Movie review #6 "Whale Rider"

This is story about the problem of a tribal inheritor. I was impressed by a girl who tried to make a way for herself, though her grandfather treated her coolly just because she was a girl. The story was a little difficult, but interesting.

The heroine is Paikea who is a granddaughter of the head of Maori. She is a hard worker with a strong mind. She works hard everyday to be approved her grandfather. Koro is her grandfather. He is very stubborn and he never approves Paikea as his inheritor. It is because there is a tradition that the head of the tribe must be a man. He believes that he has to follow a tradition.

Story
A girl who was born as granddaughter was named Paikea after the forefather hero. But her grandfather Koro didn’t approve her and treated her coolly. One day Paikea didn’t obey him at the meeting. It made Koro enraged and told Paikea not to have the education to be an inheritor. Paikea was not discouraged by this. She worked as hard as the boys. For example, she attended Koro’s lecture secretly or learned the art of fitting with a cudgel called Taiaha by her uncle. Could she be approved by her grandfather?

Paikea invited her grandfather to her school play but he didn’t come. He was at the beach at that time. Many whales were stranded there. They were growing weaker. All the people tried to return the whale to the sea, but they couldn’t. When the people almost gave up, Paikea approached to a whale. She prayed to God and ride on the whale. The whale began to swim, and other whales followed it. Paikea saved whales! When Paikea is riding on the whale, she looked exactly like the forefather hero Paikea. Koro was sorry for behavior to Paikea and approved her as his real inheritor.

Feeling
There are difficulties in the problems of the tribes. Traditions are considered very important and people are exclusive to the new ideas. I got the impression Maori has a same problem by this movie. Paikea made a desperate effort for her future in such a bad environment. She looked like a shining a hope for my future.


(372 words / total 10314 words)

Book review #10 "Beauty & the Beast"

There was a man who has three daughters. He was very rich. His name was Pierre. He gave his daughters everything they wanted. His eldest daughters wanted the jewelry or dresses, but his youngest daughter Beauty wanted a rose.

One day, Pierre went out to get the present for his daughters. On his way, a thick fog filled the air and he lost his way. Suddenly, a castle appeared in front of him. He opened the door and called out, but there was no answer. There was a feast on the table. He ate it because he was starving. There was a rosebush in the garden. When Pierre plucked a rose for Beauty, a huge shadow appeared and grabbed him. It was the Beast. The Beast was enraged and tried to kill him. Pierre explained that the rose was for his daughter Beauty. Then the Beast wanted Beauty instead of his life. Pierre consented unwillingly. After he went back home, he was anxious about the promise with the Beast. Beauty worried about her father and asked him what happened, but he did not say anything.

One morning, Beauty found a letter in front of sleeping Pierre. The promise with the Beast was written on it. The letter said Pierre would go to the castle in her place. Beauty left a note and went to the castle by her father’s horse. When Beauty arrived at the castle, she noticed the sweet-smelling. It was from the garden. She went into the garden and met the Beast there. At first, the Beast threaten her with his grow! But he shed tears when he knew the girl was Pierre’s daughter Beauty. Beauty asked him why he was crying, and he told that he had been alone for a long time. Beauty sympathized with him and decided to stay with him.

At that evening, they enjoyed talking together. The Beast liked very much, so he asked her to marry him. But she refused. The next day, Beauty explored the castle. There were rooms where fairies were performing a play, a library which has great many books, and so on. In the garden, there were exotic flowers and magic animals. After dinner, the Beast proposed to Beauty again, but she said no. That night, Beauty had a strange dream. She had dinner with a hand some prince in the dream. Next morning, she found a portrait at the library. It was a picture of the prince she saw in the dream. She asked the Beast about him at the dinner time. The Beast told her he knew the prince, but he had not seen him for years. Next day, Beauty told the Beast that she missed her family. The beast gave her a ring. It was a magic ring which took her home. She promised the Beast to come back within two weeks.

Her father was very happy to see Beauty again, but her sisters were not. They were afraid that their shares of their fathers property would be harm her if Beauty would not go back to the castle within two weeks. So they tried to keep her longer Beauty stayed one more night unwillingly.
That night, Beauty had a dream that the Beast was lying in his garden. She woke up in surprise and harried back to the castle. The Beast was lying in the garden and dying. Beauty kissed him wishing for his recover. Suddenly, the Beast flashed and disappeared. Then a handsome prince appeared with a flash. It was a prince Beauty saw in her dream. He explained that he was turned to the Beast by a fairy because he refused to marry her. Beauty and the Prince got married the next day. Her sisters complained about their marriage. Then they were changed to the stone by the fairy.


Feeling
It was a very interesting story. I think it is rare that the beast is the hero, though the scene that a kiss broke a spell was stereotyped. But it was something fresh for me because I did not know the story well as “Snow White” or “Cinderella”. It was cruel that Beauty’s sisters were turned to the stone by a fairy at last. To my surprise, the endings of the fairy tales are often cruel. I realized that recently.


(718 words / total 9942 words)

Whiskey Coke

Now, my favorite alcoholic drink is whiskey. I began to drink it under the influence of a song. Eikichi Yazawa is one of my favorite singers. Though he’ll be 60 this year, he is still cool. ‘Whiskey Coke’ is one of his songs. ‘Whiskey Coke’ means ‘mixed whiskey with cola’ literally. When I listened to this song, I wanted to drink it. Soon I tried it. It was very good!! I was enslaved by its taste. I respect the person who made it first. Whiskey is strong liquor, but it becomes easier to drink by mixing with cola. I drink it every time I go to the bar or somewhere after I knew it, I also make it with whiskey and cola at home. My favorite whiskey is ‘Kaku’ made by Suntry. It is because Koyuki who appears on TV commercial of ‘Kaku’ is very cute.

I drink it alone at night after my part time job. When I’m tried, I’m a lonely man. Looking back I drank alone on Christmas Day or at the end and the beginning of the year. When I talked about this to my friend, he said “Are you a middle-age man?” “You live just like 40 years old man.” Yes, he is right I’m a lonely middle-aged man… Someone give me love, anyone!!


(219 words / 9224 words)

Book review #9 "Cinderella"

Cinderella lived with her stepmother and stepsisters. She was overworked by them like a servant.

One day, the invitation to a Christmas Ball held by Prince arrived. Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters were excited. Cinderella heard the news and wanted to go with them. But her stepmother did not allow. She looked at her father to ask to help her, but he looked the other way. Her stepmother told her to make her stepsisters more beautiful. Cinderella helped them choose their dresses, hats, and so on. She worked hard to make their outfits.

At the night of the Ball, Cinderella was left alone. When she was crying, her godmother came out from the fireplace. Cinderella explained the reason of her tears to her godmother Felicity. Felicity told Cinderella to bring a large pumpkin and waved her wand uttering an incantation. Then, the pumpkin changed into beautiful golden coach. Felicity changed a rat, mice and lizard to a coachman, the houses and footman. She also touched Cinderella with her wand to dress her up. When Cinderella left her house, Felicity told her to leave the palace before twelve.

At the ballroom everyone paid attention to Cinderella. She danced with the Prince. She was enjoying the Ball. Then, she noticed that it was almost midnight. Cinderella rushed out of the dance palace. The Prince tried to call her to stop, but Cinderella did not stop. When the Prince looked for her, he found her glass slipper.

The next morning, a messenger from the palace came. He has a message that said the Prince will marry with the true owner of the glass slipper. Cinderella’s stepsisters tried it, but their felt were too big to fit it. The messenger told Cinderella to try on. The glass slipper fitted her foot perfectly. The messenger took off his hat and coat. It was the Prince. He asked Cinderella to marry him. Cinderella and the Prince were married and lived happily for long long time.


Feeling
I think “Cinderella” is one of the most famous fairy tales. Reading “Cinderella” or “Snow White”, many girls may imagine themselves as the heroines and dream to fall in love with the Prince.

I suppose that most of people know this story by Disney film. I’m one of them. It was really a sweet pleasure to read this book. By the way, I have a doubt about this story. The glass shoes are impractical. They must be dangerous to walk.


(409 words / total 9005 words)

Book review #8 "The Three Little Pigs"

Once upon a time, three little pigs –Pinky, Percy and Poppy – lived with their mother. Their house was too small for four big pigs. They wanted their own houses. So, they left home to build their houses. A wolf was watching them behind the bushes. Pinky built his house with straw. Percy made his house with sticks. Then Poppy made her house with bricks.
The next day, the Big Bad Wolf visit Pinky and wanted to get into his house, but Pinky refused. Then the wolf got angry and blew the house off with his breath. Pinky ran away and went to Percy’s house. The wolf ran after him and wanted to get into the stick house. But Percy also refused that. The wolf blew the house off again.
Pinky and Percy ran away and went to Poppy’s brick house. The wolf came there and wanted to get in. Of cause Poppy refused that, so the wolf tried to blew the house off. The wolf huffed and puffed again and again. But the brick house was strong and heavy and the wolf could not blow it off. At last, the wolf gave up blowing it off and jumped onto the roof to get into the house from the chimney. He slid down the chimney and landed in Poppy’s cooking pot. There was hot water in it. The three pigs put the lid on the pot and the wolf died.

Feeling
I have read this story many times when I was a child. I enjoyed the ending that the pigs beat the wolf simply. But this time, I felt brutality a little in description. I wonder if this story is suitable for children.

(282 words / total 8596 words)