from blondie to takeshi

MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME

2005-03-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

So it's time for me to go. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Paris for a shooting in the South of France. I'll be back on this blog on the 9th of April with some pictures in order to share with you the best moments of this shooting. So untill then I leave you the keys... Make yourselves at home... You can post all the comments you wants, write to each other even in Chinese ( I'll not understand but I don't care, Chinese characters are beautiful). Don't forget to leave some informations about Takeshi and all that happens in Asia so that I'm not lost when I'm back! (I won't be able to check my mail very often so be patient please!)
I'll miss you all. Be sure that a part of my heart will always stay in Asia.

Take Care

Currently listening: THE KILLS "I hate the way you love"

"DO YOU LOVE ME AS I LOVE YOU ?"

2005-03-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Is love different from a country to an other ?
That's the question I asked myself while reading the comments of my friend Heamee about "Tempting heart" (a Takeshi's movie with I haven't seen yet). In fact it seems to me that a movie which talks about love and feelings moves any audience in the same way, be it an Asiatic, American or European movie.
I'm French, I was born in Paris but I am very sensitive to asiatic culture and when I watch a movie from Wong Kar Wai (for example :-) ) I feel really close to his sensitivity and the ways he feels love...
However I must admit that, on a number of points, the way to express feelings can be different according to people's culture even if the feelings are the same. In France lovers might kiss or strongly argue in the street (we are respectful of others of course but maybe more expressive in public, probably because of our latin origins). I'm not sure that it is usual in Asia where people seem more reserved with their feelings! In conclusion, it seems to me that, in private life, love has no boundaries because it's a universal feeling but, that in public life, love might be more difficult between people with different cultures because the ways to express it may vary enormously !?

VOICI MA VILLE, VOICI MA VIE...

2005-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today the sun was shinning so I decided to quit the office and leave my beloved crew, to search the location where we will shoot the sequences which take place in Paris (we will shoot one day in Paris and the rest of the time In Camargue, an area between Montpellier and Nimes). I took my car, put my sunglasses on and crossed Paris from north to south to find a location looking like the one described in the script and which was born from the director's fantasies!!! Not so easy indeed because the movie takes place in the future, in a Paris where there are no more cars !!!! So I had to find a huge pedestrian street with no shops! Mmmm thank you mister director!!! Nevermind, I had my camera and so I sized this opportunity to take some
pictures of Paris for my foreign friends who read my blog. I am sorry about the pictures' quality but I could not park my car for lack of time (finding a parking place in Paris can take a while), so I took all those pictures directly from my car.
It's funny because I often forget how beautiful Paris is. I was born here, so everything is familiar to me but today I rediscovered Paris like if I were a tourist, maybe because I took these pictures for you !

THE "OPERA GARNIER" one of my favourite buildings. When the sun is shinning, the golden roof is so beautiful behind the blue sky !

THE "COMEDIE FRANCAISE" where Moliere used to perform his comedies

THE "HOTEL DU LOUVRE" a famous hotel between the Comedie Francaise and the Louvre

Me, driving my sweet car which follows me and supports me in all my shootings ? Poor car !!!!

THE "SEINE" and its famous bridges, beautiful view isn't it?

Currently listening (in my car) : Chris ISAAC and "Rodeo", the last album from ZAZIE a french singer

Here is the jacket of Zazie's record. I really like the photograph!

If you want to listen to some samples of the album go to the following link (it's in french !!!)

http://zazieonline.artistes.universalmusic.fr/index.php

NOT THESE AWFUL JEANS ANYMORE !

2005-02-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a good day at the production. Good but hard ! Imagine 8 people in the same office each one on his computer, lots of cigarettes, lots of jokes, lots of fun, lots of noise... Not a lot of work done ?. It's really hard to concentrate in this kind of mood. In the coming days I'll try to post some photographs of the team, you' ll see what I mean... And may be I' ll try to take some more during the shooting.

Anyway, after my job I was exhausted so I decided to rest at home and watch "To tired to die" ( I had never seen it). During the first minutes I thought : "Strange movie ! The kind I like to watch !" It was a little bit like "Brooklin boogie" or "Smoke" you known, these kind of New-York independant movies. The first apparition of Takeshi, in black and white was promising. Takeshi's acting is good, the images are beautiful but... as soon as Takeshi dressed up :-)... and
gets out of his apartment it is "the beginning of the end ". First of all : What are these awful clothes Takeshi is wearing ? God these are grand pa's jeans both too short and coming up to his armpit... In France we would call them "feu de plancher"= floor fire (you know when trousers are too short like if the floor was on fire and had burned them) and these huge turn-up(s)!!!!!!! Fortunately Takeshi is handsome so he could wear anything !
After this disappointing scene there is the problem of acting (all actors play false, even Takeshi who seems to be influenced by his partners) maybe it's because of the difficulty to act in English with poor dialogues. Too bad, because there are plenty of good ideas in this movie but the script is kind of inept. And the kisses ! Let's talk about the kisses ! I had read somewhere that Takeshi was the best screen kisser ever (I had found this funny at the time). Well, sorry to bring contradiction but to me, there was not a hint of sensuality in Takeshi's kisses and you'd better believe me (I'm French hihihi ... you know our reputation ? :-) ). Mmmm I'm afraid I'm making enemies especially among girls, but be assured that I really love Takeshi, it's just that when you really do love someone, you should be true to him... So sorry for his unconditional fans but in this movie Takeshi lacks virility... except in the scenes with Mira Sorvino and especially the one when she is visiting him in his apartment and tells him that he will die: then his acting is both true and subtile. ...At last the Takeshi I love, the one who impressed me so much in Fallen Angels, WAS BACK!
But please Takeshi promise me not to wear these awful jeans anymore !!!! ?

The "fallen angel" in "Too tired too die"

IN MEMORY...

2005-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of working on this computer, for my job, all day long so today I'll just post a few photographs for my friend Photon in memory of her favorite actor... We miss him...

THIS IS MY LETTER FOR YOU

2005-02-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Q

How do you find my blog? It seems that we share a lot of things.

Here are my answers to you

- Fortunatly for me in Europe there are no preconceptions against women who smokes and I think that there are more women addicted than men. Sometimes it can even be sexy ? But my lungs do not agree whith this although usualy I'm not a big smoker.
- My italian origins are from Torino and Milano
- I don't really understand what you mean when you say that in an other life you want to be a "toy dog". If I translate in French it could mean that you want to be someone submissive to men !!!!! :-) hihihihi language confusion. So I think being a dolphin would be better !?
- I know Christopher Doyle for his work but I have no idea of the kind of person he is huiyuhgtguykt (sorry my cat is jalous he wants all my attention so he just walked on my deskboar).
Back to Christopher Doyle, You seem to know him quite well and I trust your jugment
- I usually don' t like big block busters appart from those like "Flying Daggers". This kind of movie proves that you can make movies for a large audience whithout making stupid movies!
- I also watch chinese, corean, Taiwanese movies, most of them are authors movies (in France we tend to like "small independant" asiatic movies more than big mainstream movies)

You're welcome on my blog I hope to read your comments soon

Dear Kiki

You're welcome too and thank you for this Information. I like learning news things. As you can see
I'm curious as a cat. I haven't seen Black Jack but I'll try to.

VALENTINE'S DAY

2005-02-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was Valentine Day. So let's talk about Takeshi's diary for the occasion.

Link to Takeshi's diary traduce by photon (Thank you photon for this wonderfull work!)
http://tkdiary.freeshell.org/index-e.html

The 15th february 2004 he said : "About Valentine's Day. As far as I know, there is a habit that girls give chocolates to boys only in Japan; did you know it? (I mean, as far as I know.) In other places, boys give girls roses or something supposedly romantic. It is called "Lovers' Day" in Chinese; the habit in American schools was the same, if I remember correctly. (I mean, from boys to girls.)"

So you're right in France for example the girl would make a gift only to the man she loves and if a girl loves a man secretly she usually won't do the first step. It's the man who has to declare his love. There is a french proverb which said : " L'homme propose la femme dispose ; which means that the man makes the proposal and the woman decides. We don't made gifts to
friends for Valentine Day. It would be strange and look like a proposal ! We go to the restaurant with our love, men offer flowers; but we haven't, you known, this funny chocolate box in the form of a heart, with red satin, like we can see in some American movies ! For French people this is really kitch! Cultures are different and it's this difference which makes the world so rich ! There is an exception though! When you are a kid or a teenager and you go to a party there is something that girls hate : " le quart d'heure Americain"; (the American quarter.) During 15 mns we change the rules of French culture. We play slow music, and the girls have to invite the boys to dance!!! Ho my God it should be called "the awful quarter of the girls turned to red". I usually found the way to escape this by going to the restroom.
So Americans have the French kiss, and we have the American quarter !

SMOKING CIGARETTES

2005-02-12T03:45:00.000-08:00

I smoke too much! Maybe I' m too nervous... Between my conversations on the website, my blog (all in english) and the new shooting I will be working on soon (as assitant director) I'm a little bit confused! And I must finish my short movie's script!!!! God I am at my wit's end with all this! And writing in english really becomes exausting after a while!!! I want to speak FRENCHHHHH!!! Why couldn't the entire world speak the same language it woud be so much easier no?

Yesterday my ex-boy friend (an actor... you should never date an actor :-) ) called me. Now he lives part of his time in Montreal and the rest in L.A... and he wants to introduce me to an asian actor who also lives in L.A for my short movie. I don't want to speak English anymoreeeeeeee pleaseeee. I just want to smokeeeee!

Mmmmm... I think that I'm not the only one

MY SWEET SOUTH

2005-02-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I dreamed that I was lying on the beach where I use to go when I' m in the south of France near Cannes (Maybe it' s because I have seen some pictures of the last film festival with the crew of flying daggers) . So I was lying in the sand, the sun warming me up, and the waves were singing... Mmmmm I think I' ve been away too long from my second home... I really miss it. A part of my heart belongs to this area, maybe because I have some Italian blood and that the south of France really look like Italia. I want to eat pasta, socca (typical dish) gnocchi... Unfortunatly I have to work on a shooting a week from now so I' ll have to wait before I can see my sweet south again :-)

This is the place were I use to have a drink after a day on the beach. Look at this panorama we are next to heaven !

"HAPPY WITH GAME, UNHAPPY WITH LOVE"

2005-02-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't written a single word for several days. I' m sorry but I was busy. Come on ! I cannot always live in the virtual world! In my job you have to show off, take time to meet people. Unfortunatly it's essential and unavoidable !!! Especially now because there are less and less productions. So yesterday I went to a show-biz party with one of my friends who is a make-up artist. Eachtime we go out together we have a lot of fun because we both don't really like this kind of party where you have to do social chitchat. But yesterday it was cool. It was a party to celebrate the new show of a French celebrity (I won't name her) with whom I've already worked on a movie. At the end of the night SHE gave everyone a lottery ticket. You know, this kind of ticket you scratch and if you find several times the same symbol you win money. This one was a new game created for Valentine's Day. You scratch and if you find 6 hearts you win 10.000 euros!
And guess what... I lost. I found only one heart. Nevermind, as the french proverb said : "Happy with game, unhappy with love"... THIS NEW GAME IS REALLY STUPID !!!!!! :-)

Currently listening to: 2046 BO

BE PATIENT

2005-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Please be patient I'll post something tomorrow !

LAURENT'S RUMORS

2005-01-31T02:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was in a bar with my friend Laurent. We were talking about my blog and guess what I learned ! First point: Takeshi Kaneshiro was proposed a part in MI2, at Tom Cruise's side, but Tom Cruise refused because he found Takeshi more beautiful than him. True or false?

Second point Takeshi was proposed to incarnate Albator in the adaptation of French director Olivier DAHAN but, Olivier DAHAN and Jean-Pierre Dionnet felt that a European actor would be physically closer to the Deutsch character. Anyway the movie won't be shot and I'm happy! I was really frightened about the result after what he had done with "Le petit poucet". Takeshi, there are no regrets to have I swear it!!! And please don't let Luc Besson put a hand on you... Wait for me to finish my script ;-)

And by the way Tom, I understand why you were anxious!!!! Anyway, I don't really like Tom Cruise (except in "Magnolia", and "Collateral" were he was really good). OK he plays well enough, but it's too perfect, too clean. Nothing to do with Johnny Depp, here is an amazing actor, a real chameleon.

Hmm, Albator, the man of my dreams when I was a kid, with his scar which made him look very virile. And he had only one eye (like my cat)! He seamed so mysterious, a little bit androgyne too, like princes in little girl's dreams. Takeshi as Albator, I had not thought about that, but it was a good idea I think...

Good night to all, it's time for me to go to sleep.

MESSAGE FOR TAKESHI' S FAN

2005-01-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Heamee, thank you for your comment! I don't know where you are from exactly but it seems that you know Takeshi quite well. I'm not sure that you really understood what I meant when I said : "imagine Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt writing a home page". It was, in fact, because I can't imagine them doing this type of thing and it's funny and really cool to see that Takeshi
is able to expose himself like that !!! When you say that he is special, what do you mean exactly? I'm asking because in France we know him only through some movies. We have no interviews of him or any other stuff like this except an apparition in the Cannes film festival last year ! After reading Takeshi' s diary I really wanted to answer because he seems to wonder about how different things are in other countries. Like when he wrote about Valentine Day ( + St valentin in french)... So it seemed to me that it would be funny to answer him and, through his diary, to communicate about all this with people from different countries, different cultures!
So yesterday I left a message on takeshikaneshiro.net. Come on, Takeshi' s fans, you seem to be really serious and focused on him, but I would also love to discuss about the movies that I saw even if Takeshi doesn' t play in them, about original versions versus translated versions... even about my cat :-). Tell me, what are your favorite movies? Why? Do you know any french movie? Do you watch movies in their original version? Do you have a pet who surfs the internet with you (I'm jocking)? You see I'm very curious and love to know more about people in other countries! Oh by the way I have one last
important question: how come that in the profile of actors you mention the blood type? Is there a specific reason for that (in France we never do that)?

Bye for now.

CAT'S LIFE

2005-01-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

Mon Ange" was not really a good movie, in my mind. The psychology of the characters is treated too quickly, we don' t get enough time to really like them and understand them. And if the dialogues are interesting (they speak by metaphor, it' s very poetic) too many metaphors kill the metaphor so at the end we get bored. Fortunately the principal actor, Vincent Rottiers, is really excellent ! You don' t even feel he is acting...

Today the sun was shining and the temperature was rather cool, I spent some time with my friends... they were all very relaxed. It' s funny to see how the sun can make people happy.
Paris is a beautiful and enjoyable city when the weather is good but when it rains or snows it' s awfull! Never mind today was a beautifull day. My cat ( Orphee ) spent all the afternoon sleeping in the sun and purring. Cat' s life is really cool, no ? For my next life I will try to be a cat ;-)

ALL BLOGGERS AT SOME POINT POST A PICTURE OF THEIR PET. IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO MEET ORPHEE, THE CAT OF MY LIFE

WE ARE NOT INSANE!

2005-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

The 5th decembre 2001 Takeshi seemed to be anxious because since his childhood " when he became interested in something, he always tended to get endlessly and totally involved in it. But once he got attracted by any other thing, he then started getting involved in it". And he asked himself it it meant that he could not stick to anything. This anxiety made me smile a lot. Please stop worrying you are not insane!... Or if you are, I am too... And a lot of people are! Maybe it' s our generation.

When I was a kid I used to have a lot of plushes and dolls too. When I would see another cute one, I would immediatly make a scene to my parents to get this plush. Once I would get it, it would become my favorite... for a while... Until I would see a new one. My mother didn' t like that, she worried to see that I could not focus my affection on just one toy. Once she told me that if I carried on this way I would be unable to settle down with a man when I became an adult. I felt very guilty. I took a look at all the plushes lying on my bed... My god would I become like Liz Taylor... Ok I am not married yet but... Younger I fell in love with the beast (in " The beauty and the beast" the french movie directed by Jean Cocteau) and I cried a lot when the beast became a prince, later I fell in love with Quasimodo and I didn' t understand why Esmeralda did not marry him. And finally I put my choice on Elephant man (he was so cute). Once again, my mother worried : "What kind of man will you bring back home, my daughter"? Well, it seems to me that my boyfriends have always been rather cute... and furthermore I do not change often :-)... Well Mum, what would you say with the new generation of girls!!! :-)

We are not insane Takeshi, it' s just a side effect of the consumer society! Haaaaaa ! ? Talking about consuming, my friends are waiting for me to go watch "Mon ange" a french movie with Vanessa Paradis (You know ! Johnny Depp' s girlfriend) it' s a love story :-)

Takeshi' s diary:http://tkdiary.freeshell.org/index-f.html

BYE FOR NOW

MON ANGE by Serge Frydman with Vanessa Paradis et Vincent Rottiers

...SAME EVERYWHERE !

2005-01-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

Outside It rains, it rains
Inside no more good ideas in my brain !!!

I can' t finish my script, I' m stuck with these two poor characters running in the South of France (I like this area. Actually I use to live between Paris and Cannes but it' s an another story! Later on, I will probably post some pictures of the south of France). What can I do now with them (my two poor characters)!!! I hate winter it doesn' t inspire me I' m a southern girl damn it ! Ok so let' s talk about Takeshi's diary before I go out to meet some friend !
You can find the link under

Takeshi' s diary: http://tkdiary.freeshell.org/index-f.html

The 5th december 2000 he writes about movies production in Japan. If it seems to be hard in his country come and see how it works in France ! People watch essentially big american
blockbusters or French movies which are copies. They always watch them in French version ! Berk !
Last time I was curious to known what the french version of Returner looked like. Help ! the french voice of Takeshi is awfull it sounds like a teenager in a cartoon not really sexy no?. Do watch foreign movies in their original language please !
In France you have 2 choices if you want to direct :

-Write a big and stupid movie whith blood, gun, sex a lot of special effects of course... and some easy dialogues ;
-Write a "typical" french movie with a lot of very, very very intellectual dialogues so intellectual that you will be the only to understand them. And an ugly light because if you are intellectual you can' t loose your time creating a beautifull light. (that' s exactly what my teacher in my movie school told me)

Ah and the most important you must have famous actors, of those that you see in every movie ! Easy for a young comedian to have a place in this big industrie no ?

Ok i' m very cynical but i' m really close to reality. I think that there is a new generation of directors in France witch can renew the french movie, but productions must give them a chance.

So you see dear Takeshi you can live in France or in Japan the difficulties seam to be the same everywhere !!!

Ok I stop this monologue which sounds like one of an old lady! Next time, I swear, I will comment something funnierrkjmuiyhngguytrjfgrttsdtwqzrdyjyt (sorry for this it' s just Orphee my beloved cat who, as usual, walks on my deskboard so if sometimes you see bizzare things like this, don' t worry it' s just Orphee poetry)

TAKESHI'S DIARY

2005-01-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Ok ! now I know what happened to Takeshi Kaneshiro. He did a lot of movies since Fallen Angel but they never were distributed in France except Returner, which you can only find on DVD. I watched it and... what can I say about this movie? It' s really strange. Put in a shaker Matrix, Terminator, E.T a little bit of yakuza movies, shake a lot and you' ll get
RETURNER. I did like the first part but after I felt lost between all these styles an it seems that the director got lost too ,
Anyway Takeshi plays great and itt' s funny to see him as the viril hero when you are used to see him playing crazy caracters...

TAKESHI IN "FALLEN ANGELS" (I love this character)

TAKESHI IN "RETURNER"

... At the end of my search I found Takeshi' s diary !!!!! This guy had open an home page from 2000 to 2002 And there is a translation in english unbelievable ! Imagine Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt writing a home page (for those who dont know Takeshi Kaneshiro he is really famous in Asia)!!! It was funny to read him and I laughed a lot. This guy has a sense of humour ! The point is that even if he is a star and has a very different culture I feel close to him. So if I can' t find the inspiration to finish my last script during the next few days I' m going to comment some points who inspired me in his home page !!!
Maybe it will inpire you too !

for Takeshi' s diary: http://tkdiary.freeshell.org/index-f.html

MY GOD !

2005-01-16T01:50:00.000-08:00

WONG-KAR WAI this man is a god!!!!

Wong-Kar Wai and Christopher Doyle: LE DUO DE CHOC

IT'S LIKE A DISEASE

2005-01-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

WHAOU ! (Shouting in french) I' ve just received the first comment on my first blog !
It' s such an effort to write in english when you aren' t a native that getting a comment is a real reward to me. So I learned that the English title for "Le voyage de Chihiro' is "Spirited away". Nice title ! Actually I choose princesse Mononoke as my user name but Chihiro is my favorite too.

RahX ! I presume that "Spirited away" will always be your favorite. I did like " Le chateau ambulant " but "Spirited away " is the most achieved in my opinion.

Today the weather is awfull in Paris, you can' t even see the top of the Eiffel tower, so I decided to stay behind my computer and finish my last script. God I couldn' t write a single word, my brain was empty!!!! So I watched "Hero" for the third time to find some centring (not sure of the word) ideas for my story board. Christopher Doyle is such a good "cinematographer" ! And as usual I ended up surfing the web (it's like a disease) to find informations about him !...

Ok I' m lying (just a litle bit) click after click I actually ended up on some sites dedicated to Takeshi Kaneshiro.
I discovered Takeshi Kaneshiro for the firts time in Chunking Express (Wong Kar Wai' s movie) but really started to be interested in him when I saw Fallen Angels. Unfortunately after Fallen Angels no more Takeshi on french screens
until ... THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS... I was so happy to see him again that I could have walked over every spectator in the queue just to be first in the theater (ok I do exaggerate a bit).

The big question is : Why are all good sites about asian actors always in chinese or japanese!!!!!!!! OUF, on Takeshi' s net I found a few words in english so I stuck to these like a mussel on a rock :-).

Let' s see what Takeshi had done during all this years (He had to have a good reason to be far from french screens for so long!)

My my my, I'm getting tired of writing in english. I'll be back tomorrow with renewed energy ;-).

Good night everybody

LE CHATEAU AMBULANT

2005-01-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

LE CHATEAU AMBULANT
Originally uploaded by princesse-mononoke.

May be my new lover!!!! After Albator ^^

WHO'S THAT GIRL

2005-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

WHO AM I ? "A girl of 1973" as a french song said !!!! A girl who watch TV too much, who was in love with Alabator and later with Mickael Jackson ( hmmm I don' t really see where is the link). A girl who decided to work in movie industrie, a girl which have some italian blood and wich is fascinated by Asia since early childhood (asian food, asian movies... maybe Albator' s effect !!!!!)

Now I work as a casting director or an assistant director on movies and commercials but by now the situation is really hard in french movie production! and if you aren' t the son or the daughter of... you have to like pasta because it might be the only thing you' ll eat (I don' t care I' m half italian hihi ! and sometimes I leave pasta for noodles).
When not working I watch a lot of movies especially asiatic ones and I write scripts because, my true desire is to direct.

Tonight I plan to see "le chateau ambulant" (I think that the english title is "Howl's moving castle " ) from Hayao Miyazaki. I was surprised and proud to read that France is may be the first country where Hayao Miyazaki is popular, of course after Japan !!!! One million spectators for Chihiro !
You see I' m not the only french people who like Asia so much. Conclusion : french are interested in Asia. I ask myself the reason WHY ?