February 1st. In Japan, the first of the month is “Movie Day,” where tickets are discounted to 1,200 yen—a steal compared to the usual 2,000 yen. So, naturally, I’m heading to the theater. I drive my “Kei” mini-truck to Aeon Cinema Matsumoto.
I’m running low on gas for the trip back, so I stop at a gas station. I’m almost late for the show, but if I don’t fill up now, I might end up stranded later with no open stations in sight—a nightmare scenario. Managed to get gas and rushed to the theater. Aeon Matsumoto is confusingly huge. Thanks to the long trailers, I barely make it in time.
The first film is “Warfare.” Directed and written by the creator of “Civil War.” It’s a story about U.S. troops stranded during the Iraq War. Apparently, it stays as faithful as possible to actual events. However, I couldn’t help but feel a certain pro-military commercialism. Seeing the group photo of everyone flipping the bird in the end credits left me feeling a bit disillusioned.
The second film is “28 Years Later…The Bone Temple” directed by Nia DaCosta, who helmed the 2021 version of “Candyman”. Its the sequel to “28 Years Later” but “The Bone Temple” was absolutely incredible!!!
The “28 Days Later” series is a zombie movie set in the UK, but it’s completely unpredictable. Beyond that, it’s incredibly satisfying to watch the most amazing scenes at full volume. It’s a post-apocalyptic film, like a hot and cold alternating bath, simultaneously showcasing the importance of rest and relaxation, and a truly Satanic ritual.
The music choices played by Dr. Kelson, a macho, retired doctor living alone, are excellent, especially when he plays Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.” I love that song, so I can’t help but respond. I think director Gareth Edwards also used it in his sci-fi film “The Creator.”
Anyway, I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet! Apparently, there’s one more film in the “28 Days Later” trilogy. It’s confusing. Director Nia da Costa’s “Candyman” (2021) is also a horror film that tackles issues of discrimination with great sincerity, so I highly recommend it.
On the way home, I listened to the rest of Koten Radio’s episode delving into Buddhism. It was also very interesting. Whenever I’m interested in something, I research it until I can put into words why I’m interested in it and why I like it, and there was a story that connected to that, and somehow it made sense to me what I’m doing.
I take the local roads back from Matsumoto to Fujimi. The route the GPS chose overlooked the city, and the lights gathered in the valley below looked like a shimmering lake. It was beautiful.
