Month: May 2017

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Debaser

Sunday Morning Cartoon Cavalcade Vol. 8

I thought this week’s Samurai Jack was a bit on the weak side, but I did enjoy the coming together of Jack and Aki — yes, it was bound to happen, but it was still satisfying to see them embrace at the end. Tangled was Tangled (I like the series for the animation more than the story), and then I kicked off the second season of Mickey Mouse shorts with “Cable Car Chaos” and “Fire Escape.” For this week’s Looney Tunes short (or Merry Melodies, rather), I watched “Duck Amuck” (pictured), which is definitely one of the all-time classics — it’s just so deliciously meta, and feels quite avant-garde. I capped things off with some Ren & Stimpy, in the form of “Robin Hoek,” with a little Powdered Toast Man mixed in.

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Debaser

Hacksaw Ridge

I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, as I didn’t know this story, and what a surprising one — to the point where when it does happen (saving multiple soldiers on the battlefield) it comes off as Hollywood grandstanding, but learning it pretty much happened like that was eye-opening. As for the movie itself, it does get overly melodramatic for my tastes, especially during the first half, but I thought the performances were really great, and the battle scenes are some of the most intense I’ve seen on film. I did quite enjoy watching this, got pretty caught up in it, especially during the second half — and yes, shed a few tears near the end.

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Debaser

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

I like me some military action movies, and I liked the first Jack Reacher movie fine. The follow-up is pretty good too. Nothing earth-shatteringly good, but definitely entertaining. I wouldn’t mind getting another one.

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Debaser

Demolition

This was great. Sure, Jake Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors, so I already tend to like stuff he’s in (like last year’s Nocturnal Animals), but this was also a discovery for me of director Jean-Marc Vallée, and now I really need to watch his previous films, Wild and Dallas Buyers Club. But yeah, really loved Demolition, deliciously odd and weird, and touching, and I really loved that scene you see pictured.

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Debaser

Something Wild

This is still such a fun movie. Kicking off with a theme song by Talking Heads, and then just a great soundtrack overall (and then The Feelies performing some great covers during the high-school reunion scene). Melanie Griffith was never better, and it’s fun seeing young Jeff Daniels like this. Definitely worth revisiting.

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Design Food

Muji Cola

We now have Muji Cola.

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Cafes Fashion Food

Breakfast With David

Here’s a great interview with David — with a nice layout as well — done over breakfast at Aoyama Ichibankan.

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Society

All About Business Cards

As you probably know, business cards are still a pretty big deal in Japan — you’ll feel pretty naked if you don’t have some in any business situation — and here’s a big piece from the Japan Times that tells the full story on where this all originated.

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Cycling Design

Nobuyuki Tani

Spoon & Tamago highlights the beautiful bike work of Nobuyuki Tani, and ex-Sony designer who ditched it all to concentrate on bikes — he also makes custom jobs, like the bike that was used in the live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service movie.

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Music

Brand New Emo

I’m so in love with the video for Towa Tei‘s “Brand New Emo” track, featuring the Mizuhara Sisters. Found via Tokyo’s Coolest Sound.