MovieChat Forums > Hura gâru (2006) Discussion > How did this win so many awards?

How did this win so many awards?

posted 17 years ago by reisereise
19 replies | jump to latest

It seems the Japanese Academy Awards are just as predictable and unadventurous as the big shows in America. This is a non-stop parade of cliches and gag-inducing, laughable scenes of teary melodrama. It's always strange when filmmakers take a true story and somehow managed to turn it into an unconvincing, by-the-numbers underdog story that's been played out a thousand times before.

Admittedly, the movie doesn't screw up its rousing, climactic performance scenes. Then again, I might be saying that mostly because the sight of Yu Aoi shaking her rear end was easily the best aspect of the entire film.

[–] stears-1 17 years ago

I totally agree with you!
its like Always Sanchōme no Yūhi + Swing Girls + Billy Elliot + many other melodramas, its just so unoriginal

[–] crokk 17 years ago

Yeah, because American movies are ALWAYS sooooooooooooooo original...

[–] a_world_unknown 17 years ago

Who said anything about american movies being original? I believe the original poster actually said the opposite, comparing the predictability of the Japanese award system with the American one. However, I will say that this is actually more cringe inducing than the average american film, and more questionable ideologically, with the subtext of an old mine being shut down so that what ishopping mall can be installed, thus providing the Japanese audience reassurance that modern Americanized indsutrialization as superimposed over their traditional culture is a positive progression. Ick.
The similiarities to Billy Elliot were striking, not so much in the execution of the story but in the general premise of the film (young person overcomes the odds to become dancer within small mining community.)
While I think that this is a terrible movie, I'm not going to blast the awards system in Japan too hard, since I don't know a great deal about them and I consider The Twilite Samurai, which I believe swept the awards in Japan that year, to be a very good film. It's probably, in general, a prety similar system to our own where half the time quality films will win an oscar, and half the time overly simple and sentimental films will win.

[–] chadgeri 16 years ago

With all due respect, a world unknown, the mine is not being shut down because of the Hawaii center... the Hawaii center is being built to save the town because the mine was being shut down. So what's your point?

And who cares if the basic plot is unoriginal? This doesn't change the fact that the movie was extraordinarily well-made, well-acted, and heart-warming.

[–] abstract_daddy 15 years ago

I'm not entirely sure how coal mining constitutes traditional Japanese culture, or what Hula dancing has to do with "Americanized industrialization." And like chadgeri said the Hawaii center was built because the coal mine was no longer profitable. And the movie is based on reality (the mine really was shut down, and the Hawaii center really was built).

[–] jacowium 13 years ago

For what it's worth, I approve of some of your statements, and you seem like a reasonable person. Unfortunately, and perhaps you were distracted for a while, but your whole "subtext" comment make it seem like you didn't pay much attention to the narrative at all.

The two other posters already said what's necessary regarding that.

[–] sassyangel 16 years ago

Yes there have been a lot of dance movies made over the years. But this is the first one I've seen that is about hula. This movie treated hula with respect, and I liked that.

[–] Monkeybucks 16 years ago

I loved the movie.

And I don't really think there's much basis for an argument on unoriginality on account of how it is based on a true story.

[–] timothycapehart 16 years ago

I'm with Monkeybucks. This is a fine, sweet movie. All the actors were convincing. It was by turns funny and touching. The bad guys were real people. There were "types" but I wouldn't call them stereotypes. Sure we have seen similar movies with similar characters...but uh, I hate to break it to you all but the stories we live are far from original in any way.

If you want "original" go see movies like "Lars and the Real Girl" or "You, Me, and Everyone We Know" which while very fine movies (two of my favorites in the last few years actually) have little basis in reality. You want realistic, you're going to have to take a little "cliche."

[–] jacowium 16 years ago

Well said Timothy and Monkeybucks!

[–] basscadet75 16 years ago

And I don't really think there's much basis for an argument on unoriginality on account of how it is based on a true story.

In fact, you can see some pictures of the real original hula girls at the current official web site: http://www.polynesian-show.jp/roots_history.html

It is amazing how similar the movie looks to the real thing, down to the dance studio they originally practiced at and even the individual girls themselves. The final photo there is of their first performance, which looks just like it does in the movie.

[–] newatt-2 16 years ago

"And I don't really think there's much basis for an argument on unoriginality on account of how it is based on a true story."

It is "loosely based" on the true story. I would love to know the real story, because if it is as full of cliche as the film version is, some kind of award should be invented.

The dancing was wonderful to watch, but I have to completely agree with the comments of the original poster on this thread. The incidental music was godawful garbage, the dramatic crises were dreck and the long boring shots in supposedly emotional moments pre-supposed an extremely low intelligence level in its viewing audience.

Of course, I watch dance movies all the time and most of them are like that. But when the pull quote on the case called it an amalgam of "Shall we dance" (the original, good version) and "Strictly Ballroom" (or was it "Mad, Hot Ballroom" - don't have the case here), one could be forgiven for thinking that there would be some originality in the screenplay.

[–] ingenue82 16 years ago

I agree with the OP, I enjoy the movie though but do not understand how come this movie win so many awards.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=25080181

[–] dieBartdie 15 years ago

You know, it is a mystery to me how you can watch this and deny it any award.

It's a story about a coal mine being transformed into a Hawaiian tourist attraction. How much more originality do you need to be shoved up your throat to acknowledge it?

It had excellent acting all around. It was dry where it needed to be dry and emotional where it needed to be emotional. It's pretty much a perfect movie.

I'm sick and tired of the notion, that good movies have to have a sad ending or have to be shot with hand-held cameras, amateur actors with no make up or lighting.

If you consider this a bad movie because of similarities to American productions, this would mean that Hollywood has stolen the right to do emotional big-budget movies. Are we that insecure that we have to deny anyone outside America the right to do non-depressing, colourful movies without being looked down upon?

I can easily accept this as one of the best Japanese films of this decade, right along "Nobody knows" or "The Twilight Samurai".

_____

Thank you movie-scientists, for explaining me why I shouldn't enjoy this movie.

[–] wmousie 14 years ago

"I ... do not understand how come this movie win so many awards."

It seems pretty clear that an great number of people liked it a whole lot more than you did.

Get over it.

[–] thewakinghour 14 years ago

Checking your other comments, I was not surprised to find they reflect the same blindsidedness of this one.
This was an unusually good movie (though with the bow to sentient that even great Japanese movies tend to make and the standard use of character types that ALL Japanese comedies use - "faults" turned into strengths in the film), and beautifully shot, well-acted, etc.

Better you should try to fathom how poorly you are able to evaluate a film on its merits (Star Wars is not Citizen Kane; Hula Girls is not Funny Games) and take yourself much less seriously.

Not liking a movie fine. Being a poorly-informed drag isn't.

[–] Filmfanatic11 11 years ago

I agree. Hula Girls is a cute fun movie with occasional dramatic moments. It's far from a bad film. Sure it's sentimental, but still an okay film. Although not one I'd watch again.

[–] Caravelle232 13 years ago

There is no absolute standard for awards. I haven’t watched the Oscar’s for at least a decade because films I liked almost never won. But when I did, in any given year, an actor didn’t have to turn in the best acting performance ever to win an Oscar. They just needed to look like the “best” that year. I think if Hula Girls were an American film there may have been a few years where it would have won some awards. I also think there were years it would not have received a nomination. Such is the nature of awards.

[–] Aloneatlast 12 years ago

I have to agree, this movie was sentimental cheese. I would not watch it twice nor would I suggest it to anybody. Still looking for a Japanese movie as good as Tampopo...