Sweet Rain (死神の精度-2008)

Starring:
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Manami Konishi
Supporting Cast
Takuya Ishida
Ken Mitsuishi
Junko Fuji
Jun Murakami
Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Erika Okuda

Chiba (Takeshi Kaneshiro) appears seven days before a person dies an unexpected death. His job is to observe the person for seven days, and then decide either to ‘execute’ or ‘pass over’. Getting his work quickly out of the way, he goes to the listening booth of a CD shop and indulges in his favorite pastime, listening to ‘humanity’s greatest invention’: music. He is...a Grim Reaper. Today, again, in the rain, he waits. His subject, her death due in seven days, is Kazue Fujiki (Manami Konishi), 27. She works for a manufacturing company, in the complaints department. Exhausted after her day, she emerges from her office. It’s time for the Reaper to go to work.



Okay this movie had me crying at the very beginning. Well, not crying, teary-eyed...yes! The little girl reminded me of my daughter and I couldn't stop comparing the two.

I've read reviews of this movie where it's too slow and didn't make sense. I don't understand that. Okay, yes it was a bit slow but it wasn't boring at all. In actuality, this movie had 3 separate stories that correlated with each other. It's not until the last story that you are like "OMG!"

This movie, at first, has a depressing feel. The rain will get to you. Its really is a mirror image of Chibas emotions. Never having lived a human life, he never really understood what living was like. So not being able to live, he didn't understand what it really meant to die either.

This is a beautiful story of life and death. I think the story was meant to give hope to those that believe hope is lost.

This might be a story for everyone. Only because I think it takes a lot of thought and having lived a life to understand how to appreciate this movie. I think all should sit and think about what the author truly meant.

The Letters (Tegami / 手紙 -2007)

Starring:
Takayuki Yamada - Naotaka Takeshima
Erika Sawajiri - Yumiko Shirai
Tetsuji Tamayama - Takashi Takeshima
Supporting Roles:
Kazue Fukiishi - Asami Nakajo
Hiroyuki Onoue - Yusuke Terao
Mitsuru Fukikoshi - Tadao Ogata
Mina Hara
Yukijiro Hotaru
Mitsuko Ishii
Morio Kazama - Tadao
Susumu Kobayashi
Sachiko Matsuura
Kazuyuki Matsuzawa
Naoki Sugiura - Hirano
Toshie Takada
Yoji Tanaka - Kurata
Machiko Washio
Tetsuo Yamashita

Brother, how are you? This is my last letter . . .Takayuki Yamada, Tetsuji Tamayama, and Erika Sawajiri star in the blockbuster film "Tegami." Naoki works at a recycling plant on the outskirts of Tokyo, trying to avoid interacting with people to avoid the reputation of his brother who accidently killed a man and went to prison. He's moved countless times, forgotten his dreams, even the lost the love of his life, all because of his brother. The only thing that saved hopeless Naoki was the woman lookin on from the side, Yumiko. Feeling the first happiness in years, he decides to throw off the chains of his brother who continues to send him letters from prison!

I'm still in tears. OMG! I'm going to have headaches all day because I couldn't sleep a wink because of this movie. Yeah, this movie touched me so much that I literally cried myself to sleep last night. This is hands down the best movie ever from Tamayama Tetsuji. This movie affected me personally. How many more tears can I cry? I knew that once I woke up this morning I would write this review but now I'm thinking about it again and once again my tears fall like rain.

This movie should be seen by everyone. It'll touch your soul in more ways than you can imagine. You don't have to be a relative of a convict to feel the emotions that this movie sets forth in motion. But again, I say this, it hit me on a personal level. I for one never thought of what it's like for the person who sits all alone in prison. This movie turned the table on me. I for one feel the pain that MY brother had to go through and why his letters were replied as soon as I sent him one.

Emotionally draining....yes. But this movie puts in perspective what the families of convicts go through and how the motions of that convict change the lives of not the victims families but the convicts families as well. I understand. I get it.

Be a better person and not treat the families as if they are responsible for the convicts actions.....they are only bystanders.

All I can say is......BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!

This movie gets a "A+" for everything. It was perfect in everyway.