [2000]

Plot In One Sentence: A town becomes obsessed with vortexes and spirals, with disastrous results.

Yeah this is pretty gross. Luckily he survived. [source]

Thoughts: Another one based on a manga cartoon, and which is available in English, though I haven't read it, or really intend to. This is interesting, showing the fixation of a town, some brutal murders, and then some horrific spiral mutations. The best thing of all is that there is little if no explanation of why this is happening. A dark, horrible horror movie, but not without black humour and moments that make you go, 'naaa'.
Best Moment: Your fingerprints are spirals, so better cut them off. That or the man- snails.

2. Tetsuo The Iron Man [1989]

Plot In One Sentence: A guy turns into a metal man, and meets his nemesis.

A scene from the metallic, black and white, freeze-framed love scene. Eat your heart out Wall-E. [source]

Thoughts: This is a really bizarre, really alternative movie. It's done on the cheap, using a lots of stop motion, models and speeding up to enhance the action, but it belies its small budget. The beginning, in an industrial setting, with our hero dancing to heavy industrial music, is immensely cool. There is very little in the way of dialogue or explanations, and it probably could use them. It's a cult classic, violent, powerful and with some devastating imagery. It's interesting, but difficult to sit through.
Best Moment: Also memorable is his fight, and the sex scene, which is horrifying and arousing (I know).

1. Funky Forest [2005]

Plot In One Sentence: It's hard to say, but there are a number of sketches revolving around a possible (Piko-Riko) alien invasion, a singles picnic, and some dancing. 

Yeah, this happened. [source]

 Thoughts: This really is demented, not as violent of gross as most of the others on this list, but it really doesn't follow anything like a plot, or logical explanation. You might have seen some of the screenshots online (there's one on the beach which I'd seen before, and another of a guy, a girl, and a yellow thing all looking weirdly at the screen which is from the school scene), and the plot, such as it is, is largely an excuse to have fun. You can tell that the actor's think it's weird and are enjoying themselves, and that's something, unlike most of hte movies on this list, this is actually pretty funny. While there are bizarre sketches (one with a movie director dog is a real eye opener in a movie full of them), there are also multiple dance sequences, comedy gross bits, some light satire and some slapstick, as well as an interval. The result is the height of insanity, particularly as it's at least an hour too long.
Best Moment: A lot of it, though the fat white kid who hassles guitar brother is fun, and the little creatures which make for both the weirdest orchestra, and the weirdest badminton game ever. What's also great is the caliber of actors on show, some of whom are now making waves as Asian sidekicks in Hollywood movies.

So there you have it. Just for sake of reference, I originally wrote this list with only two Japanese movies, and 8 non Japanese ones. To tantalise you, I'll write up the non Japanese one before too long, Take care and fight to win.
Pascal.

P.S. Will add pictures tomorrow, but am busy tonight!

nl
tl
e
ucau

Jeff Hanneman, Dead.

Jeff Haneman, the guitarist of Slayer, recently died. He died of some long term problems, most of which are resultant from alcoholism and being bitten and getting nerosis from a spider, which is pretty much as heavy metal as deaths go. He was, along with Lombardo the (on-again, off-again) drummer, the most talented, least publicity seeking of the group. If you need proof, look at the ridiculous, less talented Kerry King sometime. While the others dressed like some stereotypical leather gimps, he tended to just wear comfortable clothes and shred the shit out of any song he played. He was proof that metal is more of an attitude than an aesthetic thing.

The news didn't affect me as it might have, when I was about 16 or 17, and Slayer were favourites, much to the chagrin of my Skinny Puppy fan then girlfriend. I still think that Reign in Blood is an excellent album, but I've gone off Slayer for a number of reasons: i) Diabolus in Musicaa a nu-metal tinged abomination, which came out at just the wrong time for me ii) in interviews, particularly Araya talking endlessly about his kids and voting Republican, in a weird, high-pitched voice iii) Kerry King's 'God Bless you' made quite genuinely at the end of a concert where they'd just sung about how useless the Church was, and  iv) discovering that at least two of them are practicing Catholics, which suggests that albums like 'God Hates Us All' are nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt. Anyway, I appreciate their talent, but don't listen to them anymore, that's not the point though... 

When the news of his death broke, it made it to various online posts, including the BBC, the Guardian, and a host of others. Underneath the news, 'where the internet happens' (Trademark) various people posted, expressing sadness, dismay, or merely promising to rock out Slayer-style in Hanneman's honour. Fair enough. Others however, were more puzzling: particularly the type of person who posts nothing more than 'RIP Jeff.' Nothing more. Pages and pages of this, which is a bizarre impulse. I don't know why, it's not like he's going to see it (although some of the band believe that he will). I don't really know what my point is, but I suppose I've never noticed people saying 'RIP [insert name]' on message boards before, and I couldn't really imagine anyone else who it be less apt to write it for anyway. RIP Jeff.

Takashi Miike Movies I've Seen Part 3

So we're back, with 5 more Miike movies I've seen since I last wrote of movies I've seen by him. The last list was only a few months ago. It's amazing what having no steady girlfriend can do for watching movies you want! As ever, this can continue on, so if you like it, read it. Tell your friends. Or don't, I don't make any money out of this. The second part can be seen here while the first can be found right here. Please note that I'm trialling a new 'Weird-O-Meter' to indicate how weird a movie is. Spoilers abound.

1. Gozu [2005] 

A lively tongue-ing. [source]

Plot In One Sentence: A Mafia tough and his soon-to-be executed boss make an unexpected, lengthy  stop at a bizarre strip mall.
Thoughts: I avoided this one because it keeps cropping up in the 'most insane movies' lists I see. Resultantly I dismissed it as less than essential and put it to the back of my mental list. After having seen it, I mostly agree that there are better Miike movies around. I went in expecting either gore on the scale of Ichi the Killer, or of bizarre flights of fancy that I'd even Miike himself hadn't reached before or since. In either case, I was both impressed and unimpressed by this: make no mistake, it's demented. Barring a few jarring moments of insanity and / or violence, this is a strangely philosophical deconstruction of both the road trip and the yakuza movie genre.

What makes it interesting is the interplay between the characters and how they react to some very unusual situations. The movie is populated with unnerving characters, and climaxes with perhaps the most unexpected birthing scene of all time. The use of the Minotaur on the movies poster, and DVD cover, I was surprised to find that it is only incidental. It's still odd, and unexplained, but a minotaur only making a fleeting appearance is somehow a genuine concern in a Miike movie. Overall this is a interesting, and strangely soothing movie, and also batshit insane: it is, in fact the closest that Miike has come to replicating David Lynch. For example, I haven't yet referred to the bizarre case of mistaken identity (straight from Lynch's 'Lost Highway') or, of all things, a homemade volcano stand used to house a ladle fetish - or the guy with psoriasis who acts as some sort of spiritual interpreter for the gangsters. Bizarre, and possibly essential. Real marmite stuff, and I liked it. 
Score on the 'Weird-O-Meter': ****

2. Hara Kiri: Death Of A Samurai [2012]

"Pick up the sword." "not this year" - Fight for seven minutes in an alleyway.[source]

Plot In One Sentence: A unemployed samurai seeks to commit Hara Kiri and recounts his version of events, which tie into the death of his beloved son. 
Thoughts: This is a remake of a 1962 original. The original is one of my very favourite movies, I've had an 'in praise of' about it in draft for well over a year now. It's the reason I bought a Blu-Ray player. The remake was conceived, I imagine, as a more sobre piece on samurai code to the excellent remake of  '13 Assassins,' which shares much of the scenery and cast as this movie. together, they should form a diptych, both movies showing the inherent foolishness of the inflexible loyalty of the samurai code.

 However, having seen the original, this remake is pointless, as it lacks the intensity, political machinations, and performances of the original. With only slight differences in story, and this time  in colour, and with added 3D, it merely seeks to reinforce the superiority of the superlative original. The 3D is largely pointless also, as most of the action is static until the thrilling conclusion. While both movies highlight the futility of the inflexibility of the Samurai code, the remake lacks the depth of the original, which had a political poignancy over Japan's failure to come to terms with its role in WWII. Largely pointless.   
Score on the 'Weird-O-Meter': *

3. Visitor Q [2001]

If you've seen this, you know that his particular mystery is hideous. [source]

Plot In One Sentence: A family commit various crimes and social faux-pas, while an enigmatic, unexplained visitor enters their lives.
Thoughts: I have decided to view this as an allegorical, disgusting take on modern life. It leaves literally no moral stone unturned, as we see incest, rape, necrophilia, voyeurism, lactation, murder. Yet at the same time it can be seen as an allegory for the struggles of family life, with its conclusion being seen to reinforce the nuclear family, an almost conservative social view after an hour of mayhem. As an allegory, it showcases the daily concerns of families and family members, only magnified to insane levels.

 For example, the Oedipal distance between mother and adolescent son takes the form of brutal beatings; the fathers reluctant acceptance of his daughter as a sexual being manifests itself through prostitution and incest; the mild things that housewives have to do to take their mind off their lot becomes heroin addiction and more prostitution. The head of the family, the father, has to deal with sexual boredom, social unpopularity and poor career decisions evident in most families, are here used to give a showcase of murder, voyeurism and then a hideous necrophilia scene, with some of the darkest comedy ever seen. This is deranged, but blackly funny. Almost the very definition of 'not for everyone.' Short, sweet, deranged, immoral and quite possibly brilliant. a hugely black comedy, and possibly the worst movie ever to watch with your parents, or on a first date. 
Score on the 'Weird-O-Meter': ****1/2

4. One Missed Call [2003]

Just one of the reason that mirrored ceilings in bathrooms will never catch on. [source]

Plot In One Sentence: People get a call from the future of themselves dying, it then comes true.  
Thoughts: A pretty poor, generic J-horror genre movie without even the typical flairs of Miike. It's disappointing, and hardly even chilling. It's also far too long for a genre movie. I think it didn't help seeing it so close to seeing The Grudge, The Ring and Dark Water, but it's not great even without those other movies around. A definite low point and strangely prosaic genre exercise, despite a couple of gruesome deaths. Inessential.
Score on the 'Weird-O-Meter': **

5. The Bird People Of China [1998]

Almost impossible to get a picture of this, so you're stuck with this red-rimmed abomination. [source]

 Plot In One Sentence: A salaryman heads to China on a business trip, where he is joined by a translator and a yakuza member, and they are all bewildered by an unspoilt mountain village. 

Thoughts: Compared to some of Miike's more intense movies, this is immensely pensive and subdued; proof indeed that he can do thoughtful, character-based pieces. It is both interesting and interestingly subdued. The movie hinges on the voyage of discovery, and the conflict between technology and primitivism - a key factor is when the salaryman's Walkmans batteries die out. In essence it displays the conflict between the Japanese 'West' and the remote Rural Chinese 'East'. Of great importance to the movies plot is the rather cheap looking plane still crashed into the river, which is now all that is left of a WWII British pilot, other than a granddaughter, a secret song (a now-garbled version of a Scottish ballad) and the secrets of flight. This secret now manifests itself in some of the rituals of the village, and is evidence of the transmission of myths in community building.  There are some great performances, particularly by the three main characters (the translator is played by none other than the wonderful Mako), and there are only a few Miike-ish glitches (the turtle powered raft for one, and the movies climax) but is otherwise a thoughtful, largely spiritual movie. Interesting, and quite beautiful, recommended.
Score on the 'Weird-O-Meter': *1/2

There you go, some more stuff coming up, but I also have to prepare for my next job, which is, again, overseas, so I'll be busy. Hope y'all is fine.