AZN MOVIES

Posted on at 9/02/2009

TITLE: Kamikaze Girls
TYPE: Japanese Movie
GENRE: Friendship /Chick Flick / Comedy
DATE RELEASED: Jun 11 '04
RUNTIME: 102 mins.

CASTS

Kyoko Fukada as Momoko Ryugasaki

Ana Tsuchiya as Ichigo Shirayuri

DESCRIPTION
The movie begins with a flashforward of Momoko getting hit by a car while driving a moped, then shifts to the past to introduce her background and early life.
Momoko, who was born near Kobe, wishes that she had been born in Rococo-era France. Her father, a former small-time gangster, was involved in selling fake brand name clothing. After making a fake "double-brand" he finds himself in trouble with Universal Studios, Versace, and the mob, and so he and Momoko move to his mother's house in the rural town of Shimotsuma.
Momoko must go to Tokyo to shop for her clothes, but constantly finds herself short of money for the expensive trip and the pricey clothes she wants to buy. She decides to sell some of her father's fake Versace products, and meets Ichigo, who answers an advertisement she has placed about selling the clothes. Ichigo is a racy, boyish type who belongs to an all-girl bōsōzoku (motorcycle gang). Gradually, the unlikely pair become friends.
Soon Ichigo needs Momoko's help. Akimi, the leader of Ichigo's gang, is leaving, and as a tribute Ichigo plans to have her coat embroidered. She has heard that there is a legendary embroiderer in Tokyo named Emma (sometimes translated as M.R.) and she persuades Momoko to go there with her.
Although they never find the embroiderer, they do stop at Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, the shop where Momoko buys her frilly Lolita dresses. An assistant notices the beautiful embroidery Momoko has stitched on one of her garments and calls the designer himself to come to look at it. Later in the film, the designer asks Momoko to embroider a sample garment which accidentally came back plain.
Back in Shimotsuma, after an argument, Momoko offers to stich the embroidery on Ichigo's coat, which she does with great skill.
The final scenes of the film concern a fight between Ichigo and the members of several all-girl motorbike gangs. It is revealed that the crash at the start of the movie occurred when Momoko was rushing to help Ichigo. Momoko does not die, but instead challenges the entire motorbike gang and wins, rescuing Ichigo.

TRAILER

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BATTLE ROYALE 2

Posted on at 9/02/2009

TITLE: Battle Royale
TYPE: Japanese Movie
GENRE: Action / Thriller / School
DATE RELEASED: July 5 '03
RUNTIME: 133 mins.

CASTS

Tatsuya Fujiwara

Ai Maeda

Shugo Oshinari

DESCRIPTION
In the sequel, survivors of previous Battle Royales, led by Shuya Nanahara (the hero of the first film), have formed a terrorist group called "Wild Seven". As in the first film, a class of teenagers from Shikanotoride Junior High School (鹿之砦中学校, Shikanotoride Chūgakkō?) are kidnapped by the Japanese government. Instead of stereotypically studious Japanese students, these ninth graders are “a ragtag collection of delinquents and losers from all over Japan,” including tough-guy rugby players and punks with dyed hair. More importantly, many are orphans whose parents or family died in bombings by Wild Seven. After their school bus is diverted to an army base, the students are herded into a cage, surrounded by armed guards, and confronted by their schoolteacher, Riki Takeuchi, who lays down the ground rules of the new Battle Royale game. Wild Seven is hiding out on a deserted island, and instead of being forced to kill each other, as in the old Battle Royale, the students are ordered to attack the terrorist group’s hideout en masse and kill the leader, Shuya Nanahara, within 72 hours. Most of the kids are not interested in being forced to avenge their families, but are coerced to fight through exploding metal collars, which their captors can detonate by remote control. The students are also put into 'pairs'; if one student dies, then his or her 'pair' will also die because of the metal collars set to a certain frequency.
Once again, Shuya — accompanied by survivors of previous "Games" — must fight to survive.
The majority of the film is centered around Shiori Kitano the daughter of the teacher from the first film.
The film does not use any elements of Takami's novel, except for a few characters.
TRAILER