Hachi: A Dog’s Tale is a heart warming movie based on the true story of a faithful Japanese Akita dog and his owner. The Hollywood version stars Richard Gere, but the best acting of all would be for the Akita dog Hachi!

I like the feel of the movie, with it’s quaint town and friendly characters. There were a few scenes that could have been omitted, but overall a nice movie that will have you feeling sentimental for this loyal dog soon enough.

Although this American movie came out in 2009, the original Japanese version was made in 1987 titled “Hachiko Monogatari“.

A little history:

“In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner’s life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station.

The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.” - source from Wiki.

To this day, there is even a bronze statue to honor Hachiko at the train station.

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Since the World Cup is going on at the moment, it reminded me of a neat film I saw a few years ago.  La Gran Final or The Great Match is by Spanish filmmaker Gerardo Olivares.

The film follows three different tribes from around the world: Mongolian nomads, the Tuareg of the Sahara (Niger’s Tenere desert), and the Indios of the Amazon (Brazil). They are all excited about watching the 2002 World Cup between Germany and Brazil. The adventure begins when they try to figure out a way to get to the nearest television set.

It’s a simple film which makes you laugh along with the characters.  It also reminds you how much we have in common, despite our different way of living.

I think Olivares also wanted to show how globalization and the information age has reached even the most isolated people in the world. It’s also made me realize how much technology is a part of our life. It truly makes you feel like it’s a small world after all.

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The Fantastic Mr. Fox is written by Roald Dahl. The movie version of this book is now out in theaters.

Roald Dahl is also the same author who wrote my favorite childhood books, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both movie version of the books just couldn’t compete with what I had imagined in my mind.  Especially the chocolate factory.

Mr. Fox and crew.  Image from BBC - Radio 1 Movies.  The folks at BBC didn’t give it a good review.

But since I haven’t read this book, I can’t say I will be too disappointed with the movie version. The story line sound pretty interesting and the movie is done with stop motion animation.  Just like with Coraline. The character list is cute and the details of their clothing look so neat.

A world of talking animals in competition for living space with humans.  It’s all about the environment, mix in some mischievous animals.  Sounds like a good story to me.  Image source.

Synopsis:  “Mr. and Mrs. Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristopherson. But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers — Boggis, Bunce and Bean — who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr. Fox at any cost.”

Watch the trailer on Youtube.  I will have to give a review after I see, hopefully around Christmas holiday.

I’ve always like movie about immigrants coming to America.  My favorite was Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.  There is a great song by Enya used in the movie soundtrack too.

This movie, Sweet Land, doesn’t have the action or adventure of Far and Away.  It’s setting is more simple and the tone is much quieter.  But the story has left me with much to think about.  The film came out in 2006, but I just got around to seeing it recently.

Inge and Olaf dancing in front of their home in Minnesota.  Photo from Wikia Entertaiment.

It’s simply a story about love, acceptance, and the will of an American immigrant making her place in a new land far from her own home.  Inge is a German refugee by way of Norway.  Set in 1920, just after World War I, Inge becomes a mail-order bride and arrives in a small Minnesota town to marry Olaf, a Norwegian farmer she has never seen before.  Upon her arrival, she doesn’t have the official immigrations papers to conduct the marriage.  Along with the suspision of the towns people, her troubles never seem to end.

Fast forward to 2004 and the grandson, Lars Torvik, is faced with a decision to sell the family farm on which his grandmother has  lived since 1920.  Seeking advice, he turns to the memory of Inge and the stories that she had passed on to him.

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Central Station is a movie made in 1998 from Brazil. Winner of Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at Golden Globe. Directed by Walter Salles and written by Marcos Bernstein and João Emanuel Carneiro. It is one of my all time favorite movie and I thought I should make note of it here. I think this film is worth watching and remembering. I just wish there were more films like this is in production these days.

Despite the fact that it is 10 years old doesn’t even take away from it. The story itself is timeless. The story begins in the busy central bus station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s very interesting to see the diversity of the people living in the city. Each one of them has their own story, but this movie is the story of a boy in search of a father he has never known. In a twist of fate, his mother dies in a bus accident and a retired school teacher working at the bus station becomes his only friend. The retired teacher then agrees to help the boy find his father in the outskirt of the country. And that is where the real journey begins.

There is a magical chemistry between the young boy and the retired teacher. The casting was perfect and the director did a great job. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, so get the DVD and watch this movie for yourself. But there is a bitter-sweet ending, and I think that is what makes it unforgettable.

Here is a trailer on Youtube. And nice soundtrack too.