As a film, Jacques Tati's PlayTime (1967) is rightly considered as one of the best films ever made. A satire of hyperconsumerism and corporate takeover of life that is more relevant than ever.
At the time, this wasn't the case, with the film losing money, which would in turn bankrupted Tati.
It is however, a new experience in the world of films, and fiction in general. Tati had intended the film to be something new, to be something he called a “spectacle cinématographique”, something similar to live theatre. However, what most people do not know is that PlayTime (1967) is more than a film —— it's atheme park.
Welcome to TatiVille. Enjoy your disorientation and reality!
I'm back at the cafe! Now onto the third entry of the コーヒーが冷めないうちに book series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
But wait....this looks different, yet familiar. I am now at Café Donna Donna for more coffee, views of the seas, comedy, and....death.
And I wonder to myself, am I truly living in the present?
You can read my thoughts here for the first book and the second book. The series do gradually get better and that's why I'm back for more by reading the third book of this series! Even though it's still the same thing as the previous two books, I can see why these sequels exist.
They're saying something different, but ultimately arriving at the same uplifting conclusion each time.
And that's too good to be ignored, even though let's be clear, this book series is nothing special. There's already tons of 'reflexive' Japanese media like this one, and this book series seems to only offer its sci-fi elements to bring something new in the table. I mean come on, waitresses being living TARDISes hasn't even been explored in Doctor Who.
But the thing is....the formula works. If it ain't broken, just keep doing it. And yet, I still have tears in my eyes.
And so, once again, with the album “Steve McQueen” by Prefab Sprout still playing in my ears, wistful evenings in my home, and coffee in my desk, I am back at the cafe to think, to feel, and to go back to the past before the coffee gets cold.
As I finish this book, the cup of coffee in my mouth tells me to live in the present. Full (LONG) thoughts under the cut, as usual.
Onto the second book of the コーヒーが冷めないうちに book series now! I am once again back at Café Funiculi Funicula for more coffee, feels, and regrets....now with grief and guilt.
And now I have thoughts and some words about myself....
I wrote my thoughts on the first book here, and as you can see, I liked the premise enough despite the MAJOR shortcomings, because I believe that when done well, the premise could be something profound and wonderful. Also I'm a sucker for both reflexive time travel plots and sad slice-of-life.
So, with the album “Steve McQueen” by Prefab Sprout playing in my ears, rainy days on my window, and lounging in my desk, I am back at to immerse in the wistful atmosphere of the story, ready to go back to the past before the coffee gets cold.
I am happy to report that the second book is better than the first! There are significant number of improvements here and there, and it seems that author Toshikazu Kawaguchi listened to some of the criticisms of the first one...
Upon finishing, it felt like a nice cup of coffee after a somber rainy day. Full thoughts and a little story about me under the cut.
It seems that I've been doing something shocking.....reading a book! Well, it's been a while since I read a book, and I had a sudden urge to spend my Eid holidays reading a book....a simple book, of course. I liked it, but I have thoughts.
So, I've been spending my week reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2015) solely for the premise. It's not quite sci-fi, but grounded enough to put me in a breeze.
At a glance, the premise of “a cafe that can get their patrons back in time but it can't change the present” intrigued me. Not to mention that I have the perfect album to listen to while reading, to immerse myself in the wistful, warm feeling of the premise.
The fact that the cafe cannot change the present gives the premise an opportunity to provide meaningful insights on how the looking into the past might not change the present, but it will give us will to live in the present and build our futures. Previously, I really loved Petite Maman (2021) for exploring a similar premise with similar insights and I was so stoked to hear that there are more stuff like this. Also, stories like this IS my bread and butter after all.
Now that I finished it.....it was a mixed experience. Full thoughts under the cut.
Every so often, a forgotten film from the middle of the 20th century gets re-discovered and re-appraised as something ahead of it's time, something that should've been better-known, and in some cases, should've been a part of The Canon. Especially in the age of Internet and Streaming where lost gems its' way to smaller streaming services or archival video channels.
David and Lisa (1962) is one of such films. Carrying profundity and heart towards the then-taboo subject of mental health with care humanity at the time where the subject was looked down upon is a reason for this film to be remembered today.
However, there's more than heart in this underrated film, in that it tells us about life, death, love, and growth.
A Life time comes and goes..
And my friend the rose
Told me this morning
At dawn I was born,
Baptized with the dew,
I blossomed.
Happy and in love
The sun shined through
And by the night time I was old
My friend the rose told me that time destroys everything. Time will bring things to irreversible decay, and all we can see is who will leave first, and what will be left behind.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, a lot of us are spending our time in home, adjusting an isolated, repetitive new life away from sickness.
What if Isolation and Repetition brings comfort? And what if those are the only escape from hard times?
Our everyday lives are often repetitive that we sometimes find crushingly boring, meaningless, and less-than-alive. It is a cycle that keeps repeating. A seamless system of repetitions.
Wake up, eat, go to work, go home, shower, eat, sleep.
Such is life under capitalism.
But at times, repetition is the only comfort we can have in a troubled world. In a world where we cannot control a lot of things to our comfort, the controlled repetition of everyday life can be an escape from the uncontrollable, constantly-changing external lives of us.
Dreariness and Repetition is a thing we can comfortably expect and control. It’s easy to handle workdays without new things, because we know what will happen, and we know how we will handle it.
We have autonomy in repetition. We have freedom in isolation. Isolation brings us comfort.
But what if the repetition breaks down? Will we be glad or angry
shunji iwai is an independent japanese filmmaker specializing in dreamy melancholia. despite that, he has worked in many genres, although he is most popular for directing the coming-of-age hits all about lily chou-chou (2001) and hana & alice (2004).
these are several short musings on his films in one post.
is the internet truly artificial when real life is so artificial that it becomes an awaking dream? when real life no longer needs us, can we turn to the internet to find others who need us?
shunji iwai asks those questions in his 3-hour dreamy epic a bride for rip van winkle (2016), through the nomadic journey of a woman in the artficial city of tokyo...and her attempts bring realness in her life through internet.