Man on Fire (2004)

Man on Fire. An American suspense film. Directed by Tony Scott. Starring Denzel Washington. Dakota Fanning acted in it.

It depicts the friendship with the age gap between a girl and her hired bodyguard.

I came to like to see the film again after I did The Equalize 3 in which Washington co-starred with Fanning for the first time in nineteen years.

Dakota was really lovable around the age of ten. She appeared as a woman looking to be a tough American woman in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I knew about it after seeing the movie and was very surprised because her little sister, Elle, was still cute even if she grew up. Child stars vary.

The crime suspense film seriously portrays the actual state of child kidnapping at that time. Denzel was brilliant. He sharply moved in the action scenes and gave a cool act. 

マイ・ボディガード（2004）

『マイ・ボディガード』。アメリカのサスペンス映画。トニー・スコット監督作。主演はデンゼル・ワシントン。ダコタ・ファニング出演。

少女と彼女を守るために雇われたボディガードとの歳の差を超えた友情。

デンゼルとダコタが19年ぶりに再共演した『イコライザー THE FINAL』を観てまた観たくなった。

本作の頃のダコタは本当に可愛らしい。2019年公開の『ワンス・アポン・ア・タイム・イン・ハリウッド』では気の強そうなアメリカ女になっていた。観覧後にそれに気づいた時は、妹のエル・ファニングは大人になっても可愛らしいままなだけに、余計にびっくりした。子役も様々だ。

公開時のメキシコでの幼児誘拐の実態がシリアスに描かれた、デンゼルのクールな演技とシャープなアクションが冴えたなかなかのクライム・サスペンス。

Living in Two Worlds (2024)

Living in Two Worlds. A Japanese drama film. Directed by Mipo O. Starring Ryo Yoshizawa and Akiko Oshidari.

The film is based on a true story, about the love and bond between a son and his mother and filled with affection for the mother by the son.

It seemed to make a CODA boy talk about a typical story of a boy who goes bad depending his parents and gradually comes to appreciate them, however, I was deeply impressed toward the ending by the beautiful mind of Akiko, his deaf mother, that was highlighted by how uncool the protagonist, played by the handsome Ryo Yoshizawa, was. The smile of Akiko Oshidari playing the mother was also pretty.

ぼくが生きてる、ふたつの世界（2024）

『ぼくが生きてる、ふたつの世界』。日本のドラマ映画。呉美保監督作。主演は吉沢亮と忍足亜希子。

息子の母への想いが詰まった実話ならではの絆と愛の物語。

親に甘えてグレつつも次第に彼らの有難みを知るというありきたりな話をコーダの青年に語らせているだけに見えたが、美青年、吉沢亮演じる主人公、大のダサさが際立たせていた、ろうあ者である彼の母、明子の心の美しさに終盤で胸が締め付けられた。明子を演じた忍足亜希子の笑顔もまた美しかった。

Civil War (2024)

Civil War. An American thriller film. Directed by Alex Garland. Starring Kirsten Dunst.

The film tells the story of a young war photographer's growth. Although she gets terrified by odiousness in the battlefield and even vomits, yet she finally comes awake at the last minute. Her youthful and daring photography chilled me.

The lead, Kirsten Dunst, looked to be the most pretty in her life despite her age.

The tragicomedy of the United States, the big customer of the merchant of death, which has wars not only globally but also domestically. It made me remember the existence of the military-industrial complex which is said to be the mastermind behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It might have a profound meaning, though I could not feel it.

Osaka rebels would entice Nagoya and Fukuoka ones to revolt against Tokyo when a civil war occurs in Japan. However, there are no key materials, war weapons. If they drew the Self-Defense Forces of Japan into it, American troops stationed in Japan would notice and easily scrapped it, moreover, they might drop the third atomic bomb in the end. I hope that nobody will launch a coup.

シビル・ウォー（2024）

『シビル・ウォー アメリカ最後の日』。アメリカのスリラー映画。アレックス・ガーランド監督作。主演はキルスティン・ダンスト。

新人戦場カメラマンの成長譚。現場のおぞましさに怯えて嘔吐までするも土壇場で覚醒。若さゆえの恐れ知らずな激写に戦慄が走った。

主演のキルスティン・ダンストは、年取ったけど今が一番美しいかも、と思えるほど綺麗に見えた。

国外だけではなく国内でも戦争を始める、死の商人のお得意先アメリカの悲喜劇。どうしてもケネディ暗殺の黒幕とも言われている軍産複合体の存在が頭にちらついてしまった。何か深い意味があったのかもしれないが、私には感じとれなかった。

日本で内戦が起きるとしたら、大阪が名古屋と福岡を唆して東京に攻め入るのかな。だが、肝心の武器が無い。自衛隊を引き込んだとしても在日米軍にばれて簡単に潰されて挙句の果てには３発目の原発を落とされる目に遭うかもしれない。クーデターなんか起きて欲しくない。

Happyend (2024)

Happyend. The coming-of-age film is a Japan-U.S. co-production. Directed by Neo Sora. Starring Hayato Kurihara and Yukito Hidaka.

A case reminiscent of Scent of Woman occurs at a Japanese high school in the near future.

All of the actors are fresh and no one seems to be cast by pressure from the outside. More international students attend the school than today, so the class looked to be new, however, it was a common coming-of-age one. The students defy the adults getting used to the society, which is a familiar sight in the kind of movie, all the same, it looked to be comfortable, though I deep down thought that the young people should remember that they live off their parents' support. The shallow Yuta shows a manly spirit toward the ending, which made me lightly feel catharsis.

HAPPYEND（2024）

HAPPYEND。日米合作の青春映画。空音央監督作。主演は栗原颯人と日高由起刀。

近未来の日本の高校で、『セント・オブ・ウーマン/夢の香り』を彷彿とさせる、ある事件が起きる。

どこからかのゴリ押しで出演できていそうなタレントが皆無の爽やかなキャスト。外国籍の学生が多くて新鮮だが、普通の青春物。よくありがちな場面であるものの、社会に飼い慣らされた大人たちに若者たちが歯向かう姿は、脛齧りのくせに！と思いつつも微笑ましい。そして、ヘラヘラしていたユウタが終盤に見せる漢気の軽妙なカタルシスが沁みた。

Horizon Line (2020)

Horizon Line. A Swedish and American panic film. Directed by Mikael Marcimain. Starring Allison Williams. Alexander Dreymon acted in it.

It follows a former couple who accidentally board a small plane to attend their common friends' wedding ceremony. The pilot suddenly dies of a heart attack while flying it, so the former couple tries hard to coordinate with each other to survive the crisis.

I hesitated to see it for a long time because the Japanese title is like a cartoon's one, however, I watch it because it lasts just 92 minutes.

It was far more entertaining than expected, moreover, it was not only a panic movie but also a good romance. After seeing it, I knew that the two actors who played the former couple in it got married and had a baby after the release. The fact made me feel that I kept on listening to their sweet stories on and on.

元カレとツイラクだけは（2020）

『元カレとツイラクだけは絶対に避けたい件』。スウェーデンとアメリカ合作のパニック映画。ミカエル・マルシメーン監督作。主演はアリソン・ウィリアムズ。アレクサンダー・ドレイン出演。

元カップルが共通の友人の結婚式に出席するため偶然小型飛行機に搭乗するも、その操縦士が心臓発作で急死してしまい、生き延びるために二人で必死に協力しあうお話。

邦題が漫画っぽいのでずっと敬遠していたが、たったの92分だったので観てみた。

想像以上に面白かった。パニック映画であると同時になかなかの恋愛映画。劇中の元カップルを演じた役者たちは公開後に結婚して子を儲けている、という事を知った時は彼らのノロケ話を延々と聞かされた気分になった。