This Is England

A British guy that I know, practically he's just follows me on Twitter, (it's so this-day-and-age ;-) warned me that "this was not entirely England".
I think I've been aware of that, but I admit this film was intriguing.

Shaun is a 12-year-old boy in a blue-collar family in a suburban town.
His father died in the Falkland war.

One day schoolfellows make fun of Shaun about his father.
When he is trudging home, he runs into a skinhead group that consists of young, but much older guys.
A leader of the group, Woody accepts him as a member and Shaun finds a big brother in Woody.
They're united this way...

Things starts to change drastically when Combo, other skinhead returns to the group after a prison sentence. Unlike Woody, Combo clearly express his standpoint of disgusting immigrants as an English nationalist.

I understand everything is no good if it goes to the extreme, but I think what Combo advocates is partly right. Immigrants should be got rid of so that people in England always get a decent job. What's wrong with this? Seems to make sense.

In our case, not exactly, OK, I'll make it straight-out, in my case, what if more and more people from other Asian countries, mainly could-be China, flooded to here Japan. I'm sure it's gonna be harder to secure a job. Especiallt an entry-leveled position that I'm currently involved. Sorry, I'm living in a small world, I know.

Shaun has a better reason to go to Combo's group than anybody.

Because his father fought for England was killed for England.

It's a cliche... their bond is messed up when booze , woman and drugs come into the group.

Shaun throws his St. George's Cross flag into the sea and this is the last cut of the film.

After the movie, I looked up the Folkland War on the Internet.

I'm not done yet, but one thing that I realized is there're tons of things out there that I hardly know about. Actually I know the War only by name and where Fokland is.

Besides the War, in 1960's black culture like ska, soul and reggae became adopted by white nationarists. It seems to be controdictory each other, but anyway it was also quite new to me.

I'm so ignorant !!

Beyonce !!

Speaking of Beyonce, I went to see her live concert.
It was difficult to pick either one of Beyonce and Ne-Yo,
who also had a Japan tour.
But what made me slanted toward Beyonce was an assumption that her performance would be more dancy, and it turned out to be true...

You believe or not, we couldn't see anything on the stage when we were seated. Something gigantic equipment from the ceiling was blocking my sight. I've been here at this venue more than 10 times, most of the times for MMA, but this never ever happend before even when much more people were accommodated.

I would have put a curse on the promotoer if my seat hadn't changed to an appropriate place, at least I could see her even if it was like bird's -eve view.

I had a ball. Dancing and singing with her !!
Needless to say, she's a genuine DIVA.
I wish I could sing and dance like her even if it was one and only.
Her backup dancers and singers were all amazingly cool.
I love "big mama" chorus girls the most. They're absolutely requisite for the stage.

I had muscular pain in my hamstrings the next day. (> <)

This is a hair style that I really wanted to try in Jamaica... Kawaii !!

Obsessed

I reckoned even before watching it actually
that this would be a crappy movie.
But I just succumbed to beauty of Beyonce.

Derek and Sharon (Beyonce) is a perfect couple with their adorable son.
He is promoted to a VP ans she starts thinking of back to business world after getting a degree.
Their promising future is suddenly interrupted by one temp called Lisa, who attemps to seduce Derek passive-agressively. I was almost running out of my patience. Soooo annoying !!

Her overdoing persistent seduction and pranoia obviously go crazy.
Like kidnapping their son, trying to take her own life and so on...

As you could imagine, this leads to a battle between two women.
Lisa and Sharon get into a fight.
Funnily enough, it's not a verbal one, but physical.
They attack each other even in an attic and finally Lisa falls through the floor...
Oh, that's totally BS. Nothing to say about the script.

A frigging crazy White woman is "obsessed" as the title goes, with a black hottie.
That reminded me of one thing that I knew through the Internet when I was doing lots of research for visiting Jamaica.

They say that there are many Caucasion women who visit Jamaica only for one night stand with a local hunk.
There seems to an organized tour from the UK, no offense to Brit ladies. OMFG !!

I think I partly understand them. Of course I won't do that, though...
Their 6-packs are soooo amazing, you know that... Hahaha.

Personal Belongings

My Cuban-related story is continued.
I watched "Personal Belongings" at the Cuban Film Festival
that I wrote about at the privious article.
Several others movies also interested me,
but Linda and I totally agreed with this.
It's a beautiful bittersweet romance.
But who could create a film without telling what Cuban society like?

Ernesto wants to leave Cuba more than anything.
He's been making the rounds of embassies, hoping someone will buy his falsified story for obtaining a legitimate permission.

Meanwhile, Ana, she 's determinded to stay when her family left the island in a risky way, by raft.
They meet at a clinic she workd as a doctor when Ernesto has a check-up that he needs for his visa application.
Then, they fall in love each other...


They wish to get more seriously and romantically involved, but as you may notice, their future visions are completely opposite.
The story goes on as they both have so ambivalent feelings...

I like this scene. A date at the restaurant dolphins swimming behind.
Isn't it so romantic?!
At the same time, there's a little satire.
They're asked to pay in CUC, which is currency only travelers visiting Cuba are required to use.
Maybe I'll have some in my tatterd purse this summer. Yayyay!!

He's an actor plays Ernesto. He's hot !!

I want to get this by DVD for Ernesto sake, sorry it's just kidding, but not released in Japan (> <) Any chance in future??

Cuban Film Festival

Speaking of Cuba,
I went to the Cuban Film Festival with Linda last autumn.
Mojito was undeniably tempting, but I thought it would be a good chance to give a shot to something new, then Canchanchara was my poison there.

It was good, but it might be a bit strong on my empty stomach.
I munched away a variety of Cuban cuisine, which was specially cooked for the party when they were not on the regular menu.

This is a woman (in the middle of the pic) who launched and organized everything for the festival all by herself.
Luckily enough, I've got an opportunity to chat with her, technically, I spoke to her.
Actually, this was not the first time to meet her, but I didn't have a chance to talk to her in person.

I genuinely admire what she has accomplished so far in her life, and of course herself.
It's not something anybody could achieve even if you make tons of effort like hell.
She's totally my role model when I'm million million miles away from her considered where as I am ;-)


Cuban music and dance were performed at the party.
I don't see clearly if I like them since I've never been exposed to Cuban culture firsthand in Cuba.
Untill then, I'd prefer Jamaican Reggae, Yah man !! Hahaha.

By the way, congri (black rice with beans) was not that bad...

Waiting for Snow in Havana

I've just finished reading!!
"Waiting for snow in Havana" "Confession of a Cuban boy"
Sounds gripping ! How could I resist?!
That's what I felt when I first had a look at only the title by chance.
Besides, this book earned some kinds of awards in the US.
Never bore me, maybe...

The author is a White Cuban who left his country with his elder brother when he was 12 or so.
The book is mostly dedicated to how he played with his friends,
how he spent his times with his family and relatives and so on.
Truethfuliy, it was nothing to interest me.
Like a torture to read through, haha...
It was a bit different from what I had thought.

I expected more about how he managed to survive in the States after leaving his own country.
Actually, only one or two chapters are referred to that,
but not enough for me.



He was there, living several blocks away from he'd like to call a "palace " of Che when the Revolution changed everything in the country.
A little disappointing thing is, a car Che was driving or riding, whatever, was Mercedes Benz.
He is considered to be an idealist, sometimes said to be going overboard, so I didin't imagine anything extravagance. It's like, turned out he was not a perfectionist.

One thing that I could confirm again is only upper middle-classed can have a option to move out to the country, I mean, legally.
Actually, his family was well-off as his father adopted a boy and three kids had each diffrent maids...


FYI... this book is banned to publish in Cuba, you know why ...