Rose Byrne
Domhnall Gleeson
Daisy Ridley
Today we also saw the trailer for Peter Rabbit, a new movie by Sony Pictures Animation. I'm not sure when it will be released in the US, not to mention Japan, but it looks like a lot of fun. Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, and Daisy Ridley are some of the voice actors who feature in the movie.
December looks like being an exciting month for movies. On December 9th, Seven Sisters begins at Denkikan. On the same day, Miss Sloane also begins.
[81 words]
Monday, November 27, 2017
Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, and other matters…
Genesis
1974
Today we watched a video of Genesis performing Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. The video was from 1974, and the picture and sound were quite bad. But I enjoyed seeing them play. Unlike most videos of Genesis from that period, the camera sometimes showed Steve Hackett playing the guitar.
In British politics, arguments are still continuing over Brexit. The main problem being discussed now is how to ensure trade between the UK and Ireland. While the UK is in the EU, trade is easy. But after Brexit, there has to be a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
[97 words]
1974
Today we watched a video of Genesis performing Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. The video was from 1974, and the picture and sound were quite bad. But I enjoyed seeing them play. Unlike most videos of Genesis from that period, the camera sometimes showed Steve Hackett playing the guitar.
In British politics, arguments are still continuing over Brexit. The main problem being discussed now is how to ensure trade between the UK and Ireland. While the UK is in the EU, trade is easy. But after Brexit, there has to be a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
[97 words]
Peter Rabbit, and other matters…
Peter Corden
Rose Byrne
Today we also watched the trailer for Peter Rabbit, a movie that is "coming soon". It looks extremely funny. It is mixed animation and live action. Peter Corden does the voice of Peter Rabbit. Other voices are done by Rose Byrne, Daisy Ridley, and Domhnall Gleason. It seems to me that animation is a very creative field now. There always seem to be new twists.
In football news, both Manchester United and Manchester City won at the weekend. Manchester City maintain their 8-point lead at the top. Chelsea and Liverpool drew, which is probably good news for the Manchester teams.
[99 words]
Rose Byrne
Today we also watched the trailer for Peter Rabbit, a movie that is "coming soon". It looks extremely funny. It is mixed animation and live action. Peter Corden does the voice of Peter Rabbit. Other voices are done by Rose Byrne, Daisy Ridley, and Domhnall Gleason. It seems to me that animation is a very creative field now. There always seem to be new twists.
In football news, both Manchester United and Manchester City won at the weekend. Manchester City maintain their 8-point lead at the top. Chelsea and Liverpool drew, which is probably good news for the Manchester teams.
[99 words]
Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, and other matters…
Genesis (1973)
Peter Gabriel
progressive rock
theatrical rock
Today we listened to Dancing with the Moonlit Knight by Genesis, watching their live performance. It is from their album Selling England by the Pound. That was their last album before The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, after which Peter Gabriel left the group. We could see one of Peter Gabriel's costumes. Genesis was my second favorite group of the time.
Check them out if you get the chance.
[72 words]
Peter Gabriel
progressive rock
theatrical rock
Today we listened to Dancing with the Moonlit Knight by Genesis, watching their live performance. It is from their album Selling England by the Pound. That was their last album before The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, after which Peter Gabriel left the group. We could see one of Peter Gabriel's costumes. Genesis was my second favorite group of the time.
Check them out if you get the chance.
[72 words]
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Incredibles 2 and other matters…
Today we also watched the teaser trailer for Incredibles 2. It was a teaser trailer because the movie is not completed yet. It is scheduled to be released next year in the U.S., and probably won't be too far behind in Japan. However, I'm worried that the subtitled version won't be released in Kumamoto, as that has been the case with several recent Pixar movies.
You can see all a list of all Pixar's long films here. My favorites are Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2. [85 words]
You can see all a list of all Pixar's long films here. My favorites are Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2. [85 words]
Forever My Girl, and other matters…
Today we watched the trailer for Forever My Girl, a movie written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf and starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe. It's about a country singer who calls off a wedding to go and tour and become famous, but can't forget his old girlfriend. When he visits his hometown, he finds that he has a daughter. He has to decide what things are most important in his life. The movie will be released in the U.S. early in 2018. I'm not sure when it will be released in Japan. It looks interesting so hopefully Denkikan will show it. [102 words]
The Incredibles 2, and other matters…
Today we watched the trailer for The Incredibles 2. It is of course the sequel to The Incredibles, and the director, Brad Bird, is the same. (Brad Bird has also directed Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.) The movie is not yet finished, so the trailer is just a teaser, but it looks very funny. The Incredibles was one of my favorite of the Pixar movies, losing out only to Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. The cast includes Samuel Jackson and Holly Hunter, Samuel Jackson is one of Hollywood's top actors, and is well-known for The Avengers. Holly Hunter has played fewer roles but is a great actress. [111 words]
Turn of the Century
Today we watched a concert video of Yes performing Turn of the Century. It's about a sculptor who creates a statue of his wife. She dies in the winter, but the statue comes to life (maybe) or at least enables him to remember his wife.
Recently, there have been some international football matches. England played Germany and Brazil, the number 1 and number 2 teams in the FIFA rankings, and drew 0 – 0 each time. Although the lack of goals is not so exciting, in general English people are happy because our defence has improved; usually we would lose to such strong teams.
In the Premier League, Manchester City are still winning every game. Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal all won at the weekend. Paul Pogba, United's star midfielder, is back in the team, so United look much stronger than they have done the last few weeks.
I spent a few days in Montana last week. I met the governor and lieutenant governor and many state officials and university officials. The food was very good there, and we had beef steak two or three times. The university meals we had there were all made from food sourced in Montana. The beer in Montana is also very good. [206 words]
Recently, there have been some international football matches. England played Germany and Brazil, the number 1 and number 2 teams in the FIFA rankings, and drew 0 – 0 each time. Although the lack of goals is not so exciting, in general English people are happy because our defence has improved; usually we would lose to such strong teams.
In the Premier League, Manchester City are still winning every game. Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal all won at the weekend. Paul Pogba, United's star midfielder, is back in the team, so United look much stronger than they have done the last few weeks.
I spent a few days in Montana last week. I met the governor and lieutenant governor and many state officials and university officials. The food was very good there, and we had beef steak two or three times. The university meals we had there were all made from food sourced in Montana. The beer in Montana is also very good. [206 words]
Monday, October 30, 2017
Yes: Turn of the Century, and other matters…
Turn of the Century (1977)
Today we watched a concert video of Yes performing Turn of the Century. There was a video playing at the back of the stage telling the story. Turn of the Century is one of Yes's most beautiful songs, I think, and the lyrics are some of the most understandable. It features a lot of acoustic guitar and piano. It starts and ends very quiet but there is a much louder interval in the middle. The song is about 8 minutes long. We also saw some pictures of Roger Dean's album covers and some buildings that he designed.
Did you hear that England won the World Cup? It was the Under-17s. They beat Spain 5–2 in the final. Although the England senior team has not done well for many years, people are very happy about the younger teams and they hope that they will continue to improve and transform the fortunes of the senior team in a few years. (157 words)
Today we watched a concert video of Yes performing Turn of the Century. There was a video playing at the back of the stage telling the story. Turn of the Century is one of Yes's most beautiful songs, I think, and the lyrics are some of the most understandable. It features a lot of acoustic guitar and piano. It starts and ends very quiet but there is a much louder interval in the middle. The song is about 8 minutes long. We also saw some pictures of Roger Dean's album covers and some buildings that he designed.
Did you hear that England won the World Cup? It was the Under-17s. They beat Spain 5–2 in the final. Although the England senior team has not done well for many years, people are very happy about the younger teams and they hope that they will continue to improve and transform the fortunes of the senior team in a few years. (157 words)
Roundabout, Blade Runner 2049, and other matters…
Yes
Roundabout (1971)
Today we listened to Roundabout by Yes. It was their performance at the Rock & Roll hall of fame ceremony earlier this year. Chris Squire, the bassist, died the year before last, so he was replaced on stage by Geddy Lee, the bassist and lead singer of Rush. Jon Anderson, the vocalist, is now 72 years old, but he looked and sounded good. He has been touring this year with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman.
In the Premier League, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool all won their matches. Crystal Palace earned a draw, and Leicester City, who were in the relegation zone a couple of weeks ago, won. In Spain, Real Madrid lost.
113 words
Roundabout (1971)
Today we listened to Roundabout by Yes. It was their performance at the Rock & Roll hall of fame ceremony earlier this year. Chris Squire, the bassist, died the year before last, so he was replaced on stage by Geddy Lee, the bassist and lead singer of Rush. Jon Anderson, the vocalist, is now 72 years old, but he looked and sounded good. He has been touring this year with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman.
In the Premier League, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool all won their matches. Crystal Palace earned a draw, and Leicester City, who were in the relegation zone a couple of weeks ago, won. In Spain, Real Madrid lost.
113 words
Monday, October 23, 2017
Elton John, and other matters…
Elton John (England)
Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets
Today we watched three music videos. They were all by Elton John. One of them was Candle in the Wind, a studio version with lyrics, and the other two were Bennie and the Jets, one a studio version with lyrics and the other a live version from 2003.
In the Premier League, both Merseyside clubs are having problems. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are having problems defending, while Everton are now down in the relegation zone. Manchester City and Manchester United are leading, but Manchester United are having a bad period now, with a draw in their match against Liverpool, an unconvincing victory against Benfica and then on Saturday a loss against Huddersfield. Last week, Craig Shakespeare, the manager of Leicester City, was sacked. Who will be next?
[125 words]
Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets
Today we watched three music videos. They were all by Elton John. One of them was Candle in the Wind, a studio version with lyrics, and the other two were Bennie and the Jets, one a studio version with lyrics and the other a live version from 2003.
In the Premier League, both Merseyside clubs are having problems. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are having problems defending, while Everton are now down in the relegation zone. Manchester City and Manchester United are leading, but Manchester United are having a bad period now, with a draw in their match against Liverpool, an unconvincing victory against Benfica and then on Saturday a loss against Huddersfield. Last week, Craig Shakespeare, the manager of Leicester City, was sacked. Who will be next?
[125 words]
Elton John, and other matters…
Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets
Elton John (England)
Today, we watched music videos again, this time by Elton John. We saw a video with lyrics of Candle in the Wind, the song about Marilyn Monroe. (A later version is about Diana, Princess of Wales.) Then we saw a video with lyrics of a livelier song, Bennie and the Jets, followed by a live performance of the same song. I always find it interesting to watch rock music performed by a band where the singer is neither a guitarist nor a straight vocalist. Elton John has to perform like a "frontman" while playing the piano. Another interesting example is The Eagles, where the drummer is the lead singer. (Genesis after the departure of Peter Gabriel is a little bit similar, but they brought in a backup drummer, with Phil Collins playing drums only in some songs.)
In the Premier League, there were some heavy defeats for traditionally top sides. Everton lost 2–5 to Arsenal, and Liverpool lost 1–4 to Tottenham. The biggest shock of the weekend was Manchester United's 1–2 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield. The manager Jose Mourinho was very angry afterwards.
[184 words]
Bennie and the Jets
Elton John (England)
Today, we watched music videos again, this time by Elton John. We saw a video with lyrics of Candle in the Wind, the song about Marilyn Monroe. (A later version is about Diana, Princess of Wales.) Then we saw a video with lyrics of a livelier song, Bennie and the Jets, followed by a live performance of the same song. I always find it interesting to watch rock music performed by a band where the singer is neither a guitarist nor a straight vocalist. Elton John has to perform like a "frontman" while playing the piano. Another interesting example is The Eagles, where the drummer is the lead singer. (Genesis after the departure of Peter Gabriel is a little bit similar, but they brought in a backup drummer, with Phil Collins playing drums only in some songs.)
In the Premier League, there were some heavy defeats for traditionally top sides. Everton lost 2–5 to Arsenal, and Liverpool lost 1–4 to Tottenham. The biggest shock of the weekend was Manchester United's 1–2 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield. The manager Jose Mourinho was very angry afterwards.
[184 words]
Friday, October 20, 2017
Neil Young
Do you know Neil Young? He's a Canadian singer and musician. (He's not young any more, though.) Heart of Gold is one of his most famous songs:
https://youtu.be/Eh44QPT1mPE?t=1m44s
https://youtu.be/Eh44QPT1mPE?t=1m44s
Monday, October 16, 2017
Daffodil Lament, and other matters…
Today we watched videos of The Cranberries again. This time the song was Daffodil Lament. We first saw the lyrics and then we saw a live performance. I like the first part of the song best, because the vocal is very powerful.
Have you been following any of the football news? Last week some international matches took place, and England and Ireland had good results. This week the Premier League started again. Manchester City had a great result, and Chelsea had a bad result, losing to Crystal Palace. Arsenal also lost. Manchester United and Liverpool played to a 0–0 draw. Now Manchester City at the top, followed by Manchester United, Spurs, and Watford.
At the bottom of the table, Crystal Palace now have some points! The bottom features one team, Everton, who are usually in the top 6, as well as Leicester, the champions two years ago.
Have you been following any of the football news? Last week some international matches took place, and England and Ireland had good results. This week the Premier League started again. Manchester City had a great result, and Chelsea had a bad result, losing to Crystal Palace. Arsenal also lost. Manchester United and Liverpool played to a 0–0 draw. Now Manchester City at the top, followed by Manchester United, Spurs, and Watford.
At the bottom of the table, Crystal Palace now have some points! The bottom features one team, Everton, who are usually in the top 6, as well as Leicester, the champions two years ago.
145 words
I Still Do, Ridiculous Thoughts, and other matters…
Today we saw some more Cranberries videos. First we listened to I Still Do. That was the first song on The Cranberries' first album. Actually, it's still my favorite one. I really like the mystical, ethereal sound. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any good live recordings of that song. After that, we watched a video with lyrics of Ridiculous Thoughts, followed by a live performance of the same song. The live performance was in Germany, and the audience wasn't as lively as in some other countries.
The Cranberries have only four major albums, Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Don't We?, No Need to Argue, To the Faithful Departed, and Bury the Hatchet, plus a few others with a mixture of original songs and new versions of old songs.
(130 words)
The Cranberries have only four major albums, Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Don't We?, No Need to Argue, To the Faithful Departed, and Bury the Hatchet, plus a few others with a mixture of original songs and new versions of old songs.
(130 words)
Monday, October 9, 2017
Zombies, and other matters…
The Cranberries (Ireland) 1990s
Today we watched a video showing Zombie, one of the most famous songs by the Cranberries, a famous Irish group from the 1990s. Actually, we watched two videos. The first was the promotional video, with lyrics (in English and Spanish); the second was a live performance in Paris. I've heard the song so many times now that it doesn't have such an effect on me, but I remember when I first heard it. I had missed most of the 1990s music from the UK, but in about 2010 I heard some nice music playing in Tsutaya in Kengun. I asked the staff what it was, and they showed me the CD. After that I checked out all their CDs. I like their first two albums best, but many of the songs look good in old gigs.
In football, the World Cup qualifying campaigns are coming to an end. England has qualified, and so has Northern Ireland. Scotland has failed. Ireland and Wales will play soon to decide who qualifies from their group. England didn't lose any games in their group, but everyone found their games quite boring and of low quality. (190 words)
Today we watched a video showing Zombie, one of the most famous songs by the Cranberries, a famous Irish group from the 1990s. Actually, we watched two videos. The first was the promotional video, with lyrics (in English and Spanish); the second was a live performance in Paris. I've heard the song so many times now that it doesn't have such an effect on me, but I remember when I first heard it. I had missed most of the 1990s music from the UK, but in about 2010 I heard some nice music playing in Tsutaya in Kengun. I asked the staff what it was, and they showed me the CD. After that I checked out all their CDs. I like their first two albums best, but many of the songs look good in old gigs.
In football, the World Cup qualifying campaigns are coming to an end. England has qualified, and so has Northern Ireland. Scotland has failed. Ireland and Wales will play soon to decide who qualifies from their group. England didn't lose any games in their group, but everyone found their games quite boring and of low quality. (190 words)
Zombie, and other matters…
Today we watched a video of a live performance of Zombie by the Cranberries. The Cranberries are a group from Ireland who were very popular in the 1990s. Their most famous songs are Dreams and Zombie. Dreams was used in the movie You Got Mail and various other movies and TV shows. Zombie is not widely used elsewhere, but it's probably their most popular song when performed live.
Hidden Figures is playing in Hikari no Mori now, but I don't know if I'll have time to go and see it. In the states, Blade Runner 2049 has opened. According to the critics, it's an excellent movie. I wonder when it will come to Japan.
Hidden Figures is playing in Hikari no Mori now, but I don't know if I'll have time to go and see it. In the states, Blade Runner 2049 has opened. According to the critics, it's an excellent movie. I wonder when it will come to Japan.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Annihilation, and other matters…
Alex Garland: Ex Machina, Sunshine, 28 Days Later
Natalie Portman
Today we watched the trailer for Annihilation. It's a science fiction/suspense move that will be released next February in the US. I'm not sure when it will come to Japan. It stars Natalie Portman, of Leon and Black Swan fame, and Oscar Isaac, who also appeared in Alex Garland's previous film, Ex Machina.
61 words
Natalie Portman
Today we watched the trailer for Annihilation. It's a science fiction/suspense move that will be released next February in the US. I'm not sure when it will come to Japan. It stars Natalie Portman, of Leon and Black Swan fame, and Oscar Isaac, who also appeared in Alex Garland's previous film, Ex Machina.
61 words
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