GREMLINS [1984] review
September 24, 2008
GREMLINS was on my list of nostalgia movies to watch this summer. I probably have not seen this movie since it was released in 1984. I had no real memories of it other than of Gizmo and that gremlins go bad and get reptilian. So how this happened would still be a surprise to me upon this viewing some 24 years later. I can’t say the surprises were good though, nor did this movie hold up very well as compared to other recent nostalgia movies like THE KARATE KID or at least have some watchability like THE LOST BOYS. Yes, by the end I felt that GREMLINS was basically unwatchable.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK [1981] review
September 23, 2008
I try to catch up on famous or well-known movies from the past whenever I can, and am always excited to finally see such films. So it was for ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Not all films of this type satisfy my sense of discovery though. So it was yet again for EFNY.
Daily Photo: Badass red Mustang in Omotesando
September 18, 2008
I love Ford Mustangs. I love them in a unique way that is only possible by American dudes. My first ever car was a white 1979 Ford Mustang. The love an American teenager has for his first car is one of the deepest loves in the whole world. I loved that car. It was never referred to as a “Ford” or even as a “Mustang.” No, it was always reverentially referred to by myself, and even my friends, as “the Pony.”
Weezer live in Yoyogi Tokyo Japan 2008
September 18, 2008
Weezer was one of the few remaining favorite bands of mine that I had never seen live in concert. That was remedied when Aya and I went to see them play the Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan this past Monday night. It was a 9,000 fan seated venue. We were up on the first level to the right of the stange, a decent vantage point, once the disappointment of seeing Weezer from a seat had abated somewhat. Even on their own official website post of this show, Weezer themselves expressed disappointment that the venue insists on having seats on the floor. Rock concerts in Japan lack energy in general as compared to those in the U.S., so the seats didn’t help that much, but me, Aya and a few other j-dudes around us still managed to rock out.
Skimboarding 2008 Session #07 – Hiratsuka
September 11, 2008
It had been quite some time since Aya and I went to a Shonan beach for a proper skimboarding session, and I can’t really that this session at Hiratsuka was that proper. It barely ranked enough to get session #07 designation. There were absolutely no waves at first, and virtually no skimmable surface at all. Still, a group of 5 young j-skimmers were grinding it out the whole time, but it mostly looked like they just enjoyed falling. Things got a bit better at the last minute.
Daily Photo: Ojisan Reflects Upon Shinjuku
September 8, 2008
As I was walking to Bic Camera this afternoon in Shinjuku (to buy a lens cleaning kit), I saw this ojisan (middle-aged Japanese male) staring down Otakibashi Dori (I live on this street actually). I thought it was unusual to see an ojisan with his hands on his hips like that. A rather unnatural pose I thought. I wondered what he was thinking. In my mind I felt he was wondering what the hell has become of Shinjuku, and that he was trying hard to remember what it was like when he was a boy. I wish he could show me a photo of the same view taken from his childhood.
Cycling to Haneda Airport with a Thunderstorm
September 8, 2008
FULL RIDE STATS:
- Distance: 34.38 miles
- Time in motion: 2 hours 57 minutes 08 seconds
- Average speed: 11.6 mph
- Max speed: 28.5 mph
I had wanted to cycle out to Haneda Airport for quite some time. This Sunday I finally attempted it. I was joined by UK Mike and The Can, who also ride Trek 7.3 FXs. I wrote down some rough directions based on a route planned by Tokyo Half-Fast Cycling. However, it was a bit more complicated than that, and after much asking and street sign map reading, we were able to get to a point close enough to see JAL’s planes come in really close for landings. [Read more]
Shimoda Izu Birthday Trip 2008 with Aya
September 8, 2008
Largely by accident, going to Shimoda, Izu in Shizouka Prefecture, Japan has become an annual summer ritual. It started two summers ago with the Can, which was the best road trip I’ve ever taken in Japan. The tradition continued this summer, and it was my third birthday in a row spent on Tatadohama Beach, but my first ever with Aya. We drove her dad’s car down my favorite strip of road in Japan, Rd. 135 along the coast all the way down to the very tip of the Izu Peninsula where Shimoda dwells, seemingly forgotten by Japan at large, but gladly adopted by me as my summer getaway from the madness of Tokyo.
Recent Comments